bought this 99' z3 with the 2.5 m52 with 68k miles on it. looks like it's been sitting for some years. oil was bone dry. going to start trying to bring it back to life this weekend. any tips?i'll start by removing the spark plugs and pour some oil to lubricate the cylinder walls before trying to turn it by hand.
>>28882012Just looking at that cramped engine bay is painful.This isn't what you are asking, but I would be checking calipers, buying fast bleeders, and then changing out the brake fluid.I would probably just do plugs and get battery checked/recharged or replaced immediately. That way you at least cover the basics.
Slow and easy. The fuel system will probably be dead.
Sorry for how long this is going to be. I've owned an M54 3.0i for about 14 years now, so I have a lot to tell you. >Do the lubrication. Filter too. Use good oil when you put oil in it. >Before you try to start, pull the DISA valve. It's the box in the middle of the intake. >They break and leave metal in the intake, which causes catastrophic failure. If it's intact, reinstall it. It's easy as fuck to pull. >Check air filter and box, MAF and the intake ducting for dry rot. They all dry rot at the baffles and that would be a point for rodents to intrude>When you start pulling these things, mind the coolant line to the expansion tank. It's likely quite brittle. You can see it there running to the top of the radiator over the air box and up to the expansion tank. You lean on it, it will crunch. >Make sure no rodents have made nests anywhere in the ducting. >Might clean the IAC while you're in there>Pressure test the cooling system. They're the well-known Achilles heal of this era of BMW. You are outside the failure window in terms of mileage, but it's gonna be due in about 30k miles. Probably wouldn't hurt to drain the tank and refill it.
>>28882060Obviously, this is just before you try starting it. Don't actually drive it until you check the brakes and tires.
>>2888204110-4. definitely plan on addressing all fluids. a fast bleeder would be a new tool for me. thx>>28882042true. luckily i have a m44 z3 donor. its fuel pump is functional and will likely be transplanted in this car.>>28882060 i replaced the two disas in my N52, i imagine its similar but i am new to the m52. 10-4 on the cooling system. in order to pressure test that, what sort of tool would i be looking at getting? appreciate your time writing it out.
>>28882097I just used a general kit I got off Amazon. Harbor Fright has one for a hundred bucks. You're basically pumping air into the system and seeing if anything comes out or breaks.
>>28882012odd they were doing plastic engines in 99 but yea you're fucked. Literally replace everything kek
>>28883050>t.nocar
>>28883050M50s had plastic intake manifolds and beauty covers in 1990 or whenever they were introduced. They seem to last just fine though, I have an original 30+ year old plastic intake manifold on one of my turbo M50s and it holds up to 20psi just fine.
>>28883073My M54 has never had any problems with the plastics. The rubbers? Yes. Just replaced my intake ducting because dry rot. But all cars have rubber intakes these days, and have had them for decades.
>>28883094after a few squeezes, surprisingly, this one's hoses seem OK. But we will see eventually.>>28883073That's reassuring>>28883050replacing everything is part of restoring an old car that has been sitting and is to be expected so. I doubt I'm fucked tho. Pulled plug number 1 on my lunch break. Seems not bad at all.
How long has it been sitting anyways?Do you happen to know why it was parked?
>>28883146Plug looks good.You want to look at the hoses for cracks in the baffles. Small ones aren't a big deal. Mostly you're looking for signs of rodent intrusion past the air filter. You don't want to suck up a bunch of rat shit and nesting material when you try to start it. And lunch break work. A man after my own heart.
>>28883210I couldn't confirm with the seller (old lady) but based on the title that has a print date of 09 and shows an actual odo reading at 65k and the fact the cars odo now shows 68k- its been barely driven for the last 17 years. it appears the seller was about to sell it- as its signed for in the assignment section and dated 2010. luckily for me, that sale never took place and the buyer section was left empty. good chance it sat ever since. why it was sitting i have no idea- apparently it was owned by a mexican fella who hoarded cars from police auctions. of course the beaner was likely an illegal or some shit because the title was in the wife's name. they must have had a falling out because her only goal was to liquidate the entire collection. their backyard was full of shit. trucks, mercs, even an ambulance. her motivation to clean out the junkyard allowed me to get it for 2300 bucks. The interior is pretty well in tact, came with 18" wheels, and sport seats>>2888324510-4 on the potential rodent nests. their free rent coupons have expired and they will be evicted. and yes lunch break work because its the rare hour i actually have the chance to do what i enjoy.
