Oh, and the plastic strip at the bottom of the windshield has disintegrated. Fixing that is on the list too because it looks ugly.
Oh, and the plastic strip at the bottom of the windshield has disintegrated. Fixing that is on the list too because it looks ugly.
Well, I finally have all the parts and was looking forward to putting everything back together this weekend so I could drive the thing next week. Then this happened.
Not laying on the driveway today 
So I brought everything inside and got the driveshaft ready to go. New guibo and I swapped the vibration dampener donut from the old driveshaft. The Bentley manual didn't mention that part and it's not in any of the pictures so I wonder if it's a ti specific thing. Anyway, ready to go. Just waiting for nice weather.
My ti has an M3 driveshaft and it doesn't have that damper. I'd suspect it's a compact specific part.
This weekend in Michigan was absolute bullE36 M3 for weather.
I got the engine mounts replaced!
This is the passenger side mount next to the new part. It came off in two parts Definitely time for new ones.
I spent the rest of the night cursing at the driveshaft trying to get it in place. Seems it will take some fiddling and trial and error to get it to the right length.
To quote the DIY guide I found on a 318ti forum:
"Once the driveshaft is assembled, note that the splined connection will act like a shock absorber: It will move either in or out, but very slowly, and with cruel disregard for the amount of force you put on it. This means that if you hold it at an upright angle, it will slowly get longer, then when you are trying to put it in place over your head, it will be too long and won't shorten no matter how hard you push it, then once you've gotten it shorter, it won't lengthen again as you pull on it with all your might. It won't wedge in place and stay there long enough for you to reach the handful of bolts that's just sitting a few feet away unless you've gotten it to the right length."
That sounds fun . I think I'll wait until my brother has some free time so I can have another set of arms at my disposal.
The Bentley manual says you have to remove the exhaust to get the driveshaft out. For the record: It is possible (at least on the 4 cylinder hatchback) to remove the driveshaft without removing the exhaust if you unhook all the exhaust hangers, disconnect the transmission mounts, support the trans, and let the exhaust hang down far enough. Is it possible to work around the exhaust to get the driveshaft back in position? We'll see.
And here we leave it for tonight because I don't know what to do next.
Rear end, all snugged up and in.
Middle.
And then we get to the front where it seems to be an inch short 
I should be able to adjust the length but according to the Bentley manual the spline joint is in the back side of the support bearing and that section is the right length. (Edit: I was totally wrong about that part, I got turned around looking at it under the car) I will fiddle more tomorrow if I have time.
Loosening the clamping nut on the spline joint so I can adjust the length of the driveshaft a bit.
Today I (finally!) finished the driveshaft installation. I also installed a new guibo, OEM engine mounts, and mildly stiffer transmission mounts from UUC.
This was the first day in weeks where I've had free time and nice weather at the same time.
The end result: no more driveline vibrations and gear changes are much smoother. Yay!
A good trick I've learned to keep the exhaust shields from falling off the screws when the metal starts to get corroded: Big homemade plastic washers made out of things from the recycle bin.
I need to replace some of the bulbs in the high mount brake light and a turn signal bulb. The joke is not lost on me
I replaced the burned out turn signal. Yay, I don't have to drive like an Audi driver anymore . Some of the bulbs in the high mount brake light are burned out too. Rock Auto said those bulbs were the same part as the turn signal bulbs. Rock Auto lied.
Cloudy headlights bother me.
So I tried something I saw somewhere on the Internet (probably on this forum)
Toothpaste! This turned out to be way too much paste at once and it made a mess.
Minty fresh German engineering!
It worked!
Shoot them with rattle can uv safe (most are these days, used to turn yellow) rattle can or they will be just as cloudy in 6 months. You can guess how i learned that one.
Funnily enough, that was one of the first things I did to my old Ti as well! But as suggested above, needs some sort of UV-resistant finish. Mine went back to being fogged in a few days.
That windshield trim can be important. When they wear water drips through. The dme lives right under the windshield.
Bubs wrote: Funnily enough, that was one of the first things I did to my old Ti as well! But as suggested above, needs some sort of UV-resistant finish. Mine went back to being fogged in a few days.
