New to me 1997 M3 Sedan - The 220K Daily Driver

[jeremyuhh]

Been around BMWs all my life. My dad had a sweet E28, then he owned at least three E30s, 2 of which my sister and I drove. He also had one E36 and one E46. Then i purchased my own manual 2005 E46 M3, followed by a manual 2008 E90 M3, then a auto 2015 F30 328i, and back to another manual 2008 E90 M3, then finally got a DCT 2015 F80 M3, which i just sold last year. And in between all of that ive owned a 1987 Toyota Corolla, three 1991 240SXs, 2 of them were drift cars, a 2007 Nissan 350Z, and a 2008 Honda Fit. I now am older and have 2 kids and didn't really plan on getting another BMW, but here we are. I now own a manual 1997 M3 Sedan and couldn't be happier. 90s cars just give you something you cant get from any other car.

This is my first E36 platform so Im creating this thread to share and receive feedback, advice, and any input from this community. I have lots of questions, did tons of research but always love to hear the POV of other enthusiasts.

1997 M3 Sedan California vehicle
220K miles
Original 5 Speed Manual
Luxury Package (Car has fold down rear seats, was this standard with luxury or an option ?)
Cosmosschwarz Metallic (Was repainted with a mediocre paint job, but looks great from far away)
Vader front seats
TC Kline Coilovers
TC Kline camber plates (Has a ton of positive caster, see pics. is this normal? Will get an alignment soon)
Bavsound Speakers
New OEM clutch
Flywheel resurfaced
New Water Pump
New Thermostat
New Radiator
Depo glass headlights
ECS Tuning strut bar
Front and rear strut tower reinforcements
Turner RTAB limiters
BMW Motorsport X brace (Was this also an option or did they come factory?)
OE Heckspoiler (want to swap for a LTW style wing, are the mounting holes the same?)

Having a majority of the cars that I've owned be manual, I missed the engagement you get from driving a 5 speed. The DCT in my F80 was amazing but quickly became boring. Everything works, Ac, Heat, OBC, switches, lights, etc. except the sun roof. It came with no motor. But overall, the car was well maintained from what I can tell as of now, but there are things that need to be addressed. It also wont pass smog, extremely high NO and high HC. The cup holders suck. It's not fast but I love it.

My list of maintenance includes:


- [ ] Coolant flush
- [ ] Brake fluid flush
- [ ] Transmission fluid flush
- [ ] Differential fluid flush
- [ ] Passenger side left hood lock latch (missing on my car)
- [x] Driver door handle (need to pull up really high for it to open, almost feels like im going to break it)
- [x] Passenger left lock actuator
- [x] Oil change
- [x] NGK BKR6EQUP Spark plugs
- [x] 02 sensors
- [x] Intake filter
- [x] Cabin air filter
- [x] Adjust parking brake
- [ ] AutoSolutions SSK
- [ ] Rear Subframe bushings
- [x] Differential bushings
- [ ] From lower control arms
- [ ] Sway bar bushings
- [ ] Rack and pinion boots
- [ ] Inner & Outer Tie rods
- [ ] Engine mounts
- [x] Transmission mounts

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[pbonsalb]

Looks good for 220k. Some quality mods. And your list of maintenance items is good. 5 speed auto can be swapped for 5 speed manual. Shop patiently for parts since you need a bunch. Every now and then someone sells a swap kit with everything. Auto can be perked up a little with a 3.91 LSD swap from a 92-95 winter package automatic E36 or yours can be rebuilt with the shorter gear. I’d do the manual swap. Some swap in Getrag 420-G 6 speeds from the E46 M3 and a few have done the ZF GS6-37 6 speed swap. The overdrive is nice for highway cruising and goes well with the 3.38 LSD rear the M3 auto uses. Even a 5 speed manual is fine with it — I ran one for a couple of years.

[jeremyuhh]

Looks good for 220k. Some quality mods. And your list of maintenance items is good. 5 speed auto can be swapped for 5 speed manual. Shop patiently for parts since you need a bunch. Every now and then someone sells a swap kit with everything. Auto can be perked up a little with a 3.91 LSD swap from a 92-95 winter package automatic E36 or yours can be rebuilt with the shorter gear. I’d do the manual swap. Some swap in Getrag 420-G 6 speeds from the E46 M3 and a few have done the ZF GS6-37 6 speed swap. The overdrive is nice for highway cruising and goes well with the 3.38 LSD rear the M3 auto uses. Even a 5 speed manual is fine with it — I ran one for a couple of years.

