Trevor /chedder
Zorg Addict
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2021
- Points
- 59
I feel your pain, but wierdly the hobby for me is 50/50 fixing it/driving it, and to be honest I quite like discovering a new problem,.
I’ve had enough. (And still having) M43 Saga
- Thread starter Zephyr
- Start date
At least you’re finding this stuff and are able to sort it out yourself. When I looked at the history of my car, a lot of the typical things were done at around 40k miles. Yours is barely run in, but I guess it’s just age related issues. Maybe you’re being punished for your lack of rust. Someone in a coastal town in the UK has a voodoo model of a Z3 in their shed.
It's not the garage's fault. It's a BMW and when they get old, they p*** oil out.
TADTS.
I had a right cowboy not long ago. A guy nearby wanted a set of roll over hoops I had but backed out as he had a £2000 head gasket job to pay for.
£2000? Really?
I looked at the car and it was a cam cover leak from the gasket (one stripped thread) and the inevitable oil filter housing. These clowns told him it was a major job - head off, sump off, front timing cover. 2001 Z3 1.8i with the 8 valve 'rocket science' M43, an engine slightly more advanced that what powered Von Richtoven 110 years ago.
Anyway, 2 or 3 hours and £200 later it was fixed.
I know of one garage near me who can repair a BMW and do a proper job for sensible £££. Just one. Sytners are good but charge a fortune.
TADTS.
I had a right cowboy not long ago. A guy nearby wanted a set of roll over hoops I had but backed out as he had a £2000 head gasket job to pay for.
£2000? Really?
I looked at the car and it was a cam cover leak from the gasket (one stripped thread) and the inevitable oil filter housing. These clowns told him it was a major job - head off, sump off, front timing cover. 2001 Z3 1.8i with the 8 valve 'rocket science' M43, an engine slightly more advanced that what powered Von Richtoven 110 years ago.
Anyway, 2 or 3 hours and £200 later it was fixed.
I know of one garage near me who can repair a BMW and do a proper job for sensible £££. Just one. Sytners are good but charge a fortune.
light snow today, first time this year (and probably the last).
garage heater on, and more digging to the engine.
the alternator case is quite pitted, so before entering that bag of worms regarding the gaskets, I decided to clean the case with the dremel. Looks good so far, will try to polish with a rag and some wenol paste later on.
for some reason I seem to do whatever else than addressing the original issue…
Waiting to grow a bigger pair and will start the gaskets later this evening….
garage heater on, and more digging to the engine.
the alternator case is quite pitted, so before entering that bag of worms regarding the gaskets, I decided to clean the case with the dremel. Looks good so far, will try to polish with a rag and some wenol paste later on.
for some reason I seem to do whatever else than addressing the original issue…
Waiting to grow a bigger pair and will start the gaskets later this evening….
Oh the frustration.
the water hose is also rotten. Seems it would be the next thing to break and probably kill the engine.
ordered a new one online, no idea when it will arrive.
my garage is a total mess and so is my life.
paid Z4 money (heck almost paid boxster money) to buy a decent Z3 and every hose or flange needs replacing.
so far its been a full fluid change, tyres, filters, idle valve, air hoses (full) sparks, coil, wires, that other valve in the back and now flanges and water hoses.
seems there is nothing else to replace after this and my advice is do never ever buy a low mileage car stored for ten years unless you are willing to do a full rebuild of the engine peripherals.
moving on to the bottom flange now, not going to work tomorrow, determined to finish this and then just wait for the bloody hose.
Sorry to bother you with my rant but ai guess you are the only ones who can understand.
the water hose is also rotten. Seems it would be the next thing to break and probably kill the engine.
ordered a new one online, no idea when it will arrive.
my garage is a total mess and so is my life.
paid Z4 money (heck almost paid boxster money) to buy a decent Z3 and every hose or flange needs replacing.
so far its been a full fluid change, tyres, filters, idle valve, air hoses (full) sparks, coil, wires, that other valve in the back and now flanges and water hoses.
seems there is nothing else to replace after this and my advice is do never ever buy a low mileage car stored for ten years unless you are willing to do a full rebuild of the engine peripherals.
moving on to the bottom flange now, not going to work tomorrow, determined to finish this and then just wait for the bloody hose.
Sorry to bother you with my rant but ai guess you are the only ones who can understand.
It's not low mileage or high mileage that's caused all your grief it's simply the age of the thing, especially regarding the the rubber parts. Hoses, mountings seals etc. they're all, in car terms, ancient.
Tony.
Tony.
I know Tony. At least I have two more months before really good weather comes to solve all these issues. Luckily I sold the E21 and have all the space I need in the garage. Also more budget for the Z.
still I wonder if purchasing a high mileage car would be better as most repairs would have been done by the previous owner.
still I wonder if purchasing a high mileage car would be better as most repairs would have been done by the previous owner.
You could be right, it's just a lottery isn't it? Keep your chin up mate, it will be worth it in the end and you'll have the satisfaction of having done it yourself.
Tony.
Tony.
