Bimmer-Bob's 128i Belated Build Thread

[andrey_gta]

^ It has the standard plug, same as stock. I doubt it has dedicated fill and drain plug like the 135i finned covers

[Suprgnat]

Originally Posted by Bimmer-Bob

It remains to be seen how the new gearing will perform on the autocross course. I think I will enjoy the extra thrust on corner exit, but I'm a little worried about the shortened 2nd gear requiring an extra shift to 3rd

I'm so close (waiting for my IRS refund) and have been re-reading many of the applicable posts. I've been working with Dan at Diffsonline, but Jim at Performance Gearing has been a huge help, too.

I had a Datsun 510 for 14 years and at some point I installed a 200SX dog-leg 5-speed and 4:11 R180 diff (sadly I couldn't afford an LSD at the time). Shifting was the best thing about it. 2-3-2-3-2-3. Up, down. Up, down. Up, down. 1st was just to get the car rolling.

[Suprgnat]

Originally Posted by Bimmer-Bob

Yes, M3 rear diff bushings. I'll certainly give my impressions, but I'm not sure I'll be able to discern exactly how much feel is being contributed by the bushings versus the other parts that will be going on at the same time.

What tool is required to remove the stock differential bushings and install the M3 differential bushings?

TIA

[andrey_gta]

Originally Posted by Suprgnat

What tool is required to remove the stock differential bushings and install the M3 differential bushings?

TIA

A bushing puller, similar the to subframe tool. As far as i know these are hard remove & to install. People often bulk them with sub-frame work

[Bimmer-Bob]

Originally Posted by Suprgnat

What tool is required to remove the stock differential bushings and install the M3 differential bushings?

TIA

I don't know exactly, but some sort of bushing puller as andrey_gta mentioned. I just had the shop that installed the diff do the bushings at the same time. I think they charged an extra 0.5-1.0 hours of labor.

[Bimmer-Bob]

So, haven't been very active lately on the boards. I spent about 6 weeks on a training exercise in Yuma, AZ from March to April, and then transferred from NC to WA in June. Still unpacking, but decided to take on a new project since arriving in the PNW. Decided I needed a fuel-efficient sedan for DD duty and kid-hauling. Will probably drive the SUV myself, but picked up a 1992 Mercedes-Benz 300D 2.5 Turbo Diesel for my wife. Got big plans for the W124, it seems like an awesome chassis to play around with. I'll link to a build thread on one of the MB forums when I get it set up, but will post a "before" pic in the meantime.

Car is Seafoam Green Metallic. Picked it up from kind of a sketchy dealer in OR, but it seemed to run well, and these cars are pretty tough to find in decent shape. Originally I wanted a 528e because I love the E28 chassis, but those cars are even harder to find and the W124 gets better mileage anyway. Plus there's a lot to be said for the bulletproof reliability of an old-school MB diesel. This one only has 221,000 miles on it, which is really nothing for these cars.

As soon as I bought it I dropped it off at an Indy MB shop in Portland. It's been sitting on the dealer's lot since being picked up at auction 15 months ago. It's a 2-owner car, but has been neglected for a while. Runs strong, but I wanted to get all fluids and filters changed, as well as get caught up on maintenance. I'm also going to upgrade the suspension ASAP and do some cosmetic work (replace cracked rear bumper cover and switch to Euro-spec lights front and rear, etc.).

Anyway, like I said, I'll link to a proper build thread once I get one set up, but here's a dealer pic of the car at baseline.

[swagon]

Originally Posted by Bimmer-Bob

So, haven't been very active lately on the boards. I spent about 6 weeks on a training exercise in Yuma, AZ from March to April, and then transferred from NC to WA in June. Still unpacking, but decided to take on a new project since arriving in the PNW. Decided I needed a fuel-efficient sedan for DD duty and kid-hauling. Will probably drive the SUV myself, but picked up a 1992 Mercedes-Benz 300D 2.5 Turbo Diesel for my wife. Got big plans for the W124, it seems like an awesome chassis to play around with. I'll link to a build thread on one of the MB forums when I get it set up, but will post a "before" pic in the meantime.

