Zag Z4 'Boyracer' rebuild

[Zag2]

Oh where do I even start with this one....

I bought it on eBay late at night after a very nice meal and too much pudding. No alcohol was involved which is surprising for a late night eBay purchase!

BMW Z4 SE 2.5l 2004 (96,000 miles)



Apparently it had sat doing nothing for a year and the guy who sold it to me only owned it a month, put a new battery in and sold it on.

Its a fun project for quite a small amount of money so hopefully I'm up to the challenge!

First issue is it cut out on my after about an hour of driving, the battery light came on, the engine stopped and all the lights came on the dashboard including the EML and I cruised to a stop. Left it a couple of mins and fired up again with no issue and drove home. No idea what's gone on but I guess that's why it was left for 2 years

Second issue is the exhaust, I think the silencer has been removed completely and it sounds like it may explode at any minute...


Third issue is the suspension, the car is basically scraping the ground and I cant even get over speed humps That will need to be reverted in the cheapest possible way.


And lastly the wheels are insanely tight to the body work, they have a massive camber on the back to the point they stick outside the bodywork.

Oh and lets not mention the bubbling of the paintwork on the right hand front side fender.

I think that's about it.... Wish me luck!

 

[Zag2]

The Plan
- Buy a ODB scanner to see if I can find the fault with the cut outs
- Put a set of 18" MV2 Alloy wheels on it
- Remove whatever suspension has been put on it and new springs or coil overs
- Put exhaust back to stock (or if I'm really going crazy try to get a quad conversion)
- Replace front side fender if I can find one cheap
- Message @Lee up as much as possible for advice on doing this all myself

 

[MarkPlant]

The z4 suffers all sorts of weird electrical issues if the battery is bad but car will still start, an everybody seems to get different issues, so it may just be a poor battery, rear springs are also prone to breaking, apparently these can be swapped by simply jacking up the rear

 

[Paul Rice]

Sounds like a familiar story @Zag2. I bid on mine Z4 2.5SE 92K after a good Friday night (in the days when we could go to the pub) No further bids by Monday and i owned the car. The power of the photograph and those immortal words "Age related marks" Not quite the car i thought (always view before bidding) not always that easy. At £2950 4 years ago was probably the cheapest Z4 around. Mechanically very sound apart from the clutch started to slip shortly into my ownership nursed it for a year before replacing. Paintwork all done, had springs and shocks replaced and brake overall. New tyres and wheel refurb plus added leather to Dash, console and steering wheel courtesy of Royal's, almost 4 years the car is about where i want it to be. Must admit i got it wrong in the first instance but stuck with it now its my pride and joy.

 

[Zag2]

Glad its not just me then

My first question as a complete n00b to this. How do I jack the car up so I can get the fixed jacks underneath it on all corners? Its really low at the moment, not even sure I can get the jack under it :/

 

[t-tony]

Do what I do with mine, run it onto some blocks of wood. I have some 3" thick and around 10" square.

Tony.

 

[MarkPlant]

Glad its not just me then

My first question as a complete n00b to this. How do I jack the car up so I can get the fixed jacks underneath it on all corners? Its really low at the moment, not even sure I can get the jack under it :/

Jack Stand Support Locations, etc. - Z4-forum.com

 

[Zag2]

So first issue is getting the locking bolts off the alloy wheels. A few of them seem to have been ground down too much and are missing the teeth to get a grip with the normal BMW star tool remover key.

Any ideas from the mechanics and engineers out there on my first hurdle?

 

[t-tony]

Are all the “lockers” in that state? Is the key itself in that state too? BMW dealers have a set of these keys and would usually loosen them. If you can get one out the code for that particular set is stamped on the end of the bolt. I have managed to get these out using the key on a 1/2” drive Impact Driver and a Lump hammer.

Tony.

 

[Zag2]

Are all the “lockers” in that state? Is the key itself in that state too? BMW dealers have a set of these keys and would usually loosen them. If you can get one out the code for that particular set is stamped on the end of the bolt. I have managed to get these out using the key on a 1/2” drive Impact Driver and a Lump hammer.

I bought a new key on ebay and its in perfect condition.

The other wheel locking nuts are less severe but still worn, this was the worst.

Just in this locks case, there is nothing to lock onto so the key is useless.

 

[t-tony]

Do you know anyone who has a Mig Welder? This was usually last resort where I used to work. You get another bolt and weld it onto the ruined locker. You need high current to get a strong enough weld. It will mark the paint in the bolt hole but the heat generated is usually enough to aid loosening.

Tony.

 

[Zag2]

Feeling rather pleased with myself today, I bought a "Twist Socket Set Lug Nut Remover Extractor Tool" off ebay in it came within 24hrs so gave it a go.

Twist Socket Set Lug Nut Remover Extractor Tool - 5 Piece Metric Bolt and Lug Nut Extractor Socket Tools : Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools

Free delivery and returns on all eligible orders. Shop Twist Socket Set Lug Nut Remover Extractor Tool - 5 Piece Metric Bolt and Lug Nut Extractor Socket Tools.

www.amazon.co.uk

It was hard work, especially with just a normal claw hammer to get the sockets on properly (you really need a wide hammer) but one by one they all came off.

I can not understand why anyone would have kept these on for so long, most were missing all the thread. I guess someone had tried to remove previously and failed! Oh well I am the victor now.....

Here is the tool. Very useful! I used the 22mm socket.




And the offending locking nuts, going straight in the bin and have ordered 4 normal lug nuts.

 

[t-tony]

And all because a previous owner/repairer couldn't be bothered to torque the wheel bolts correctly.

Tony.

ps. Glad you've got them out.

 

[Shelly]

Good luck with your project
I’m looking forward to the end result

 

[Paul Rice]

Always great satisfaction when you manage to do a job yourself. Now for next job whilst the momentum is high

 

[g8jka]

Them extractors are great things. Managed to get a locking nut of a DS3 that I decided to shear the end off. Tried all sorts first before smashing one of these on and getting the bolt to loosen. Changed all 4 of the locking nuts after that.

A lot of time the garage decide to put locking nuts back on with air gun after changing the tyres, making some a nightmare to get off when they should just do them up normally. The next time the owner tries to take the locking nuts out they end up damaging them because the garage have put them on far too tight.

 

[t-tony]

You’re dead right there Pete. I think that because they are “security” bolts (nuts) something tells the Neanderthal that they should be tightened to the point where they can’t be removed. They dont realise that the “security” element is in the special key needed to operate the fixing. I was still trying to educate when I packed up work.

Tony.

 

[g8jka]

You’re dead right there Pete.

Cheers Terry

 

[Zag2]

Booked in for a full service and suspension swap with the Stance coilover kit. Hopefully after that is done I can get over speed humps again

Here is the kit I managed to pick up for £90 second hand but includes new droplinks:

Stance Ultra Coilovers BMW Z4 2003-2008 (E85) Roadster & Coupe

Roadster 2.0, 2.5i, 3.0i, 3.0Si Excluding Z4M 2003-2008 (E85) Front Lowering 20-45mm Rear Lowering 20-40mm Front Axle Weight 790kg Rear Axle Weight 860kg Warranty 2 YearStance+ Ultra Coilover kit Features:Height adjustable from 30mm-100mm (most applications).25%-30% Up-rated shock absorber...

www.stanceduk.com

I watched enough YouTube videos to realize it wasn't worth doing myself...

The fill service and suspension install will cost £350 all in from a local mobile mechanic all done on my driveway so happy with that as its currently SORN. I think that's a good price?

 

[t-tony]

Cheers Terry

Sorry mate, had been out in the sun too long.

Tony.