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Big Al's Revenge: an OEM+, MTech1 325e restoration

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    Been waiting on the software update to post some progress. Still getting used to the new layout but it's starting to grow on me.

    Anyway, after getting all the timing belt work done I started working on refreshing the Getrag 260:



    Just a few of the new goodies going into it. I ended up replacing the input, output, and selector rod seals, new reverse switch and wiring, new shift plate mount bushings and bolts, upgraded to a UUC DSSR and Z3 1.9 short shifter, all new shift lever bushings and hardware, new clutch fork and pin, new slave cylinder and lines, new giubo, and new foam pad/rubber boot. Essentially eveything but the internals.

    I started by doing the input shaft seal. I finally found the manufacture stamp:



    An EARLY early model.

    A few of the lubricants/sealants needed per the Bentley, quite pricey and rather difficult to find:



    I started by draining the trans, definitely some metal shavings in there:



    The remainder of the fluid aside from the drain plug was pretty clean so hopefully I'm still in good shape.

    The Getrag 260's came with a two-piece guide sleeve, start by removing the outer 6 bolts:







    The Bentley states NOT to separate the two-piece sleeve, however if you try and drive the new seal in from the front side with them together you'll ruin the seal as there's a lip on the outside. Ask me how I know...

    Therefore, separate the inner sleeve from the outer plate, there's 4 bolts:



    Here's the lip:



    Here's the seal:



    Tap it in from the back (hey now )





    Now you'll need to reseal the two halves back together using the Loctite 573:



    Next, you need to align the lubrication detent tab on the guide sleeve with the oil circulation hole on the bellhousing and seal the sleeve to the housing:



    Lightly lube the input shaft collar and slide the sleeve over making sure the input shaft seal goes on smoothly without folding under and torque down the bolts:







    Molybdenum disulfide grease on the shift fork and throwout bearing:





    Moving on to the back, the old shifter plate bushings were shot:



    I replaced the detent spring cover as BMW updated the cover for later models. Note the orientation of the 2 longer and 1 shorter spring. I was going to replace these as they can break however the longer springs are NLA, and while I bought a new shorter spring mine were in good shape so I left them alone:





    Old cover on the left, new on the right, the difference is how it seals to the housing:



    Old cover is sealed using liquid sealer, the newer cover has a built-in rubber gasket. Not sure why the underside was so tarnished but don't think it will matter:



    If you plan to upgrade to a DSSR, you'll need to switch to the E36 style shifter rod joint (Part # 25117503525) as it's centered and narrower to accept the DSSR. The old-style, single shear joint is offset and wider:





    After doing the selector rod seal I finished up with the output shaft seal. To get the collar nut off, you'll need either a thin-walled 30mm impact socket (expensive and tough to find) or you can purchase this 1 3/16" example (about $10 and delivered next day via Amazon) instead. My regular 30mm impact was too thick to fit between the nut and flange:



    Pop the old seal out, tap the new seal in until it's flush with the housing (It's possible to drive it in too far past the edge and into the housing), then put the flange back on and seal the collar nut on using Curil K2:







    Torque the nut down in 2 stages: first torque to 125 ft/lbs, loosen it up, then retorque to 89 ft/lbs. Add a new lockplate and you're done sealing the trans:





    Ended up finally tracking down the plate-style shifter mounting bracket, on the right:



    That piece to the left, listed as a "bow" on RealOEM is actually not needed for the early model shift carrier despite being listed in the pictures as well as in the Bentley. It is used for the newer, rod style shift carrier.

    New shift carrier with upper and lower bushings, spring, and circlip. In order to get the upper shift lever bushing to slide over the ball on the end of the shifter, I had to make a slice in it with a razor blade so that I could stretch it over the ball. I then glued it back together. Some have felt that this ruins the integrity of the bushing, but it sits within the shift carrier pretty snugly and is held in place by the spring and circlip. Along with gluing it, I feel there is no way the bushing could fail and it feels very smooth and solid shifting through the gears. I apparently didn't take pictures of this, however I have the old bushing and shifter and could post pictures up if anyone needs a better explanation.



    Refilled with Redline MTL, all reassembled:





    Now enjoy your freshly sealed 5-speed, and clean garage floor!

    Last edited by Albie325; 09-14-2020, 09:25 PM.
    '86 325e Zinnoberrot /// '02 325ci Schwarz II /// '18 M4 Azurite Black Metallic ///

    Albie325 Build Thread | Albie325 COTM Jan 2021

    Comment


      Pics broken? or is it just my PC?

