[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by jsunma

Yeah, that's me, one of 2 in the pre-LCI ZSP A35/LCB8 combination. I have no idea whether the other one had aluminum trim or not...so I may be 1 of 1.

All of this talk of rarity makes me guilty for having my unicorn at the moment totally encrusted with salt from a tri-state work trip/dash earlier in the week. But, it's about 11 degrees out right now.....

Enjoy!

Send that car to sunny Southern California!!!

Actually, IMO the best environs for cars is the PNW. They don't salt the roads, and it's not sunny. So no corrosion and no sun damage!

[Tambohamilton]

This is awesome, for me. Another thread watching an e91 getting looked after. Move over, M539...

[StradaRedlands]

Are you not entertained!?!?!?

It was a whirlwind of a day today, from pretty much dawn to dark!!! I started a few of these jobs over the last few days, but I wrapped them all up today. The parts from FCP were supposed to arrive yesterday, but showed up mid-afternoon today. That set me back a little on the OFHG job, so instead I focused on the smaller issues I wanted to get finished!

Starting with some little things like the smoked side markers which I feel are mandatory on a black car:


And getting the alarm installed and coded. I had one from an X1 waiting for just this occasion!!! Finished installed LED bulbs while I was there.





I buttoned up the front bumper after R&R the drivers side light. The stepper motor for the light was out, so Stradson grabbed one from the wrecker and helped me get it in. Maybe if you all ask nicely he can tell that story... it is a good one!





Finally I jumped into the OFHG, MMF, and belt/tensioner/pulley job. It was uneventful! I was giving it 50/50 that the radiator would crack, but I was careful with the upper hose and just cleaned the housing in situ. I didn't do a good job cleaning the front of the block, but it's good enough. Old gasket was pancaked but not the worst I've seen.



MMF was about what you would expect at 19 years old.



All back together and running fine after a long start (PO says crank position sensor?)



Finished in the dark and got to double check the lighting... all is good!





Aiming for a proper bathing tomorrow morning, maybe some sexy photos to follow!!!

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by Tambohamilton

This is awesome, for me. Another thread watching an e91 getting looked after. Move over, M539...

Couldn’t have said it better. Cheers to the revival!

[Missouri Guy]

Originally Posted by StradaRedlands

Are you not entertained!?!?!?

I am very entertained, more, more, more!

[jsunma]

Originally Posted by StradaRedlands

Actually, IMO the best environs for cars is the PNW. They don't salt the roads, and it's not sunny. So no corrosion and no sun damage!

Yes, but what does happen out there is that the cars actually grow moss on exterior surfaces.

As Roseanne Roseannadanna said, if it's not one thing, it's another....

[jsunma]

Originally Posted by StradaRedlands

MMF was about what you would expect at 19 years old.

Just amazing to me that someone hadn't managed to replace that after 19 years.

But this is a reminder that those of us who populate these forums are but a tiny, insignificant, percentage of the owners of these cars (or any cars for that matter). The vast majority of owners simply take their cars in for dealer service and then get rid of them. Subsequent owners struggle along with rando mechanics until the car either fails (for something that many of us could have addressed either proactively or when it happened) or they just get sick of it (like the junkyard find you posted in another recent thread).

How many rare and saveable cars have suffered this fate?

Who really cares in the real world?

Fortunately, this is a place where those who do care can find community.

[StradaRedlands]

Spent three hours washing and detailing this morning. Wet washed, carnauba waxed, gummipfleged, vacuumed, window de-funked, and then took the interior hatch trim off to trace down the problem with the rear handle. Neither the switch not the emergency light were plugged in! Did that as well as seat the upper trim piece that was rattling because it wasn't clipped in.

Took it for a drive this afternoon, and found the OF cap is leaking pretty good. I re-used the O-ring after opening/draining for the OFHG job... that might be the problem. I'll check tomorrow when it's cool.

