08-09-2021, 05:48 PM | #1 |
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Maude's Journey: 2014 335i 6mt
The time has come to start a thread dedicated to my adventures with Maude, which is the first modern car I've owned. I ended up buying this car from a friend of a friend who was looking to sell right as I needed to replace a car that got totaled. Coming from the e30 world, it's been insane to jump 25 years of improvements and it feels like I'm driving a spaceship.
Here's my new-to-me car from the day I got it; parked next a my coworker's stupid-fast corvette. ![]() And back home in front of the remaining e30. ![]() I've been DD'ing an e30 for about the past 13 years and have been pretty active in the e30 scene over on r3vlimited. I've had about 5 e30s including an m30b35 swapped convertible and had plans to turbo my '91 325i coupe. I'd finished building my MegaSquirt and had 95% of the turbo parts sitting on my shelf. Left side is the 1989 325iA sedan and right is the 1991 325i coupe (now totaled) ![]() My initial plan was to just drive it stock and enjoy a comfortable, fast, and reliable car. However, I was already looking into JB4 and other options before I bought the car. Then I found out that flash tuning could be reversed for smog, which opens up the world of BM3 and MHD. Well it's been a couple of months, and now I'm seriously looking into BM3 vs MHD an thinking about other things (m-sport brakes and engine bolt-ons). I have a feeling this is going to be a slippery slope. |
08-09-2021, 06:21 PM | #2 |
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The PO had the cart maintained at the dealership for its whole life and really kept up on maintenance. I had been expecting to lowball him for leaking gaskets (valve cover, oil pan, oil filter housing), but everything was clean and dry as a bone. The only thing I could argue is that it needs the intake walnut blasted (~92k miles). I got a good deal and we were both satisfied.
First thing was to get a Veepeak BLE+ and Bimmercode. I made a ton of little adjustments to the coding. My #1 concern was folding mirrors since the car is street parked in San Francisco. But I got to play with a bunch of other stuff, like the comfort access, warning settings, etc. It's a small gripe, but the start button was worn out. It turned out to be something like $9 for the cheapest replacement on Amazon and took less than 5 minutes to replace. Normally I wouldn't get a goofy red button, but I figured cheap black one wouldn't match. Plus the red one guaranteed 5 extra hp. ![]() ![]() The first couple thousand miles went by without a single problem. The first issue to pop up was that both horns stopped working. First step was to check for codes, none. So then I checked the engine bay fuse, no problem. Then I checked the passenger footwell fuse (thanks for the torx bit BMW, I had to go to the workshop to grab one), fine. So I pulled the passenger wheel and liner to check for voltage at the plug, got 12 volts. So I hooked the horn directly to the battery, nothing. Cool, I needed 2 horns. RealOEM got me the part numbers. So I ordered them from FCP Euro: VEM-V20770309 & VEM-V20770308 Step 1: Jack up our car ![]() Remove wheel ![]() Remove a ton of 8mm screws, like 10 or 12, to remove the fender liner. You can probably do the job with the car on the ground and only remove a few screws to get in there, but I'd rather spend 5 minutes removing stuff with power tools than spend 10 minutes fighting with a difficult position/cutting my hands/breaking something, and then removing the stuff anyway. ![]() I bought the cheaper ($30/ea) Vemo horns instead of the OEM BMW horns ($60/ea). The new horn has a slightly different shape, so I was a little worried it would have a wonky tone. Also, notice the plug location on the new horn is clocked differently. Finally, you can't see it here, but the aftermarket horn has a smaller stud. The stock horn uses a 13mm nut, new one uses a 10mm nut. So I had to reuse an old washer to hold it in place on the existing bracket. ![]() Busted Passenger Horn and its replacement (notice the plug has to come in from the front of the car for the new horn) ![]() ![]() Busted Driver's Horn and its replacement (the new plug location keeps the horn from opening straight back, hopefully water doesn't get in this one and fry it). That blue painter's tape really worries me. Carfax says no collisions, but the tape doesn't look OEM. Nothing else looks obviously messed with, so I have no idea whats going on. ![]() ![]() And that's it. Resume honking at people. The new horns sound just fine, so I'm glad I saved $60 on this project. I also tossed a new air filter in while I was in there. ![]() Last edited by McGyv3r; 07-07-2022 at 11:11 AM.. |
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08-11-2021, 01:00 PM | #3 |
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After putting about 4k miles on the car, I figured it was time for an oil change. Since it had about 96k miles, it also seemed overdue to change the transmission and differential fluid.
