When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Nice, Looking forward to updates, I'd love to get a copy of that excel sheet - ya know, just in case I am guilty of seizing on to others hard work for my own benefit.
PS - I would LOVE to see you take the opportunity to put a 6 SPD in the car while she's under the knife.
Great project!
The engine designation that you are working with notoriously has tight bearing clearances. I can see based on the bearing wear, that this one was a classic example of this. A lot of times replacement bearings end up being even a little tighter. I would definitely measure every rod and main bearing clearance.
Great work thus far!
Beautiful car and the S50 is a nice touch.
I did a Hartge tribute.
Thanks! Love the Hartge tribute!! Great color, is it Henna??
Originally Posted by paddlefoot64
A lot of work, but I’ll bet it will be worth it. What pistons you going back with?
I think it will Pistons are part of the 4.0 package through LN Engineering. I believe they are JE Pistons.
Originally Posted by rechtien
Well, this escalated quickly. Looking forward to the outcome.
The rear of the 4s seems to squat pretty low. Factory suspension?
haha, it did and thanks! Suspension is not oem but H&R springs with Bilstein shocks. It sits pretty low..
Originally Posted by Tribeca
Great thread! Very impressive project and storytelling. The 996 looks beautiful and it will be a keeper when the motor is sorted
Thanks! My daughter has already claimed it for when she gets her license (she's 6....) hahaha
Originally Posted by zbomb
Nice, Looking forward to updates, I'd love to get a copy of that excel sheet - ya know, just in case I am guilty of seizing on to others hard work for my own benefit.
PS - I would LOVE to see you take the opportunity to put a 6 SPD in the car while she's under the knife.
That's what this forum is for, sharing information!! I am seriously debating a 6 speed swap. I'm so eager to drive this car though that it may be a project for later.
Originally Posted by Flat6 Innovations
Great project!
The engine designation that you are working with notoriously has tight bearing clearances. I can see based on the bearing wear, that this one was a classic example of this. A lot of times replacement bearings end up being even a little tighter. I would definitely measure every rod and main bearing clearance.
Great work thus far!
Cheers for that. And thanks for sharing all the info you do. I've watched your live feeds on YouTube and scoured your posts on here. I remember somewhere you writing that the crank wouldn't turn until the last case bolt is torqued and angled properly. You weren't joking!!!
A little bit more tinkering done today. Removed the Tiptronic shifter and emergency brake assembly...just to see what's under there while I contemplate a 6 speed. I did find over $2 in change
Tiptronic shifter came out in no time!
Console, shifter and emergency brake removed.
Checked out under the frunk as well, the brake fluid reservoir already has the clutch feed nipple so that was a nice surprise. The grommets and mounts are all there for a simple bolt in of the clutch master and all the hydraulic lines. Again, as everyone has said, the bolt on part is easy. The wiring will be the challenge. I'm scouring through workshop manuals and wiring diagrams to sort this out. "IF" I swap in the 6 speed, I'll probably leave all the Tiptronic wiring and module in there but unplugged where I can. Not worried about the weight, the C4S is not exactly lightweight.
clutch line nipple
Lucas? There's a joke there for lovers of old English cars...
under dash, looking up where the clutch pedal would go
Everyone seems to say the wiring harnesses in these cars are specific and not universal. I haven't researched anything on this yet but does anyone know what this plug is for?
random plug under batwing
same plug to show the wiring colors
Managed to get the engine oil guide in place with gaskets and torqued down, also new chain guides and hardware installed for the intermediate shaft to crankshaft chain. The intermediate shaft is going off to LN Engineering to be pinned, so this was more of a photo opportunity than anything.
Comparison of the old and new timing chains. Just a little bit of wear and stretch. I was on the fence about replacing these but glad I did.
new versus old chains
just a little bit of wear on the old chains (first and third)
The wait to get my block halves back is agonizing!!! I've organized, cleaned, moved stuff around and even sat in the car making engine noises. It's going to be a looooong 10 weeks. May just have to source a 6 speed kit in the meantime.....
I'm contemplating adding some paddle shifters to a used six speed steering wheel, that is once I get past making sure I don't have your problem creeping up. The controls on the wheel the way they are now don't do it for me.
Lucas? There's a joke there for lovers of old English cars...
Former MGB and early Land Rover owner here.
Originally Posted by e30rapidic
Everyone seems to say the wiring harnesses in these cars are specific and not universal. I haven't researched anything on this yet but does anyone know what this plug is for?
It's for the phone option. 12v switched and unswitched
If you want to use it without hacking the plug off, you can buy a pigtail from Becker Autosound.
Originally Posted by e30rapidic
Thanks! Love the Hartge tribute!! Great color, is it Henna??
Yes, Henna. It's a '84 323i European market first sold in Frankfurt. Is yours Zinno?
just a little bit of wear on the old chains (first and third)
Really nice work and write up. Thanks!
Did you get a chance to look at cam deviations before taking it apart? It looks like one of the chains has stretched more than the other. It would be interesting to know whether the cam deviations match this.
It's for the phone option. 12v switched and unswitched. If you want to use it without hacking the plug off, you can buy a pigtail from Becker Autosound.
Yes, Henna. It's a '84 323i European market first sold in Frankfurt. Is yours Zinno?
Cool, thanks for that tidbit of info. Saved me a bit of time.
Henna is a great color!! Yep, my e30 is zinno. My mum bought it new back in 1987, I remember riding home from the dealership in it.
Originally Posted by golock911
Really nice work and write up. Thanks!
Did you get a chance to look at cam deviations before taking it apart? It looks like one of the chains has stretched more than the other. It would be interesting to know whether the cam deviations match this.
Thanks! I didn't even think to check the deviation. It ran fine and idled smooth, just a bit loud and smokey from the piston slap.
Originally Posted by GPappy
I read through the posts but did not see if you mentioned what caused the intermix? Did you find a cracked head or cracked cylinder?
Not 100% sure yet what caused it. Len Hoffman said both heads passed the pressure test. I did not see any visible cracks in the cylinder bores but a couple of them were in a bit of a sad state with scoring. Have not heard back from LN Engineering yet to see if they found anything but will update when I do. I'm leaning towards oil cooler. Head gaskets were both in great shape when I removed the heads.
Found the transmission control unit pinout for a 996.1 in the workshop manual. Does anyone know if the pinouts are the same for the 996.2? I want to say I've read they are the same but the wires may be different colors?
Seems like there's not as much .2 workshop info out there (that I've found)??
Diagram attached for anyone that could use it
Last edited by e30rapidic; 02-08-2021 at 10:45 PM.
Glad to see this is a thing, I work in the UAV world(aka drones) and our ground control stations have a big *** access panel... we warn people not to open them and let out magic dust because we're doomed if we do.
Glad to see this is a thing, I work in the UAV world(aka drones) and our ground control stations have a big *** access panel... we warn people not to open them and let out magic dust because we're doomed if we do.
👍🏻Part 107 Remote Pilot here. Love to see one of your birds!
Nice rebuild, the wiring for the 996.1 tip is different. It's really not the wiring or mechanical side of the swap it's the programming. The tip is tied into everything they all cross check each other, you simply can not just unplug the module. When you get the wiring diagram for the 996.2 tip you will see it effects many systems, Instrument Cluster, PSM, Engine DME and more. If you get it done it will be an interesting journey, good luck I'm in for the count.