bmwe21.net forums

No major issues but still huh?

Success! The 323i passed its follow up inspection and is now fully registered.

Just in time, as I have a track day with the BMW Club WA on Saturday.

Spent the day at my friends work shop using all his apropriate equipment installing sound petrol tanks, the off side tank had started to crumble at the seems and no matter how much petro patch was used the crumble was unstopable so more than £15 of juice started to end up on the floor rather than in the weber. Got a pair of tanks from Mark so changed both, bloody knackered after pulling and pushing those 30 year old welded on pipes!

Booked on the 2014 http://ricorally.co.uk/ricorally2014june/ I did the 2012 one in an m3 and was gutted to miss this year's but my car wasn't ready. Quite a range of cars and people do it and I cannot recommend it enough. Is anyone else brave / stupid enough to do it in their e21? Can't wait

I actually took a step in getting my 323i M50 back on the road

removed my interior for a refresh at an upholsterers . the beginning of trying to renovate

Been busy with the E30 lately but I expect to be driving the E21 again later this week!

Well J was right on the cause of my fuse blowing, checked reverse switch wiring under gear lever and indeed it was chafed. While the battery was disconnected I wired up the boot lid light. Then I took the roof down and took the car for a drive. I was going to use the Baur for the next step but decided it was too noisy. I had a stapedotomy last week, operation on my ear. Driving in the Baur was loud, so when I went to clinic for pack removing from my ear I went in the Audi. the op appears to have worked an I have near normal hearing in my left ear, formal test next month, but I'll see how loud a straight six sounds tomorrow.

All good news then!

Surprise surprise!

I thought I would post these. After we stripped the race car shell we couldn't find any rust!

Then we took the front screen out!

And rear! funny when this is the only rust huh?! Work to be done!

Me? I made a little video compilation of the 2011 E21 Alps trip. Good memories!

Bought some feeler gauges and learned how to adjust my valve clearances this weekend. Practiced first on a spare M10 head I had laying around. Much easier than I anticipated. I used the 'go-no-go' method. Didn't have a 30mm socket to turn the crank so I just turned the fan by hand which seemed to work for rotating the cam.

Does sound a bit more 'tappy' than before though - all have definitely been adjusted to .008" as advised in the Haynes so I was a bit annoyed. Feels smooth, just a tad noisier. :\

I also attempted to tune my (weber 32/34 dmtl) carb a little using the following method I found on the net;

1) Get car to operating temperatue.
2) Screw mix screw all the way in and then back out two turns.
3) Adjust idle screw until it sits at about 900rpm.
4) Slowly screw mix screw back in until it sits at about 800rpm.

I found that to work okay but felt as if it was running a bit lean/rough so did it again and ignored step 4. Could probably do with getting it on a rolling road at a proper carb tuners tbh.

Drove the 323i to work. SOunds boring, but that was the first time my e21 has done any honest work (something apart from weekend cruises and track days) in 7 years! Fogged up like crazy in the rain, so need to sort out my demister.

but still it must have been great?!

Changed clutch and replaced rear crank oil seal with the help of Nas and his tools. Much better now, I can get up hills!

Picture evidence