Moving on the busted RSM, found a set of Bilstein low miles rear shocks with good RSM. Before doing that I cleaned the undercarriage. It's nice to work underneath the car when you don't have to deal with dirt, gunk, and that nasty stuff.
The undercarriage and wheel well must have never been washed, the dirt caked on there...
Before.
DSC_0065.jpg
After
IMG_3259.JPG
Really want to drop the subframe and clean and paint everything on there, maybe for another year...
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Inspected the strut mount area and looked good. Put anti seize to prevent corrosion.
IMG_3258.JPG
One side is off, side by side. The original shock was absolutely gone.
IMG_3257.JPG
Last edited by Genes1s; 05-05-2018 at 10:43 PM.
FEEDBACK THREAD
00-03 Nissan Maxima HID Retrofit
6th gen AV6 FX35 Retrofit
Chassis and Suspension
2011 Space Grey E82 N55 DCT
2000 Sunlit Sand Maxima SE 5Spd.
1997 Arctic Silver E36 M3/4/5.
1997 Techno Violet E36 M3 Coupe 5Spd (SOLD).
Rear struts are installed and it was night a day. No more clunking due to busted RSM and rear end doesn't fell like a boat anymore. We'll look for front Bilstein B8 to match the rear, if you guys have any for sale please PM.
DSC_0067.jpg
Spent 30 minutes to go thru the car with clay bar to get rid of of road debris, brake dust, etc.
DSC_0074.jpgDSC_0076.jpg
It was pretty productive Saturday. Finally the car can be driven normal again.
FEEDBACK THREAD
00-03 Nissan Maxima HID Retrofit
6th gen AV6 FX35 Retrofit
Chassis and Suspension
2011 Space Grey E82 N55 DCT
2000 Sunlit Sand Maxima SE 5Spd.
1997 Arctic Silver E36 M3/4/5.
1997 Techno Violet E36 M3 Coupe 5Spd (SOLD).
Got a couple of things done tonight. I never replaced cabin air filter in E36 before and it took me a good hour to find where they are and got it done!
Seemed like you have to take the entire bottom half of the glove box to access the filter...even then you couldn't get it out/in without bending it to almost breaking it.
IMG_3266.JPGIMG_3267.JPGIMG_3268.JPG
New engine air filter as well.
IMG_3265.JPG
Last edited by Genes1s; 05-09-2018 at 11:25 PM.
FEEDBACK THREAD
00-03 Nissan Maxima HID Retrofit
6th gen AV6 FX35 Retrofit
Chassis and Suspension
2011 Space Grey E82 N55 DCT
2000 Sunlit Sand Maxima SE 5Spd.
1997 Arctic Silver E36 M3/4/5.
1997 Techno Violet E36 M3 Coupe 5Spd (SOLD).
We broke 80 degree today so I decided to go over the front undercarriage outside the garage. Got a little help from my so too..
IMG_3278.jpgIMG_3277.jpg
My right shoulder is pretty sore now. I scrubbed for a good 1-1.5 to clean the caked on dirt and grime with no much of a result. I used off the counter stuff like purple power and soap.
IMG_3289.jpgIMG_3290.jpgIMG_3276.jpg
Upon more research, I should've used simple green or Adams, or P21S Total Auto Wash. We'll have to wait till next weekend to do.
I do all this because I hate working on dirty car and this is the time to PB blaster all those bolts and nuts for future repair work.
Last edited by Genes1s; 05-13-2018 at 12:59 AM.
FEEDBACK THREAD
00-03 Nissan Maxima HID Retrofit
6th gen AV6 FX35 Retrofit
Chassis and Suspension
2011 Space Grey E82 N55 DCT
2000 Sunlit Sand Maxima SE 5Spd.
1997 Arctic Silver E36 M3/4/5.
1997 Techno Violet E36 M3 Coupe 5Spd (SOLD).
Install new RSM and RSM reinforcement plate.
