E85 rescue. I can fix this… Right?
- Thread starter DarkApollo
- Start date
Attleborough, Norfolk
My e46 had the dreaded ‘explosive’ tank. Thats not going to be fun.
I will run through the regular checks, but the coolant looks really sludgy too. I can’t check the oil because, well, there is no oil. Ill throw in a few quarts to see if it turns to milk.
I will run through the regular checks, but the coolant looks really sludgy too. I can’t check the oil because, well, there is no oil. Ill throw in a few quarts to see if it turns to milk.
Sorry but that did make me smile.DarkApollo said:
I have read all of this thread, and must say I admire your determination, despite at every turn it just getting worse!
Good luck with whatever you do with it. BTW the loss of coolant could also be a hairline crack in the thermostat housing.
Stepping away from the technical for a bit.
Decided to update the interior just a bit with the aluminuminum trim pieces. I had a helper today as well.
Small victories are still victories. Need to remove the center console trim which is apparently a huge undertaking… It was getting to be bitter cold out so called it a day.
Decided to update the interior just a bit with the aluminuminum trim pieces. I had a helper today as well.
Small victories are still victories. Need to remove the center console trim which is apparently a huge undertaking… It was getting to be bitter cold out so called it a day.
Attachments
Update!
Changed the oil. The wonderful human who was the previous owner used an M12x1.25x15mm bolt as the drain plug. The keen eyed will note that M12x1.25 is not the proper thread. So 1/2 of the threads came out with the drain plug. Super. Initially I thought it was me going 'Snug plus one' on the drain plug, however after I ordered and received (+1 day from start of oil change) an M12x1.5 helicoil and noted that the drain plug threaded in correctly to the unstretched coil, meaning that the bolt thread was wrong. Checking with my thread pitch gauge confirmed M12x1.25. I was able to locally source the correct drain plug and it is longer so it will actually grab the remaining threads (+2 days from start of oil change). I had to order a tap to chase the threads. After that arrived (+4 days from start of oil change) I was able to clean the remaining threads and realign them. The new drain plug went in with no issue, threaded fully and was able to get finger tight before snugging with a wrench. All in all a 15min oil change turned into a 5 day affair. That said, it actually DID have oil! It was just about 3qt low. With the amount dripping out of the oil pan gasket, I cannot imagine where it is all going /s. Engine will come out next year for a good cleaning and rebuild.
No drips from the drain plug to date.
I was also able to update the gauge cluster. The true mileage was not far off from the display. Under 1000mi, the original tamper dot reading was 116150ish, and the actual mileage is currently 116910. That was a nightmare but it is corrected. It took over a month to receive the chips from China and I bought the blue board 270+ programmer, also from China, both shipped on the same day, and the programmer arrived in about a week. Note: You do NOT need to replace the chip! If you program 0 mile and 0 VIN to the M35080 chip, and resolder it to the board, use PASoft to push the VIN from the LMS/EWS, and after 2 key cycles with matching VINs, the LMS will automatically push the stored ODO to the cluster. The trouble with the M35080 EEPROM is that you cannot MANUALLY set the mileage with PASoft. However setting it to 0 mile and 0 VIN will properly correct it without needing to buy over priced chips ($30 for 5? Come on..) that take 2 weeks in customs, go to the local delivery hub, then end up 3 hours away in another state for 2 weeks, and then end up BACK at the local hub for another 3 days before being delivered.
And now, COOLANT LEAK! Yay! It is coming from the bottom of the tank. I suspect it is the coolant level sender o-ring as that seems to be where it is coming from.
I am also down to 1 fault code throwing the check engine light. Stupid post-cat O2 is dead. Reading is a flat .43v while the other one is over .5v fluctuating. The doofus had the post cats plugged in wrong which was setting off the post-cat O2 ready and O2 heater circuit codes.
Also need to figure out the random cyl misfire. I need to pull the plugs to see what is going on. It might be oil getting in from the valve cover gasket as the coils were changed recently.
Had a quote from a body shop that it will be between $300 and $500 to pull the frame straight. I am more than OK with that.
Ordered leather samples from LSEAT (US Based company) and they have a red that is JUST a hair brighter than the dream red. So I am going to order new seat leathers from them and save some money on full seat replacements. The gray they have is spot on for the gray leather on the door cards so I might order extra of that.
