Derek's E90 Journal

[derbo]

https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1613165

Wheels are for sale!! Going a different direction at this point.

[derbo]

Car is sitting pretty.

[derbo]

The Power steering spill problem

This was a problem with during my E46 days. During heavy cornering at track days, the power steering ventilation port in the cap would spill fluid everywhere. On the M54 in my old E46, this would just mean all over the stock intake cover. Easy peasy. In our cars, this meant the whole passenger side was covered in fluid. What a mess to clean up! I still haven't fully cleaned up everything yet..

How do we prevent spilling?

1. Bimmerworld PS Reservoir $164.99 (out of stock)
2. 3D Design PS Attachment $395!!!!
3. Kaiv's awesome cheap method with BMW Motorcycle Brake cylinder $40

Being the 'thrifty' person I am, I went with the cheap kaiv method. Thank you for sharing this awesome workaround!

Parts List

• BMW F650GS Rear Brake master cylinder | Part # 34 21 7 706 055
• 5/32" 90 Degree connector
• 5/32" Vacuum tube
• M6 10mm bolt

The end result is a nice clean setup. Since the PS is designed to vent, I'm thinking about drilling a hole in the cap to allow for that.


Hopefully, this solves the issue!

[SFCM3]

I like it, next weekend project for sure.

[wyatth]

Good stuff. I should have just gone with this route and a new PS reservoir gasket. Instead I have the 1M reservoir sitting here to be installed ...

[derbo]

Originally Posted by wyatth

Good stuff. I should have just gone with this route and a new PS reservoir gasket. Instead I have the 1M reservoir sitting here to be installed ...

I read that this design still leaks just not as much. Thats my reason why I didn't go your route.

[derbo]

Definitely a thirsty beast.

[ebisu8]

Originally Posted by derbo

Car is sitting pretty.

This is so great! I want these wheels for my e91!

[derbo]

Originally Posted by ebisu8

This is so great! I want these wheels for my e91!

Thanks man! Finding a set of GT4s is a little harder nowadays. You could always get EC7s but I figure with your E92, you probably want the BBS wheels.


There were a few variations of the BBS RE GT4 Motorsport wheel.

Two rim sizes from the E92 era.

18x9.5 ET25
18x10 ET40

M235IR Size
18x10 ET24

The biggest difference is the center bore, the original versions had 77.5mm where the later ones became 72.6mm.

The early choices doesn't seem to fit the BBS center caps either. I luckily have a set with 72.6mm and fit the center caps.

The M235IR ones might be the only ones left in production and they come in black but way better offsets.

https://www.bimmerworld.com/Genuine-...8x10-ET24.html

[ebisu8]

Originally Posted by derbo

Thanks man! Finding a set of GT4s is a little harder nowadays. You could always get EC7s but I figure with your E92, you probably want the BBS wheels.


There were a few variations of the BBS RE GT4 Motorsport wheel.

Two rim sizes from the E92 era.

18x9.5 ET25
18x10 ET40

M235IR Size
18x10 ET24

The biggest difference is the center bore, the original versions had 77.5mm where the later ones became 72.6mm.

The early choices doesn't seem to fit the BBS center caps either. I luckily have a set with 72.6mm and fit the center caps.

The M235IR ones might be the only ones left in production and they come in black but way better offsets.

https://www.bimmerworld.com/Genuine-...8x10-ET24.html

So true, I'd definitely prefer BBS over EC7 but since the e91 is the daily, I "shouldn't" care too much. I was just looking at those wheels for the M235i. Maybe, just maybe I can find a used set on here some day.

Love your build. I want to get some MCS 2WNR's like you did but I have a hard time giving up my Bilstein Damptronic Coilovers though.

[derbo]

Originally Posted by ebisu8

So true, I'd definitely prefer BBS over EC7 but since the e91 is the daily, I "shouldn't" care too much. I was just looking at those wheels for the M235i. Maybe, just maybe I can find a used set on here some day.

Love your build. I want to get some MCS 2WNR's like you did but I have a hard time giving up my Bilstein Damptronic Coilovers though.

you do know if you give up the Damptronics, you could sell them for an arm and a leg since they don't exist anymore.. Might be able to fund your 2WNR.

