Control arms

Yesterday afternoon I replaced the driver side control arm and bushing. Took around 3 to 4 hours. There is not a lot of room to work in there and being the first time it took some figuring out. Of course I did have to run to the store to get a fork to knock the ball joint out so that counted for a little bit of time. Today I replaced the passenger side in half the time. I pretty much knew all the tricks now and it was a plus that the middle ball joint on the control arm has more room to work with on the nut. The driver side has A/C lines in the way. Oh, even though these are 22mm nuts, a 7/8" wrench works just fine in there.

I also replaced the bushings with urethane ones, getting the old ones out didn't take too much since I had a saws-all, made a couple of cuts in the old bushing metal ring and a few blows with a hammer and it was out. The urethane one can be a pain to get in, but if you have a old rotor laying around it is the perfect size to put the mount on there and knock the bushing in.

Now that the brakes and the controls arms are done its almost like a new car. The handling is much tighter and braking is great. Can't wait to see what it will do tomorrow.

Replaced rear brakes

Last week I got the new brakes for the rear on the 325. Today I had a chance to put them on. The driver side was easy once I got the little things figured out. I did smash a finger, but it only hurts a little right now. I replaced the rotors and the pads. The rotors were probably the originals. The passenger side rotor was a little tough, actually not really since it broke. Picture later. The thing was stuck on there really good, so I tried using a hub puller. It ended up bending the rotor until it snapped. The thing still wouldn't work so then I tried the tire method. This is where you put the tire back on the car and try to wobble it loose. Nothing. So then it was to the old heat method. Got out my trusty propane torch and heated the disc around the hub for a good 5 minutes. Although with some well placed knocks from a hammer in between the stud holes and a little later one good whack on the back of the rotor and it came off.

Got everything back together and took it for a drive. The difference in the brakes is amazing. Now I can't wait until the front rotors arrive tomorrow along with the new control arms, and urethane bushings.

325 oil service reset

As I am working through things on the 325 I came across the oil service gauge on the cluster. I changed the oil on Sunday night (it really needed it), but the gauge still showed that it was bad. There is a tool that cost about $70 that will reset it, or you can go to a shop and they'll do it for $25 or more. Or as I found on one website you can easily reset it yourself in a few minutes. Actually seconds. Tools required - a paper clip or piece of wire. I have copper wire laying around from having to run wiring in the 02 so I took a small piece, striped the ends of it and went out to the car. The procedure is this, put the ignition into position II (just before start) so that the dash lights come on. Pop the hood and go to the front of the car, open hood. Look to the passenger side of the engine bay and right behind the left strut tower there is a circle thing. Unscrew the cap and look for pin 7 and 19. They are labeled. Stick one end of the wire or metal piece in 7 and then the other end in 19. Hold it there for about 4 to 5 seconds. It took me a couple of times. Don't go too long though. Once the time as elapsed pull out the wire. Now go check the dash, you should see all green on the oil indicator.

Not done yet

I'll be picking up the 325 tonight, just in time for some really hot weather to come in. Since I'll be able to drive and work on it at the same time I'll be able to dig into somethings the 02 needs. I saw the comments from other posts and thank you for the advice. I'll be pulling the transmission off to check the main rear seal and the clutch. The transmission also needs the selector shaft seal replaced and some linkage issues fixed. I'll also replace the guibo at that time.

I took the 02 in last week to get an inspection. In Missouri you need a safety inspection every time you renew the license plates. Well, it failed. I have to replace brake pads on the front left, probably both. The brake lines were custom jobs and I forgot the brackets for them. I have to redo that and hopefully get it bled right too. The back brake lines need fixing also which mean I need to run longer metal lines so they can go through the control arm. Also the center linkage needs replacing and they recommended the tierods also get replaced. Since I'll need that done I might as well replace the idler arm bushing at the same time since I already have them and it will be apart. The good thing is there is no hurry. But this will give me experience for the next time I get it an 02. I think I need a countdown clock.

I'll be inventorying my parts too so I know what I have. Right now I plan on selling the 02 and all parts for around $3000.

Good-bye 02, hello 325

A couple of weeks ago it became apparent that we needed a new car that had A/C and seats 5. Because of my involvement with Boy Scouts (Scout Master) I from time to time need to take our Trailblazer on camp outs to tow the scout trailer. When I do this, my wife needs a car to be able to take the kids places and run to the store if she has too. She would not be able to do this in the 02 since it a manual and has a slipping clutch and no A/C. Plus the 02 can't be driven long distances. So I made the decision that the 02 needed to be replaced. So the search began and this week I found the replacement car. A 1995 BMW 325i black on black leather with sport package. It does need new brake pads all round and new rear disc and front outer ball joints. But for only $3500 it is a good deal. The best part is it is an automatic which will make it easier for my wife to drive. I pick it up tomorrow evening. For now here is a picture from Tuesday.

