TriggerFish Posted March 19, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2017 My search for a differentialcover has finally come to an end (i hope!). The old one failed to weld, and a new one from BMW is about £270! I didn't want a second hand one as I've seen two fail already, but luckily i found this on eBay. I might need to space out my speedo sensor, but otherwise it should be fine. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/112265314891 I've also finally refitted the other part of the rear spoiler along with new brackets. I was waiting until the awful paint job on it was fixed, but as a friend will be borrowing it for his wedding, I'd rather it was at least all together. It does look much more finished with it in place, i think. I love the two tone effect on the underside! At least it's hidden from view. I've also fitted the AFR gauge back into the car. It's not as awful as i feared, and is easy to read at a glance too. Excuse the wiring, I've not finished putting the under dash covers into place. RMJ, Markxr and The_Judge_ 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashley1995 Posted March 20, 2017 Report Share Posted March 20, 2017 Good progress! i like the wing, sets it off nicely TriggerFish 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TriggerFish Posted March 28, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2017 Finally! Hopefully i can get it fitted this week, as I'm off to Canada for a fortnight on Saturday, and need the car for the wedding the week i return! ibrahimx2001, Markxr and RMJ 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ibrahimx2001 Posted March 28, 2017 Report Share Posted March 28, 2017 2 minutes ago, TriggerFish said: Finally! Hopefully i can get it fitted this week, as I'm off to Canada for a fortnight on Saturday, and need the car for the wedding the week i return! Where in Canada you going. I'm flying out to Toronto tomorrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TriggerFish Posted March 28, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2017 Toronto to start with, then flying to Calgary so we can drive to Vancouver via the Rockies. Should be good i hope! Have fun/a safe flight The_Judge_, ibrahimx2001 and RMJ 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMJ Posted March 28, 2017 Report Share Posted March 28, 2017 Great news the back plate is here! bet you cant wait to get that on will look nice and tidy!. Have a great time in Canada mate, beautiful country! We will have sort a catch up when your back! TriggerFish 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TriggerFish Posted March 28, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2017 Thanks - I can't wait to see the countryside - Valley of the 10 peaks looks amazing - it's an area I've wanted to see since I was a child. And yes, hopefully it'll be a bit warmer than every other time we've met by then! RMJ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TriggerFish Posted March 29, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2017 (edited) So in my eagerness I went to fit this. Reading around online, I knew I'd have to space out the speedo sensor so that it cleared the teeth of the speedo reluctor ring. Cue some suitable thermo-plastic stuff and a couple of hole saws and tada! (Those wires have been replaced with a new, genuine sensor connector, rather that two butchered wires held in place with a load of silicone sealant) This works - it spaces the sensor out so that it clears the ring, job done. So all fitted with a nice new gasket (no oil yet though), and I thought I'd give it a final test that it clears the cover/sensor properly. Uh oh. It's jamming! Let's remove the sensor... still jamming. Remove the back plate, and it's suddenly free. Turning the diff. allowed me to see the state of the fins on the speedo ring - I guess this might explain why the speedo is a bit out - the fin spacing is messed up. Literally no idea how this happened, but they still pass through the pickup sensor, so meh, I'll live with it! Anyway, I noticed these marks on the back plate from the sensor rings. That's why it's not turning then... *sigh* With some help from my dad (otherwise it's a right pain to line the wheels/fins and back plate up alone), we managed to see the extent of the problem... Luckily it's not bad enough to justify getting a new cover, and buying an E30 specific one (this is listed as e36 compact, but they're basically the same, apart from the sensor) so out came the (much hated) Dremel, and some trial and error later... Tada! It now clears properly, and I've got a brand new backplate and genuine BMW bush for a fraction of the new BMW cost, and on a par with second hand parts with worn out bushes. Friday or tomorrow's job is to reattach the backplate after cleaning out any debris from the grinding, and then fill it with oil. Edited March 29, 2017 by TriggerFish RMJ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TriggerFish Posted April 18, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2017 As facebook was keen to remind me, I've had this just over three years now. ~1k a year in milage it's managed! Anyway, I got my backplate fitted, filled it with oil, fitted the speedo sensor and was good to go! Much to my delight, I was able to fill the oil up without needing to mess around with pumps, which made life a lot easier! I drove it home, and noticed that the sensor was leaking oil and that the speedo wasn't working. Given I've got today off too, I thought I'd whip the sensor out and check it (expecting it to be positioned wrong - see below) However, when I removed it, this was what I was greeted with... Not ideal! So I've got to drop the oil, again, remove all of the debris (and hope the magnet is easy to spot!), work out what destroyed the sensor (I suspect it was the bent fins, but why they're only just a problem I don't know...) and try again. A new sensor from BMW was £36, and new oil was £24. This is becoming the most expensive bush change I've ever undertaken! RMJ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Judge_ Posted April 19, 2017 Report Share Posted April 19, 2017 Have you posted the same pic twice