Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

The Adventures of Golden Boy, my Rebound E30

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Subscribed! Hopefully about to pick up my first e30, learning a lot from reading good quality builds like this! Did you pretty much teach yourself how to do all this stuff by researching on the forums?

    Comment


      Originally posted by florida_dirt View Post
      Those wheels are great dude! Btw I've had drilled and slotted rotors and never had any unusual 'whine' noise ever. Maybe it's the pads? Could be just breaking them in?


      Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
      Thanks man, and interesting that you never had that issue, good to know. Maybe I should try bleeding the system again.

      Originally posted by AWDBOB View Post
      You are building the exact car I've been trying to build for years! Congrats man, probably feels great to have such a solid foundation to work with.

      Also, I really really don't mind the bronzit at all.
      Thank you! I'm really enjoying this build so far and I feel like I got pretty lucky with this one (we'll see about that misfire though )

      The bronzit is constantly growing on me more and more, but we'll see what happens. I have a long time before I need to make the decision whether to keep it or not anyways.

      Originally posted by stonea View Post
      Car is looking really nice! I don't think the diving boards look to bad on your car. I Paint the trim black and polish the bumpers I think it'd be perfect.
      Thanks man, I actually love the front diving board when done right. It's the rear that kills me. I've said it a ton of times in the this thread already so I'm sorry if I sound like a broken record but the late model rear valance will really make a big difference on this car.

      Originally posted by rzerob View Post
      Golden boy is definitely coming along nicely. Good job, keep up the good work.
      Thank you!

      Originally posted by Jdub View Post
      Subscribed! Hopefully about to pick up my first e30, learning a lot from reading good quality builds like this! Did you pretty much teach yourself how to do all this stuff by researching on the forums?
      Cool man, glad you could learn something here! I'd say 90% of what I know is from reading forums and just searching the internet. It's amazing what you can find/learn with a little bit of searching. If I can do it, you definitely can :up:


      --Roundie Revival 2.0 - 1973 BMW 2002 Build Thread--
      --Golden Boy E30 Build Thread-- (sold)

      Comment


        Yup was gonna suggest bleeding again, sounds like maybe the caliper isn't fully compressing and grabbing the rotor. Good luck!


        Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
        sigpic

        Comment


          ^^thanks man

          So I had a chance to troubleshoot some stuff today and am having weird results.

          I first checked the plugs and wires, plugs are Autolite's and the cap/rotor and wires all look brand new, it was all obviously recently replaced. I checked continuity in the wires anyways and things were spot on.

          I checked the Bentley manual and realized the plugs were out of spec, so I cleaned them and gapped them to .8mm (they were all at about .6mm). I plan on replacing them in the very near future for some NGK ZGR5A'S.

          Then we performed a compression test. Everything checked out great, all were pretty much at exactly 170psi, big sigh of relief there. Engine was at operating temp for that.

          A while later I pulled the valve cover to check valve clearances. All were out of spec as well, every one was a bit loose except for one. Adjusted all of them to .25mm.

          Buttoned everything back up with high hopes since I adjusted everything back to Bentley specifications and it actually ended up running worse on idle. Motor shakes a bit more while idling however I noticed a decrease in valve noise throughout the RPM's (it's still very much there though). It seemed to drive a bit smoother too but I could just be tricking my mind into thinking things.

          I'm going to do some research and see what I need to do to make sure the whole fuel system is working properly, as well as do a full timing and cooling system refresh. I know the coolant temp sensor can cause some misfiring/rough running so I definitely want to test that. I just want to avoid throwing brand new parts at something that is still functioning properly.

          Just going to take it one step at a time and hopefully sooner than later I'll have a healthy and happy M20 ready to hit the road. Please feel free to post up past experiences or input if you've had similar problems to mine. Thanks


          --Roundie Revival 2.0 - 1973 BMW 2002 Build Thread--
          --Golden Boy E30 Build Thread-- (sold)

          Comment


            Also I forgot to mention that my resistance was reading just a tad high on my ignition coil. My primary resistance was .7 ohms (spec is .5 ohms) and my secondary resistance was a little over 6000 ohms (spec is 5000 ohms). Is that too minimal to make a difference or could that be contributing to my issues?


            --Roundie Revival 2.0 - 1973 BMW 2002 Build Thread--
            --Golden Boy E30 Build Thread-- (sold)

            Comment


              Not a lot to report at the moment, Golden Boy has been sitting ever since I adjusted the valves and regapped the spark plugs. In my last update I mentioned that the M20 actually seemed to run worse after adjusting everything to spec.

