Heya folks, while I'm taking a break during a poor weather streak and awaiting for more parts to arrive. Here's a bit of progress on my daily driver E34.
Found on craigslist, I wasn't necessarily looking for a BMW. But I did want a V8 & manual trans.. anything. Found this E34 540i that would crank but not fire. I checked it out, deemed it a neat little car, made a deal and towed it home. It was also riddled with fake ///M badges everywhere I promptly pulled all of those. But kept the M5 door sills, I kinda like those.
After going round and round for a month, I finally found that the harmonic damper was installed clocked wrong. Assumingly done when a water pump was changed out. The crank trigger uses the damper for timing, so the cars computer was trying to fire off into no mans land. Re-clocked the damper and it fired right up.... yet had valve train noise, exhaust leaks, oil leaks, coolant leaks. I had my work cut out for me.
Spent another couple of months sorting things out while commuting it. The more it drove the better it seemed to be running. I have a feeling the car sat for quite a while.
Since I am a tinkerer and I can't leave anything alone for long, especially a quick little street machine. I started modding, with no other intention then to make my little commuter slightly cooler. Admittedly, some projects were tackled to see if I could do it and how it would turn out.
For the computer system and tuning I am using the Bosch Motronic 3.3.1 with an Ostrich 2.0 chip emulator flashed with my own tuning using TunerProRT. There is also a MAFT-Pro piggyback that I am slowly dialing in to run the car in a "Speed Density" type set up and will do away with the MAF sensor. The MAFT-Pro does also make fueling adjustments based on wideband O2 feedback, provided by an Innovate MTX-l in the cabin.
Drove for it just over a year, making it a little quicker one project at a time. Then the time finally came to address the clutch which had been grabbing at the end of the pedal travel ever since I got the car running.
I opt'd to pull the drive drain. Address a few more issues, add a few more bolt on parts and change things up just a bit...hopefully for a benefit.
Dialed in cam timing, advancing intake cams 4 degrees and retarding exhaust cams 3 degrees. Added some stainless shorty headers.
Wrapped headers in DEI titanium heat wrap, discarded the heavy OE dual mass flywheel for a lightweight aluminum piece
Kevlar full face clutch disc & stage II pressure plate with slightly more stout clamping force. Plus a recommended trans oil blend to help keep gear lash clattering to a minimum.
Removing un-used, unwanted, & broke accessories in the engine compartment. No more traction control actuator, no more cruise control module, no more ABS module. Removed dead A/C components. Replacing a leaking steering gearbox and even converting to manual steering.
Replacing wore out steering linkage and control arms. Lowering the front coils, cleaning up, degreasing, removing or cleaning up wiring & painting engine compartment.
That's where I'm currently at with the project. Weather permitting I'll get the brake lines flared and made to meet the master cylinder. Hopefully the steering gear arrives in the next couple of days so I can get it in and the drivetrain back into it's home.
I've also been collecting exhaust parts for the new system. I had been running a dual 2.5" with magnaflow glasspacks as resonators into a dual in dual out flowmaster 10 dumped before the differential. This time I'm going for a single 3" system, Vibrant Ultra Quiet resonator and a Flowmaster Super 40 with a tail pipe all the way out the back.
I'll be back to update as progress is made. Cheers-Mykk
Found on craigslist, I wasn't necessarily looking for a BMW. But I did want a V8 & manual trans.. anything. Found this E34 540i that would crank but not fire. I checked it out, deemed it a neat little car, made a deal and towed it home. It was also riddled with fake ///M badges everywhere I promptly pulled all of those. But kept the M5 door sills, I kinda like those.
After going round and round for a month, I finally found that the harmonic damper was installed clocked wrong. Assumingly done when a water pump was changed out. The crank trigger uses the damper for timing, so the cars computer was trying to fire off into no mans land. Re-clocked the damper and it fired right up.... yet had valve train noise, exhaust leaks, oil leaks, coolant leaks. I had my work cut out for me.
Spent another couple of months sorting things out while commuting it. The more it drove the better it seemed to be running. I have a feeling the car sat for quite a while.
Since I am a tinkerer and I can't leave anything alone for long, especially a quick little street machine. I started modding, with no other intention then to make my little commuter slightly cooler. Admittedly, some projects were tackled to see if I could do it and how it would turn out.
For the computer system and tuning I am using the Bosch Motronic 3.3.1 with an Ostrich 2.0 chip emulator flashed with my own tuning using TunerProRT. There is also a MAFT-Pro piggyback that I am slowly dialing in to run the car in a "Speed Density" type set up and will do away with the MAF sensor. The MAFT-Pro does also make fueling adjustments based on wideband O2 feedback, provided by an Innovate MTX-l in the cabin.
Drove for it just over a year, making it a little quicker one project at a time. Then the time finally came to address the clutch which had been grabbing at the end of the pedal travel ever since I got the car running.
I opt'd to pull the drive drain. Address a few more issues, add a few more bolt on parts and change things up just a bit...hopefully for a benefit.
Dialed in cam timing, advancing intake cams 4 degrees and retarding exhaust cams 3 degrees. Added some stainless shorty headers.
Wrapped headers in DEI titanium heat wrap, discarded the heavy OE dual mass flywheel for a lightweight aluminum piece
Kevlar full face clutch disc & stage II pressure plate with slightly more stout clamping force. Plus a recommended trans oil blend to help keep gear lash clattering to a minimum.
Removing un-used, unwanted, & broke accessories in the engine compartment. No more traction control actuator, no more cruise control module, no more ABS module. Removed dead A/C components. Replacing a leaking steering gearbox and even converting to manual steering.
Replacing wore out steering linkage and control arms. Lowering the front coils, cleaning up, degreasing, removing or cleaning up wiring & painting engine compartment.
That's where I'm currently at with the project. Weather permitting I'll get the brake lines flared and made to meet the master cylinder. Hopefully the steering gear arrives in the next couple of days so I can get it in and the drivetrain back into it's home.
I've also been collecting exhaust parts for the new system. I had been running a dual 2.5" with magnaflow glasspacks as resonators into a dual in dual out flowmaster 10 dumped before the differential. This time I'm going for a single 3" system, Vibrant Ultra Quiet resonator and a Flowmaster Super 40 with a tail pipe all the way out the back.
I'll be back to update as progress is made. Cheers-Mykk
