Project: 2003 BMW M3

[JPolen01]

this is why we can't have nice things. sorry for the threadjack.

Lol. I think Rj meant to post this in the FS thread in relation to Djs LS1 M3 and nobody realized it.

[.RJ]

I'm intrigued.

will you just get your damn 996TT and be done with it

I liked the part where the most laid back dude here got a little rustled at RJs inability to sack up.

I'm house poor

[D_Eclipse9916]

I'm house poor

#restonHOAbrokestatus

[RawrImAMonster]

Looks like the next couple of weeks are going to be fun. My headers/tuner cable, subframe mount reinforcement plates, and subframe bushings came in this week. I'm hoping to get everything done over the holiday vacations.

[D_Eclipse9916]

Looks like the next couple of weeks are going to be fun. My headers/tuner cable, subframe mount reinforcement plates, and subframe bushings came in this week. I'm hoping to get everything done over the holiday vacations.

Woot!

[RawrImAMonster]

If anyone sees a used Rogue El Diablo muffler for sale let me know. The factory muffler is going to sound like shit with headers and I'm going to pick one of these up as soon as I can find a decent deal on a used one

[Beej]

Looks good! Do you get a shelf tune or is it a remote dyno type of thing?

[RawrImAMonster]

Well, the SGT page made it fairly ambiguous as to what you were getting and I assumed it was a remote tune thing based on their wording. After talking to TTFS, it's actually an off the shelf tune specifically made for these headers. I can upgrade to a custom tune and get the data logger from them for $200, but I'm not really sure that its worth it since this is going to be my only power mod. I kind of doubt it will provide much of an improvement over the off the shelf tune, but every car does run a little differently.

[D_Eclipse9916]

Well, the SGT page made it fairly ambiguous as to what you were getting and I assumed it was a remote tune thing based on their wording. After talking to TTFS, it's actually an off the shelf tune specifically made for these headers. I can upgrade to a custom tune and get the data logger from them for $200, but I'm not really sure that its worth it since this is going to be my only power mod. I kind of doubt it will provide much of an improvement over the off the shelf tune, but every car does run a little differently.

It will be fine. Off the shelf-tunes aren't as evil as people make them out to be. if you go Alpha-N then I would insist on a custom tune but headers? No biggie.

[Sully]

Did I miss the mileage of this car and did you ever disclose around how much it set you back? I scrolled through but never saw a mileage post. Maybe it's in another thread?

[RawrImAMonster]

125k miles and I bought it for 12k. Considering it is as mechanically sound as it is, I'm very happy with the purchase. I need to get the paint touched up in a few places and the rear bumper repainted, but otherwise it's in good shape too.

[RawrImAMonster]

Well the subframe mount reinforcement is finally out of the way. Huge pain in the ass for something that shouldn't have been a problem to start with. Replaced the subframe bushings while I was in there. The rear end definitely feels a little more solid since doing the work.

Edit: Forgot to mention, I did actually have two hairline cracks that you couldn't see until you cleaned the paint off. So this was definitely needed, even in a car that has been a street car its whole life.

Still haven't gotten around to doing the headers. They still haven't emailed me my tune so I'm not in a hurry until I get that. I'd rather get the big power bump all at once by doing both at the same time.

[Beej]

A lift? That's cheating. Congrats on getting it done! It's a shit job indeed.

I hope the headers go well for your sake - I've resisted getting them for 5 years now and don't want another nudge in that direction, heh. I forget, are you going with cats?

[RawrImAMonster]

Nah, I'm going catless for now at least. I know enough people around here that I can pass inspection without them. We'll see how raspy it ends up being once I have the headers and a different muffler on. The factory muffler is insanely heavy.

[RawrImAMonster]

My tune finally came in so I'm planning on doing the headers + uploading the tune this weekend. :thumbup:

If all goes well, I'm going to modify the cable TTFS sent me to work with the BMW software to code this thing. I'm 95% sure I've got NCS Expert and the like set up properly on a windows XP VM. INPA (diagnostic software) already works, I just need to solder the #7 & 8 pins on my cable so that I can read non engine related modules with NCS Expert.

