Few Niggles

[mrjudly]

Hi guys

I must say I am very thankful for this forum - restoring this Z3 that was sat for 3 years has gone so well and finally got a brand new MOT with no advisories.

So Far:

New rear window (zipped in) some of the roof needed restitching by upholsterist
Oil, air, fuel filter change.
Spark plugs and CT leads replaced.
Seafoam in fuel additive, good run and concentration of this.
New discs/pads, new brake fluid re-bled with new brake pipes and hoses for the rear
Front suspension work including control arms, anti-roll linkage.
Airbag wiring rewired under driver seat and light reset
New tyres
Tyres rebalanced all round and front tracking done
BMW lifetime coolant replaced with genuine BMW coolant
All new air pipes entirely including breathers, crank hose etc, some coolant pipes too
Removed secondary air pump and fitted backing plate (Thanks Tony!)
Lots of other small bits....... Camshaft sensor EML light did come on after first driving it, mechanic reset this after I fit crankhose, said to see if it comes back on, done another 100miles, nothing yet.....

Attached is a pic of where i'm at, only thing letting this car down at the moment I think is a sealant/tape job on the mirror as they were quite expensive and mechanism and plastics were snapped to pieces both on the mirror and the car.

Questions are:

1) Does anyone have a guide or able to point me somewhere for some help around how to clean the EGR out? (Recommended by my mechanic for these types of cars or is this the pump I have removed from the car with backing plate? I'm not sure..

2) The exhaust has some blows, particularly on the middle pipe, where it joins on the silencer and also I think manifold has a leak too. Local garage has quoted £799 for stainless replacement incl fitting all in. Not sure how good of a price this is. A friend of mine who does welding thinks I should buy steel pipe and get the whole exhaust system off and see what patching we can do. Does anyone have any recommendations on this or do I need to suck it up and replace it entirely?

3) I am getting a persistent leak from replacement rear window that's then dripping through the carpet, into the boot and onto my boot knock sensor setting my alarm off when driving the car (Not a good look). I have bought some seam sealant stuff and gone round the seems and zip on the inside and smothered it with this and will see how this goes but any suggestions anyone has, please let me know.

Thanks guys,
MrJudly

 

[Shelly]

Beautiful Z you have , it’s lovely and shiny , love the colour, well done for all the work you have done

 

[bonbon]

WRT the left wing view mirror - you can epoxy it on the inside with the support of some woven or non-woven material. (creating fiberglass around the failed aluminum)

 

[NZ00Z3]

Hi

Welcome for the forum.

I see from the photo that your car is a facelift model. Not sure if its the 4 cylinder M43 or a 6 cylinder engine. My comments below are for a 6 cylinder engine.

1) BMW 6 cylinder cars do not have an EGR. This function is achieved through valve control at low idle by the VANOS system.

2) I'm not familiar with the MOT system, but in the safety checks we have down here, an exhaust leak is an automatic failure.

Patching an old exhaust is work that you'll keep on doing until it becomes like Grandad's axe. You are better off doing the replacement once and be done with. Others can comment on the price you have been given.

If you have a exhaust manifold leak and you want to replace the headers (welded headers often crack again in short time), be aware that there is very little space to remove the header nuts from the engine. The studs have a habit of breaking, which can lead to the removal of the engine so that they can be repaired. So, a simple fix can quickly escalate into major work. I recommend that you talk to the ZedShed people on this forum to get local advice on where the leak is and the repair.

3) Are you sure that it is the window that is leaking?

If it is the OE style window, the soft top flap should slip under the black beading and seal. Some people have had success with fitting 3M double sided tape under the flap to create a seal.

The other source of leaking in that area is from the rear seal of the soft top to the car. It also leaks into the back shelve and then finds its way into the boot.

 

[Dakar Z3]

Hello and welcome,
Theres an eBay seller called fast lane in Romford, they will make you a stainless steel exhAust for your car £350 fitted, I’ve had no dealings with them but I’m considering one for my Z.

 

[Nodzed]

Hi guys

I must say I am very thankful for this forum - restoring this Z3 that was sat for 3 years has gone so well and finally got a brand new MOT with no advisories.

So Far:

New rear window (zipped in) some of the roof needed restitching by upholsterist
Oil, air, fuel filter change.
Spark plugs and CT leads replaced.
Seafoam in fuel additive, good run and concentration of this.
New discs/pads, new brake fluid re-bled with new brake pipes and hoses for the rear
Front suspension work including control arms, anti-roll linkage.
Airbag wiring rewired under driver seat and light reset
New tyres
Tyres rebalanced all round and front tracking done
BMW lifetime coolant replaced with genuine BMW coolant
All new air pipes entirely including breathers, crank hose etc, some coolant pipes too
Removed secondary air pump and fitted backing plate (Thanks Tony!)
Lots of other small bits....... Camshaft sensor EML light did come on after first driving it, mechanic reset this after I fit crankhose, said to see if it comes back on, done another 100miles, nothing yet.....

Attached is a pic of where i'm at, only thing letting this car down at the moment I think is a sealant/tape job on the mirror as they were quite expensive and mechanism and plastics were snapped to pieces both on the mirror and the car.

Questions are:

1) Does anyone have a guide or able to point me somewhere for some help around how to clean the EGR out? (Recommended by my mechanic for these types of cars or is this the pump I have removed from the car with backing plate? I'm not sure..

2) The exhaust has some blows, particularly on the middle pipe, where it joins on the silencer and also I think manifold has a leak too. Local garage has quoted £799 for stainless replacement incl fitting all in. Not sure how good of a price this is. A friend of mine who does welding thinks I should buy steel pipe and get the whole exhaust system off and see what patching we can do. Does anyone have any recommendations on this or do I need to suck it up and replace it entirely?

3) I am getting a persistent leak from replacement rear window that's then dripping through the carpet, into the boot and onto my boot knock sensor setting my alarm off when driving the car (Not a good look). I have bought some seam sealant stuff and gone round the seems and zip on the inside and smothered it with this and will see how this goes but any suggestions anyone has, please let me know.

Thanks guys,
MrJudly

Looking good

 

[MartinJ]

Hi

Welcome for the forum.

I see from the photo that your car is a facelift model. Not sure if its the 4 cylinder M43 or a 6 cylinder engine. My comments below are for a 6 cylinder engine.

1) BMW 6 cylinder cars do not have an EGR. This function is achieved through valve control at low idle by the VANOS system.

2) I'm not familiar with the MOT system, but in the safety checks we have down here, an exhaust leak is an automatic failure.

Patching an old exhaust is work that you'll keep on doing until it becomes like Grandad's axe. You are better off doing the replacement once and be done with. Others can comment on the price you have been given.

If you have a exhaust manifold leak and you want to replace the headers (welded headers often crack again in short time), be aware that there is very little space to remove the header nuts from the engine. The studs have a habit of breaking, which can lead to the removal of the engine so that they can be repaired. So, a simple fix can quickly escalate into major work. I recommend that you talk to the ZedShed people on this forum to get local advice on where the leak is and the repair.

3) Are you sure that it is the window that is leaking?

If it is the OE style window, the soft top flap should slip under the black beading and seal. Some people have had success with fitting 3M double sided tape under the flap to create a seal.

The other source of leaking in that area is from the rear seal of the soft top to the car. It also leaks into the back shelve and then finds its way into the boot.

Hi. I need a new exhaust. Been looking. I have a four cylinder 1.9. I thought exhaust would be expensive but there are good priced stuff out there. Just need to Internet search hard.