Colling system refresh - dear diary

[bkirk]

Dear Diary, I plan on posting each day that I work on my Z3 Coupe while performing a cooling system refresh. I will label each day consecutively, although I don't actually work on my cars every day. Being retired, I'm not in a huge hurry and like to do things in chunks, then step back, do some research, then move on to the next step.

Day 1 = 3 hours
I already had the front of the Z3 on jack stands since last week I replaced both front shock and coils. I aligned my two huge drain pans, one under the radiator drain and one under the engine block plug. It wasn't as messy as i expected, but I did use two towels to soak up the splatter that missed the drain pans.

I then set about disconnecting all the radiator and the upper and lower radiator hoses. I will admit that I wasn't expecting the two screws on the top of the radiator that hold the transmission cooling unit. The top two are a piece of cake, the bottom two took an extra minute or two but I suspect they are going to be boogers to get back in. If anyone has any neat tricks on getting these screws back in easily, I am all ears.

Once the radiator and fan shroud were removed, I set removed the fan blades, the fan pulley bolts, and the cracked pulley. For those of you just joining us, I managed to crack the pulley when trying to remove the fan clutch a week or so ago. It would not budge and ultimately when the pulley cracked I decided to leave it intact. Once the pulley pieces were out of the way, I set about removing the four nuts to remove the water pump. My lord that pump sure is a tight fit. I pulled at it for a few minutes before I finally wiggled it out. Thankfully, I had the presence of mind to place multiple layers of cardboard against the transmission cooler, because when that water pump finally came it, it came out fast and hard. Luckily the cardboard protected the tranny cooler from any damage.

Finally, I removed the thermostat, which came out relatively easily. After which I put all my tools away, cleaned up the floor and the drain pans.....don't need my dog deciding that antifreeze smells so good, it must taste good too.

The next step involved removing the airbox, the evaporator tank, and closing in on the throttle body and Disa. So far, I have realized that there are a few extra parts I'm going to need. First I only had three screws holding the air dam in place (needs four in total) and I do not want to reuse the water pump nuts, so these parts are in my Cart at FCP Euro waiting to see what else I'm going to need.

[bkirk]

Day 2 = 3 hours (2 1/2 under the hood - 1/2 hour on RealOEM.com)
Dear Diary, Today was a continued parts removal day. The goal is to get to the intake manifold and get it removed so that I get to the guys of the cooling system refresh and CCV replacement.

I managed to remove the airbox and the coolant expansion tank, as well as all expansion tank hoses. That was fairly simple and fast.

Next came the DISA unit removal - I have a DISA rebuild kit that I am going to use, but frankly the DISA was not in bad shape and when I held my finger over the vacuum port, the flap stayed mostly shut. Behind the DISA are a few other widgets and gadgets that needed disconnected and labeled. Once I had the throttle cable disconnected, and removed the four long throttle body bolts, it came out fairly easy, although it is a bit of a jig saw puzzle to find the right angle to disconnect the electrical harness connector and then find its way out of the vehicle.

Once the throttle body was out, I was able to remove the regulating valve from its grommet (luckily the grommet was included in the FCP Euro cold climate CCV kit. Before I called it a day, I removed the engine cover and will tackle the fuel rail and injectors on my next outing. I bought new o-rings for the injectors and will clean up that area before I start looking for the intake manifold bolts.

As you can see my automotive OCD includes the "while you're at it" syndrome. I figured if I was going to perform open heart surgery on my Z3, I might as well replace as many rubber and expendable components as I could afford.

I want to give a huge shout out to Matt at Cludegecast for his video series on YouTube that covers five videos on this task. Without watching Matt do it on video, I would have never tackled this job myself. They can be found with these links.

E1: Removing the intake manifold of a BMW Z3 https://youtu.be/f0IOeoA--7U

E2: Replacing plastic coolant pipes on a BMW Z3 https://youtu.be/43cKSt1cp-I

E3: BMW Z3 Front Coolant System Rebuild https://youtu.be/lqGXU9DpoEQ

E4: Coolant System Pressure Test on BMW Z3 M52TU https://youtu.be/ZNhuZtBtRqg

E5: Replacing the CCV on a BMW M52TU Engine https://youtu.be/Zc6hbg3IJlc

[MrFixItBuilds]

You totally should start each post with “Dear diary.” Lol


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[bkirk]

You totally should start each post with “Dear diary.” Lol

That's hilarious......I will!