Thanks! The car is already manual though, lol. It has the original 5 speed. No need to swap but a 6th gear and better gear'd diff would be nice!

[realjones]

Looks good - very similar to mine. Some of the other lux stuff is gone too (shifter surround, front bumper slats). I'd recommend swapping out the head unit for the Power Acoustik CP-71W which adds bluetooth carplay and then you can also get rid of that phone mount.

[GG///M3]

Looks great.


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[M3Rain]

Gorgeous car, looks amazing for 220k!

[KimoSabe]

Congrats, car looks to be in super nice condition with tasteful mods! I have a 97 sedan with close to 330k now that I've just started to daily again. Have had a few e30 Ms, an e46 M3 that I DD for many years. This is my 3rd e36 M3 and is my favorite. Still very reasonable to maintain except for interior parts. Also have an 09 e90 that I love so have been on the look out for an e90 M3. Enjoy!!

[muddycharles]

731836Nice looking car. Congrats. I purchased a Techno 4 door sedan and had to convert from auto to 6 speed. Love the car, otherwise the suspension is stock. I did install a blaunpunkt radio (with bluetooth) to keep it period correct looking. Im at 115k miles

[blckstrm]

High mileage E36 M3s are where it's at! ESPECIALLY sedans! Why would you drive anything else with this in the garage?

Having had mine for 16 years, some comments on some of what you're thinking about.

First, CUP HOLDERS! Lol, yes, they do suck. However, someone made a great redesign that I've still never seen copied. They stopped making these so long ago all I can do is point you to my own "anyone have some of these?" post, but they're so worth it if you can find some. I bought two full sets, then gave one away as a wedding present. They are perfect - they fit any modern cup / can / bottle perfectly and hold them securely. Anyway, I posted about them, and like I said, I was able to buy two sets by asking the community here.

https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?2361188-Any-leads-on-E36-cup-holder-from-Origin-Equipment

I don't see a full rear suspension rebuild mentioned. When you do the diff and subframe bushings, you need to replace all the ball joints in the rear suspension. You can replace the lower / camber arms with factory arms or you can get some aftermarket "adjustable" ones that allow more adjustment (if you need it). But the point is that after almost 30 years, your ball joints are trashed and are slowing play, and you'll get dynamic changes in your toe and camber until you put new ones in. They're cheap and you might as well do it when you do the subframe.

Also, for the front, I've liked Turner's new front FCAB monoball, but I also have monoballs in the RTAB, too, and I like the sharpness. That might be too much for some people, though I didn't notice a lot of additional NVH (really just on bad joints - transitions).

I'm working on getting an Autosolutions shifter, so I think that's a good plan, too.

Finally, I don't want to fixate too much on what the car could be / should have been, but having done a shorter diff, 6 Speed (ZF GS6, not a Getrag 420G) and S54 (one at a time, years apart, in that order), you can upgrade to a 3.38 LSD from an auto pretty easily and you'll notice the difference without making it too short to drive around. The other two are more involved - and hardly need a sales pitch - but they start changing it from what it IS to what it could have / should have been. I guess I'm saying I wouldn't think twice about swapping the diff, whereas I think you should think long and carefully about the engine and trans swaps.

Anyway, welcome to the club!

[GG///M3]

High mileage E36 M3s are where it's at! ESPECIALLY sedans! Why would you drive anything else with this in the garage?

Having had mine for 16 years, some comments on some of what you're thinking about.

First, CUP HOLDERS! Lol, yes, they do suck. However, someone made a great redesign that I've still never seen copied. They stopped making these so long ago all I can do is point you to my own "anyone have some of these?" post, but they're so worth it if you can find some. I bought two full sets, then gave one away as a wedding present. They are perfect - they fit any modern cup / can / bottle perfectly and hold them securely. Anyway, I posted about them, and like I said, I was able to buy two sets by asking the community here.

https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?2361188-Any-leads-on-E36-cup-holder-from-Origin-Equipment

I don't see a full rear suspension rebuild mentioned. When you do the diff and subframe bushings, you need to replace all the ball joints in the rear suspension. You can replace the lower / camber arms with factory arms or you can get some aftermarket "adjustable" ones that allow more adjustment (if you need it). But the point is that after almost 30 years, your ball joints are trashed and are slowing play, and you'll get dynamic changes in your toe and camber until you put new ones in. They're cheap and you might as well do it when you do the subframe.