In the meantime, I filled up the gas tank and snapped a few glamour shots as promised. I need to keep the internets humming!!!









I also picked up one of these, so it's not all fun and games in E91 land!

[boringcarenthusiast]

Congrats on the new E91! OEM sport pack is awesome. That gray on aluminum interior is sweet too- I haven’t seen many gray sport interiors.

Despite approaching the 20 y/o mark, it looks fantastic and I’m sure will only get better under your ownership! I can’t wait for the updates on this one- already learned something about the X1 alarm compatability, lol.

[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by boringcarenthusiast

Congrats on the new E91! OEM sport pack is awesome. That gray on aluminum interior is sweet too- I haven’t seen many gray sport interiors.

Despite approaching the 20 y/o mark, it looks fantastic and I’m sure will only get better under your ownership! I can’t wait for the updates on this one- already learned something about the X1 alarm compatability, lol.

It's birthday is 02/07... one year to go till the big celebration!

[Tambohamilton]

Originally Posted by StradaRedlands

Took it for a drive this afternoon, and found the OF cap is leaking pretty good. I re-used the O-ring after opening/draining for the OFHG job... that might be the problem. I'll check tomorrow when it's cool.

Make sure you've got the o-ring in the correct groove in the cap. I've reused them loads and never had an issue. My dad put one in the wrong place on the cap recently though, and it made a mess. In the correct groove now and all is well.

[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by Tambohamilton

Make sure you've got the o-ring in the correct groove in the cap. I've reused them loads and never had an issue. My dad put one in the wrong place on the cap recently though, and it made a mess. In the correct groove now and all is well.

I'm going to have to go back in and revisit it. I did't pay much attention to how it was seated or the condition (or even if it was there!). The cap was on super tight when I removed it, so in hindsight the O ring may have been damaged or misaligned. I have a bad feeling the new belt I put on is already contaminated with oil... I could smell a burning rubber smell.

/sigh

[tlow98]

Carnuba waxed! Looks great. I'm too lazy for that and have been on the ceramic for what feels like a lifetime.

[gbalthrop]

Originally Posted by StradaRedlands

... I also picked up one of these, so it's not all fun and games in E91 land!

Is 2A98 the ONLY DME Fault you have? That occurred once at 167,298 miles & set SES Lamp? If the engine idles smoothly from cold to fully-warm, I would simply clear that code & see if it returns. See Below.
If you have INPA, I would view & SAVE DME Fault History:
INPA > DME (MSV80) > F4 > F3 > F1 Read History Memory

That History Memory/ Historienspeicher shows you the Last 10 DME Faults saved in Fault Memory (even though Fault Memory/ Fehlerspeicher was cleared). It shows the mileage at which the last 3 instances of each fault occurred & some Freeze Frame Data. Quite essential info for any "new-to-you" vehicle. I use INPA & ISTA, but NOT ProTool, so can't say if ProTool can display History Memory (in DME & other PT-CAN Modules) or NOT.

Since you own MULTIPLE E9x models, it would certainly be worthwhile to get free download of BOTH INPA/BMW Standard Tools, & ISTA+. The installations of INPA & ISTA that BimmerGeeks used to link on MEGA require a total of ~ 25 GB of disc space. Unfortunately, BMW "persuaded" BG & MEGA to remove those Links/files, ~ 2023.

Also, I would suggest watching Intake Cam Angle at Idle, using Live Data (I assume ProTool can display that), & seeing/posting what you see for Intake Cam Angle from cold start, for 5 minutes as engine warms. INPA can display both Target Angle (Sollwert) & Actual Angle, as well as VANOS Solenoid % operation (Activation Mode, but just observing). Using that data, you can see if there is significant "Deviation" between Target & Actual Values, & if so, under what conditions any deviation occurs.

Your Mechanical knowledge & experience far exceeds mine. I have NOT read enough of your posts to know what Diagnostic Software you have, or the extent of your knowledge of the capabilities of that software.