      Comment


        Originally posted by ATL_E30 View Post
        Pics broken? or is it just my PC?
        I can't see them either on mobile app Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
        '89 325i OBD2 S52 BUILD THREAD
        Shadetree30

        Comment


          Not sure what's going on, been having a hard time with the new software. Will work on getting it fixed
          '86 325e Zinnoberrot /// '02 325ci Schwarz II /// '18 M4 Azurite Black Metallic ///

          Albie325 Build Thread | Albie325 COTM Jan 2021

          Comment


            Awesome work and incredible detail!

            Comment


              Originally posted by Albie325 View Post
              Not sure what's going on, been having a hard time with the new software. Will work on getting it fixed
              All good now. Nice work! Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
              '89 325i OBD2 S52 BUILD THREAD
              Shadetree30

              Comment


                Then, I FINALLY got the oil pan off:



                In order to get it off, I ended up loosening the engine mount bolts and jacking the engine up as much as I could, loosened but did not fully remove the steering rack, and removed the oil pump. Not as bad as I was anticipating. It was a tight fit but easily slid the oil pain out:



                Cleaned up the pan, pump, oil level sending unit, and the underside of the block. The old gasket was basically plastic and flaked off:



                Used a light layer of Curil K2 to seal the new gasket to the pan so that it wouldn't move around on reassembly:





                Also use a little dab where the rear main seal carrier as well as the crankshaft seal carrier mates to the block:



                Slid the pan under the block and got the oil pump back in place. Not many pictures as it was quite the balancing act. Toughest part is getting the oil pump drive shaft back in place, it's just hard to see where it inserts into the block while balancing the pump with only a couple inches between the block and the pan. Got the pan back on and snugged up the new bolts in a star pattern, inside-out.

                Making good progress, I decided to get the trans back in. Obligatory resurfaced flywheel shot:



                New pilot bearing:



                Got the flywheel 3/4's of the way on before I remembered to put the starter alignment plate back on (D'oh), and got the clutch and pressure plate on. After a bit of wrestling around under the car on the jack, voilà:





                We offically have a manual e30! I've made some more good progress, but I think this is more than enough pics for one post, and #200 for me no less! I hope to have the car running within the week, waiting on one or two odds and ends to ship.
                Last edited by Albie325; 09-14-2020, 09:45 PM.
                '86 325e Zinnoberrot /// '02 325ci Schwarz II /// '18 M4 Azurite Black Metallic ///

                Albie325 Build Thread | Albie325 COTM Jan 2021

                Comment


                  It's so satisfying to see the underside go from an oily mess to sparkling clean.
                  I do things.

                  Comment


                    Originally posted by Melon
                    It's so satisfying to see the underside go from an oily mess to sparkling clean.
                    Agreed, never thought I'd be able to see any metal under all that caked on oil.

                    Got the new starter in:

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                    Wasn't easy but not as bad as I anticipated. The manual trans is much smaller than the auto which allowed a bit better access to the bolts. I ended up getting BOTH mounting bolts on thankfully. The lower, outside bolt is pretty straightforward as you have access to both the bolt and the nut from underneath the car. The upper, inner bolt was a little trickier. I could get the bolt in the hole no prob, but every time I tried to get a wave washer on and thread on the nut the bolt would push back out since I didn't have room to get my fat hands in there and hold the bolt in. I solved this by putting a small dab of super glue on the bolt shoulder, just enough to hold it in place to get a few threads of the nut started. Then I took the box end of a wrench and put it on the nut and propped it against the trans while I went under the car and torqued the bolt down using some long extensions.

                    After that, I got the driveshaft cleaned and repainted and also repainted the new A/C condenser:

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                    Decided to paint it black since you'll be able to see it through the front grille.

