BMW e36 320i first car project

[ahmadbila]

[ahmadbila]

[ahmadbila]

[fawadakbarkhan]

So you finally acted upon "Caaman peepal caaman peepal, get foog laaaampsss"

[fawadakbarkhan]

Why don;t you get the lower plastic trim painted? It's looking dull and grayish...

PS: I spot a honda city

[KamranAslam]

have been following your thread from its purchase. I say a car with an attitude.

Not a simple bee to live with but a PakWheeler can take care of such ladies

Lovey Car.

[Xulfiqar]

Nice! btw, I have found that the brake fluid is kinda black. it doesnt look right. Should i get it changed? are there any benefits of doing so or consequences of skipping?

Edit: Ooopss... You touched the same topic in ur next post. Just read that. Yes it was just a pad slapping job, nothing else. Most mechanics here don't ever suggest things like that to people, specially not to older car owners.
I decided about the pad change myself, it wasnt a suggestion from the mechanic. so i cannot blame him but still. Do let me know what ever else i should get done on the brakes.

not flushing brake fluid is literally playing russian roullette - brake fluid is an alcohol and readily absorbs moisture right from the atmosphere, watered down brake fluid lowers the boiling point of it by about 80C - quite dangerous. This moisture also rusts the brake calipers and master cylinder inside out (expensive repair - and can even have deadly consequences)

its not too hard to flush the fluid - all you need is a litre of DOT 3 or 4 brake fluid and a bottle like this.

a spanner to unscrew the bleeder valves and a jack to raise the car - the fronts can be done just by turning the wheels, the rears need the wheels removed.

the bottle should have its pipe dipped in brake fluid, hang the bottle so that the pipe always go upwards from the bleeder valve and the bottle should be above too, top up the master cylinder open bleeder - pump the pedal (only half stroke), keep on pumping and refilling the master cylinder till the fluid exiting the bleeder is the same colour as the new fluid. Repeat on each wheel. Once all is clean - pack the job.

[Xulfiqar]

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?

With the additional cooler after the radiator unit there is no possibility of overcooled ATF, - by the way overcooled ATF is anything below 50C - which will not happen EVER in the UAE. The radiator keeps the ATF at coolant temperature (its a bit hot) - so we cool it down to sensible levels (70~90C) - under all conditions, no matter if you are pulling hard on a mountain or blasting down the highway.

BMW - Jatco unit?? is this the stupid nissan gearbox that was as tough as glass?

[bym007]

not flushing brake fluid is literally playing russian roullette - brake fluid is an alcohol and readily absorbs moisture right from the atmosphere, watered down brake fluid lowers the boiling point of it by about 80C - quite dangerous. This moisture also rusts the brake calipers and master cylinder inside out (expensive repair - and can even have deadly consequences)

its not too hard to flush the fluid - all you need is a litre of DOT 3 or 4 brake fluid and a bottle like this.

a spanner to unscrew the bleeder valves and a jack to raise the car - the fronts can be done just by turning the wheels, the rears need the wheels removed.

the bottle should have its pipe dipped in brake fluid, hang the bottle so that the pipe always go upwards from the bleeder valve and the bottle should be above too, top up the master cylinder open bleeder - pump the pedal (only half stroke), keep on pumping and refilling the master cylinder till the fluid exiting the bleeder is the same colour as the new fluid. Repeat on each wheel. Once all is clean - pack the job.

Lets this linkbe your pictorial guide. Specific to BMW E36.

[bym007]

not flushing brake fluid is literally playing russian roullette - brake fluid is an alcohol and readily absorbs moisture right from the atmosphere, watered down brake fluid lowers the boiling point of it by about 80C - quite dangerous. This moisture also rusts the brake calipers and master cylinder inside out (expensive repair - and can even have deadly consequences)

its not too hard to flush the fluid - all you need is a litre of DOT 3 or 4 brake fluid and a bottle like this.

a spanner to unscrew the bleeder valves and a jack to raise the car - the fronts can be done just by turning the wheels, the rears need the wheels removed.

the bottle should have its pipe dipped in brake fluid, hang the bottle so that the pipe always go upwards from the bleeder valve and the bottle should be above too, top up the master cylinder open bleeder - pump the pedal (only half stroke), keep on pumping and refilling the master cylinder till the fluid exiting the bleeder is the same colour as the new fluid. Repeat on each wheel. Once all is clean - pack the job.

Lets this linkbe your pictorial guide. Specific to BMW E36. Another one here.

[ahmadbila]

Why don;t you get the lower plastic trim painted? It's looking dull and grayish...