IMG_3287.jpg
Looks like the entire suspension rubber and mounts are still original, except for the Guibo. They looked pretty new to me but PO said he never replaced them. They looked OK so far.
IMG_3280.jpgIMG_3282.jpgIMG_3285.jpg
Next is fuel filter and detailing the engine bay. Still hunting for a front set of Bilstein B8 If you any of you guys have it for sale. Thinking about getting a full set of Koni, but we'll see.
FEEDBACK THREAD
00-03 Nissan Maxima HID Retrofit
6th gen AV6 FX35 Retrofit
Chassis and Suspension
2011 Space Grey E82 N55 DCT
2000 Sunlit Sand Maxima SE 5Spd.
1997 Arctic Silver E36 M3/4/5.
1997 Techno Violet E36 M3 Coupe 5Spd (SOLD).
Finally have the time to work on the Artic Silver. Originally, I was going to do just the VCG and PS leaks but then while I'm there mode kicked in and decided to take the Vanos down and also OFH while adding VDO gauges as well.
DSC_0042.jpg
VCG removed. Oil was about 3000 miles.
IMG_5618.jpg
IMG_5651.jpg
Intake Manifold Removed.
IMG_5649.jpg
IMG_5650.jpg
FEEDBACK THREAD
00-03 Nissan Maxima HID Retrofit
6th gen AV6 FX35 Retrofit
Chassis and Suspension
2011 Space Grey E82 N55 DCT
2000 Sunlit Sand Maxima SE 5Spd.
1997 Arctic Silver E36 M3/4/5.
1997 Techno Violet E36 M3 Coupe 5Spd (SOLD).
OFH removed and cleaned
IMG_5736.jpg
Adding Rallyroad dist block for oil temp and pressure sender.
IMG_5727.jpg
Set Crank at TDC, locked the flywheel, locked the cams with cam tooling block and proceed to remove the Vanos unit. Vanos unit was tore down and rebuilt with Dr Vanos new bolt cap and thrust bearings, and Beisan System o ring, teflon ring, and anti rattle
IMG_5772.jpg
IMG_5779.jpg
Learned the hard way about removing this dam bolt cap. Heat is your friend. Torched the housing not the steel bolt cap.
IMG_5808.jpg
Last edited by Genes1s; 04-07-2019 at 09:49 PM.
FEEDBACK THREAD
00-03 Nissan Maxima HID Retrofit
6th gen AV6 FX35 Retrofit
Chassis and Suspension
2011 Space Grey E82 N55 DCT
2000 Sunlit Sand Maxima SE 5Spd.
1997 Arctic Silver E36 M3/4/5.
1997 Techno Violet E36 M3 Coupe 5Spd (SOLD).
Got a used unit from Ebay. This time, use heat. Torched the housing not the steel bolt cap. Came right out with socket wrench.
IMG_5831.jpg
Decided to go with Dr Vanos replacement cap bolt instead. This is way better design for torqueing down.
DSC_0048.jpg
So, my car has 99K at this point. below is comparison between 99K miles Vanos and the old used from Ebay that has 168K miles. You can see the shaft portion of the cylinder from my Vanos unit is in much better condition than the other.
IMG_5859.jpg
Cleaned the Vanos housing.
IMG_5773.jpg
IMG_5838.jpg
FEEDBACK THREAD
00-03 Nissan Maxima HID Retrofit
6th gen AV6 FX35 Retrofit
Chassis and Suspension
2011 Space Grey E82 N55 DCT
2000 Sunlit Sand Maxima SE 5Spd.
1997 Arctic Silver E36 M3/4/5.
1997 Techno Violet E36 M3 Coupe 5Spd (SOLD).
Adding temp sender to T-stat housing.
IMG_5827.jpg
IMG_5828.jpg
Torqueing down the Bolt cap. I've read instruction from Beisan and Dr. Vanos. I didn't have a good luck with the soft jaw approach. The clamping method was non-concentric, there is not enough surface area transfer the force. I've used this method instead and I didn't even clamp it hard, just enough down force to create the friction against the torque applied.
