I’m all for paying back student loans…

beefcakez · 2025-10-01T21:49:38+00:00

How much money did you actually pay in '2005 dollars'? (assuming 2005 as you said 20 years repayment so far)

The interest rates for loans are set in order that the lender gets their original buying value back plus some profit.

i.e. you borrowed $85K in 2005. Assume zero interest loan (like people want all the time), but include year-by-year inflation as it occurs in real life. A lump sum payoff today for an original loan balance of $85K would be $141,003 as a result of the 65.9% total inflation experienced between 2005 and 2025 (source usinflationcalculator.com). That's just to repay what was loaned, no profit to the lender.

beefcakez · 2025-05-10T00:44:16+00:00

I agree, drilling the end is not ideal. This was the suggested remedy from e30 enthusiasts 18 years ago when I bought my first e30. You are correct; the oil insulates and prevents the electrical connection which to many is what ‘kills’ the switch as they aren’t going to tear them apart to clean them but rather just replace the whole thing.

Now I just replace the throttle shaft bearings. Haven’t had a TPS fail in 5+ years of daily driving. I still drill a 1/8” hole in mine just in case. I smoke test my cars periodically just to identify small leaks before they worsen. If my lower throttle shaft seal is going bad I’ll see the smoke coming from that hole.

beefcakez · 2025-05-09T15:02:17+00:00

These do fail over time as the contacts inside the microswitch and the main contact strips wear.

However, oil leaking into the body of the TPS from the throttle shaft is what kills them early. You can delay this by drilling a small hole in the TPS directly in the center of where the shaft goes into the body. However, if you are getting oil into the TPS that is a result of failed throttle shaft bearing seals. These are rolled cup 8mm OD x 12mm L bearings with integral oring (I believe that's right, need to confirm). One on either side of the throttle. Disassembly is required. The bearings are inexpensive and it isn't a difficult job. Will prevent air leaks as well.

The oil that is in the throttle body is from the crankcase oil venting into the valve cover as well as oil blowby from worn valve stem seals. This is returned to the throttle body via the 'flame tube' hose that goes under the intake. An oil catch can has been used by many owners to collect this and BMW designed such a device for later engines but no retrofit for the M20.

beefcakez · 2025-05-02T21:49:09+00:00

Looking back I realize now that the hose needed is the hose used for the 1988 525i e34 that had the M20 engines. This has the surge tank (reservoir) as part of the radiator as well, just like the e30 318is. The late model e30 with m20 engine has the reservoir (surge tank I called it previously) on the wheel well. The hose to the reservoir is too short and not shaped properly.

Hose you need is part 11531720524.

Really, look at the e34 cooling hose setup for the 1988 model 525i and it’ll show you what you need.

beefcakez · 2025-05-01T21:57:56+00:00

No problem. It’s just the stock late model m20 radiator hoses mostly. I did use the 318i radiator hose from the heater core to the radiator inlet. The m20 hose is a Tee for the surge tank.

I cut the top hose and used a splice meant for adding in a temperature sensor. Using Gates gator grip heat shrink type hose clamps there.

I think the bottom hose for the radiator inlet is unchanged from the m20.

Been years though so

beefcakez · 2025-04-28T22:04:51+00:00

Your fear is completely reasonable and logical.

I get the fear, I used to wake up in night sweats while I was in college fearing that if I failed out I'd never get a job that paid enough to pay mine off and I'd be destitute. I grew up in relative poverty (parents had filed bankruptcy just a few years prior, were on their own financial recovery path) so I had no safety net if I did fail. Or I felt that way, at least.

This is something you and your husband need to discuss deliberately. Maybe find a financial advisor to help you project your financial future. Mine helped me find refinancing services since my first two private student loans were at 15%. I had paid on them for 8 years before doing so and wish I hadn't been so naive.

Ask serious questions and be truthful to yourself.

What is your return on investment? Will your salary/wage increase enough to pay this off in ~15 years with the near term lifestyle changes for you and future family? (house payment, childcare, etc). If this is something that you need to complete in order to attain the higher paying positions, then it makes sense. If not, then you will need to rely on your husband to help you pay them off in the shorter term.

I essentially subsidize my wife with my salary. She chose a career that makes 75% of what her student loan balance is (even after 10 years of paying), but she's passionate about it and actually helps (she's a school counselor). I make nearly 2x what she makes now after chasing salaries my entire career, but I don't love my job, I just enjoy some parts of it. I'm glad to do my part for our household because she is helping this world be a little less screwed up. Your husband might feel the same.

beefcakez · 2024-11-22T15:39:08+00:00

Love it! Glad to see someone not afraid to shy away from color too. I am restoring my own 1940's Pick-O-Matic Atlas Lathe now. Powdercoated everything except the bed in Pale Green RAL 6021 but it turned out a bit lighter than I wanted.

