JakeT

Its not terrible but certainly noticeable. Might investigate what can be done about it if I can be bothered that is.
Parts for the Celsior arrived on Monday so they went straight on the car after work yesterday/today.

We made a start with the swaybar bushings, as you can tell it was about time...

Things actually went surprisingly smoothly, no seized bolts or anything really. Replacing the bushes finally removed any frontend clunking the car had, straight forward job resulting in a major improvement right there.

I've also replaced the dodgy O2 sensors. Since I didn't want to buy an O2 sensor specific 22mm socket with a cutout for a wire I decided to take a sawzall to them instead, access wasnt great but just good enough to cut them down to a length just short enough to get a long 22mm on instead. The sensors actually came out surprisingly easily on both sides.

The new sensors are of the universal type, they are Denso though so OEM other than the lack of connector. With plenty of wiring on both sides they were cut down to about the right length and crimped together. I checked the connections and resistances of each wire several times to make sure I dont have to do this again. The plastic sleeve acts as heatshrink, I've wrapped it all up in electrical tape to make things weather tight and a little cleaner looking as well. The sensors came with anti-seize paste which was nice, too.

I took the car out for a drive afterwards, no CEL or limp mode after wide open throttle anymore, the car has full power and pulls well. Fingers crossed it stays that way, will confirm on a longer journey but we should be good there as well now. Another issue crossed off the list.
Rear brake discs happened today. Turns out they are paper thin even when new at just 1.6cm. 1.5cm is their minimum allowed thickness so I'm not sure who came up with that bright idea.

With the old discs being ancient and having some pretty noticeable lips it was time anyway.

Job jobbed. I didn't do the front discs as I'm cheap and probably get another few years out of them considering the miles these cars usually do, but aside from them all pads, the rear discs, brake hoses, the brake fluid and all wear sensors are new now, with all calipers greased in the hope to get a lot more life out of them.

I've also adjusted the coilovers in the front now and double-checked the rears. Its now sitting much better without being exessively low, at least as good as I can do without all 4 wheels off the ground at the same time.


I think there's still something wrong with the rear suspension but I might have to deal with that when the ebay special Maxpeedingrods wear out and I replace them with the BCs I got stashed away. Considering I only paid 135 quid for them new they are currently proving to be surprisingly good though. We'll see how long that'll be the case.

Another glorious day here in North Wales… 

Decided to take the 2CV to work and take the non dual carriageway route home. A glorious run which was an hour long. 
Sadly the day soured when I got home to find a notice of intended prosecution for my use of speed during Saturday drive out the Saab with the roof down… doh! 

Oh yes, you’re dealing with classic E46 problems one at a time. I bought a mk4 Golf GTI years ago and went through just about every common problem and you’re going to do this with the Z4.
 
the backing plates are fine when cut, it’s better than pulling the bearing apart. And the axle will be stuck anyway. I’ve just used big repair washers to make the handbrake work, and then forgot about it.
M54s are pretty bad for vac leaks. There’s a crankcase breather system where the hoses will perish and cause a vacuum leak, as you say there’s also the FPR, inlet boot (yours looks fine) and other bits like a sound symposer. These cars are crap with throttle response even when fully working. They also use the idle air valve instead of the throttle at small pedal pressures. You can check it works by removing it and shaking it. If it rattles open and closed, it’s good. If not clean it out and try again.
Z3s and Z4s don’t seem to be as well built as  their 3 series cousins. Maybe it’s being built in the US, but who knows.

I am (sadly) a serial BMW licker and have had the misfortune to work on and own more than my fair share. Why BMW gets so much praise I don’t really know sometimes, but I suppose them going sideways and making a nice noise doing it makes people forget a lot.

First drive in 2024 is a success. Good to have it back on the road again.

I think history will show he was on the right side of the argument. Granted, it would have sorted itself out organically - but nonetheless we are where we are. 

None, until you've confirmed that the first time you pull away the engine, front subframe and bulkhead isn't going to rip away from the rest of the car and bugger off down the road on it's own, leaving you sat in the remains of the car looking out into fresh air.

Just a snapshot from the local 2CV group on Sunday, our regular monthly breakfast meet before we set out for Drive it Day.  With bonus Ancient Austin.

