Yup will swap coil first and they have pull handles so no tools needed.
I only have Carly for diagnostics as inpa laptop is our of action.
I only have Carly for diagnostics as inpa laptop is our of action.
Bought an old BMW M3, filled with regret...
- Thread starter mrk
- Start date
Keeping the thread/ownership log going...
I set aside time today to go about swapping coils/plugs around to diagnose the misfire but by the time I'd got the cosmetic bits, strut bar, heatshield cover trim, cabin filter housing and all bolts out I figured it's pointless putting it all back together again just for a coil/plug swap then do it all again when the error comes back and I go about replacing the offending item. Since I was due to replace the plugs/coils anyway I figured I'd just overhaul the lot so did just that.
Car is idling smoother now and no errors. Will go for a drive tomorrow see what the engine response is like.
For reference the previous engine owner had the plugs changed at 62k miles in 2016 from BMW. I bought the engine in 2019 at 66k miles.Not sure if it's worth noting but the ignition coils on the car were 'PowerTrain' branded. These are not the OEM ones which were Bosch then superseded by Delphi (the ones I have now installed).
The old plugs:
And shoutout to the Halfords model 60 torque wrench. Never have I used such an easy to set and use wrench
- Their long length magnetic spark plug socket is also a godsend.
Rather therapeutic doing stuff like this
I set aside time today to go about swapping coils/plugs around to diagnose the misfire but by the time I'd got the cosmetic bits, strut bar, heatshield cover trim, cabin filter housing and all bolts out I figured it's pointless putting it all back together again just for a coil/plug swap then do it all again when the error comes back and I go about replacing the offending item. Since I was due to replace the plugs/coils anyway I figured I'd just overhaul the lot so did just that.
Car is idling smoother now and no errors. Will go for a drive tomorrow see what the engine response is like.
For reference the previous engine owner had the plugs changed at 62k miles in 2016 from BMW. I bought the engine in 2019 at 66k miles.Not sure if it's worth noting but the ignition coils on the car were 'PowerTrain' branded. These are not the OEM ones which were Bosch then superseded by Delphi (the ones I have now installed).
The old plugs:
And shoutout to the Halfords model 60 torque wrench. Never have I used such an easy to set and use wrench
- Their long length magnetic spark plug socket is also a godsend.
Rather therapeutic doing stuff like this
Dropping my tool bits in the engine bay!
That actually did happen with the screwdriver which I then had to fish out from the undertray lol. Luckily my arm was just slim enough to fit between one gap between radiator fan and front of the block
Otherwise super easy indeed!
Edit*
Driven this morning. Engine is so smooth now at low rpm when pulling off. Idle is totally smooth. Old plugs had only done 20k and ithad an oil service last year so an inspection 1 due now. I reckon those old plugs combined with a dodgy coil pack made it not so smooth as of late.
Brilliant now.
That actually did happen with the screwdriver which I then had to fish out from the undertray lol. Luckily my arm was just slim enough to fit between one gap between radiator fan and front of the block
Otherwise super easy indeed!
Edit*
Driven this morning. Engine is so smooth now at low rpm when pulling off. Idle is totally smooth. Old plugs had only done 20k and ithad an oil service last year so an inspection 1 due now. I reckon those old plugs combined with a dodgy coil pack made it not so smooth as of late.
Brilliant now.
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I'd imagine you're right but for the price I figured why not just have piece of mind!
Anyways all good now. Just the oil service and valve clearance end of the month for the inspection 1 and it's sorted until the next issue comes up!
Anyways all good now. Just the oil service and valve clearance end of the month for the inspection 1 and it's sorted until the next issue comes up!
There was a bit yeah but must be from before as Redish put in a new gasket post-bearing shells.
It's being changed again this month though as part of valve clearance adjustment.
It's being changed again this month though as part of valve clearance adjustment.
Lockdown flattened my battery!
Went to do some work on the car earlier and heard the telltale sign of a flat battery, the door locks unlocking really slowly. Engine wouldn't even turn, the instrument panel just clicks. The car has not moved for a month on the driveway.
Oh well, this battery was supplied by RAC 5 years ago so it's had a good run. I've also learned that the convertible M3 needs a 800 CCA spec battery and the recommended one is the slightly more expensive Bosch S5. Found it on ECP and used the 50% off code and it's now on its way.
I've also ordered a CTEK MXS5.0 smart charger for £71 (Amazon) which I will connect once a week easily using the comfort connector it comes with.
Joys.
Went to do some work on the car earlier and heard the telltale sign of a flat battery, the door locks unlocking really slowly. Engine wouldn't even turn, the instrument panel just clicks. The car has not moved for a month on the driveway.
Oh well, this battery was supplied by RAC 5 years ago so it's had a good run. I've also learned that the convertible M3 needs a 800 CCA spec battery and the recommended one is the slightly more expensive Bosch S5. Found it on ECP and used the 50% off code and it's now on its way.
I've also ordered a CTEK MXS5.0 smart charger for £71 (Amazon) which I will connect once a week easily using the comfort connector it comes with.
Joys.
Aye I'm wondering that although the battery wasn't brand new but refurbed by RAC. I don't think it's an 800 cca one either I don't think but will check. If the ctek brings it back I'll just sell it and keep the new one which is the correct spec for this car. It would have ended up being a small outlay all in I guess so not a huge issue.
The E46 doesn't use battery coding so not required!
The Carly app does allow for battery coding though on models that need it, so that's all good.
The Carly app does allow for battery coding though on models that need it, so that's all good.
