[Brian86]

Originally Posted by Hoody007

The plot thickens. Looks like I have a 1.4 bar cap instead of the 2.0 bar one that’s supposed to be installed. Wonder if that’s why it’s venting a bit.

Nope: It's leaking somewhere.

The 1.4b cap will simply allow the coolant to settle to a slightly lower level in the expansion bottle compared to a 2.0b cap.

There is about 4x more volume in the expansion tank than is necessary.

The cars will typically run significantly lower pressure than the cap purge setting. The lower the cold level in your overflow, the less pressure will build when hot.

[Hoody007]

Originally Posted by Brian86

Nope: It's leaking somewhere.

The 1.4b cap will simply allow the coolant to settle to a slightly lower level in the expansion bottle compared to a 2.0b cap.

There is about 4x more volume in the expansion tank than is necessary.

The cars will typically run significantly lower pressure than the cap purge setting. The lower the cold level in your overflow, the less pressure will build when hot.

Gotcha. And indeed the cap I bought from BMW is a 1.4 bar one. Given there’s coolant residue there I figure it’s worth a shot.

Plus the new revision is nice and colorful 😂

[RealJ22]

I’m having fun again

[RealJ22]

Originally Posted by colorado.e9x

Base interior just isn't cutting it again. Time to upgrade the daily to sport. I have two options:

•Black front seats, and I don't have to swap anything else out $225
•Full creme interior + a few misc odds and ends $600

What do you guys think? Creme would look pretty good with Montego Blue. But black is cheaper. Creme would also be easier to dye down the road

I had base seats once and never again. Anything will be an upgrade.


You can also use LSeat in the future if you want to match them. A new set of covers is less than $300.

Honestly one of the best “mods or options” for this vehicle besides paddle shifters and sport wheel.

[Cal122]

Originally Posted by E92_William

I used gummi on the seals because it’s the most common product I’ve heard people use. The krytox seems to be advertised as some sort of lubricant almost? What’s it like?

Thanks for the info on the leather conditioner! I'm between the BMW cleaner/conditioner and also try to get a leatherique treatment in over the summer. The Krytox GPL-105 is closer to liquid form and the tiny applicator helps get it into hard to reach interior parts that may rub together and make noise (things like dashboard trim, if the door panels make noise, seat side trim where it rubs against leather, some of the seals). It comes out of the applicator in small drops. The GPL-205 is the product in more of a grease form, I've used this on the top of the door seals where the door creak can come from and it even helped with sticking outside door handles in the winter. I still use Gummi to treat and condition all the rubber seals tho.

[Hoody007]

Well - turns out I do have a small leak somewhere at the driver side front. The top coolant hoses there are all dry, but I can see some wetness on the pan, and I found a dime-sized spot this AM (it’s been raining here for a few days - first time I’ve really been able to took @ the ground where it’s parked). Already installed the new cap, oh well.

Possibly the drain plug? It’s a Mahle Premium line radiator from October of 2022.

Also started the process of replacing the steering angle sensor on the E31. Looks like the wiring is bad somewhere. Running wires from the EDC module in the trunk to the angle sensor on the steering column.

[DBShiznit]

Originally Posted by colorado.e9x

Thats the toss up I'm having. Cheaper and less dirty. But I've only ever had black interiors hmm



I was actually planning on dyeing it Cognac if I did pick creme for that exact reason ��

Yes! That would look amazing with the blue!




In other news, I can't get rid of the squeaky strut bar noise under the cowl. I have replaced the stretch bolt for it and have looked in there and nothing is in the way( I know often the harness gets pinched causing the squeak. I have torqued it down too and it'll go away for a day and come back again. I have also noticed in only happens when I start driving the car in the AM but once the temps warm up I dont hear it anymore. Does anyone know if I'm missing something or doing something wrong?

[E92_William]

Originally Posted by Hoody007

Well - turns out I do have a small leak somewhere at the driver side front. The top coolant hoses there are all dry, but I can see some wetness on the pan, and I found a dime-sized spot this AM (it’s been raining here for a few days - first time I’ve really been able to took @ the ground where it’s parked). Already installed the new cap, oh well.

Possibly the drain plug? It’s a Mahle Premium line radiator from October of 2022.

Also started the process of replacing the steering angle sensor on the E31. Looks like the wiring is bad somewhere. Running wires from the EDC module in the trunk to the angle sensor on the steering column.

Check the hoses that go to
The heater core on top of the left frame rail, I’ve seen those fail sometimes from oil damaging them

[E92_William]

Originally Posted by Cal122

Thanks for the info on the leather conditioner! I'm between the BMW cleaner/conditioner and also try to get a leatherique treatment in over the summer. The Krytox GPL-105 is closer to liquid form and the tiny applicator helps get it into hard to reach interior parts that may rub together and make noise (things like dashboard trim, if the door panels make noise, seat side trim where it rubs against leather, some of the seals). It comes out of the applicator in small drops. The GPL-205 is the product in more of a grease form, I've used this on the top of the door seals where the door creak can come from and it even helped with sticking outside door handles in the winter. I still use Gummi to treat and condition all the rubber seals tho.

