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Steering rack, reservoir, hoses, and tie rod ends replaced!
I went with the AAE 3310N rack. It's a 2.7-turn Z3 rack that's a direct fit and sold by FCP, BimmerWorld, Rock Auto, etc. For hoses and everything else, I went with FCP's power steering kit that includes everything you need aside from the rack itself.
I had a local shop, RRT, do the installation. They only charge a couple hours labor for the install, and I would've taken it there for a custom alignment anyway, so I gave myself a break on this one and handed it over to the pros.
PXL_20250228_175608810 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
PXL_20250228_175322632 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
PXL_20250228_190639817 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
PXL_20250306_124619099~2 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
PXL_20250307_181155452 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
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When project threads collide...
I took a day off from work to unwind, which involved taking my M3 and 318is out for some photos. With a single driver (me) it involved driving to the location, walking home to get the other car, and so on. Let's just say it's just what I needed and I definitely got my steps in!
Inspired, I wrote something for BimmerLife about classic BMWs and classic BBS wheels https://bimmerlife.com/2025/02/11/classic-fitment/
20250207-DSC_5988 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
20250207-DSC_5939 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
20250207-DSC_5893 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
20250207-DSC_5853 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
20250207-DSC_5871 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
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I got the cluster back from Brett / M Sport Parts today! Naturally I installed it right away.
I did manage to break the retainer/lock arm on the black instrument cluster plug (on the wiring harness, not on the cluster). It broke into 3 pieces as I was gently pushing it back into place. As a short-term fix, I zip tied the black plug to the cluster with the retaining arms in the locked position, which should keep it secure until I find a replacement.
20250128-DSC_5324 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
20250128-DSC_5309 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
20250128-DSC_5328 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
20250128-DSC_5330 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
20250128-DSC_5331 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
20250128-DSC_5354 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
20250128-DSC_5362 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
With the steering wheel installed, I was able to start the car for the first time in weeks and pull it out of the garage for some photos with the new factory chrome grilles installed.
20250128-DSC_5367 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
20250128-DSC_5371 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
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A few updates!
I sent my instrument cluster to M Sport Parts (@Braymond141) to be fixed! Currently waiting for him to work his magic and send it back.
PXL_20250106_212759329 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
PXL_20250106_215313512 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
I took some photos:
20241222-DSC_3412 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
20241229-DSC_4527 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
20241225-DSC_3901 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
20241222-DSC_3443 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
20241222-DSC_3472 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
20241222-DSC_3469 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
My son washed my car:
PXL_20241229_155546859~2 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
I removed the gloss black grilles and installed factory chrome:
PXL_20250114_003630825~2 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
PXL_20250110_213420370 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
PXL_20250114_003530637~2 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
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I should really update this thread more often.
BMW Classic showed some more love in November, featuring my three BMWs that I photographed in my driveway...
Screenshot 2024-11-27 at 2.36.13 PM by mike.bevels, on Flickr
Found a cool tree...
20241201-DSC_2155 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
Found another one...
20241207-DSC_2453 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
When on a few hiking excursions with my kids...
20241127-PXL_20241127_145135204 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
Lots of long, fun drives...
20241204-DSC_2332 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
Some with friends...
20241124-DSC_1576 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
Made a silly video about changing the oil...
Bought some wheels (BBS LM089s), which my kids loved...
20241216-DSC_2939 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
Got some tires mounted...
20241217-DSC_2997 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
Installed them on the car, all matchy-matchy with my E30 on gold BBS RS001s...
20241217-DSC_3054-2 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
Took some silly photos with my tripod...
20241219-DSC_3292 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
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It's that time or year again... Virginia State Inspection! They gave it a thorough inspection and we passed. I had no doubts. 😅
PXL_20241101_140155916~2 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
PXL_20241101_135710591~2 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
PXL_20241101_142809708~2 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
A five-hour round trip in our E36 M3 for a travel soccer game last weekend! It was great spending some one-on-one time with Avery.
Random cell phone shots from the day...
PXL_20241102_191712363~2 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
PXL_20241102_114622326~2 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
PXL_20241102_181815113~2 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
BMW Group Classic showing some love on Instagram! I took this set a few weeks ago, just down the street from my house.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DB9K0aRq...RlODBiNWFlZA==
Screenshot 2024-11-04 at 11.52.47 AM by mike.bevels, on Flickr
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A little something in last week's BimmerLife feature story: https://bimmerlife.com/2024/09/03/a-...s-spec-e36-m3/
20240704-DSC_8019-2 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
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I did a little work in the 100-degree heat today. My detached garage isn't air conditioned, but I do have a giant floor fan that helps.
I've been periodically getting ASC faults at startup over the past few months. This was due to the ASC throttle cable being in a poor state, with all of the plastic clips on the adjustment sleeve being broken. During startup, the ASC actuator sweeps the ASC throttle body, and if the ASC throttle position sensor doesn't give correct readings (in this case because the cable isn't secured to its mounting point), a fault is thrown and the ASC light illuminates.