Also, for the front, I've liked Turner's new front FCAB monoball, but I also have monoballs in the RTAB, too, and I like the sharpness. That might be too much for some people, though I didn't notice a lot of additional NVH (really just on bad joints - transitions).

I'm working on getting an Autosolutions shifter, so I think that's a good plan, too.

Finally, I don't want to fixate too much on what the car could be / should have been, but having done a shorter diff, 6 Speed (ZF GS6, not a Getrag 420G) and S54 (one at a time, years apart, in that order), you can upgrade to a 3.38 LSD from an auto pretty easily and you'll notice the difference without making it too short to drive around. The other two are more involved - and hardly need a sales pitch - but they start changing it from what it IS to what it could have / should have been. I guess I'm saying I wouldn't think twice about swapping the diff, whereas I think you should think long and carefully about the engine and trans swaps.

Anyway, welcome to the club!

I’ll be doing that minus the s54(rms kit maybe stage 2+).


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[E36 Em Tree]

Looks good. Enjoy working on the car as it's rewarding.

I have an IG for my maintenance items (just for fun and for a log), but it's @E36emtree. I try to update it as best I can and take pictures, but usually I'm just pressed to finish the job and not waste time documenting. Done everything from maintenance items on there, replacement items, and then some cosmetic/non-critical items.

[blckstrm]

Looks good. Enjoy working on the car as it's rewarding.

I have an IG for my maintenance items (just for fun and for a log), but it's @E36emtree. I try to update it as best I can and take pictures, but usually I'm just pressed to finish the job and not waste time documenting. Done everything from maintenance items on there, replacement items, and then some cosmetic/non-critical items.

Man, I wish I'd started when I got the car. I'd have enough for a whole YouTube channel by now.

But I'm the same - it's my DD, so I'm all about getting in and out as fast as I can, and pictures / video are the antithesis of that. Hell, I did my S54 swap in less than a month...

[E36 Em Tree]

Yeah, i dont do content so the instagram was to track maintenance and just provide myself with tips for future maintenance, instead of my usual notebook.

[pizzaman09]

Awesome and very pretty M3! High mileage ones are awesome, my Alpine White coupe has 202k on it and is the daily driver, winter beater, and weekend autocross car. They are affordable and easy to maintain while giving back a special experience that it seems on cars of that generation can.

My recommendation is drive it and start working on what bothers you.
To answer your one question, the fold down rear seats were not standard, they were common though. I think a sedan with fold down rear seats is decidedly more rare.

[Grey Phox]

That's nuts that's got 220k, looks like its got half that. Mines identical to yours and i have just about half that and its not as nice lol.

[GG///M3]

That's nuts that's got 220k, looks like its got half that. Mines identical to yours and i have just about half that and its not as nice lol.

It’s a Commifornia car .


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[Grey Phox]

lol that's true, mines been raised in jersey since birth

[jeremyuhh]

Did a ton of random fixes, upgrades, and maintenance - trying to film it all and start a youtube channel, but its so time consuming and difficult. Esp this being my daily, kids daily and weekend activities, and work.


My first issue was a strong fuel smell after my first fill up. Popped the rear seat, inspected both pump and level. Pump was dry, level was wet.

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Needed to confirm, so i cleaned it off and filled up again and saw a puddle of fuel.
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So i swapped that out for a new VDO level, gasket, seal, clamp. Smell went away after next fill up. Fuel gauge was reading incorrectly at first but on my next fill up, it self corrected and now works as it should.
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[jeremyuhh]

Next were the Depo Euro tails that i was not a fan of. The car came with it but also had front amber turn signals. I prefer the ambers so I picked up a set of stock tail lights to match and keep the contrast the same. Theyre for sale if anyone wants to take them.

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[jeremyuhh]

After failing my first smog attempt I installed new plugs, new post cat O2 sensors, intake filter, cabin filter, and did an oil change.

