Bunnit: BMW E46 330CI Thread.

[JakeT]

Good lad, get it fixed. The ZF 5HP is easily found too so your £350 box will be fine. New fluid and filter should keep it right. If you can get the torque converter I would too, even to have as a spare.

 

Also, if you need bits Nick Jupp has broken loads of them and has parts on hand.

[DeanH]

If it's too big for the boot take the passenger seat out and put it where the seat was. Big plastic tray under it to catch any drips.

[Matty]

Excellent news @Split_Pin. You've obviously bonded with the car so it's great a solution is at hand. Top man @NorthernMonkey as well 👍

[MrGTI6]

Really pleased to hear you've found a solution! 

Your situation is a familiar one to many of us. That feeling of utter despair and hopelessness that after taking a step back for a couple of days suddenly looks a lot more manageable. 

Put it this way, you are only a gearbox away from having the car you've wanted for over 20 years. 

It will all be worth it in the end! 

[Popsicle]

Ah man you're going through some rotten luck with cars just lately @Split_Pin, we all feel your pain man, but you've got this covered and it'll all come good and taste that much sweeter when you're wafting round in your sorted 330 in a week or two.

[riek]

Silver e46 sport solidarity, Mine just shat it's exhaust royally and needs at least one manicat and a cat back system. We will both ride again tho.

[DavidB]

I can relate as I bought a 316Ti (compact) for 400 quid which I thought was going to be terrible, but there was nothing wrong with it and absolutely no rust on it and then it passed an MOT without needing anything and then the engine presumably destroyed itself. I don’t know what was wrong with as I had just started to drive to the airport and had to push it 20 metres back into its parking space. These things are H E A V Y . Everybody laughs at the “faux 1.6” 1.8 but I thought it was ace and the auto gearbox was excellent.

I will have a look over it when I get back but it has been sat unseen for two months. Will scrap it if it’s too much - ain’t nobody got time for that.

[riek]

8 hours ago, DavidB said:

I can relate as I bought a 316Ti (compact) for 400 quid which I thought was going to be terrible, but there was nothing wrong with it and absolutely no rust on it and then it passed an MOT without needing anything and then the engine presumably destroyed itself. I don’t know what was wrong with as I had just started to drive to the airport and had to push it 20 metres back into its parking space. These things are H E A V Y . Everybody laughs at the “faux 1.6” 1.8 but I thought it was ace and the auto gearbox was excellent.

I will have a look over it when I get back but it has been sat unseen for two months. Will scrap it if it’s too much - ain’t nobody got time for that.

Good clean compact shells are popular for track cars so don't just send it to the baler.

[Split_Pin]

Replacement gearbox delivered, came out of an identical spec car. TC there as well which is good as the codes on mine may or may not relate to that.

Its unexpectedley small!

Apparently had 108k on it. Hopefully it works!

 

 

[Peter C]

On 02/08/2024 at 12:31, SiC said:

This is a 2004 date coded DISA from my Z4 has almost certainly likely 178k miles on it. Hold a vacuum perfectly fine and the flap rod + flap are absolutely perfect. The original O-ring is holding up absolutely perfectly in a smoke test too. 

While earlier version may fail, I'm not entirely convinced all these parts that are often said to be replaced/upgraded actually really need to be. Especially if there aren't any issues.

By all means people should potentially pull the DISA to check as it's easy to get to, however it's very likely to be absolutely fine at this age. 

Like my CCV that was almost certainly 178k miles old was absolutely fine internally too. Another part that often gets told it should be replaced as a "maintenance" item. 

Taken from a Facebook E46 group earlier today. These flaps can fail, the problem is well documented.

[Split_Pin]

I have bought a service kit for this which was almost as much as the box itself! I also bought some new o rings where the coolant lines connect to the box.

There are only 2 plugs on the box plus the shifter lever, not much to it really. I guess all the clever stuff happens in a box of tricks elsewhere on the car.

[SiC]

34 minutes ago, Peter C said:

Taken from a Facebook E46 group earlier today. These flaps can fail, the problem is well documented.

I'm not saying they don't ever. However stuff gets revised in production over the years and I'm not convinced the later revisions will have the same failure rate. 

That pin also won't fall loose due to the design of it. It's pushed against the inlet manifold and is held tight even if the plastic flap on the other side has become detached from it. 

I still stand by my comment that if the assembly is fine, I see no reason why it should be modified. By all means inspect but I don't see the point in modifying for the sake of it when the existing part is functioning perfectly. The repair/"upgrade" kit is useful when it has failed so a new expensive complete valve assembly doesn't need to purchased.

[NorthernMonkey]

16 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

I have bought a service kit for this which was almost as much as the box itself! I also bought some new o rings where the coolant lines connect to the box.

There are only 2 plugs on the box plus the shifter lever, not much to it really. I guess all the clever stuff happens in a box of tricks elsewhere on the car.

I was going to suggest getting a service kit for it 👍

[Split_Pin]

I went out in this today for a short run to take my son to his basketball class. 

When I was idling but still in drive, the red oil light started flickering.  Engine sounds perfect. 

I really, really hope it's just the sensor - I have ordered a new one.

Just spent £350 on a new autobox and another £160 on a service kit for it

I could cry right now.

[Jazoli]

Oh ffs...

[Split_Pin]

I think it's got to the stage that it doesn't want to live any longer, cars and especially home heating systems seem to get like that.

