Valve Cover Gasket

This one is a big issue on e46 BMWs the valve cover gasket leaks and oil drips onto the exhaust and smells up the whole car. So to replace it you will need a t30 torx driver, a 1/4 ratchet 8 and 10 mm socket, and a brilo pad. Supplies you will need are victor reintz high temp sealant, a new valve cover gasket, 15 grommits for the bolts, and some rags. First open the hood and locate the the microfilter, undo the tabs and pull the cover and filter out. This will expose 3 torx screws, unscrew these and remove the whole metal piece. Be sure to unhook the cover for the wires and pull the wires out as they are connected to that piece. Next pop the covers off the engine cover to expose 10mm nuts. Remove all 4 bolts to remove both of the covers and set them aside. Now you can see the coils each one is held on by two 10mm bolts. Remove them all then remove the ground straps on either end with an 8mm also remove the ground in the middle of the valve cover also an 8mm. Pull all the coils out and undo the vacuum hoses and o2 sensor wires from the side of the valve cover. Unclip them and move them out of the way. Undo the 15 10mm bolts on top of the valve cover, 4 are in the middle near the coils and the rest are along the outside. Once all the bolts are out pry up on the valve cover with the flat head. Be careful the valve cover can break! Once the valve cover is off get the old gasket out and clean with rags to get all the old oil out. The gasket may be hard and difficult to get out this happens often and is why it is leaking. Also make sure all the old grommits are off of the cover. Next clean the surface where the gasket touches on the head with the brilo pad. This makes a clean surface for the new gasket. Place the new gasket on the cover and put the new grommits on the cover bolts. Once everything is clean apply the high temp sealant in the shape of a U on the front and rear of the head. Be sure to get in the half moons of the vanos and in the rear. Place the valve cover back on the head, be sure there is nothing being pinched and the gasket is even. Put the bolts on and tighten down a little, I prefer to get all the bolts in and then tighten them in a cross pattern. The bolts should be tightened by hand and will bottom out, that is when they are tight. Put the coils back in, connect the ground straps, and tighten the coils. Put the covers back on and reattach the microfilter assembly. Double check you didn't forget anything and close the hood.

Rear Shocks

Replacing the rear shocks on your e46 is fairly easy and can be achieved with a simple set of hand tools. You will need a ratchet with a 13 and 18mm sockets. You will need the new shocks with new top mounts sachs or bilsteins will work. Start by taking the interior carpet in the trunk out, relieving the top mounts. Jack up the car and put it on stands. First take the two nuts off of the top of the mounts inside the trunk. The shock and mount should fall through especially if they are old and worn. Now under the car locate where the bottom of the shock mounts to and remove the 18mm bolt. The shock should now be free and you can remove it from the car. The new shocks will most likely come without the mounts attached, so you will need the screw the new mounts on the top. Loosely attach the the bottom of the shock while positioning the top in position. Now slowly lower the car to bring the top mount into position and when it is through and in place tighten the nuts and lower it fully. Once the top is secure tighten the bottom mount on the ground. Do this to both sides, shocks should be replaced as a set. Once everything is tight you can reassemble the trunk interior and drive.

Pulleys

Idler pulleys can scream when they need to be replaced. Also you can test them by spinning them and listening, they should not make much noise if so replace them. To replace them you need fan tools, pry tool, ratchet and 13mm socket, and the new pulley. The removal of the fan and shroud has been explained in previous posts so if needed reread that. Once the fan and shroud has been removed undo the serpentine belt by relieving the tension on the pulley. Once removed spin the pulley by hand and listen if it is loud or had play it is bad. To replace this pop the plastic cover off and unscrew the bolt. Once removed slide the pulley off the bolt and slide the new pulley on. Make sure the notch is lined up with the raised notch on the back of the pulley. Tighten the pulley down and reassemble the belt, fan and shroud.

Belts

If your belts are cracking then they need to be replaced. This can be easily done but you need the right tools. You will need a set of fan removal tools, you can't use anything else but the wrenches made for this job. If you can acquire them you can do this job. Alright you will need the fan removal tools, a ratchet and 13mm socket, a pry tool, and the new belts. First take the two clips out from the fan shroud located on the top on either side. Next remove the fan with the fan tools, remember the fan is reverse thread so its not lefty loosey. Once the fan is off pull the fan and shroud up and out of the engine bay. Now you have more room to work and get to the belts. Use your 13mm and turn the nuts on the tensioners to give the belt slack. The nuts are located in black on the diagram. Once the belt is slack remove it from the pulleys. You have to remove the ac belt first and then the serpentine belt and replace vice versa. To replace them put the belt on all the pulleys but the idler pulley than move the tensioner with your ratchet and slide the belt on. For the ac belt put the belt on except the tensioner and then release the pressure and slide it on. Make sure you route the belts in the correct order. Then reassemble the fan and shroud, they go in and out as one so don't screw the fan on without the shroud in place. Remember the fan is reverse thread. Put the clips back in the shroud and you are done.