              I got busy with other projects at the shop and was waiting for parts to come in the mail. They finally showed up yesterday, the contents being:



              Mostly preventative maintenance that I had planned to do anyways, but a few other odds and ends.
              - Timing belt and tensioner (as well as tensioner pin and spring)
              - Water pump
              - Thermostat
              - Both Coolant Temperature Sensors
              - 2 Gallons BMW Coolant
              - Fuel Filter
              - Front Camshaft Seal
              - NGK ZGR5A Spark Plugs
              - Accelerator Cable

              I'm hoping the car will run better after installing everything. If anything, I think the new NGK plugs, coolant temp sensor, thermostat and fuel filter will improve some things. I noticed the car never fully got up to operating temperature, it would always sit well below the halfway mark so that could be a reason why it didn't pass smog.

              I would be installing everything today but I'm stuck at home with a pinched nerve in my back, happened a few days ago lifting a new toolbox into my truck. Couldn't have happened at a worse time as I'm scheduled to start a huge 6-8 week project at the shop on Monday, building cabinets and tables out of heavy plywood, yikes. Curious to see how all of this pans out, gonna have to just power through it.

              Hopefully I'll have a more positive update next time! Stay tuned.


              --Roundie Revival 2.0 - 1973 BMW 2002 Build Thread--
              --Golden Boy E30 Build Thread-- (sold)

              Comment


                that sucks about your back. recover quickly!
                Simon
                Current Cars:
                -1999 996.1 911 4/98 3.8L 6-Speed, 21st Century Beetle

                Make R3V Great Again -2020

                Comment


                  Originally posted by 2mAn View Post
                  that sucks about your back. recover quickly!
                  Thanks man, been taking it real easy the past 4-5 days and things were actually feeling worse for a while, which had me very nervous, but now it seems things are looking up. Either way I'm getting work done tomorrow, can't handle another day at home haha.

                  However all this time spent at home means LOTS of R3v time, which means it's got me full of new potential plans for the E30 even though I should really keep it mellow and easy, I kinda hate how that happens. All of these awesome build threads on here get my gears turning but I have to ground myself and stay realistic. I'm sure I'm not the only one who suffers from this.

                  Anyways, I'm hoping to get this round of maintenance tackled sometime within the next two weeks and if all goes to plan I'll be able to get it smogged/registered and be able to focus on some cosmetic issues.


                  --Roundie Revival 2.0 - 1973 BMW 2002 Build Thread--
                  --Golden Boy E30 Build Thread-- (sold)

                  Comment


                    Well lately I've been having more frustrating times with Golden Boy than good times, still trying to get this M20 to run properly. I've also felt like an idiot several times while working on it, which I'll explain. He's been looking like this for weeks:



                    I recently was able to dedicate a full day to working on the car, so I planned to install the timing belt/tensioner, water pump, thermostat, coolant temp sensors, new coolant and spark plugs. Here's the new timing belt and water pump installed:



                    Let's talk about how big of an idiot I am. Everything was going smoothly until I cranked the motor over by hand after installing the new timing belt to make sure everything lined up after two revolutions. I would be able to spin it maybe 1/3 of a revolution and everything would bind up. I didn't want to put too much pressure on it because it should've been easy to rotate it over. I thought for sure a valve was hitting a piston but everything seemed to be in line. Since I don't really know what I'm doing, I was mad at myself that I potentially fucked up on my first timing belt job. I got nervous, posted on r3v on what my problem could be and a few minutes later it dawned on me that I had briefly put the car in first gear and forgot to put it back into neutral haha it was a sweet relief but made me feel like a total goider... but that's just the beginning of it.

                    As I was buttoning everything back up, feeling good that the timing belt mishap ended up not being a mishap at all, I started reassembling everything and was on the last step before adding new coolant and firing it up when I realized something wasn't right. Radiator hoses didn't seem to make sense anymore, and for a second I thought I was crazy. Then I realized the new water pumped looked different than the one I pulled off, and my heart sank. A quick search taught me that there are two styles of water pumps for the M20 and I ordered the wrong one... Being an '87 car, ECS Tuning listed the pump as compatible on cars with build date 09/87 and later, and I didn't read that very carefully and should've realized that meant '88 cars and up. My mistake, once again I'm an idiot. I was really mad at myself at this point, and felt generally discouraged.

                    I started tearing everything back down again and realized I could actually swap out the water pump without removing the timing belt, which was a relief. I decided I'd remove the false pump I just installed, order a new pump/gasket that evening and continue working on it when the parts came in. Simple solution right? Well, while removing the water pump, a washer fell down into the timing belt chamber where the crank sprocket is... so it turned out that I actually would have to take everything fully apart again. God I'm such an idiot. That was an all time low for me and Golden Boy. I went home and got drunk.

