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".