No damage to the wheel fortunately, and I had a nice wide shoulder so while it sucks that it happened, I was fortunate it happened where it did. And yeah, really thankful for the full size spare. I've owned a few newer cars that don't have a spare at all and just come with one of those tire sealer kits...would have been useless in this scenario.
Amazingly the Michelin was still holding air!
Past: '99 Hellrot/Dove M3 | '97 S14 1JZ | '06 Triumph Daytona 675 | '01 330I M-Tech I | '99 Silvia S15 | Current: '96 Estoril/Black M3
Last edited by sirhodjibob; 09-24-2022 at 10:40 AM.
Brought the car to RevTech in Sterling to get a baseline dyno graph before installing all the modifications I've been hoarding. Great group of guys and one of the shop owners has an S50 swapped 318ti.
They use a Mustang dyno which can by stingy but I still can't help but feel a little disappointed. The car put down 181hp/199tq and the graph got a bit rough above 5300RPM. The dyno operater had a couple theories, including the car maybe just not liking the dyno, but it was in his words consistent with what other E36 M3s have put down on the same dyno. The plugs have about 15k miles on them, pretty fresh coil packs, and had a full tank of Shell 93. Vanos and all engine sensors except coolant temp are untouched (as far as I know). Tried 1 pull in 5th gear before settling on 4th.
Nevertheless, a baseline is what I am after, so it will be interesting see how much of an improvement the upcoming maintenance and modifications will make.
Got to love the induction noise from the Dinan intake:
Last edited by sirhodjibob; 09-29-2022 at 02:35 PM.
Any idea what the shop owners s50 is making? Should be similar output as yours if anything
220whp...but has bottom end work (not sure what specifically)
Hm, that seems low. We had my stroker S52 E36 on a Mustang Dyno last year and it put down 297rwhp.. Maybe the correction method or how tight they strap the car makes a large difference?
At least you have a baseline. I'm curious to see how your car does with a proper tune.
Ordered a compression test kit...better safe than sorry
Cylinder 1 - 150
Cylinder 2 - 148
Cylinder 3 - 150
Cylinder 4 - 150
Cylinder 5 - 145
Cylinder 6 - 150
Was the test performed cold or hot?
That looks very consistent throughout (which is a great sign)
Per the service manual:
Compression Pressure
- Minimum - 10-11bar (142-156psi)
- Maximum difference between cylinders - 0.5bar (7 psi)
All the numbers look consistent so I would say you are in good shape.
Test was done warm, 8 full cranks on each one...Agreed, a good sign and the plugs looked good as well. As it should be though, the car doesn't smoke, runs smoothly, and only burns a quart or so between oil changes...but good to verify after that dyno test and before pulling the head off and throwing a bunch of new parts at it.
No going back now. Should be dropping off the head at Tyson's Machine Shop in Sterling on Wednesday to get refinished. Any tips on cleaning the top of the pistons?
Will be removing the cams before dropping off:
Next part will be pulling the timing cover off to replace the guides and main chain. Thinking I'll get the cover, oil filter housing, and a few other bits vapor honed will they are out.
Good luck! This scope of work is likely in my future so I look forward to seeing how it goes. For the pistons, a good solvent like diesel fuel and a scotch brite pad should do the job. Could substitute with gas, mineral spirits, or perhaps wd-40. As always, less is more.
Your thread is motivating me to get this done. Once the head is back on I will be dropping the front subframe and oil pan too. Then hopefully done for a long long time.
Edit: nvm forgot I still have to do the interior LOL
WD 40 and plastic pry tool set from Harbor Freight. Use of a stainless steel wire brush also helps too. Don't worry too much about the shit that will come off down the sides. You can blow it out with compressed air and then rotate the crank and wipe off the cyl walls with the piston on the down stroke. I finish mine off with an Adam's micro polisher and compound.
Complete album here: https://ibb.co/album/pj3MyG
Maybe this will help
Last edited by Braymond141; 10-31-2022 at 02:33 PM.
^^^ Wowowowow!
Please be mindful of the valves that are open with the camshaft still installed.
I mean that car is impressive but I was most impressed seeing the engine in situ with the head off and the front subframe missing...was confused till I saw the rest of the album
Not obvious in the picture but the ends of the head are sitting on top of some extra QuickJack blocks so the valves aren't touching the ground (though they will be getting replaced)
It's a shame to put it all back together - that's amazingly clean.
Brett, how does a motor drive after it's had that done to it? I mean, I AM curious what the inevitable upgrades add, but I wouldn't expect cleaning alone to add much from a power perspective. But I'd expect it to feel - and maybe sound - different after having that done to it.
There’s no real butt dyno difference. You are effectively restoring stock like compression (less wear leakages) and cylinder fill though… for whatever that is worth. I mainly do it just because it offers me satisfaction.
Has this head been checked for cracks, and if yes what method did you use?
Looks like cracks cyl 3 spark plug hole to rear intake valve seat
Last edited by samy01; 11-04-2022 at 12:16 AM.
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