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  1. #76
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    NY
    Posts
    9,079
    My Cars
    1997 328i
    Put a few gallons of premium in there and maybe a bottle of fuel system cleaner. Get INPA up and running, it's not the best, It was probably awesome 20 years ago lol.

    I was able to refurbish my injectors, ultrasonic bath 2 hours cleaning the de-ionized water at the 1hr mark. Flowed them with throttle body cleaner followed immediate with Seafoam cleaner. Reverse flowed them, put new filters and pintle caps, o-rings (ebay $18). Tested them in the rail, ran the pump and flowed them one by one in the rail, energized the pump for each injector, none leaked (they leaked previously). cleaned the MAFS, put a new connector on the IACV. Car wouldn't start after it was all buttoned up, saw that I missed the brake booster line. Car started after that but was not smooth, it got a lot better but was hunting a bit and not smooth like it should be. Cleared old codes in INPA, cleared adaptations (didn;t want to because I didn't want the trans to re-learn, it's not a fast learning process for the trans). I let it idle for a while but the idle did not even out, small bit of hunting. So one thing to check again is if I wired the new IACV connector properly (I had double checked), one thing I didn't like was when I installed the IACV it felt strange that the spring clip was on the bottom orientation of the IACV, just didn't feel right. When I wired the connector I didn't go by the spring clip I went according to the grooves in the connector (double checked colors were right before taping it up).
    Attn. NEWBIES: Use the search feature, 98% has already been discussed.
    Click the search button, select "search single content type", select the "e36 sub forum" specifically, try the "search titles" then try the "search entire posts".

  2. #77
    Join Date
    May 2017
    Location
    Owings, Md
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    1,105
    My Cars
    1998 328i
    There is always something to keep you challenged.

    - - - Updated - - -

    The injector rebuild kit I got off eBay also had pintle caps too small but I primarily needed the filter baskets.

  3. #78
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    NY
    Posts
    9,079
    My Cars
    1997 328i
    There's a chance my IACV is up side down. Anyone remember if the IACV when in the car, is the spring on the top or bottom of the connector?

    - - - Updated - - -

    Here is a link to rebuild kit for pink top injectors, he also gives another set of pintle caps for the other bmw injectors. His listing title is not really that good to find them in regular searches.

    - - - Updated - - -

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-I6-Fuel...t/264003858632
    Attn. NEWBIES: Use the search feature, 98% has already been discussed.
    Click the search button, select "search single content type", select the "e36 sub forum" specifically, try the "search titles" then try the "search entire posts".

  4. #79
    Join Date
    May 2017
    Location
    Owings, Md
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    1,105
    My Cars
    1998 328i
    I filled it with 93 octane on the way home. I'm going to replace the thermostat and temp sending unit before I run it again. On my way home I noticed the OBC is working but the bulbs are out, easy fix. One thing at a time.

  5. #80
    Join Date
    May 2017
    Location
    Owings, Md
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    1,105
    My Cars
    1998 328i
    I pulled the thermostat to replace it tonight. The car was running too warm, consistent but between 210 and 219, worse at high speeds. The gauge on the dash was still at 12'clock but my code reader was telling a different story, so I suspected either the thermostat or the temp sender and ordered both from fcpeuro (I don't know why I every bother ordering from anyone else, they are good). The night got off to a horrible start, I had tried to improve the hood latch alignment because it was tough to release, I thought it may be better if the pins were not sticking down so far, so I screwed them in about 1/8" on each side, well that was a horrible idea because I was barely able to get it open tonight, I was in the process of removing the aux fan and trying to get to those pins even if I had to cut the condenser to pieces but I finally worked the hood open. By the time I removed the thermostat housing and cleaned off the grey rtv that i had put on it, I was too lazy to finish it up. I tested the suspect thermostat in a pot of water on my stove with a digital thermometer and confirmed it was bad. It was a 92 degree Celsius unit and it wasn't beginning to open as the water temp approached 100 C. I dumped a bunch of salt in the pot to raise the boiling point and it finally started opening around 102 C but only about 1/8th of an inch. I'm pretty confident that I've found my cooling problem.

  6. #81
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
    Location
    Tenerife, Spain
    Posts
    628
    My Cars
    1997 BMW E36 323i
    Congrats on finding the cause! Also great you went all the way and decided to diagnose the thermostat (instead of just replacing and guessing). That way you're certain you've found the culprit.


    1997 E36 BMW 323i
    (European) 275k km (171k miles), with following small mods:

  7. #82
    Join Date
    May 2017
    Location
    Owings, Md
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    1,105
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    1998 328i
    I should have replaced it or tested it in the first place. I was really stupid to use a thermostat I had laying around on a newly rebuilt engine. There are endless decisions on what to reuse versus replace and I made the wrong decision on both the thermostat and injectors.