More troubleshooting

Well, I finally got some new plug wires and I think this should help. I found that the ones on the car had corroded  to the point that the wire wasn't making connections on all of them. I also think the fuel pump isn't doing enough at the higher RPMs, so I'm going to rehook up the electrical one in the trunk to give it just a bit more.

Gas filter

So I think I finally got it. I removed my trunk filter that I put on when I first got the car running so that anything in the tank wouldn't go into the electric fuel pump. After removing the pump I left it there. I replaced the one in the engine compartment and after getting a mouth full of gas from a hose that I tucked next to the carb and came loose flinging gas into my mouth. Anyway the filter had bits of stuff in it and was nasty. After getting the new one on there and it taking forever for it to start, I finally got it going and took it out for a quick spin. It rev'd to 4000 with no problem. Clutch still slipped of course, but it feels more powerful now.

Which reminds me, on Thursday evening I finally took it on the highway at 65 mph for a 10 minute trip. The driveshaft held and it ran okay. It should do better now.

Another thing I did the on Thursday was to replace the brake booster hose that goes from the valve thing to the manifold. The one was dirty and too short. When I got it off I also noticed a small hole. With the new one on there the brakes are much more responsive.

what to do?

So, I'm still tweaking it. After getting the #2 plug cleaned up and adjusting the valves it wouldn't want to go over 3000 without missing, or maybe it was knocking. I ran some seafoam into the vacuum line and it seemed to help a tad, I think the carbon built up in there causing it to burn the fuel at the wrong time. On Friday I adjusted it so that the idle mixture screw is way in and readjusted the timing by ear. It is still off, but it runs. But the clutch is getting worse I think and don't have the time or money to do anything about it right now. Of course I do have a spare clutch and pressure plate, problem is I need the car to get to work and my wife needs the Trailblazer. The summer is already busy enough. Not only does the clutch plate need replaced, but so does the shifter linkage, the seal for the shifter and possibly the main rear seal.

Sometimes I wish I had a new car that didn't have problems and I didn't have to worry about this. AC would be nice too. But, I don't and it will be at least 3 years before we buy another one. So the 02 will have to make it and I'll have to find the time to tear it apart again.

Tuning Update

Over last weekend I tore into the car a bit. I was tired of the rough running, wobbly engine and the sucky 19 mpg that I had been getting. First step was to see if I could get the car to start easier and take care of the surging problem when I know the timing is right. So off comes the top of the carb (Weber 32/36 DGAV) and I get down to the float, apparently this thing can cause all sorts of issues if it isn't set right. Well, mine was set around 30mm, should be 41mm. So I got that set correctly. Just had to bend the floats down a bit. I put the top piece back in place and then went for the choke. I'm pretty sure it had never worked properly. I started by lining up the marks on the choke and the carb and then tweaking it to where it actually closed the flaps at the right spot. Then I adjusted the screw to stop the linkage at the right spot for high idle, it was backed out to where it wasn't even touching before.

The next day after letting the engine cool over night I pulled the plugs and the valve cover. #2 plug was fouled, that explained the rough running miss firing engine. But why? I put the car in fifth gear and starting rolling it to adjust each of the valves to .006. When I got to #2 intake, there was no gap, when I loosened the nut it actually came up some. I think it was too tight, not letting it close all the way. With all of them set, I cleaned up the plugs, put them back in and went for the timing.

First I put the carb to the proper setting than got the timing set to the "dot" on the flywheel. My car is one of those that doesn't have the marks on the pulley. Then I set the carb to where it was running smooth and sounded good. Took it out for a drive and was very pleased by how much smoother it was. Lacked power though.

On Monday I tweaked the timing a little to bring the power up and haven't touch anything sense. It has been great. My biggest issue with it now is getting the high idle to set when it is cold.

The next thing I need to work on is the transmission. It still leaks, hopefully a seal for the shifter will fix that. Also the clutch is slipping, luckily I have a new one, just need the time to tear it apart. Also the right front brake is squeaking. Probably need better pads up there.

Even more tweaking

Yesterday I messed with the timing and the idle mixture to try to smooth out the engine. After trying one way after lunch and it running worse on the way back to work,  I decided to go even farther clockwise on the distributor when I was almost to work. I also put the idle mixture screw farther in. The result is a smoother running engine, nice power, and higher revving (got it over 5000 RPM this morning). Plus no bucking when not on the gas. It still likes to back fire out the carb before it is warmed up. Before adjusting the idle speed screw this morning on the way to work, it was idling around 400 RPM, now I have it around 900 RPM. The next thing to see with these settings is what will the MPG be.