Nice reflection in the after-toothpaste pic. Are ya nekkid? 
In reply to BlueInGreen44:
Boy, this one is in really nice shape! Great little project that will be even greater when it's sorted.
I haven't seen one in these parts (RI/New England) in quite some time. E36's are rapidly starting to vanish around here. They were popular in the hood for a short time, but then I think the repair costs for that demographic made them get scrapped quickly.
Good to see this one getting a new life.
Speaking of repair costs.
So, budget: I paid $2000 for the car + some bins of misc. spare parts that the p.o. wanted out of the garage. I also paid some more on top of that for some extra goodies like a second set of wheels to use with snow tires, a BMW scan tool, etc. The idea was that the BMW then would be eligible if I wanted to run it in the Challenge since I had to sell the $2016 hopeful Saturn to make room for it. I was thinking I would be able to sell off stuff from the spare parts stash that was included in the car purchase price (some of it is M42 engine parts for which I have no use) to make up for the cost of any small repairs and then stay under challenge budget. This was before I realized I would need to replace the driveshaft. That might have ruined that plan.
And speaking of replacing the driveshaft: I've still been noticing a slight speed related vibration that shows up at ~65mph. It could just be a wheel out of balance but now I'm paranoid. I need to make sure everything is still tightened up underneath the way it should be. The diff. is making noises too, especially noticeable during sharp turns coasting at parking lot speeds. More things to figure out and more work to do, yay.
The_Jed wrote: Nice reflection in the after-toothpaste pic. Are ya nekkid?
Ha! You got me! Was wrenching shirtless on the old Ti on a hot August day! 
@BlueInGreen44:
Your latest post reminded me of another issue I had with mine, which surfaced as what I initially believed to be differential noise - despite torquing to spec, the "inverted torx" bolts that affix the inner CV joints to the differential kept backing out periodically. I eventually used some blue threadlocker and it never happened again.
May be unrelated to your issue, but worth checking along with the driveshaft bolts.
Bubs wrote: Your latest post reminded me of another issue I had with mine, which surfaced as what I initially believed to be differential noise - despite torquing to spec, the "inverted torx" bolts that affix the inner CV joints to the differential kept backing out periodically. I eventually used some blue threadlocker and it never happened again. May be unrelated to your issue, but worth checking along with the driveshaft bolts.
I'll definitely check that. I have known that one of the axle seals is worn. So the rear end is going to be the next area to get attention anyway.
I want to make sure everything's in pretty good shape before I take a roadtrip at the end of the month.
Where did you get the window trim piece? I need one pretty badly
buzzboy wrote: Where did you get the window trim piece? I need one pretty badly
I haven't fixed that yet. I too am not sure where to look.
So it definitely has some weird vibrations going on. I went to Ann Arbor today to visit a friend and had plenty of time to notice things on the hour long trip there and back. It's odd because it subtly comes and goes, even at steady speed and on unchanging road surface. Sometimes it's in the steering wheel and it feels like a wheel out of balance. Sometimes it feels like it's under my feet. Sometimes it's more noticeable at 60mph, sometimes 70, or 75, or 50. I'm starting to doubt my driveshaft replacement job.
I'm also starting to suspect there might be more than one thing going on. Could be front end shenanigans too. But no... These cars were never known for wearing out front control arm bushings or anything like that
I'm slightly frustrated right now. I keep telling myself that it will all be worth it once the car is sorted out and driving the way it should be.
BlueInGreen44 wrote:buzzboy wrote: Where did you get the window trim piece? I need one pretty badlyI haven't fixed that yet. I too am not sure where to look.
Looks like Bavauto has them for 20 per side. Sounds worth it to me.
buzzboy wrote:BlueInGreen44 wrote:Looks like Bavauto has them for 20 per side. Sounds worth it to me.buzzboy wrote: Where did you get the window trim piece? I need one pretty badlyI haven't fixed that yet. I too am not sure where to look.
Oh, duh. For some reason I was looking for a trim piece that was separate from the cowl cover.
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