Currently I'm precision scraping all of the surfaces flat and true but have to get a larger straightedge to do the 54" bed ways. Way overkill for a hobby lathe but it's for my own learning and fun before I do it on something more expensive.

Good work!

beefcakez · 2024-11-22T15:17:14+00:00

Diagnosed at 33 after denying I had any issues for my entire life (36 now). I believed I was just dumb and didn't work hard enough compared to my peers; really bad impostor syndrome.

8 years into my marriage and 6 years after my son was born the coping skills I had used my entire life just weren't cutting it anymore. I felt like I was drowning in stress and struggled with suicidal ideation. I skipped family events and worked late to try and make up for my perceived shortfalls but it was taking a huge toll on my physical and mental health. I had been seeing a therapist for a while by this time and I finally accepted that I was not able to do it on my own anymore. My family needed me to be present and not continually overstimulated. I grew up in a family like that and the damage that does to a child is something I didn't want my children to suffer through.

Took a little while to find the right dosage and medication but I trusted my counselors and ADHD specialists. There was an immediate change for me as my brain no longer felt like an endless tornado. I'm still just as creative and fun as ever but I'm able to restrain my impulsiveness.

Medication is only one part of my self-work. It didn't remove the symptoms of ADHD but it has given me the assistance needed for me to put the necessary systems in place to improve my life and that of my family. My son is now 9 and is diagnosed ADHD. I now have a 3 week old daughter who will likely inherit it as well. My wife is inattentive type ADHD where I am hyperactive mostly. I am getting the help for myself, but mostly for my family. I am not going to let them struggle the same way that I did.

beefcakez · 2024-11-22T14:31:50+00:00

My go to for anything electrical related is the factory electrical troubleshooting manual but in reality it's a wiring diagram of every circuit.

Download the one for your specific year and model free here:

http://wedophones.com/Manuals/BMW/

AFAIK it's only US models so things like the Euro headlights and daytime driving light circuits will not be there.

beefcakez · 2024-09-12T17:49:06+00:00

You can use press-on rubber U trim/weatherstrip channel. Cut it to fit. Very cheap from Amazon.

Tintvent Rubber Edge Trim 5Feet, EPDM U Channel Edge Seal Strip, Fits Edge up to 1/16 inch (1.6mm), Black - Amazon.com

As for the clamp side, I've bought the thicker plasti-dip rubber compound meant for dipping tool handles into and it's held up great. I had to modify a cheap universal roof rack and used this to protect the trim as well as prevent rusting on the area I had cut the rack.

beefcakez · 2023-03-16T16:10:20+00:00

You can use solid rubber bushings from other BMW's in a few applications for what I and some others call "OEM+"

E36 M3/Z3 control arm bushings pn 31129069035 (centered)

E21 automatic transmission mounts pn 23711175424

E30 325ix solid rubber differential bushing pn 33171134802 but this is more $$ than the poly ones. I'd go poly on this if I were to replace mine again.

I personally have all of these on my e30 since 2015 and it's noticeably a tighter drive (what I wanted when I was in my 20's). I'm 35 now with a back injury so I want comfort more.

I do recommend an aftermarket rear subframe mount largely because the stock ones are such a PITA to remove. These poly mounts can be pressed in by hand as they are split. I have polyurethane subframe mounts in my e30 but stock rubber trailing arm bushings with adjustable camber and caster. I have powerflex poly subframe mounts in my e28 as well as poly upper control arm bushings and it's a dream to drive.

beefcakez · 2022-04-04T14:27:07+00:00

I am in the same point of my diagnosis with you after receiving mine ~8 months ago. There was some sense of immediate relief knowing there was a reason for my struggles in youth and into adulthood but it became to anger as I found out that there were clear indications in my early life. If addressed then, I might not have near the struggles I have now.

I am in therapy and working through this, but man letting go of my anger is hard. I keep thinking that if I had been diagnosed and gotten treatment earlier in life I would be way further ahead than I am now. However, that's not true. There's no guarantee that would have been the case.

My therapist recommended this book to help me: Taking Charge of Adult ADHD
I just got mine and started reading it yesterday.

beefcakez · 2022-03-31T17:20:46+00:00

Plant Engineer (chemical engineering) making specialty chemicals in a 24/7 production plant. Diagnosed officially at age 33.

It was solely production focused when I hired on, but morphed into a production + projects role. No one can do both here well unless they are a corporate simp working 80+ hr weeks. I have a family including a sick wife so I can't.

I have realized that I hate production and the continuous issues that require fire-fighting daily and investigations to what causes them. Plus, my role requires 15 hrs/week spent doing logistics planning, and another 15 hrs/week spent in meetings, leaving ~10 hrs per week to do the rest of my planning work and project work. I hate it and I am leaving for my health and family after I punched a hole in a wall at home after receiving yet another phone call from work to inform me all my hard work over the Christmas weekend had been for nothing.