[milamookie]

I subscribed to Matt’s channel as well. Good stuff. I’m in the middle of a cooling system overhaul myself and found his videos useful. Thank god my S52 doesn’t have a plastic main pipe running along the block (mines metal) so it didn’t require the removal of the intake manifold.


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[yinzerinmass]

[QUOTE=bkirk;30444938]

As you can see my automotive OCD includes the "while you're at it" syndrome. I figured if I was going to perform open heart surgery on my Z3, I might as well replace as many rubber and expendable components as I could afford.

I suffer from a similar affliction, and many others here undiagnosed, "automotive hypochondria"

[bkirk]

[QUOTE=yinzerinmass;30445183]

As you can see my automotive OCD includes the "while you're at it" syndrome. I figured if I was going to perform open heart surgery on my Z3, I might as well replace as many rubber and expendable components as I could afford.

I suffer from a similar affliction, and many others here undiagnosed, "automotive hypochondria"

That is a much better term for my affliction. Undiagnosed Automotive Hypocondria...... I like it.... I can't stay here any longer, I have to head to either FCP Euro or ECS Tuning and order more parts.....LOL. But no kidding I do.

[BimmerBreaker]

The term for mechanical hypochondriac is mechanochondriac

[Schreier]

Hi Bkirk, not gonna lie, you got me a little choked up. Thank you for watching Cludgecast. I'm glad they have been helpful.

Excellent work so far. Please continue keep us updated on your progress!

[bkirk]

Dear Diary,

Day 3 - 2 hours, including watching a DISA valve rebuild video
Today was a lazy day so I decided to catch up on a few things for the refresh, but not under the hood. I opened all the boxes from FCP Euro and ECS Tuning and broke them up into the various stages of the project.

I now have a radiator box with upper and lower hoses, water pump, water pump pulley, fan clutch (yes I am going to wear a belt and suspenders in the Texas heat), thermostat, serpentine belts, new fan blades, and both idler pulleys. The radiator is sitting aside in the garage securely wrapped.

The second box has the new expansion tank, tank cap, and hose from radiator to tank, and the quick disconnect hose from the tank.

The third box contains the cleaned up throttle body, and new throttle body gasket, a cleaned up and re-built DISA valve (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fekVrNeShWs), a cleaned up t-shaped regulating valve, the air intake rubber boots and mass air sensor.

I still have two boxes for the CCV and all the hoses associated with it, as well as the coolant line hoses. I chose to buy the cold weather CCV kit, just because.

The lazy two hours including cleaning the grime off the DISA, rubber air intake hoses, etc, as well and slowly rebuilding the DISA so I didn't break anything after watching the video. I have no choice now to make the next step being to remove the fuel rail, injectors, and then the intake manifold itself. As you can tell I am procrastinating a bit as I dread this next phase. More next time on this edition of Deary Diary.

[ThatZ3Guy]

Have fun with that fuel line back against the firewall and be careful with the electric clips on the fuel injectors. A tiny flat head screwdriver will come in handy for those. Looking forward to your progress! Once you get ready to pull the manifold off, it's good to have someone with you to look and make sure you're not snagged on any vacuum lines or wires that you might not be able to see. My manifold was heavier than I was anticipating, given that it's mostly plastic.

Not sure if I told you, but the large nut that supports the manifold on the bottom was super easy to get to by removing the throttle. The Bentley manual told me to go at it from under the car, but that's silly. Four bolts and slide the throttle out and you'll see the nut clear as day.

[bkirk]

Have fun with that fuel line back against the firewall and be careful with the electric clips on the fuel injectors. A tiny flat head screwdriver will come in handy for those. Looking forward to your progress! Once you get ready to pull the manifold off, it's good to have someone with you to look and make sure you're not snagged on any vacuum lines or wires that you might not be able to see. My manifold was heavier than I was anticipating, given that it's mostly plastic.

Not sure if I told you, but the large nut that supports the manifold on the bottom was super easy to get to by removing the throttle. The Bentley manual told me to go at it from under the car, but that's silly. Four bolts and slide the throttle out and you'll see the nut clear as day.