I also replaced the broken 3rd brake light and just need to replace the rondels on the fender markers with blacked out logos to MOSTLY complete the exterior. Debating on if I should add a small trunk/boot spoiler (not a wing, one of the flush mount ones that give the boot a bit more of a whale tail). Its not going to be a drift/race/FAFO car but I would like to make it my own in a tasteful way.
Changed the oil. The wonderful human who was the previous owner used an M12x1.25x15mm bolt as the drain plug. The keen eyed will note that M12x1.25 is not the proper thread. So 1/2 of the threads came out with the drain plug. Super. Initially I thought it was me going 'Snug plus one' on the drain plug, however after I ordered and received (+1 day from start of oil change) an M12x1.5 helicoil and noted that the drain plug threaded in correctly to the unstretched coil, meaning that the bolt thread was wrong. Checking with my thread pitch gauge confirmed M12x1.25. I was able to locally source the correct drain plug and it is longer so it will actually grab the remaining threads (+2 days from start of oil change). I had to order a tap to chase the threads. After that arrived (+4 days from start of oil change) I was able to clean the remaining threads and realign them. The new drain plug went in with no issue, threaded fully and was able to get finger tight before snugging with a wrench. All in all a 15min oil change turned into a 5 day affair. That said, it actually DID have oil! It was just about 3qt low. With the amount dripping out of the oil pan gasket, I cannot imagine where it is all going /s. Engine will come out next year for a good cleaning and rebuild.
No drips from the drain plug to date.
I was also able to update the gauge cluster. The true mileage was not far off from the display. Under 1000mi, the original tamper dot reading was 116150ish, and the actual mileage is currently 116910. That was a nightmare but it is corrected. It took over a month to receive the chips from China and I bought the blue board 270+ programmer, also from China, both shipped on the same day, and the programmer arrived in about a week. Note: You do NOT need to replace the chip! If you program 0 mile and 0 VIN to the M35080 chip, and resolder it to the board, use PASoft to push the VIN from the LMS/EWS, and after 2 key cycles with matching VINs, the LMS will automatically push the stored ODO to the cluster. The trouble with the M35080 EEPROM is that you cannot MANUALLY set the mileage with PASoft. However setting it to 0 mile and 0 VIN will properly correct it without needing to buy over priced chips ($30 for 5? Come on..) that take 2 weeks in customs, go to the local delivery hub, then end up 3 hours away in another state for 2 weeks, and then end up BACK at the local hub for another 3 days before being delivered.
And now, COOLANT LEAK! Yay! It is coming from the bottom of the tank. I suspect it is the coolant level sender o-ring as that seems to be where it is coming from.
I am also down to 1 fault code throwing the check engine light. Stupid post-cat O2 is dead. Reading is a flat .43v while the other one is over .5v fluctuating. The doofus had the post cats plugged in wrong which was setting off the post-cat O2 ready and O2 heater circuit codes.
Also need to figure out the random cyl misfire. I need to pull the plugs to see what is going on. It might be oil getting in from the valve cover gasket as the coils were changed recently.
Had a quote from a body shop that it will be between $300 and $500 to pull the frame straight. I am more than OK with that.
Ordered leather samples from LSEAT (US Based company) and they have a red that is JUST a hair brighter than the dream red. So I am going to order new seat leathers from them and save some money on full seat replacements. The gray they have is spot on for the gray leather on the door cards so I might order extra of that.
I also replaced the broken 3rd brake light and just need to replace the rondels on the fender markers with blacked out logos to MOSTLY complete the exterior. Debating on if I should add a small trunk/boot spoiler (not a wing, one of the flush mount ones that give the boot a bit more of a whale tail). Its not going to be a drift/race/FAFO car but I would like to make it my own in a tasteful way.
Youre right on that.
That only leaves the lower hose or the expansion tank... I really DO need to pull the radiator out anyway since the PO just kind of threw it in the core support after the accident and not actually mounted, I was just hoping that was a project for a sunnier day.
That only leaves the lower hose or the expansion tank... I really DO need to pull the radiator out anyway since the PO just kind of threw it in the core support after the accident and not actually mounted, I was just hoping that was a project for a sunnier day.
Usel said:
Yeah I am aware and was very much planning on it! The seats are falling apart as they are so it probably wont take much effort.