>>28882012To expand on >>28882060 once you're up and running, check everywhere for coolant leaks. There are some easy to address spots and some not so easy. If you can't get it running or it starts up like shit, MAFs are pretty fucky, but check for intake vacuum leaks first. I mean, if it were me with that car, I'd go ahead and pull the intake and replace the stuff you're going to need to replace anyways: vacuum lines, ccv, oil filter housing gasket, water pump. All M5x's need those things after 10 years. Then you can make a list of things that need done as you disassemble down to them: coolant down the block? Coolant pipes (have fun). Intake gasket pinched? Boom. Valve cover leaking? Boom. It's a good "state of the union" job for sure. Took me (an idiot) about 2 hours to pull.
>>2888351518s ride like dogshit BTW. I would advise chasing down the factory 16s. I ended up going with Style 23s on my E36 M3 that came with CSL 18s that rubbed.
>>28884102ah I didn't know that. I've never had wheels this big. I do have a set of pic rel laying around but as you can see the one shown is fucked up. surprisingly, still holds air tho. >>28884095Agreed. I went through a lot of this when i was restoring an M44 z3 awhile ago. getting to the OFH gasket on the m52 is way more work tho on this one. not to mention the M44 allowed way more room. Only thing im a little afraid of is addressing the vanos.
>>28884116I wouldn't worry about the VANOS unless it rattles at startup. M52 VANOS is actually a bit simpler than M44 since it's only on one cam.Those wheels are the right wheels but oof, that is pretty yikes. What in the fuck kind of abuse caused that?! Those are pretty available, so probably worth picking up a spare. Square setup, factory spec, cheap and meaty tires, sounds sorted to me. I had staggered 23s that worked real good.
>>28884224style 23s look very nice on your m3. nice car.>What in the fuck kind of abuse caused that?!a combo of too many beers, wet roads, and bald tires
>>28884116If your VANOS is acting up, I'd be shocked. You're still 7000 miles below the very earliest known point of failure for the seals. You'll want to check the oil supply line at the front of the engine if it's acting up first though. Mine has only had that supply line give trouble. My seals are fine at 116,000 miles, which is well past the failure point. >>28884224The TU M52TUBs are on both. It's almost an M54, hence the DISA valve. Still, the system is quite robust. >>28884234That's probably why it was parked.
>>28883515>$2300That's the price point where it's all probably worth it. Best project on /o/ in a while. I kind of miss the old days where we all used to work on shit.I had a $1500 1994 Integra that I rebuilt from scratch, all of it. Literally nothing left in wheel well at some point for example.
>>28884270Are you the guy who now has a 1998 with a 1994 drivetrain in Utah wondering how he's gonna register it with the emissions standards in place?
>>28884270Wrenchfags rise up
>>28884288Nah, I had an actual 1994, that guy is fucked, had no advice for him. It's funny that there is so few of us here that I feel like I know everyone, or did back in the day.I am the resident new CTR fag posting about "CTR gap insurance".>>28884298Damn, that looks clean as fuck on the inside. I did headers on the Integra too, exhaust rusted to shit anyway, so figured I might as well.
>>28884298M30 my beloved>>28884315Do you think it's actually a stolen car?
>>28884328nobody really thinks that
>>28884328No, but I also don't care at all. His thread is kind of stupid, unclear how the whole situation happened.
>>28884337I assure you, people do. It's a lot of work to body swap a car. He does seem to have done it though.
removed the airbox. i broke the MAF sensor clip like a retard. figured it was a pull out kind and not the push in kind. woops. the intake boot after the airbox is dry rotted and cracking. will have to swap that one. i'll have to study some videos and see how other guys remove that thing. there is a little hose that plugs into the side of it- i couldn't figure out how to remove that without too much force.i was afraid of that coolant line that runs above the airbox, but it wasnt too brittle. i was very cautious nonetheless.The hoses to and from the thermostat housing are pretty good shape.
>>28884356
>>28884359Just change it out, obviously. Same with cabin filter.>>28884356How are you going to get that sensor back in, or just getting a new one?
>>28884351Nah, just a dude who thinks he found a way to push people's buttons
>>28884356I just did this. Removal isn't hard but there's disassembly. See attached my lower duct. Take the DISA off for easier access.