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[jeremyuhh]

Did some interior cosmetics next. I really dislike the "wood" trim so i wrapped the dash/globe box trim in matching leather. It protrudes a bit, but i dont mind it. Going to do the door pulls next. Fixed the sagging glove box as well by bending the latch in.

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Also replaced the parcel shelf and c pillar fabric with faux suede. Sadly all my tabs were crack and the shelf was crumbling in the worst places but still got it to work.

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Replaced the rear seat best trim with some 3d printed ones i found on ebay, look great but dont fit all that nice. Needs a ton of pressure to sit flush due to its thickness. At least it looks better than the old cracked trim.
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Did all this because I installed child latches for car seats. Was super easy and turned out great. Up next will be re-gluing the already previously half ass done headliner.
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[jeremyuhh]

Thanks for the comments and advice, everyone!


Looks good - very similar to mine. Some of the other lux stuff is gone too (shifter surround, front bumper slats). I'd recommend swapping out the head unit for the Power Acoustik CP-71W which adds bluetooth carplay and then you can also get rid of that phone mount.

was the shifter surround supposed to have the same wood trim? I dont mind it, that wood stuff looks awful, lol. Im glad it didnt have the front bumper slats, not a fan of that either.

That head unit looks sweet. Ill add that to my list of fixes once i sort out all the important things first.



Congrats, car looks to be in super nice condition with tasteful mods! I have a 97 sedan with close to 330k now that I've just started to daily again. Have had a few e30 Ms, an e46 M3 that I DD for many years. This is my 3rd e36 M3 and is my favorite. Still very reasonable to maintain except for interior parts. Also have an 09 e90 that I love so have been on the look out for an e90 M3. Enjoy!!

330k, nice! I hope mine reaches that and then some. I think my E90 M3s were my favorite. Planning to pick one up once I'm able to.



High mileage E36 M3s are where it's at! ESPECIALLY sedans! Why would you drive anything else with this in the garage?

Having had mine for 16 years, some comments on some of what you're thinking about.

First, CUP HOLDERS! Lol, yes, they do suck. However, someone made a great redesign that I've still never seen copied. They stopped making these so long ago all I can do is point you to my own "anyone have some of these?" post, but they're so worth it if you can find some. I bought two full sets, then gave one away as a wedding present. They are perfect - they fit any modern cup / can / bottle perfectly and hold them securely. Anyway, I posted about them, and like I said, I was able to buy two sets by asking the community here.

https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?2361188-Any-leads-on-E36-cup-holder-from-Origin-Equipment

I don't see a full rear suspension rebuild mentioned. When you do the diff and subframe bushings, you need to replace all the ball joints in the rear suspension. You can replace the lower / camber arms with factory arms or you can get some aftermarket "adjustable" ones that allow more adjustment (if you need it). But the point is that after almost 30 years, your ball joints are trashed and are slowing play, and you'll get dynamic changes in your toe and camber until you put new ones in. They're cheap and you might as well do it when you do the subframe.

Also, for the front, I've liked Turner's new front FCAB monoball, but I also have monoballs in the RTAB, too, and I like the sharpness. That might be too much for some people, though I didn't notice a lot of additional NVH (really just on bad joints - transitions).

I'm working on getting an Autosolutions shifter, so I think that's a good plan, too.

Finally, I don't want to fixate too much on what the car could be / should have been, but having done a shorter diff, 6 Speed (ZF GS6, not a Getrag 420G) and S54 (one at a time, years apart, in that order), you can upgrade to a 3.38 LSD from an auto pretty easily and you'll notice the difference without making it too short to drive around. The other two are more involved - and hardly need a sales pitch - but they start changing it from what it IS to what it could have / should have been. I guess I'm saying I wouldn't think twice about swapping the diff, whereas I think you should think long and carefully about the engine and trans swaps.