Yesterday, while working in the car in near freezing temps, it was nice to have my buns warm! Even though this is going to be a nice-day-only car, we still have nice days, albeit cold, here in the Eastern US even deep into December. So buns warmers are a welcome feature with leather seats.
I have watched A LOT of reviews for them. They seem to be pretty popular in the E30/E36 crowd and the only negative reviews were for non-standard-factory-spec seats. Like one guy was complaining that the skins he ordered didnt fit the Recaro seat he had. But like I said, the E30/E36 crowd have a lot of positive reviews for them.
Devon
Been a while!
Started clearing out the interior. The carpet is soaked.
When it is warmer out I will pull that out. Some rust from the wet carpet needs to be addressed too.
Pulled the seats and waiting for new leathers to arrive. Already received a replacement seatbelt guide.
Stripped down the pass seat, unstitched the seat heater and will be figuring out a way to reattach that.
While I have it apart, some modifications were needed to make these awful flat seats more “huggy”.
I added 12mm of high density foam to each bolster and 7mm to each side of the bottom. This is JUST enough extra that I feel the new leathers can still stretch over but also it is A LOT more huggy. I actually don’t feel like I am sitting in a lawn chair any more.
Started clearing out the interior. The carpet is soaked.
When it is warmer out I will pull that out. Some rust from the wet carpet needs to be addressed too.
Pulled the seats and waiting for new leathers to arrive. Already received a replacement seatbelt guide.
Stripped down the pass seat, unstitched the seat heater and will be figuring out a way to reattach that.
While I have it apart, some modifications were needed to make these awful flat seats more “huggy”.
I added 12mm of high density foam to each bolster and 7mm to each side of the bottom. This is JUST enough extra that I feel the new leathers can still stretch over but also it is A LOT more huggy. I actually don’t feel like I am sitting in a lawn chair any more.
Finally a WARM dry day!
Still fighting with the center console. Brittle plastic has me annoyed. So I moved on to other things.
Time to take the top down and fix the latch motor!
$5 gear set off Amazon and thats actually one problem fixed!
There is still time to update the lumbar support as well. I havent taken the other seat apart yet since the new leather hasnt arrived.
Still fighting with the center console. Brittle plastic has me annoyed. So I moved on to other things.
Time to take the top down and fix the latch motor!
$5 gear set off Amazon and thats actually one problem fixed!
There is still time to update the lumbar support as well. I havent taken the other seat apart yet since the new leather hasnt arrived.
Oh boy. So much has happened since the post.
The interior is back in. I have driven the car about 50mi but it needs the body work done.
The seats were covered and 0/10 recommend LSeat.com. I don’t know if they ship internationally but absolute garbage. The drivers seat already had a rip in it.
I replaced the airbag module and that mostly solved the battery drain (although it is still dead after a week..)
About two weeks ago I truly lucked out. On Facebook Marketplace, someone had “BMW parts make offer” listed and there were some F3x series M Sport seats in red! I shot an offer of $100 for both, he replied $100 each, and I got in the car immediately! 2hr drive and they were mine!
Now, they are not a direct bolt in, but I designed some brackets and had them laser cut from some 3mm chromoly steel.
Wiring was surprisingly easy to fix. I transferred the plug from the stock seats to the new seats making sure to match the wiring functions.
Right now the seats are about 90% functional.
The interior is back in. I have driven the car about 50mi but it needs the body work done.
The seats were covered and 0/10 recommend LSeat.com. I don’t know if they ship internationally but absolute garbage. The drivers seat already had a rip in it.
I replaced the airbag module and that mostly solved the battery drain (although it is still dead after a week..)
About two weeks ago I truly lucked out. On Facebook Marketplace, someone had “BMW parts make offer” listed and there were some F3x series M Sport seats in red! I shot an offer of $100 for both, he replied $100 each, and I got in the car immediately! 2hr drive and they were mine!
Now, they are not a direct bolt in, but I designed some brackets and had them laser cut from some 3mm chromoly steel.
Wiring was surprisingly easy to fix. I transferred the plug from the stock seats to the new seats making sure to match the wiring functions.
Right now the seats are about 90% functional.
No but thats a rather pointless feature anyway. None of my other cars have seat memory and not once has it caused me an issue. Besides, no one else drives the car except me.