BMW e36 320i first car project

[ahmadbila]

to flush out the ATF, its best to use a cleaner/conditioner product and run for about 100 kms and do a pump type drain out. Replace the filter, fill up the sump and redo the ATF pump out procedure till you have exchanged 120% of the ATF capacity of the unit.

For you guys living in GCC - I would suggest to find an air/oil cooler and plumb it as extra in the cooling circuit (after original cooler) - it will greatly help the transmission performance and longevity.

That's a very good suggestion. but is there anything like 'too cold' transmission fluid? won't it harm the transmission? what's the general operating temperature of the oil?

2ndly, do you have experience with these JATCO gearboxes? i am not sure of what the pump type drain means. could you kindly explain a little bit?

[bym007]

That's a very good suggestion. but is there anything like 'too cold' transmission fluid? won't it harm the transmission? what's the general operating temperature of the oil?

2ndly, do you have experience with these JATCO gearboxes? i am not sure of what the pump type drain means. could you kindly explain a little bit?

Note that the operational temperature for BMW tranny oil is around 86'C as discussed in many repair articles online.

Also, I read somewhere this morning that BMW has now described lifetime ATF fill as 100,000 miles (cheeky), so many Indy are recommending oil change at 50,000 miles and oil+filter pan kit change at 100,000 miles.

[ahmadbila]

you cannot shy away from brake dust in any German car, its a part of ownership - I just spray some soap and hose down the wheels on my car. The original dusty type brake pads give the absolute best bite when it comes to brake performance.

I see you have a complaint of noise on brake application. This usually is a case of a poor brake job. usually the grinding happens when the pad carrier is binding the pads themselves, I buff it out with a wirewheel and apply silicone grease to the edges where it rides. With caliper pins its mandatory to clean out the bores first with brake cleaner and some tools, then fresh coat of silicone grease or ATE brake grease (your choice) is applied and worked in and out.

moly or copper antisieze is advised for the pad backer plate to prevent squeal (vibration) noise.

True that. I ve seen sooo many German cars here with rims fully blacked out. I don't really mind it but never saw so much brake dust before. Perhaps its more then usual because we drive on higher speed on average. But yes brake performance is very reasonable for the car.

Thanks for your input on the brake grind issue. I will certainly keep that in mind during my next brake service, which should be just 3 4 months from now. I wonder how long the ATE pads can last. They have already done around 12k kms.

[ahmadbila]

Loving it so far. Went through all the pages. How about some exterior care now?
Best of luck ahead.

Thank you. There are only 2 or 3 things left to fix on the car and then the priority is exterior care. In my bucket, detailing is the last thing to do since there are/were more important things to do like mechanical stuff to fix etc etc.

The car's paint has quite a lot of over spray and swirls. It needs a good buff and clay bar treatment. I ve done it on little pieces (half trunk) and results were awesome. InshaALLAH soon i ll be done with fixing the other stuff that needs attention and then will be here with detailing pix I am really eager to use the rotary polisher and other inventory of products that i have bought months ago.

[bym007]

True that. I ve seen sooo many German cars here with rims fully blacked out. I don't really mind it but never saw so much brake dust before. Perhaps its more then usual because we drive on higher speed on average. But yes brake performance is very reasonable for the car.

Thanks for your input on the brake grind issue. I will certainly keep that in mind during my next brake service, which should be just 3 4 months from now. I wonder how long the ATE pads can last. They have already done around 12k kms.

Brakes are meant to be replaced anytime between 40,000 to 80,000 kms, ofcourse depending on your driving style. I dont know if your car has brake wear sensors installed or not.

[ahmadbila]

Note that the operational temperature for BMW tranny oil is around 86'C as discussed in many repair articles online.

Also, I read somewhere this morning that BMW has now described lifetime ATF fill as 100,000 miles (cheeky), so many Indy are recommending oil change at 50,000 miles and oil+filter pan kit change at 100,000 miles.

lol. SO it was a marketing gimmick all along. 100k miles is about as much as a transmission lasts. n once its out, you have to change the oil anyways. so yes, it was a bit confusing for the owners. but now its clear. well, mine has around 125k miles. I would like to think that the mileage is not tempered because apparently, a small star/dot appears next to the KM indicator if it is.

anyways, i ll get the oil replaced asap. also, thanks for the opp. temp. figure (Y)

[ahmadbila]

Brakes are meant to be replaced anytime between 40,000 to 80,000 kms, ofcourse depending on your driving style. I dont know if your car has brake wear sensors installed or not.

It does. but not on all sides. Only front left and rear right. but im not sure if the sensors work or not (i didn't get any errors) but i inspect the remaining braking element left on the pads every time the wheels are off. i.e. 10k kms for rotating the wheels around the car.

[bym007]

It does. but not on all sides. Only front left and rear right. but im not sure if the sensors work or not (i didn't get any errors) but i inspect the remaining braking element left on the pads every time the wheels are off. i.e. 10k kms for rotating the wheels around the car.

Good choice!

[bym007]

True that. I ve seen sooo many German cars here with rims fully blacked out. I don't really mind it but never saw so much brake dust before. Perhaps its more then usual because we drive on higher speed on average. But yes brake performance is very reasonable for the car.

Thanks for your input on the brake grind issue. I will certainly keep that in mind during my next brake service, which should be just 3 4 months from now. I wonder how long the ATE pads can last. They have already done around 12k kms.

You need this in your life[emoji14]

//youtu.be/29uhUyfHiZ0

I purchased one as well this morning :).

[ahmadbila]

^^ lol. I really do !!! Trouble is i cannot hose down the wheels like that in a public parking So i keep a water spray bottle and clean the rims with a cloth instead.