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                    '86 325e Zinnoberrot /// '02 325ci Schwarz II /// '18 M4 Azurite Black Metallic ///

                    Albie325 Build Thread | Albie325 COTM Jan 2021

                    Comment


                      I made sure to tape off the alignment dots on the driveshafts. Also put in a new centering sleeve, leave 4.5mm out per the Bentley:

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                      Got the driveline, exhaust and all the fixins reinstalled:

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                      Next I went about refinishing the A/C pusher fan/cowl and some other plastic parts:

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                      New resistor as well:

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                      '86 325e Zinnoberrot /// '02 325ci Schwarz II /// '18 M4 Azurite Black Metallic ///

                      Albie325 Build Thread | Albie325 COTM Jan 2021

                      Comment


                        While cleaning up the engine bay, I ran into a problem. I mentioned having idle issues awhile ago and narrowed it down to the ICV connector and thought that the contacts were just loose-fitting. Turns out, the wires themselves were frayed, i bumped the wire with my hand and the plug fell off:

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                        The plug comes apart:

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                        The old terminals were soldered on, I just melted to old solder out and resoldered them to some fresh wire:

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                        Good as new, hope that solves the problem:

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                        Next I went to go flush the clutch line. I drained the reservoir and connected the new fill hose, and refilled the reservoir with fluid. It promptly emptied out. Perplexed, I looked around, none on the floor. Hmmm look in the drivers foot well and was pissed to find out that the little plastic elbow connecting the fill hose to the clutch master had cracked and emptied brake fluid all over the carpet. Woof. I've since repainted the affected area, but am now waiting on another elbow to come in. Once I have that and the rubber grommets for the A/C fan shroud I can get that and the radiator hooked up and coolant refilled. Oh so close...
                        '86 325e Zinnoberrot /// '02 325ci Schwarz II /// '18 M4 Azurite Black Metallic ///

                        Albie325 Build Thread | Albie325 COTM Jan 2021

                        Comment


                          Thanks for the transmission step by step - invaluable. Did you use the metal shift fork button or the OEM plastic?

                          EDIT - or "ball pivot pin" or "clutch ball pin." There's a brass one available.
                          Last edited by LateFan; 08-13-2019, 10:38 AM.

                          Comment


                            Originally posted by LateFan
                            Thanks for the transmission step by step - invaluable. Did you use the metal shift fork button or the OEM plastic?
                            No prob, hope it helps. I ended up just going with the OEM plastic one. I read up a bunch on the metal ones (brass, stainless, etc) and they didn't seem to be any better, some people even said they wore out faster. The old plastic one that was on the trans looked like it was still brand new but I changed it anyway.

                            I think the key is using a high-quality grease that stays in place on the clutch fork. A lot of people seem to use regular bearing grease or lithium grease, but when that stuff gets too hot is gets runny and doesn't stay put leading to faster wear on the plastic pivot pin. I bought some molybdenum disulfide grease recommended by Bentley on Amazon for like $30, pricey but you can tell a difference. That stuff stays where you put it and is really slick.
                            '86 325e Zinnoberrot /// '02 325ci Schwarz II /// '18 M4 Azurite Black Metallic ///

                            Albie325 Build Thread | Albie325 COTM Jan 2021

                            Comment


                              Nice - thanks!

                              Comment


                                Started Friday off by bleeding the clutch line. Then I went about getting all the A/C fan and radiator parts installed so I could add coolant and get this thing running.

                                I was annoyed to find out that my Nissens A/C condenser had the bottom fan mount in the wrong place:

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                                I drilled out the rivets and moved it over to where it needed to be using some screws. The upper mount rivets were also very loose so I ended up drilling them out and using some screws as well, was much sturdier afterward:

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                                Go everything repainted and went to go mount everything up:

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                                When I got the fan/condenser mounted, I realized that it wasn't the bracket that was mounted wrong but the whole bottom metal plate that the bracket is attached to was put on upside down. The angle in the metal at the bottom should face down, as the little rubber mounts that the condenser sits on ride in that groove to keep the bottom of the assembly from sliding forward/backward. If you look at my earlier pics, the angle was facing up towards the condenser. Annoyed, I went to go unscrew the nuts to flip it around, and of course one of the bolts broke right off.

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                                WTF. I can't really recommend Nissens after this, seems like a really dumb oversight to mount the bottom bracket on backwards. Anyway, I didn't want to deal with a return as I had already painted the part and doubt they would have accepted it in it's current condition. There was enough of a nub left on the bolt that once everything was mounted up, it held in place pretty nicely. I added some high-strength epoxy just to be sure. I also didn't want to wait another week or two to get a new part, I wanted this thing running already.
                                Last edited by Albie325; 08-18-2019, 03:03 PM.
                                '86 325e Zinnoberrot /// '02 325ci Schwarz II /// '18 M4 Azurite Black Metallic ///

                                Albie325 Build Thread | Albie325 COTM Jan 2021

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