Dotbeta's Hellrot 328i sedan build thread.

**DotBeta** · 03-28-2017, 11:28 AM

I now have a car worthy of it's own thread, a place to consolidate all of the work that's going to go into it etc.

So to give a little history about how I came to possess the car I purchased it about a week ago, I have been scanning my local craigslist for a good deal on a sedan with an M50-M52 engine and accidentally stumbled onto an ad that wasn't even an hour old yet. Someone had a 1996 328i for sale for 1,200 FIRM, owner listed it had a rough idle that had appeared only a couple weeks prior but otherwise drove perfectly fine, had it's share of small leaks just like any older car so it needed some tlc but a perfect fixer upper. He also mentioned the body had 250k on the clock but the motor had been replaced at 150k, this had me skeptical but for the price I just had to take a look at it..

The kid selling it was 21 going to college and his parents had just bought him a new Ford Fusion so he no longer wanted the bmw, he had advertised it to a T it certainly had a rough idle and I instantly knew it was a vacuum leak, he was explaining to me that his mechanic didn't know about BMWs and that he couldn't figure out what was wrong with the car. The interior was tan and in excellent shape and still had the factory radio, opened the glove box and it still had the BMW flashlight which instantly made my eyes widen, moved onto the trunk and all the factory tools were also in there respectable homes along with the jack and full size spare... Had this car been sitting for an extended period of time?? "taillights, side markers and front blinkers were all factory I had already swapped them out myself in these pics."

I began to pick his brain and he opened up and told me the car used to be his fathers and it was garaged for the later part of it's life, that it saw mostly highway miles and his dad had the motor rebuilt at 150k because of mileage/head gasket insurance. His dad passed the car down to him and he had only owned it for a year but the idle issue popped up and instead of repairing it his parent just bought him a new car. Long story short I couldn't pass up a steal deal and offered him 1k for the car, he agreed and I drove the car home

What's the worst that can happen I can always make the 1k back, hell probably more.

Got the car home and diagnosed the rough idle, looked like it was the intake gasket and bad fuel injector O rings, tore her down and replaced gaskets/O-rings and vacuum lines to be safe, put it back together and fired her up. purs like a kitten

. Immediately did a compression check after a warm up drive and for 145-150 per cylinder so it looks really good, I think I got my steal deal

.

Due to photobucket becoming a pay site all the images I have posted up until page 4 have been removed. Most if not all of the posts I've made up to page 4 had pics so if they're confusing it's because of that reason. If you would like to check out the archived pics that were in the thread go here: http://s1255.photobucket.com/user/328ie36er/profile/ and check out the pics. None of them are in order or titled in any way so make of them what you will. I'll be uploading all my pics to flickr now so if you're looking for pics head straight to page 4. I'll update the OP with before and current pics soon.

UPDATE: 7/22/17

Upcoming plans in order of importance:

-15mm wheel spacers
- Performance upgrades: Suspension overhaul, 330i brake upgrade, M50 intake, tune etc."
- Manual transmission conversion.
- LSD rear end.

Done
- A/C blower motor replacement and cabin filter.
- Tune up. "coil boots, plugs, oil change, valve cover gasket"
- Cooling system overhaul "water pump, thermostat and housing gaskets, cooling fan switch, G-05 coolant"
- Fuel pressure regulator and fuel filter.
- Cam position Sensor.
- Crank position sensor.
- Oil filter mount gasket.
- Transmission Service.
- Engine and transmission mounts.
- Alpine audio system with sub.
- Exterior trim and kidney grills painted satin black.
- Interior detail & carpet cleaning.
- New OE headlamps.
- LED interior lighting.
- "Respect Your Elders" decals.
- M3 style rear bumper diffuser.
- M3 style door trim.
- Lowering springs " 2 1/2" drop front, 1 1/2" drop rear."
- Staggered 17" Style 68 wheels.
*Will be updated accordingly

This should move along fairly quickly but you never know what will pop up along the way. There are lots of other things I will be doing on the side in the meanwhile, quality of life stuff like re-tinting the windows etc. that I may post about as I go along. It's going to be a fun ride

**LunaVyohr** · 03-28-2017, 11:44 AM

Great looking car. If you're going to go through the trouble of converting the car to a manual, I would source the parts from a 328 or an M3. It's a much better, stronger transmission than the one in your 318.

**DotBeta** · 03-28-2017, 02:56 PM

Thanks ☺

Yeah id feel bad tearing down the 318i just for its parts, I'd rather just sell it, it was just I thought. I haven't owned an auto in years and this one feels really strong so I'm in no rush to do the conversion.

**Eric93se** · 03-28-2017, 05:53 PM

Uh, Uh, uhhhhhh

**DotBeta** · 03-30-2017, 12:12 AM

So I tried to remove the Vanos solenoid tonight via crescent wrench to replace the cam position sensor, I tightened the hell out of wrench and gave it a few taps with a hammer but it slipped off and rather than do any damage to it and strip that part I rather just remove the intake again and do it right with a socket since it's better to be safe than sorry.

