New Owner

B

bagginsludomax

Member
Hi all,

I have come to realise photos of your z4 is very much needed, so it's about time I posted my 2003 2.2i.

It's the first car I have ever purchased, and what amazing cars they are, this forum has already taken me down a very expensive rabbit hole. But I'm loving every minute of it!

I've had it about 2 months and have very nearly sorted all of its many slight flaws - roof motor relocation, Retrofit cruise control, oil filter housing gasket leak fixed, restored faded paint and headlights and had all the dents removed - so it is now something I am very proud of!

Thanks to all who post about the things that can go wrong on these cars, and how to stop them getting even worse! It has saved a fortune!

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Welcome. That looks nice.
Have you done all the work yourself?
I'd like to encourage your continued spending by daring to suggest the wheels look a little small. :poke: :D
What mileage has it done? Have you done any engine work?

And so it goes on. :roll:
 
Welcome to the forum.
And smart looking z. Some satisfaction about restoring a car to its former glory, isn't there?

And the weather has still been very good for alot of the country,which is great,given its well into September.
Enjoy :driving: :thumbsup:
 
craig3.2 said:
Have you done all the work yourself?
I'd like to encourage your continued spending by daring to suggest the wheels look a little small. :poke: :D
What mileage has it done? Have you done any engine work?
Click to expand...
I have done all the mechanical work myself/with a buddy and the roof motor relocation but the bodywork I have left to people who know what they are doing!!

120k miles, no real work on the engine, apart from maintenance, alas I am 22 so if I make any changes I would have to pay obscene amounts to insure the thing - perhaps one day!
 
Welcome to the forum, and well done for getting stuck in with the mechanical work. :thumbsup:
 
bagginsludomax said:
craig3.2 said:
Have you done all the work yourself?
I'd like to encourage your continued spending by daring to suggest the wheels look a little small. :poke: :D
What mileage has it done? Have you done any engine work?
Click to expand...
I have done all the mechanical work myself/with a buddy and the roof motor relocation but the bodywork I have left to people who know what they are doing!!

120k miles, no real work on the engine, apart from maintenance, alas I am 22 so if I make any changes I would have to pay obscene amounts to insure the thing - perhaps one day!
Click to expand...

I didn't say this....
Another glitch of the Quick quote?
It was enuff zed I think, looking at the posts earlier.
 
bagginsludomax said:
craig3.2 said:
Have you done all the work yourself?
I'd like to encourage your continued spending by daring to suggest the wheels look a little small. :poke: :D
What mileage has it done? Have you done any engine work?
Click to expand...
I have done all the mechanical work myself/with a buddy and the roof motor relocation but the bodywork I have left to people who know what they are doing!!

120k miles, no real work on the engine, apart from maintenance, alas I am 22 so if I make any changes I would have to pay obscene amounts to insure the thing - perhaps one day!
Click to expand...
Yup it was me who asked that question.

Firstly, it's great to have younger members joining in................ though understanding some of the gripes, groans and dad jokes may take you a little while. :roll:

By engine work I was thinking more of preventative and restorative maintenance.
Have a read up on DISA and Vanos overhauls. Stuart (Bigwinn) has done some very good write ups on how to do these jobs.

The DISA valve is constructed from plastic parts and can wear. If it lets go it will pay a visit to the inlet valves: not a good result.
It's very easy to fit an upgraded metal flap and spindle and a relatively cheap mod for peace of mind.

The Vanos is the gearing on the front of the cylinder head that governs the variable valve timing. It does this by means of pistons operated by oil pressure. The seals in the vanos are not really up to the job and by now will have degraded so that oil is sneaking past rather than moving the pistons. Some of the effect of this is masked by the ECU 'adaptations'. Fitting an overhaul kit by a company such as X8R will revitalise your engine, making it smoother idling and regaining BHP you didn't know you'd lost. I was sceptical the first time I did one, but now it is one of the first jobs on my list!

Sounds like you're not afraid to dive in and do stuff, but if you do need help or just some encouragement, it may help to say roughly where you are and there'll possibly be a member nearby who's happy to help out.

Looking forward to seeing how you progress.
 
enuff_zed said:
By engine work I was thinking more of preventative and restorative maintenance.
Have a read up on DISA and Vanos overhauls. Stuart (Bigwinn) has done some very good write ups on how to do these jobs.
Click to expand...

Here's hoping the quick reply thing works this time around!

