Real Fiero Tech

Could put together an upgraded valvetrain and a big cam for $750ish:

http://www.iemotorsport.com/bmw/E28-E24-valvetrain.html



But I won't...

Also there's a Hartge cylinder head for the M30, used on the H5S, H6S and H7S. Obviously rare as hen's teeth.
I'm trying to find out if it's a Hartge casting or if they worked a production casting.

Looks like it's a worked stock BMW casting...
http://rides.webshots.com/album/71671531ubVnvX (there's a photo in here with the roundel cast into the head while the Hartge logo is stamped).

Feh...

So the machine shop disassembled the head for resurfacing. The valve seats actually looked great, so they put the valves back in, but apparently the cam has some pitting/wear as do the rocker arms.

I called Ireland Engineering about it. To my surprise, someone answered the phone on Saturday.
Jeff said that the 284 degree grind he has basically amounts to a clean up of the factory 270ish grind and is good for 10-12 HP.

Shoulda snagged a $500 engine in the first place...

While Ireland had Febi (stock replacement) rockers for $20 each and Ireland performance rockers for $25 each, BMA had Febi rockers for $15 each.

With core charge because my cam was too badly worn to be a regrindable core, a reground cam from Ireland would have been $350. VAC has a new Cat aftermarket cam for $420, but BMA has a new stock replacement cam for $230. While the stock cam is 264, Ireland's is 284 and Cat's is 293, it wasn't worth an *additional* $550 to go with the uprated springs, rockers and cam in order to still need a tune to run well, and only gan 25ish HP.

Cheaper than I expected to replace cam and rockers... but between the head studs, performance gasket and stock valvetrain, still pushing $850 in parts.

I don't care who you are... reassembling and M30 cylinder head is a pain in the @$$.

The Dark Side of Will wrote:I don't care who you are... reassembling and M30 cylinder head is a pain in the @$$.

I don't care who you are... reinstalling an M30 intake manifold with the engine in the car is a ridiculously enormous pain in the @$$.

I care who I am.... reinstalling an M30 intake manifold with the engine in the car is a ridiculously enormous pain in the @$$.

Been there, done that?

So now I have a mystery cooling system problem. I'm not sure if it's fully bled yet or not. (repost from elsewhere)

I put the engine back together and the only extra parts I had were the ones I deliberately left out (the injector electrical connector clips).

I refilled the cooling system by leaving the bleeder open, filling the reservoir until coolant came out the bleeder, then closing the bleeder and continuing to fill the reservoir until it wouldn't take any more.

I turned the heat on and started the car. It warmed up and the needle stayed at the middle mark for "a little while", but I wasn't getting any heat. Then in a period of about 10 seconds the needle went up to the red mark and I shut the car off. I left the key on and the temp was back to normal within a couple of minutes, but all subsequent attempts to run the car had the same result.

I was not getting heat from the vents. The radiator and the radiator hoses were cold, but the short hose from the thermostat housing to the waterpump was hot. I didn't hear the heater circulation pump and couldn't tell if the heater valves were operating. I replaced the heater valves a couple of months ago and had heat until I had to replace the head gasket (although the system was a bit flaky and would sometimes "forget" that I had the heat on until I moved the temp dial again.). I've heard the heater circulation pump run before, but don't hear it now, so I suspect it's not running. I have not yet probed the electrical connectors for voltage to see if the valves and pump are energized.

Due to the temp gauge's rapid return to normal once the engine is shut down, I believe I'm getting an air bubble in the thermostat, BUT bleeding doesn't give me anything but coolant. At first I thought it was a bad thermostat, but I replaced the thermostat and the problem persisted. I put the first thermostat in a pan of boiling water on the stove and it operated.

The system *should* function properly when completely stock (which it is, except for the MLS head gasket).

So...

How hard are E34/M30 cooling systems to bleed, normally?
Is the best bleeding procedure just to bleed it, or does it need to purge via multiple thermal cycles?
Can an empty heater circuit cause the behavior I described?
Do the heater valves make noise when they operate?
Has anyone ever tried "hot wiring" the heater valves and pump?
Has anyone had good results drilling a vent hole through the thermostat?

The bleed from the top of the radiator to the reservoir was plugged. I was away for the week, so I relayed some advice I received on Bimmernut to my dad. He disconnected the bleed hose at the radiator and couldn't blow through it (no coolant came out either). He used compressed air to blow it out and a bunch of junk (well... bunch relative to the size of the orifice) came out at the reservoir end. It took another cup or so until coolant came out both bleed locations, then he closed the thermo housing bleeder, reconnected the hose and filled it the rest of the way. It took almost another 2 quarts. It worked fine after that.

I've never had a car be as temperamental to bleeding as my BMW. In the past I've never really bled the systems, just filled them up while they ran until they got warm then called it good, and the systems always performed perfectly. But it took me an hour, and bleeding it by the book, until my BMW's worked right.

I've read elsewhere that the M30 is the worst of the E34's to bleed. I believe it.

Drove from the parents' place up to NoVA last night (2 hours). Ran like a top. Nice to see I didn't screw up a "simple" head gasket replacement.

I'll retorque the head studs and exhaust manifold bolts this weekend.

Still trouble free...

Next upgrade: Replacement front suspension links with spherical bearing inner pivots in the lateral arms and M5 bushings in the thrust arms.

Also coming up: 2.81 large case limited slip diff (and driveshaft and axles) from a '95 540i to replace the 3.46 medium case open diff. I've located a diff listed for $100; I'll see if the yard still has the axles and driveshaft too.

I predict boost.

I've been on a slow collision course with turbo'ing this car even since I found out about the 745i hardware...

I think I can fit a T3/T4 of some sort low between the right strut tower and the firewall... it'll be almost invisible from above unless you know exactly where to look. It would take a custom manifold, but I can build one from SS pipe and weld "L's".

I also have a 16# single mass flywheel from a '78 530i that I'll swap out for the stock 30# dual mass unit when I have the exhaust and driveshaft out for the diff swap. Obviously, I'll install a performance clutch at the same time. The Getrag 260 is supposed to be pretty strong, so I won't mess with it.

I changed the oil on my car a few days ago. And the oil filter.

I snagged the 210mm 2.81 diff... but it turned out not to be a locker when it was advertised as one. Grrr... Price was right and taking it back to the yard would be a bigger pain in the ass than just getting a 2.81 locker somewhere else at some point in the future.

Next step: subframe from a junkyard and camber/toe adjustment mods from Dungeon Motorsports http://www.e30tech.com/forum/showthread.php?t=80410
And the rear half of a 540i driveshaft...

Snagged a spare subframe for $80 last weekend. Camber/toe adjustment tabs are on the way for another $80. Also have the rear half of a 540i driveshaft... again for $80 (shipped).

The 540i auto and manual axles have different part numbers... I'm trying to figure out what the difference is before I snag an extra set of axles.

There's an outfit in Ohio which has both control arms and both axles from an auto trans 540i for $20 each (*another* $80... +shipping)

Overall, it could be a lot more expensive to build an entirely new rear suspension...

Whereabouts in Ohio?

Marshall's Auto Parts in Circleville.

Wow... I thought that was hyperbole.



Hah.