Chronicling BSA's 330Ci SGM ZHP

[bloodspatteranalyst]

Here is a thread to help me keep track of what I've done to my car, and what still needs to be done. Hopefully this can help others in my situation. I'm a first-time car owner and driver, so I have no DIY experience.

Purchased the vehicle on 3/29/14 with 193100 miles

As of 4/21 (in chronological order):

- New Bosch wiper blades
- Cabin air filter
- Cleaned MAF sensor, and new air filter
- Installed auxiliary input through glovebox
- Power steering flush using Royal Purple Max ATF. Flushed 3 times.
- Plasti-dipped grills matte black
- Fixed shorted cigarette lighter power outlet using a new fuse

4/26:
- Khoalty LED license plate lights

Maintenance:
NGK spark plugs 193.5k

Still need to do:

- Oil change (incl. oil filter + oil level sensor, which is broken)
- Front brake rotors and pads incl. sensor, brake flush
- Rear differential bushing (currently experiencing nasty-sounding clunks when shifting between R,D,P)
- New fog lights (including wiring, since I can't seem to find the existing wiring harness)
- Differential fluid flush
- A/T fluid flush (will probably try to delay this until I can do it on my own; the shop is asking for $495 parts and labor)
- Engine mounts
- Right front inner tie rod
- Rear mirror housing cover
- Fix the malfunctioning adaptive headlights

I tried replacing the fuse for the adaptive headlights, hoping it would be an easy fix. Unfortunately, the LED is still blinking. Any ideas?
__________

Here are a few pics from my recent projects

Plasti-dipped matte black grills. Took about 45 minutes including drying time. Applied 3 coats. I used the rust-oleum "flexidip" ripoff at home depot, but it works just like plastidip.

http://i.imgur.com/G4KSxwz.jpg

(yes...I need to wash my car soon...)
____________

Replaced fuse #47 with a 30A fuse (instead of the 20A that previously installed) to fix the cigarette lighter. I'm glad it was as simple as a blown fuse, and that I didn't have to take the actual power outlet out.

http://i.imgur.com/vUZ75Oe.jpg

The culprit was this little shit. I have no idea how it got there:

http://i.imgur.com/JD1jF7t.jpg

Note to others: check to make sure there's nothing conductive in the power outlet before you replace the fuse. I made the mistake of not checking, and blowing a new fuse in the process. Check first, then replace the fuse.
__________

Installed auxiliary cable that ran from rear of radio headunit and through the glovebox. This one took a few hours just because of the awkward position you have to be in to work on it. I was initially concerned because the PO had an ipod cable running out of the glovebox that looked aftermarket. Still have no idea where that's coming from, but its somewhere behind the center console. Who cares. I have the aux working and that's all that matters.

http://i.imgur.com/GemUGg2.jpg

_________

Now for some things i need to fix.

Half of my rear mirror housing is missing. I did not notice this when I purchased the car, and the PO did not point it out. Easy to miss from the driver's side.

http://i.imgur.com/0FBbHvI.jpg

Looks like an easy fix, but the part (which is, btw, just ONE side of the housing) costs $50 on ebay :(

Still need to do the headliner repair.

http://i.imgur.com/vvBEKmF.jpg

I'm going to just use spray adhesive. I'm trying to remove the light housing to get the pillar out, but it won't budge, even with the interior trim pry tools I have...

Also....does anybody know what this is?

http://i.imgur.com/iwL0GHS.jpg

Bonus pictures. I'm glad it's night time so you guys don't see how dirty my car is :)

http://i.imgur.com/Qfl5k5Z.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/C2rxEMA.jpg

I look forward to working on this car. Stay tuned.

[derbo]

Nice start!

That mirror cap should not cost $50!!!

http://www.ecstuning.com/ES87371/

http://c1552172.r72.cf0.rackcdn.com/30319_x600.jpg

[bloodspatteranalyst]

That is exactly what I was looking for! Thank you! I was going off of ebay prices

[Avetiso]

Nice. :thumbsup

[ELCID86]

Nice work. The cover on the ceiling is for the glass break sensor. Pull it down/off and see if you have one--most likely not.

