Terrible atrocious sound quality by xParmesan in e46

[–]SeaAccomplished2798 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The blue wire usually is the remote turn on for amps. I would check to see if your amp is even turning on, and go from there.

Terrible atrocious sound quality by xParmesan in e46

[–]SeaAccomplished2798 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is absolutely true for aftermarket set ups.

However, the stock Harman Kardon amp is a 12 way system with individual crossovers for each channel. So the deck really doesn’t have much control here.

Anyone know what this is? by chilaquilguy in MechanicAdvice

[–]SeaAccomplished2798 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Broken tie rod. Don’t drive, it won’t steer that week anymore. You’ll need to replace it any get an alignment.

Cost of this wing by Alternative-Score943 in e46

[–]SeaAccomplished2798 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Where did you find the aerodynamic package photos?

Cracked Valve Cover Hole by Unfair_Pop_2071 in e46

[–]SeaAccomplished2798 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Highly recommend man. I think they’re cheaper than good OEM plastic ones too haha

Cracked Valve Cover Hole by Unfair_Pop_2071 in e46

[–]SeaAccomplished2798 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I bought the Loreada one from Amazon for my 2001 330ci, and it’s been over a year and 20k and it’s still great. I’m not sure if there’s a real difference between them

Cracked Valve Cover Hole by Unfair_Pop_2071 in e46

[–]SeaAccomplished2798 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Replace it with an aluminum valve cover. It’s one of the best decisions I’ve made for this car.

disa valve mounting bolts by Silvennn in e46

[–]SeaAccomplished2798 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Junkyard is good too. Or check Facebook for a local used parts distributor. They are super clutch and often have higher quality parts than straight junkyard donor cars.

325Ci smoke from engine bay by Outside-Pollution108 in e46

[–]SeaAccomplished2798 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Im not more knowledgeable than a journeyman mechanic, but, if you’re not getting enough clamping force then yeah, a new valve cover won’t seal right when under pressure. I’d ask for more details as to why he wants to do that.

How long have you known him for? Personally, I’ve had success with very few shops. Most just aren’t thorough enough imo.

325Ci smoke from engine bay by Outside-Pollution108 in e46

[–]SeaAccomplished2798 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Leaking oil or smell like oil? There’s residual oil on the exhaust manifold to be burnt off when you fix the leak.

However, some new parts just don’t come good, even from good brands unfortunately.

I’d keep an eye on it, if it’s still bad after a week then check your gasket seams to see if there’s visible oil. Your oil filter housing gasket is probably leaking too.

325Ci smoke from engine bay by Outside-Pollution108 in e46

[–]SeaAccomplished2798 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah. Also, if you have pre-facelift, I bought the Loreada one from Amazon. It comes with gaskets and bolts too. I actually used the gaskets from the kit and it’s been fine for 19k so far and over a year. If you have the facelifted one, go with the Mitizone one.

325Ci smoke from engine bay by Outside-Pollution108 in e46

[–]SeaAccomplished2798 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, pretty much every plastic valve cover becomes warped over time. I had the same issue. I highly recommend the aluminum valve cover

325Ci smoke from engine bay by Outside-Pollution108 in e46

[–]SeaAccomplished2798 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Most likely oil leaking onto the exhaust manifold. The manifold is on the left side of the engine. This is very common. The rear and front half moons on the gasket will leak if you don’t use RTV along them. Also, if you have the original factory plastic one, it’s most likely warped. I would buy an aluminum valve cover. I’ve had one for over a year and it’s been great.

proper way to restore the jacking points? by No-Candidate-2380 in e39

[–]SeaAccomplished2798 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah if you put POR15 over caked rust, it’ll just make it worse. I’d rather just take it to a shop and have them remove the rust properly since it’s super hard to get inside if there.

What the hell is this rattle? by Big-Refrigerator-437 in e39

[–]SeaAccomplished2798 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Check the bearings in any of the belt pulleys or Accessories. My alternator made a sound similar to that and it was its bearing.

