91 318is Field Rat

[captain awesome]

So I did some math today and it was kinda depressing how much cash I'll still need to get the turbo going. I've got a handful of items left to just drive it N/A so I've set a new goal. BMW CCA has a driver school in mid October called No Excuses 10. I'd like to make it out there, and I know it's possible if I put aside my boost plans. I'll hopefully order a few parts Friday to get me running real quick like.

Tonight I managed to JB Weld the horn nub I broke a couple months ago. I also finally fit the cheap peace of shit Boss hub steering wheel hub adapter and OEM horn ring JB welded on to it. It cancels signals properly now, and with a little effort I should be able to get the horn wired up. The wheel you see in the pics was a cheap $25 wheel I got on ebay to see if I needed a wheel with a deep dish or just a flat one before dropping big bucks to find out the hard way. As soon as I get some test miles in I'll know which way to go.









I'm not a fan of the gap left by the crappy Boss hub. Seriously don't buy the piece of crap, just spring for the Momo and be done with it. I'll be getting one before too long when funds allow.



I also messed around with the exhaust manifold studs cleaning up the threads. The studs for the collector were all broken off my "good" motor, so I pulled the field rat manifold to use instead. It only happened to have one broken stud, so I Dremeled off the spot welds so I can tack in a new one.

[captain awesome]

Not much of an update, but I stumbled on a couple good deals that just couldn't be ignored. It's been too hot to do much lately, but I'm hoping to get back into things when I get back from vacation.

Brandy new Nissens rad for $90 shipped:





And a AEM wideband/AFR gauge for $80. Originally I was going to get an Innovate LC2 but with this being so cheap I figure it's worth a shot:

[captain awesome]

I'm back from vacation. I took an extra day off to tinker in the garage before going back to work though, and it was rather productive.

Trans fluid changed
Diff fluid changed
Oil filter, housing gasket, and o-ring to get rid of the leak
Exhaust stud welded in
New header nuts torqued
Slave cylinder line

Then I dropped the engine/trans in, installed all the shifter linkage with new delrin bushing up front, poly bushing at the rear, z4? shifter, shifter cup, selector joint, driveshaft with new giubo and csb. I took a break for a while and then started connecting the engine wiring harness and rear coolant lines, dropped in the new radiator, e-fan, and that's where I'm at now. I've still got to cut some new rubber fuel lines in the engine bay, connect the air box, wire the COP kit, hang the exhaust, and buy a new fuel pump.

I did have one question on the engine harness, for some reason these two wires were disconnected on mine(I think), but it seems odd. Anyone know if they remain disconnected?

[downforce22]

Those 2 wires are for the euro cars (not catalytic converter) and cause the 'hot start' issue if connected. Leave them disconnected.

[fresh_TD]

Those 2 wires are for the euro cars (not catalytic converter) and cause the 'hot start' issue if connected. Leave them disconnected.

What he said

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

[captain awesome]

Thanks guys. I was looking at my spare harness, and it was disconnected too. I figured it was better to ask than chase a non start issue.

[captain awesome]

Been slowly knocking stuff off the list. I split the casing on the coil wires so they could be routed to the valve cover area. I left the extra wire length for now to make sure I have the correct ones where they belong before shortening. Then the e36 fan didn't quite line up with the rad at the top mount holes. I believe it was tweaked a bit in shipping, so I spent some time carefully getting everything aligned. One of the mounting holes also needed to be enlarged for the fastener to expand properly. The e-fan plug was far from reaching the aux fan plug, so I extended it roughly over a foot. It looks stock now and functions properly. I also added spades for the temp switch now that it's a 2 pin, hopefully I connected the proper ones.







I then cut and installed all new fuel lines in the engine bay, connected rad hoses, air intake, throttle cable, etc. One thing I noticed was that the new intake boot had an extra hole, but nothing connects to it. After some reading I found that they came plugged from the factory, so I found a plastic plug in my spare bits that worked perfect.

Next up on the list will be mounting exhaust, bleeding brakes, coolant/bleeding, and waiting on the new Deatschwerks fuel pump to arrive. So friggin close.

[captain awesome]

Coolant is in, brakes are bled and feel good, but the slave cylinder doesn't want to cooperate. I removed it from the bell housing and bled by hand, but I'm still getting air back in the line somewhere. I'll try to pick up an oil can to reverse bleed it tomorrow and install heat shields and cat portion of the exhaust. The muffler can wait until I take it around the block for the first time. Fuel pump should be here Thursday.

[captain awesome]

Wednesday I spent half an evening chasing down why my windows and blower weren't getting power. Apparently the new m20 starter solenoid wiring is different than the stock solenoid as it doesn't ground the unloader relay. It was a frustrating situation, but with a little troubleshooting and the internet we are all fixed now.