A few things that I know need to be fixed are an oil leak near the oil filter (but not the oil filter gasket), a coolant leak, probably from the intake manifold to water pump hose and a leaky transmission, hopefully from the selector shaft seal.

New wheels and more tweaking

I had to rotate the tires on the 02 today and while I was at it I decided to try on the wheels my older brother gave me. Well, they fit and I think the ride is actually better with them. They definitely look better than the stock ones.

I've also done some more tweaking on the engine. I backed out the idle mixture screw some because it was still running a tad rough. I tried about 1/4 turn at first which improved it, but I did another 1/2 the next day just to see and it was a ton better. Surprisingly the idle speed lowered to about 400 RPM. I didn't think that was possible in an 02. There was some jerking though when lifting off the gas so I tweaked the timing a little clockwise (I can't remember if that is advance or retard). This smoothed out the engine more and then I brought the idle speed up to about 700. Can't wait to see how it goes tomorrow.

20 mpg

I've finally got the 02 up to 20 miles per gallon. I think that having to idle less because of the cold is helping, but also I believe it is just running better. I'll be putting in a new cap and rotor today to try to smooth it out some more and that will hopefully improve the mileage even more.

Dirty plug

So my 02 has been running a little rough for the past few weeks. At low RPMs the engine would wobble and shake the whole car. Last night I took out the spark plugs to inspect them and regap them to a small gap. I did have them at about .035 and regapped them to .028. Also most of the plugs looked fine, but #2 had a bunch of carbon build up that I had to clean off. These were new plugs, less than 500 miles. It seems odd that it would do that.

Anyway, after taking care of that and adjusting the timing at lunch today it is running so much better and much less engine wobble.

I'm thinking about connecting the breather hose to the carb. The fumes that it lets off are dizzying at times. Plus when I am stopped sometimes it looks like the 02 has a major issue with smoke coming out of the hood vents. The good thing is that it really isn't loosing much oil anymore with the longer hose.

Engine wobble

So my 02 developed an engine shake or wobble that was getting really annoying. I wasn't sure what it was. I thought maybe timing, maybe a misfire. Someone else had the problem and it turned out to be low voltage and a better alternator fixed it. I'd like a new one, but there are things that are more important now. I adjusting the timing and it fixed it somewhat, but it really helped with the jerking feeling when cruising along. But what I think really helped it was oil. I was dangerously low because it was all blowing out the breather filter, making a mess too. I extended the hose to 2 feet and put the filter on the end. It has done so much more than reduce the engine wobble. The throttle response is better and it feels like it has more power. Picture to come later.

I need to do a front end alignment really soon. The front tires are wearing the insides down and if I don't do something soon the tires will be toast.

5000 miles

Since getting my 02 together a couple of years ago and finally getting it back on the road this last year after the 5 speed upgrade my 2002 has hit 5000 miles. It was actually a pretty good drive into work this morning. Hit 4000 RPM in second and third with little effort, then I realized I was doing 50 in a 40. But I had to show off, there was a 1 series sitting at the intersection that I had to show up. :)

On Monday the clunking noise came back and after messing with the car for hours (couldn't get the lug nuts off the left rear) I finally found that the diff bolts were just loose enough to get it out of alignment just a bit to cause the inner CV joint to bind. Once that was taken care of the clunking was gone. I also adjusted the e-brake so it was more effective and adjusted the rear brake pad adjusters so that the brakes weren't dragging, right rear was a little.

On Tuesday I noticed that it was jerking a little when off the gas cruising. Normally this is a timing issue. So I started timing it and got it to were it sounded good. Then decided to lean it a little more and noticed that a vacuum cap was missing on the carb. Replaced it and it immediately sounded and ran better.

On Saturday I was able to adjust the valves which quieted the engine noise down. It also allowed it to start much easier. The rear seat belts are installed and the new clutch master cylinder is on the way. Luckily the current one isn't leaking a ton, its just enough to make it soft and drip fluid.

Until I find the keys for my other doors I can't put them on, no idea what happened to them. As for the shift linkage, I'll replace it when the clutch master comes in and I can do all that at the same time.

67

After running the timing with it spot on the "ball" I found that I had to change it. Start-ups were harder and the low end had stalling issues. Power was good above 2000 RPM, but with the other issues I had to change it. So I tweaked the timing a little counter clockwise (advancing it). This improved the start ups and low end issues plus didn't take away on the power. So since everything seems to be going good with it right now I decided to try another speed run. I managed to run it almost to 70 while following some other cars, but the good thing is that it could have done more. The biggest thing is that there was no vibration from the driveshaft that I could tell, although the steering wheel had a little, but I think this is because I need an alignment.