As for the OFH Cover leak:
Was the Cover fully-seated against the Housing? Was the large O-Ring (a) correctly seated in the top position & (b) OILED lightly to allow it to rotate within the Housing or Cover as the Cover was tightened? Was the SMALL O-Ring on bottom of Cover "Spool" intact? That small O-ring of course affects oil pressure & VANOS Solenoid function. If one O-ring has failed the other is probably NOT far behind. If Cap NOT fully-seated on Housing, that could affect seal of small O-ring & cause reduced oil pressure.

Hope to learn a lot from your ventures with the 2/2007 build 328i MT N52 E91.
George

[Tambohamilton]

I hadn't considered the possible like between oil leaks and crankshafts - good shout

[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by tlow98

Carnuba waxed! Looks great. I'm too lazy for that and have been on the ceramic for what feels like a lifetime.

Once a year ain't bad... probably needs more on schwarz2, but space grau is not a problem!

[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by gbalthrop

Is 2A98 the ONLY DME Fault you have? That occurred once at 167,298 miles & set SES Lamp? If the engine idles smoothly from cold to fully-warm, I would simply clear that code & see if it returns. See Below.

100% on board with this... exactly what I did! I cleaned around the housing really well to make sure it wasn't just residue from the work I did (I finished in the dark). Checked the O ring and it was fine. OP just changed the oil, so both were new.

I then cleaned and swapped the VANOS solenoids just to see if the error comes back and migrates to exhaust side. New O-rings for those as the old ones were kinda' gross. I'm suspicious of the solenoids as the externals were really crusty. They have been there a while, maybe all the way from Munich. I have some back up ones I can swap in, but I want to see if the code comes back or migrates. I went for a shortish drive and no codes when I finished.

Originally Posted by gbalthrop

That History Memory/ Historienspeicher shows you the Last 10 DME Faults saved in Fault Memory (even though Fault Memory/ Fehlerspeicher was cleared). It shows the mileage at which the last 3 instances of each fault occurred & some Freeze Frame Data. Quite essential info for any "new-to-you" vehicle. I use INPA & ISTA, but NOT ProTool, so can't say if ProTool can display History Memory (in DME & other PT-CAN Modules) or NOT

I'll have to research this... don't know if it's an option in PT. Probably, but just not obvious to me.

Originally Posted by gbalthrop

Also, I would suggest watching Intake Cam Angle at Idle, using Live Data (I assume ProTool can display that), & seeing/posting what you see for Intake Cam Angle from cold start, for 5 minutes as engine warms. INPA can display both Target Angle (Sollwert) & Actual Angle, as well as VANOS Solenoid % operation (Activation Mode, but just observing). Using that data, you can see if there is significant "Deviation" between Target & Actual Values, & if so, under what conditions any deviation occurs.

Similar to the history portion, this will have to be an advanced function for me. Just reading it makes me dizzy!

Originally Posted by gbalthrop

Your Mechanical knowledge & experience far exceeds mine. I have NOT read enough of your posts to know what Diagnostic Software you have, or the extent of your knowledge of the capabilities of that software.

As for the OFH Cover leak:
Was the Cover fully-seated against the Housing? Was the large O-Ring (a) correctly seated in the top position & (b) OILED lightly to allow it to rotate within the Housing or Cover as the Cover was tightened? Was the SMALL O-Ring on bottom of Cover "Spool" intact? That small O-ring of course affects oil pressure & VANOS Solenoid function. If one O-ring has failed the other is probably NOT far behind. If Cap NOT fully-seated on Housing, that could affect seal of small O-ring & cause reduced oil pressure.

Hope to learn a lot from your ventures with the 2/2007 build 328i MT N52 E91.
George

Thank you for the compliment! I am really great at bolting on parts... diagnostics is just not my strength. Coding is a HUGE stretch that I reluctantly do when I absolutely have to.

