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TriggerFish

Joe's E30 325i Sport - new engine started!

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Not much to report, which is good news, I guess!

I've freed up the headlight adjusters and made them perform a role other than illuminating the front bumper. They're pretty decent lights, to be fair. Not as bright as the e46, but just as much throw on them.

I took this opportunity to photograph it in the light most flattering to the woeful paint job; the dark...

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The only problem I've encountered is fuel surging. Ive got around 25% tank left, and after more vigorous corners, theres a total lack of fuel for a second or so. I need to fill it up and see if it's still present. Possibly the 3rd party pump, or the aftermarket tank. The tank has baffles internally, so I suspect it's the pump. 

 

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And boom!

The radiator has fully failed now. Leaking from where the core joins the headers. And after Ispent literally hours bleeding the coolant system with proper antifreeze over the weekend. D'oh!

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No... I didn't...

I got it bleed, ran it for a couple of hundred miles without any issues or leaks, so assumed it was all ok. Clearly not!

Water pump is new, hoses are sound, thermostat is new, as are all the gaskets. The header tanks aren't common failure points on the e30. I think just a rad should be ok... I hope!

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There's probably something you can do with that radiator once you take it out, heres some inspiration:

http://www.countryliving.com/diy-crafts/g2424/repurposed-auto-parts/?slide=1

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Not really much to update. I fitted the new radiator and bleed it yesterday evening (only took about 30 seconds to expel the air this time, which made me very happy!).

I've fitted a rear splash guard inside the rear driver's arch to protect the fuel lines/vent tank. When I brimmed the tank, I noticed a strong smell of petrol. A repair I made to a breather pipe (which saw a length of pipe looped around on itself on top of the fuel tank) ended up collecting petrol, and not being able to return it to the fuel tank. I changed the layout of this pipe and now the smell has gone. 

I noticed this morning that the front driver's speaker can do bass, but not voice, which is strange. Hopefully it's just a loose connection to a crossover. All exciting stuff, right?

I'm still (probably unnecessarily!) running it in. @Sam We might be popping to the Angel & Greyhound (in Saint Clements) after work. I don't want to stay long, but if you're around and feel like popping down we can go for a quick spin somewhere? 

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Yep, just the bodywork to go. 

I'm confident in the quality of the workman ship of the new guys at the body shop (having seen it, it looks good), so hopefully, if theyre willing to fix it, it'll be done to a decent standard. 

Although I thought that the first time, so we'll see!

Fingers crossed, anyway. 

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I drove it to work today, after checking the weather forecast. Turns out, Google got it wrong, and it rained quite hard.

They slide around quite nicely! Embarrassingly so, at times, as it started to crab across the road as I tried to pull out from behind a parked bus that had blocked the road (as buses do!). Quite good fun though, of course - but the need to keep it safe/sociable means that there's always a nagging doubt in the back of your mind that you can't just floor it wherever/whenever ("we're meant to be together, you'll be there, and I'll be near...". ahem), like you can in the e46 with its draconian electric arbiters of fun and safety.

 I'm no drifter, but it seems quite a lot nicer when sideways than the e46 - more progressive and less snatchy.  

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Not much to report, which is good, I guess! I've been driving it a bit more energetically recently, and it goes nicely. :) What is interesting, is that the 330d goes gets up and goes - no noise, no fuss, no fanfare (just smoke...). This, however, shouts about doing so, so in a weird way, you feel quite antisocial overtaking things (like a crane on the way home the other day). Once it's run in a little more, I'll get a video of the speedo and try overlay it against the 330d's speedo, like I did here:

In other news, I've added a volt gauge to the check panel? Why... because I could, I guess. I'm not 100% happy with the finish on the hole for the display, but at a glance, it's OK. It serves a function, so it'll do. And I was scared for trying to straighten the edges, but going too far and making the hole too big. I'm happier with a slightly wonky hole that an oversized one. (Giggitty?)

IMG_20160925_182938.jpg

It also developed a weird metallic 'tinging' noise, but only when hot. After some investigation, it turned out that, for some reason, the water pump pulley was hitting the teeth on the crank trigger wheel. To solve, I removed the water pump pulley and put a slim washer behind each bolt to space it out a mm or two. In so doing, though, I discovered that a new radiator is like a row of razor blades!

They don't look like much, but they really, really stang! Like rows of little paper cuts all over my knuckles! :(

IMG_20160924_214520.jpg

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And on an unrelated note, I went to borrow a van the yesterday to collect some furniture (from the guy who started to weld this up before we discovered the extent of the problems), and saw this in his workshop... A scary thought! Rear brakes only from the pedal until 1927! There were front brakes, but they were for the handbrake! Things have come a long way in a short(ish) space of time...

IMG_20160924_154021.jpg

Edited by TriggerFish
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On 20/03/2016 at 09:21, Ashley1995 said:

 

So today was the day for dropping it off at the paint shop. I got there and met the two guys who seem to run the place day to day. 

One waa only there to drop a drink off for the other, and the other was only there by chance. The boss wasnt to be seen. They didn't seem to expect my arrival, despite it being booked in...

Anyway, the guy dropping off the drink, the sprayer, is off on holiday tomorrow, so there's no one to spray it. So it was booked it for a week with no paint staff. Great stuff. 

I've bought it home again, as there's nowhere inside to keep it, and keeping it outside there for a week at least wasn't something they recommended, just in case it went walkabouts.

Both guys there seemed embarrassed and frustrated that this had happened though, but yet not surprised. 

All sound familiar? :(

Oh. And my house sale fell through, 6 months after having the offer accepted. Let the good times roll...

