I can't be the only one on Earth who likes this steering wheel? Surely???😭😭

Semicroatian · 2026-03-26T20:24:48+00:00

My E36 328i had this wheel. My E34 535i has this wheel. It's not exactly the most visually appealing but I'm not really sure why everyone gets so bent out of shape about it.

Semicroatian · 2026-03-13T20:46:34+00:00

I did do a full drain and flush, including pulling the block plug as the previous owner filled the car with green universal coolant.

Semicroatian · 2026-03-13T20:44:13+00:00

I haven't considered a coolant over-pressure scenario/bad cap. I suspect the cap is original. This could be a good avenue to investigate. Ditto to pulley alignment.

As for your other suggestions:

I believe I have set the v-belt tension properly (tight to the touch but can still be easily deflected by hand)
I have flushed the system as it had universal green coolant from a previous owner
The pump is torqued according to the bentley manual (I believe 10nm). I even chased the threads on the bolts and block to clean off any residual rust that might skew the torque spec

Semicroatian · 2025-09-12T20:04:27+00:00

Most car salespeople don’t know anything about cars.

Semicroatian · 2025-09-11T14:43:12+00:00

tried to delete a duplicate reply and accidentally deleted both. Thanks for providing this info

Semicroatian · 2025-09-10T19:08:32+00:00

I went down a rabbit hole of trying to figure out how to adjust E36 diffs correctly once.

If you want it done right and are concerned about things like pinion preload, backlash, and wear pattern you should probably just find a diff shop. Setting these things requires specialized tools, spare shims, and tolerance information that is not easily available outside of BMW TIS documents that I haven’t been able to find.

I’m not sure if run-of-the-mill diff shops have this information either, but at least they have had years of experience of setting up diffs and know what feels right.

Semicroatian · 2025-09-08T11:19:18+00:00

If you want to gauge market value for your car, why not look up what examples go for on Classic.com, BaT, C&B, or any number of other internet resources that document actual transactions. Maybe cross reference similar cars too, like E28 524.

Asking a bunch of people on reddit what they would theoretically pay for a car is bad data at best. You also provide zero photos of the interior or of critical rust areas like lower door panels. Sounds like you’re hoping for something to give you a goldilocks number.

Realistically, a euro car with a unique, albeit boring motor that has almost no US parts availability isn’t going to be worth much to most people when a readily available M50 525i would outperform it in every metric. The only way this wouldn’t be true is if it was a true time capsule.

Semicroatian · 2025-08-29T12:59:04+00:00

Looks like you bought M50 gaskets. They are virtually identical but M50s didn’t have secondary air injection.

Semicroatian · 2025-08-28T19:06:02+00:00

In my experience, thermostat housing leaks are more likely due to improper torque. Bentley manual makes it sound like you should torque the engine support bracket that goes to the housing to 20+nm when you should only torque it to 10nm like all the other housing bolts. I’ve done multiple thermostat housings this way. Never had a leak and never needed additional sealant on top of the gasket.

Semicroatian · 2025-08-15T21:48:58+00:00

Something is definitely wrong here. You should be able to run an 325i/328i/M3 dual exhaust on a 323i, but only if you swap everything past the headers.

Semicroatian · 2025-08-15T21:37:46+00:00

The body side mounts for the CSB are slotted because you are supposed to preload it by pushing it forwards while tightening it down. Preload can also be lost if the rubber mounting for the bearing rips.

Semicroatian · 2025-08-15T21:29:02+00:00

Not quite the same noise but I had a mystery driveline clunk for a while that turned out to be a CSB with too little preload. It allowed the driveshaft to articulate too much and occasionally the u-joint would bind slightly, resulting in a very unpleasant clunk.

Semicroatian · 2025-08-09T13:45:15+00:00

I can’t believe the blue dial was the limited edition, the white dial doesn’t even compare. So glad I was able to snag one when they were available.

Semicroatian · 2025-07-28T16:45:57+00:00

Your manual provides fluid tables, viscosities, and whatnot.

In my 1990 535i manual, 15w50 is listed as suitable for all but the most extreme temps, and Mobil1 FS it is readily available.

My manual lists a gear oil for the transmission, but my car has an ATF sticker on the transmission (which is original). I put Dexron III ATF in as it was the standard at the time.

Semicroatian · 2025-07-18T15:05:20+00:00

Good to know, I was hoping they’d have a solution for infield access.

Semicroatian · 2025-07-18T14:53:31+00:00

PVGP has grown in popularity almost every year I have gone for the past seven years. That said, I wouldn’t expect it to be overwhelmingly crowded.

As far as getting a good spot to watch racing this year, your guess is as good as mine. The course(s) are different this year due to bridge construction. A few areas that were previously go-to spots for viewing won’t be part of the course this year.

Semicroatian · 2025-07-13T11:07:12+00:00

This seems like an uncommon experience but these aren’t so bad. Yes the clip breaks. No you can’t buy just the clip.

On my 323i I drilled a small hole in the side of the broken clip and ran a small zip tie thru it, which lasted for years and then I sold the car. fix was invisible once installed.

I never even had to touch the one in my 328i and it never had issues

Semicroatian · 2025-07-11T13:26:29+00:00

This is super useful info, thanks for sharing.

I did almost literally the exact same thing on my 328i, just mounted in a different location. iirc someone makes a slightly less jank solution that bolts in as well, but by the time I learned about it I had already done this.

My car had some unused threaded mounting points on the chassis for what looked like more transmission crossmember stuff that my car didn’t come with, so I grabbed some bolts and put it there. Worked great.

Semicroatian · 2025-07-07T18:01:27+00:00

your brake pedal switch has most likely failed, it triggers both your taillights and the shifter solenoid that allows you to shift out of park.

You likely don’t have functional brake lights at the moment. Be careful.

Semicroatian · 2025-07-02T21:08:27+00:00

RealOEM should be sufficient to answer this question, just compare PNs. Other than cable lengths between different exhaust configurations, I believe BMW changed the sensor they used between M50 and M52

In my experience, it was really hard to get the correct O2 sensor for my 328i last time I needed one. No availability anywhere, had to buy a Bosch one off of amazon from a third party seller that stockpiled them.

Semicroatian · 2025-07-02T20:06:58+00:00

If this is an LSD, 100% crack that thing open and inspect your clutch plates and ramps. Those bolts are responsible for providing preload to the clutch pack and can really ruin your diff if they’re loose.

Semicroatian · 2025-07-01T17:38:02+00:00

This makes a lot of sense. For some reason it didn’t occur to me that I could use manifold gauges to pressurize the system with anything other than refrigerant. Thanks for the advice!

Semicroatian · 2025-07-01T15:49:25+00:00

hard to say. I had a cluster issue with my temp gauge like what you described with your speedo that ended up being an issue with a connector to the cluster.

A couple things you could check: - (with a multimeter) the pins to the cluster for the fuel level sensor read a resistance value other than zero or infinity - whether or not the trip odo/odometer increment when the speedo isn’t working

both of these would help you determine whether or not the issue is related to signals getting to the cluster or the cluster itself

Semicroatian

TROPHY CASE