Things are moving forward!
Following a few days of local trundling, I decided to test the Mondeo on the motorway. 
I figured that a gentle run at 50-60mph would be wise first, so I popped up to Stevenage, then full speed on the return. Suitable period signage deployed.

 
Arrangements had been made for the car transporter to pick up the Capri, so time to get things ready. The car was pulled out into daylight...

...giving space, whilst waiting for the transporter, for a good wash of the garage floor with de-greaser.  The engine, previously having been down the side, has been moved into the middle (note - moving a pinto with gearbox attached, on your own, is not recommended).

Scuse the terrible picture, but it was taken quite late in the day!

Now wait to see what the painter thinks of it. In the mean time, there are parts to order...

It’s E46 based so will have a fucked occupancy mat. Kneeling on them (or a bony arse) ruins them and they go open circuit. One of my E46s had the issue and I put the box to stop it. I don’t think the seatbelt light is on for passenger, so you should be okay. On my few E46s the light isn’t on for the driver as standard. It comes on with the ignition and then goes off, buckled or not.
 
You're right though, it will fire the passenger airbags no matter what.

The Corona only made a brief appearance as its now switching storage spaces with the Z3, which is reawakened from its slumber over the winter. The Clubman isn't mine, neither is the Rover 200 convertible rotting away just outside the frame.

Today was actually the first time I could have a really close look at what I bought at Mathewsons back in October as the car went into storage not all that much later.

A wash was badly needed, even under a tarp the dust quickly built up.

So yeah, impressions are still very positive considering the silly low price I paid. There is a little bit of bubbling on the passenger front wing panel and outer sill. Since pretty much every exterior panel is bolt-on on the Z3 this should be a rather easy fix however, if I do anything about it at all for now. There's a scratch on the rear quarter and a few stonechips on the very large bonnet, other than that its really just very minor stuff for what is now a 25 year old car.

I've managed to clear the airbag light (driver seatbelt tensioner) and will keep an eye on any fault codes coming up over the next few days. The plan is to take the car out for a weekend in the Lake district tomorrow, plenty of time to get a little more familiar with it then! The cheap floormats will go in the bin once I got a proper OEM-like set. I want to replace the center console dials/shifter trim with the burl wood variant as well to brighten up the interior a little, if I can find a sensibly priced set for a facelift dash that is. The chromeline package helps a little but the less matte black plastic the better.

Its incredible to think that these were sold side by side in a BMW showroom back in late 2001/2002. With its E36 origins the Z3 feels easily more than a decade older inside, the E65 still feels somewhat fresh today.
Speaking of the E65 - the 18 quid pedal assembly actually fixed the limp home mode. It sucks that things appear to break all the time. At the same time parts are so plentiful and cheap that it almost doesn't matter. With the running issues sorted I was able to confirm that the windshield was sealing properly after all, no whistling sounds noticeable at any speed. That meant the A-pillar trims could go back on for one last time:

I've also had a moment to replace the bonnet badge. They are all prone to fading and its surprisingly hard to find a badge that's not clearly Chinese junk sold as OEM part, fake packaging and everything.

That's much better:

Still plenty of other things to sort but this was a satisfyingly easy improvement for once.

Another day with no parts, so it was lots of small jobs to prep for reassembly.
First job was to source a new set of exhaust manifold studs. As I had a day off work, I went around all the local factors, including an exhaust specialist to get what I needed.
And I came back empty-handed. Luckily, I've found a company that does the specific studs and nuts for a BX for £11 delivered online, so that'll arrive at some point.
I also popped into @twosmoke300 who had a camshaft sprocket bolt, as well as lending me a set of engine head stands to check the valve clearances again. These turned out to be okay, only one was just out of limits and it wasn't enough to merit stripping down the head.

I also removed the fuel manifold pipelines to measure up the required lengths and diameters of pipelines to replace them. Whilst dismantled, I gave the unit a clean, and marked where the pipelines go.

I did get lucky at the exhaust place though, and got a manifold to downpipe fitting kit - I had to angle grind one of the bolts off during the engine removal.

The cup washers required a sustained twatting effort to remove, but they gave up the goods eventually and I fitted the new cup washers and the conical mesh gasket. One of the bolts had to be fitted with the washer as it cannot be fitted afterwards.