I will go look for the hidden bolt since the throttle body is out. Thanks for the advice on the injectors too, any other warnings are appreciated. As for getting any help when removing the manifold.....I love my wife dearly but when it comes to me, her, cars, and anything mechanical it is like mixing battery acid and napalm and hoping for no bad reaction. I plan on working very slowly when it comes time to remove the manifold. My biggest fear is that I forgot to remove something and as I slowly pull it out, it either breaks or I can't figure out what came off or where it is connected to.

[bkirk]

Have fun with that fuel line back against the firewall and be careful with the electric clips on the fuel injectors. A tiny flat head screwdriver will come in handy for those. Looking forward to your progress! Once you get ready to pull the manifold off, it's good to have someone with you to look and make sure you're not snagged on any vacuum lines or wires that you might not be able to see. My manifold was heavier than I was anticipating, given that it's mostly plastic.

Not sure if I told you, but the large nut that supports the manifold on the bottom was super easy to get to by removing the throttle. The Bentley manual told me to go at it from under the car, but that's silly. Four bolts and slide the throttle out and you'll see the nut clear as day.

Hey, I see the bolt for the manifold and you are correct, without the throttle body in the way, that bolt will be super easy. One more question though, did you remove the dipstick? I pre-purchased the dipstick o-ring, but read of someones horror story pulling it out. But it looks like it would be in the way of pulling the manifold and I don't want to break or bend it.

[bkirk]

Well I just made two mistakes.

The first was to go back out to the garage before dinner to work “for a little bit more”.

The second mistake was made while disconnecting the electrical rail that feeds the fuel injectors. As I removed the electrical connector at the front of the engine, I carefully pried up the clip and then while removing the plug, the clip dropped under the manifold, not to be seen or easily retrieved. I can only hope that once the manifold is removed it can be found........

It appears I need to go study the manual and videos, because I don’t see the obvious way to disconnect the fuel rail from the injectors, or the individual electrical connectors from the injectors. Back to my research.....


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[BimmerBreaker]

Remove the clips and the two 10mms and the fuel injector harness will pop right off. I slide the clips off the side using a small flathead usually

[ThatZ3Guy]

Hey, I see the bolt for the manifold and you are correct, without the throttle body in the way, that bolt will be super easy. One more question though, did you remove the dipstick? I pre-purchased the dipstick o-ring, but read of someones horror story pulling it out. But it looks like it would be in the way of pulling the manifold and I don't want to break or bend it.

I did not remove the dipstick

Well I just made two mistakes.

The first was to go back out to the garage before dinner to work “for a little bit more”.

The second mistake was made while disconnecting the electrical rail that feeds the fuel injectors. As I removed the electrical connector at the front of the engine, I carefully pried up the clip and then while removing the plug, the clip dropped under the manifold, not to be seen or easily retrieved. I can only hope that once the manifold is removed it can be found........

It appears I need to go study the manual and videos, because I don’t see the obvious way to disconnect the fuel rail from the injectors, or the individual electrical connectors from the injectors. Back to my research.....


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I used my little screwdriver to just pry off one side of the silver clips on those connections. No need to completely remove them, and this way they won't get lost. There are a lot of little cavities under the manifold for it to fall, I'm sure you'll find it later. This will sound silly, but I'm guilty of doing this on other projects...don't forget to look for it later on! I'm hoping you unclipped all 6 silver retainer clips before you tried to remove the whole deal.

Remove the clips and the two 10mms and the fuel injector harness will pop right off. I slide the clips off the side using a small flathead usually

What he said ^

[bkirk]

When the front clip slipped off, I looked for it for a few minutes....cried, then quit. LOL

I will loosen each clip on its side as you suggest and see if I can get the electrical connector off.


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[ThatZ3Guy]

When the front clip slipped off, I looked for it for a few minutes....cried, then quit. LOL

I will loosen each clip on its side as you suggest and see if I can get the electrical connector off.


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Yeah, take your screwdriver and pop one side of each clip off and slide it halfway down the side of the clip. There is a small notch in the plastic that the end of the metal clip will snap into. That will hold the metal clip in place while you get all 6 connections disconnected. Hard to describe without a photo but that's the best I can do

[bkirk]

Yeah, take your screwdriver and pop one side of each clip off and slide it halfway down the side of the clip. There is a small notch in the plastic that the end of the metal clip will snap into. That will hold the metal clip in place while you get all 6 connections disconnected. Hard to describe without a photo but that's the best I can do

Thanks everyone for the advice. After reading your comments and watching a quick video of someone removing the electric connector and fuel rail, it all makes sense now. I'm used to working on an older Jeep, where there is plenty of room to get at things. This is a bit like working on a Swiss watch. I know what needs to be done, its just figuring out the proper technique on our highly engineered cars.