Anyway, welcome to the club!
I ended up just cutting the bottom portion of the cupholder to increase the diameter and fit more things. Gonna replace the whole unit soon.
Im actually getting my whole rear end refreshed at bimmerheads out here in santa clarita. Ill check the estimate if the ball joints were included.
My car has offset FCABS. I havent had a chance to determine if my LCAs are stock M3 or E30. My caster is super positive. tires are almost touching the front of the fender liner/bumper.
I had an AutoSolutions kit in my previous E90 M3 and it was amazing. Might actually get this sooner than later.
S54 is 100% in the future - whenever the engine gives up, ill most likely swap it in along with the 6 speed trans.
A 3.38 diff swap would be beneficial now? Havent dove into that subject yet. Trying to address the suspension first, the rear end feels loose, clunks, and thuds. Luckily nothing is cracked or torn. Just all worn bushings.


Man, I wish I'd started when I got the car. I'd have enough for a whole YouTube channel by now.

But I'm the same - it's my DD, so I'm all about getting in and out as fast as I can, and pictures / video are the antithesis of that. Hell, I did my S54 swap in less than a month...

I have a ton of footage but just cant find the time to edit. i have footage from all my cars actually - I should really start a YT channel soon.



Awesome and very pretty M3! High mileage ones are awesome, my Alpine White coupe has 202k on it and is the daily driver, winter beater, and weekend autocross car. They are affordable and easy to maintain while giving back a special experience that it seems on cars of that generation can.

My recommendation is drive it and start working on what bothers you.
To answer your one question, the fold down rear seats were not standard, they were common though. I think a sedan with fold down rear seats is decidedly more rare.

Nice. Yea, the PO told me the rear seats did not fold down. He had no clue and i believed him. When i got home with the car i was surprised they folded down. More surprised that I missed it when first inspecting the vehicle.
and yes, i am fixing things as i go - rear suspension is bothering me the most, followed by the shifter that has tons of play, the super quiet exhaust, and then its stance. New wheels, tires and coils in the future.



That's nuts that's got 220k, looks like its got half that. Mines identical to yours and i have just about half that and its not as nice lol.

It looked to be well maintained but its still a 28 year old car. Lots of stuff needs to be addressed. My main concern was the motor - looks and feels healthy. Fires right up, sounds right, and pulls hard with no hesitation. Im sure yours is pretty nice, too!

[blckstrm]

I ended up just cutting the bottom portion of the cupholder to increase the diameter and fit more things. Gonna replace the whole unit soon.

...

Im actually getting my whole rear end refreshed at bimmerheads out here in santa clarita. Ill check the estimate if the ball joints were included.
My car has offset FCABS. I havent had a chance to determine if my LCAs are stock M3 or E30. My caster is super positive. tires are almost touching the front of the fender liner/bumper.

...

A 3.38 diff swap would be beneficial now? Havent dove into that subject yet. Trying to address the suspension first, the rear end feels loose, clunks, and thuds. Luckily nothing is cracked or torn. Just all worn bushings.

...

It looked to be well maintained but its still a 28 year old car. Lots of stuff needs to be addressed. My main concern was the motor - looks and feels healthy. Fires right up, sounds right, and pulls hard with no hesitation. Im sure yours is pretty nice, too!

I MIIIIIIGHT be able to get those cupholders back. My friend is selling the car, and I don't see the point of giving stuff like that away to people who don't know the difference and don't care.

If your wheels aren't centered in the wheel opening, your FCABs and control arms are mismatched. Sounds like you still have 96+ arms in offset bushings. So you should be able to easily switch to any centered solution and have the correct factory geometry back. If you have a sedan, the FCABs should be centered. Anything 96+ should be centered, and sedans are all either 97 or 98.

You'll notice the kick from a shorter diff immediately, but if an S54 is in the future you may want to wait, especially if you're like me and just want to do things once. An S54 revs so high you'll want something even shorter to bring your shift points down and really take advantage of the motor. Stock for stock, an S52 and an S54 both shift at the same speeds. When you do an S54 swap, those shift points go WAY up. You'll be in the mid-70s at redline in second. So a 3.64 starts to look really nice. The way I'm looking at it, if I ever start to feel like I want some more power for the S54 the easiest route is to just bring the diff up to "factory" spec 3.64, or maybe even a 3.73. An E36 with an S54 is super close to a stock E90 M3 in terms of power/ weight, but an E90 has a 3.85 rear end, so getting to at least the E46's gearing would be important if you were trying to be competitive on track with E9X M3s. Not that that's necessarily the goal here, but it's fun when you can keep up and they realize you're not a normal E36.