The first step was trying to squeeze the car through the tiny door to my garage space. It just barely fit, but it's in there! (Notice Leo hanging out in the back seat, and the crashed coupe in the corner getting stripped) ![]() ![]() ![]() Step 1: Jack up your car ![]() Drain the oil and clean the engine bay (no "after" shots ![]() ![]() Drain and fill the transmission. Obviously always open the fill plug first so you know you can refill it, then drain out the sludge. The old fluid was pretty gunky and metallic. I refilled it with Redline DCTF. ![]() Fun fact: the f30 differential doesn't have a drain plug. I did not know that, so I had to come back a few days later to finish the job. So I had to make a little tool to suck the fluid out. I bent some stainless steel tubing I found at work and connected it to a 200mL plunger. The differential takes about 1000mL, so it was annoying to have a small capacity tool, but it worked. I filled it with Redline 75w90. ![]() ![]() Last edited by McGyv3r; 08-11-2021 at 01:29 PM.. |
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09-14-2021, 11:26 AM | #4 |
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I've driven the car stock for a while and the driving characteristics are starting to feel second nature; Similar to how I feel driving my e30s.
I've wanted to tune with bootmod3 for a while. Since I live in CA, my number one concern is be able to pass smog without any hassle. I was thinking about JB4 since I could just unplug it. After talking to several people and reading a bunch, I realized that flashing to stock and relocking the DME is enough to pass smog. That sealed the deal for bm3 since it's essentially effortless to install. I had been trying to buy a used license for $300, but the going rate seems to be closer to $400 and I can't justify paying more than half the original cost to get half the available licenses. So I shelled out directly to PTF. Coming from the old-school world of e30s, it's amazing to be able to get such a power upgrade while sitting in my car and not breaking a sweat. ![]() The car is bone stock and I live in San Francisco without easy access to 93 and am stuck with ACN gas. So I picked the Stage 1 91 ACN map to stay safe. ![]() I was a little worried that I wouldn't be able to feel a difference, but the changes in the remap was night/day. Based on this thread, it looks like I can expect a ~20hp max power gain at the top end. That's not huge and probably wouldn't be noticeable. HOWEVER, its closer to a 50hp gain at the low end (3k rpm). I assume the throttle pedal has also be remapped, so comparing the engine response at a throttle angle from Stock to Stage 1 isn't apples-to-apples. That being said, it feels like the car is more eager to climb these SF hills and pulls way harder getting onto the freeway. Bottom line, I would 100% recommend even a Stage 1 tune to anyone looking for a bit more oomf. I had a great time driving around on Sunday and it was a fun commute on Monday. On my way into the office today I heard a loud bang followed by a loss of power and loud turbo noises. Turns out that I blew the cold side charge pipe. I took it easy for the last two miles and made it in safe, but there's no repairing it and driving home tonight. Looks like it destroyed the connection to the throttle body and blew the MAP sensor mount off the pipe. ![]() I guess this is where the slippery slope of mods begins. Last edited by McGyv3r; 09-14-2021 at 03:29 PM.. |
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10-19-2021, 05:53 PM | #5 |
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We'll here's October's update: Rear Fog Lights!
