Simple M3

[Fruttolo]

Well bmw shift knobs are pretty known for failing and crumbling apart, guess this one just wanted to stick to the heritage

[bwwaaaa]

I like this update

Thank you

Was going to ask on ig if that knob wasn't way too tall for stock shifter throw but you answered before I asked LOL
Loose plugs seem to be a common problem, mine had 5 loose, still can't figure how it wasn't misfiring or not running at all

So the knob is definitely pretty tall for the stock throw, however the trade of is very easy shifts because of the leverage. I certainly plan to do a SSK at some point, so frankly it doesn't matter too much in the short term to me. That said I did have a slight issue with the shift knob, but I'll detail that below.

Love me some M3.

M3 too

Welp

Some friends and I decided to do an early morning canyon drive. Saw this as the perfect opportunity to put the M3 through it's paces with some spirited driving. If you're ever in the Phoenix area, not too far away is a spot called Tortilla Flat. It's at the end of a particularly long stretch of windy road, and has some spectacular scenes along the way. Really not a bad way to break in the M3.

The following photos were taken by my friend Lane (@fast_lane_photo). Super talented guy, and made the M3 look way better than it actually is. I couldn't help but share.

From a mechanical stand point, I'm beyond stoked on this car. It handled the drive beautifully. I do notice a bit of understeer from this staggered tire sizes, it really feels like the front end just needs a 245 as well, but there is only so much you can push it on a public road safely. I think it might be time for a track day. I have my eyes on a set of wheels too, so we may resolve that soon enough.

Now here's the problem I mentioned prior. My shift knob broke... Or at the very least is defective. After my canyon drive we stopped for breakfast and I left the M3 in the middle of the parking lot. When I came back, hopped in the car and took off, my shift knob was rattling.

This is supposed to be a video, so I guess click it if you can't watch it here...

Alright not ideal. I took it out of the car, sure enough shake it and it rattles. It looks like the weight was loose inside. Zero issues with it prior. I dumped it on the counter, came back a few hours later to figure it out, and it was no longer rattling. It looks like the delrin expanded in the heat, as there was direct sunlight on it for the couple hours it was parked, and that was enough to cause the weight to stop rattling. Once it cooled down the weight was no longer rattling. Fortunately, Condor has agreed to exchange it because that one was clearly defective. I had one in my 318ti a few years back and never had that issue, even in intense AZ summers. I've sent it back and I'm waiting on the new one. I got a lot of questions on the shift knob on Instagram surprisingly, so I figured this was a worthwhile update. I'll keep you all posted on the outcome of the exchange.

But that's a first for me, I've never had a shift knob fail.

[heeter_33]

Love me some M3.

[Fruttolo]

Was going to ask on ig if that knob wasn't way too tall for stock shifter throw but you answered before I asked LOL
Loose plugs seem to be a common problem, mine had 5 loose, still can't figure how it wasn't misfiring or not running at all

[hinrichs]

I like this update

[bwwaaaa]

Maintenance Log

Nothing of super importance to note, other than some basic maintenance and care. But it comes with a fun story, so thought I'd make a post.

First thing is first, I put some brand new RE71rs on the front of the car. That's what the rear had, but had some cheapy all seasons up front. I drove all the way home from California before bothering to check the date code. Turns out, the front tires were 12 years old. Oops.

I still haven't found wheels that I want for the car, and I didn't want to continue driving on those time bombs, so I just bit the bullet and bought new front tires. Suddenly the front end vibration was gone, and the car drove a million times better. Wonder what was causing that . While I was at it, I also bought a brand new spare. I found a stock Contour wheel for sale locally, and just had a new all-season slapped on. Given my luck with flats, I didn't want to drive around without it. So the car now has proper tires across the board.

Last weekend I took the car to Fourtillfour, a local coffee place that puts on some great little shows. This one was 60-90s JDM and Euros only. So the M3 was right at home. Unfortunately, as usual, these shitty headlights really let the car down visually. But I had a great time regardless.

