Simple M3

[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!

[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.

[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.

[Allen.]

Simple it is. Nice pickup! Enjoy.

[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

[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.

[hinrichs]

I like this update

[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

[heeter_33]

Love me some M3.

[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.

[Fruttolo]

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

[samulis]

Nice M3. USDM M3 is weird, no ITB's or real S50 engine. But luckily you can add more noise and funk by installing ITB's into it.

[bwwaaaa]

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

No kidding. Unfortunately this seems to be a design flaw. Condor sent me a second one, and it did the exact same thing. I just returned it and opted to keep the stock shift knob for now.

Nice M3. USDM M3 is weird, no ITB's or real S50 engine. But luckily you can add more noise and funk by installing ITB's into it.

It’s definitely an oddball. Overall it’s a pretty good package, think 328i+ I suppose. It’s still fun, but certainly a little handicapped by BMW’s compromises. I don’t think I’m going to get too deep into this S52. I have an M50 manifold for it on the shelf, I’ll likely do a 3.5 MAF and call it good. If I ever find the time and space, I’d drop an S54 in to make it more “M” haha.

Some Good, Some Bad

Alright, so a few interesting updates. I have Radwood in a little under a month, so I wanted to get a few things done in preparation for that. But also, a few things popped up on my radar that I couldn’t ignore, so I jumped the gun on purchases I wasn’t really planning on making right now. The problem being I now have parts out of order, so I have to find a place to store them while I play catch up getting the other bits. But let’s rewind.

So for Radwood LA, I kind of wanted the car to be mostly stock, and to take care of small blemishes that we in my control. Thinks like center caps, for example. So I ordered up a new set for all four wheels. You’ll see later in the post that doesn’t matter much in the long term, but for one event it’ll be nice to have. Is this important? No. Was I excited? ...Yes.

So one thing that has bugged me since I bought the car is the dead OBC. Common issue, but annoying that I had to clear “Check” codes without knowing what they were. Plus the clock was half burnt, and I couldn’t see outside temp. A company called BavTek rebuilds these units, so I sent it off to them. Removal is easy for those thinking of doing it. You can remove it without removing any of the center console or trim simply by pushing up on the unit underneath through the hole in the storage cubby. Tried to prove it with that photo showing it gone, looking at it now that really proves nothing, but whatever.

Anyway it took a few days, they sent it back and it works perfectly. I paid the extra for the lifetime warranty, so if it ever dies on me again they’ll fix it. I absolutely recommend this to anyone with a dead OBC. Turns out the code I was clearing was for “Low wiper fluid”. Super critical stuff. I really love the triple amber stack, so I have no plans to actually put an aftermarket radio in and spoil that. I’ve found another guy who will modify my stock radio to have bluetooth and AUX, so looks like I’m going down that route.

On a more depressing note, I bought something and it arrived destroyed. I bought a set of Bosch glass headlights from fellow forum member Ben. You may know him from his epic cross country tour in an E30. Unfortunately the driver’s headlight arrived destroyed, and I stress this was no fault of Ben’s. The box arrived in green tape that said “Inspected by US Customs”. It was poorly put back together, and looks like it was run over by a truck a few times. It’s actually a miracle that only the driver’s side glass was broken.

I have a couple lines on replacement glass, so fortunately this headlight is fixable. However the time, effort and sheer disappointment all kind of sucks. These things do happen, especially with fragile, international shipments. But it’s a shame to see this otherwise mint headlight killed. Well the glass at least.

Right now for the exciting stuff. I bought wheels! These are Fifteen52 Podiums, 18x8.5 et35. I had planned in the back of my head to order a set of these wheels later this year. Fifteen52 usually has a pretty great Black Friday sale, and I love the look on the E36. Turns out they were having a similar, and in fact better, sale going on right now. Buy 3, get 1 free, plus a discount, plus the vendor I ordered from had free shipping. Win, win, win. So I placed an order, and a few days later they were here.

I love these wheels, though I’m not sure they’re permanent. Gives a very Super Touring vibe. I was a little hesitant to order 18s, I’m usually a small wheel kind of guy, but I’m glad I gambled on it. I do have two gripes though, which are not major but may prompt me to change them out for something else later down the line. The first is the offset. It looks like I’ll need to run a 225/40r18 tire square. That’s fine, it’ll work but it is downsizing in the rear a bit. The other gripe is the weight, they are 24lbs a piece. 2lbs heavier than stock wheels, but I know there are considerably lighter options out there.

For what it’s worth though, they appear to be very well made. I was actually pretty stunned to see that the center cap and hex nut were metal. I 100% expected them to be plastic, but they are metal pieces. The mock up went well, I may need to roll the rear fenders a hair more. But it will fit well. I just need coilovers next, the Eibach springs simply won’t cut it for these wheels.

[gnmzl]

This car continues to look extremely good in my eyes. Nice tip on the OBC unit.
Just to point something out:
As far as I know, Ben is located in the UK. The headlight units for the UK have opposite directing of light, because of driving on the left hand side of the road. Meaning the lens directs the light towards the left hand side of the road so it doesn't blind oncoming traffic. If you use UK headlights while driving on the right hand side of the road you will blind oncoming traffic in the left hand side lane. It is a very common mistake over here in europe, so just wanted to point that out. I don't know if this is the case for the e36 lineup, but it is true for e30s, e34s etc ... Ben will face the same problem with his left side steering wheel e30 imported from the states.
If you want, I have e36 buddies who can help out source the correct headlight for you, but you'll have to go through the same customs ordeal. Let me know if you are interested.

[hinrichs]

Cant wait to see those with tires on them.