Brakes

Replacing your brake pads is easy on your e46. You will need a jack and stands, 17mm socket, a 7mm allen, a flat head screw driver, and a c clamp. The supplies you will need are brake pads and a brake sensor. I would recommend textar pads as they do not dust and any sensor you can get. First jack up your car and put the stands underneath. Take the wheels off with your 17mm socket. Use your screwdriver to pry off the anti rattle clip on the caliper. Then take off the covers of the caliper bolts. Next unscrew the carrier bolts and pull off the caliper. Remove the pads from the caliper and use the c clamp to push the piston back in. Now put your new pads in and slide the caliper back on the rotor. Attach the carrier bolts back to the caliper. On the driver side of the car there will be a brake sensor connected on the top of the inside pad. Follow the wire up to the connector and disconnect it and connect the new one. Push the new sensor into the brake pad. When you are finished with both sides put the wheels back on and lower the car. Be sure to pump up the brakes before you drive and if the brake sensor light is still on turn the key on but engine off and leave it on for a minute and the light should extinguish.

Hand Brake Adjustment

Does your hand brake only engage at the very top? This is not safe if your car is manual so I am going to explain how to tighten it. You will need a quarter inch ratchet, a extension, and a ten millimeter socket. Sit in the drivers seat and pull up on the hand brake boot near the shifter. Once it is up, pull the boot as far away from the bottom as possible to give yourself room. Do not detach the boot from the handle. Grab your 10mm setup and tighten the two nut on either side of the hand brake. Try to tighten them evenly. As you tighten them periodically check to see if the hand brake engages lower. It should stop about 5 to 7 clicks up. Once you have achieved this reattach the boot and drive!

Control Arm Bushings

Control arm bushing go bad all the time you will notice them when you brake quickly, the car will lurch when first getting on the brakes. You can also diagnosis them by jacking up the car and pushing the wheel towards the rear. It should not have much play if it does the bushings are failing. So now how to replace the bushing on your BMW e46 3 series. Items you will need are a knife with a serrated edge, rubber mallet, 16mm socket, and a ratchet. Also you will need the new control arm bushings and some lubrication (silicon spray works well). Start by jacking up the car, then get under the car and locate the bushings located in yellow on the picture. The metal plate locate in the red box appears on certain car but not all. If it is there you will need to remove it. Next unbolt the two bolts holding on the bushings to let the arm hang down. This will give you room to work away from the car. Next cut the rubber around the bushing. Once the metal part of the bushing is off cut the rubber straight through to the arm. Once you remove all the rubber from both sides spray your lubricate on the metal arm. Be sure to put the correct bushings on the designated side, It does matter. Hit the new bushing with the mallet to get it on. Next bolt the new bushings up. Bolt the metal plate back up if you have one, lower car, and drive.

Fuel Filter

Today I will instruct you how to change your fuel filter. This needs to be done around every 30,000 miles and i would use a Malhe filter. For this job you will need a flat head screwdriver, 10mm socket and ratchet, a hose clamp tool or a 6mm socket, and a floor jack and stands. The supplies you need are the new fuel filter and three new hose clamps. Jack up the car and put the stands underneath. Locate the fuel filter cover its on the drivers side right behind the engine about a foot in from the rocker. Undo the cover by unscrewing the three 10mm nut and remove the cover. Next unscrew the 10mm nut on the fuel filter holder located by the red circle on the picture. Now take your flat head screwdriver and unscrew the clamp located in the yellow circles in the picture. Be ready fuel will leak out when you disconnect the filter. Have the new clamps opened up enough to fit over the old hose and don't forget to slide them on before connecting the new filter. Undo the vacuum hose located in the green box be careful these hoses do crack and become fragile. Have your new filter next to you as you undo the hose from the old filter. Remember where the hoses go and connect the new filter to the hoses. Tighten the new clamps and plug the vacuum hose back in. Tighten the holder nut and put the cover back on. Before you start the car cycle the key about 8 times to get the fuel pump to get the air out of the lines. If you do not do this the check engine light may come on while driving.With that you are down and ready to drive.