  8. #83
    Join Date
    May 2017
    Location
    Owings, Md
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    1,105
    My Cars
    1998 328i
    Random updates.

    I believe I have the linkages for the tonneau cover straightened out. The tonneau is currently is off because I am replacing the gas support struts and they are taking forever to arrive for some reason. I found multiple screwed up components which probably failed in a chain reaction. The left tonneau lock was failing to catch the tonneau because the stamped metal housing came appart. The tonneau lever on the motor, the linkage and part of the left hinged bracket were all bent up. The linkage wouldn't go back on. Between a touch, hammer and my bench vise it is all lined up, hopefully the metal isn't too fatigued. I figure new struts should lighten the load. I suspect the failed latch jambed up and prevented the right side lock from catching as well then the lid flew open when underway bending up the linkage.

    I put new bulbs in the OBC (20 button original to car) only to find it still not lighting up. I could see messages if I held a light up to the screen but it turned out to have a burned out connection on the ciruit board where the big capacitor connects. I considered trying to resolder it but it failed for a unknown reason and I don't want to risk any electrical fire. It was working when I got the car and the only thing I can think of it the heater valve that kept blowing fuses but I think it is a separate circuit. In any case a used one is on the way.

    The new thermostat in in but I haven't driven it since.

    I haven't figured out the INPA install yet. The K+DCAN cable I bought came with software on a CD but the install instructions are in Chinese or Japanese (don't care to figure out since I can't read either). So far every other webpage I have found leads to ads or suspect links. I will try again when my 3 year old is asleep and not yelling at me for ignoring him.

  9. #84
    Join Date
    May 2017
    Location
    Owings, Md
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    1,105
    My Cars
    1998 328i
    The convertible top linkage is all back together and functioning. It isn't 100% yet because it doesn't have any tension straps on it but with a little help it is going up and down. It is rewarding to figure stuff out and get it all working but still trouble I could do without.

    I bought a driver's seat back off eBay and was going to piecemeal the upholstery together but it didn't fit so I'm back to square one and probably going to go with lseat replacement covers.

    The new thermostat and temp sending unit haven't changed much. It is a 88 C Behr thermostat (~190 F) but the engine is staying around 206 - 210 F. As long as it doesn't get any warmer it is fine but I'm not really happy considering how cool the weather is.

    Still haven't got INPA up and running to reset adaptations. I am thinking about just paying for some tuning support. I am determined to retain emmisions compliance so that limits off the shelf options but I am hesitant to dive into self tuning. Most tuner pricing seems to get expensive fast for custom work, ideally I would like to do away with EMS, tune for the 3 liter displacement and m54b30 cam, and retain emmisions compliance. The car has historic tags but I plan to sell it and don't want it limited. It currently runs well, idles great and does not throw engine codes but my auto m52b28 has better power at this point.

  10. #85
    Join Date
    May 2017
    Location
    Owings, Md
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    1,105
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    1998 328i
    I pulled the new thermostat back out and tested it in a pot. Brand new behr 88 C didn't begin to open untill 90 C and only a crack, fully open at 93 C. I tested another and while it never fully shut and doesn't modulate as well, it opened at a cooler temp and opened wider as well, same brand and also stamped 88 C. Now the car is running cold but it is also only in the 30's today and I didn't get on the highway. I plan to give it some more excercise tomorrow. The last time I ran the car when it was running warm it felt weak, I suspect it was pre-detonating and knock sensors were doing their job and pulling timing. During today's short run the car barely got above 160 F so it was probably running open loop fueling most of the time (can't recall the transition). The top is working pretty well. The toneau locks are starting to close a little early due to the cables being a little off and perhaps weak springs. The cables sat kinked for a long time so they have a memory but they seem to be improving now. With some new springs I think it will run without needing "help".

  11. #86
    Join Date
    May 2017
    Location
    Owings, Md
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    1998 328i
    I pulled the new thermostat back out and tested it in a pot. Brand new behr 88 C didn't begin to open untill 90 C and only a crack, fully open at 93 C (not actually fully but not opening any further). I tested another and while it never fully shut and doesn't modulate as well, it opened at a cooler temp and opened wider as well, same brand and also stamped 88 C. Now the car is running cold but it is also only in the 30's today and I didn't get on the highway. I plan to give it some more exercise tomorrow. The last time I ran the car when it was running too warm it felt weak, I suspect it was pre-detonating and knock sensors were doing their job and pulling timing. During today's short run the car barely got above 160 F so it was probably running open loop fueling most of the time (can't recall the transition). The top is working pretty well. The tonneau locks are starting to close a little early due to the cables being a little off and perhaps weak springs. The cables sat kinked for a long time so they have a memory but they seem to be improving now. With some new springs I think it will run without needing "help".
    Last edited by gdavid; 12-06-2018 at 06:29 PM.

