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Thread: BenFenner's 2000 Black M-Coupe

  1. #176
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    Katie's pictures from the 2013 National SR20 Convention

    Facebook album permalink.

    I knew there was a reason I didn't take many pictures. It's because I had Katie taking tons. Since there are so many, I'm going to try to just post a few and if you want to see more you can click on the album permalink.

    These are from the road course day.






































    *continued on post #178*
    Last edited by BenFenner; 06-30-2014 at 04:41 PM.

  2. #177
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    Continue!

  3. #178
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    *continued from post #176*

    Facebook album permalink.

    Here are some pictures from the awesome farmer's market we found, the picnic/car show, and the drag strip.








































  4. #179
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    Low beam replacement

    Facebook album permalink.

    These headlights are so awful. Hopefully I'll get the projectors installed some day soon. I already have the "Sky" adapter brackets ready to go.
    I realize I should have purchased those really well recommend bulbs, but I wasn't planning on this and needed one ASAP.


  5. #180
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    Fried Oreos, mmmm

  6. #181
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    Dressing the hood | Album

    Believe it or not, I've not put everything back together since the hood got painted. I broke a clip while removing the washer nozzles and wanted to replace it. I ended up buying the wrong clips so I just used a plastic zip tie for now. I wanted to get the hood insulation out of the garage and onto the car too, so it was time to get this work done.

    Item number 61131378908 should have been the right plastic mounting clip, but it wasn't. =/
    https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.n...03668468_o.jpg





    Last edited by BenFenner; 07-08-2014 at 06:38 PM.

  7. #182
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    Quote Originally Posted by BenFenner View Post
    Low beam replacement

    Facebook album permalink.

    These headlights are so awful. Hopefully I'll get the projectors installed some day soon. I already have the "Sky" adapter brackets ready to go.
    I realize I should have purchased those really well recommend bulbs, but I wasn't planning on this and needed one ASAP.
    H1R bulbs are pretty good in the stock headlights. Would be nicer if the light was less yellow, but it's still better than the more yellow halogen. It would be interesting to see an output comparison between H1R in the stock headlights, & then HID projectors on the same car(s).
    Last edited by spacecowboy; 07-08-2014 at 07:01 PM.

  8. #183
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    Do you have a link to the thread about the H1R bulbs or to the product page? I actually need to add it to The Manifesto, and I still might order some anyway.

  9. #184
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    The reference that I had found referenced an individual that used to sell them, but when I contacted him he was out of that business. he suggested just buying Philips H1R's on eBay, which I did. Once you make a minor modification to make them fit (I used fingernail clippers) the difference in lighting was quite nice.

    Marty

  10. #185
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    Quote Originally Posted by BenFenner View Post
    Do you have a link to the thread about the H1R bulbs or to the product page? I actually need to add it to The Manifesto, and I still might order some anyway.
    This seems to be one of those times when I can't find the links on this forum by searching. It may be that H1R & 9012/9011 wasn't used in any of the posts at the same time. The 9012 is for the low beam, & the 9011 is for the high beam. IIRC, it was Toshiba first, & then Phillips took over the manufacturing later. So, search terms are H1R, 9012, 9011, Toshiba, & Phillips. One retention tab(s) on the bulb base is slightly larger than the socket twist-lock opening, so a cutting plier or a tool to snip off a small amount to lessen the width is required. It's a simple operation to do.

    Edit: Maybe just the one tab needs to be trimmed. Phillips 9012 H1R.

    Phillips 9012 H1R.JPG

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by spacecowboy View Post
    I moved on to a '96 VW VR6 GTI. Never looked back or missed the NX2000.
    MKIII Euro.jpg



    Quote Originally Posted by BenFenner View Post
    Would you move to an R32 if you could?
    MKIV R32.jpg
    Last edited by spacecowboy; 07-10-2014 at 12:54 AM.

  11. #186
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    It is just one tab on each bulb that needs to be trimmed, but the side that needs to be trimmed is in a different position for the low and high beams; make sure you know which is which before you start cutting!

    Marty

  12. #187
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    Quote Originally Posted by MartyBtoo View Post
    It is just one tab on each bulb that needs to be trimmed, but the side that needs to be trimmed is in a different position for the low and high beams; make sure you know which is which before you start cutting!

    Marty
    I never got around to doing the high beams. The low beams were a test, & I really don't drive anywhere that I have to use high beams.

