Hopefully back on Friday this week....
S14 into RHD 325i into LHD 316i
Moderator: martauto
-
Mikey_Boy
- E30 Zone Regular
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- Joined: Sun Mar 16, 2008 11:00 pm
- Location: Cheshire - trying to avoid the bling!
About time for a progress update! 
After a month away, the car is back with a fully recon'd propshaft fitted and exhaust fettled to fit - the exhaust isn't perfect as the back box is too large, but at the moment it will do to get the car up and running - photos to follow when I am happy with it... Whilst the BMW was away, I got a little distracted building a Mazda MX5 track car for my other half...
The next job was to install the carbon airbox - I got this from VAC motorsports in the USA - it's not a bad kit, but still room for improvement - more on that later. First up - mock up the inlet parts:
This kit is nice as it does come with a K&N filter - once all assembled, it looks like this:
And after a bit of squaring up in the car, matches up to the radiator nicely:
The only bit I am not happy with is this:
I would have thought a double cone filter would make a bit more power, so I will explore options once the car is up and running - for now, it fits and can filter the air, which is the main thing!
Before fitting the main housing could be fitted, the throttle plates needed checking - best described as 'fiddly', the full procedure can be found here:
http://home.insightbb.com/~todd.kenyon/throttle.htm
There is more throttle synchronisation to do after the engine starts to balance the throttles, but hopefully after titting about with dial gauges:
The throttles are opening equally...!
After all this, the rest of the airbox and final pieces of wiring for the coil pack and air inlet temperature sensor could be done - the end result is this:
And finally:
Next thing to do now is configure the ECU and crank it over....
After a month away, the car is back with a fully recon'd propshaft fitted and exhaust fettled to fit - the exhaust isn't perfect as the back box is too large, but at the moment it will do to get the car up and running - photos to follow when I am happy with it... Whilst the BMW was away, I got a little distracted building a Mazda MX5 track car for my other half...
The next job was to install the carbon airbox - I got this from VAC motorsports in the USA - it's not a bad kit, but still room for improvement - more on that later. First up - mock up the inlet parts:
This kit is nice as it does come with a K&N filter - once all assembled, it looks like this:
And after a bit of squaring up in the car, matches up to the radiator nicely:
The only bit I am not happy with is this:
I would have thought a double cone filter would make a bit more power, so I will explore options once the car is up and running - for now, it fits and can filter the air, which is the main thing!
Before fitting the main housing could be fitted, the throttle plates needed checking - best described as 'fiddly', the full procedure can be found here:
http://home.insightbb.com/~todd.kenyon/throttle.htm
There is more throttle synchronisation to do after the engine starts to balance the throttles, but hopefully after titting about with dial gauges:
The throttles are opening equally...!
After all this, the rest of the airbox and final pieces of wiring for the coil pack and air inlet temperature sensor could be done - the end result is this:
And finally:
Next thing to do now is configure the ECU and crank it over....
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Demlotcrew
- E30 Zone Team Member
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- Joined: Mon Dec 20, 2004 11:00 pm
- Location: East Anglia
Looking good man! Lets get this on track this year 
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Demlotcrew
- E30 Zone Team Member
- Posts: 13329
- Joined: Mon Dec 20, 2004 11:00 pm
- Location: East Anglia
Let me know when and I will try and make it too 
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Demlotcrew
- E30 Zone Team Member
- Posts: 13329
- Joined: Mon Dec 20, 2004 11:00 pm
- Location: East Anglia
Good find Will, these guys also have them, http://www.vorshlag.com/product_info.ph ... cts_id=169 but they wouldn't reply to my emails asking if they damage the splines on the rack pinion when locked down. Not cheap either!
Andrew
Andrew
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Mikey_Boy
- E30 Zone Regular
- Posts: 996
- Joined: Sun Mar 16, 2008 11:00 pm
- Location: Cheshire - trying to avoid the bling!
Just a quick update - no pics or vids I am afraid - you will just have to take my word for it...
IT LIVES!!!
The only drama was understanding why 12 volts wasn't getting to the ECU with the ignition on - appears I was a bit too enthusiastic removing wiring from under the glovebox when I was removing the ABS...