IMG_5866.jpg
Installing the Vanos unit. There are plenty of tutorial out there, but ECS tuning had pretty through one.
First engagement of the outer spline gear to the intake cam spline gear.
IMG_5874.jpg
To get the Vanos inner spline gear to engage to the Cam, you really need to lighly "bump" the exhaust sprocket CCW and keep pushing the Vanos spline gear inward. I had a spare shaft from the ebay unit that I bought to practice. Once I'm familiar with the whole timing ordeal, I moved on to the real unit.
IMG_5869.jpg
FEEDBACK THREAD
00-03 Nissan Maxima HID Retrofit
6th gen AV6 FX35 Retrofit
Chassis and Suspension
2011 Space Grey E82 N55 DCT
2000 Sunlit Sand Maxima SE 5Spd.
1997 Arctic Silver E36 M3/4/5.
1997 Techno Violet E36 M3 Coupe 5Spd (SOLD).
New PS banjo, reservoir, and soft line, and full flush.
Attachment 649123
Put everything back along with new Radiator, Coolant Expansion tank, hardware, and flush the coolant with BMW blue.
Attachment 649124
You could see where I mounted the remote pressure sender.
Attachment 649125
Car started right up but It was ticking. Turned out that I had to bleed the hydraulic lifter.
https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...4#post30237284
I won't be able to finish this job without many helps from this forum, thanks guys!
Last edited by Genes1s; 04-07-2019 at 10:10 PM.
FEEDBACK THREAD
00-03 Nissan Maxima HID Retrofit
6th gen AV6 FX35 Retrofit
Chassis and Suspension
2011 Space Grey E82 N55 DCT
2000 Sunlit Sand Maxima SE 5Spd.
1997 Arctic Silver E36 M3/4/5.
1997 Techno Violet E36 M3 Coupe 5Spd (SOLD).
Working on the VDO gauges placement. 3D Printed pods adaptor plate. It is pretty rigid stuff, will get sanded and painted to match the rest (as close as possible).
IMG_5590.jpg
Last edited by Genes1s; 04-07-2019 at 10:22 PM.
FEEDBACK THREAD
00-03 Nissan Maxima HID Retrofit
6th gen AV6 FX35 Retrofit
Chassis and Suspension
2011 Space Grey E82 N55 DCT
2000 Sunlit Sand Maxima SE 5Spd.
1997 Arctic Silver E36 M3/4/5.
1997 Techno Violet E36 M3 Coupe 5Spd (SOLD).
Ugghh VDO gauges look great. Definitely on my list of long-term projects I'd like to get done. Just need to find the time and money.
Looking great. I bet your neighbors where surprised seeing a car like that on the stands lol.
"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."
-Dr. Seuss
DIY BMW Tools. Charlie For President
Bleeding this car has never been the cleanest job. I saw someone online did this and thought I would give it a try. 10mm X 1 barb fitting attached to a clear tubing. Make sure the other end is fully submerged to avoid sucking air back in the system when you rev to 2k to get the air bubbles out. No more coolant on the floor. I really want to get the air lift vacuum bleeder cooling system but maybe next time.
3B78E6C7-4194-445B-ADC2-DEB90840757A.jpg
FEEDBACK THREAD
00-03 Nissan Maxima HID Retrofit
6th gen AV6 FX35 Retrofit
Chassis and Suspension
2011 Space Grey E82 N55 DCT
2000 Sunlit Sand Maxima SE 5Spd.
1997 Arctic Silver E36 M3/4/5.
1997 Techno Violet E36 M3 Coupe 5Spd (SOLD).
That is quite interesting! So, when all said and done and you remove the barb, it is still full enough?
1997 Arctic Silver/Black M3
CES Stage IV (651rwhp/615rwtq @ 24 psi)
1999 Techno Violet/Dove M3
Auto/Convertible and staying stock!
