Autocross mayhem

[cyrmanj]

My guess is that it is #8

You are right, that seems to be it!

That idea of the electric fan has been on my mind for some time, with the price of gasoline nowadays I mostly use my car on weekends and track days so it makes a lot of sense to do this mod.

Thanks for the heads up!

[Hallen]

My guess is that it is #8. But tie wraps work just as well. Get rid of the mechanical fan and you don't have to worry about it much.
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...68&hg=11&fg=35

I got my electric fan through Bimmerworld, I think. It is a standard 16" fan and I mounted it to the front side of the radiator. If you have AC and have that electric fan there and it works, you can just use it without the engine driven fan. That is, unless you sit in traffic all day in 100° heat with the AC on. But still, I doubt it would be a problem with a car that had a properly functioning cooling system. I only use the electric fan with my car, but it is a track rat.

[Sean]

The clip they're talking about wraps around the hose, and clips into a circular hole on the engine bracket (the bracket used to remove the motor, above the valve cover in front of the head behind the timing belt cover).

Not sure if that helps much...I can't think of where I would have a pic of it.

[cyrmanj]

you are missing the factory clip that holds the hose away from the fan and prevents this problem.

Anyone have a more specific reference for this clip? I've looked in realoem without success. Does anyone have a pic of that clip? Is it mounted around the t-stat housing or in the fan cover? I've already placed the zip tie to hold the hose close to the engine and away from the fan, but still I want the OEM solution, hehe... yeah I am a freakin purist!

I also busted my hose in a track day, hehe...

Thanks!

[Jeremiel5]

DO you have to pull the control arms and cross member to replace the motor mounts?

I'm not sure how it is done because I had help with one of my mechanic friends to do it for me. I don't remember how exactly he did it, but I think, to the best of my knowledge and my memory, one can simply jacked up the car on both sides, lift it up for a little bit, then placed a 3 ton jack right under the engine (not the oil pan), loosen up the motor mounts, jack up the engine very slowly at about 1/2 inch and then quickly replace them with the urethane, drop the engine slowly, and tighten it up... that's it. i think that's how it can be done.


Let's see what the other R3v guys say about this:

[ddavidv]

No, but they can be fun to do with limited access.

[The Barvarian]

How hard is it to change motor mounts?

DO you have to pull the control arms and cross member to replace the motor mounts?

I CONCUR.

But I vote that you need to replace your engine and tranny mounts to urethane especially if you are going to auto-x the car and especially for the year of your car because you have one radiator hose that is close to the fan and the lower radiator hose that is next to your power steering pulley; my experience with stock motor mounts was not a good experience especially when auto-xing because of the beating you take your e30 to go through, your motor mounts will break faster than if you daily drive it, obviously, but the keyword is that it still breaks. while you may solve the problem now, it doesn't mean that you won't get the same problem later. you may solve the problem for a good amount of time, but ultimately it will break again and if it does, then that means you are risking the chance of replacing radiator hoses again and whatever else breaks with it

i changed my motor and tranny mounts to IE urethane and it made a big difference; it's a lot stiffer and my engine sounded tight, but there are some minor NVH which i don't care much about because to me, the stiffer, the better especially if i can feel the ground from my seat (like from my ass, hehe). all i'm saying is if you can sacrifice minor NVH in order to save money long term, then urethane mounts are really good investment especially if you are going to auto-x this car (try drifting it too, lol, jk)

[Jeremiel5]

That's not necessarily true.

To keep the thermostat hose out of the fan, all you need is a zip tie. Like most people, you are missing the factory clip that holds the hose away from the fan and prevents this problem.

Could the motor mounts still be worn and need replaced? Sure. However, the thermostat hose will be chewed by your engine fan regardless of the condition of the motor mounts. If your alternator or power steering pump is cutting into the lower radiator hose, then you definately need new motor mounts. Regardless, it's not a bad idea to inspect them and replace if necessary.

