Mike's Alpine White 1991 318is

[getouth]

Fans look great ! Are these Oem? If so what are they going for these days??

[mike.bmw]

I did a thing... TURBOFANS.

DSC_0862 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

DSC_0842 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

DSC_0892 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

DSC_0822 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

[mike.bmw]

Here's a quick update on the fuel pump replacement. Over the past few days I've put about ~200 miles on the car, which included a mix of highway and backroads to some cool hiking spots with the family. Here are some things I've observed:
- 3rd gear pulls don't fall flat above 5500 rpm. It just keeps pulling. Within the last year with the old fuel pump, there wasn't any power left above 5500 rpm.
- There's a healthy amount of black soot on the tailpipe. Within the last year with the old fuel pump, the inside of the tail pipe was oddly clean all the time.
- When I coast to a light the rpms don't dip down like they did before.
- The car doesn't seem to jerk forward as much when I take my foot off the throttle.
- The car seems to have more "pep" when getting on the throttle.

So, based on a few of these things I'm thinking the old fuel pump was pretty tired.

[mike.bmw]

Man, you take some b-e-a-u-tiful pictures!

What a build thread!

Thanks! I have a lot to learn about photography, but learning is an enjoyable part of the process. Up until recently, I've only occasionally used the basic editing capabiltiies of "Preview" on the Mac. Usually I just post what comes off the camera without any edits. I've started to learn a bit more about editing and I've been able to improve some older photos that I didn't think could be saved / made presentable. Here are a couple of those:

DSC_0529 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

DSC_0544 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

[MR E30 325is]

Man, you take some b-e-a-u-tiful pictures!

What a build thread!

[roguetoaster]

Top tip on spark plugs to close off the lines. If you don't already have some, those thread in plastic brake line/fitting plugs, similar to what you might see with new calipers, also work well, as do non-cut dispenser tips for RTV tubes.

[mike.bmw]

Today I replaced my fuel pump. I ordered a VDO unit (228220004002Z, BMW #16141180233). I believe these are the same as the Genuine BMW fuel pumps as they look identical. It took about 45 minutes to install, some of which was removing and reinstalling the kids' car seats, some of which was trying to figure out how to rotate the new pump to install it.

The old pump's o-ring was toast. It barely took any effort to twist/remove it. Even though I had a new o-ring on hand, the new pump came with one so I used it. Also, the sender's o-ring was not great so I replaced that as well.

After I installed it I let it run for a bit, I checked for leaks, then took I it out for a test drive. It felt good.

Old pump out:

20200825_141008 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

Spark plugs work great for plugging the rubber lines:

20200825_143048 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

The old one was Bosch, as evident by the branding on the pump itself:

20200825_141120 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

20200825_141150 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

New pump in place:

20200825_142739 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

New sender o-ring:

20200825_141737 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

Back together:

20200825_143415 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

The kids were occupied just outside. :). Usually I have them help, but when dealing with gas I'd rather they keep their distance.

20200825_145052 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

Speaking of kids, they sure do grow up fast. My 3 year old is actually being helpful these days.

20200812_175843 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

20200812_180155 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

Some new photos I've taken the past few weeks:

IMG_20200822_074220_197 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

DSC_0714 by mike.bevels, on Flickr


DSC_0831 by mike.bevels, on Flickr

DSC_0814 copy by mike.bevels, on Flickr

[mike.bmw]

Your car is simply an aspiration...so clean!

That is a clean e30!!

Thanks!

[Mazi!]

That is a clean e30!!

[dmanb2b]

Your car is simply an aspiration...so clean!

[mike.bmw]

Man these shots really having me miss my E30... Awesome job as always!

Thanks! I was very surprised when I came across your FS thread and saw that it had already sold.

This has been a great series and a very helpful reminder of "to-dos" on my 318. Mike, had a couple of questions - did you go with the Vaico brake booster check valve? That's the only one I can seem to find in stock anywhere. For the heater valve, have you seen any leaks since? I saw some reviews that questioned the OEM part quality, just curious if you ran into anything similar?

Thanks! I did go with the Vaico brake booster check valve. Twice actually. I returned the first because it was making a horrible racket. While it was functioning correctly, I assumed it must be faulty due to the noises coming from it. I could hear them inside the cabin, "tap tap TAP TAP TAP TAP tap tap TAP TAP TAP". I swapped in the stock check valve and it was totally silent. When the new Vaico brake booster check valve arrived it made the same horrible noises. I'm not sure what's up with that. It functions, it's just annoyingly loud.

For the heater valve, I haven't noticed any leaks. I really hope I don't see any leaks. It's an expensive part and certainly not the most fun job to do. I guess the true test will be over the winter when I'm actually using the heater on a regular basis.

[hamann318is]

This has been a great series and a very helpful reminder of "to-dos" on my 318. Mike, had a couple of questions - did you go with the Vaico brake booster check valve? That's the only one I can seem to find in stock anywhere. For the heater valve, have you seen any leaks since? I saw some reviews that questioned the OEM part quality, just curious if you ran into anything similar?

[ATL_E30]

Man these shots really having me miss my E30... Awesome job as always!

[mike.bmw]

Here are some early morning photos before taking my family for a secluded hike. Once I got home I realized there's a better spot to capture the colorful buildings in the background, so perhaps I'll head back at some point for more photos.

DSC_0858 copy by mike.bevels, on Flickr

DSC_0824 copy by mike.bevels, on Flickr

DSC_0875 copy by mike.bevels, on Flickr

In other news, I came across some photos of the "Honda Accord Aerodeck" yesterday. I didn't know this car existed. My wife's input: "Ugh. That car is hideous." I'm a little biased because my first car was an '87 Accord (sedan), which is essentially the same car from the front doors forward. The back half is a wagon/hatch thing, which in my opinion, is amazing. I've been casually searching for another Volvo 240 wagon as a project, but if I can find one the Aerodeck may be in my future (alongside the E30 of course).

Here's one that's the same color as my old '87 sedan:

[mike.bmw]

Always nice to have some help. Love the periscope shot haha

Haha, I was trying to get a photo of the new clips, but it just happened to focus on her. Kind of cool so I included it. :)

Hey Mike! It's Eric from last weekend.. small world. Your car looks great and you are exceptionally detail-oriented both in formatting this thread (a format I may try to emulate if I have the discipline) and in the work you've done on your e30.


I've got the Ronals on the vert and they look great. Thanks again for a painless transaction!

Hey, Eric! Very nice meeting you last weekend and thanks for the kind words. I'm glad you are happy with the Ronals. They are such great wheels for the E30. Thanks for making the long trip to pick them up!