Non-BMW Stuff on a BMW Forum

[gilber33]

13 hours ago, SteelBlue said:

What wheels are these?

They're the RS reps that I think a few other people have on here. ESM I think. Then I got BMW domed stickers off ebay for the center caps. 

12 hours ago, Rekpoint said:

I didn't think I would be. But definitely more of a fan of this color instead of the old one.

Next on your list should be to get some euro smiley headlights and cross-hairs like this

https://www.irp.lt/individual-racing-parts-product/crosshairs-for-headlights-to-make-smoked-hella-bmw-e30-e34/

 

At first I was a little disappointed that it wasn't as dark as Delphin. But I'm secretly a fan of that Destroyer Gray color that is being used more and more today. And this is kind of like that color but with some metallic. 

11 hours ago, SteelBlue said:

I have a pair of the Depo smoked euro smileys if you want @gilber33

I had those when I first got the car but switched to OEM ellipsoids because I didn't want to deal with the wiring. I have been thinking about those though because the new ZKW fogs have a smoked look to them. 

[SteelBlue]

53 minutes ago, gilber33 said:

They're the RS reps that I think a few other people have on here. ESM I think. Then I got BMW domed stickers off ebay for the center caps.

I know everyone does them, but this is going to be my next set of wheels. They just look right on these cars.

[gilber33]

16 minutes ago, SteelBlue said:

I know everyone does them, but this is going to be my next set of wheels. They just look right on these cars.

Yes. I agree. They fit the car very well and their quality is great, IMO, for a rep. 

[straight6pwr]

2 hours ago, gilber33 said:

I had those when I first got the car but switched to OEM ellipsoids because I didn't want to deal with the wiring. I have been thinking about those though because the new ZKW fogs have a smoked look to them. 

you just repainted your car in your garage, I cannot comprehend how swapping some headlight electrical plugs could deter you. DOES NOT COMPUTE

[SteelBlue]

3 minutes ago, straight6pwr said:

you just repainted your car in your garage, I cannot comprehend how swapping some headlight electrical plugs could deter you. DOES NOT COMPUTE

Even a moron like myself was able to do it.

[gilber33]

1 hour ago, straight6pwr said:

you just repainted your car in your garage, I cannot comprehend how swapping some headlight electrical plugs could deter you. DOES NOT COMPUTE

The car had them when I bought it but they weren't wired in correctly. The housings were also hacked up from someone retrofitting HIDs. I don't like HIDs in old cars and the bulb openings were so messed up that a normal bulb couldn't be installed. On top of that I was in the middle of pulling the engine for the 1,345th time and didn't want to deal with buying new headlights and doing the wiring. 

I had a million other things to do and just wanted some working headlights. I'm not saying I won't do them, but it's not a major priority. 

1 hour ago, SteelBlue said:

Even a moron like myself was able to do it.

With all that said. What are you asking for them? My ellipsoids adjustment screws are rusted solid and I can't adjust the headlights. 

 

[SteelBlue]

1 hour ago, gilber33 said:

The car had them when I bought it but they weren't wired in correctly. The housings were also hacked up from someone retrofitting HIDs. I don't like HIDs in old cars and the bulb openings were so messed up that a normal bulb couldn't be installed. On top of that I was in the middle of pulling the engine for the 1,345th time and didn't want to deal with buying new headlights and doing the wiring. 

I had a million other things to do and just wanted some working headlights. I'm not saying I won't do them, but it's not a major priority. 

With all that said. What are you asking for them? My ellipsoids adjustment screws are rusted solid and I can't adjust the headlights. 

 

I'll send you a message.

*TFW when you start texting @gilber33 and realize you discussed buying an E46 wagon 2 years ago.

[Nick_F]

This thing is coming together beautifully! I need an e30 in my life

[gilber33]

Well, true to classic e30 form I made it a couple days before something pops up. Today the steering got periodically tight. Didn’t think much of it until getting home and it was really right; i.e. hard to turn the wheel. Kind of like I didn’t have power steering. But if I turned the wheel say 90°, the car wouldn’t straighten back out, it would stay turned. Which I thought was weird. So there’s some definite resistance somewhere. Belt on the pump was still tight and the fluid wasn’t frothy or anything. 
 

Rack? Pump? Joints on the steering column? 

[B C]

Which steering/suspension components have been touched recently? I dont recall you replacing things.