PS: I spot a honda city

Lol... we always find a honda city to look at

Well the plastic part is not bare plastic. Its polished plastic. the 320i came with this one while 325i, 328i and m3 came with painted ones. But i am not much into changing the stock looks of the car. I am not gonna keep the car for more then a few months or so. Hence, i am just concentrating on making it mechanically much better then it was.

[ahmadbila]

So you finally acted upon "Caaman peepal caaman peepal, get foog laaaampsss"

ha ha ha... Exactly this is the second time regarding fog lamps

[bym007]

Lol... we always find a honda city to look at[emoji14]

Well the plastic part is not bare plastic. Its polished plastic. the 320i came with this one while 325i, 328i and m3 came with painted ones. But i am not much into changing the stock looks of the car. I am not gonna keep the car for more then a few months or so. Hence, i am just concentrating on making it mechanically much better then it was.

If you get hold of APC and clean the plastic trim and then apply Plastic Trim Restoration cream, it will spring back to life with sheen or matt look, as desired.

Check out my BMW E60 ride thread.

[ahmadbila]

have been following your thread from its purchase. I say a car with an attitude.

Not a simple bee to live with but a PakWheeler can take care of such ladies

Lovey Car.

Thank you sir. Indeed these Germans are not as simple as most other cars but this particular one is the not so complicated, thankfully. I am glad you enjoyed the thread. there will be more posts very soon.

[ahmadbila]

not flushing brake fluid is literally playing russian roullette - brake fluid is an alcohol and readily absorbs moisture right from the atmosphere, watered down brake fluid lowers the boiling point of it by about 80C - quite dangerous. This moisture also rusts the brake calipers and master cylinder inside out (expensive repair - and can even have deadly consequences)

its not too hard to flush the fluid - all you need is a litre of DOT 3 or 4 brake fluid and a bottle like this.

a spanner to unscrew the bleeder valves and a jack to raise the car - the fronts can be done just by turning the wheels, the rears need the wheels removed.

the bottle should have its pipe dipped in brake fluid, hang the bottle so that the pipe always go upwards from the bleeder valve and the bottle should be above too, top up the master cylinder open bleeder - pump the pedal (only half stroke), keep on pumping and refilling the master cylinder till the fluid exiting the bleeder is the same colour as the new fluid. Repeat on each wheel. Once all is clean - pack the job.

hmmmm... You have me thinking about doing yet another DIY. this looks doable. i ll check what kind of oil it takes n stuff. Lets get this one done as well... just wondering, why does the pipe inside the bottle needs to be dipped in oil?

it is my understanding that the bottle is only for accumulating the oil that is coming out of the bleeder valve. so shud i fill some new oil in the bottle before pumping out old one into it?

Edit: Does having ABS brakes changes the process of flushing the oil in brake lines? i see i might have to activate the ABS pump to force fluid out of the system etc etc. sounds a bit more complicated.

[ahmadbila]

With the additional cooler after the radiator unit there is no possibility of overcooled ATF, - by the way overcooled ATF is anything below 50C - which will not happen EVER in the UAE. The radiator keeps the ATF at coolant temperature (its a bit hot) - so we cool it down to sensible levels (70~90C) - under all conditions, no matter if you are pulling hard on a mountain or blasting down the highway.

BMW - Jatco unit?? is this the stupid nissan gearbox that was as tough as glass?

Yes!! Its the same Jatco that goes into some Nissans. Its standard for Japan-spec e36s. u have experience with it? how is it? good? bad? average?

[usama1]

hmmmm... You have me thinking about doing yet another DIY. this looks doable. i ll check what kind of oil it takes n stuff. Lets get this one done as well... just wondering, why does the pipe inside the bottle needs to be dipped in oil?

it is my understanding that the bottle is only for accumulating the oil that is coming out of the bleeder valve. so shud i fill some new oil in the bottle before pumping out old one into it?

@ ahmadbila....sorry for being off topic..nice to see u after a long.....hows ur city going?? Whts on its ODO?

[ahmadbila]

If you get hold of APC and clean the plastic trim and then apply Plastic Trim Restoration cream, it will spring back to life with sheen or matt look, as desired.

Check out my BMW E60 ride thread.

I will do that but this plastic is not faded or dried out. Its actually grey plastic that stays like that even if its wet/damp. I ll take some close up pix.

[ahmadbila]

@ ahmadbila....sorry for being off topic..nice to see u after a long.....hows ur city going?? Whts on its ODO?

Hi. City is going well. needs some care from me as i ve been away for too long but mechanically its fine. Mileage is around 340k kms now.

[ahmadbila]

Lets this linkbe your pictorial guide. Specific to BMW E36. Another one here.

wow... great find !! this is gonna help me a lot... thanks (Y)