[jeremyuhh]

I MIIIIIIGHT be able to get those cupholders back. My friend is selling the car, and I don't see the point of giving stuff like that away to people who don't know the difference and don't care.

If your wheels aren't centered in the wheel opening, your FCABs and control arms are mismatched. Sounds like you still have 96+ arms in offset bushings. So you should be able to easily switch to any centered solution and have the correct factory geometry back. If you have a sedan, the FCABs should be centered. Anything 96+ should be centered, and sedans are all either 97 or 98.

You'll notice the kick from a shorter diff immediately, but if an S54 is in the future you may want to wait, especially if you're like me and just want to do things once. An S54 revs so high you'll want something even shorter to bring your shift points down and really take advantage of the motor. Stock for stock, an S52 and an S54 both shift at the same speeds. When you do an S54 swap, those shift points go WAY up. You'll be in the mid-70s at redline in second. So a 3.64 starts to look really nice. The way I'm looking at it, if I ever start to feel like I want some more power for the S54 the easiest route is to just bring the diff up to "factory" spec 3.64, or maybe even a 3.73. An E36 with an S54 is super close to a stock E90 M3 in terms of power/ weight, but an E90 has a 3.85 rear end, so getting to at least the E46's gearing would be important if you were trying to be competitive on track with E9X M3s. Not that that's necessarily the goal here, but it's fun when you can keep up and they realize you're not a normal E36.

need to get back underneath the car top confirm arms, but this is how positive it is:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54375966292_1a974eeedb_b.jpg

Gonna order the turner FCABs: https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-397529-turner-centered-polyurethane-front-control-arm-bushing-80a-pre-installed-in-brackets/

Im getting adjustable camber arms for the rear, so the only other ball joint that needs replacing is the one from the upper control arm, where it connects to the trailing arm, yea ? If so, thats not in the estimate.

Yea, i can wait to do the diff haha.

[E36 Em Tree]

I'd say spray the car with some ironX too and those wheels.

What install thread did you use for the child latch? i'm thinking about doing that for mine soon, if possible.

[bluptgm3]

Here is a FLCABushing (https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?1904269) write-up.

Here is a FLCA/FLCAB discussion w/FLCA photos (https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?2489038-97-M3-Control-Arms-I-think-I-need-the-offset-bushings-(doh!))
Here is a FLCA and FLCABushing (https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?2492919-Bmw-e36-lower-control-arm-bushings) discussion.

[jeremyuhh]

amazing thank you for this. im now torn between turner 80A centered or turner monoball


Here is a FLCABushing (https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?1904269) write-up.

Here is a FLCA/FLCAB discussion w/FLCA photos (https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?2489038-97-M3-Control-Arms-I-think-I-need-the-offset-bushings-(doh!))
Here is a FLCA and FLCABushing (https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?2492919-Bmw-e36-lower-control-arm-bushings) discussion.

[jeremyuhh]

I'd say spray the car with some ironX too and those wheels.

What install thread did you use for the child latch? i'm thinking about doing that for mine soon, if possible.

https://mikaelvroom.com/?p=870

this and a combo of a few on this forums. its super easy and straightforward, nothing complicated about it.

holes are already there. they are also precut in the foam. and are outlined on the underside of the parcel shelf. You have to remove the parcel shelf to pull out the precut foam, otherwise it will be a pain to pull that through the top unless you take a long drill bit and drill from the underside of the shelf, in the trunk, through the threaded hole without damaging the threads. You do this to mark the position on the top side of the parcel shelf. then just take a bigger bit or cut, depending on the condition of your parcel shelf, and remove the precut foam plug from the top. then you can install everything. once youre back there and see it for yourself, it will all make sense.

[jeremyuhh]

Got under the car for another inspection and found a bunch of items to be addressed:

Finally ID’d the front control arms. Looks to be the correct arms with wrong bushings. Bushings are indeed offset. Already have a set of PowerFlex centered arriving in a few days.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54386168847_8a613c7f81_b.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54387277523_2f7bd7001d_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54387421625_16a2793f15_b.jpg


noticed my driver front wheel has a lot of left and right play. It was moving from the inner tie rod. Also noticed slow and sluggish rotation and clunk when rotating the rotor.