I read a thread a while back and found out that US car can easily be modified to unlock the built-in rear fog light capability. Apparently all of the hardware exists, you just have to modify a button and do some coding. Follow this DIY if you're looking for more details. This whole process took about 30 minutes and the only tools were a pocket knife and a BimmerCode. Here's my standard US light switch panel. The blank on the bottom left will become the fog light button. ![]() Pull the vent straight out ![]() Depress the two tangs and rotate the light switch panel down, then unplug. ![]() Pop open the 6 clips, which will pop the back plate off the light switch panel. Then apply pressure to the blank while depressing the 4 tangs to pop the blank out. ![]() Remove the two nubs on this side and the one on the other. ![]() ![]() Put the panel all back together and reinstall the panel and vent in the car. Now use your coding application of choice to change some values: Front Electronic Module: FEM_BODY / 3060 LCEMaster 1C / NSL_Verbaut = Verbaut Rear Electronic Module: REM / 3063 LCELampMapping 2 / Mapping_Nebelschlussl_L_output = nsl_l REM / 3063 LCELampMapping 2 / Mapping_Nebelschlussl_L_Function = nebelschlusslicht REM / 3063 LCELampMapping 2 / Mapping_Nebelschlussl_R_output = nsl_l REM / 3063 LCELampMapping 2 / Mapping_Nebelschlussl_R_Function = nebelschlusslicht No fog lights: ![]() ![]() Fog Lights: ![]() ![]() It's just that easy! |
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12-09-2021, 04:45 PM | #8 |
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I don't know how I missed it, but I replaced my cold-side charge pipe back in the middle of September. It blew apart on the freeway while I was a few miles from work. I ordered the MAD combo with the 7" intercooler from x-ph (Thanks mike@x-ph.com !).
For the price, I'd buy MAD again. I feel like all the budget CPs are probably the same. It may not look as nice as a powder coated pipe, but nobody should be looking in there anyway and I feel like this product will do its job. I do want to note that there was a manufacturing defect on mine (perhaps a design defect?) as I described below. I reached out to MAD and never heard back from them. Start with a broken car stuck in the parking lot at work and a box of parts. ![]() Remove those covers, air intake, and air box. ![]() Remember to pull this black plastic retainer off the connection to the intercooler. It allows the retaining clip to be moved out of the way and then the pipe slides off easy. (This took me 20 minutes to figure out) ![]() Intercooler connection is straight down on the driver's side, throttle body is easily visible. ![]() ![]() The original charge pipe was seriously destroyed. The MAF connection blew off, the support clip was broken, and the connection to the throttle body was in several pieces. ![]() ![]() For the connection to the intercooler, install a new seal so that the skirt faces away from the intercooler. This allows the seal to slip on without binding. I applied a little Sil-Glyde to help it slip on easily. Also get that retaining clip in place. **Notice that this part has been manufactured incorrectly: The "C" shape for the middle detent is facing the wrong direction. In the orientation shown below, pressure against the detent pushes the retainer back and it gets lodged under that tang. This prevents the charge pipe from sliding into place. I had to wedge the clip on the body of the pipe until it was in place, then allow the detent to go into its slot.** ![]() For the connection to the throttle body, I capped the port for the transmission and swapped the MAF on. Again, install a new o-ring and lightly lube with Sil-Glyde so it slips on easily. Don't forget the retaining clip! ![]() ![]() I must have installed / removed this thing about 7 times before I was happy with it and didn't get boost leaks. Of course I forgot to take pictures of it. Oops. Finally I got a method I was very happy with (you may need more lubricant to get the silicone coupling to slide into place):
![]() ![]() Replace the covers and stop worrying about blowing your stock charge pipe! I'll install the intercooler and a TIC eventually. Last edited by McGyv3r; 12-09-2021 at 05:00 PM.. |
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01-12-2022, 03:18 PM | #9 |
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I snuck a little work in at the end of 2021. First step was finally sending Luna off to be scrapped. 10 years of work came to an end, but the parts will live on in other cars.