With those wires reconnected, the injectors and coil pack were disconnected and the engine cranked - 4 bar oil pressure came up pretty quickly... 
Once some basic configuring of the ECU was carried out (Sensor types, ignition type etc.) it was time for the moment of truth...
It started after about 2 engine revolutions - a real credit to the Emerald ECU guys - the base map looks pretty ok...! Needs to be leaned out globally (as I have put in uprated injectors so the whole fuel map will be rich) but once that is done hopefully I can trundle round and get the engine run in...
Current status is:
Engine started, throttles balanced, run to temperature and checked for leaks...
Next jobs:
Understand why Lambda sensor isn't working, check base timing with a good old fashioned timing light and get it running well enough to get it MOT'd...
Needless to say currently, I am chuffed!!
IT LIVES!!!
The only drama was understanding why 12 volts wasn't getting to the ECU with the ignition on - appears I was a bit too enthusiastic removing wiring from under the glovebox when I was removing the ABS...
With those wires reconnected, the injectors and coil pack were disconnected and the engine cranked - 4 bar oil pressure came up pretty quickly... Once some basic configuring of the ECU was carried out (Sensor types, ignition type etc.) it was time for the moment of truth...
It started after about 2 engine revolutions - a real credit to the Emerald ECU guys - the base map looks pretty ok...!
Needs to be leaned out globally (as I have put in uprated injectors so the whole fuel map will be rich) but once that is done hopefully I can trundle round and get the engine run in...Current status is:
Engine started, throttles balanced, run to temperature and checked for leaks...
Next jobs:
Understand why Lambda sensor isn't working, check base timing with a good old fashioned timing light and get it running well enough to get it MOT'd...
Needless to say currently, I am chuffed!!
-
Mikey_Boy
- E30 Zone Regular
- Posts: 996
- Joined: Sun Mar 16, 2008 11:00 pm
- Location: Cheshire - trying to avoid the bling!
Quick status update - the car starts and runs... Having borrowed a set of trade plates, I know now there are 3 problems that need to be sorted:
1. Idle speed control valve that doesn't work (lovely to have an open ECU that allows me to see that!
2. Complete lack of driveability - the car just goes very lean whenever any throttle is applied - a fix for that is to richen up the base fuel map (easy to do) and see what happens - a fuller update on the set up of the ECU to come!
3. The speedo is still jumping about - if you look at my other thread here:
http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... ack+speedo
You will know that I have been having troubles since I swapped the dash - I *thought* I had solved this by establishing a better Earth for the speedo itself, but for the couple of miles the car has been driven, it is no better. I think I need a working speedo before I can get an MOT (???) do best sort this out before we move on with the engine...
1. Idle speed control valve that doesn't work (lovely to have an open ECU that allows me to see that!
2. Complete lack of driveability - the car just goes very lean whenever any throttle is applied - a fix for that is to richen up the base fuel map (easy to do) and see what happens - a fuller update on the set up of the ECU to come!
3. The speedo is still jumping about - if you look at my other thread here:
http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... ack+speedo
You will know that I have been having troubles since I swapped the dash - I *thought* I had solved this by establishing a better Earth for the speedo itself, but for the couple of miles the car has been driven, it is no better. I think I need a working speedo before I can get an MOT (???) do best sort this out before we move on with the engine...
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Demlotcrew
- E30 Zone Team Member
- Posts: 13329
- Joined: Mon Dec 20, 2004 11:00 pm
- Location: East Anglia
Bump, any more progress
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Mikey_Boy
- E30 Zone Regular
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- Joined: Sun Mar 16, 2008 11:00 pm
- Location: Cheshire - trying to avoid the bling!
Time for a quick update”¦!
Unfortunately time has been at a bit of a premium lately with work commitments, but I have managed to squeeze in a few tweeks....
After being very happy at getting the car to start, the realization that I have to achieve 3 major things hit me:
1. I need to get the speedo working
2. I need to get the car to start and idle well and consistently enough to pass an MOT as the car hasn't turned a wheel for over a year...
3. I need to get the car running well enough to drive to get running-in miles done and all the bugs ironed out before full mapping could take place
In terms of the speedo not working, that is the subject of another thread here:
http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... do+install
Before I start this, you have to know that I don’t work for Emerald and I am not affiliated with them in any way shape or form”¦!