  13. #188
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    I've hear warnings that these higher output bulbs will yellow the lenses. I already have yellowed and cracked lenses (maybe from the PO using these bulbs?), so I'm not likely to go for them. When I do the HID conversion I will hopefully be cutting out all of the yellow and cracks with a hole saw.

    I'd still like to find that one site that mentions these bulbs that is commonlty linked to. I remember it using Courier New font in very silly colors?

  14. #189
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    Quote Originally Posted by BenFenner View Post
    I've hear warnings that these higher output bulbs will yellow the lenses. I already have yellowed and cracked lenses (maybe from the PO using these bulbs?), so I'm not likely to go for them. When I do the HID conversion I will hopefully be cutting out all of the yellow and cracks with a hole saw.

    I'd still like to find that one site that mentions these bulbs that is commonlty linked to. I remember it using Courier New font in very silly colors?
    I've had the 9012's in almost as long as I've owned the car. No yellowing. Check Snopes. LOL

    Is this the site?

    http://store.candlepower.com/hirlighting.html

  15. #190
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    That very easily could be the site. Barring any new discoveries I think that is it. I will try to confirm by searching the URL on the forum.

    Edit: I was able to find all sorts of good threads searching for that link. Time to add a bunch to The Manifesto.

    Edit 2: Now after doing tons of reading, I can see my initial worry of yellowing the lenses is unfounded. The HIR lights don't produce more heat than stock. What had me worried and initially confused was this post where a high beam was used in the low beam spot.
    Last edited by BenFenner; 07-12-2014 at 08:48 AM.

  16. #191
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    It seems he used a halogen high beam in the low beam socket, but in his post it also appear that the previous owner just installed a low beam halogen bulb incorrectly.

    I built a custom harness for the NX after finding a melted low beam socket with a stock wattage halogen bulb in place.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Here's your other option if you have a JD dealer near you. John Deere bulb part #AH211917. It's a 9012 replacement for the stock 9006 bulb.

  17. #192
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    Touching up the side gill area | Album

    After the body work I had to do on the side to fix the shoddy body work done by the past body shop I did a little damage to the paint behind the gill. I wanted to protect the area from rust, so I got a paint pen and fixed up the small areas around the mounting holes where the paint seal was compromised. I did this while I had the gill off anyway for adjustment. The double sided tape I'd used for spacing has compressed and needed another layer to line things up again.






  18. #193
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    Gear oil (transmission fluid) change | Album


    I know fluid choices can be controversial. Based off what I could research, I went with Amsoil Synthetic Manual Synchromesh Transmission Fluid (5W-30). I actually promised Wertles I'd buy his leftovers so I ended up overpaying a bit with shipping at $45. I wanted to make sure there was fresh fluid in the transmission for my own peace of mind and so I would know exactly what was in it. I'm also having a bit more trouble shifting gears than I'd like. If you recall from my first assessment of the car, the shifter action was very clunky in the first two gears (I could feel the dog teeth weren't synchronizing well) especially when cold and no gear could be up-shifted quickly especially when temps climbed on the track. Ignoring clutch engagement height issues for now, I know fluid that is too thick or too thin can cause the synchros to lack the friction they need to do their job quickly. Based off the previous owner's meticulous records, the fluid is probably original fill. I made the erroneous assumption my fluid was too thick for my tastes based off of the balky shifting when cold. I set out to find a thinner fluid to fill with.
    At the time of my research I found these specs:

    Quote Originally Posted by 2kredz3 View Post
    OEM Fluid Specs: MTF-LT-2

    VIS40 = 58
    VIS100 = 10.6

    [Amsoil] 5w30 Manual Synchromesh Fluid

    VIS40 = 48.3
    VIS100 = 9.7
    This led me to believe that the Amsoil fluid was a bit thinner when cold than OEM and only a tad thinner when hot which sounded exactly like what I wanted. It turns out these specifications for the OEM fluid above were wrong, but I didn't find this out until after I'd purchased the Amsoil fluid. If you want to read through that discussion and realization, here is where it starts: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...3#post26980573

    In that discussion 2kredz3 points out that later on in that thread he corrects his mistake and posts the correct OEM fluid specs:

    Quote Originally Posted by 2kredz3 View Post
    Pentosin MTF-LT-2 (75w80 GL4 gear Lube) --> http://www.pentosin.net/specsheets/Pentosin_MTF-2.pdf

    Kv @ 40c = 38.3
    Kv @ 100c = 7.7

    The correction never made it to his first post, and I didn't dig deep enough to find it. 2kredz3 recognized the potential for misinformation and edited his initial post after our discussion so no one else will have the same problem researching that I did. Realizing I'd not gotten the fluid I originally wanted, I made a decision to fill with it anyway. I figure it still has to be better than what I have in there now just being fresh, and I'd planned on trying a few different fluids anyway. This would give me a good data point for an even thicker fluid and could guide my decisions in the future. No harm done.