![]() This cleared some space to do some fun stuff! I also did an oil change while I was in there. I took off way more stuff than is required to swap downpipes, but it was good to figure out how everything goes together on an n55 f30. I marked the back side of the O2 sensor plugs so I'd know which goes where. It turns out that the interior of both sides of the front plug is black and the rear one is blue. Also, make sure the clips on the plug are fully seated or you'll get a CEL. ![]() ![]() Leaks! I think the bottom gasket on the stock DP must have been leaking based on all the corrosion around it. I assume water vapor in the exhaust is causing the problem. Also, It looks like this water return line on the turbo is leaking. Do I need to replace the whole line, or just an o-ring? Should I also replace the feed side? ![]() ![]() Here's the stock DP with a picture of the upper catalyst cell. The lower cell is slightly less dense. ![]() ![]() I picked an Active AutoWerke downpipe for a few reasons: This is a DD, so I don't want it smelly or to pollute too much. This is EPA compliant in 49-states, so I shouldn't have to remove it for inspection out of CA. Finally, the catalyst is guaranteed to not throw a CEL and it should set the emissions readiness monitors. I'll hold onto the stock cat, but this should be a hassle-free long-term replacement. Thanks to mike@x-ph.com (how do I tag mike?) for talking me through options and hooking me up with the price and fast shipping. I reused the upper seal (stayed in the turbo housing) and the lower seal. Fun fact: The lower seal still leaks. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() And there it is in place. Overall, I'm very happy with the fitment and quality. The support tabs didn't sit perfectly, but that could have been because the DP wasn't clocked perfectly in the turbo housing. I did end up ordering a new upper and lower seal from FCP euro. My goal with this car is to do everything correctly so it's completely reliable and works as BMW intended, just with more power. ![]() |
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01-17-2022, 11:07 AM | #10 |
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I had a "fun" new development yesterday. My passenger rear door won't unlock from the fob, comfort access, or the button inside the car. Pulling the handle unlocks and opens the door without any problems. The fob, comfort access, and the button inside the car are able to lock the door. The door also automatically locks with the rest of them when the car starts rolling.
I know it's a long shot, but has anyone dealt with this? ------------------------------------------------------------- Fun Fact: It fixed itself once I removed and replaced the door panel. No idea what happened, but it was a free fix! Last edited by McGyv3r; 07-07-2022 at 11:15 AM.. |
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01-19-2022, 01:14 PM | #11 | |
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01-19-2022, 04:14 PM | #12 |
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Thanks. The CP didn't come with any instructions, so I had to look at Evolution Racework's install instructions to figure it out. I emailed MAD to offer them comprehensive instructions in exchange for a Turbo-to-Intercooler pipe, but they never got back to me.
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03-04-2022, 11:22 AM | #13 |
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Quick update from a few weeks ago.
I decided to install the new intercooler and replace the seals on the downpipe. In retrospect, the intercooler didn't require the bumper to come off. However, I wanted to figure out what was going on with the blue tape I spotted when I replaced the horns. So, I pulled the bumper. It really wasn't that hard. I noticed some black paint on clips and the foam on the bumper was torn. So it looks like the car had the front resprayed at some point. Not a big deal. I ended up replacing the blue tape with some black gorilla tape. ![]() I got the front end stripped down, which made it easier to work and understand how the car was put together. ![]() ![]() Stock intercooler vs the MAD 7" stepped intercooler. It's a massive difference and crazy that the new one fits! ![]() ![]() I got it installed, but I'm really not happy with the machining on the cold side. I'm also using an MAD charge pipe, and the fit isn't great. I guess this is the reason people pay more for ER and other premium brands. ![]() ![]() ![]() I also wanted to replace both gaskets on the AA downpipe. The top gasket looked fine, but it's old and cheap to replace. The bottom gasket/clamp shouldn't have been reused, so it didn't seal correctly. I want this car to be reliable, so I don't want to leave any potential problems anywhere. I got the downpipe off without any issues and got a great shot of the turbo and upper gasket. ![]() That's when everything went sideways. I ordered the correct gasket per FCP Euro's site. Clearly the new gasket is too small. So I called BMW of San Francisco at 5:50 on a Saturday to see if I could get the right one. They did me a solid and waited for me to jog a mile home (over a massive hill), grab my e30, and drive over. They pulled a gasket based on RealOEM's part number. Luckily I took the used gasket because the one they pulled was too small as well. They looked the car up based on the VIN and their system also came back with the undersized gasket. I googled around and found this thread where thejeremyman9 posted the correct part number. Apparently the BMW catalog incorrectly provides the PWG part number for EWG cars, so I had the 3.5" gasket instead of the 4" gasket. The BMW parts guy pulled an 18-30-7-581-970 gasket for me so I could put the car back together. ![]() ![]() All buttoned up! ![]() Test drive was great. I was a little nervous about the charge pipe coming off, but it seemed to hold fine. The car ran great for 2 days. Then the car started running like crap and went into limp mode right as I was about to get on the freeway to cross the bridge from Emeryville into SF. It ended up being a bad coil, so I slowly limped the car home. Next update is all the maintenance work I've been doing in preparation for a cross-country drive. |
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03-11-2022, 05:26 PM | #15 |
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Thanks! I'm finishing up a huge list of maintenance items in preparation for road tripping the car. Hopefully I'll be done this weekend, if I can get the turbo coolant return pipe in place without slicing the o-ring for a 3rd time.