So, to start, I needed to set up the ECU. Emerald has a policy of supplying a base map that should allow the car to start ”“ that we have proven ”“ so far, so good.
To set up the ECU, Emerald also has manuals on their website to help you set up the ECU and engine for first starting and idle by going through a 'quick start' check list. The link to that is here:
http://www.emeraldm3d.com/media/softwar ... 20Rev3.pdf
(If you fancy a bit of bedtime reading - download the full manual - it's actually pretty good and gives a lot of insights to how engines work and are mapped).
This quick start guide goes through the basics of getting the engine running ”“ setting up communications from your laptop to the ECU through the communications lead, setting up the software on your laptop and then getting the ECU configuration right. This is pretty basic stuff, but its also critical to ensure that everything is right and matches your enigne configuration and assumes that you have wired the ECU correctly. So, for example, my engine is configured as follows:
- Aftermarket Crank sensor, 60-2 teeth, triggered90º before TDC
- Grouped injectors (2 injectors squirt at a time, not sequential)
- Coil pack (no distributor), wasted spark
- Standard BMW 3-pin idle speed control valve
- Standard BMW Air and Water temperature sensors
- BMW S54 Throttle position sensor (which is a potentiometer and not a 3 way switch as the standard S14 employs)
- Uprated injectors (from a Ford Focus ST225, approx 15% higher flow compared to standard)
- STACK Lambda gauge and sensor, 0-4volt linear output to ECU
When I ordered the ECU, I had most of this in mind, so provided that information to Emerald. When the ECU arrived, and I plugged it into the laptop for the first time, most of the configuration was done (Crank pick up, injector format, coil pack and idle speed control valve). What wasn’t there and was for me to configure was the following:
- Throttle position sensor settings (this is inputted by getting to the right screen and pressing the throttle from 0% to wide open ”“ easy peasy!)
- Setting up the Lambda sensor ”“ this wasn’t quite as intuitive, and also I was being a bit thick with the software. Because I am using a Stack gauge, you can physically see the Air/Fuel Ratio in the car as it’s running ”“ really useful when the car is coughing and spluttering!! For my car, I have set up the gauge to read from 10.0:1 (Really Rich) to 20:1 (Really Lean), which corresponds to 0 ”“ 4Volts linear. This is important to the ECU so that:
o Real values of Air Fuel Ratio don’t conflict with what the ECU is trying to ”˜see’ (if these functions are enabled)
o The ECU has the ability to run closed loop to allow the engine to run very close to Stoichiometric (14.7:1 Air Fuel Ratio) at idle conditions
o The ECU also has a really clever ”˜adaptive’ function where if the function is enabled, the ECU will adapt the fuelling value in the main fuel table to a desired Air /Fuel Ratio. This speeds up the mapping process significantly and allows the ECU to have a very basic learning function.
o The ECU uses (where possible) Lambda values as a secondary load input ”“ the primary load input is the Throttle position Sensor.
- Air and water temperature sensors ”“ the ECU is capable or reading many different types of sensor for water and air. The ECU has generic values for these sensors, but it is much better to have real values ”“ using one of China’s finest K type thermometers, the sensor and a saucepan full of water, I was able to measure and plot the resistance values:
And in more glorious detail...
- For the air temperature sensor, I probably looked like a nutter getting up early on a frosty morning in my jammies to check the resistance of the air temperature sensor at ~0ºC, then I removed the sensor and took it inside and measured resistances as the temperature of the sensor rose, then a radiator was employed to get air temperatures up to around 35ºC..
All this work now means that the ECU is now better configured, but note that all of this was with the Idle Speed Control Valve switched OFF....
It is also vital to get the basics right and some effort is needed to get the engine idling well before the Idle Speed Control Valve is engaged. This involved balancing the throttles with 4 vacuum gauges and twiddling each throttle screw until each throttle gives an equal value. The other basic check is checking the timing with a timing light to ensure the reference spark advance valve in the ECU matches what the timing light shows ”“ all good in my case. Brilliantly I haven't taken any pictures of this....