I mentioned it above, but both O rings are new and seated well. I don't think there's an oil leak. I didn't thinking about lubing up the OFHG before tightening down... I hope that's not the problem, but will monitor that one. If it twisted on itself it would be frustrating, but a pretty straightforward fix (again, twisting bolts is my strength!). Thank you for the time you took on your reply... I will report back!

[lowrydr310]

Originally Posted by StradaRedlands

Once a year ain't bad... probably needs more on schwarz2, but space grau is not a problem!

I've messed with all sorts of waxes over the years including some overpriced premium brands, and lately I've been really impressed with this consumer grade cheap Turtle Wax "Wax and Dry" spray. It's ridiculously easy to work with, leaves a long lasting slick finish, and doesn't streak or leave any residue.

But nothing beats a thick old school carnauba wax especially on dark cars.

[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by gbalthrop

Also, I would suggest watching Intake Cam Angle at Idle, using Live Data (I assume ProTool can display that), & seeing/posting what you see for Intake Cam Angle from cold start, for 5 minutes as engine warms. INPA can display both Target Angle (Sollwert) & Actual Angle, as well as VANOS Solenoid % operation (Activation Mode, but just observing). Using that data, you can see if there is significant "Deviation" between Target & Actual Values, & if so, under what conditions any deviation occurs.

I played around a little bit and found these variable for the intake cams. Are any of these the values I'm looking for?



I didn't look for the VANOS options... that will be another task!

FWIW none of the codes have come back. There is an occasional long crank, and I get a weird noise around 3k RPM... wondering if it is PCV failing. VCG was replaced 2.5 years/20k miles ago and I would hope it would last longer than that!

And for anyone still reading, here is a backlit palate cleanser to finish the day off right:

[Cal122]

Thanks for taking us on another good trip here - Sooo awesome.

ProTool readings are a bit confusing, but look for these variables (without the "position" part):

-Camshaft Inlet
-Camshaft Inlet Setpoint

-Camshaft Outlet
-Camshaft Outlet Setpoint

These values for each side (Inlet or Outlet) should be equal or as close as possible. They will change depending on RPM. If they are not equal, either the Inlet (Intake) or Outlet (Exhaust) Vanos solenoids may need cleaning or replacement.

The Setpoint is what the car is requesting, and the other is what the actual current value is.

When the solenoids get old or gummed up, they aren't able to move and reach the setpoint value requested, and then the car makes adjustments to compensate through "adaptation" values which are also logged.

[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by Cal122

Thanks for taking us on another good trip here - Sooo awesome.

ProTool readings are a bit confusing, but look for these variables (without the "position" part):

-Camshaft Inlet
-Camshaft Inlet Setpoint

-Camshaft Outlet
-Camshaft Outlet Setpoint

This is great, thank you! If given very specific instructions, I can follow through!

Here are the data points... close enough? The inlet value wavered a little bit, down to 179 a couple times.




Just for fun, I also checked water pump values, and if I'm reading them correctly, there is no discrepancy on them, so WP should be okay?

[Cal122]

Hard to tell from this side, some additional thoughts...

Interesting you had 2A98 (Inlet error), and according to ProTool the CamShaft Inlet is calling for 184CRK (but you see it dropping to 179CRK, which indicates it's not able to reach/hold the setpoint it's calling for at 184CRK). It's probably close to margins for triggering that code. When my cars are running healthy, I've only seen them waver within 1 degree between actual and setpoint.

ISTA diagnostic procedure (instead of ProTool) would raise the RPM of the car to 1200RPM and hold it there, and then monitor the actual against the setpoint value. If the actual value doesn't reach the setpoint (or actual value keep bouncing around), then it could be vanos solenoids, poor oil pressure (could just be oil filter, missing o-ring in filter cage, broken cage), worse: camshaft ledge issues (there's a bulletin on this), vanos unit/broken bolt recall (is the VIN clear of recalls related to vanos bolts?), or even the camshaft sensors (which are easy to swap too if you have an e8 box wrench).