I haven't done any work to the engine except replacing oil seals - thanks for these two suggestions - have been reading into it and seems like a good idea to sort as soon as i can! Would always much rather do the preventative work than fix any aftermath. The DISA valve kits seem relatively self explanatory but the Vanos ones on X8R seem to have so many different varieties - there are 8 different kits with varying numbers of gaskets, bolts, bearings and other seals from £30-150 - https://x8r.co.uk/bmw/bmw-vanos-repair-kits.html - I must say i have no idea which I would need/are a good idea to replace!

Any advice would be very well received!!
 
bagginsludomax said:
enuff_zed said:
By engine work I was thinking more of preventative and restorative maintenance.
Have a read up on DISA and Vanos overhauls. Stuart (Bigwinn) has done some very good write ups on how to do these jobs.
Click to expand...

Here's hoping the quick reply thing works this time around!

I haven't done any work to the engine except replacing oil seals - thanks for these two suggestions - have been reading into it and seems like a good idea to sort as soon as i can! Would always much rather do the preventative work than fix any aftermath. The DISA valve kits seem relatively self explanatory but the Vanos ones on X8R seem to have so many different varieties - there are 8 different kits with varying numbers of gaskets, bolts, bearings and other seals from £30-150 - https://x8r.co.uk/bmw/bmw-vanos-repair-kits.html - I must say i have no idea which I would need/are a good idea to replace!

Any advice would be very well received!!
Click to expand...
X8R0166 is the one I got. It comes with all the seals etc too.
You could use the 0165 kit and not bother with the needle bearings and rattle rings, but if you're keeping it you may as well do the lot while you're in there.
I believe if you use the code 'VALUED' you should get 10% off.
 
enuff_zed said:
bagginsludomax said:
enuff_zed said:
By engine work I was thinking more of preventative and restorative maintenance.
Have a read up on DISA and Vanos overhauls. Stuart (Bigwinn) has done some very good write ups on how to do these jobs.
Click to expand...

Here's hoping the quick reply thing works this time around!

I haven't done any work to the engine except replacing oil seals - thanks for these two suggestions - have been reading into it and seems like a good idea to sort as soon as i can! Would always much rather do the preventative work than fix any aftermath. The DISA valve kits seem relatively self explanatory but the Vanos ones on X8R seem to have so many different varieties - there are 8 different kits with varying numbers of gaskets, bolts, bearings and other seals from £30-150 - https://x8r.co.uk/bmw/bmw-vanos-repair-kits.html - I must say i have no idea which I would need/are a good idea to replace!

Any advice would be very well received!!
Click to expand...
X8R0166 is the one I got. It comes with all the seals etc too.
You could use the 0165 kit and not bother with the needle bearings and rattle rings, but if you're keeping it you may as well do the lot while you're in there.
I believe if you use the code 'VALUED' you should get 10% off.
Click to expand...

Right - I have a DISA valve and the X8R0166 Vanos upgrade kit on its way! Discount code worked great :D Fingers crossed I won't destroy the car in the process! The instructions they provide seem pretty fool proof. Thank you for pointing me in the right direction!!
 
bagginsludomax said:
enuff_zed said:
bagginsludomax said:
Here's hoping the quick reply thing works this time around!

I haven't done any work to the engine except replacing oil seals - thanks for these two suggestions - have been reading into it and seems like a good idea to sort as soon as i can! Would always much rather do the preventative work than fix any aftermath. The DISA valve kits seem relatively self explanatory but the Vanos ones on X8R seem to have so many different varieties - there are 8 different kits with varying numbers of gaskets, bolts, bearings and other seals from £30-150 - https://x8r.co.uk/bmw/bmw-vanos-repair-kits.html - I must say i have no idea which I would need/are a good idea to replace!

Any advice would be very well received!!
Click to expand...
X8R0166 is the one I got. It comes with all the seals etc too.
You could use the 0165 kit and not bother with the needle bearings and rattle rings, but if you're keeping it you may as well do the lot while you're in there.
I believe if you use the code 'VALUED' you should get 10% off.
Click to expand...

Right - I have a DISA valve and the X8R0166 Vanos upgrade kit on its way! Discount code worked great :D Fingers crossed I won't destroy the car in the process! The instructions they provide seem pretty fool proof. Thank you for pointing me in the right direction!!
Click to expand...
Both jobs are fairly straightforward if you take your time and plan ahead.
Do some research into the vanos before you start, in particular the left hand thread bolts which are quite small and fiddly.
Also look into the various methods of gaining clearance for the vanos unit to come off the studs. Some lever the cross-member a little: I was doing the water pump and belts at the same time, so I elected to undo the RH engine mount and jack the engine up little. Either way works.
When you take the top cover off you may well find the rubber gasket has turned brittle. Before you try to remove it all, block off any oil-ways on the head as it will shatter and ping all over the place.
Lots of others have done this job before, so there'll always be someone to shout for help if you get stuck.

