Yes I did
Z3 engine swap
- Thread starter JAMZILLA321
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- head gasket help oil swap
Replace that screw before trying to unstick the shoes from the drum.
Tony.
Tony.
Replace???
Yeah, look at Tony's previous comments: put the screw back in then follow the directions to whack the disk with the hammer...
Look, I am a lousy mechanic, but if Tony provided you with a way to achieve whatever you want, then I would follow his advice...
Oh I thought you meant I had to buy a new one but okay I’ll do that
Tony’s advice is spot on, it’s the vibration which loosens the shoes, if the disc,or drum, is loose you lose most of the vibration.Thanks man how’s your sons mini now? I like minis they’re good in the corners - the z3 was a kind of gift from my dad, I remember him driving it about in my childhood but one day he picked me up from school and it was overheating so he parked it up in the drive and it stood there for 4+ years and I always thought the z3 was an amazing looking car so I asked him if I could have it and he said sure. The British weather hasn’t been kind to it over the 4 years though and it got vandalised so I also need to source a left wing mirror (they broke other things but the left wing mirror I can’t find on the internet) but just recently on Boxing Day I managed to get it running which was an amazing moment for me - now I want to have it as my first car so I’m trying to get it up to standard - another issue apart from the drain bolt (which isn’t leaking by the way it’s more than fingertight) and the possible head gasket is the rear right brake which is seized on real bad (no amount of hammering has worked and I tried to loosen the handbrake cable to no avail- I’ve decided I’ll chop the rear disc in half with an angle grinder) and the tools I have? I have basic tools and I’ve been buying stuff as I go along with money I get from my birthdays and Christmas
The Mini was sold when the bodywork was done, as was a second one. We couldn’t get insurance below £2000. Even completely utterly standard was £1600. A BMW 323 Touring with coil overs and wider alloys declared was £850 insurance. Because older people and families buy estates and don’t crash them. Both my lads ended up with estates, saved them a fortune in insurance and a lot more comfortable, not to mention more reliable, than a thrashed to death hatchback. I certainly didn’t have heated leather electric seats, air con, 6 speaker stereo, electric windows in my first car at 18. Early 80’s, you were lucky if a heated rear screen was standard.
Do check your thermostat is opening properly, and that the plastic fitting in the rear of the head are in good condition. Both have a habit of failing. The pipe in particular is a sod of a job, it can crack leaving a chunk in the head, which is not the easiest to remove.
The quotes I have recieved for insurance for the z3 are also around 2000 pounds which sucks. I will have a look on how to check thermostats
but am not sure what plastic fitting there is
I may have a thermostat for that engine, I’ll check over the weekend.
This is the water pipe connector. Fits into the head at the rear, right up at the bulkhead.
Pretty sure that was the one came out my sons M43. The thermostat jammed shut and blew the head gasket, but we discovered this was cracked whilst stripping it down. As you can see the plastic was so brittle it just came to pieces.
Replaced them on the other 3 cars we’ve had as a precaution. Given the state they were in, a thermostat and that pipe would be the very first things on my list of replacement parts.
This is the water pipe connector. Fits into the head at the rear, right up at the bulkhead.
Pretty sure that was the one came out my sons M43. The thermostat jammed shut and blew the head gasket, but we discovered this was cracked whilst stripping it down. As you can see the plastic was so brittle it just came to pieces.
Replaced them on the other 3 cars we’ve had as a precaution. Given the state they were in, a thermostat and that pipe would be the very first things on my list of replacement parts.
In their March 2023 edition, Classics magazine started a £1500 Refurb project on a Z3. They paid <£500 for the car originally. I have just been sent the April issue in which they tackle some rear wing repairs.
You might find it useful to follow their efforts to pick up some hints for your ownership.
You might find it useful to follow their efforts to pick up some hints for your ownership.
Just downloaded them...will be an interesting read
The pics above ‘98 e36, M43 170K miles, ‘99 e36, M43 we can’t remember the miles, change was precautionary, was very aged but solid. My Z3, ‘98 M44 116K miles, dried out and knackered, very glad I changed it.