Must-Do E30 Projects

[bastianshaw]

What is the purpose of removing the power steering belt?

Increase "feeback" w the stock rack, draining the fluid after removing the belt reduces steering effort.

[bastianshaw]

Unless you have acquired a meticulously maintained very low mileage E30 my list of Must-Do tasks looks a bit different. And it would be:

O2 sensor
New distributor, ignition wires, & NGK ZGR5A plugs
Timing belt, tensioner, and cam seal
Belts
Air & fuel filters
Radiator, expansion tank, cap, waterpump, hoses, & fan clutch
Shocks
Control arms, bushings, and tie rods
Subframe, trailing arm, and differential bushings
Motor & transmission mounts
Guibo
Shifter bushings
Rebuild calipers, replace soft lines, and flush
Check the fuel tank for rust and if so replace or acid clean and seal
Replace all bulbs in the car
New half shaft boots
SI board batteries
Odometer gears

That only covers the things that have a finite service life and/or a scheduled replacement interval. Other things fall under the check and possibly replace, like:

Wheel bearings
Transmission seals
Differential seals
Engine seals
Clutch
Door locks
HVAC system
Wipers

Some things can be dropped from the list if you have proof of their recent replacement.

can get this all done in a day:-)

[Vivek]

Increase "feeback" w the stock rack, draining the fluid after removing the belt reduces steering effort.

Not sure if you're serious, but you can do a proper PS delete with two <1" rubber hoses from Kragen (got mine for free). You have to remove the whole system (lines, pump, reservoir) and drain and cap the rack.

[325ix]

You aren't supposed to drain the rack, the ps fluid lubricates the inside of the rack.

[TobyB]

Cage.

t

[Jand3rson]

E36 window switches. If you haven't done it yet, this is one of the single best interior mods you can do to your car, you will LOVE them.

http://www.strictlyeta.net/technical/e36switches.html

We just did my sunroof switch, too.

[Vivek]

You aren't supposed to drain the rack, the ps fluid lubricates the inside of the rack.

No it doesn't.

On my old 325e (with i swap) I deleted the power steering. I left the rack OPEN and uncapped and had no issues in 3+ years of DD'ing.

And read this thread.

[superboosted]

E36 window switches. If you haven't done it yet, this is one of the single best interior mods you can do to your car, you will Love it

Why? I don't get that one.

[Jand3rson]

E30 switches are just a bad/old design. E36 switches are a rocker-type switch rather than a push button, are a much better design, and look much more streamlined. They just plain work and look 10x better.qOXVZAOAA**/fyVMtP8A[/IMG]

[Simon S]

floppy vent fix:

[e30trooper]

floppy vent fix:

Nice!

[325ix]

No it doesn't.

Huh, jlevie doesn't seem to think so.

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showpost.php?p=3079288&postcount=2

[glucklich21]

I think most people who "delete" their powersteering are cheap bastards to fix their leaky system and are just trying to justify being such.

[nando]

no way! it's so they can show off how fuh-raze they are at hard parking meets. :p

the vent thing I need to do. I think the dash starts to shrink over time which is why the vents start to get loose. also we tend to put much stiffer suspensions in than what came stock.

I also second the E36 switches, although I haven't done mine yet. actually, the E30 switches are fine when they are new, but they do get really hard and sticky. my son can't even push them to open the windows. the contacts inside the switch also burn up, although you can sometimes refurbish them, and some of the plastic clips that hold the contacts inside the switch break too.

[325ix]

I think most people who "delete" their powersteering are cheap bastards to fix their leaky system and are just trying to justify being such.

For me it was a little of both. I really liked it better without ps.