Looks like the pealing cloth is on the c-pillar which is a fairly easy fix with spray adhesive. Follow the DIY and be sure to let it dry until tacky so it won't bleed through.




Thumbs, iPhone, Tapatalk.

[danewilson77]

Fixed...it was because when I initially installed default was Western Europe!!

Nice backup.

Pony ip for new c pillars. You'll be much happier.

Samsung Galaxy S5...

[cakM3]

Also....does anybody know what this is?
http://i.imgur.com/iwL0GHS.jpg

This is an enclosure for the BMW alarm system. This is where the Ultra Sonic Sensor module resides. If the alarm is activated and you break the windows to get in or if the windows are open and you stick your arm inside, the alarm will go off.

http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/UltraSonicModule03_zps094c21b3.jpg

The Ultra Sonic Module looks like this
http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/UltraSonicModule01_zps52d948ea.jpg

It snaps into the cover housing like this
http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/UltraSonicModule04_zpsf21305d6.jpg

and plugs into the wire you see in the hole just above the headliner. Then you place the cover back in place as shown in the first picture...:thumbsup
http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/UltraSonicModule02_zpsc2127f00.jpg

Hope this answers your question :) Retrofitting the BMW alarm system is fairly easy and there are diy's out there for this. For example here: http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=823451 (http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=823451)

Then you code the car so that it knows it has an alarm system and you're all set :)

[johnrando]

Nice post and work. GL w/it all.

[bloodspatteranalyst]

Good info, thanks.

This bumper damage came from the PO.

http://i.imgur.com/PQBUEEj.jpg

The shop said I'd need a new bumper. I'm thinking it's salvageable. Honestly, I could go without repairing it. It doesn't look that bad in person :P

[Hornung418]

That inner piece is plastic welded to the bumper. I'm sure you could take the bumper off and take some epoxy and refit it yourself.

[fredo]

Did u check with Dario (screen name Avetiso) ? He has a parts car, maybe the mirror cap is available.

[ELCID86]

Installed auxiliary cable that ran from rear of radio headunit and through the glovebox. This one took a few hours just because of the awkward position you have to be in to work on it. I was initially concerned because the PO had an ipod cable running out of the glovebox that looked aftermarket. Still have no idea where that's coming from, but its somewhere behind the center console. Who cares. I have the aux working and that's all that matters.
BTW, that's not far from the OE location for the Aux jack. It actually is supposed to mount in the glove box, but many of us choose an alternate location for ease of access.
One option: http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=9445&d=1373730196

[bloodspatteranalyst]

The mirror housing is on its way from ECS.

I've noticed that I might have a little bit of strut tower mushrooming:

Passenger side
http://i.imgur.com/U7oDDce.jpg

Driver side
http://i.imgur.com/2myYDDs.jpg

Do you think I can get away with just installing a brace like this one, and just calling it a day? Hammer it back into place, and then install strut brace? What do you guys think?

Is it even mushrooming?

http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E46-330Ci-M54_3.0L/Suspension/Strut_Tower_Brace/ES10995/

EDIT:

OK, so I know the ebay strut braces get a lot of bad rap, but the glaring one i read was about the brace that had a "c" ring base plate. What do you guys think of this one??
http://www.ebay.com/itm/FIT-FOR-99-05-BMW-E46-FK-TYPE-ALUMINUM-FRONT-UPPER-STRUT-BAR-/330820257657?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4d066c8779&vxp=mtr

[danewilson77]

I don't think that looks bad at all. Buy a strut brace and the rough road package from Turner ($20) for ease of mind.

http://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-323-e46-strut-tower-reinforcement-plates-pair.aspx

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7007/6541135335_9d72591260_b.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/dw77zhpmafia/6541135335/)
BMW Reinforcement kit Installed (https://www.flickr.com/photos/dw77zhpmafia/6541135335/) by Dane Wilson77 (https://www.flickr.com/people/dw77zhpmafia/), on Flickr

[bloodspatteranalyst]

Thanks, Dane. I will probably go with the strut brace first, since it's a much easier install.