I’m gonna have to keep an eye out and maybe pick some up for some interior creaks and rattles. I’ve used silicone grease with great success but it tends to wash off rather easily over time. I have to do something about that door/B pillar creak because it started after putting the gummi on everything and it’s quite bad

[Hoody007]

Originally Posted by E92_William

Check the hoses that go to
The heater core on top of the left frame rail, I’ve seen those fail sometimes from oil damaging them

Good to know. There was a OFHG leak that the PO left unchecked. Wonder if one of those hoses got damaged.

[Hoody007]

Originally Posted by DBShiznit

Yes! That would look amazing with the blue!




In other news, I can't get rid of the squeaky strut bar noise under the cowl. I have replaced the stretch bolt for it and have looked in there and nothing is in the way( I know often the harness gets pinched causing the squeak. I have torqued it down too and it'll go away for a day and come back again. I have also noticed in only happens when I start driving the car in the AM but once the temps warm up I dont hear it anymore. Does anyone know if I'm missing something or doing something wrong?

The bar goes though a rubber seal / grommet - might try lubricating that?

[Clammy]

Not today, but a couple of days ago:

Installed replacement rear driver's side window lifter, and finally installed the driver's side electric folding mirror I bought last year.

Cheers!

[lordnikon]

Car didn't come with tool kit???



Much better:

[mattanderson]

Originally Posted by lordnikon

Car didn't come with tool kit???

I'm glad we BMW enthusiasts aren't OCD, or that looks like it could be triggering.

[colorado.e9x]

600 miles, lots of cuts and swearing later and I got *most* of the sport oyster interior. No power and potentially flooded modules on the front seats Wasn't able to get them or the armrest, but I'm determined. Seller offered to cut the floorboards out to get to them if I make the trip again, hopefully that works out

[Serf27]

2 Mickey Mouse flange first for me this week.
They’ve only failed on me when I removed them.

First was 2009 n52, flange failed while idling.
Replaced with aluminum flange from auto parts store. O ring did seem to big as I saw someone mention it a long time ago. I was able to get the flange with o ring 80% installed. The o ring kept popping out. I used a flat head to push the o ring down and it slipped in, no leaks.

Second was 2009 n54, removed the flange for ofhg.
The flange didn’t crumble like it usually does. The flange looks to be a revised plastic piece(?). It doesn’t feel as fragile and has the oem clamp, it must have been previously replaced.
Replaced o ring and re used flange, no leaks.

[lowrydr310]

I've been smelling coolant for the past three days or so, thinking maybe I had a leaking heater core. Then I popped the hood and saw this:

Can you spot the leak? Tiny crack where the upper radiator hose attaches. Very common failure, in my case spraying a nice mist only at high temperatures which left a dry coolant residue all over. About a month ago I had the front end apart with the intercooler and fan out to replace my serpentine belt, pulleys, tensioner, upper radiator hose, and mickey mouse flange. That would have been the perfect time to replace the original radiator from 2007, 160K miles but I thought I could get away with it. Ordered a standard CSF replacement which was really inexpensive and I'm installing it tomorrow. Made in Indonesia, same country of manufacture as the two Denso radiators I recently installed on a E90 325i and Lexus ES300.

[Hoody007]

Traced the source of the coolant leak. It’s the radiator. Best I can tell, it’s leaking from the lower driver side. Plastic probably split.

It’s a Mahle Premium line radiator from Feb 2022. Guess I’ll be putting a Nissen in instead.

[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by Hoody007

Traced the source of the coolant leak. It’s the radiator. Best I can tell, it’s leaking from the lower driver side. Plastic probably split.

It’s a Mahle Premium line radiator from Feb 2022. Guess I’ll be putting a Nissen in instead.

Another data point against Mahle... have never heard anything good about them :-(

[StradaRedlands]

My car failed the visual inspection for the smog test yesterday. It didn't even occur to me that the fancy Euro airbox would be an issue. Not for one second! But guess that's a thing in CA. Now I need to swap back in the original one and take it back in... not a biggie, but not something I was planning on.

[lowrydr310]

Originally Posted by StradaRedlands

My car failed the visual inspection for the smog test yesterday. It didn't even occur to me that the fancy Euro airbox would be an issue. Not for one second! But guess that's a thing in CA. Now I need to swap back in the original one and take it back in... not a biggie, but not something I was planning on.

What exactly did they fail you on? There's no way any random technician would know that's NOT OEM unless he is very specially familiar with the E90, and even then it's literally a closed air box. Oh but there's no charcoal filter! Ironically us OEM N52 airbox owners could remove the charcoal filters and no smog tech would know the difference, not even the N52 "experts."

[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by lowrydr310

What exactly did they fail you on? There's no way any random technician would know that's NOT OEM unless he is very specially familiar with the E90, and even then it's literally a closed air box. Oh but there's no charcoal filter! Ironically us OEM N52 airbox owners could remove the charcoal filters and no smog tech would know the difference, not even the N52 "experts."

It was something they never saw before, so visually flagged it. I had zero thought or concern about it going in, but guess it's a thing. It's NBD to swap the original back in, but a hassle to get over to the smog shop and wait around. I have firsborn doing all that to earn his keep, and he doesn't have much more in the way of specifics. Just said that they can't confirm if the intake is legal, so didn't certify. That's some serious next-level investigation for sure!