Having done all of the above and having an engine that idles pretty well (albeit a bit rich), I switched on the idle speed control valve and sh*t a brick when the idle speed shot up to 3000rpm”¦.!!
Having checked the idle speed control valve itself, it turns out that it was functioning OK in that the resistances were sound between the pins (20 Ohms across pins 1-2, pins 2-3 and 40 Ohms across pins 1 and 3).
There were 2 things wrong ”“ firstly, the valve was pretty dirty and probably sticking so a good clean with carb cleaner did the trick there. Secondly, I had wired the 2 outer pins the wrong way round (the central pin is the 12 volt supply) so the valve was defaulting to 100% open, leading to the high idle speed. Wires swapped around, all was good and a very basic map for idle speed control against engine coolant temperature could be botched in place for now....
So where am I now? Currently, I am carrying out the last tweeks to get the map to get the car idling properly (to pass the MOT emissions test) and to use the closed loop function properly. Sometime soon, I might even get a chance to drive the thing”¦”¦”¦”¦.!!
More updates to come hopefully soon”¦
Unfortunately time has been at a bit of a premium lately with work commitments, but I have managed to squeeze in a few tweeks....
After being very happy at getting the car to start, the realization that I have to achieve 3 major things hit me:
1. I need to get the speedo working
2. I need to get the car to start and idle well and consistently enough to pass an MOT as the car hasn't turned a wheel for over a year...
3. I need to get the car running well enough to drive to get running-in miles done and all the bugs ironed out before full mapping could take place
In terms of the speedo not working, that is the subject of another thread here:
http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... do+install
Before I start this, you have to know that I don’t work for Emerald and I am not affiliated with them in any way shape or form”¦!
So, to start, I needed to set up the ECU. Emerald has a policy of supplying a base map that should allow the car to start ”“ that we have proven ”“ so far, so good.
To set up the ECU, Emerald also has manuals on their website to help you set up the ECU and engine for first starting and idle by going through a 'quick start' check list. The link to that is here:
http://www.emeraldm3d.com/media/softwar ... 20Rev3.pdf
(If you fancy a bit of bedtime reading - download the full manual - it's actually pretty good and gives a lot of insights to how engines work and are mapped).
This quick start guide goes through the basics of getting the engine running ”“ setting up communications from your laptop to the ECU through the communications lead, setting up the software on your laptop and then getting the ECU configuration right. This is pretty basic stuff, but its also critical to ensure that everything is right and matches your enigne configuration and assumes that you have wired the ECU correctly. So, for example, my engine is configured as follows:
- Aftermarket Crank sensor, 60-2 teeth, triggered90º before TDC
- Grouped injectors (2 injectors squirt at a time, not sequential)
- Coil pack (no distributor), wasted spark
- Standard BMW 3-pin idle speed control valve
- Standard BMW Air and Water temperature sensors
- BMW S54 Throttle position sensor (which is a potentiometer and not a 3 way switch as the standard S14 employs)
- Uprated injectors (from a Ford Focus ST225, approx 15% higher flow compared to standard)
- STACK Lambda gauge and sensor, 0-4volt linear output to ECU
When I ordered the ECU, I had most of this in mind, so provided that information to Emerald. When the ECU arrived, and I plugged it into the laptop for the first time, most of the configuration was done (Crank pick up, injector format, coil pack and idle speed control valve). What wasn’t there and was for me to configure was the following:
- Throttle position sensor settings (this is inputted by getting to the right screen and pressing the throttle from 0% to wide open ”“ easy peasy!)
- Setting up the Lambda sensor ”“ this wasn’t quite as intuitive, and also I was being a bit thick with the software. Because I am using a Stack gauge, you can physically see the Air/Fuel Ratio in the car as it’s running ”“ really useful when the car is coughing and spluttering!! For my car, I have set up the gauge to read from 10.0:1 (Really Rich) to 20:1 (Really Lean), which corresponds to 0 ”“ 4Volts linear. This is important to the ECU so that:
o Real values of Air Fuel Ratio don’t conflict with what the ECU is trying to ”˜see’ (if these functions are enabled)
o The ECU has the ability to run closed loop to allow the engine to run very close to Stoichiometric (14.7:1 Air Fuel Ratio) at idle conditions
o The ECU also has a really clever ”˜adaptive’ function where if the function is enabled, the ECU will adapt the fuelling value in the main fuel table to a desired Air /Fuel Ratio. This speeds up the mapping process significantly and allows the ECU to have a very basic learning function.
o The ECU uses (where possible) Lambda values as a secondary load input ”“ the primary load input is the Throttle position Sensor.