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03-14-2022, 10:19 AM | #18 |
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Charge Pipe and Intercooler are both MAD. I got them from Extreme Powerhouse after speaking with Mike. I 100% recommend talking to Mike about your build and goals, and he'll give a good suggestions and a great price.
Link: https://x-ph.com/mad-n55-intercooler...nly-f-chassis/ |
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03-17-2022, 12:34 PM | #19 |
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I'm going to break up this next update into several posts. It took about 3 weeks to complete because the deeper I went, the more things I wanted to repair.
This all started because I had a bad coil, knew I had a turbo coolant pipe leak, was worried about common cooling system failures, and felt like I should replace the drive belt. I think I ended up placing 3 orders through FCP, 2 orders through Rock Auto, and went to the dealership once or twice. What an ordeal. You can see the leaky/gooey turbo oil drain line and corrosion where the drain line connects to the turbo. The drive belt looked fine, but why not replace it and the pullies? The upper radiator hose was starting to look chocolatey and so was the merge on the radiator. This is a clear indication that a hose is about to fail and should be replaced. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() I had a bad coil on cylinder 1 (103k miles), so I figured the rest would die pretty soon. I decided to start with something easy and clean, so I got to replacing the coils and plugs. Take all the covers off, then remove the strut brace, then remove the cowl cover. You can do this job without taking the stuff off, but it takes 15 minutes to remove everything and I figured I would fight with not having clearance for way longer than 15 minutes. Plus, this gave me the chance to look over everything. I had a little oil weeping into the spark plug wells, but not enough to need to change the VC gasket and VC right away. I'm not going to push this car hard (bm3 Stage 2 will be enough), so I decided to stick with the OEM recommendations. I switched from the OEM Bosch plugs to the NGK (NGK-97506-1), which are supposed to be a direct replacement. All the gaps were right around 0.030" out of the box. I also switched from the stock Delphi coils to the new BMW recommendation of Eldor (ELD-R3516S00100) coils. Everything went in perfectly. It took about 2 weeks to finish all the work, but I cleared the misfire codes and the car ran flawless. I'm very happy about this. ![]() ![]() ![]() Last edited by McGyv3r; 07-07-2022 at 11:18 AM.. |
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03-17-2022, 12:52 PM | #20 |
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The next big thing was the drive belt. I removed the cooling fan for a little extra clearance. Again, this isn't required, but I'd rather spend 15 min up front removing something than to spend 30 min fighting and then ultimately remove the thing anyway.
So as many know, with proper maintenance, the n55 drive belt isn't really a problem. However, the time, oil, and/or coolant will allow the belt to stretch. The design of the harmonic balancer won't allow the belt to fall off the front. So if the belt jumps off the pulley, it can get forced through the front main seal and ruin the engine. For peace of mind and longevity of this car, I decided to get a crank seal guard. There are 2 main options out there: Something like the Vargas Turbo Tech that is billet, but flat on the back, and something like the Kies Motorsports that is billet with a centering ring on the back. Refer to this thread for more info, but the summary is that the Kies design fits a little tighter, is a little more sturdy, and provides a little more protection. I chose to spend twice the money for the peace of mind. ![]() ![]() So I marked the harmonic balancer so it would go on in the same orientation, removed the bolts, and then removed the balancer. All the old and new parts neatly laid out. The Kies bolts are longer to accommodate the guard. *Note the Bentley manual for instructions and specs. If you don't have one, go get one. It's nice to have all the CORRECT instructions in one place.* ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() And installed. It's hidden behind the harmonic balancer, so no one will ever see it. ![]() The cooling system nightmare is next, but I had to take a break to change Stinky's front wheel bearings. All that is over on r3v. ![]() |
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