Does it have drop hats?

It could be an internal rack leak on the spool. Running Lucas Power Steering Fix (one of very few fixes in a bottle that works) or Valvoline Max Life ATF will help swell those seals if they are leaking.

[gilber33]

3 minutes ago, B C said:

Which steering/suspension components have been touched recently? I dont recall you replacing things.

Does it have drop hats?

It could be an internal rack leak on the spool. Running Lucas Power Steering Fix (one of very few fixes in a bottle that works) or Valvoline Max Life ATF will help swell those seals if they are leaking.

It has new inner and outer tie rods from when I swapped in the e36 rack when I got the car. I replaced strut mounts and ball joints during this last round of stuff. 
 

Admittedly I did notice the steering rack did this when I was doing the suspension work. I assume that’s not normal. 

[B C]

That would be where your binding is from. Im doubtful the pinion adjustment will help in this scenario but if you’ve got nothing to lose, may as well mark the current position and tighten it 1/8 turn at a time to see if it removes the slop

[straight6pwr]

1 hour ago, gilber33 said:

Well, true to classic e30 form I made it a couple days before something pops up. Today the steering got periodically tight. Didn’t think much of it until getting home and it was really right; i.e. hard to turn the wheel. Kind of like I didn’t have power steering. But if I turned the wheel say 90°, the car wouldn’t straighten back out, it would stay turned. Which I thought was weird. So there’s some definite resistance somewhere. Belt on the pump was still tight and the fluid wasn’t frothy or anything. 
 

Rack? Pump? Joints on the steering column? 

Does the resistance you feel go away with more speed? 

Any unusual pump noise? if you lock the rack to one extreme do you get the extra pump noise per usual? 

I had the power steering fail in a way that required Hulk-like inputs at any speed to operate the wheel. The power steering pump had failed internally. Symptom - stiff steering all the time, no returning to center. Pump had no external signs of a problem. It was easy to diagnose - i pulled the belt and spun the power steering pulley and it rotated with no resistance. 

I have doubts on the column joints, you'd probably feel a notable notchiness as the joint rotated past the seized portion. I.e. as you turn the wheel it would be stiff-not stiff-stiff-not stiff at certain degrees of rotation. 

 

 

[gilber33]

35 minutes ago, B C said:

That would be where your binding is from. Im doubtful the pinion adjustment will help in this scenario but if you’ve got nothing to lose, may as well mark the current position and tighten it 1/8 turn at a time to see if it removes the slop

How do you do that?

[gilber33]

7 minutes ago, straight6pwr said:

Does the resistance you feel go away with more speed? 

Any unusual pump noise? if you lock the rack to one extreme do you get the extra pump noise per usual? 

I had the power steering fail in a way that required Hulk-like inputs at any speed to operate the wheel. The power steering pump had failed internally. Symptom - stiff steering all the time, no returning to center. Pump had no external signs of a problem. It was easy to diagnose - i pulled the belt and spun the power steering pulley and it rotated with no resistance. 

I have doubts on the column joints, you'd probably feel a notable notchiness as the joint rotated past the seized portion. I.e. as you turn the wheel it would be stiff-not stiff-stiff-not stiff at certain degrees of rotation. 

 

 

It had until I was on my way home today and doing about 45 on a country road I had pretty decent amount of resistance steering side to side. No pump noises. I had the previous pump fail on this car and the power steering fluid was frothy and would stay frothy. I’ll pull the belt tomorrow night and check for resistance on the pump. 

[gilber33]

We can collectively agree that the gear is not supposed to rotate within the rack, right? 

[B C]

right, it should not rotate.

The rack adjustment is here:

Again im really unsure that it will do much in your situation but its a good last-ditch effort in case it has been fiddled with incorrectly in the past. 

[gilber33]

13 minutes ago, B C said:

right, it should not rotate.

The rack adjustment is here:

 

Again im really unsure that it will do much in your situation but its a good last-ditch effort in case it has been fiddled with incorrectly in the past. 

I guess I will do a new rack. I had no idea that the racks from Rack Doctor were so affordable. I'm really annoyed with myself I didn't put one of those in from the beginning. 

 

[SteelBlue]

43 minutes ago, gilber33 said:

I guess I will do a new rack. I had no idea that the racks from Rack Doctor were so affordable. I'm really annoyed with myself I didn't put one of those in from the beginning. 