>>28884366>How are you going to get that sensor back inI see on FCP euro they have a connector for sale for around 6 bucks. looks likes you can rebuild the connector using that. i'll try that>>28884500OK, i need to remove the disa anyway for inspection, looks like ill be able to manage it. im ordering replacements for these intake boots from rockauto - the URO branded ones. picrel is the wheels that came with the car. Can anyone ID which style wheel this is? or is it a rep? i am under the impression it's a rep. they're in pretty bad shape and will need some restoration. never done that sort of thing before. wondering if its even worth it. m3 guy here said 18's ride like shit anyway. maybe i'll restore these and sell on marketplace and get something better.
>>28884590URO brand ones are just fine. Get silicon dielectric grease to help out them back on. I'm the anon who told you to take the DISA off for inspection, BTW. Another point: unscrew the vacuum line to the booster to make it easier to get the boot off the IAC valve and throttle. Those rims don't look like they belong on a Z3. They look like Style 67s, which were offered in the M3 only.
Cool thread. I envy people who have beemer projects, they just seem to fun to wrench on. I FUCKING hate my Volkswagen so much its unreal.
>>28884701>Dubber envies BMWMany such cases
>>28882012Oldass fuel cant start an engine but can run it once it starts. If you have issues, starting fluid can be a useful troubleshooting tool. It’s not just for lawn mowers.
>>28884646I think they're style 164s, came on Z4 or E46, 18inchhttp://www.bmwstylewheels.com/ZAnd I agree about the 18s, OP if you get to the point of buying a new set of tyres I recommend searching ebay for some 16 inch wheels and just see what you like the look off. E36, E46 and Z4 are compatible with your car so there should be something out there. Worked for me at least
>>28885349http://www.bmwstylewheels.com/bmw/67Note the M badge on the style 67s. Either way, they aren't original.
>>28884366>How are you going to get that sensor back in, or just getting a new one?actually its not broken i found the metal clip and was able to insert it back in. picrel is the disa. seems ok. i should probably replace the gasket. smelled strongly of gas
>>28885900It's been rebuilt it looks like. That o ring looks like an actual o ring and not the orange sealant that BMW used.
>>28882042What exactly am I looking at here? Fuel pumps attached to gas cans??
>>28885908oh okay cool. i'm finding a lot of stuff that seems to have been replaced. i got the upper and lower intake boots off. that was a pain in the ass. they had some rips. i stuffed a rag in the holes to prevent any rodents getting in before i put the new boots on. just waiting on parts at this point. anything else i can do while i wait?i should probably order a new transmission filter so i can do the atf fluid change properly. this is an autotragic btw- i will convert it to a manual ZF eventually but that is outside the scope for now. thx for the tips and input. appreciate ur time and wisdom br/o/s
>>288859674-speed or 5? The 5 speed auto is astonishingly good. It is worth keeping. I'd clean the IAC valve, just for shits and giggles. That little offshoot of the lower hose is what was attached to the IAC. They gum up. Your DISA is clean enough that I'm not concerned, but while you're in there you might as well. The ducting is going to be a bitch to get back in, by the way. I've already advised you use dielectric grease to get them back on, so bear that in mind. I think the only other thing you can really do is wait until you get the car running to see its condition.
>>28885900Great news, minor, but still time.>>28885967I would pull the wheels and start checking the condition of things under there - bushings are probably fine, but tie rod boots might not be, see if struts are still covered, etc.Unfortunately I wouldn't be surprised if calipers are locked up too. You can pulse brake pedal while it's on the ground and then actually take the caliper off and see what's going on there.Can start bleeding now too. I know I recommended it earlier and it's the easy part, but you will need to do it eventually.Obviously I would go get the battery tested or get a new one and see what the terminals look like. I guess you can see if it goes to ON without much risk without cranking, someone correct me if I am wrong.>>28885922My guess is that the thing on the top-left is a pressure indicator. The second line is the return line. People who haven't worked on cars don't know that there is a line going BACK to the fuel tank from the fuel rail.The fuel rail (pipe before injectors) has excessive pressure so that when injectors open the pressure doesn't drop. That pressure pushes against a pressure-release valve on the other side, that let's extra fuel move back to the fuel tank, that's what the second line is for.
>>28884315That's because it was refinished and rebuilt by a local head shop. They even pulled the cam (somehow). I was impressed.>>28884328I miss mine, this engine ended up with a rod through the block in a lemons race. It was a sad day.
>>28886767I had a 735i in high school and I scrapped it at 28. Now I have a slightly newer 735i. That engine makes me so happy.