What size socket is the Vanos solenoid and what would you guys recommend to remove it, any tips? I really thought a tight crescent with a couple hammer taps would do it but that didn't work out the sucker is solid as a rock. I sprayed a dab of pb blaster on it to soak overnight.

**Eric93se** · 03-30-2017, 02:14 AM

You can't get the vanos solenoid off with a socket afaik. Can't remember what I used. I don't think it has to come off to do the Cam sensor.

You might want to add vanos seals to your list

edit: Yeah looks like it has to come off, you can watch some youtube videos. Looks like the lift support bracket should come off so you can get a wrench on the solenoid.

**Mless5** · 03-30-2017, 10:39 AM

What a stunning ride, specially for 250K on the body!!! Congratulations for sure!
I almost want to say I had a crack free door midrange housing kicking around, I'll look around tonight.

**DotBeta** · 03-30-2017, 03:12 PM

Originally Posted by Mless5

What a stunning ride, specially for 250K on the body!!! Congratulations for sure!
I almost want to say I had a crack free door midrange housing kicking around, I'll look around tonight.

thanks for the kind words, if you do have that mid cover id be happy to send you some moola for it.

gonna hit the vanos solenoid again and hope for the best. Will report back.

**JEC928** · 03-30-2017, 03:28 PM

OMFG that is a clean Hellrot sedan.

Nice score!

**CblockM3** · 03-30-2017, 06:17 PM

Another clean Hellrot 328i, very nice!

**DotBeta** · 03-30-2017, 06:49 PM

More blood for the blood god..

O'reilly brand oil is made by Valvoline so imo it works for conventional oil. About to start doing work on the hooptie make it piece of mind legit but until the cooling system is overhauled I'm a little worried lol. Cooling is fine but I prefer electric fans over clutch driven fans, not trying to open a can of worms it's just my personal preference and have always replaced clutch fans for electric fans. Is it weird to feel like the fan is about to explode and take out the rad plus god know what else even thought everything appears to be perfectly fine lol, I'm a lil overprotective of my investment.

Need to run tot he store and buy a stubby wrench the size of the Vanos solenoid, brb.

**Eric93se** · 03-30-2017, 07:37 PM

You want to use 40w oil with your car. For warm arizona a 10-40 or 15-40, use syn if you can afford it.

**DotBeta** · 03-31-2017, 12:22 AM

Originally Posted by Eric93se

You might want to add vanos seals to your list

.

Definitely one of the first things I checked when I got home, vanos solenoid tested fine and no codes for vanos. If I drive spiritedly at about 4,500 rpm I can feel and hear the Vanos kick in, no rattle at idle so I'm lead to believe it's functioning as it should. definitely something to keep in mind though.

Originally Posted by Eric93se

You want to use 40w oil with your car. For warm arizona a 10-40 or 15-40, use syn if you can afford it.

I actually run 10w-40 in the 318i, I decided to run 10w-30 in the 328i because there isn't an actual noticeable motor oil leak other than the vanos oil feed line seeping from the banjo fittings and VC gasket plug no. 3 has a leak hence the replacement. The main leak hitting the pavement is power steering fluid so 10w-30 it is for now but I understand what you're saying believe me. I rather not use synthetic atm because I don't want new leaks to spring up but after the valve cover gasket swap once I can see how the top end looks I may go syn blend to full syn.. I don't mind doing oil changes in short succession I asked the PO if he was running synthetic in the car and he said no so I'll stick with conventional for now.

**samy01** · 03-31-2017, 05:39 AM

Hellrot means somethink like rotten in hell in english, right ? i guess that must've caused some confusion

**DotBeta** · 03-31-2017, 01:59 PM

Did the full tune up, replaced CPS and valve cover gasket, big difference in lower end response I just hope my gas mileage gets better now lol.

Other than being a bit discolored she looks pretty darn clean inside

. What do you think? If I switched to synthetic would it help clean up the discoloration or should I not worry about it.

**Mless5** · 03-31-2017, 06:36 PM

Don't sweat about goldish hue, it is totally normal. I would run synthetic.

Found the speaker, see if it will work for you. Part # 65138362957. Make sure to compare coupe vs sedan part #s as they are different.

**DotBeta** · 04-02-2017, 01:38 PM

@Mless5 Thanks for the info on the hue, I've decided to probably go with 0w-40 Mobile 1 synthetic euro spec oil. I'll get back to you on the part no stuff via pm.

So today or tomorrow I will be doing a transmission service, replace pan gasket, filter and fill. I'll have it up on jack stands which will also allow me to get a really good view of the undercarriage and check for any damage or worn bushings etc. I'll take a good share of pics.