Washed the car today. First time I've ever washed my car (can you believe that?!)

Pics

Candid
http://i.imgur.com/fc4LviA.jpg

With a little editing :D
http://i.imgur.com/EjoJAUj.jpg

[bloodspatteranalyst]

I bought this little air box clamp

http://i.imgur.com/JO5ylsT.jpg

To replace this broken one here, which is missing the metal part.

http://i.imgur.com/KPVDVBb.jpg

Can't seem to figure out how to get the broken one off of the airbox...

[derbo]

The two ball pivot areas should pop right off if you angle it.


Sent from my iPad

[JupiterBMW]

Nice job bringing the car back up to proper condition. Looks like a nice car, and I love the SGM, a great color!

[WOLFN8TR]

Looking Good!

You should look at doing the "Sprint Booster Sport Mod" there is a DIY on here. Also the "Mechanical Fan Delete" link is in my signature.

[bloodspatteranalyst]

Looking Good!

You should look at doing the "Sprint Booster Sport Mod" there is a DIY on here. Also the "Mechanical Fan Delete" link is in my signature.

Will def check those out, thanks.

Installed the $12 Khoalty LEDs today.

Before
http://i.imgur.com/7QdeFd6.jpg?1

After
http://i.imgur.com/OjFSVIX.jpg?1

[bloodspatteranalyst]

I will be doing an oil change and transmission/differential service this week.

Let me know what you think about these parts:

Rear diff bushing http://www.oembimmerparts.com/BMW_Differential_Mount_Bushing_Rear_Meyle_HD_p/33176751808e46.htm

A/T service kit incl. filter http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E46-330i-M54_3.0l/Drivetrain/Automatic_Transmission/Service_Kits/ES2523867/

Oil service kit incl. magnetic drain plug http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E46-330i-M54_3.0l/Engine/Oil_Service/ES263047/

Differential flush kit http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E46-330i-M54_3.0l/Drivetrain/Differential/Service_Kit/ES2588335/

[danewilson77]

I would not get the magnetic oil drain plug.

Samsung Galaxy S5...

[bloodspatteranalyst]

I deleted the driver-side fog light because symmetry looks better to me, but I want to fix the passenger side eventually.

On the driver side, you can see all the wiring and the splash shield at the bottom of the bumper

http://i.imgur.com/2Ld5kMy.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/9RuccJH.jpg

Now, on the passenger side with the missing fog light,

http://i.imgur.com/uWsYgt7.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/vVM3Ma8.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/YV7BP9Q.jpg

And one blind shot:

http://i.imgur.com/Np7QPN8.jpg

No sign of a splash shield, and no sign of wiring. Keep in mind the fender on this side was replaced because of an accident. Perhaps the splash shield and wiring harness were damaged too, and removed from the car...Is there somewhere else I should be looking for the wiring harness? Where is it supposed to be coming from?

[TigerTater]

Did you do the auto trans filter change...or the diff flush?


Sent from my iPhone 13

[bloodspatteranalyst]

I'm still waiting on a guy who's got the equipment to help me do it. Still haven't been able to get under my car, but I did do spark plugs because my car had trouble starting about 20% of the time (long 3 second cranks before starting). Now the issue is gone.

[johnrando]

I need to do this w/mine. LMK if you would be willing/able to throw my car into the trans fluid change as well... beverages/lunch of your choice if so. If not, no worries, I was going to have an Indy do it anyway.

[bloodspatteranalyst]

I need to do this w/mine. LMK if you would be willing/able to throw my car into the trans fluid change as well... beverages/lunch of your choice if so. If not, no worries, I was going to have an Indy do it anyway.

John, I'll let you know once I ask him what he thinks. It would be a favor from him, not me!