[Xulfiqar]

I would prefer a simpler system with full control in hands of the occupants. The main problem is that when i turn the fan off, the recirc shuts down (opens up fresh air) and when on highways, the vents keep blowing air inside the car even when the fan itself is off. So i want to have a system in place to completely shut down the flow of air.
The system would make sense in europe or other colder regions but here, not so much! Anyways, no big deal. I can live with it.

If you close down the vents for the outside air with a moving car with windows rolled up you will get foggy windows just from the moisture in your breath. It will also lead to bad smells inside the car - If you are pinned on closing the fresh air vent (outside smells etc) then just put on recirc and move the temperature to mix mode of your comfort, that way you wont be getting chilled air. The A/C will quickly cycle off too as the evaporator wont have much airflow on it.

[Xulfiqar]

what is the love of clean wheels? - My E320 has blackened dirty wheels most of the time - the only time they are clean is when I hose them down with water when Im washing the car at home (which is once a month or so) - otherwise they remain authentically Deutsche brake dust type jenyan itemm

The brakes on my mercedes are "throw out the anchor" strong - they need to be because I use the car for travelling long distances.

[Xulfiqar]

It does. but not on all sides. Only front left and rear right. but im not sure if the sensors work or not (i didn't get any errors) but i inspect the remaining braking element left on the pads every time the wheels are off. i.e. 10k kms for rotating the wheels around the car.

The sensors only work once or twice to illuminate the brake pad warning, after that they simply are ground down to nothing and dont work hence you dont see the warning constantly lit.

[Xulfiqar]

Note that the operational temperature for BMW tranny oil is around 86'C as discussed in many repair articles online.

Also, I read somewhere this morning that BMW has now described lifetime ATF fill as 100,000 miles (cheeky), so many Indy are recommending oil change at 50,000 miles and oil+filter pan kit change at 100,000 miles.

the lifetime fill is a stupid idea, toyota also write the same stupid sentence on their corolla/camry etc dipsticks that ATF never needs changing in the life of the vehicle. - RIGHT - LOL - its thick as tar and black as sin after 60,000 kms and the transmission thinks its a loaf of bread when you position the lever in any forward range.

Mazda do that too - and then proceed to cool the unit through the radiator - no problem except that most newer mazda engines will kick on their radiator fans at 104C, hotter than hell ATF if your car lives in city traffic. That is why nearly all long running mazda cars have external transmission coolers which keeps the temperature of the ATF between 70-90C. The ones which dont have such cooler usually are advertised for sale with transmission issues with a mileage of 100,000 miles.

Mercedes USA got hit with a massive lawsuit with their filled for life ATF BS marketing in the late 90s and early 2000s - the outcome was to change it at 35000 miles with an updated ATF - for some oddball reason the original fill is not sold in USA anymore in any quantity.

I do rebuild and repair automatic gearboxes, and after seeing failures etc I always recommend two things - one is to change ATF at 30,000 miles or 50,000 kms etc and run an additional cooler setup.

[Xulfiqar]

True that. I ve seen sooo many German cars here with rims fully blacked out. I don't really mind it but never saw so much brake dust before. Perhaps its more then usual because we drive on higher speed on average. But yes brake performance is very reasonable for the car.

Thanks for your input on the brake grind issue. I will certainly keep that in mind during my next brake service, which should be just 3 4 months from now. I wonder how long the ATE pads can last. They have already done around 12k kms.

The reason you see more brake dust in countries outside of Pakistan is because in Pakistan German cars are constantly being champi paalish rather than being driven. The amount you see is very normal. I will snap a picture or two of my cars brake dust. It cakes on a few mm thick before i clean it. If I were to clean them everyday I would lose my mind.

You can choose to install ceramic brake pads but remember that they wont work until they are very hot and they will grind down the disc pretty quick. The upside to this choice is almost zero brake dust on the wheels.

btw - your car is pretty old - did your mechanic change the rubber lines and flush the fluid? Or was it just a pad slap and disc tool down jobbie?

[devils_smile]

what is the love of clean wheels? - My E320 has blackened dirty wheels most of the time - the only time they are clean is when I hose them down with water when Im washing the car at home (which is once a month or so) - otherwise they remain authentically Deutsche brake dust type jenyan itemm

The brakes on my mercedes are "throw out the anchor" strong - they need to be because I use the car for travelling long distances.

Its an OCD

But yeah, when I had those old black steelies with the wheel caps, I never noticed how bad the brake dust was. Ever since i've put on the new wheels, the holes are full of brake dust when I travel on the highway. Its not so bad when I drive the car in Islamabad though. I usually wash my car on a weekly basis so for that one week when I dont touch the car, the silver alloys are almost grey.

[Xulfiqar]

Its an OCD

But yeah, when I had those old black steelies with the wheel caps, I never noticed how bad the brake dust was. Ever since i've put on the new wheels, the holes are full of brake dust when I travel on the highway. Its not so bad when I drive the car in Islamabad though. I usually wash my car on a weekly basis so for that one week when I dont touch the car, the silver alloys are almost grey.

with white or gray cars the the sides of the car will get blackish too after a while. But its just the nature of the beast, I can almost guarantee that if I drive even a few miles to pick up some groceries my car's wheels will be dusty.

I dont use any special cleaners - I use a household cleaning soap aided with a poofy brush (I dont like to hurt my hands on the caliper etc) - and the wheels become very nice.

[ahmadbila]

SO, some pix during the brake job

[ahmadbila]

[ahmadbila]

This was how the rotors looked like