I had a question hopefully someone can answer. I know the car has to be level so it'll be on jack stands and I know once you put it all back together and fill it to weep you have to fire it up, go through each gear for 10 seconds and refill to weep. My question is which gear do you leave it in once you've gone through the gears and need to refill? Park, neutral? I wanna make sure I'm filling it in the right gear.

**MINIz guy** · 04-02-2017, 07:00 PM

I would put it in park, that's what I did in mine and nobody corrected me. Don't forget to let the car run long enough for the fluid to come up to temp before running through the gears and letting it weep out of the fill. If it isn't at temp, you'll overfill as fluid expands as it gets hot.

**DotBeta** · 04-02-2017, 09:38 PM

Originally Posted by MINIz guy

I would put it in park, that's what I did in mine and nobody corrected me. Don't forget to let the car run long enough for the fluid to come up to temp before running through the gears and letting it weep out of the fill. If it isn't at temp, you'll overfill as fluid expands as it gets hot.

Thanks for the info, I'll be doing it tomorrow and will report back.

**Twistytee** · 04-02-2017, 10:12 PM

You want to leave it in neutral and not park. That will engage the internal pump and move fluid into the torque converter. The level drops when this happens and you can pump more volume in. Let it warm up well (20-25 mins) before you start running it through the gears. I used one of those el cheapo hand pumps that screws into the ATF bottle and it worked well.

**DotBeta** · 04-03-2017, 04:08 AM

Originally Posted by Twistytee

You want to leave it in neutral and not park. That will engage the internal pump and move fluid into the torque converter. The level drops when this happens and you can pump more volume in. Let it warm up well (20-25 mins) before you start running it through the gears. I used one of those el cheapo hand pumps that screws into the ATF bottle and it worked well.

yup I have a pump handy and am planning on using it. I'll be sure to warm it up properly and do it in neutral, thanks.

**DotBeta** · 04-03-2017, 03:36 PM

So the tranny pan drop went smoothly. Popped the drain plug and about 2- 2 1/2 quarts of used atf came out, caught some in a small cup for inspection and it was not burnt, did not smell burnt and was dark browned red color which is typical of used tranny fluid and gave me a huge sigh of relief. I have no idea if this is the original tranny with 250k+ on it and have no idea if it has ever been serviced so thankfully it wasn't too bad.

Anyways, dropped the pan and replaced the filter, cleaned pan and buttoned it back up. dropped about 3 quarts into the pan before it wept then fired it up, put it in drive and let it run for about 20 minutes then ran it through each gear for ten seconds, put it in neutral and squeezed in 2 more quarts of atf until it wept. All done. One thing I wasn't happy about was the tranny kit I got did not come with a front sump gasket, so I'll be replacing that at a future time for sure since it's seeping/leaking from the gasket.

After setting her back down and going for a drive it still shifts solid and and runs fine. Did a few passes in it and the shifts were good, we'll see how it runs in in a few weeks.

**MINIz guy** · 04-04-2017, 11:22 AM

Originally Posted by Twistytee

You want to leave it in neutral and not park. That will engage the internal pump and move fluid into the torque converter. The level drops when this happens and you can pump more volume in. Let it warm up well (20-25 mins) before you start running it through the gears. I used one of those el cheapo hand pumps that screws into the ATF bottle and it worked well.

Are you sure? This is what I pulled from Alldata

ATF Fill.JPG

**Twistytee** · 04-04-2017, 01:43 PM

Originally Posted by MINIz guy

Are you sure? This is what I pulled from Alldata

ATF Fill.JPG

Mea culpa - you are correct that leaving it in park is the official procedure. I should have pointed out doing it in neutral is a personal prefernce. Leaving it in neutral speeds-up the warm-up procedure because the pump remains engaged, fills the torque converter to make room for more fluid in the main reservoir, and was also the way I was originally taught to service a GM tranny without a dipstick. Running through the gears per the service manual also engages the pump but returning it to park slows circulation and lengthens the warm-up period. I'm not an engineer so I can't confirm why this is recommended, but either way will work. I think the neutral approach results in a faster job because it gets up to temp quicker.

**DotBeta** · 04-04-2017, 04:05 PM

Originally Posted by Twistytee

Mea culpa - you are correct that leaving it in park is the official procedure. I should have pointed out doing it in neutral is a personal prefernce. Leaving it in neutral speeds-up the warm-up procedure because the pump remains engaged, fills the torque converter to make room for more fluid in the main reservoir, and was also the way I was originally taught to service a GM tranny without a dipstick. Running through the gears per the service manual also engages the pump but returning it to park slows circulation and lengthens the warm-up period. I'm not an engineer so I can't confirm why this is recommended, but either way will work. I think the neutral approach results in a faster job because it gets up to temp quicker.

I've always checked and filled Chevy trannies in neutral after cycling through gears as well. Never ran into any issues doing it that way so I'm not concerned.

did the 15 mile drive to work today in stop and go traffic without issues, shifted fine.