- Air and water temperature sensors ”“ the ECU is capable or reading many different types of sensor for water and air. The ECU has generic values for these sensors, but it is much better to have real values ”“ using one of China’s finest K type thermometers, the sensor and a saucepan full of water, I was able to measure and plot the resistance values:
And in more glorious detail...
- For the air temperature sensor, I probably looked like a nutter getting up early on a frosty morning in my jammies to check the resistance of the air temperature sensor at ~0ºC, then I removed the sensor and took it inside and measured resistances as the temperature of the sensor rose, then a radiator was employed to get air temperatures up to around 35ºC..
All this work now means that the ECU is now better configured, but note that all of this was with the Idle Speed Control Valve switched OFF....
It is also vital to get the basics right and some effort is needed to get the engine idling well before the Idle Speed Control Valve is engaged. This involved balancing the throttles with 4 vacuum gauges and twiddling each throttle screw until each throttle gives an equal value. The other basic check is checking the timing with a timing light to ensure the reference spark advance valve in the ECU matches what the timing light shows ”“ all good in my case. Brilliantly I haven't taken any pictures of this....
Having done all of the above and having an engine that idles pretty well (albeit a bit rich), I switched on the idle speed control valve and sh*t a brick when the idle speed shot up to 3000rpm”¦.!!
Having checked the idle speed control valve itself, it turns out that it was functioning OK in that the resistances were sound between the pins (20 Ohms across pins 1-2, pins 2-3 and 40 Ohms across pins 1 and 3).
There were 2 things wrong ”“ firstly, the valve was pretty dirty and probably sticking so a good clean with carb cleaner did the trick there. Secondly, I had wired the 2 outer pins the wrong way round (the central pin is the 12 volt supply) so the valve was defaulting to 100% open, leading to the high idle speed. Wires swapped around, all was good and a very basic map for idle speed control against engine coolant temperature could be botched in place for now....
So where am I now? Currently, I am carrying out the last tweeks to get the map to get the car idling properly (to pass the MOT emissions test) and to use the closed loop function properly. Sometime soon, I might even get a chance to drive the thing”¦”¦”¦”¦.!!
More updates to come hopefully soon”¦
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Demlotcrew
- E30 Zone Team Member
- Posts: 13329
- Joined: Mon Dec 20, 2004 11:00 pm
- Location: East Anglia
Sounds like things are moving on nicely! Need photos and videos
Nice work, I have an Emerald ecu in mine car yo and can't fault them, i've been down to have two different set ups mapped and have been realy pleased both times, Dave Walker is a legend and always took time to explain what he was doing and has a genuine interest in the cars he maps.
I've recently added a idle control valve to my ser up and ite so much better than when it just controlled the idle through timing and the throttle stop.
I've recently added a idle control valve to my ser up and ite so much better than when it just controlled the idle through timing and the throttle stop.
You should never underestimate the predictability of stupidity
M42 Supercharged 285bhp + M3 6speed box
Awesome thread Mike, quite a bit of it was way over my head though! JBR flywheels are awesome, fitted one to a 318iS.
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Mikey_Boy
- E30 Zone Regular
- Posts: 996
- Joined: Sun Mar 16, 2008 11:00 pm
- Location: Cheshire - trying to avoid the bling!
Time for another quick update...
For all you non-believers out there, here is a short video of it running:
At this stage it was idling rather on the high side (about 1200 - 1300rpm) which I figure is going to annoy my local MOT man a bit. So, I needed to refine the idle some more ”“ once the ECU and engine is set up, the idle control can be refined further ”“ this is where Emerald’s guides on their web page prove very useful once again:
http://www.emeraldm3d.com/media/softwar ... 0sheet.pdf
To summarise the guide, the parameters for the idle condition need to be set (throttle position and engine speed), then the idle speed set when the car is roasting hot using the idle speed control valve in manual control ”“ I was surprised that the idle speed control valve didn’t seem to do much until it was about half open, but then the plenum on the carbon airbox is pretty huge so I guess that could be contributing something to the lack of response..