[ThatZ3Guy]

It's all a learning experience!

[IndianaRoadster]

It's all a learning experience!

I agree with that and I find it very enjoyable being on a fourm with a group of knowledgeable guys that are willing to help each other out. Washington DC politicians could learn a lot from this fourm!

[bkirk]

Dear Diary,

Day 4 - 2 1/2 hours including a few swear words
Well, I just got done giving my Z3 a lap dance, or at least that's what it felt like laying across the top of the engine to get to every damn nut, bolt, connector, hose, and thingamajig that was attached to the intake manifold. It's gonna be a miracle if I get everything connected back the way it was.........

I started my day by finding the clips that everyone so kindly pointed out to me on the injectors. Using a small flat blade screwdriver, I was able to loosen the first five injector connectors in two minutes. The last damn one closest to the firewall took fifteen minutes. I just could not get it to stay on the side. I swore if I heard "click" (the sound it made when in jumped back into the locked position) I was going to scream!!! Finally, I got it and the electrical rail off and moved to the side. Then I easily removed all the injector clips and got the fuel rail off. Although before I removed the rail, I went to the relief valve (Schrader) to relieve the fuel pressure......holy crap there was a lot of gas, far more than I was expecting. Since I had changed the fuel filter two weeks ago, the car hadn't been started, so I assumed most of the pressure was out of the system. BUZZZZ wrong again Bob, now the garage smells like gasoline and the spousal unit is not happy with me.

At that point, I decide to try to move the fuel rail to the side rather than have the pleasure of attempting to get to the quick disconnects behind the manifold. What the hell was BMW thinking!!! Could they not have raised the cost of the car $1.50 and added a few more inches of fuel line!!! Now with the manifold removed (read further) I can easily disconnect the fuel rail for cleaning, but I'm scratching my head wondering if its even possible to leave it detached when the manifold is reinstalled and try to connect it behind the manifold and firewall. Any other thoughts from the peanut gallery??

Now some good news, after pulling the manifold off, that damn clip from the injector electrical rail that I lost yesterday was sitting right there easy to pick up. Now the bad news, some how I managed to drop one nut from the intake manifold. Of course it was the last nut back by the firewall. I heard it clank and slide, but despite looking for it for several minutes (including the floor) it was not to be located (just yet). I also managed to drop a flashlight and several sockets while performing this act of magic (removing the manifold). As a result, I am going to attach a picture of my award winning tool of the day below. Want to guess what it is?

Because I am also replacing the CCV and all the coolant hoses, any hose that was not coming off easily got cut to speed the removal time. Let's just say I cut a few hoses today...... Now the work is going to shift for a bit to cleanup of both the engine block and then the manifold itself. To be honest, while I have done a ton of automotive work on various cars over the year, removing the intake manifold on a BMW was a first. How should the intake ports to the cylinders look? They are not squeaky clean. What should I use to clean the opening if anything? Normally I would only wipe the mating surface to the manifold.

Here are some pics for your viewing pleasure.

IMG_1163.jpgIMG_1164.jpg

And now My Tool of the Day - a telescoping magnetic retriever. Had I known how valuable this tool is, I would have paid more than $4.99 at Harbor Freight.

IMG_1165.jpg

[bkirk]

Recall my automotive OCD..... or mechanochondria Should I replace the injectors? If not, how should I clean them. I don't know if they are original, but with 45k miles, I suspect so. What has anyone else done? I've used re-built ones in the past on other vehicles/

[White Z]