                    Fast forward a few days, new parts are in and I'm feeling fresh and ready to fix my mistakes. Here's that washer that I had to fish out. That could've ended up very bad:

                    [/url]


                    Got everything back together smoothly and started her up. Still ran rough. I wasn't expecting miracles, but a small part of me hoped the new coolant temp sensor and proper spark plugs would help it run better. It didn't, oh well. It's all preventative maintenance I would've done anyways so I don't feel like I wasted my time.

                    I decided my shaky, misfiring engine must either be a fuel delivery issue or vacuum leak. I decided to order rebuilt green top m50 injectors from MEPEH and install the new fuel filter on the next day that I could free up, which was today. These are also things I would've done anyways, so I don't feel like I'm just aimlessly throwing parts at my car, yet...

                    Got the old injectors out, boy were they gunky:




                    New green tops ready to go in, all went smoothly:



                    Installed the new fuel filter and started her up, still runs rough haha. So this is where I'm at now and I've decided to post a video of how it's currently running, as I could use some input.

                    Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.


                    As you can see, my motor shakes pretty heavily while idling, and my valves seem extra noisy (just adjusted them to spec recently, might have to check it out again). My friend bought a 325is today and brought it over to show me, and his valves were way quieter than mine, so I'm determined to get to the bottom of it.

                    Coolant seems to be bled properly, however it still doesn't reach the halfway mark ever, even after driving for 10 minutes. It usually sits at about the 1/3 mark. Is this normal? The new thermostat I installed is an 80 degree one. I hope this wouldn't cause the car to always run rich.

                    Any input would be appreciated, dying to get this thing smogged and registered so I can finally enjoy it!


                    --Roundie Revival 2.0 - 1973 BMW 2002 Build Thread--
                    --Golden Boy E30 Build Thread-- (sold)

                    Comment


                      Is the cam really worn?
                      We're out there in here.

                      Comment


                        Originally posted by CubbyChowder View Post
                        As you can see, my motor shakes pretty heavily while idling, and my valves seem extra noisy (just adjusted them to spec recently, might have to check it out again). My friend bought a 325is today and brought it over to show me, and his valves were way quieter than mine, so I'm determined to get to the bottom of it.

                        Coolant seems to be bled properly, however it still doesn't reach the halfway mark ever, even after driving for 10 minutes. It usually sits at about the 1/3 mark. Is this normal? The new thermostat I installed is an 80 degree one. I hope this wouldn't cause the car to always run rich.

                        Any input would be appreciated, dying to get this thing smogged and registered so I can finally enjoy it!
                        I am no expert on e30's, or an expert on cars in general but your having some similar issues I had with my m20 when I pulled it out recently. I adjusted my valves a few times to reduce valve noise, it helped a little but it always tapped more than a "normal" m20 in my opinion. Also, on idle, the engine would sometimes shakes back and forth as you described. We are under the assumption that the camshaft was indeed worn pretty good, causing our increased valve noise no matter how much we adjusted them. Might be a good excuse to go with a bimmerheads regrind or something.

                        As for the temperature gauge, I too installed a 80 degree therm, and the gauge would always like to sit between 1/4-1/2. Never overheated even sitting in dead traffic in 95 degree heat. Not sure if that will cause the car to permanently run rich. I have not fully looked through your thread (sorry), but when my car was running very rich I tried everything before finally biting the bullet and replacing the AFM with a tried and true one. All of my rich running issues were solved.

                        Good luck!

                        Comment


                          I'd say your cam is pretty well worn out.

                          As for the temp gauge, my Seta never got over 1/3 unless it was super hot outside, and I was stuck in traffic...
                          Dumpster Fire Pilot

                          Comment


                            Damn, a worn cam would be a big bummer. Don't think I could afford a head rebuild anytime soon...

                            I'll pop the valve cover off again and give it a closer inspection. Last time we adjusted my valves, my dad sort of insisted on doing it so I didn't get to get in there as much as I would've liked. I'll report back with my findings.

                            At least my cooling situation seems normal. Thanks for the input guys.


                            --Roundie Revival 2.0 - 1973 BMW 2002 Build Thread--
                            --Golden Boy E30 Build Thread-- (sold)

                            Comment


                              I had to adjust the valves on my well worn 2.7L a step tighter than factory spec which quieted things down quite a bit. My temp also never goes to 1/2 mark either. I do have a NOS AFM for later 2.7L motor if you need one.

                              Sent from my SM-T560NU using Tapatalk

                              Comment


                                Oops never mind on AFM just realized you have 2.5L motor.

                                Sent from my SM-T560NU using Tapatalk

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X