04-14-2014, 08:38 AM
Did some more stuff to the car this weekend.
Sway bar end links
The car was making some random pops and clunks from the front end at low speeds. The end links were original, so I put two new ones on. $30 per side is not bad. I also need new sway bar bushings at some point (also cheap) but since my Pelican Parts order was overall pretty spendy, I elected to pass for now.
Crankcase Ventilation
Joey's told me that he occasionally sees some smoke at startup and, if behind me on the road, as I approach the upper end of the rev range. It also stumbled hard at idle when cold, occasionally stalling if I didn't add throttle myself. The ICV had been cleaned by the P.O.'s shop right before I got the car, so I did some Googling and found that a common culprit is a failed crankcase ventilation system.
In theory, it should recirculate any oil that makes its way up to the top of the motor returns to the sump. If the CCV fails, the oil never makes it back down and instead, burns out of the exhaust. A quick IM to Mike at RRT confirmed that my suspicions were not out of line, and he said they have seen a lot of 140k+ E36's come in for the issue.
So, $99 for the new CCV and $30 for a new plastic hose that runs from the CCV to the valve cover (these frequently get gummed up once the CCV fails). My hose looked okay but did have some gunk built up. The install of new parts was pretty simple - requires removing the air intake and throttle body (both easy) and then there's three little bolts staring at you. Remove those, pull the hoses off, and replace.
Link to DIY
Haven't put the car back on the ground yet, I need to finish nut 'n' bolting it while the wheels are off, and change brake pads. I went through my records (this is why you keep 'em) and discovered that I'm only running Hawk HPS's on the front axle. No wonder the brakes felt less-than-good after a bunch of hot laps.
Sway bar end links
The car was making some random pops and clunks from the front end at low speeds. The end links were original, so I put two new ones on. $30 per side is not bad. I also need new sway bar bushings at some point (also cheap) but since my Pelican Parts order was overall pretty spendy, I elected to pass for now.
Crankcase Ventilation
Joey's told me that he occasionally sees some smoke at startup and, if behind me on the road, as I approach the upper end of the rev range. It also stumbled hard at idle when cold, occasionally stalling if I didn't add throttle myself. The ICV had been cleaned by the P.O.'s shop right before I got the car, so I did some Googling and found that a common culprit is a failed crankcase ventilation system.
In theory, it should recirculate any oil that makes its way up to the top of the motor returns to the sump. If the CCV fails, the oil never makes it back down and instead, burns out of the exhaust. A quick IM to Mike at RRT confirmed that my suspicions were not out of line, and he said they have seen a lot of 140k+ E36's come in for the issue.
So, $99 for the new CCV and $30 for a new plastic hose that runs from the CCV to the valve cover (these frequently get gummed up once the CCV fails). My hose looked okay but did have some gunk built up. The install of new parts was pretty simple - requires removing the air intake and throttle body (both easy) and then there's three little bolts staring at you. Remove those, pull the hoses off, and replace.
Link to DIY
Haven't put the car back on the ground yet, I need to finish nut 'n' bolting it while the wheels are off, and change brake pads. I went through my records (this is why you keep 'em) and discovered that I'm only running Hawk HPS's on the front axle. No wonder the brakes felt less-than-good after a bunch of hot laps.
Now:
'16 Ram 1500 | '97 BMW M3 | Some Press Loan
Then:
87 BMW 325e | 91 BMW 535i | 96 BMW 328i | 95 BMW 325i | 95 Mazda Miata | 13 Focus ST | 09 BMW 128i | 00 Pontiac Firebird | 05 Yukon Denali | 96 BMW 328iC | 11 Ford F-150 | 06 BMW M3 | 10 Range Rover SC | '03 Ford Ranger | '18 Ford F-150 | '01 BMW X5 | '98 Volvo S70 T5M
'16 Ram 1500 | '97 BMW M3 | Some Press Loan
Then:
87 BMW 325e | 91 BMW 535i | 96 BMW 328i | 95 BMW 325i | 95 Mazda Miata | 13 Focus ST | 09 BMW 128i | 00 Pontiac Firebird | 05 Yukon Denali | 96 BMW 328iC | 11 Ford F-150 | 06 BMW M3 | 10 Range Rover SC | '03 Ford Ranger | '18 Ford F-150 | '01 BMW X5 | '98 Volvo S70 T5M