FEEDBACK THREAD
00-03 Nissan Maxima HID Retrofit
6th gen AV6 FX35 Retrofit
Chassis and Suspension
2011 Space Grey E82 N55 DCT
2000 Sunlit Sand Maxima SE 5Spd.
1997 Arctic Silver E36 M3/4/5.
1997 Techno Violet E36 M3 Coupe 5Spd (SOLD).
I was intrigue with the Vanos anti rattle thing and how it works. I’ve read few instructions from ECS, Beisan, and others on how to achieve the “perfect” preload by putting the anti rattle spacer on sand paper to make it thinner.
In bearing setup, especially trust bearing, preload is crucial to maintain the life of the bearing. Too much and too little will shorten the life of the bearing. The type of oil is used also matters. There is actually “weep” hole on the bolt cap that would allow the pressurized oil to lubricate the thrust bearing.
To figure out how much material we need to remove, I measured different between the bearing surface and the spacer. You could it different way by doing the whole stack with and without the spacer too.
The height of the bearing surface.
B9C37554-B66F-4AAB-BB37-74D5A266483D.jpg
The height of the spacer
D1725D15-E315-46AB-9255-9DC389283DC0.jpg
The different between the two is the theoretical preload gap. In this case it was .0071”. I won’t go to town and remove this much material and think that it would be preloaded correctly. The true actual test if you have a good preload is by determining how much torque is needed to “spin” the shaft at the specified tightening torque which in this case is 30 ft-LTG and you adjust how much material you need to remove
based on that measurement. The shaft should not spin freely but with some minor resistance. I’ll attempt to measure this, it will be in in-oz I believe.
I did remove .005” off the spacer and it was better but still have a tiny bit axial play. Much better than before but can be better. Also, removing .005” material on harden spacer with sand paper took about 45
minutes and to my best ability I could only manage to do it within .0006”
flatness (take thickness measurement in each quadrant and find the biggest delta). .0006” Isn’t much but this could the affect the preload.
10CBB677-7598-4562-86B5-A462ABFDD9A3.jpg
I’ll probably chuck it up on the surface grinder to get it within few tenths tomorrow.
Moral of the story:
1. It took significant amount of work to make the spacer thinnner to gain the preload. Sand paper works but I would suggest something more repeatable IF you want DIY. It is actually worth it to just get it from
Beisan. I didn’t measure the flatness on the one I installed in my car but if they used surface grinder, I’m sure it would be under one tenth.
2. Measure your setup to figure out how much material need to remove but don’t remove it 100% at one time. Do like 60% then check the pre-load and creep up as needed.
3. Your final pre load is how much resistance of the shaft from turning. I’ll dive deeper into this once I can get torque gage small enough to demonstrate what is “ 2/3 finger tight”.
FEEDBACK THREAD
00-03 Nissan Maxima HID Retrofit
6th gen AV6 FX35 Retrofit
Chassis and Suspension
2011 Space Grey E82 N55 DCT
2000 Sunlit Sand Maxima SE 5Spd.
1997 Arctic Silver E36 M3/4/5.
1997 Techno Violet E36 M3 Coupe 5Spd (SOLD).
So, I just noticed that the coolant in the expansion tank rises when I open the cap after the car cools down (I can hear the air being let out when I open the cap). It goes down to the same level every time the car is driven and at operating temperature and it rises to the same level (1" above Kalt line) when the car cools down (overnight). Car has never overheated, temp warms up to 12 o'clock in about 7-10 minutes and I didn't have this issue before I drained the coolant to install new thermostat housing, the expansion tank, and the radiator. The heater is definitely hotter when I the RPM is higher
Also, the top radiator hose is super hot while the bottom rad hose is only warm. Could it also be I have defective T-stat that it stuck close?
I thought about the possibility of head gasket issue, but upon removing the valve cover and draining the coolant, there is no sign of oil mix or smoke, etc and I only have this problem after cooling system overhauled.
thought I bled the system for good but maybe not. I'm waiting for the airlift system to arrive to see if I can bleed the system using Vacuum. This should also tell if I have a leak somewhere and go somewhere. I can also do leak down test also.