I gave the manifold mating faces a bit of a clean and scrub up too.

Next, I cracked on with the inlet manifold.

The carb had been replaced during my ownership by Dan, but I had a new set of carb gaskets and it seemed silly to let them go to waste.
Noticed a little bit of erosion damage on one of the chamfered edges, so I filed it down slightly.

Removed the old traces of gasket until the face was smooth.

Then I blanked the holes and got busy with some parts cleaner and a brush - the entirety of the engine bay is bloody filthy, and lagged in a thick coating of oil-based grime.

After a bit of time, I reassembled the inlet manifold. Looks much cleaner and nicer to handle!

I also fitted the inlet manifold studs back into the head, after wire brushing the threads, they went back
Finally, I decided to step away from engine and turn my attention to the next big component awaiting fitment. If the engine was considered dirty, this would be considered filthy.

Annoyingly, as I removed the clutch arm for access and a re-grease, the pivot bush disintegrated. Annoying, but better it happened now instead of when I put it all back together. £7 for a replacement bush on eBay and we'll cross fingers that it arrives soon.

The inner bellhousing did clean up nicely though.

The outside of the box is also taking a bit of time, but there is progress being made.

You can see the layer of grime I'm having to scrub off here, hopefully I'll finish this job tomorrow morning.

I'm still waiting for the piston rings and hockey stick seals for No.1 crank bearing to arrive, once they're here I can really get cracking with the rebuild, but I'm not holding out much hope for the NL trip now.
Not the end of the world as it's been a great target to strive for, but finding faults etc along the way adds extra time to the final date.
Cheers 😁

Ah right, okay. One option is there’s an E46 breaker called Nick Jupp. He’s the E46 whisperer in many circles and may have a pair of calipers available. Much cheaper than new ones, too.

Could you see if you can find a rear caliper for an E46 316/318i? There should still be plenty being broken, so a cheap caliper should see it right. That’s what I ended up doing after having so many ones go sticky over the years of owning E46s.

What an absolute honey this is! 

Wait a second...

No, really, @MrsJuular noticed that the Volvo branded spark plugs (which weren't cheap) looked like they were held together with glue.
I was doing a (yet another) spark test with them all lying out on top of the engine block, except this time it was starting to get dark outside. This time I noticed how thin and crappy the spark looked, which prompted a closer look.
Ironically I bought these spark plugs last year to try and sort the running issues that were likely caused by the burned #3 valve which I have now fixed. I hadn't thought those "genuine Volvo" plugs would contribute their own issues.
So I chucked on an old set of NGK plugs I had lying in the boot, and...
 
Running perfectly!
MOT time now.

No point pussyfooting around it, I had to do one of the most unpleasant jobs on a BX today.
The steering rack boot - usually a fairly simple swap. Not so with a BX.
The power steering hydraulic ram is external to the steering rack, so ram eye-end attaches to the nearside rack arm via a protruding lug (shown after I installed the boot)

First things first, the old one was whipped off. The track rod end was left connected to the hub on each side, and simply unscrewed from the steering rack, to roughly retain the tracking settings.

The old rack boot had been fouling a bent handbrake cable bracket, and had also dislodged it at one end.

 
The new boot was thrown into a boiling kettle for a while, in an attempt to soften the boot and give a bit more elasticity. The kitchen drawers were raided for spare spoons, in an attempt to allow the boot to safely stretch over the lug without tearing it. 
This was a total arseache, compounded by the fact the BX is on the lowest point of the axle stands at the moment. Crawling underneath it every few minutes was a pain, especially with the pigtail hydraulic pipes running through the middle of the engine bay.
Through divine intervention, I eventually got it on after much swearing. The aftermarket boot was much bigger at one end than the 44mm either side, so a jubilee clip was utilised to evenly take the slack up.

The other side was a breeze by comparison, and within half an hour, the offside boot was replaced and the track rod ends reconnected. The nearside boot does touch the hydraulic ram, but it shouldn't cause any issues.
Pretty sure this concludes the jobs around the engine bay. I'm planning to take two days off work next week so I can try and put some graft in to get back on schedule for the target date.
Oh yeah, here are a few random spots I forgot to post from last week:



The Xantia was very bouncy on the road, suggesting the spheres are not having a good time.
Cheers!