Anyways, once the hot idle speed is set using the valve, the cold idle speeds then need to be set as the engine warms up ”“ of course, it helps in the British winter....! You have to be quick mapping these values as the enigne warms up pretty fast and it’s clear that the S14 engine doesn’t need a massive idle speed ”“ the most I saw at cold start was about 1400rpm...
Once the values are set, the idle speed control is set to mapped and in theory the car should start and idle should be controlled. There are a couple of more parameters that can be fiddled with, but that needs to be done once the base fuelling map is better defined and that will only happen after the engine has been run in a bit more..
So, net result of that is that I have a car that idles like this:
Now all I have to do is get that darned speedo working!
Oh, and change the oil, and stop the PAS pump making a horrible noise when cold, and adjust the alternator and and and....
For all you non-believers out there, here is a short video of it running:
At this stage it was idling rather on the high side (about 1200 - 1300rpm) which I figure is going to annoy my local MOT man a bit. So, I needed to refine the idle some more ”“ once the ECU and engine is set up, the idle control can be refined further ”“ this is where Emerald’s guides on their web page prove very useful once again:
http://www.emeraldm3d.com/media/softwar ... 0sheet.pdf
To summarise the guide, the parameters for the idle condition need to be set (throttle position and engine speed), then the idle speed set when the car is roasting hot using the idle speed control valve in manual control ”“ I was surprised that the idle speed control valve didn’t seem to do much until it was about half open, but then the plenum on the carbon airbox is pretty huge so I guess that could be contributing something to the lack of response..
Anyways, once the hot idle speed is set using the valve, the cold idle speeds then need to be set as the engine warms up ”“ of course, it helps in the British winter....! You have to be quick mapping these values as the enigne warms up pretty fast and it’s clear that the S14 engine doesn’t need a massive idle speed ”“ the most I saw at cold start was about 1400rpm...
Once the values are set, the idle speed control is set to mapped and in theory the car should start and idle should be controlled. There are a couple of more parameters that can be fiddled with, but that needs to be done once the base fuelling map is better defined and that will only happen after the engine has been run in a bit more..
So, net result of that is that I have a car that idles like this:
Now all I have to do is get that darned speedo working!
Oh, and change the oil, and stop the PAS pump making a horrible noise when cold, and adjust the alternator and and and....
-
Demlotcrew
- E30 Zone Team Member
- Posts: 13329
- Joined: Mon Dec 20, 2004 11:00 pm
- Location: East Anglia
Looking good Mike
You can get that idle right down to 800 and take this with a pinch of salt but the valve lash does sound a bit on the loose side, not sure if you are yet to do them, but I would be tempted to have them done before the full mapping session.
I would be tempted not to let it idle like that, if you have mates with trade plates let them do a few steep uphill pulls to get those compression rings pushing on the side walls before they wear off the honing and the rings dont seal
Andrew
You can get that idle right down to 800 and take this with a pinch of salt but the valve lash does sound a bit on the loose side, not sure if you are yet to do them, but I would be tempted to have them done before the full mapping session.
I would be tempted not to let it idle like that, if you have mates with trade plates let them do a few steep uphill pulls to get those compression rings pushing on the side walls before they wear off the honing and the rings dont seal
Andrew
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Mikey_Boy
- E30 Zone Regular
- Posts: 996
- Joined: Sun Mar 16, 2008 11:00 pm
- Location: Cheshire - trying to avoid the bling!
^^^^ Thanks Andrew!
Those vids were taken after an extended drive of about 30 miles or so on trade plates to do exactly what you suggested. Thankfully I have mates who are happy to lend me some trade plates...
Yep - the valve lash is a touch loose - 15 thou inlet and 12 thou on the exhaust if I recall... The camera used picks up a lot of tinny noise which isn't ideal and the uprated injectors are also loud which is also picked up. Definitely on my job list to adjust before mapping - I need to get the other little jobs boxed off before I head out and some more miles!