The plan is to wire a switch that connects these two so that I can switch between being able to read/code newer cars with the two pins unconnected and being able to read my car with the two pins connected. One of my friends wants me to code his 135i, so we'll see how it goes with mine first.

[RawrImAMonster]

The headers are in!

Mileage: ~126,000



This ended up being another pain in the ass job, mostly because I didn't start with the right tools. I struggled for a long time getting the header nuts off with varying extensions and sockets on a normal sized 3/8 drive ratchet. Turns out, the header nuts aren't on there tight at all so we ended up busting out this miniature 1/4 drive snap on ratchet that was probably 4-5" long. That thing was perfect for this job and I highly recommend it for anyone attempting this in the future. Even with that tiny ratchet, it was more than enough to remove the header nuts and put them back on later.

While everything was out I also took out the clutch delay valve and bled the system. Holy shit I forgot how much of a difference that makes.

Between the clutch delay valve and the new headers/tune, this car drives 10x better. Shifts are nice and smooth now and it doesn't feel like I've never driven a manual car before. The car runs way better when it's cold since I had the tune delete the cold start mode. Torque in the 2-3k range is a lot better as well, which is something this car sorely needed. As far as top end power goes, it's definitely a noticeable increase. 3rd gear feels a lot more like 2nd gear used to feel. I'm completely happy with where this thing is power wise for now so I don't think I'll be doing anymore power mods in the near future. I might try to make it out to Elkton at some point and see what this thing puts down on their dynojet for shits and giggles, but I'm in no rush.

One thing I forgot to mention is that the new tune included the shift lights from the SMG versions of this car. I wasn't sure if I would like these at first just because I didn't really see how they worked based on videos. The shift lights use the normal cold start varying redline lights that are on all e46 m3's. They start to come on at 7k and build up the closer you get to 8k. This actually helps a lot on telling exactly when you need to shift. I also highly recommend this option to anyone considering a tune in the future.


The next big mod is probably going to be some sort of coilover set up. I haven't completely decided on what I want to get yet, but I'm liking the reviews/price on the new Eibach Pro-Street S system so far. It only has adjustable height, not damping, but if I'm realistic I probably wouldn't ever get serious enough to bother messing with the damping anyway. Considering the factory suspension is already a pretty rough ride, I don't want to go with some crazy mostly track setup. This car is going to be 98% a street car so any improvement over stock should be more than good enough for my purposes.

[SlimKlim]

headers

This ended up being another pain in the ass job

I figured this was coming. My long tubes are the bane of my existence.

Interesting that you feel a mid-range bump, my headers took all of my power and scooched it north of 4500rpms.

[RawrImAMonster]

It is the tune that accounts for the mid-range torque increase. Headers themselves will decrease it a little unless you get the super expensive stepped ones from Supersprint.

Once I had that mini ratchet things went really smoothly. It took maybe a quarter of the time to put the nuts back on as it did to take them off. Everything fits perfectly too.

Edit: The tune may have helped gas mileage slightly too. From Southern States to Broadway to get my hair cut to my parents house last evening I averaged a little over 30 mpg (dash reading) and that includes a couple WOT runs. We'll see where the average settles out after I've been running it around town a while.

[Senor_Taylor]

What exactly is the clutch delay valve? I've heard about it, but I haven't seen a good explanation.

Sent from my SM-G900R4 using Tapatalk

[CaptainHenreh]

What exactly is the clutch delay valve? I've heard about it, but I haven't seen a good explanation.

Sent from my SM-G900R4 using Tapatalk

Ok, it's a restriction in the hydraulic line that actuates the clutch. This sets a "maximum speed" at which the clutch disk can be applied to the flywheel.

In theory, it might result in smoother clutch action and less clutch wear.

In practice, it'll make you stall constantly, make it impossible to shift quickly, and generally be a pain in the dick.

Remove it.