Thanks alot man! I love your build even more! I was just saying to my brother a few weeks ago, that your build is on the same lines of what I would want to do if I wanted a GTS clone with more street-ability. I actually sold my old ZHP to a fella (now a good friend) in Gainesville, GA. Is that close to you?

[blk rex wagon]

Originally Posted by derbo

Thanks man! Finding a set of GT4s is a little harder nowadays. You could always get EC7s but I figure with your E92, you probably want the BBS wheels.


There were a few variations of the BBS RE GT4 Motorsport wheel.

Two rim sizes from the E92 era.

18x9.5 ET25
18x10 ET40

M235IR Size
18x10 ET24

The biggest difference is the center bore, the original versions had 77.5mm where the later ones became 72.6mm.

The early choices doesn't seem to fit the BBS center caps either. I luckily have a set with 72.6mm and fit the center caps.

The M235IR ones might be the only ones left in production and they come in black but way better offsets.

https://www.bimmerworld.com/Genuine-...8x10-ET24.html

square set of these would look killer on a e46 m3

[ebisu8]

Originally Posted by derbo

Gainesville, GA. Is that close to you?

Ya it's pretty close, small world!

[derbo]

Update 2019-06-30

CIC Navigation Hard drive to SSD

Coming from a background in the IT industry, I usually worried about failures in hardware and the navigation unit in our systems is a magical 4200RPM IDE 2.5” hard drive that keeps me up at night Even though it is an automotive grade HDD, I think the 10 years its been in there is worrisome to me! I was not the only one worried about this and many on the forums have successfully cloned the drive and transferred it over to an SSD. So I decided to jump in on the same idea.

#Benefits
Faster read/writes
Faster all around for everything
Less moving parts
Have a backup on my computer as well as 2nd drive for backup.

# Parts list
Current drive:
Toshiba MK8050GAC | 80GB 4200RPM Automotive Grade IDE 2.5” Hard drive

Replacement drive:
RECADATA 128GB mSATA SSD
Ableconn IIDE-MSAT mSATA SSD to 2.5” IDE adapter



Cost was under $80 and was not very difficult to install. Few folks showed interest in the RECADATA mSATA as it is an enterprise SSD with a larger temperature range that was similar to the existing Toshiba HDD. The Ableconn mSata to IDE adapter has the Marvel chip that plays happy with the CIC unit. I ended up using a StarTech Adapter to connect it to my MacBook.





# Replacement Process
Remove CIC hard drive from car
Connect to my MacBook via an IDE to USB adapter.
Use the follow command to copy the disk to an image

dd if=/dev/disk2 of=~/Desktop/cic_backup.img bs=64k

Connect the new mSATA SSD to the computer

dd if=~/Desktop/cic_backup.img of=/dev/disk2 bs=64k

# Extend Partition
I didn’t bother with this part as I don’t really use the space. I will probably fiddle with this in the future.

# Impressions
Overall, nothing out of the ordinary. Bootup is still similar but the navigation seems a little snappier. Copying the image to my computer took 1hr 25min and writing the image took about 1hr since I used the same IDE adapter. I am happy with this "upgrade." I think I can sleep better knowing the CIC unit won't cave on me cause of a failed hard drive.

Comestic “Upgrades”

#Euro Tailights
Regional differences between cars always facisnated me as sometimes other countries get a better option that North America cars. The ECE tails have one major difference: turn signals light up amber instead of red. Visually, the tails are also similar but with a slightly more pink turn signal area when compared to the DOT version. It's pretty hard to tell them apart when they are off, but when you know, you know right?

You can sort of see the pink on the ECE tails when you compare it to the DOT tail light in the middle.


When they are mounted, it seems to be very difficult to detect the changes. Only the keen eyes looking for it will be able to tell.


Installation was simple, 3x 8mm per side.



That's it for this update. Till next time.

[wyatth]

Both are awesome updates. I’ve never heard of a HD failure - is that a thing that even non techies should lose sleep over?? I rarely use the Nav so not looking to update, but I would certainly do this to bulletproof things.

Euro tails look great!

[derbo]

Originally Posted by wyatth

Both are awesome updates. I've never heard of a HD failure - is that a thing that even non techies should lose sleep over?? I rarely use the Nav so not looking to update, but I would certainly do this to bulletproof things.