 

$200 is not bad for OEM refurbed one. 
 

Does anyone know the difference between years for the racks? They have a 95, then a 96-97, and then a 98-99. The 96-97 is the best priced option and I believe the one that I pulled from @ChrisO’s car.

[gilber33]

12 minutes ago, SteelBlue said:

$200 is not bad for OEM refurbed one. 
 

Does anyone know the difference between years for the racks? They have a 95, then a 96-97, and then a 98-99. The 96-97 is the best priced option and I believe the one that I pulled from @ChrisO’s car.

They're website is a little confusing because they make it seem like all the racks are different between years when I don't believe they are. Also, I didn't know the e46 racks are also a direct fit and the purple tag "club sport" racks have a 3 turn lock to lock. Rack Doctor has those for the same price (just have to pay the core charge upfront). 

Edit: Ordered a purple tag e46 rack. $337 shipped - $18 of which is a return label for my rack and $100 core charge. So $219 for a rebuilt rack. Pretty great. 

[SteelBlue]

6 minutes ago, gilber33 said:

They're website is a little confusing because they make it seem like all the racks are different between years when I don't believe they are. Also, I didn't know the e46 racks are also a direct fit and the purple tag "club sport" racks have a 3 turn lock to lock. Rack Doctor has those for the same price (just have to pay the core charge upfront). 

I was looking for the purple tag ones under the Z3, but I think I was mistaken. Purple tag is E46, while the Z3 is the 1.9 or something turn to lock? 
 

Regardless, the purple tag was what I was looking for. It’s also $200? With the core charge up front, however?

[gilber33]

Just now, SteelBlue said:

I was looking for the purple tag ones under the Z3, but I think I was mistaken. Purple tag is E46, while the Z3 is the 1.9 or something turn to lock? 
 

Regardless, the purple tag was what I was looking for. It’s also $200? With the core charge up front, however?

Correct. See above. Just ordered that one. 

And then selected the return label which added $18. Which I feel like is a lot cheaper than it would be if I were to print my own return label. 

[SteelBlue]

4 minutes ago, gilber33 said:

Correct. See above. Just ordered that one. 

And then selected the return label which added $18. Which I feel like is a lot cheaper than it would be if I were to print my own return label. 

Nice. Are you currently using the stock rack? This is definitely something I want to do in the future.

Swapping the rack with the motor out is easy, not sure about in the car. Biggest PITA I could see would be getting the steering shaft and rack splines to line up and get it "all the way on". Is your car non-airbag? Shouldn't need additions on the steering shaft for non-airbag.

Curious to see how it goes for you.

[gilber33]

2 minutes ago, SteelBlue said:

Nice. Are you currently using the stock rack? This is definitely something I want to do in the future.

Swapping the rack with the motor out is easy, not sure about in the car. Biggest PITA I could see would be getting the steering shaft and rack splines to line up and get it "all the way on". Is your car non-airbag? Shouldn't need additions on the steering shaft for non-airbag.

Curious to see how it goes for you.

I have an e36 rack in there now that I did when I first got the car. However, it was a random ebay rack that was like $80. So, I guess I'm not surprised.

From what I read, with the engine in the car you bend the lower mounting tabs for the rack down and it should just drop out then. I do not have an airbag, which made things easier. But the absolute hardest part I could see when swapping the racks with the engine in is removing the steering knuckle for the spacer and reinstalling that. That was a PITA while being able to sit in the engine bay. 

[P_Roloff]

1 hour ago, gilber33 said:

I have an e36 rack in there now that I did when I first got the car. However, it was a random ebay rack that was like $80. So, I guess I'm not surprised.

From what I read, with the engine in the car you bend the lower mounting tabs for the rack down and it should just drop out then. I do not have an airbag, which made things easier. But the absolute hardest part I could see when swapping the racks with the engine in is removing the steering knuckle for the spacer and reinstalling that. That was a PITA while being able to sit in the engine bay. 

When I did the front suspension on the e30 last summer, I dropped the rack and resealed it while I was in there. I had to bend the tabs down to get the rack out, but otherwise it wasn't too bad. I used a big flathead screwdriver in the gap in the splined coupler and the rack came out without much issue. Definitely easier with two people, for both install and removal, one holding the rack and the other holding the coupler and prying it open.