Click on image to See video:

https://live.staticflickr.com/31337/54402082571_8b1d4919a0_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2qTjTNT)

got a GoPro at the rear end to confirm that my differential bushings and subframe bushings are shot. Lots of play at the diff and you can see the subframe moving up and down at the mounting points. Luckily 0 visible cracks or tears.

RTABS also have a small amount of play. Maybe about 2-3mm of play. Is this normal or most likely worn bushings as well? From the info I’ve gathered reading tons of threads it’s okay to mount poly on the subframe since there is little to no movement there. And OEM or poly at the diff ? I also read others state poly does not belong anywhere on the car… leaning toward doing all purple PowerFlex.

Pads and rotors also need replacing.

any advice on how to tackle this in priority? Best case is to do it all at once but I have a budget and don’t have extended periods of time to knock everything out at once. What’s the best order to do this if done in chunks?

Thinking subframe and diff bushings + fcab are priority cause it’s clunking and thudding a ton. Don’t want cracks start or more failure to begin. Then alignment
Then pads and rotors or maybe these first, I only drive the car for school drop offs and picks ups and errands in town.
Then replace steering rack or just replace inner and outer tie rods and boots.
https://www.flickr.com/gp/jeremyylagan/7e0bN0x526

[blckstrm]

I'd do the front then the back. If you have time to add the brakes I'd do that, but brakes are easy enough to do stand-alone.

The diff and subframe took me a couple days (long weekend) my first time. Like anything, it would go faster once you've done it. But removing those old bushings and ball joints can be time consuming.

The rear subframe / control arms etc are all fairly interrelated, so that's your big job. If you HAVE to you could do the RTABs alone, but you'd get more mileage out of doing it all at once. The front is easy to separate - you can do FCABs alone, tie rods alone, brakes alone (even front and rear separate). Those can all be quick evening jobs. But the rear is all tied together.

I do my own alignments, but you will need to factor that in as well - especially if you're paying for it. Again, not difficult, but can be time consuming doing it yourself. If you drive with wonky alignment for a few weeks (school drop-off, etc) you'll be fine, but a quick "good enough" alignment of either the front or back would be good until you can do the other and then do a more precise job. In short, the front wheels need to be parallel to each other (plus or minus your desired toe), adjusted so the steering wheel is straight when driving. The back wheels need to be parallel to each other AND the car (again, plus or minus your desired toe). You'll need to make a contraption of some kind and remember high school trigonometry to measure your rear camber, but that's relatively easy to figure out (and somewhat less critical than the toe part).

[jeremyuhh]

Did powerflex street FCAB. Caster fixed itself for the most part but needs small adjustments from the plate.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54402203609_b3a7ea9bf2_b.jpg

Did pads and rotors, finally. The previous owner definitely did not keep up with basic maintenance. Had a fun time bedding the pads.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54402265558_1cca601567_b.jpghttps://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54402194459_c3b6e5c135_b.jpghttps://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54401139372_60ba7b3883_b.jpghttps://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54402264358_7e1c1af3d3_b.jpg

Did upstream O2 sensors. This was surprisingly easy compared to what ive read online and watched on youtube.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54402264883_4e2b4c8606_b.jpg

Installed new 034 Motorsport transmission mounts.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54402397640_2f48ee4caa_b.jpg

Also lubed the steering column bearings, adjust the parking brake, and attempted a trans fluid flush but the bolt was not budging, so gonna try again with proper tools. Most of these changes made the car feel significantly better. Felt less sloppy, a little more direct and smooth. Excited to see what the car will feel like after the rear end is refreshed.

[das borgen]

did you take a wire wheel to the calipers to clean them up a little?

[Mless5]

Finally, I don't want to fixate too much on what the car could be / should have been, but having done a shorter diff, 6 Speed (ZF GS6, not a Getrag 420G) and S54 (one at a time, years apart, in that order), you can upgrade to a 3.38 LSD from an auto pretty easily and you'll notice the difference without making it too short to drive around. The other two are more involved - and hardly need a sales pitch - but they start changing it from what it IS to what it could have / should have been. I guess I'm saying I wouldn't think twice about swapping the diff, whereas I think you should think long and carefully about the engine and trans swaps.

Anyway, welcome to the club!

Amen. Though 3.38 sucks without 6th gear, but fun otherwise.