Euro tails look great!

Thanks Wyatt!



A HD failure would just render the navigation and internal music collection option faded away. I believe also it is where it stores the FSC codes and various other items. Mechanical failures are rare in the CIC navigation but here was an oppurtunity to make a digital backup, keep the orignal as a spare drive and run a slightly faster unit with less moving parts.



Euro tails look pretty much the same. It's crazy how much ECS is selling them for. If you want them for cheaper, feel free to message me.

[derbo]

Ricer Mods

Sunday Funday! I decided to continue my ricer mods and I installed two more!

# Venoxy Cluster Gauges
In the comestics section, there were a few threads regarding replacement faces for the gauge cluster. The brand venoxy stood out and they created wonderful OE-like overlays that replace the OE ones. The version I purchased were black faced with MPH only and the M logo has be converted to be backlit. I wanted something that looked more like the modern M clusters while cleaning up the clutter of having both speed units on the speedometer.

## Installation
The installation wasnt too difficult.

### Tools required
T10 torx bit
Plastic trim tools
Heat gun
Goo Gone or something similar to remove excess adhesive
Rubbing Alcohol
Patience

Removing everything was pretty simple, the hardest part was really putting back everything perfectly.

### Installation notes

• The overlay's adhesive is very strong. On the MPG and Fuel gauge area, there are a few spots where the overlay is larger than the plastic it sticks too. This resulted in an area that was super sticky and the warmup dial got stuck on this during testing. I had to take it apart again to add some clear plastic shaped to the area to prevent it from sticking again.
• The needles should not be shoved on too tight. If you press the needles from the center down towards the gauges, it should have spring-like bounce and come back up. If it s too tight, it won't do this. Ask me how I know..
• The fuel gauge motor was loose during re-installation. I opened the rear and found out that the wormgear somehow popped out of its place. It is most likely when I removed the needles or something. I fixed the issue and was back up and running.

### Impressions
The quality of the overlays is very close to OE. It has proper spacing and everything just seem to match in terms of spacing and everything else. However, I'm a little disappointed in how it looks more reflective than the very matte OE black ones. This is shown in the picture above and I'm not sure how it will fare when I'm driving with some sun in my cluster. I have not tested the car in the dark yet, but I'm sure that won't be a problem. I love the less-cluttered look and pretty happy with them.

# M3 trunk emblem
Nothing too special here, just a wonderful gloss black M3 logo.






That's it for this entry. Till next time!

[Drifter2090]

Originally Posted by derbo

Ricer Mods

### Impressions
The quality of the overlays is very close to OE. It has proper spacing and everything just seem to match in terms of spacing and everything else. However, I'm a little disappointed in how it looks more reflective than the very matte OE black ones. This is shown in the picture above and I'm not sure how it will fare when I'm driving with some sun in my cluster. I have not tested the car in the dark yet, but I'm sure that won't be a problem. I love the less-cluttered look and pretty happy with them.

That's it for this entry. Till next time!

Looks good, I was thinking of doing grey like the E39 M5, but that shiny textured surface doesn't look that good to me

[derbo]

Originally Posted by Drifter2090

Looks good, I was thinking of doing grey like the E39 M5, but that shiny textured surface doesn't look that good to me

I would call it Satin. It's still not 100% shiny, but it definitely not the matte from OE. On my initial drive about 20-30miles, it didn't make it any worse to see my gauges. I think this around 12-1pm in the afternoon so the sun was at the relative highest point. I would imagine sunset/sunrise would be something to test but I haven't gotten a chance to drive it around that time yet.

[wyatth]

Love your attention to details!

Oh boy, I have a CA vintage plate inbound and was thinking .. that chrome emblem of yours will be the biggest difference between our cars. Now we'll really be twinning.

[derbo]

Originally Posted by wyatth

Love your attention to details!

Oh boy, I have a CA vintage plate inbound and was thinking .. that chrome emblem of yours will be the biggest difference between our cars. Now we'll really be twinning.

we need a twinsie photoshoot

[derbo]

I'm really happy with the way the M logo lights up like the new Fxx cars. #ricer4Lyfe