I could've simply removed the ASC system as many do, but I like to spend as much money and waste as much time as possible when repairing cars. So, I typically replace everything first and then decide to rip the system out later. During my ASC system inspection, I noticed the intake boot and ICV vacuum hose were in a sorry state with small and large cracks present, so I ordered replacements for those as well.
I was in here last August during the head gasket replacement, so there weren't any surprises. Everything came apart easily. The ICV vacuum hose can be reached with the throttle bodies off and pushed to the side. Silicon spray helped get the new hoses in place. New hose clamps all around, just because.
The ASC actuator can be extracted by removing the two 10mm mounting bolts, and unclipping the wiring harness mounted to the side of the fuse box. That gives just enough room to wiggle it out. There's a small door on the back of the actuator that gives access to remove the cable and install the new one.
End to end, it took about an hour and it's nice to have fully functioning fresh factory parts.
20240717-DSC_8784 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
Old broken ASC throttle cable mounting adjustment:
20240717-DSC_8753 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
New hotness:
20240717-DSC_8772 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
20240717-DSC_8800 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
More new parts:
20240717-DSC_8792 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
Old and busted:
20240717-DSC_8820 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
20240717-DSC_8816 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
Apart:
20240717-DSC_8782 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
Together:
20240717-DSC_8815 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
Fin.
20240717-DSC_8825 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
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Let's talk batteries! The E36 left me stranded on Wednesday, which was a first. Thankfully it was less than a mile from home. I should have seen this coming with a very slow start earlier in the morning. When I tried to start it a second time to take the kids home from swim practice, no dice. Thankfully I got a quick jump start and drove home to diagnose the issue.
I got my multimeter to take some measurements. With the car running, I was seeing 14 volts at the battery, which is in spec for a working alternator. Also, the previous owner installed a new factory alternator just a few years ago, so I figured it was still good. When I turned the car off, the voltage dropped below 11. I had the battery tested at a local auto parts store and they confirmed it was dead. Even the trickle charger wouldn't revive it.
After a bit of research and price comparison, I opted for an H6 AGM Interstate battery from Costco. A few sizes will fit the E36's adjustable battery tray. The H6 is a bit smaller and lighter than the H7/T7 and still provides superior specs over what the car originally came with. It's about $100 cheaper at Costco than everywhere else and it comes with a three year warranty.
The new battery works great, it holds peak charge overnight (12.9 volts), and starts have been strong. 💪 I'm glad this was simple to diagnose and easy to fix, allowing my family to take a trip to Skyline Drive on the 4th.
When I installed the new battery I noticed the vent tube was missing. I ordered a Dorman kit and everything is good to go.
PXL_20240703_185234662~2 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
PXL_20240703_131908460 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
PXL_20240705_210658148 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
PXL_20240705_211231431 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
PXL_20240705_211326941 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
PXL_20240705_211540976 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
20240704-DSC_8019-2 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
20240704-DSC_8249 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
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E36 keyless entry update! My original remote had failed and I re-soldered the board. It worked for a bit, then failed again. Twice. So, I ordered a new remote from M Sport Parts which arrived in the mail yesterday.
Programming a new E36 remote is a comical, nearly 20-step process that involves opening and closing the trunk, opening and closing the driver door, and cycling the ignition to put the keyless system into learning mode and pair a new remote.
I had one hiccup, so I contacted @msportparts via text (per their recommendation on their website) and had a response in less than 10 minutes. It's as if they had been watching me as they said "you probably missed steps 8 and 9" which consisted of opening and closing the driver door one additional time. Sure enough, that was it.
I now have a fully functional remote! Big props to M Sport Parts for the remote and tech support. Check out the video at the end for some sweet lock and unlock action. 💪
PXL_20240603_195846155~2 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
PXL_20240603_193646200~2 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
PXL_20240603_195816845~2 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
PXL_20240603_221315834~2 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
PXL_20240603_200129274~2 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
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I spent the last couple of days detailing my cars. On Friday I focused on my 1998 M3.
After a thorough wash for the M3, I cleaned all the door jambs, doors, trunk, and under the hood. Then I took things a step further and broke out the wet sanding supplies to correct a few large scratches. Photos 2 through 5 show one in the hood. It's not perfect, but hardly noticeable now. I addressed a few other areas using a similar process.
After polishing the wet sanded areas with my orbital, I switched pads and waxed the majority of the car.
Time to clean some microfiber towels!
PXL_20240426_181348540~2 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
PXL_20240426_170632520 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
PXL_20240426_171233140 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
PXL_20240426_171219905 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
PXL_20240426_171645090 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
PXL_20240426_173027583 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
PXL_20240426_181530728~2 by mike.bevels, on Flickr
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