That said, the drive there became a big moment of anxiety. When I pulled up to the show, a very, VERY distinct knocking could be heard from my engine bay. Oh no, here we go, I blew it up. I was skeptical at first, because the sound was a little muffled to be a rod knock, but it was RPM dependent. It didn't help a friend of mine would not stop saying "That's definitely rod knock, it's fucked". But I got home, and started going through it. I thought maybe a sparkplug was loose, as others seem to have had this issue. Sure enough, cylinder 3 spark plug was finger tight. I torqued it to spec, and no more knock. But that was a stressful afternoon.

Finally, because I can't help myself, I ordered a Condor Speed Shop tall shift knob. I had one in my old 318ti and loved it. So far so good in the M3, though it has highlighted that I need a short shifter in this car.

Currently I'm waiting on some headlights to arrive from another SW forum member, and I'm ordering some refresh parts for the car. After that it'll finally be time to tackle suspension, and wheels. Then the whole simple thing is being tossed out the window next year. But more information on that later, I don't want to spoil the surprise and let everyone down.

So until then, there will be a few more boring refresh posts. Bare with me.

[Fruttolo]

Nice first mod, those cars are waaay too quiet for real. M50 manifold, emissions cans delete and an oil catch can would be my first steps in the engine bay

[Allen.]

Simple it is. Nice pickup! Enjoy.

[bwwaaaa]

More Noise Please

I’ve been debating what all I wanted to do with the car, and one thing I kept circling back to was an exhaust. The car is simply too quiet in stock form. A friend of mine suggested an aFe intake, as it provided a lot of induction noise and paired with the stock cat back well. I figured that this was a cheaper change than any quality cat back, and was at least worth trying. As luck would have it, someone fairly local to me happened to list that exact intake the same day he suggested it to me. Brand new in box, at a fraction of the price, I arranged to meet him and pick it up.

He didn’t really list any photos, but sure enough the intake was literally brand new in box.

It really is a bone stock S52. I’m so used to at least seeing an M50 manifold, that this looks almost foreign to me.

And installed. I would say that the heat shield was a pain in the ass. Beyond that, an obviously easy change.

Verdict is, I still want an exhaust. It’s throaty, it adds some desperately needed sound to the car when you get on the throttle, but is otherwise pretty quiet still. As with any intake on a NA car, there are no real power gains to be had, but I really do enjoy the sound. Again, simple changes to improve the car bit by bit. This was a great first step, and will hold me over until I decide to commit to a nice cat back. In the mean time, I want to finish some external cosmetic bits.

[bwwaaaa]

Cool to find out most of the back story for the car. I was sort of able to do the same with mine, since Kalil knew the one previous owner of mine....then some dumb kid is the one I got it from who didnt do anything he said he did. Hopefully your oil issue isnt anything major.

I’m hoping not either. I’m keeping an eye on the oil carefully right now. There are definitely some drips under the car, so I need to sort those out sooner than later. But hopefully this is nothing too seriously.

Well I'll be honest, this is much better than the Miata!

I didn't know Riley was selling this car, I was so curious to see what he had in store.

Anyway, now your turn to surprise me!

It’s funny, a lot of people were asking why I bought a Miata. In retrospect it didn’t really suit me, though I do really love those cars. The M3 makes me way happier for sure.

And my understanding was this car was destined for a track car treatment. He had some serious coilovers and wheels for it. I’m not going that route but I may have some surprises down the line haha. I’ve had a dream plan for an E36 for years, but I don’t want to detract from the 2002 as I move forward.

[DawsonLiri]

Well I'll be honest, this is much better than the Miata!

I didn't know Riley was selling this car, I was so curious to see what he had in store.

Anyway, now your turn to surprise me!