I have ordered a cheap oil pressure tester from Amazon but the sensor on these engines is very tricky to get at - will need to get it in my garage for this job so I am not at the mercy of the weather. At least this will confirm one way or the other.

If it's bad news I will be very gutted as I've already had to sell one car this month due to issues that are beyond my limits. 

[JakeT]

People do suffer from pressure switch issues to be fair. I think a friend with a manual 54 plate 330ci had similar. I’d put a switch in it. Then if that doesn’t help 10w-40 and run it until it goes bye bye.

[Wibble]

Everything crossed it’s just the sensor @Split_Pin

[Split_Pin]

There's an hour long video on You Tube with a guy completely dismantling the intake side of the engine to get to the oil pressure sensor. He got roasted in the comments and I see why.

It's literally here:

Between some conduit for the wiring loom

..and I got to it easily with a rusty 24mm spanner that was in the big lucky box of tools my neighbour gave me a few weeks ago. Only the airbox had to come out.

I am going to meet some Canadian relatives in Glasgow this afternoon and hopefully my oil pressure tester should be here when I get back at tea time.

[SiC]

Good work! I've seen over dismantling like this quite frequently on BMW videos. A bit like the crank sensor a few say it's a bit job with the manifold off. That's a load of bollocks, it's accessible at the rear with a bit of stretching. Same with the CCV is supposed to be a manifold off job. I did it just fine with it on... (It's kinda near where you were with the oil pressure sensor.

Just be careful coming to any firm diagnosis on those generic red box Chinese gauges. I have a compression tester, leakdown tester and tyre pressure both with crappy gauges out of the box. Likewise the vacuum pump on the radiator vacuum set wasn't zero'ed but that set was also broken in other ways and went back.

Tbh on tools I'm going to make a decision on the health and more expensive moves based on it, I've gone to more well known, slightly more respectable brands now. Like Laser, Sealey and the such. More expensive (but still not saying snap on pricey) but at least you get some form of assurance of quality out of the box. 

[Split_Pin]

27 minutes ago, SiC said:

generic red box Chinese gauges

Definitely* not* what I bought 😂 

A laser one is £178 though 😳

I've got a new sensor somewhere in the post as well so even if the guage is crap, I'll stick it on anyway and see if the light comes back.

 

[Split_Pin]

@SiC could I pick your brains here please.

So the oil pressure tester was shit as none of the threaded fittings were anywhere close to what I needed.

I put the sensor back in and decided to try and test it.

It's single prong. I set my multimeter to the 2000 setting on ohms, turned the ignition on, put the red probe on the pin on the sensor and the black probe on the engine block. I got a reading of .004, fluctuating slightly between 3 and 5. I read that it's meant to be around 100 ohms? The engine is cold.

Running out of ideas, the sensor I bought has got lost in the post.

[SiC]

5 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

It's single prong. I set my multimeter to the 2000 setting on ohms, turned the ignition on, put the red probe on the pin on the sensor and the black probe on the engine block. I got a reading of .004, fluctuating slightly between 3 and 5. I read that it's meant to be around 100 ohms? The engine is cold.

Providing it's a switched type, you should get a very low ohms reading when no pressure. Like sub 1 ohm really. This is a closed circuit to allow electricity to flow. That electricity allows power to flow through a bulb (oil warning) which lights it. 

When at the correct pressure I'd expect to go very high resistance. Really like fully open (multimeter will say like OL or something like that - as if the probes aren't touching) or maybe in the Megaohm range. 

Are you getting the fluctuations between 0.004 to 5 ohms with the engine off? That would point to dodgy contacts in the switch. Even more so if the engine was running and above idle when there should be more than enough pressure.

[Split_Pin]

2 minutes ago, SiC said:

Are you getting the fluctuations between 0.004 to 5 ohms with the engine off?

Yes the engine was off there.

[SiC]

I think this will fit according to Amazon
HELLA 6ZL 009 600-271 Oil Pressure Switch - 1-pin connector - Housing Colour: Brown https://amzn.eu/d/cM5rWnz

Or this but it's intermotor (I trust less than Hella)
Intermotor 50721 Oil Pressure Switch https://amzn.eu/d/1uWLtTX

Double check with your car reg as I did a quick check but there is variance on engine bhp. Maybe the same across all M54 but there are some stuff there isn't. (E.g. my Z4 has a different MAF connector than the E46)

Just looking at Amazon as often quick next day ordering.

[SiC]

Yes the engine was off there.

Providing you had a good connection on the sensor pins (sometimes can be hard if they're dirty/corroded), then I'd expect a constant sub 1 ohm. That said it's a switch so shouldn't matter too much.

More important is the pressure that it's switching off at. That's hard to check without a known pressure source.

[SiC]

Do you have a Euros near you open tomorrow? We do have one big branch open here when many of the smaller ones are closed. Maybe Glasgow or somewhere like that has one open?

https://www.eurocarparts.com/p/era-oil-pressure-switch-466110049

(Again check against reg first)

[Split_Pin]

Superb thank you Si, that's the right one so I have ordered it. Sadly I'll have to wait until Monday to get it but that's OK.

[JakeT]

To add these also rattle their tits off from low oil pressure or level at the top end. My dad’s X5 was run low semi frequently and the tappers would be very noisy. 2-3L back in the sump and it was fine. He had it from new and it went to 275k before expiring, too.

[camryv6]

Oil filter collapsing might cause issues too