The Deatschwerks dw200 pump came in yesterday before I took my lunch, so I spent a minute or two poorly soldering the connector and getting it all fit to the assembly. After dropping it in the tank and connecting lines I filled a few gallons of gas in the new tank and turned the key a few times to try and prime some fuel. Once the go juice made it to the injectors, it sputtered to life, and settled right into an idle.

Yeehaw!

No check lights other than ABS and brake lining. After starting it a couple times looking for leaks, smoke, fires, etc. it was time to install heat shields and the exhaust with all new rubber bushings and hangers. Surprisingly the exhaust wasn't as terrible to put together as I suspected, so I spent a few minutes checking lug nuts, tightened the battery cables snug, and topped off the tank with 3 more gallons of gas.

I'll try not to type up a novel, but overall I'm super stoked on the outcome. I forgot to connect the o2 sensor, so about 5 minutes in the check engine light came on. I stopped at a low lit area, plugged it in, and back to normal. Temps rose to the midway hash mark and didn't budge past that. The fan didn't have a chance to kick on once. I revved it out a bit, and it's exactly how most people describe the m42. Not gutless, but not a powerhouse either. Shifting is nice and crisp with a shortish throw. The m20 flywheel and clutch felt great. I ran a loop through a roundabout seeing where grip starts to let go, and if not for the shitty older tires I think it would have stuck much better.

Things I need to address:

The driver side seat belt won't clasp, so that's first up on the list.

The e21 Recaros will be pulled from the attic to start figuring out mounting brackets.

Steering input is great, but I need a real alignment done.

The lower rad hose has a slow drip as of this morning.

There was some oil dripping from the driver side tie rod boot.

ABS wiring on the driver side needs repair.

Brake lining light is on, but I've already repaired wires in the rear, and the sensor up front is new. I don't think the sensor up front pushed into the pad properly, so I'm going to assume that's the issue.

Steering wheel is too high. What the hell is up with the stock position? I'll figure out some spacers to drop the column and see if that helps enough. It's also time to order a proper steering wheel.

Needs a radio, but for now it's low on the list.

Heater blower makes some racket, wish I would have known this before reinstalling the motor/trans.

One of the cluster lights is out, and the odometer gears aren't working. Not surprised there. I'll mess with this stuff when I install my crack free dash.

All exterior bulb connections need cleaned.

Tires. re71 probably will be on the menu.

Megasquirt first, and then TURBO.

I'll take snap some more pics this afternoon as it was late last night when I got it all wrapped up.

[Dgerry]

Great Job, you have come a long way with this one! Glad to see that you got it going, and will be ready to see that turbo on there! Are you still planning on making it to Hallett?

[e30s50dan]

I'm also working on my red 318is. Looks a lot like your !

I'm changing the color and have m tech bumpers on now.working on the body now

Good luck with your project

[TFJR]

Nice project! Fun to see it come to life. You're making progress quickly. I'm jealous of those front sports seats - I have the comfort version of the same pattern and have been looking for a set of sports for months.

[captain awesome]

Great Job, you have come a long way with this one! Glad to see that you got it going, and will be ready to see that turbo on there! Are you still planning on making it to Hallett?

Yes and no. I planned the No Excuses BMW event, but later found out I've got a vacation to Vegas planned that same weekend. There are a couple of High Speed Touring days I may try to squeeze in instead. Also there's an autocross meet in Neosho next month that I "should" be able to make with the e30. I'll be running these crappy tires, but at least I'll have some fun.

[captain awesome]

Nice project! Fun to see it come to life. You're making progress quickly. I'm jealous of those front sports seats - I have the comfort version of the same pattern and have been looking for a set of sports for months.

These seats are not in that good of shape currently. I would recover them or my spare set of Cardinal reds, but the Recaros are so much lighter. If you have ever picked up a "sport seat" you would find out there isn't much sport to them other than more bolstering. I guess it depends on what your purpose with the car is.

[captain awesome]

Went home on my lunch and swapped the seat belt receiver. I adjusted the placement and tightened the lower rad hose clamp. The drip is now gone. Decided to drive the car to work which is about a 15 minute trip with mostly stop/go traffic. Went through the Wendy's drive through, sat in traffic some, shifted some gears, watched the temp gauge like a hawk, and made it without issue. As I pull in to the parking lot the temp is a hair over the half mark, so I decided to let it idle, and check to see if and when the fan will kick on. Mid way to the 3/4 mark it kicks the fan on low. I apparently wired the wrong speed to the temp sensor, so I'll swap that out tonight even though it dropped the temp on the gauge immediately. All in all it was uneventful and dirty. This thing needs the herpes scrubbed out of the interior real bad like. Also, if anyone has a spare brilliantrot coupe passenger c pillar/sail panel with shadowline trim let me know.

Glamour shots.