I'm finding your daily posts interesting and amusing. I dont know if you remember when i first answered one of your posts about this project about a month ago. Yes, the magnet will become one of the most important tools you'll need as screws, bolts and nuts are always dropping. I did put a very tiny amount of grease on my sockets when putting in bolts that were in hard to reach areas so they wouldn't slip out and go into the abyss. One thing I did notice at looking at your pictures was how much cleaner your area was after removing the intake. Mine looked like someone had been eating dinner in there for years.
Back to your question now. I believe you are going to get MANY different opinions on the injection question. A fuel injector should last a very, very long time. As long as you change your fuel filter regularly and use a quality gasoline. While driving your car did you ever notice anything that would indicate one might be bad? When I did the coolant refresh last month I took each one and wiped them down with a brake cleaner spray and let them dry thoroughly before putting them back. I also replaced the upper and lower o-rings.
I tried to stop looking for things to replace just because I wanted to do it. My wife and friends were right. They said, "This is just your weekend run around have fun toy, go enjoy it ". They were right! Unless your car is going to be a show car. I always let my OCD get the best of me and the new owner always gets to enjoy it.
I've had the car out (still have stay at home in effect here) for a couple of drives and it runs like new. I did put the clutch fan back in and the temp needle runs just slightly below half way. Hopefully I answered your question a out the injectors.

[bkirk]

I'm finding your daily posts interesting and amusing. I dont know if you remember when i first answered one of your posts about this project about a month ago. Yes, the magnet will become one of the most important tools you'll need as screws, bolts and nuts are always dropping. I did put a very tiny amount of grease on my sockets when putting in bolts that were in hard to reach areas so they wouldn't slip out and go into the abyss. One thing I did notice at looking at your pictures was how much cleaner your area was after removing the intake. Mine looked like someone had been eating dinner in there for years.
Back to your question now. I believe you are going to get MANY different opinions on the injection question. A fuel injector should last a very, very long time. As long as you change your fuel filter regularly and use a quality gasoline. While driving your car did you ever notice anything that would indicate one might be bad? When I did the coolant refresh last month I took each one and wiped them down with a brake cleaner spray and let them dry thoroughly before putting them back. I also replaced the upper and lower o-rings.
I tried to stop looking for things to replace just because I wanted to do it. My wife and friends were right. They said, "This is just your weekend run around have fun toy, go enjoy it ". They were right! Unless your car is going to be a show car. I always let my OCD get the best of me and the new owner always gets to enjoy it.
I've had the car out (still have stay at home in effect here) for a couple of drives and it runs like new. I did put the clutch fan back in and the temp needle runs just slightly below half way. Hopefully I answered your question a out the injectors.

I do recall your reply. I was reading and inquiring everywhere I could about this project before I decided to undertake it. Now as they say, I am fully pregnant and need to carry this project to term...... A bit about the car, I only purchased it in January. It is a beauty that was really cared for by the previous owner, but at 45k miles I don't think its had any serious servicing, just the usual oil change. Although the rotors had been replaced, along with the rear shocks. As for the injectors, they are most likely original. I did purchase the o-rings for the injectors and will clean them up and re-use them. Getting to the injectors for possible future replacement is not as scary as the coolant refresh project itself, that's for sure.

I'm finding that I have a chronic disease, other than my automotive OCD. The disease is called FIPRS (pronounced fipers - like wipers). The good news for FIPRS sufferers is that it is not fatal, although there are known cases of a spouse needing to make the tough call to pull the plug on advanced stage victims. The bad news is that the disease has very expensive treatment costs that are not covered by any insurance policy. Unlike many other diseases, I am not aware of a fund to support advanced stage victims like the more prominent and silent killer RLS (Restless Leg Syndrome), most of us suffer in silence (and poverty). In case any of you also have FIPRS, I'd like to suggest we have a telethon to raise money for those of us with Forum Induced Parts Replacement Syndrome. We need a celebrity, like say Weird Al Yankovic ,to go on TV and solicit donations to support those of us with this affliction, we could all be called Al's Kids.

While you have spared me from spending several hundred dollars on unnecessary fuel injectors, where were you when my Stage IV FIPRS caused me to rip out my sagging glove box, or when I got my seat rails jammed installing the kit to raise the seat up in the front one inch, or when I replaced the perfectly good front shocks because they didn't match the replaced rear shocks, or when I cracked my water pump pulley trying to remove the fan clutch so that I could run my car without a fan and clutch like all the cool guys do!!! Please save me from FIPRS and support my call for Weird Al to raise more money for those of us in need. Who else is going to pay to replace my rear springs, since they are the only old suspension part and who else is going to stop me from reading another forum post that will encourage me to repair or replace something that isn't broken??????