[jeremyuhh]

did you take a wire wheel to the calipers to clean them up a little?

Actually did it by hand with a wire brush. The calipers were brown, as you can see in the first pic with the pads still in them. Got them back to silver after brushing them down.

[jeremyuhh]

Gave the car a nice wash. Paint is great for what it is but can use some correcting.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54402396820_ce8102b15a_b.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/gp/jeremyylagan/Qkhx4n0WfF)

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54401139247_42670f407d_b.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/gp/jeremyylagan/kn75d119S7)

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54402388750_72ac814b7a_b.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/gp/jeremyylagan/73NB76Z955)

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54402194209_f9424404c5_b.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/gp/jeremyylagan/7DQBo212bu)



Also deleted the armrest, or whatever was left of it, and added new front and rear cupholders.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54410212211_fa94035653_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54424709490_f0309d89f2_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54410391694_cba60ed6e2_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54410589960_43707d92a8_b.jpg

[smr87]

Gave the car a nice wash. Paint is great for what it is but can use some correcting.
Also deleted the armrest, or whatever was left of it, and added new front and rear cupholders.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54424709490_f0309d89f2_b.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54410589960_43707d92a8_b.jpg

Did you print that cup holder/coin slot yourself? If not who did you purchase it from, it looks pretty good.

[E85STI]

I was thinking the same thing. Looks great!

[jeremyuhh]

I was thinking the same thing. Looks great!


Did you print that cup holder/coin slot yourself? If not who did you purchase it from, it looks pretty good.

https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?2494498-E36-Rendition-Reversed-Cup-Holders-for-Manual-Transmission

[bmwstephen]

Did you print that cup holder/coin slot yourself? If not who did you purchase it from, it looks pretty good.

Rendition does this but juries out whether these are reliable or not because they are printed on ABS subtrate. I bought one and test cycled it. Besides really tight fitment and sharp edges, it will warp in 100 degree weather.

Rendition Design & Manufacturing (https://renditioncustom.com/?srsltid=AfmBOopK4z8BEkHuJH-GF0LPCX_3xuCOh17EAnZq8vNiTLNpRUKAEJuu)

[jeremyuhh]

update: unfortunate car is for sale. Dont think the E36 is for me although I will continue to maintain and fix things until the new owner comes along or when im able to acquire a new car.

For Sale Ad Here (https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?2494748-For-Sale-1997-M3-Sedan-5-Speed-CosmosSchwarz-M3-4-5)

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54372544183_7a94348aa4_b.jpg

[jeremyuhh]

Also refreshed the interior a bit. Fixed the rear left passenger door lock actuator. Easy fix, but took a while to get the actuator out. The lock finally functions as it should.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54424738881_93d4b8941b_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54425127540_9786b82329_b.jpg


I refinished the A and C pillars with faux suede and reinforced the tabs with new Rendition design Tabs. The pillar covers pop right in again.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54425125000_966e4b14aa_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54424734721_c2ef23e9ec_b.jpg

Before:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54423882982_415ffa7427_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54425125615_b167a8d188_b.jpg

After:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54423880562_80f3dce080_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54425123395_862605489c_b.jpg

Parts of the headliner was saggin and not trimmed correctly. The rear part that should hook into the roof was completely covered causing it to hang down. Looked real ugly from the outside. So i fixed all of that as well. Whoever did this headliner job was either in a rush or didnt care...

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54424988113_7affea6dcf_b.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54423882337_b74564dd49_b.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54424987168_de47d2048d_b.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54424986918_bac21ba13e_b.jpg

no more sagging
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54424734461_e8cb1cb054_b.jpg

[jeremyuhh]

Also swapped out the cracked tweeter and speaker trims for these 3D printed ones. OE ones are extremely hard to find and very expensive so i just settled for these. Not the best looking but at least theyre not cracked.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54469650259_af288e42b4_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54469650234_13a0fbc31d_b.jpg

[Charlemango]

Also swapped out the cracked tweeter and speaker trims for these 3D printed ones. OE ones are extremely hard to find and very expensive so i just settled for these. Not the best looking but at least theyre not cracked.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54469650259_af288e42b4_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54469650234_13a0fbc31d_b.jpg


In the name of all that is holy, where did you find these?