Those vids were taken after an extended drive of about 30 miles or so on trade plates to do exactly what you suggested. Thankfully I have mates who are happy to lend me some trade plates...
Yep - the valve lash is a touch loose - 15 thou inlet and 12 thou on the exhaust if I recall... The camera used picks up a lot of tinny noise which isn't ideal and the uprated injectors are also loud which is also picked up. Definitely on my job list to adjust before mapping - I need to get the other little jobs boxed off before I head out and some more miles!
Great read, beautiful work 
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Demlotcrew
- E30 Zone Team Member
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- Joined: Mon Dec 20, 2004 11:00 pm
- Location: East Anglia
Cheers buddy! Merry Christmas to you too!
Looking forward to more updates
Andrew
Looking forward to more updates
Andrew
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Mikey_Boy
- E30 Zone Regular
- Posts: 996
- Joined: Sun Mar 16, 2008 11:00 pm
- Location: Cheshire - trying to avoid the bling!
Happy New Year folks - time for a quick update:
Just a couple of jobs carried out since my last post here ”“ the fibreglass bonnet is sprayed and on the car:
I figured that this is going to on and off the car quite a bit so managed to get some high density foam from fleabay:
Chopped it up into four pieces:
And mounted it on the bonnet like so:
Note the ”˜reinforcement’ on the bonnet to try and avoid flappage of the bonnet at high speed ”“ some thin sheet ally bonded to the bonnet ”“ not sure if it works, but have another idea to reduce the bonnet moving at higher speeds”¦
Anyway ”“ all this means that I can remove the bonnet and put it out of the way on the roof of the car like so:
Earlier in the thread, I detailed my power steering cooler, fitted behind where the fog lights once were:
After a bit of head scratching, I have realized that this is a VERY BAD IDEA”¦”¦”¦”¦”¦”¦.!
When the car was started cold, the most God awful noise was coming from the power steering pump which disappeared when hot ”“ this noise disappeared when I disconnected the cooler.
I can only imagine that the restriction of the mocal oil cooler was setting the pressure relief valve off in the power steering pump ”“ not ideal. So, again fleabay was my friend and I have bought an E36 PAS cooler ”“ note that the pipe is the same cross sectional area (or thereabouts) as the rest of the PAS pipework, so less restriction - the power steering is now silent from cold”¦
Here it is mocked up:
Yes, the paint on it is terrible, I shall tidy that up in due course”¦
It means that there are more pipes going past the headlight:
But there seems to be enough room”¦
Hopefully some driving and running-in to come soon....!
Just a couple of jobs carried out since my last post here ”“ the fibreglass bonnet is sprayed and on the car:
I figured that this is going to on and off the car quite a bit so managed to get some high density foam from fleabay:
Chopped it up into four pieces:
And mounted it on the bonnet like so:
Note the ”˜reinforcement’ on the bonnet to try and avoid flappage of the bonnet at high speed ”“ some thin sheet ally bonded to the bonnet ”“ not sure if it works, but have another idea to reduce the bonnet moving at higher speeds”¦
Anyway ”“ all this means that I can remove the bonnet and put it out of the way on the roof of the car like so:
Earlier in the thread, I detailed my power steering cooler, fitted behind where the fog lights once were:
After a bit of head scratching, I have realized that this is a VERY BAD IDEA”¦”¦”¦”¦”¦”¦.!
When the car was started cold, the most God awful noise was coming from the power steering pump which disappeared when hot ”“ this noise disappeared when I disconnected the cooler.
I can only imagine that the restriction of the mocal oil cooler was setting the pressure relief valve off in the power steering pump ”“ not ideal. So, again fleabay was my friend and I have bought an E36 PAS cooler ”“ note that the pipe is the same cross sectional area (or thereabouts) as the rest of the PAS pipework, so less restriction - the power steering is now silent from cold”¦
Here it is mocked up:
Yes, the paint on it is terrible, I shall tidy that up in due course”¦
It means that there are more pipes going past the headlight:
But there seems to be enough room”¦
Hopefully some driving and running-in to come soon....!
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Demlotcrew
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Dude, is that cooler connected to the return circuit of the power steering?