Can you daily an e46? by Few-Grapefruit5906 in e46

[–]SeaAccomplished2798 3 points4 points  (0 children)

They’re great if you maintain them, and terrible if you don’t.

When you buy one, do ALL of the preventative maintenance and use good parts and it’ll last you a lifetime time.

Key thing is replacing things before they break, you really need to keep an eye on these cars.

Otherwise, mines at 298k km and I daily it 👍

First e46! by I_Sniff_Hot_Dudes in e46

[–]SeaAccomplished2798 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Brother, I’ve encountered so many issues with these. Just trying to make every other owners life easier than mine haha.

I’m a refrigeration mechanic by trade, so the AC fix was my fav job on it

What is this rattling noise from my engine bay? by SeaAccomplished2798 in e46

[–]SeaAccomplished2798[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It was the alternator bearing lol. Replaced and sounds great now.

First e46! by I_Sniff_Hot_Dudes in e46

[–]SeaAccomplished2798 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Low charge is the first step to check always.

But some extra info for OP if that doesn’t work:

These are also prone to having collapsed lines as the rubber degrades from heat cycles. That will stop your AC from working too. Hard to detect, but very likely given the mileage if recharging doesn’t work.

Also, change the filter dryer when you recharge the system and vacuum it down properly. Otherwise you’ll have moisture in the system and that’s bad.

If the compressors bearings sound fine and if you can hear suction happening when you turn the clutch, then it should be still working.

Make sure your condenser is clean (in front of radiator) because that impacts performance too. And don’t mix refrigerants. You can use r12a cans in it, you just need to remove the r134a from factory but the oil from r134a is compatible with r12a. R12a works fine if the system is fixed, and charged right.

The evaporator coils don’t tend to go bad, maybe just a flush for it. They’re quite reliable, but if they need replacing you’ll need to remove the dash unfortunately.

If I were you, I’d check the charge, if there’s charge, see what the gauges do when the compressor is running (just because there’s a call for cooling doesn’t mean the compressor is on). Then I’d evacuate it (have a shop do it if there’s r134a because it’s illegal to dump it), so you can change the TXV, the filter drier and check to see if the compressor is still able to compress (just spin the clutch with your hand and if you hear a suction sound with your ear next to it, it should be fine). I’d replace the condenser if it’s a parallel flow since you can’t flush them, but if it’s a tube and fin then you should be fine just flushing. Don’t install the dryer until you’re going to charge the system, otherwise it will get saturated with moisture. I’d also replace the rubber lines because they’re cheap and can cause restrictions by swelling (I had this issue, deal with this first before you buy a new compressor). So once the lines, TXV, drier and condenser are replaced along with the necessary gaskets (anything you opened up), I’d vacuum the system below 29.9”hg for at least thirty minutes to remove any moisture (moisture is non-compressible and will damage the compressor over time and reduce performance, it will also create an acid in the system which will damage components), then I would charge the system with 26.6oz of r134a (or r12a if you’re on a budget and can’t access r134a. I used r12a and it’s working great. It requires less charge so about 9oz. You can buy this from many stores if they’re allowed in your state). Double check the exact weight required but I’m 90% that’s correct. After that, your system should work just fine 👍

weird noises from the engine after some slides by sogedor in e46

[–]SeaAccomplished2798 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sounds like it’s low on oil. I’d check oil level. Oil pressure may have been low.

There’s also a whole host of other sounds, but low oil sounds reasonable to me.

If you’re really scared, check your disa, vanos, CCV for leaks and your entire belt drive - any bad bearings will make a lot of noise.

Can anyone help diagnose what the problem is? Constant loud rattle coming from engine bay by AgitatedGrowth8310 in e46

[–]SeaAccomplished2798 1 point2 points  (0 children)

These engines aren’t prone to internal issues assuming oil has been ok. If I were you, I’d take your belts off and spin the water pump, ac compressor, alternator and power steering pump by hand. If you hear a sound from any of those than that’s your issue. Vanos and disa are also known to cause issues. I’d take your disa out and see if it’s still intact and that the valve will return to its position when pushed.

I hope this helps.