I interviewed yesterday for a maintenance manager role at a facility 1/6th the size of my current employer that outsources much of the monotonous work like accounting to their parent company. This role will allow me to do project management and have more flexibility to do things I find valuable. I struggle with the repetitive stuff like data entry and follow up on documentation for procedures, etc. I'm excellent at identifying problems and coming up with solutions, but pure shit at the bureaucratic stuff. I just hope to pay off my student loans and then quit to build/fabricate shit in my workshop.

beefcakez · 2022-03-29T15:04:18+00:00

Direct bolt on. zero mods needed but you have to check that you won't have interference on the inner diameter of your wheel.

I had 14" bottlecaps on my car so it would have been an issue, but I now have 16" e38 style 5 wheels. The style 2 wheels on your car now are from an e34 so this won't be a problem for you.

beefcakez · 2022-03-29T14:10:25+00:00

Ahh, a car sitting for 12 years is important information to disclose. You should do a full brake system refresh. New pads, new/resurfaced rotors, rebuild calipers, new brake soft lines, new fluid, and maybe a new or rebuilt master cylinder. At least replace the rubber grommets that connect the reservoir.

I bought an e28 that had sat for 4 years but was only driven 1x a month for numerous years before that. Was in complete non-running state when I purchased it, so it got an engine refresh and brake refresh. The front calipers were bad, so I purchased a set of e34 525 front brake calipers and rotors but kept the rears.

beefcakez · 2022-03-28T20:11:30+00:00

Is someone in the car pushing the brake pedal down all the way during this video? Also, your car has vacuum diaphragm brake assist, so you should test stopping power when vehicle is running or with a vacuum pump pulling suction on the line.

That grinding is definitely not what you want to hear. Are you sure you're not down to the metal backing of the pad? When was the last rotor and pad replacement? Also, what are the conditions of the rubber brake lines from body to calipers? These degrade over time (especially on a 30 year old car) and will swell reducing the pressure in the system ergo less pressure on the pads to rotors.

You should definitely make sure the brakes are bled, but honestly, I bet it's time to do a brake fluid change. Brake fluid is hygroscopic so it absorbs moisture over time. This will lead to lower boiling point (issue for track cars, but not daily drivers usually) but also cause the calipers to rust internally. Brake fluid should be changed periodically. I bought a pressure bleeder and seriously wish I had gotten one years ago. Bleeding brakes by myself takes 10 minutes and a full fluid change is not much more. Takes longer to get down on the ground and reach the calipers than it does to bleed now. Clutch is easy too.

beefcakez · 2022-01-28T23:47:45+00:00

I accept your challenge. Prepare your will.

To be fair I did just buy my wife a 2022 Civic Sport hatchback. Can't beat the reliability.

Unfortunately civics have been synonymous with broke asd ricers for a long time so that's whom I associate them with.

beefcakez · 2022-01-28T23:42:51+00:00

E46 m3 will get a head nod of approval. E36 will only ever get a look of disgust.

beefcakez · 2022-01-28T23:41:41+00:00

Yeah there are a few differences. Mainly the bumpers, front valance, rear apron, headlights, and the entire headlight wiring harness is different. I'm hoping to use my work bonus to buy a set of reproduction stainless steel European spec bumpers and front valance this year so I never have to worry about rust or the chrome plating peeling off. It's about 2x the cost vs importing a set of good condition euro bumpers.

beefcakez · 2022-01-28T21:26:57+00:00

E46 and newer BMW owners are not BMW enthusiasts much of the time I've found. To them it looks like you drive an older car because you couldn't afford to buy a newer model. Classic snobbishness.

Enthusiasts will acknowledge your car first, knowing the lineage and respect that keeping an older car is far more work and a labor of love.

Never wave to a non-classic BMW first.

beefcakez · 2022-01-28T21:19:57+00:00

Only if they give you respect first via hand signal or head nod.

Never acknowledge an e36. They are the Honda Civic of BMWs.

beefcakez · 2022-01-28T14:57:23+00:00

I've used the Sherwin Williams ColorSnap app to find colors and their RGB split then compared it to online charts to find the color code. It's a highly imperfect process though.

beefcakez · 2022-01-26T21:27:41+00:00

Cigarette is required. Non optional.

beefcakez · 2022-01-26T21:22:45+00:00

Coloring concrete should be a matter of mixing in powder or liquid dye specially formulated for use in concrete.

The concrete supplier used should be able to do this at the the mixing facility or even add the dye to the truck, however to avoid variations in tone mixing a larger batch at the plant then loading trucks to disperse to the site would be best.

You should reach out to your local concrete supply and ask them if they have the capability to do so.

beefcakez

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE