Tuesday, May 15, 2012.
Water pump in, thanks to AutohausAZ!
Hopefully the voltage regulator that I ordered will arrive tomorrow, from Pelican, and I can get the car back to optimal voltage by Thursday!
Pulleys and whatnot (once they’re received from Rockauto) will be replaced at the same time I do my cooling system. Plans are, of course, subject to change though. As of right now I just need my car to be running for at least the weekend and next week.
Wishful thinking!
Monday, May 14, 2012.
Got into the car today and headed out to South San Francisco, as I had to drop off a CD to a fellow client (recently did a Pre-Quinceanera photoshoot and finished editing the files yesterday). Upon dropping off the CD and getting onto the freeway, my red battery light turned on. Then it turned off, then it turned on.. I immediately pulled over, turned on my hazards, diagnosed everything, and checked the voltage via OBC.. Fluctuated around 11.6V. I read up a little and found out that my alternator is pretty much done, but that people who were in the same situation were able to drive for another thirty minutes or so before their car’s dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree and then shut off. I had no choice but to suck it up.. So I took a deep breath, started the car up, and headed straight home. Thankfully, I made it, and noticed no ill effects.
With all of that, I spent a good three or so hours of research upon arriving home, mindlessly Googling and practically inhaling information. Came across this thread, as well as many others that were very similar to it. I’ve decided that I’m going to purchase a new Bosch voltage regulator (part number #12317559183 - I removed my air box already and made sure of what kind of alternator my car had; PROOF HERE!), as well as new A/C and Alternator/ Water Pump/ Power Steering belts from Pelican. On top of that, since I’ll be doing all that good stuff already, I also placed an order on new pulleys (2x Dayco 89133 for WP/ Alternator pulley and A/C pulley, Dayco 89089 for Idler pulley, and OEM #11511436590 for Water Pump Pulley; ordered the Dayco pulleys via Rockauto and the OEM Water Pump Pulley from Pelican). Of course going to be DIY’ing everything. I now know why BMW is known by many as “Break My Wallet”… Let’s hope all goes well.
It’s almost as if every week there’s a new obstacle, something else that needs replacement.. More and more things to worry about. I sure as hell am learning a WHOLE lot, but I wish this weren’t a daily thing to have to worry about!
As for now, I’m just hoping the voltage regulator will do the trick. It should. If not, I’ll just have to break down and purchase a new Bosch alternator. Keeping my fingers crossed.
Saturday, May 12, 2012.
Received two packages in the mail today! One from TheBMWPartStore (actually very impressed with the shipping time for this particular order, as my last order from them took slightly longer but was still very timely considering the $5.50 super saver shipping option) and of course, Amazon.
While I wasn’t really able to get anything done today (due to being very busy today), at least I managed to install the trunk lid handle plate at the bottom of the handle, as well as the E36 trunk stoppers! They’re actually very handy and give me a little extra leverage, making it much easier when lifting the trunk lid from the bottom - which is what I do, instead of using the trunk lid handle, since it was not necessarily the best design in the first place (hence why it was almost falling off when I purchased the car from the PO).
I’ve decided to put off installing the Mann cabin air filter (that I received from Amazon today) until later on when I decide to do the cooling system overhaul, just because it’s more convenient when disposing of the old parts, etc. later on. I know it’s an extremely easy, one-minute replace, but I haven’t really noticed any odors in my car’s A/C when using it. Maybe it’s because it’s allergy season, but either way I’ll do it eventually since it only makes sense.
Now I’ve got three packages down, and only two more to go (AutohausAZ and FCPEuro)! I’m only really waiting on the Saleri (OEM) water pump and coolant temperature sensor o-ring, and then I’ll be good and ready to go!
Friday, May 11, 2012.
Found out today that I forgot to purchase the coolant temperature sensor o-ring from when I purchased all of my preventative maintenance items on Wednesday (for my cooling system, VCG, and whatnot), so I just confirmed my purchase of a whopping $1.65 @ FCPEuro (can’t beat their free shipping!) for the OEM temperature sensor o-ring.
It’s actually an o-ring for a separate part (IAT sensor for older E46’s), as BMW only includes said o-ring with new temperature sensors, but the guys at E46fanatics, Bimmerforums, and Bimmerfest have done all the investigative research (for an example, click HERE!) and have made the mistakes for all of us to find out that it’s the same exact part. The part number is #13621743299. Good thing I did the searching and whatnot before placing an order, or else purchasing a new sensor would’ve set me back another $30.
Lastly, I also received a package in the mail today from BMAParts! One down, four more to go (TheBMWPartStore, AutohausAZ, Amazon, and FCPEuro)!
Thursday, May 10, 2012.
Hopped into the car today and headed into the city to pick up my little sister from school. I park the car, wait for ten or so minutes, and upon starting it again.. The car cranks and cranks but doesn’t start. The radio, A/C, and all of the other electronics on the car work perfectly. Upon setting the ignition to position two, the fuel pump can be heard initializing as it always does. The windows even rolled down and all that. When the car cranks, the dashboard flickers at the same pace of the cranking, and so do interior lights. I quickly run a search on E46fanatics and find my answer: dying battery. Since the little electronics still worked, that was pretty much the only option.
Luckily, my mom works only a few blocks away from my sister’s high school, so she was able to stop by and help give my car a jump start. Good thing I had the jump cables (that my dad gave me a few months back) sitting around in the trunk! On the first attempt, the car jumped flawlessly, and off home we went.
I then did some research online and found out that the Duralast 49-DL was a very much recommended battery. To make the long story short, I bought it, successfully replaced the battery (the OEM one was from November ‘07, which definitely makes sense as to why it gave out) with the help of my dad since he offered, and my car is back to starting beautifully once again! Thanks to BMW330ci.net for the DIY guide!
Oh, and I was also able to get around installing my passenger seat occupancy sensor bypass that I got in the mail courtesy of eBay, which should fix the airbag light going off on my dashboard whenever someone 40 lbs or more sits on the passenger seat (apparently a common issue among older E46’s). I figured I’d do it since the car’s battery was disconnected already, a quick & easy install, indeed!