[hinrichs]

Cool to find out most of the back story for the car. I was sort of able to do the same with mine, since Kalil knew the one previous owner of mine....then some dumb kid is the one I got it from who didnt do anything he said he did. Hopefully your oil issue isnt anything major.

[bwwaaaa]

Back Story

Hope you like reading, there aren’t a lot of photos on this update. So this last weekend I had planned to spend some time going through the car and cleaning things up. However somehow I ended up driving to LA and back AGAIN. For those not familiar, the drive from Phoenix to LA is about the most boring 6 hours there is. I’ve now done that back to back weekends. It was for a good cause, my friend bought this:

Manual, V8, blower... Puts my Simple M3 to shame. But that’s the reason I didn’t get much done. Once he has some time to sort that car out, I want to take photos of my M3 and his 540i together. When I got back Sunday evening, I decided I needed to drive the M3 at least once this weekend. I checked the oil, and immediately ran to the parts store to get everything I needed for an oil change. I know “Low is a Lifestyle” around here, but I don’t think that includes oil level.

After driving all day, I found myself doing an oil change in the driveway. I had tucked my daily driver in the garage, and I was just too tired to shuffle them again. Not ideal, but I wasn’t going to sleep well until I knew just how much oil came out of that engine. The answer was not much. So the question is, where is it going? We topped the engine off before driving back from California last week, and although it does have some minor leaks, it shouldn’t equate for the level being as low as it was. So either we have some wicked blow by, or I have a more serious leak that somehow isn’t making it to the ground. Either way, something to figure out.

So that’s all that got done on the car physically. It drives fine, no funny noises, no loss of power. But oil is going somewhere it shouldn’t. Now here’s where the wall of text comes in. If you like reading, this post is for you.

Out of boredom and curiosity I wanted to see if I could find more information on this car. I found another previous owner of this car through Instagram, and reached out to get some more information from him. I knew a few oddball facts about it just from deduction. For example the throttle pedal still had a kick down switch, so obviously the car had started life auto.

He told me some of the following, which I thought was really interesting.

1. The car originally belong to his friend’s wife. The car was overheated and cooked the head gasket, and was put into storage for about 10 years. He acquired in in a trade, rebuilt the head last year and started cleaning the car up, before deciding to sell it.
2. The manual swap was done 15 years ago, and because of the EWS the way the keys work is pretty funky. Long story short, I lose the keys the car is bricked.
3. The car originally came with a full dove grey interior. It was completely swapped out for all brand new black interior pieces early on in its life.
4. Half the suspension and other bits under the car are brand new as of earlier this year.

Ok cool, so now I have a better understanding of why this car was so low miles. For the most part, it’s been sitting for the last decade. The black interior swap explains why it so fresh for the most part, and considering the period it was done in, explains why everything is so well done. He also dropped one more interesting bomb on me. In a continued case of “small world” he is friends with the guy I bought my 2002 from. To make it even wilder, the guy I bought my 2002 from is the same guy who painted Riley’s Trans AM, who I bought the M3 from. So in a very unimportant way, my two BMWs are kind-of-not-really connected.

What are the odds?

I have a back roads drive in a few weeks that I would like to take the M3 on. I’m waiting on a few more parts, and I’m hoping to find a pair of rear DS2s so I can run square 245s. Those aren’t the permanent wheels I’ve been hinting at before, but it’ll be a nice OEM+ change for Radwood later this year.

[bwwaaaa]

You drove this more miles in the first week than I drove mine in the first year LOL
Interior looks nice af, but is that steering wheel's leather OEM? Dunno if it is the picture but it looks like it was re-wrapped?

Yeah, it was rewrapped in suede at some point. It's in great shape, but a little dirty at the moment. I ordered some product from Adam's Polishes that will hopefully put some new life into it.

[Fruttolo]

You drove this more miles in the first week than I drove mine in the first year LOL
Interior looks nice af, but is that steering wheel's leather OEM? Dunno if it is the picture but it looks like it was re-wrapped?