91 318is Field Rat

[captain awesome]

First fill up for the scuzzlebutt.



So I haven't driven this car a ton, but what little I have since Thursday night has given me a smile from ear to ear. Progressively this week I'll try to whittle down the cheap and easy fixes on my list, but mostly just put some in some seat time. I haven't been this excited to drive a car in a long time. Another thing I did notice is my speedo reads about 5-7 mph faster than a gps reports, is that normal?

[mike.bmw]

Another thing I did notice is my speedo reads about 5-7 mph faster than a gps reports, is that normal?

Mine reads about 4-5 mph faster than gps. From what I've read it is "normal" as many came from the factory this way. It has to do with the cluster itself and not the speed sensor.

[captain awesome]

Mine reads about 4-5 mph faster than gps. From what I've read it is "normal" as many came from the factory this way. It has to do with the cluster itself and not the speed sensor.

At least they are consistent.

New update:

Apparently my fuel sender is toast since it only reads in the 1/4 tank range even after a fill up.

ABS wires were fixed and functional yesterday, however this morning the light was back on. Hmmm.

Rear defrost button will lock in place once depressed and getting it to spring back requires removing the button to relieve pressure. The good news is that it still works.

I've developed a "clunk" or "pop" from the passenger front wheel area. I've checked all basic fasteners usually associated with the noise, but have yet to track it down. I'll pull the strut assembly this evening and see if maybe the gland nut hasn't loosened.

It's time to order a new rad cap since the current one isn't sealing well. It's hissing and fluid is managing to spurt out. Either that or I order new o-rings.

[captain awesome]

Last night I spent some time cleaning up the one good e21 Recaro and attaching both outer brackets. It feels nice and snug, and still leaves room for my helmet. I then took it for a spin which reminded me of the awful clunk on the passenger front strut area. After pulling everything apart, I found the gland nut had somehow backed out and wasn't threaded anymore. After tightening it up and reassembling everything the clunk is now gone. Next up will be a battery tie down since I have an autocross meet in a couple weeks.

[captain awesome]

So to keep my mind at ease, I pulled the driver strut housing to check the gland nut. It happened to be loose as well, so it was worth the effort. I'm hearing noises out back now, but not sure if they are just normal or something to consider worrying about. I've looked around and checked the obvious fasteners but nothing loose that I can see. Tonight I made a quick battery hold down bracket with some J hooks. I think it will pass tech. The corner near the positive cable looks like it's touching, but it's not. Just the angle of the photo.

[captain awesome]

Rear wheel bearings were ordered and received. I'm going to wait a week or two before messing with it since I have an autocross the 17th and I really want to get this on the books as it's first event.

I also bought these ABS center caps from an ebay BIN from Latvia. Fairly inexpensive, quick shipping, and best of all they fit. They were tight to pop on, but look good and won't hopefully fall off easily. I may get some roundel stickers to put on them, or just paint them black.







I also found some cheap seat brackets to mount my spare shitty e21 Recaro. After some Gorilla tape it doesn't look too haggard and at least all the seats match now. I think the seat belt receivers need adjustment since they bind up against the trans/driveshaft tunnel. The stock e30 ones should do the trick, I've just got to weld some new mounts in the proper location.

[captain awesome]

My belt started chirping on start up. Just a quick chirp. Looks like my alternator bracket bushings are probably shot, so it's not lined up properly and I'm out of adjustment to tighten the belt. I've got a new belt, bushings, and water pump for a just in case.

I also ordered a Clarion FZ105BT media receiver. No tunes is starting to drive me nuts and I have a 40 minute trip of highway to the next autocross Sunday. Reading up on speakers has lead me down the rabbit hole. I'm hoping to find an 8" Lukebox at a later date, but for now am looking for a set of front/rear premiums.

[captain awesome]

Recap for Sunday's autocross:

The new head unit came in Thursday, so I officially have some tunes. The factory speakers sound decent, but there's a tear on the driver side rear. I'm happy with the sound for now so it can wait.

Sometimes being a frugal parts buyer means waiting on shipping. Free economy shipping ended up screwing me. My new alternator bushings weren't going to show up until Saturday, and it was mailed to my work. Damn. I decided with a new belt and a proper tightening it should hold up long enough for my travels, so Friday I picked up a new one and got it installed. Looks lined up properly and no squeaks. Maybe I just didn't have it tightened properly all along?