Top and oil filter case done.
now trying to figure out the bottom.
looks like I have to remove a lot of parts for this.
staying home tomorrow. Happy days… (not).
any tips, appreciated. TIS seems worthless when it comes to these issues.
trying to find an online guide not with much success.
need torque specs for front frame also.
now trying to figure out the bottom.
looks like I have to remove a lot of parts for this.
staying home tomorrow. Happy days… (not).
any tips, appreciated. TIS seems worthless when it comes to these issues.
trying to find an online guide not with much success.
need torque specs for front frame also.
Trevor /chedder
Zorg Addict
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2021
- Points
- 59
You've probably seen these guides. But just in case. https://www.pelicanparts.com/BMW/techarticles/tech_main_Z3.htm
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Link for torque specs pdf https://zroadster.org/threads/z3-bolt-torque-info.32785/#post-745185
Thanks lads.
still snowing today so I think I will finish with the bottom by noon.
still waiting for some parts, snow made deliveries quite difficult.
since I have removed most of the parts that reside in the right side of the engine maybe it is a good opportunity to clean the engine bay also. gunk be gone.
now… where is my brush and my engine cleaner….
will post some pics with tricky parts after I am done. Recording all this so I can remember what exactly I did and check when putting back together. When this finishes I will make a career as a youtuber.
too bad the weather is horrible. Had it been summer and working with clothes off, I would make a million subscribers at “onlyfans”.
still snowing today so I think I will finish with the bottom by noon.
still waiting for some parts, snow made deliveries quite difficult.
since I have removed most of the parts that reside in the right side of the engine maybe it is a good opportunity to clean the engine bay also. gunk be gone.
now… where is my brush and my engine cleaner….
will post some pics with tricky parts after I am done. Recording all this so I can remember what exactly I did and check when putting back together. When this finishes I will make a career as a youtuber.
too bad the weather is horrible. Had it been summer and working with clothes off, I would make a million subscribers at “onlyfans”.
Finished. What a task. Everything would be all right if it wasn't for that bloody autodoc that sent the wrong idle valve and I had to clean and use the old one.
Will not even bother to return it, will buy an oem one tomorrow and conclude this quest.
so, this car now has, new oil, fuel and air filters.
new gaskets all around the engine, new water and air hoses, new coil, new wires, new cam sensor, new thermostat, new idle valve, new breather valve, clean and tuned injectors, new air hoses at the injectors and all fluids new (once again) geal oil, engine oil, and atf.
With the hope that nothing else needs replacing, moving to my next project, that is trying to have a better sound from that pathetic oem setup it has.
Will not even bother to return it, will buy an oem one tomorrow and conclude this quest.
so, this car now has, new oil, fuel and air filters.
new gaskets all around the engine, new water and air hoses, new coil, new wires, new cam sensor, new thermostat, new idle valve, new breather valve, clean and tuned injectors, new air hoses at the injectors and all fluids new (once again) geal oil, engine oil, and atf.
With the hope that nothing else needs replacing, moving to my next project, that is trying to have a better sound from that pathetic oem setup it has.
As soon as I could after I bought, I took it to a proper BMW specialist service garage for a number 2 service. This is supposed to replace everything according to its current mileage and you can specify things too. I dont think they were too keen but the guy was a z3 owner and when I explained I wanted the first service to be everything so I had foundation to work from, he understood and agreed.
oil filter case decided it did not like the new gasket.
really confused. Original part, torqued to spec (with a well calibrated wrench) even added some sealant in the corners for that final touch.
oh well…when life gives you lemons, shut up and drink your lemonade.
ordered a new gasket but not in the mood to fix it so soon. i will keep an eye and see how this goes.
The next time I will be dismantling this I intend to also polish the exhaust manifold. Look like it needs some love.
anyone used Harpic as a rust remover? Ive seen some videos on youtube that convinced me that it works. Otherwise I will just take it apart and use the proper tools, wire brush, sand paper and elbow grease.
cheers.
[New Oil filter gasket]
Is this new oil leak? Looks quite old to me. I could be wrong though,
Is this new oil leak? Looks quite old to me. I could be wrong though,
Unfortunately it is new. Felt it and tasted it. The stain if from the previous leak but the oil is new and fresh. I am going to soak it with brake cleaner and check again but it sure tastes, smells and feels fresh.
- Joined
- May 9, 2022
- Points
- 44
- Model of Z
- Z3 Roadster
This thread with all the "it's not the miles, it's the age" comments scares me. My low mileage Z ('01 3.0 Z3 with 7500 miles) hasn't had any issues to date, but now I'm gonna be paranoid to drive it.
Should I take it somewhere and have them do a once-over on it? Last oil change I went to the best BMW shop around. Not sure how closely they looked at it. They did recommend new tires (still had original tires), but didn't note anything else, but I didn't explicitly ask them to either.
It's due for an oil change, but I've moved and don't really know where to go for service that I can trust now.
Should I take it somewhere and have them do a once-over on it? Last oil change I went to the best BMW shop around. Not sure how closely they looked at it. They did recommend new tires (still had original tires), but didn't note anything else, but I didn't explicitly ask them to either.
It's due for an oil change, but I've moved and don't really know where to go for service that I can trust now.
No, leave it well alone. Just fix what needs fixing as and when.
Did you replace the plastic tube as well? The bit with O rings and the metal springy bit inside?
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