Andrew
Andrew
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DanThe
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I have a similar storage facility, just be aware of open spaces and wind speedsMikey_Boy wrote:
Anyway ”“ all this means that I can remove the bonnet and put it out of the way on the roof of the car like so:
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Demlotcrew
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Mike have you considered a fifth aero catch behind the bonnet badge?
Andrew
Andrew
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e301988325i
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couldn't be, nothing pictured would hold the pressure, oil cooler (either), jubilee clips, low pressure oil hose, the I'm surprised the flow was restricted through the mocal cooler.Demlotcrew wrote:Dude, is that cooler connected to the return circuit of the power steering?
Andrew
I said:
Can anyone suggest how to test if the boot lights are staying on with the boot shut?
e30topless said:
lock the wife in there
Can anyone suggest how to test if the boot lights are staying on with the boot shut?
e30topless said:
lock the wife in there
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Demlotcrew
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Pressure wouldn't be much of a problem on the return side of the circuit
Andrew
Andrew
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e301988325i
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I'm going to give up posting with my phone. Meant something along the line couldn't be pressure side. . .
I said:
Can anyone suggest how to test if the boot lights are staying on with the boot shut?
e30topless said:
lock the wife in there
Can anyone suggest how to test if the boot lights are staying on with the boot shut?
e30topless said:
lock the wife in there
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Demlotcrew
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I know what you meant, sounds like you got excited about correcting someone on the Internet
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Demlotcrew
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If it was anyone else Dan that would have been funny, since it's you it's only predictable
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Mikey_Boy
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Thanks for the comments...! I will defo keep an eye on the bonnet on the roof in high winds!!
I haven't tried the bonnet at speed yet (just up to 60 mph or so) but will also put a bit of high density foam on the top of kidney grill (like on the headlight light covers) to try and stop the air getting underneath that and lifting the bonnet - if all else fails, another aero catch will be fitted...
Yep - the cooler is fitted on the return side of the PAS circuit - I was really surprised that this was the cause of the noise in the engine bay and vibration through the steering wheel - sounded just like a knackered PAS pump until the fluid was hot - pretty unpleasant in fairness. I fitted the cooler originally for drifting as the steering gets 'notchy' when the PAS fluid gets stinking hot - I won't be drifting the BMW much now to be honest - just don't tell my missus I have pinched her Mazda MX5....!!
Purpose of the cooler now is a safety net on hot trackdays so hoping the E36 loop of pipe will be sufficient...
I haven't tried the bonnet at speed yet (just up to 60 mph or so) but will also put a bit of high density foam on the top of kidney grill (like on the headlight light covers) to try and stop the air getting underneath that and lifting the bonnet - if all else fails, another aero catch will be fitted...
Yep - the cooler is fitted on the return side of the PAS circuit - I was really surprised that this was the cause of the noise in the engine bay and vibration through the steering wheel - sounded just like a knackered PAS pump until the fluid was hot - pretty unpleasant in fairness. I fitted the cooler originally for drifting as the steering gets 'notchy' when the PAS fluid gets stinking hot - I won't be drifting the BMW much now to be honest - just don't tell my missus I have pinched her Mazda MX5....!!
Purpose of the cooler now is a safety net on hot trackdays so hoping the E36 loop of pipe will be sufficient...
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Demlotcrew
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Amazing that it made the noise, never head of that before as normally there is a pressure drop across the cooler ports. Could the hose have been kinked somewhere?
I have not experienced any heat issues with the E46 club sport rack on hot days, just seems like unnecessary additional weight for our puny 4 pots
I have not experienced any heat issues with the E46 club sport rack on hot days, just seems like unnecessary additional weight for our puny 4 pots
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Mikey_Boy
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It was a real surprise to me as well - I genuinely thought I just had a knackered PAS pump... I can understand your concerns about the weight, but... I would rather have an extra 2 kg of weight and not worry about replacing PAS pumps and/or ATF degradation than not have it...
@ Andrew - You mention in another thread that you are fitting a gearbox oil cooler? What temps have you seen? I have measured 120ºC on a summers day (20-ish degrees)...
More to come soon hopefully!
@ Andrew - You mention in another thread that you are fitting a gearbox oil cooler? What temps have you seen? I have measured 120ºC on a summers day (20-ish degrees)...
More to come soon hopefully!