Before doing any welding whatsoever, I made an extra long lance from 3 originals joined together. 

This is so I could arrange it in the correct position for optimum coverage, before putting the panel in position.

I used mini G clamps to hold the 3 layers together.

And here you can see how the holes in the outer panel are lined up with those in the middle layer, which I'd previously only tacked into position and ground back.

This meant I could create a decent plug weld, and tie all 3 layers together.

Once I'd done all the plug welds and tacked the front edge, I ground them all back ready for seam welding in stages.

I was trying to minimise the gap to make life easier for myself when it came to welding 1mm steel. I found that on a current sufficient to get good penetration on the first pulse, by the time I'd laid down 3 or 4 more pulses, the localised heat build up meant I was in danger of blowing through, so I just moved on to another location. And repeat...

Finally, it was a case of taking the flap disc to it, followed by the power sander to flatten out any imperfections. This should still be under the seal, so I dont think I need to use filler.

Then a coat of etch primer to protect while I treat the surface rust which is around the rest of the frame.

Lastly I used my new lance to spray cavity wax on the rear of the weld, which did reveal two pinholes...easily dealt with though. Time for bed now!

Woke up this morning to find the Rover covered in Saharan dust.



Quick blast with the hose and it's got the worst of it off.

Car is loaded and we're ready to go!

Long old day ahead of us. Setting off now.

£900
140k miles
MOT to October
110dci 6 speed
£0 road tax
Drives like a big Clio
Those awful wheel trims will go in the bin tomorrow .

Today is actually spring and warm, so can now open up the garage for the first time since October.
The first job was to add a diesel additive and then change the fuel tank cap as the old one was leaking.
Old one don't look so good.
 
The only new one I found was this which a Mercedes specialist said would fit and it did.


 
Then it was time to start it for the first time since October and it started quickly this year, faster than last year but as always was a bit grumpy in the first few minutes.

 
My current phone doesn't film as well as the last one so this isn't the best but it's something.
 
Now got the charging tested after I made a completely new charging system this winter and the result is 14.56 at idle without headlights and 13.10 at idle with headlights, so can call this a success. The next thing is to look at the cooling system and change the coolant and maintenance and it is ready for the road again. Hope it happens within 2 weeks waiting for the roads to be clean and safe from salt.

Christ almighty was that a fight getting it back in. A helper would have been very useful in doing it. I really did not want it taking nearly two days to do. I had the weekend to myself and I really wanted to get on with my Midget. Right now I have a backlog of things left to do in the house and not going to get any more car time this evening.
Also these bastard clips kept falling apart. They go into the metal body work and the trim fixing screw goes through it. The threaded nut thing kept falling out and into awkward places. Usually as I just got one side in then the other side fell out. 

Also discovered the screw cover on the jesus handles acts as a prop when open to stop them closing up. Neat little bit of design there.

 
Anyway it's now in and fully tightened up. Definitely not a job I'd be in a rush to do again.
Colour is obvious different but it's a million times nicer than it was. The headliner is more ivory (even though it was supposed to be beige) and the standard type you usually get in lighter coloured interiors. I'm sure the other trim pieces could be had (or redone) in ivory to make match as it looks like standard VAG light coloured interior. Beige in the Golf I think was a one year option and very rare anyway.
As is, is certainly not horrendous though and a million times nicer than it was. At the very least it's nice not to have it raining foam into your hair every time you close the door. 
 

"Hi, where are your drills?"
"Aisle B, back". 

Good news! Fairly expected ones to be fair. The ULEZ refugee E38 passed another MOT, same advisories as before and 222 miles later, 6 miles more than the year before... With so many other cars around it doesn't see all that much action, the only long trip its done last year was taking family to Cragside in Summer and it's not seeing the roads outside the estate at all during the salty season (which is basically half a year now it seems). A quick trip into town to have some Chinese dinner (it was great) was enough to confirm everything is still spot on.

Why do these look so goooood?! I might replace the rear lower control arms eventually to get those two points off the advisory list, no clue where they still found a seeping powersteering hose. With the replacement rear bumper and plenty of other parts for preventative maintanance and cosmetics in the boot I'm hoping to have another wave of improvements done on it over the next few months.