m42b32 Posted May 16, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2016 I had heard of the screwdriver trick but didn't realize that automotive stethoscopes existed, thanks for the tip! Just ordered one, should be extremely helpful in pinpointing this annoying noise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoungCR Posted May 16, 2016 Report Share Posted May 16, 2016 Harbor freight has the same ones the auto stores sell for $5 less. Found that out after I paid $15 for one at Advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m42b32 Posted May 19, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2016 Got my stethoscope last night and poked around in the engine bay, what an awesome tool. Alternator, water pump, idler pulley, and timing chain tensioner all sounded normal. Also poked around on the block, timing cover, intake manifold, and everywhere else I could reach and didn't hear anything abnormal. I was getting a lot of noise from the serpentine belt tensioner assembly and it was the loudest when I touched the hydraulic tensioner piston itself (couldn't reach the pulley). I ordered a new tensioner assembly and will be borrowing the pulley from the AC system since they are the same. All of the pulleys are new INA brand parts that I installed within the last 10,000 miles (the AC pulley still spins like new), it will be interesting to see if the other one failed prematurely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m42b32 Posted May 29, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 29, 2016 Did some more work on the car over the last week. I installed a new tensioner and pulley as well as a new serpentine belt (one size larger as the old one was too tight and a huge pain to install). The pulley wasn't in terrible shape and once all this was done the noise was still there. While I had the belt off I noticed that the alternator was making a hissing sound when you spun it by hand. I pulled it today to inspect the bearings and they were ok, it's just the brushes making a bit of a noise. I cleaned up the slip rings and quieted them down a bit. I am really stumped on this noise. In other news, I got a set of really great condition euro ZKW headlights shipped over from Germany (Thanks to Earl's friend Kitty)! She also sent all the necessary plugs and the switch for the leveling motors. Today I got the headlights installed and I am so pleased with the result. I somewhat followed this DIY for the install: http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?1668757-Euro-Headlight-Harness-and-Aim-Control-DIY. I used non-adhesive backed vinyl tape to wrap all the harnesses I made for an extra OEM look. While I was in there I also wrapped the electric fan conversion harness to better hide the wiring. Here is a picture of one of the headlight harnesses once I converted it to the euro plugs: Ignore the super dirty car, drove about 125 miles this morning and the bugs were out in force. For the leveling motors, I made a harness and routed it through the fuse box into the interior. Instead of grounding the motors to the headlight harness I grounded them straight to the chassis as I wanted to keep that system completely separate if I ever want to remove it. I followed the DIY's advice and used the dimmer switch wiring instead of the fan box and it simplified the task significantly. Got the switch installed in the dash, had to cut a notch out of the knee bolster as it interfered with the switch but once that was done it all fit perfectly. Put everything back together and it works great! I like the ability to either raise or lower the cutoff, not sure how often I'll use it but it was certainly a fun project. All in all took about 6 hours for the install. Didn't get a great picture of the new lights as it was dark but I really like how they look, worlds better than the cloudy plastic lights I had before and the improved light output is a huge plus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earl Posted May 29, 2016 Report Share Posted May 29, 2016 I need to wire in my headlight adjusters and city lights too=) How long would you say it took? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m42b32 Posted May 29, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 29, 2016 8 minutes ago, Earl said: I need to wire in my headlight adjusters and city lights too=) How long would you say it took? City lights were super easy, you could probably do it in under an hour for both if you've already got the rest of the wiring done. The adjusters were a pretty big pain because you have to pull apart the fuse box and run two wires (black and black/gray) through the firewall. Maybe 3.5 hours total, but I wasn't too focused and was wrapping everything for an OEM finish. Definitely wire the adjuster switch into the dimmer switch wiring instead of going to the fan distribution box, really simplifies the process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KaiserRolls Posted May 29, 2016 Report Share Posted May 29, 2016 City lights look cool Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earl Posted May 29, 2016 Report Share Posted May 29, 2016 That was what I was going to do=) I have done city lights a few times over now but have been lazy lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m42b32 Posted May 31, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2016 FCP euro is having a 10% off memorial day sale (memday10 is the coupon code for those of you wondering) so I sucked it up and bought the lower timing chain tensioner, hopefully that fixes this noise... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m42b32 Posted June 1, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2016 Picked up a few roundels and random odds and ends off a partout on bimmerforums, finally replaced the trashed emblem on the hood Also stopped by the lake and took this picture, Im loving the city lights! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m42b32 Posted June 7, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2016 After weeks of trying to solve this annoying noise I think I got it! I started the engine without a serpentine belt on it a week ago and the noise was still there, eliminating any of the accessories as the source (shoud've done that a while ago...). I was getting the noise when the engine was warm and above idle but was not noticeable with the engine cold. I changed the oil to Mobile1 5w50 (previously had 5w40) and it seemed to help a tiny bit but that could also just be the fresh oil. I finally bit the bullet and bought the secondary timing chain tensioner since FCP was having a memorial day sale that made it as cheap as I'm ever going to get it. After a bit of a fiasco with incorrect parts being shipped by their warehouse I finally got the right part and popped it in last night. The noise is pretty much gone as of my commute this morning! The old tensioner didn't seem to actuate very smoothly so I'm pretty convinced that was the culprit. Also, with regards to the metal shavings issue, the magnetic drain plug had one or two small pieces on it and a thin film of basically metal powder that you would expect for 3500 miles, glad it wasn't a huge ball of shavings. Ripped apart the oil filter and ran a magnet over the folds, got a few metal flakes but nothing excessive. I'm pretty sure these were all just knocked loose or missed when I did all my cleaning. I got an oil sample to send to Blackstone Labs to get some more information, hopefully the results are good! I'm still planning to pull the valve cover again and re-inspect everything in the next week or two, but I am getting more confident that whatever was causing this issue has slowed down or been solved. patsbimmer1 and KaiserRolls 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m42b32 Posted June 16, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 16, 2016 Well crap, this scratching/scraping/bad bearing noise is definitely still there. It seems a little quieter than before but I can still hear it over 2,000rpm once the engine is warming up. I am really stumped at this point... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m42b32 Posted June 17, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2016 Got my oil analysis back from Blackstone Labs. Everything came back well within acceptable ranges and Blackstone gave it a good bill of health. Really happy to hear that. Did more investigating related to my annoying noise. Ran the motor with the oil cap off to check for vacuum leaks, noise didn't change at all with the cap on or off so I now know it isn't vacuum related. I also have been listening to it on the road and it is purely RPM based. It doesn't get louder or quieter depending on the load placed on the engine, which leads me away from thinking it is an exhaust manifold crack/leak. Since I know it isn't related to the accessories and it is solely based on RPM, and also that the timing chain tensioner seems to have affected the noise a little, I am thinking it is related to the timing chain guides. It's entirely possible that one of them is cracked or gouged from when that random plastic cap fell into the engine (or some other time). I am going to order both lower guides and just bite the bullet (again) and pull everything apart to replace them. I didn't see anything horribly bad last time I had a look at them but I also didn't get to inspect them all that closely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m42b32 Posted September 5, 2016 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2016 118k: Replaced the rear rotors and pads as they were pretty shot. Also installed the rest of the braided stainless brake lines and flushed the system with Ate type 200 fluid. No more brake squeal and it stops on a dime! Haven't had time to get to inspecting the timing guides, but it is running great and the noise isn't getting any worse so I don't think it's too big of a deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m42b32 Posted September 28, 2016 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2016 119.2k: Installed an OEM 3-button keyless/alarm system last night. Pretty easy to install, only issue I had was the siren mounting location was being occupied by the larger euro headlights so I had to modify the mounting bracket and place it near the radiator. Not too happy with the location though, had to point it upwards towards the hood insulation so the alarm isn't very loud despite being ear splitting with the hood open. Eventually I will lengthen the wire harness and put it somewhere else in the bay or possibly behind the front bumper where the sounds isn't so muffled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patsbimmer1 Posted September 28, 2016 Report Share Posted September 28, 2016 I always felt like I was walking away from a spaceship when I would lock my last e36 with the factory alarm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daggerty Posted September 28, 2016 Report Share Posted September 28, 2016 I feel like I'm in a submarine that's under attack when I forget to turn the lights off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KaiserRolls Posted September 28, 2016 Report Share Posted September 28, 2016 I feel like I'm in a submarine that's under attack when I forget to turn the lights off. DIVE DIVE DIVE DIVE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earl Posted September 28, 2016 Report Share Posted September 28, 2016 I wish my coupe had the fob still=/ My compact had both fobs and two original keys. Only thing I didn't have was the plastic key. I have that for the coupe though=) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m42b32 Posted September 28, 2016 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2016 9 minutes ago, Earl said: I wish my coupe had the fob still=/ My compact had both fobs and two original keys. Only thing I didn't have was the plastic key. I have that for the coupe though=) Alarms/keyless systems were a dealer installed option so if you have all the other parts installed you can buy the correct fob (ebay usually has one or two) and program it to the module behind the glove box! You just need to get one with the right FCC ID. I only got one fob for my system and I'm going to pick up another soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoungCR Posted September 29, 2016 Report Share Posted September 29, 2016 You can get the Alpine branded ones too for usually cheaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsweers89 Posted September 29, 2016 Report Share Posted September 29, 2016 8 hours ago, Earl said: I wish my coupe had the fob still=/ My compact had both fobs and two original keys. Only thing I didn't have was the plastic key. I have that for the coupe though=) I have it somewere I think. Along with an extra key as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m42b32 Posted October 10, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2016 Bought some LED headlight bulbs from a group buy on r3v to put in my low-beams and it turned out they didn't fit in my ZKW's. So, instead of returning them I bought some cheap fog lights and put them in there since I didn't want to chop up my stock ones. They definitely light things up better than before: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m42b32 Posted October 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2016 119.5k: Picked up an x-brace from a guy down in Racine over the weekend, threw some paint on it and bolted it in the car tonight after work: The hardest part of that install was probably jacking up the car thanks to the later M3 front subframe already having the threaded holes. Took it for a quick spin and it felt a little sharper and more stable while I aggressively dodged potholes around my apartment, and the extra oil pan protection is a big plus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m42b32 Posted October 15, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2016 Christened the M3 after the cruise today, thanks Chris! 119.8K: Oil change with 5w40 synthetic. Only one tiny metal flake on the magnetic drain plug and running a magnet around in the drain pan picked up nothing, really happy to see that KaiserRolls 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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