  12. #87
    Join Date
    May 2017
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    Owings, Md
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    1998 328i
    It is still running too cold but today's real excitement was the throttle pedal bushing coming apart in traffic. Fortunately I rolled into a parking lot without incident. I assumed the cable snapped and didn't stop to remove the trim to see what was the problem. Instead I tied a piece of parachute cord to the bare cable at the throttle body, lead it out from under the back of the hood and drove home with the window down and using my left hand for throttle. Made for interesting shifts. I felt like a genius when I got back on the highway and was able to run cruise control. If the accelerator pedal stop was properly adjusted, it would not have happened but clearly the rubber was weak with age so now I will be replacing that bushing on both of my cars.

  13. #88
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Jackson NJ
    Posts
    904
    My Cars
    1997 328i c M trim
    Quote Originally Posted by gdavid View Post
    It is still running too cold but today's real excitement was the throttle pedal bushing coming apart in traffic. Fortunately I rolled into a parking lot without incident. I assumed the cable snapped and didn't stop to remove the trim to see what was the problem. Instead I tied a piece of parachute cord to the bare cable at the throttle body, lead it out from under the back of the hood and drove home with the window down and using my left hand for throttle. Made for interesting shifts. I felt like a genius when I got back on the highway and was able to run cruise control. If the accelerator pedal stop was properly adjusted, it would not have happened but clearly the rubber was weak with age so now I will be replacing that bushing on both of my cars.
    Oh man that needs a photo!

    Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
    This car is AWESOME !!!

  14. #89
    Join Date
    May 2017
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    Owings, Md
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    1998 328i
    It is back on the road after a bit of a hiatus. I replaced the thermostat what I certainly hope is the last time. Replaced the hood release cable and shimmed up the motor mounts, for whatever reason the settled quite a bit. I was noticing a vibration and the oil pan was touching the x brace which I thought was bent but when I looked closer it was barely clearing the subframe and touching a hardline on the steering rack. Not sure why the new mounts had compressed so much but it is much better now. My fan clearance is much improved and the intake filter housing is easier to connect to the mass air sensor.

    The next sub project will be getting it tuned, it runs smoothly but doesn't seem to make the power it should yet. Compared with my auto transmission 328 sedan, it is sluggish.

  15. #90
    Join Date
    May 2017
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    Owings, Md
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    1998 328i
    Still making progress on this car. I have a handful of items to finish up and I plan to sell it in the spring, it is running well and fun to drive but a convertible just isn't a good fit for me. My sedan is my daily driver and while I rarely need to, it can haul my family of five and my wife can drive it because it is an automatic. I rarely drive in much traffic but I'll admit that a rolling traffic jam is much easier to withstand in an auto. We bought an XC90 last summer to replace my wife's trailblazer, which I kept as a spare family hauler & tow vehicle but I don't know how much longer I care to maintain it (by odd coincidence, all four cars we own have inline six cylinder engines, including the Volvo's which is a transverse mounted oddball).

    I bought the convertible as a test mule for my M52b30 motor which it has served the purpose well enough but it is too pretty to just junk. It has a several things going for it: the previous owner put a new top on it which I have sorted out and it is now fully functional, it also has a fresh koni suspension, ZF manual transmission, operational emissions equipment, no CEL's, new clutch, new cooling system, pretty low mileage and the paint is very nice but it still needs some things before it could sell for a decent price. The seats are shot and I think this would make it tough to sell as anything more than a project.

    If the seats were recovered, I believe it would show very well and would expect to be able to get $4500 for it but as it sits now with a trashed interior, I would be hard pressed to get what I spend on the engine. I'm leaning towards spending a bit more on it to recover the seats. I am also considering rebuilding the M52b28 that came out of it and putting that engine back in it, as I doubt any potential buyer would place much value on the stroker motor.

    I'd be happy to hear anyone else's thoughts on the matter.

  16. #91
    Join Date
    May 2017
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    Owings, Md
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    1998 328i
    Among the handful of things to finish up (significant understatement) are a couple bad spots in the floor pan. The floor is rusted out behind the driver's seat in front of the fuel tank and the passenger foot well has a hole punched through the floor where it looks like the car ran over something. The driver's side work will be no small feat. I discovered it when first started tearing down the car for the motor swap and was really disappointed at the time, when I bought the car, I was really careful to check the rocker panels and frame rails for condition but didn't notice this. I had shrugged off the disappointment and reminded myself that I had only spent $600 on the car and could sell the zf manual drivetrain and pedals out of it and junk the car after using it to test and break in my project motor. Now I'm a bit more emotionally invested in the car and don't want to see it cannibalized. We have a pretty good argon shield MIG welder setup in the family that does a good job of wielding lightweight sheet metal without burning holes through it, it should be pretty straightforward once I finish getting everything out of the way.