Joe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TriggerFish Posted April 19, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 19, 2017 Yes i have! Photo bucket clearly didn't copy as claimed, and i don't proof read! This is what the sensor ended up like RMJ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Judge_ Posted April 19, 2017 Report Share Posted April 19, 2017 Doh, doesn't look very healthy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TriggerFish Posted April 19, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 19, 2017 And it's fixed, and confirmed as working. I hate this stupid diff. with a passion! At least a new sensor was only £21 from ECP, so I can return the £36 BMW one that I also picked up (two different designs, and BMW only had one of them in stock). Just got to let the gasket glooob stuff dry and add some oil. Then I can clean it tomorrow, drive it to work on Friday to burn off the smell of petrol (it stinks when full - something I need to look into again) and then it's ready for wedding duty on Saturday. RMJ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted April 20, 2017 Report Share Posted April 20, 2017 (edited) Skin of your teeth Joe. To clarify, is the BMW one incorrect? Wondering it it's worth not fitting OEM for the sake of £15... Big meet coming up at the Akeman near Wendover, sure the E30 would get loads of attention. Edited April 20, 2017 by Sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TriggerFish Posted April 20, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2017 I like to live life dangerously? It's not so much that the BMW one is wrong, but that they're two different designs (see the post above with the blue/black ended sensors). As I'm using an e36 rear cover, and the e36 has a smaller diameter trigger wheel, the sensors have been catching on the (larger E30) wheel unless I space them out. As the non-BMW sourced sensor has a trigger point further down its length, it means that I can be less precise with the width of the spacer I need to make up, as there's more leeway to play with in the functional range of the sensor. Does any of that make any sense?! Plus, I scored a slight mark in the ECP sensor when trial fitting, so can't return it now anyway. I'm due to complete on my house (finally!) on the 2nd May, so £15 is suddenly worth a lot more than it was before! The Akeman? I didn't know there was one near Wendover? There's one in Tring, and another out towards Bicester/Waddeston? Any more details though - I might head along if it's a nice, sunny day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted April 20, 2017 Report Share Posted April 20, 2017 Fair enough! You're correct, I meant Waddesdon. details here: https://www.facebook.com/events/410655869295495/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TriggerFish Posted April 20, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2017 Ah, yes. (And thanks for the condescending typo correction! :D) I've got another friend who's going to that - I think he does photography for the event or something. I might swing by if the weather's good. Are you going? If are, then it's the ideal time for that drive I keep promising you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted April 20, 2017 Report Share Posted April 20, 2017 I was thinking about it, but if I get a E30 ride I'm in! I'm part of an other group that does a drive from The Bell in Stoke Mandeville over to it, although we'll probably just meet at boosted this time. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1549176165404221/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TriggerFish Posted April 20, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2017 (edited) Assuming it's running then of course you're welcome to a ride (it should be running - there's no reason why it won't be very reliable once I've stopped breaking it!) I like the Bell - it's a nice pub - last time I went I played chess in there with a friend like a couple of old men! It is quite expensive though! Heading straight there sounds good to me - will PM you nearer the time to sort something out. From Oxford to Bicester(ish) via Stoke Mandeville is some detour! Edited April 20, 2017 by TriggerFish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted April 20, 2017 Report Share Posted April 20, 2017 You're not wrong! I didn't know where 'boosted' was, just we were convoying. I'll do straight there next time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TriggerFish Posted April 20, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2017 Ah, right. Any excuse to drive the m tho, right? It's all back together and survived a test drive, so that's all good. However... It doesn't feel any better than it did before, so all of this was a waste of time! I don't know what's causing the drive line shunt when coming on)off the throttle as it's had new diff mounts, subframe bushes, engine mounts, gearbox mounts, and rear trailing arm bushes, so it's all new. Very strange! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMJ Posted April 22, 2017 Report Share Posted April 22, 2017 Ah man! Sorry to hear it's still not right, have you had a look at the Rear trailing arm bushes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TriggerFish Posted April 22, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2017 Yep, they're new poly bushes. All bushes are new now. Annoying, but hey ho. Needs new suspension (shocks and springs) though, that's becoming very apparent! Very twitchy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TriggerFish Posted May 3, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2017 (edited) It's now safe and sound in its own garage, next to my house, not 6 miles away from home, like my last garages. I finally picked up the keys on Tuesday, 14 months after making the initial offer on the property! Edited May 3, 2017 by TriggerFish gaz-777, RMJ, The_Judge_ and 3 others 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted May 4, 2017 Report Share Posted May 4, 2017 Awesome Joe! Looks like an end garage too, so you can work on it out front and not disturb people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