>>28886767You had an Integra too? I actually wanted to nitrous and kill it since it was worth $500 by the time it got me through college and my first job, but then there was some timing issue or something and I couldn't fix it and it sat until someone bought it for said $500. Dunno if I mentioned, but original price I paid was $1550.>>28886774Even back then I didn't want to deal with that shit, the V8/12 were tempting though. Glad I didn't go there though.
>>28886779V8s were junk and the V12s were complicated as fuck. The I6, meanwhile, is simple. It's basically just a giant E30.
Update:Cleaned the MAF and IAC valve. the IAC was seized but now clicks properly when shaken. I had to buy a fan clutch wrench to remove the fan to allow access to the 22mm crank bolt, but once I got on it, the engine turned over easily. It's definitely not seized. The cylinders have been soaking in oil and Marvel Mystery Oil for a few days, which clearly did the trick. still waiting on new spark plugs, new oil filter. i have a known good battery thats been charged and is sitting on a maintainer. i still need to address the coolant but i think once i get the spark plugs and reassemble the intakes- it'll be ready to attempt to start it.
>>28888430>IAC seizedThat's surprising, but not unheard of. Keep us posted.
E28 528iE23 735iE30 325eE30 325isE34 535iE39 540iE92 330dDo I win the thread?
>>28888800winrar posts the most useful tips to OP
>>28886787So I shouldn’t get an E31 from Deutschland or España?
>>28889022I'm not saying that. I'm saying don't get the V8, and if you get the V12, post here about how hard it is to get it to work. Nice dubs.>>28888800Nice dubs, especially as the you follow quints. But you don't win the thread. You win a lot, but not the thread. >>28888816I think that means I win the thread, because I told him to clean the IAC valve and pull the DISA.
updatereinstalled the iac valve thing. reinstalled the disa. got the new intake boots on. picrel. mann, having that grease made it easy. good tip there. also having a 6mm socket with a swivel socket+extension makes tightening the hose clamps much easier. way better than fucking around with a flathead. new air filter in the airbox. new spark plugs. i almost fucked up cylinder 6's ignition coil 10mm bolt- i stripped some of the threads out. i thought i had a potential nightmare but i used a slightly longer 10mm bolt and it reached the deeer threads well enough to hold the coil in place. i bought a new oil filter housing cap since the one that came with the car had such a mangled nut. but the new cap was not fitting correctly. fucking amazon bullshit. said fuck it and put the new filter on the old cap and put it back on and was done with that. still gotta lift the car and drain whatever old oil is left in there and put new oil. my back was already hurting by then tho so ill do that shit tomorrow. ill put some fuel cleaner and some 93 octane in the tank and then put in my new battery and we will go for the first start. ill update tomorrow.
>>28890495The plastic nut is prone to mangling. I use a large adjustable to get it on and off. Looking forward to seeing how the first start goes.
>>28882012Very nice bro. I have a 2001 Z3 2.5L autotragic I got for $500 that sat too. It actually started, and I was able to drive it home but I don't even know how. Ended up siphoning the fuel, and all the plastic on the pump was rotted out there wasn't even a filter left and the hose for the fuel line in the pump was cracked in two. Air intake was also a mess, threw in a warm air intake and replaced the pump. Needed a new valve cover, original was so warped it wasn't sealed at the front visible gap. Those fixes and it passed smog testing, it is now registered and my daily driver. Of course changed fluids and new brake pads. Tires are 10 years old but still running them lots of tread. Excited for you to get this running, even with the automatic transmission and smaller engine these are a lot of fun. Mine has a lot of miles 167K
>>28890714
>>28882012Obviously first thing is change ALL fluids
did the oil change. the old oil looked not to bad. although i see why it was leaking. the beaner that use to own apparently lost the drain plug bolt and decided to replace it with something of the shelf, there was thread sealant around it and a shitty rubber seal. i will have to buy a new drain plug. i went ahead and reused what was there and used the crush washer that comes with the filter and tightened the shit out of it. i have a feeling the threads are fucked and a new oil pan will need to be installed. anyway, put the new oil in. new battery in. went for the start. i gave it some cranks with the fuel fuses out to prime the oil. put the fuses back in. but no luck. it just keeps cranking. then i tried some starter fluid in the air box. that did the trick, the engine comes to life. it even sounds pretty good. however the car idles for a few seconds and died. repeated this a few times and same result. that kind of tells me that its a fuel issue, right? i did find an old fuel pump in the trunk when i first bought the car. i checked the fuel pumps spot behind the passenger seat and it looks like a new one was installed. when i turn the key into the second position- i don't really hear the pump working tho. maybe i should swap in the one from my 1.9 z3 donor- which is a known good pump- and see if that does the trick. oh yeah it bellows a shit ton of white smoke. that's probably the marvel mystery oil tho, right?