    Check out the images and then read my assessment of how the fluid performs at the end of the post.












    The previous owner has UUC Neoprene Transmission mounts listed on the modification list, and this is my first time seeing them. They look to incorporate a good bit of aluminum as well, but maybe that's just a carrier? I haven't felt any unwanted NVH from the engine or transmission so I'm happy with them.









    I marked up the drain plug just to keep them straight.





    This is the color of the used fluid. Nothing alarming here, but obviously color doesn't tell much of a story.







    The fluid missing is how much went into the transmission plus a little on the ground.



    The next two pictures show how much used fluid was drained.





    Well, there you have it. Easy job with the right tools. Usually I can get a good idea of what torque to use when taking off hardware, and these things were on there extremely tight. It took the breaker bar and I'd guess ~120 ft-lbs to remove. For this reason, I planned on using close to 75 ft-lbs to tighten them. The drain plug was tightened snugly with the breaker bar and had some Grey RTV on the threads left to dry before filling. I knew I was dealing with aluminum so I tried to be careful and use as little torque as possible. I hoped with less torque the RTV would do the rest of the job. For the check/fill plug I did the same thing, leaving the RTV to dry before driving.

    I have since read stories about broken transmission cases from over-torquing the transmission plugs and that they require MUCH less torque than I applied. I think I remember 35 ft-lbs being closer to the right number. The RTV is also probably overkill since the plugs are tapered? I believe I got lucky and have not broken the case as I don't see any drips under the transmission even after sitting for long periods of time and the transmission is dry bone dry when I check it periodically.



    How does it drive now? Better, but not by much. The first one or two shifts on a cold day are worse than before but after that I do see a little improvement. It's as if the dog teeth have rounded off and don't feel so sharp when engaging. The harshness of the shifts has been tempered some. It hasn't been a full cure, but it tipped the scales to the point where I don't find myself getting annoyed with the transmission much anymore. I've been driving around with the fluid in there now for about eight months (that's how old this update is) and I've almost forgotten how bad it used to be.
    On the track it still can't be rushed as temps rise. I don't experience grinding, but it just won't go into gear unless you give it a looong time to get things synch'd.

    Since then I've decided the fluid will probably stay in the transmission and I will be doing a bunch to the clutch engagement to try to cure the rest of the problem. At this point I'm convinced the clutch engaging at the floor (clutch stop removed) is really the main source of my troubles. Once I get that engagement closer to the middle of the travel I'm sure I'll be much happier.

    Onward and upward.
    Last edited by BenFenner; 07-21-2014 at 07:11 PM.

  19. #194
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    Quote Originally Posted by spacecowboy View Post

    I've had the 9012's in almost as long as I've owned the car. No yellowing. Check Snopes. LOL

    Is this the site?

    http://store.candlepower.com/hirlighting.html
    This is the site that I ordered my HIR bulbs from:

    http://www.finemotoring.com/
    -Bill

  20. #195
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    Thanks Sloan. I think I've found all of the sites they are/were available from now. And most of the informative threads too. I've put them all in The Manifesto for others to find if they need it.
    I think I'm going to hurry up the projector install instead, but maybe I'll grab some in the interim. We'll see.
    Last edited by BenFenner; 07-19-2014 at 12:54 PM.

  21. #196
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    Driveshaft flex disc (giubo) inspection | Album


    While I was replacing the transmission fluid I thought I would take a look around and see what I could see. I saw a flex disc in need of replacement.
    I have a new one ready to go in (including new hardware), and I'm sure most of you will be hoping it goes in soon and would have replaced it already. As it stands, I've driven another 8+ months including another track day on this raggedy thing and I still haven't replaced it yet. It is on my list of things to do soon, I promise.



    Last edited by BenFenner; 07-21-2014 at 06:15 PM.

  22. #197
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    We are going to need a new page for more updates.

  23. #198
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    Quote Originally Posted by BenFenner View Post
    We are going to need a new page for more updates.
    then this post should help!

  24. #199
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    Thanks man. One or two more and we'll be there.

  25. #200
    Terry F.'s Avatar
    Terry F. is offline ONLY BMW Content is + Moderator
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    Hey, I'll throw one in to help. Remember, we archive at 1000.:-)

    Stuff. I got stuff.

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