I think in hindsight the best option would have been to just drive once a week. Even if I went to a bigger Tesco for the weekly shop at least I'd have more chance of finding essential items in stock rather than walking to the local, queueing for ages and finding zero packs of surface wipes or hand wash on the shelves. Plus my battery won't drop off the charts and I'd get to drive 
CTEK arrived today so am charging it in the conditioning mode. I've never used a CTEK before but at stage 4 it's ready to use at 80% charged. I will let all 8 stages run as the stages after 4 are full charge and testing and conditioning so if it fails I know the battery is in need of replacing so I can just swap in the new battery when it arrives next week instead of returning that to ECP. This morning the battery was completely dead and would not even turn on the interior boot lights when opening the boot. So within a day it's gone from really low to flat.
Lighter socket means leaving a window slightly open overnight whilst charging which is a no go on the driveway. The eyelet connector that attaches to the battery terminals means the plug end can stay in the boot and I can close the boot fully whilst it trickles over night securely so have opted to use that method!
This charge is still on stage 2 and could take up to 8 hours to complete just that. If the cells inside are broken then it will likely fail at 5 or charge fully and the car still won't start because too many cells are broken. It's not all a home run just yet
This charge is still on stage 2 and could take up to 8 hours to complete just that. If the cells inside are broken then it will likely fail at 5 or charge fully and the car still won't start because too many cells are broken. It's not all a home run just yet
The gap is quite thin between side of car panel and door, don't want to dent the cable at all plus I'd rather not have a cable dangling out the side of the car as the shed is directly behind which saves me over 2 metres of cable length too.
It will also be usable on other cars too of course so a solid investment really at such a low cost.
As my usual luck would have it, just spotted the new battery for even cheaper: https://www.tayna.co.uk/car-batteries/bosch/s5010/
Oh well, another site to add to the car parts bookmark folder lol.
As my usual luck would have it, just spotted the new battery for even cheaper: https://www.tayna.co.uk/car-batteries/bosch/s5010/
Oh well, another site to add to the car parts bookmark folder lol.
Still charging on stage 4 as of this afternoon! Disconnected it at one point as was concerned about a faint bubbling sound coming from it having never charged a battery out of the car before so it's back on again. I soon realised it was just the electrolysis in action lol.
The new battery got delivered by ECP too so I'm all covered. Hoping the old one gets to stage 8 by tomorrow morning so I can put it back in and get some work done on the car.
Edit*
It's done! Gonna get up at at he crack of daylight and get this mother back into the car.
And then look at neatly wiring up the trickle charge cabling.
The new battery got delivered by ECP too so I'm all covered. Hoping the old one gets to stage 8 by tomorrow morning so I can put it back in and get some work done on the car.
Edit*
It's done! Gonna get up at at he crack of daylight and get this mother back into the car.
And then look at neatly wiring up the trickle charge cabling.
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I need to hear the magic word first??!
Induction noise is on point, not heard it properly from the front before at road level, this was only 5000rpm though but still
Cheers @DRZ for the clip!
Induction noise is on point, not heard it properly from the front before at road level, this was only 5000rpm though but still
Cheers @DRZ for the clip!
Amazon lol. Although it seems to have gone up in price: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00FC42HAA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Was at Morrisons today and as I came back to the car, an elderly gent got out of a new Peugeot coupe and asked what year the M3 was. Then we had a conversation whilst he waited for the Mrs to finish the shopping. Mentioned the condition and that he hasn't seen one like this for a while, also that he had a 3 series from the early 90s and missed them days. Was a nice bit of conversational change with a stranger in current times haha. His car had diamond cut wheels and he asked how I kept mine so good so I pointed him to the direction of FA Wheels
His words before leaving were "don't ever get rid of it".
I still have not had a chance to fit the water pump yet although have been keeping an eye on the current one which seems to have stayed put all this time. The fan has no play still either so the state of the original has been unchanged since I last posted about it. Either way the new pump is still boxed in the car and waiting for a tidy day with no other things planned...
Been out driving lately with no real destination as it's been some time since I've done any real long drives in it and realised I'd started to forget just how nice certain things are, the throttle response, the noise, the way power is delivered and how everything is felt through the steering wheel.
His words before leaving were "don't ever get rid of it".
I still have not had a chance to fit the water pump yet although have been keeping an eye on the current one which seems to have stayed put all this time. The fan has no play still either so the state of the original has been unchanged since I last posted about it. Either way the new pump is still boxed in the car and waiting for a tidy day with no other things planned...
Been out driving lately with no real destination as it's been some time since I've done any real long drives in it and realised I'd started to forget just how nice certain things are, the throttle response, the noise, the way power is delivered and how everything is felt through the steering wheel.
Many seem to share your thoughts years after they sell and move on! Could not bring myself to get rid, even if I get something modern in time, circumstances withstanding of course.
Even though the coupe has a sleeker looking top section, the convertible has slightly lower suspension and holds its own I feel
Even though the coupe has a sleeker looking top section, the convertible has slightly lower suspension and holds its own I feel
Don't say that! Some will claim midlife crisis
I wish all the body panels were aluminium like the bonnet though. Wouldn't have to worry about rust/corrosion then and would save a whole lot of ball ache at this age.
I wish all the body panels were aluminium like the bonnet though. Wouldn't have to worry about rust/corrosion then and would save a whole lot of ball ache at this age.
I do want to just refresh some trim bits inside at some point but otherwise I think it's still going strong! Paintwork is always a tough one because every bodyshop is different in how they approach attention to detail and that can make or break the end results. Sure all will be well though