(Sorry about the quote, my phone won't delete it)

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Hi Joe, I've been distracted as you can imagine with my move (sorry!1)

 

You seem really jinxed right now. Firstly, the current flat owners are really scammy, why they think they can suddenly get more value is annoying and especially as you've probably forked out quite a bit right now. I'm assuming your original Mortgage Offer is now expired too?

Body shop - sigh, sigh, :(

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12 hours ago, The_Judge_ said:

Hi Joe, I've been distracted as you can imagine with my move (sorry!1)

You seem really jinxed right now. Firstly, the current flat owners are really scammy, why they think they can suddenly get more value is annoying and especially as you've probably forked out quite a bit right now. I'm assuming your original Mortgage Offer is now expired too?

Body shop - sigh, sigh, :(

Yeah, alright for some! Glad it's finally fallen into place for you now though.

They wanted a 7.5% increase in asking price, despite the fact it's a falling (slightly) market, citing increased property prices both where they're buying (Isle of Wight), and in Aylesbury. Both Zoopla-esque figures, and proper reports from Nationwide et al show that prices are down across the board for the last 3-6 months. We think that they're trying to cover their costs from the two sales further up the chain that they've pulled out of already... Either way, it's priced me out. :( I did see a lovely place on Saturday, but went to look at another place afterwards, and during that second viewing, got beaten to the draw on making on offer on the first. D'oh! And yes, original offer has expired as of the 29th Sept., so that needs renewing. Not the end of the world though, as my salary has gone up, and interest rates down, so it should make for a marginally better offer... All I've lost on this one, apart from time, are the legal fees, so while annoying, it could be worse. I'm grateful I went for the fee saving mortgage, otherwise that would be another chunk of money wasted too.

Wishful thinking there Ash! There was a new Lambo in there though (Hurrican, or whatever) having some work done. Interesting to see that they've got fake exhaust finishers on a car of that value. They're just metal tips built into the bumper that slide over the actual tail pipes...

They're meant to be ringing back today, but I don't hold any hope.

On an E30 note: I drove it to work today, while the 330d sits broken. It was about 3c outside, and it doesn't seem to like idling with a cold engine in low ambient temps. Something to look into. Once warmed, it's fine though, and the heated seats are a godsend!

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I fixed a fuel leak in the petrol venting system on the E30, which I'm hopeful might increase MPG significantly. It always smelt of fuel, and after getting home from giving it a full tank one evening ready for work, I noticed it was dripping petrol all over the drive, the subframe, and the exhaust! Usually I fill up on the way home, so I guess it dumps a lot of fuel on the road very quickly, and the level drops so it's not visible by the time I get home. This time I filled up and then came straight home, and then could see the problem. It no longer does this, doesn't smell, and should save some money!

I also dug out my GoPro (which went flat after 17 seconds of footage...) so I can compare the speed of the E30 vs. the E46 in a directly comparable/visible way. Here's a taster...

Untitled_1.png

The lowest needle is the E30, the other two are the 330d - it's a video I had before of the differences before/after a map on the 'd. I'm sure the 330d will rinse it, but it's going to be interesting to see, I think. Luckily BMW kept the speedo layout exactly the same - same spacing, same speed markings/increments. The rev gauges don't line up though, but hey ho.

 

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OK, so not much to update here recently. It seems generally happy - the fuel smell when idling is reducing, so either the injectors are failing or it's running in a bit. It still goes nicely, so hopefully it's the latter. MPG is averaging out at 23.5.

However, keeping true to form:

2016-11-07%2008.07.15.jpg

2016-11-07%2008.50.59.jpg

I was pulling onto the A40 on the way to work, shifted into 3rd and had no throttle. Turns out the 2,000 mile old genuine BMW cable had snapped. D'oh! It was a cold morning and all I had was a woolen jumper and a scarf. I found a manky oily hoodie in the boot, but it was still bitter waiting for the breakdown guys. It was the same guy who recovered me from the Gaydon show too when Jason, Sam and Suf kindly waited around. He even remembered which house to drop me off at!

Watching it flash the hazzards on the hard shoulder also highlighted a tiny earthing fault as the rear lights dim everso slightly with the indicators flashing.

Anyway, as it was a new BMW part, and under warranty, I rang up BMW and booked it in for them to fit a replacement. I had a miserable 116d as a loan car, and hated most aspects of it. BMW rang me up to say that they can't get a new cable as they're on worldwide back order with no given delivery date. I can't find an aftermarket part either. LHD has them, but none for RHD. So at that point I limped the car back home again using my shoelace throttle (with my hand resting on the a-pillar/windscreen. Given I'd just had to deice the car, this wasn't too fun!) and then took it back to its garage for it to sit out the winter while I search for this vital, yet really cheap (£30 or less) part.

At least it's saving me fuel money this way(!)

Edited by TriggerFish
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And after having posted on e30zone to try and find a replacement throttle cable, a shining example of all that's good about car communities appeared. 

Someone who works in a dealer checked the warehouse stock, and found that the Slough warehouse had some in stock, and suggested I try BMW in High Wycombe as they're within range of the Slough depo. I did this, and now have one inbound to BMW in Wycombe for 1630 this evening. This coming after Specialist Cars BMW in Tring said that the part was on world-wide back order and couldn't be obtained, and then sent me home with a broken car with a hand actuated throttle. I'd love to say that this is the first screw up by BMW Tring, but sadly, it's not.

Still, the car is able to be fixed easily with only a trip to Wycombe to suffer as a result.

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