>>28891206Probably the oil, yes. I think the M52s came with three-piece rings, so little risk of oil burning. It could also be shitty fuel. My Midget that hadn't moved in decades burned coughed up white smoke until I replaced the tank. I'd try to test the pump that came with it on the bench.
>>28891206Are you sure there's gas in the tank?
>>28891243yeah i just put 2 gallons of 93 octane.im starting to think the DME isnt powering up.when i put the key in the ignition in position 2, the check engine light never comes on. apparently this points to the DME not powering up- which would also cause the fuel pump to not power on.. im checking the relays and fuses but idk
>>28891246Fuel pumps going out on those aren't uncommon, especially if they've been sitting for quite a while. Pulling the fuel pump isn't terribly hard and they aren't crazy expensive either. Power probe the fuel pump fuse when turning to the on position to confirm, then get that old bunker out of there.
>>28891246Are the DMEs in those EWS I or II?
>>28883062He is 100% correct, you have never owned an old BMW. Everything needs replacing, If you do it bit by bit you just have to keep going back.If I was doing it again from scratch I would unbolt the entire front for better access and do it alll in one go.
>>28891809Literally drove a 1989 BMW to work today, and I've been relaying to OP from my work on my 2002 Z3. OP doesn't need to replace everything. Cooling system isn't even due yet. Much less the manifold and other parts that are well-known to never give much in the way of trouble.
>>28891206I will second the fuel pump guy and add that VWs (I know you have a BMW) usually have a fuel filter that clogs up as well.You can maybe try checking fuel pressure at the rail or just go ahead and change it. P.S. fuel pressure regulator can die too.And finally, injectors aren't guaranteed good with car that old. Keep at it OP.P.S. I had a 1994 Integra (not that thread) with similar issues, maybe even better since it ran and RPMs kept fluctuating and it had no power. I never fixed it ;_;
>>28892027Well maybe mine is cursed but in my experience with my e46, there is isn't an ancillary left that hasn't been replaced now. I think I'm put off BMW's for life now but personally if I had to do it again I'd strip it down to a bare engine and do everything together.
>>28882012M70 swap asap
>>28892260How many miles does your E46 have? These plastics tend to go based on heat cycles, because they are shielded from the sun. My experience is typical of Z3 owners generally. They all have plastics in the cooling systems that fail after about 100k miles, and the ducting fails at the baffles.
Update:Got INPA hooked up with a K+DCAN cable and pulled codes from the MS42.First read showed 10 faults stored. Most of them were stale and cleared out without coming back. Old brake light switch plausibility code from way back, a couple EVAP leak codes which are expected after sitting this long, and a cluster of throttle position and voltage regulator faults that all occurred at the same time and appear to be from a past event, maybe when the battery originally died years ago. There was also an IAC opening coil short to ground code but that didn't return after clearing either. No EWS faults stored at any point.The two codes that keep coming back are 131 and 132, both CAN bus communication errors between the DME and the instrument cluster. INSTR2 and INSTR3 messages timing out. Static faults, currently present every time I read.Here's the interesting part. Battery voltage at the terminals reads 12.46V with a multimeter, but INPA is showing the DME only receiving 10.51V. That's almost a 2V drop somewhere between the battery and the DME. I'm pretty sure that low voltage is why the CAN bus communication is failing, which means the cluster and DME can't talk, which means the EWS handshake through the cluster never completes, which means no fuel injection. That lines up perfectly with the car starting on starter fluid but dying immediately since spark works fine without the CAN/EWS loop.I cleaned up the engine to chassis ground straps but that didn't change anything. DME voltage stayed low and the same two codes came right back.Next step is doing a voltage drop test at the DME harness connector to figure out if the loss is on the positive feed side or the ground side. Once I find where those 2 volts are disappearing I think this thing will fire right up.
>>28892454I can post pics from the Bentley manual of whatever wiring diagram you need. Just let me know.
>>28891809You're a retarded wrenchlet. You're having problems with an e46 literally one of the easiest cars to work on and maintain in existence. I pity you.