Tomorrow I'll be tearing into the car to do some much needed maintenance tasks. Rear seat belts will be one of the first things on the list. I need to adjust the rear brakes and e-brake. The shift linkage will get some new pieces also. If time permits I'll adjust the hood and maybe replace the doors. Oh and a valve adjustment.

Sweet spot

I got the timing light out last night to finely tune the 02. Got it to where the "ball" was steady in the opening and took it around the block. It felt good. This morning it was a little hesitant until it warmed up. But once warm the throttle response was great. I think I also found the valve tick issue. Sounds like it is coming from cylinder 3 intake side. So sometime this week I'll have to get in there and take care of that to quite the engine a little.

Loose CV bolts and retiming again....

This last week my 02 starting making a terrible clanking noise from the rear end. It started on my way back to work after lunch so I had no clean garage to check it out. I first stopped at Lowes and couldn't see anything. Then about half mile away stopped at a Chevy dealer. This time I noticed the bolt on the left outer CV joint was coming out. I did my best to put it in by hand, but could only go so far. I went to ask if I could borrow an allen wrench, but was denied for 2 reasons. The techs don't loan out their tools and they only had standard sizes. So using the trunk boards as a barrier between me and the wet ground I got under there the best I could to try to get it a little farther in. I knew we had some allen wrenches at work so the next thing I did was drive it slowly to work hoping nothing would break. After work I was able to get the bolt all the way in and found at least 2 others that were loose also.

With those in I figured I'd better get home. The clanking was still there though. I couldn't believe it. My next thought was, oh crap, my diff is going. I made it home and was able to check it out that night. Making sure to tighten all the bolts and double check the diff bolts and the driveshaft. Everything seemed okay. I took it around the block and the clanking was gone. So far, it has not returned. My guess is that the exhaust had come loose because of the tranny bracket and it was causing it to hit on something in the rear end, probably the inner CV joint. I did find on Friday that the rear exhaust hanger had also come off lowering the exhaust there also, so this was most likely the cause.

On Thursday I had a little time before work to see what I could do about the timing. I hadn't reset it since the new spark plugs. It felt a little off, like I had to get it to much gas pedal to really get it going. So I tweaked it until it sounded like it was better. It was. Now it revs much easier and faster with less pedal travel. I actually pushed it over 4000 RPM in 1st, 2nd and 3rd with ease.

There is still a little engine noise I'd like to take care of, so I'll be working on the valves again to make sure there isn't too much play in them. It could also be the timing chain making the noise. I also need to replace the guibo with a good one and some shifter linkage and find the low RPM squeaking.

02 is running Great

Since completing the spark plug replacement and oil change and a couple of other needed repairs the 02 has been running great. Also for some reason the front right turn signal is working like it should now. Just out of the blue it started working normally. The last time it did was almost 3 years ago. Also found out that my LED taillights weren't working good. One was dead and the other only had one LED working. I replaced both with regular 1157 bulbs and was amazed by the brightness. When I first started on this project I cleaned and repainted the taillights with chrome paint to increase the reflectivity. It definitely helped. Now I just need to make sure the bulbs stay seated correctly, going over bumps causes the left one to go out.

The 02 is definitely up on power, but gas mileage will suffer since I have to let it warm up before driving in these temps. Good thing it stays in the garage at night. Oh, it also starts much easier now too.

Running great

Last week I had some issues with the 02. The oil was foaming and it started running really rough by Thursday, even though the day before it had been running great. Well, it is now back to running great. The foaming was caused by not driving it enough. My trip to work only takes about 15 minutes normally depending on traffic lights. Apparently when it is dang cold (tomorrow it will be 0) the 02 needs to run a little longer for the oil to heat up properly to burn on condensation. Plus I was running 20W50 which is to heavy for these temps we are having. So I changed the oil to 10W40 Valvoline High Mileage sythentic blend. Also last week I had tweaked the spark plugs to .040 because of my setup I thought it could handle it. Well, it started running really rough and I thought that it had to be the plugs. So those got changed too. And I found out I had the wrong ones in before anyway. I had the BPR6ES not the BP6ES from NGK. I set these to .035. Also I found that probably when starting the car Thursday morning I must have blown a vacuum cap from one of the nipples on the intake manifold causing the rough running. After replacing it and rerouting the fuel line from the firewall to the fuel pump I took it out for a spin (after letting it warm up).

Wow! It hasn't felt that alive since I first got it running almost 3 years ago. Actually it feels even better than then. Now I can't wait for the snow to be gone so I can really see how it goes. I but I could hit 65 easy now.