Sunday morning it's time to get going. I quickly topped off oil/gas and hit the road. Midway through my drive it starts to rain. Nothing terrible, but enough that I had a few "oh shit" moments. Time for new tires. I realize it's going to rain most of the day so I make a quick stop for a poncho and run through tech. By this point I'm usually able to walk the course 3-4 times, but only got 2 laps with the most difficult course I've ever run. Not really difficult for most I'm sure, but there were a couple transitions that I wasn't prepared for. Luckily I work first heat and run in the second, so I can see where the trouble spots are. Right.

Unfortunately due to lightning they delay the first heat until after 1. On my way to grab a bite for lunch the hvac blower motor stops working. By then it's coming down hard, so I pull into a car wash for cover to check fuses. Two fuses are blown and I don't have spares. Back to the store for a big package of all different sizes and some towels to wipe the insides of the windows just in case. Voila, it's back running, but it sounds terrible. Those fuckers are expensive!

When the lightning stops, it's still coming down, but manageable. There are little rivers and huge puddles everywhere in the first few runs of the first heat, but these dudes manage really good times with very few cones hit. The spots I was worried about plagued a few drivers run after run, so I knew it was going to be interesting.

By the time the second heat rolls around only a couple spots still hold water, and it's only lightly sprinkling.

First run DNF. I miss a transition that I watched so many others do. Face palm. I'm not looking far enough ahead.

Second run DNF. I get all the way through the course up until the final slalom. I went to the wrong side of the first cones. Dammit.

Third I get a full clean run in the 62 second range, but my one competitor's time is 6-8 seconds quicker.

Fourth I click off a 57.5. Starting to get a feel for the car and the course.

Fifth I run a 57.1 but smack one cone on the last slalom. I also fudged up a 180 pretty bad which cost me a couple seconds.

All in all I had a blast. I think with some more seat time I'll get the car dialed in. I'm really tempted to pick up a set of Re71's but money is tight and I think it will mask a bunch of my mistakes. The last two autocross events were with my daily Elantra GT automatic, so it was night and day difference. The lack of LSD is probably hurting me the most. If I get one now I need a 4.10, but for the turbo I'll probably need a 3.73 so I'm on the fence. October I have two more events and I think an unofficial one planned for November. I should have a better idea what to start tweaking after those.

I snapped a few pics after tech and numbers. Shortly after these it rained a ton with a considerable amount of lightning. I don't think anyone was taking on course pics, but it would be nice if they pop up on the local feed.

[captain awesome]

I ordered a Viilante steering wheel last week in hopes it would be here before Sunday. It of course showed up this morning. SOOOOOOO much nicer than the cheap ebay wheel I had. Much thicker spokes and absolutely no flexing. I'll probably find a roundel style horn button, but for now this should work.

Fresh out of the box.



A few minutes later it was installed.



Also check out the Clarion FZ105BT. I just wish it sunk in flush with the dash. Anyone have suggestions for a modification like this?

[captain awesome]

I made a clutch stop this evening from some random junk in my hardware bin. I tapped the end of a bolt, and fastened a rubber stopper/bumper to the end of it. So far it works like intended. I may look into making a dead pedal as well, but haven't looked into it much. If I find one inexpensive enough I'll just fork up the cash, but I'm cheap when it comes to something I can fabricate myself.

[captain awesome]

Looks like a Massive dead pedal is the way to go. However, since I have sheet metal laying around and no spare dollar bills, I made a quick and dirty version. I don't think the angle is ideal, but I'll put some miles on this thing and see if it's worth keeping around. Also I'll have to trim the kick panel if this works, with paint and some form of grip to follow.

[econti]

Rock the DIY spirit

[captain awesome]

So I had an early day off Friday and nothing planned. I decided to try and get the dash I bought months ago swapped as well as drill out the steering column bolts just in case I decide to try some sort of column drop. It took some effort to take my time and do it right. Taping the A pillar trim up helped, replacing the duct work foam was noticeable, and best of all the rattles are gone. Unfortunately I broke my ignition switch putting the new dash in, but a local hero came through with a spare as well as a good used HVAC blower motor. I also realized I forgot to transfer my VIN tag, but from what I can tell the new dash I bought from Latvia never had one. I assume it's a Euro thing?





This is the only bracket I had to transfer to the driver's side to the new dash.



Mid cleanse.



Broken switch. I was able to zip tie it back together temporarily, but it has since been swapped out for a good used unit. Thanks Gerry!



All back together and looking setsee.

[mike.bmw]

Nice! I need to do this soon as well. Where did you get the duct foam? Is there a part number?

[mila325]

Euro dashes DO NOT have a VIN tag. We also don't have a VIN number anywhere but the stamped cowl on the windshield and the compliance plates. No stickers with the VIN on parts.