Have you considered hitting up "Your Dream Garage" in Baldwin Park. $15/hr for the jack stands, $25/hr for the lift, and they provide all the tools you need. Just throwing that out there in case you weren't aware.

[johnrando]

You know, that's not a bad idea. I kinda forgot about that.

[TigerTater]

I'm jealous of that! I would kill to be able to rent a lift sometimes!


Sent from my iPhone 13

[bloodspatteranalyst]

I bought Gary's (WOLFN8TR) Cusco strut brace and here it is installed.

http://i.imgur.com/YZi0otw.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/1GwUuFa.jpg

Unfortunately, I couldn't get this rivet back inside because of lack of clearance.

http://i.imgur.com/WQMQirh.jpg

Definitely a noticeable difference in handling. I took my car down a curve that I go through all the time - I can now take the turn faster and with less body roll / loss of momentum. Also gives me a little peace of mind knowing that strut tower mushrooming won't be an issue for my car.

Thanks again, Gary, for the good price and quick shipping.

[WOLFN8TR]

Welcome...:thumbup

Looks Good! I really liked that strut bar.

I was able to get that rivet back in. I do believe what I did was unbolt the bar from the mount, put the bracket into place loosely then reinstall the rivet, then tighten down the bracket, now install the bar.

[bloodspatteranalyst]

Finally got around to doing some work on the car. First up, a much-needed oil change with Liquimoly 5W30 + oil filter.

Shout out to "Your Dream Garage" in Baldwin Park, CA. They rent out their automotive lifts for $25/hr, and have all the equipment you could possibly need. I didn't bring a single tool, only parts.

A few minutes after I got my car up on the lift, my A/T started spewing out a good few drips of fluid out of the gasket. I guess this means that the gasket can no longer hold up to the heat cycles that my tranmission goes through? I have also been noticing a lot of clunky shifts lately.

So that's next up on my to-do list.

http://i.imgur.com/x344K3c.jpg?1

[johnrando]

Nice

[WOLFN8TR]

Wow how sweet is that! $25 an hour isn't bad at all.

[Avetiso]

I'd pay that just for the lift.

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

[bloodspatteranalyst]

I just spent 5 hours with my buddy doing front brakes on the car. Did not expect it to take so long but whoever did the brakes last overtorqued the shit out of the caliper guide bolts, rotor bolt and wheel bolts. Like holy crap, we spent at least 1.5 hours just taking bolts out.

Now I have fresh new pads and rotors. Shoutout to Ray - plain rotors, ceramic pads. We finished up at 1am and went to bed brakes and, unsurprisingly, had the cops called on us. We took extra precaution to make sure we were safe - I stood watch, watching an intersection for cars/pedestrians and the car was always in sight. But yeah, I guess most neighborhoods don't appreciate tire screeching and hard acceleration late at night. I didn't have much of a choice as its my only car, and I had to get home to rest for work the next day. Or else I would have found some place better.

Braking power is significantly improved. Not much initial bite (as expected from ceramics) but man oh man is the stopping power good.

BUT, underneath the car, we saw a huge leak coming from the engine bay area towards the drivers side. Looked like engine oil initially but after some inspection, we found out that it was the PS reservoir (smelling ATF fluid in the engine bay area....so it has to be the PS). Gonna have to inspect that. And my tranny is still leaking even though the gasket was replaced.

All in all a great learning experience. We followed a DIY, took it slow, overcame a ton of obstacles, but everything worked out! Will be doing a brake flush soon to complete my brake service.

[ELCID86]

Glad you got them done and avoided jail time! On to the PS reservoir soon I hope. I'd recommend picking up a new one as it has a filter in it. I'm sure you will also inspect the lines.

[johnrando]

Nice werk! Bummer about the bolts, but good that it's done. No pics of the work in progress?

[bloodspatteranalyst]

Yep, the leak is real bad. I started my car this morning ready to go to work, but the steering had this awful feel/grind to it. Checked the PS reservoir - completely empty and bubbling. Luckily had some ATF on hand and refilled it, but it's only a temporary fix.

