Nice. Interested to see how it sounds. I chickened out on cleaning the TB, threw it all back together. MAF is clean now. Had the battery disconnect so it's gonna have to go through the idle relearn process. Should be interesting. it started up and idled down like completely normal. Boring. Also, I can understand how cops rack up so many idle hours on these things. They are very comfortable to sit in with the ac and radio on while browsing the internet.
I know, I'm trying to find some center caps for a decent price. Brand new OEM they sell for 30 bucks a piece. D: Brand new OEM parts from certified sellers is for scrubs anyway, I've been looking at used sets on ebay. ~60 bucks a set is what I'm seeing there, which is still more than I want to pay lol. Got my eye on a cheap pair with overspray on them but the auction doesn't end until saturday. Attack them with some paint thinner and they'll be lookin' brand new. I did buy a horn today, however, because the whole horn assembly is missing from my car and I don't like driving around without a horn. "brand new OEM" for 23 bucks. lolok. I'm fine with it as long as it doesn't sound stupid. Idk about trim rings, I kinda like just the center caps, but I'll think about it.
A pressure cleaner is quite possibly the best buy I've made in a while. (imported from here) Cleaning up balljoints and other sensitive points that can be damaged by dirt/silt ingress. (imported from here) Used one of these (imported from here) to get the upper radiator support (which the grille and headlights bolt to) aligned properly. Looks brand new! (imported from here) I got my license really bloody late; that P-plate is a terrible indication of my age
I'm always scared using a pressure washer after the paint came off a panel I painted with rattle cans lol. Never saw it damage original paint though. I guess it's mostly because I held it in the same spot for too long or something. Did an oil change on the Bimmer today. Mobil1 0W-40 is what I used, thing runs money now! Excuse the shitty startup and I'd love to know what the squeeking is(either a vaccum leak or a belt maybe?). I'm ignoring both for now It's MINT!
Well, it looks like I'm going to have to do a clutch replacement sooner rather than later on my E46 M3. I noticed that the clutch would sometimes silp when starting from 1st and 2nd gear on the test drive, and it's starting to get more noticeable as I continue to put more miles on it. Luckily, a new OEM clutch is only $370, and we're probably going to replace it ourselves. The clutch on both the SMG and 6MT transmissions are identical, as they are both the same units underneath. The only real difference is the bell housing on the transmission, a hydraulic pump which controls the clutch, and a few other minor things. I know the pump isn't going bad, since it wouldn't be able to go into gear at all, or wouldn't be shifting smoothly. It won't be a very easy task especially without a lift or any sophisticated tools, but we should be able to do it in our driveway. My father has done clutch replacements before, so I'm happy to have him to help out when we replace it. For now, I'm just going to wait and see how long the worn clutch will last, as I'm not looking forward to a job that will take weeks to undertake. Also, we finally got the title and all of the paperwork in check (the title was co-signed by the owner's wife, we needed her signature as well which we got back in the mail. Even though we only needed proof that we attempted to contact them.)
So the SMG is really an electronically actuated manual with a computer controlling it? How strange. 6mt swap time.
Essentially, yes. The hydraulic pump controls the clutch, and there isn't a torque converter like normal "automatic" transmissions. I like to think of it as a earlier, far more complicated rendition of a dual clutch transmission. I was kind of hoping the hydraulic pump would go bad, as you don't need it for the 6mt swap. The hardest part of the swap is just trying to find a 6mt bell housing, or machining the SMG-specific one so it'll work properly with the transmission. All the parts you need for the swap add up to around $1,200. The clutch included makes it add up to $1,600. There's a shop in Dallas that will do a "turn-key" SMG to 6mt swap for $4,200, which is much more than I would be willing to pay. I've got a lot of thinking to do. My choices are to either replace the clutch for $300 and have to worry about a hydraulic pump replacement in the near future, or just spend $1,200 and never have to worry about a tranny light coming back on for the life of the car. Here's a diagram of the SMG transmission:
I am officially calling bulltshit on Fords power rating of the 2v 4.6L V8 in my car. I was at a red light in a wooded area on the edge of town with a 03-09 Legacy GT behind me. A car that should beat my car in a straight line. The road became 2 lanes after the light so he floors it (I could hear it kick down from his fart can exhaust) to pass me on the right. I'm not letting that happen. I floor it as well at 35mph and the Grand Marq kicked down from 3rd to 1st and starts to roar. I wait for him to pass me but he wasn't pulling on me. I held him behind me until I realized I was doing 70mph... I let off the gas and let him pass. But holy hell. That had to be the most exciting 10 seconds of my life. From a 25mph roll these boats are incredibly quick for what they are. I drop it off a 9am tomorrow for the exhaust.
I was messing around in an empty neighborhood yesterday and I came to a T in the road. I slowed down to maybe 5mph and them turned right and gave it about 75% throttle. Had to let off and counter steer a little to keep the rear end from coming around, and that's with fat(ish) rear tires and a limited slip diff. These cars really move for how big they are. My cheap "brand new oem" eBay horn came in the mail today. One electrical plug and one screw and it's in. Really loud. Sounds like an airhorn. Happy with it so far. Also, my center caps shipped today. Should be here in a few days. My wheels are naked.
So, after months of waiting for the final parts I completed the project, only to find out that my solenoids are crap, they can hold 8 bar fine on one side, but cant even hold 1 on the other. The other problem is that at 6+ bar the solenoids wont even open without being hit with something and they are supposed to be rated to over 10 bar Now I have to wait for who knows how long for 6 new solenoids from Ebay because in South Africa they are literally 6-10 times more expensive At least I could test the principle and it works beautifully.
Removed some shitty stupid cheap aftermarket speakers that the previous owner put there... Now i have some holes in my doorsides but whatever.. I'll go buy doorsides on the scrapyard, they're cheap anyway. And the guy tried to stick the speakers with human slime or something... Also put a more original radio in it. Had some aftermarket Pioneer radio.