I CONCUR.

But I vote that you need to replace your engine and tranny mounts to urethane especially if you are going to auto-x the car and especially for the year of your car because you have one radiator hose that is close to the fan and the lower radiator hose that is next to your power steering pulley; my experience with stock motor mounts was not a good experience especially when auto-xing because of the beating you take your e30 to go through, your motor mounts will break faster than if you daily drive it, obviously, but the keyword is that it still breaks. while you may solve the problem now, it doesn't mean that you won't get the same problem later. you may solve the problem for a good amount of time, but ultimately it will break again and if it does, then that means you are risking the chance of replacing radiator hoses again and whatever else breaks with it

i changed my motor and tranny mounts to IE urethane and it made a big difference; it's a lot stiffer and my engine sounded tight, but there are some minor NVH which i don't care much about because to me, the stiffer, the better especially if i can feel the ground from my seat (like from my ass, hehe). all i'm saying is if you can sacrifice minor NVH in order to save money long term, then urethane mounts are really good investment especially if you are going to auto-x this car (try drifting it too, lol, jk)

[The Barvarian]

Good thinking....

That's not necessarily true.

To keep the thermostat hose out of the fan, all you need is a zip tie. Like most people, you are missing the factory clip that holds the hose away from the fan and prevents this problem.

Could the motor mounts still be worn and need replaced? Sure. However, the thermostat hose will be chewed by your engine fan regardless of the condition of the motor mounts. If your alternator or power steering pump is cutting into the lower radiator hose, then you definately need new motor mounts. Regardless, it's not a bad idea to inspect them and replace if necessary.

Great idea for us to check on, thanks for pointing that out.

[//MPower]

Guys at the track who know e30s said we need new egnine mounts and a transmission mount.

That's not necessarily true.

To keep the thermostat hose out of the fan, all you need is a zip tie. Like most people, you are missing the factory clip that holds the hose away from the fan and prevents this problem.

Could the motor mounts still be worn and need replaced? Sure. However, the thermostat hose will be chewed by your engine fan regardless of the condition of the motor mounts. If your alternator or power steering pump is cutting into the lower radiator hose, then you definately need new motor mounts. Regardless, it's not a bad idea to inspect them and replace if necessary.

[VacMan]

The IS we bought has poly trans and motor mounts. I don't mind it for a quick jaunt but could never stand it for a DD since there's a ton more NVH. On the other hand, my brother-in-law Josh (Delphinitive) loves the setup. Of course, he's half my age as well and it's his car. :)

[madjurgen]

I added the IE urethane motors mounts to my m20 and they added absolutely no additional NVH(noise, vibration, harshness). These are a must in my opinion on any e30 that is autocrossed.

Later on, I added the IE urethane tranny mounts. Holy balls! It sounded like my m20 had suddenly grown into a full-out race V8. Not suitable at all for the street.


Do your research for the fan, endless threads about which type, brand to use.

So, I vote definitely go with the urethane motor mounts and find a stiffer stock solution for the tranny. I have e34 5 series tranny mounts.

[The Barvarian]

It is possible to fit a puller type fan on the engine side of the radiator. It will have to be offset towards the intake side to clear the waterpump pulley. My experience is that you need at least a 16" fan rated for 2000cfm (or more). And you'll need to control the fan with an 80-80C thermoswitch.

I think I will stay with the stock mounts for the foreseeable future.

Any thoughts on a brand/model of fan?

[jlevie]

Urethane engine mounts will transmit much more engine vibration into the car body. That's not a problem on a pure track car, by may be objectionable on a daily driver.

It is possible to fit a puller type fan on the engine side of the radiator. It will have to be offset towards the intake side to clear the waterpump pulley. My experience is that you need at least a 16" fan rated for 2000cfm (or more). And you'll need to control the fan with an 80-80C thermoswitch.

[The Barvarian]

Doh!! i6, I should have known that.....