I ordered a cap o-ring last night but judging from the amount of PS fluid spilled, I doubt it's just the o-ring. I guess you fix one thing, and another problem comes up :( Might just take it to a shop for this one because I need my car for my commute and it seems like a pretty urgent issue.

Unfortunately no pics. Nothing that special about doing front brakes, just a ton of elbow grease. We also didn't have much time to take breaks/pictures. By the time we were done it was 1am...

[bloodspatteranalyst]

This weekend's gonna be busy.

First off, much needed engine mounts. Never been replaced and I have had multiple people tell me they are completely collapsed. I will do this at the lift rental place I always go to. These are Corteco M3 engine mounts from Pelican parts. $120 shipped for both.

http://i.imgur.com/L7eoFDX.jpg

Next up, fuel filter. Mahle OEM. I think they were about $46 shipped off ebay. I could probably do this with just jack stands but I'd rather have my face directly underneath the fuel filter when I break the lines and the fuel spills everywhere :P

http://i.imgur.com/2FXiBCA.jpg

Differential fluid change. Still waiting on the differential plugs, just to be safe. Redline 75W90. Nothing special.

http://i.imgur.com/CL4T06P.jpg

Not pictured:
- Power steering reservoir coming in tomorrow from Pelican parts $25 shipped. I don't know if it's at fault, but my PS system is leaking the entire reservoir every day. It's not the cap. It's probably the hose clamps, but the reservoir is cheap and I might as well replace it. I will get hose clamps from Autozone since the oem bmw ones suck.

- brake flush. i'll be going to the lift rental place so i can use their power bleeder and catch cans. Flushing with ATE type 200.

[danewilson77]

Nice BSA

The friendliest forum on the planet.

[johnrando]

+1

[WOLFN8TR]

SGM Love...

:like

[bloodspatteranalyst]

Power steering fixed! Turns out the hose was cracked pretty bad. The reservoir was perfectly fine.

The return hose was $60. Luckily enough, a local shop had it in stock so I drove there with my hose crack duct taped. Pretty scary stuff.

Getting the hose out of the radiator was the biggest challenge. Usually people (like the shop guys) will tell you that you need the BMW line disconnect tool. After 1 hour of struggling to get the hose disconnected, I was beginning to believe them. But I tried using 2 vice grips to symmetrically pull the plastic tab in, and it worked! Phew.

I was thinking about replacing the pressure hose too, but it's a huge bitch to replace, so I'm gonna leave it for now. I could have replaced the reservoir with the new one I had, but I didn't want to risk damaging the pressure hose while removing it from the reservoir.

The alternator seems to be in pretty bad shape, now that it's been soaked in ATF for a week or two. Hopefully it'll be fine.

[bloodspatteranalyst]

Finally got myself a polisher, compound, polish, and wax to get rid of these awfully stubborn spots on my hood

http://i.imgur.com/2ELULSx.jpg

It's hard to see but there are quite a few fine scratches and water/sap spots. Not the best look.

And here it is after rubbing compound, polish, and wax.

http://i.imgur.com/DWeKzul.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/VN3RUF8.jpg

Still a few rock chips but they've penetrated the clearcoat so there's not much I can about those.

[WOLFN8TR]

Looks Good! You should try some Dr.ColorChip!

Dr.ColorChip.com (http://www.drcolorchip.com/)

Videos of Dr.ColorChip (http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Dr.Colorchip+Youtube&qpvt=Dr.Colorchip+Youtube&FORM=VDRE)

http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?1365-Dr.-ColorChip&highlight=Colorchip

[bloodspatteranalyst]

Finally got around to doing some much needed work to my car.

To address the coolant leak, I had the radiator and upper hose replaced. Lower thermostat was broken too, so that was replaced.

Fuel filter was replaced too. First time in its 197k mile life - a whole world of difference...

[johnrando]

Cool. I need to do my fuel pump.

[bloodspatteranalyst]

Cool. I need to do my fuel pump.

Yeah I feel like that's gonna go soon on my car, too.