Coolant Flush

Next I will show you how to flush your cooling system on your e46 3 series. For this job you will need a jack and stands, a catch pan, new coolant, a flat head screwdriver, and a 19 mm wrench. First jack up the car and put it on stands. Take off the radiator cap be sure the car is cool and the cooling system is not pressurized! Then loosen the hose clamp on the hose on the bottom of the radiator. Pull off the hose and let it drain into the catch pan. Next locate the 19mm plug on the exhaust side of the motor(located in the yellow circle). Remove this and let it drain completely. Next reinsert the drain plug and reconnect the lower radiator hose. Unscrew the bleeder screw located next to the coolant reservoir on the upper radiator hose. Then get your coolant, if it is not mixed be sure to mix it first, I would recommend BMW coolant. Fill the system through the reservoir until coolant comes out of the hole where the bleed screw was. When this happens tighten the bleeder screw and fill the reservoir to the top. Put the radiator cap back on and you have successfully flushed your cooling system.

Suggestions

If anyone needs a how to for a BMW I am willing to help. Suggestions are welcome!! Thanks

Spark Plugs

Alright this weeks post is changing spark plugs. For this how to a will be using the m20 motor which is found in a abundance of BMWs from the early 80s to early 90s particularly the e30 3 series. The tools you will need are a 10mm socket, 5/8 spark plug tool, and a ratchet. The supplies you will need are sparks plugs, six for the m20, and some anti-seize. I would recommend NGK plugs as they have never let me down. Alright first remove the two 10 mm nuts on the wire holder to get it out of the way. Then remove the wires from the plugs, located by the yellow arrows, do not get these wires mixed up. If you are unsure just take one off at a time. Once the boot is removed from the plug unscrew it from the head. The new plugs should be gapped correctly so you do not have to gap the plugs. Get a new plug and put a little anti-seize on the threads, this enables you to get the spark plug out again down the road, screw the plug back into the head and tighten. Specs are 15-22 ft lbs but chances that you have a torque wrench is slim so just tighten them moderately not super tight. Repeat this on all the other plugs and plug the boots back on the plugs. Reattach the wire holder and close the hood and drive the "ultimate driving machine".

Oil Change

My next topic is how to change your oil. I will use the e46 3 series as a example again. The tools you will need for this job are a 36mm socket, 17mm socket, a ratchet, oil pan and jack or ramps. The supplies are 7 quarts of your preferred choice, and an oil filter kit. I would recommend a Mann filter and lubro moly 10w-50 oil. First unscrew the oil filter with the 36mm socket, you need to do this first as the filter housing can trap up to a quart of oil. This is located on the picture with the yellow arrow. Next take off the oil cap so the oil can drain faster. Now jack the car up, if you are using ramps set them up before anything else as after the first steps the car is in operative. Slide under the car with your 17mm socket, ratchet and the oil pan. Locate the drain plug on the bottom of the oil pan. Unscrew the drain plug and let the oil drain, be careful if the car was recently run it will be hot. While you are waiting for the oil to fully drain you can remove the filter cover. The cover and filter will come out as one, discard the used filter and o-ring. Replace them with the new filter and o-ring. You will also receive a new crush washer for the drain plug be sure to discard the old one and replace it. When the oil is drained fully screw the drain plug, with the new crush washer, back in the oil pan and tighten. Screw the filter cover, with the new filter and o-ring, back into the housing and tighten it until it stops. Fill the engine with 7 quarts of your preferred oil and put the cap back on. To reset the service light on the dashboard put the key in the ignition, hold down the trip button and turn the key one click. Continue to hold the trip button until reset is displayed on the dash. Then release the trip button and press and hold it again until it reads 15525. You are now done changing your oil, clean up and drive it like you stole it.

Filters

To start this blog off I will begin nice and easy, by showing you how to replace the two air filters located on the 98-05 3 series. If you can not accomplish this job you should probably not be underneath the hood of a car. I will start with the engine air filter, unhook the clips on the air box. Located where the yellow arrows are pointing. Then lift up on the upper portion of the box and pull the filter out. If the filter is dirty it should be replaced with a new one which can be obtained at any parts store. I would recommend Mann filters as they are a better quality. Next is the cabin air filter which filters out allergens, pathogens, and smells. Press down on the clips, located where the white arrows are pointed, and turn 90 degrees to undo them. Lift up the cover and check the underside of the filter as the air flows upwards. If the filter is dirty it should be replaced with a new one. To put the cover back on, press down on the clips and turn 90 degrees. You have now successfully changed your cabin air filter and engine air filter.

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e34

My Car after a fresh wash

BMW M3 E46 CSL with ESS supercharger