    I was going to just pull back the carpet to do the work (in addition to pulling the exhaust, driveshaft and tank of course) but I just decided to get it completely out of the car. Pulling the carpet out on these cars without cutting it is a colossal undertaking because it is installed on the assembly line before the entire HVAC system and dash. The carpet passes over the transmission hump under the dash. So far I have the seats and dash out of the car, to get the HVAC assembly out, the steering column will have to be dropped, the heating and refrigerant lines on the engine side of the firewall need to be disconnected. I probably have another evening's worth of work to get it out without breaking anything.

    I am really going to have a hard time letting this thing go after this work is done and the interior is fixed up.

  17. #92
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    May 2017
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    Owings, Md
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    1998 328i
    Finally finished getting the carpet out which is a chore in one piece. Pulled the dash, dropped the steering column and pulled the whole hvac out. It looks pretty bad but is no worse than expected. The frame rail is fine, just some lightweight sheet metal to replace. Overall a big job I am looking forward to put behind me.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  18. #93
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    May 2017
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    1998 328i
    I got another evening of work done on the project. The exhaust, driveshaft and fuel tank are out the way and I am almost ready to start cutting away the rest of the rust, cleaning off undercoating and prepping to fabricate the new floor section. So far all of the missing metal has been peeled off by hand. Because this is a convetible, the are a couple of extra sections of metal reinforcements. One section along the inner section of the rocker panel and another across the front edge of the back seat.

    This is a pretty uncommon repair job to take on so I am trying to share what may be of interest to others.

    - - - Updated - - -

    The floor is only 20 gauge.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by gdavid; 02-08-2019 at 11:05 PM.

  19. #94
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    This is an incredible thread ! You da man !

  20. #95
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    May 2017
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    Owings, Md
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    Got some more accomplished today but no new floor yet. The carpet was really nasty, it looked like years of coffee or dip cup spills down either side of the driveshaft tunnel. I scrubbed it all with laundry stain spray and a stiff brush then worked baking soda on into the pile, let it sit then vacuumed it out. It looks much better and should kill the musty smell the car had. Another odd little job was patching up the muffler tips. It has an eBay muffler on it which is a knockoff of something, it is stainless with resonator tips. Not really my cup of tea, the fit is pretty good but I prefer the sound of stock. In any case someone started to cut the tips off but stopped for some reason. I suspect the young man who had the car was going to remove the resonator stuff but got nervous about the cut or realized it wasn't going to work. The cut stood out like a sore thumb so I welded it back up and ground it smooth as I could. It didn't look too bad when I was finished but I am sure it would rust if left alone so I am painting them black with some high temp primer and paint. I haven't might welded in several years so it was a good warm up for the floor work.

    I got the rest of the rust cut out of the floor and started roughing out the new floorboard section. I should have it pretty well stitched up tomorrow.
    Last edited by gdavid; 02-09-2019 at 11:13 PM.

  21. #96
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    May 2017
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    Progress.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  22. #97
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
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    Jackson NJ
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    1997 328i c M trim
    Quote Originally Posted by gdavid View Post
    Progress.
    Nice progress but your camera poc totally sucks - clean the grease off the lens !

    Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
    This car is AWESOME !!!

  23. #98
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    May 2017
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    1998 328i
    Quote Originally Posted by Jacksone30 View Post
    Nice progress but your camera poc totally sucks - clean the grease off the lens !

    Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
    You're right. I was tired and lazy by that point, didn't hold the phone steady. At least I've gotten past the Flintstonemobile.

    - - - Updated - - -

    I should figure out a photo hosting site too to replace the thumbnails.

  24. #99
    Join Date
    May 2017
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    Owings, Md
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    1998 328i
    Almost done with the floor pan repair job. I stitched the convertible specific rocker reinforcement back together as well as the piece that extents across the front of the back bench seat. I still need to tie them into the floor which I'm going to do with the 3m panel bond epoxy. I finished up the passenger side as well, it was a series of small punctures that looks like something was run over but perhaps was rolling under the car, it wasn't a consistent slice. I only welded a couple of patches in there, it was mostly shaping the metal back into place, but welding it and then covering up the area with the 3m panel bond epoxy, using it more as a seam sealer than anything else.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by gdavid; 03-12-2019 at 07:54 PM.

  25. #100
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    1998 328i
    Long time without an update but the floor pan is finally done and the carpet is back in place. Now I need to reinstall the HVAC, dash, console, interior trim, seats, tank, driveshaft and exhaust. No big deal but I have been really lazy and let this project drag on far too long.

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