Always something....
Last edited by Genes1s; 04-13-2019 at 12:47 AM.
FEEDBACK THREAD
00-03 Nissan Maxima HID Retrofit
6th gen AV6 FX35 Retrofit
Chassis and Suspension
2011 Space Grey E82 N55 DCT
2000 Sunlit Sand Maxima SE 5Spd.
1997 Arctic Silver E36 M3/4/5.
1997 Techno Violet E36 M3 Coupe 5Spd (SOLD).
Working on the VDO gauges install.
Routing the signal wires thru firewall passenger side. I pushed 5 14ga wires in there, 3 for signals, one common ground, and one spare.
D14EA1BD-00EF-468F-BB81-BE113371D58E.jpg
Thru the other side of the wall. Wire colors are not to “code” I have too much white, black, and red.
8CA07042-5943-4552-BA31-874DCD78910C.jpg
I decided to break the wires connection and use quick disconnect just in case I need to change or modify in the future.
ran the rest thru the fuel rail section. Notice the black wrap tape, this is the not an electrical tape but better due to high heat and abrasive resistant. It’s the same one they use thru out the car by factory actually.
B086BDBE-6ABA-4D57-91D3-C293F747BA5A.jpg
6A7922A6-D271-4842-A948-F0E953CD53EE.jpg
FEEDBACK THREAD
00-03 Nissan Maxima HID Retrofit
6th gen AV6 FX35 Retrofit
Chassis and Suspension
2011 Space Grey E82 N55 DCT
2000 Sunlit Sand Maxima SE 5Spd.
1997 Arctic Silver E36 M3/4/5.
1997 Techno Violet E36 M3 Coupe 5Spd (SOLD).
To the water temp sender
793C3C5B-95D7-4FE6-A235-6119E67323DD.jpg
To the oil temp sender
9546F67B-3B0C-4172-A345-0E73A42715F3.jpg
To the oil oil pressure sender
957D3324-A6B4-45E2-AD5E-71B2A8D38B6D.jpg
Inside the dash
16AD5AC5-C670-40B1-8888-79D1D229C7D5.jpg
So so for those of you who have done this before, where did you get your hot 12V and ground? That cigarette plug? Or the light?
C7C81F6A-9130-4DFD-996A-642A3C48244D.jpg
FEEDBACK THREAD
00-03 Nissan Maxima HID Retrofit
6th gen AV6 FX35 Retrofit
Chassis and Suspension
2011 Space Grey E82 N55 DCT
2000 Sunlit Sand Maxima SE 5Spd.
1997 Arctic Silver E36 M3/4/5.
1997 Techno Violet E36 M3 Coupe 5Spd (SOLD).
Power to gauges is done thru splicing headlights switch.
green/red wire is hot at acc on
C2E73050-429A-4560-A657-BECEC976877D.jpg
Power to the gauges light is done thru splicing the dimmer switch red/white on mine. Easy enough to figure out with DMM.
535C2ED7-D035-4FF0-B4DF-A84F6E366D7D.jpg
Ground to the gauge lights is at one of the 3 #10 bolt on the left side of the knee holster. The ground for the gauge is ran from the engine bay via dedicated wires.
EC63FEB3-7132-49FB-A055-FF5980EB8BA5.jpg
Pretty happy with the way the gauges bracket look, considering half of it was 3D printed and the other half was OE. Trying to make it as factory look as possible I guess.
A5714D69-6348-4280-8494-05AAF77C100F.jpg
Last edited by Genes1s; 04-24-2019 at 10:58 PM.
FEEDBACK THREAD
00-03 Nissan Maxima HID Retrofit
6th gen AV6 FX35 Retrofit
Chassis and Suspension
2011 Space Grey E82 N55 DCT
2000 Sunlit Sand Maxima SE 5Spd.
1997 Arctic Silver E36 M3/4/5.
1997 Techno Violet E36 M3 Coupe 5Spd (SOLD).
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