EDIT: The ECU learns and adapts to the way the vanos is operating and makes small adjustments. This means that when you first tart the engine after overhauling it, you may well find it runs rough for a little while. This should soon settle down. You will then, I believe, notice a difference in the smoothness of the idle and the power delivery. This will increase over the next 100 miles or so as all the new parts get to know each other.
 
bagginsludomax said:
Massive thanks to enuff_zed - DISA valve replaced and vanos successfully overhauled!! Can absolutely feel the difference already!!

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Click to expand...
Excellent news. Glad you can feel the difference already. Still think you'll notice it get even smoother as a few miles build up.
Of course that's just the vanos. The Disa is merely preventing future catastrophe.

I can't take all the credit really though. When I did my first one it was Stuart (bigwinn) there on the end of the phone if I needed help.

How easy did you find it for the vanos to clear the studs?
I have to do my 2.2i in the next week or two. When I did wifey's 2.5i I was doing water pump, thermostat, belts etc at the same time, so i jacked the engine up a bit for clearance.
Would be nice if i didn't have to do that this time around.
From talking to Stuart it seems each car varies slightly, probably due to slight differences in mounting tolerances?

Now then, about those titchy wheels :poke: :D
 
enuff_zed said:
How easy did you find it for the vanos to clear the studs?
I have to do my 2.2i in the next week or two. When I did wifey's 2.5i I was doing water pump, thermostat, belts etc at the same time, so i jacked the engine up a bit for clearance.
Would be nice if i didn't have to do that this time around.
From talking to Stuart it seems each car varies slightly, probably due to slight differences in mounting tolerances?

Now then, about those titchy wheels :poke: :D
Click to expand...

The vanos was a bit of a nightmare on the studs - The only issue was an electrical connector in the way. It did end up moving just enough for it to come off. Putting it back on was far far easier. The actual metal bulkhead in front wasn't an issue at all. There was JUST enough room. So i had no need to move the engine. I'll take the cover off and post a photo of the space in front of the vanos later on! Hopefully it'll be the same as in your 2.2!

I'll have to save up! When i first ding this set I'll have the motivation to take the hit! Bigger wheels means lower profile tyres too? - my experience with those on my old corsa is that i blow out the side wall of one of them every few months!! Clearly i'm rubbish at dodging pot holes! I just had to put new rear tyres on too thanks to a nail - once again i am unable to fix it cheap thanks to the run flats. The first time i haven't blown a side wall and of course, I have run flats.
 
bagginsludomax said:
enuff_zed said:
How easy did you find it for the vanos to clear the studs?
I have to do my 2.2i in the next week or two. When I did wifey's 2.5i I was doing water pump, thermostat, belts etc at the same time, so i jacked the engine up a bit for clearance.
Would be nice if i didn't have to do that this time around.
From talking to Stuart it seems each car varies slightly, probably due to slight differences in mounting tolerances?

Now then, about those titchy wheels :poke: :D
Click to expand...

The vanos was a bit of a nightmare on the studs - The only issue was an electrical connector in the way. It did end up moving just enough for it to come off. Putting it back on was far far easier. The actual metal bulkhead in front wasn't an issue at all. There was JUST enough room. So i had no need to move the engine. I'll take the cover off and post a photo of the space in front of the vanos later on! Hopefully it'll be the same as in your 2.2!

I'll have to save up! When i first ding this set I'll have the motivation to take the hit! Bigger wheels means lower profile tyres too? - my experience with those on my old corsa is that i blow out the side wall of one of them every few months!! Clearly i'm rubbish at dodging pot holes! I just had to put new rear tyres on too thanks to a nail - once again i am unable to fix it cheap thanks to the run flats. The first time i haven't blown a side wall and of course, I have run flats.
Click to expand...
Was just a friendly wind up about the wheels :wink:
You'll find those ones are quite comfortable and of course, no point putting shiny new ones on just in time for the roads to get salted.

Don't worry about taking photos, it's no great shakes tbh, though I appreciate the offer..
Sounds like I'll easily do it without moving too much. Will be the first time I've done the job in isolation from other work.
 
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