Car is Seafoam Green Metallic. Picked it up from kind of a sketchy dealer in OR, but it seemed to run well, and these cars are pretty tough to find in decent shape. Originally I wanted a 528e because I love the E28 chassis, but those cars are even harder to find and the W124 gets better mileage anyway. Plus there's a lot to be said for the bulletproof reliability of an old-school MB diesel. This one only has 221,000 miles on it, which is really nothing for these cars.

As soon as I bought it I dropped it off at an Indy MB shop in Portland. It's been sitting on the dealer's lot since being picked up at auction 15 months ago. It's a 2-owner car, but has been neglected for a while. Runs strong, but I wanted to get all fluids and filters changed, as well as get caught up on maintenance. I'm also going to upgrade the suspension ASAP and do some cosmetic work (replace cracked rear bumper cover and switch to Euro-spec lights front and rear, etc.).

Anyway, like I said, I'll link to a proper build thread once I get one set up, but here's a dealer pic of the car at baseline.

This is amazing. Love me some old school Benz, and this one is of the last proper ones.

[Bimmer-Bob]

For anyone that's interested in following my progress, I've started a build thread for my Benz here. I'll keep this thread specific to the 1er from here on out.

[Taskmaster]

Originally Posted by Bimmer-Bob

So, haven't been very active lately on the boards. I spent about 6 weeks on a training exercise in Yuma, AZ from March to April, and then transferred from NC to WA in June. Still unpacking, but decided to take on a new project since arriving in the PNW. Decided I needed a fuel-efficient sedan for DD duty and kid-hauling. Will probably drive the SUV myself, but picked up a 1992 Mercedes-Benz 300D 2.5 Turbo Diesel for my wife. Got big plans for the W124, it seems like an awesome chassis to play around with. I'll link to a build thread on one of the MB forums when I get it set up, but will post a "before" pic in the meantime.

Car is Seafoam Green Metallic. Picked it up from kind of a sketchy dealer in OR, but it seemed to run well, and these cars are pretty tough to find in decent shape. Originally I wanted a 528e because I love the E28 chassis, but those cars are even harder to find and the W124 gets better mileage anyway. Plus there's a lot to be said for the bulletproof reliability of an old-school MB diesel. This one only has 221,000 miles on it, which is really nothing for these cars.

As soon as I bought it I dropped it off at an Indy MB shop in Portland. It's been sitting on the dealer's lot since being picked up at auction 15 months ago. It's a 2-owner car, but has been neglected for a while. Runs strong, but I wanted to get all fluids and filters changed, as well as get caught up on maintenance. I'm also going to upgrade the suspension ASAP and do some cosmetic work (replace cracked rear bumper cover and switch to Euro-spec lights front and rear, etc.).

Anyway, like I said, I'll link to a proper build thread once I get one set up, but here's a dealer pic of the car at baseline.

This excites me too! Can't wait to see where this goes!

[Bimmer-Bob]

These days it seems like my W124 is getting the lion's share of the time, money, and attention I have to spare on modding, but that's mainly because the old Merc is a more recent acquisition, and it just needs so many little things (and a few big things, to be honest). The 1er is becoming a bit of a garage queen, retired from daily driver status, but still more than willing to tackle a long stretch of country road when asked. On the other hand, it's been very nice to have the option of only taking the 128i out in good weather, and keeping the car otherwise clean, warm, and dry when winter weather threatens.

One small thing I took care of is I finally picked up the hood pad the car should have come with. I'm not sure which model years BMW saw fit to include this on, but it bothered me that there was a hood pad made for our E82s that I didn't have. We all know our N52's are infamous for ticking, and mine was worse after going to catless headers - to some extent, I had just gotten used to the ticking, but I really think the hood pad adds just enough sound insulation to muffle the ticking, and the exhaust is loud enough that none of the grunt is tamed. Pretty happy with it. Also, the hood is now much cooler to the touch after a spirited run. And, last but not least, I think it adds a more finished look to the engine compartment:

[gixracer]

beautiful build, headed your direction for sure considering the upgrades

[ObsidianX]

Really appreciated your build, Bimmer Bob. Great upgrades and I love the way it looks. You got me thinking about picking up a 128i some day.

Out of curiosity, any specific reason you went with the 128i rather than a 135i when you made the original purchase?

[Bimmer-Bob]

Originally Posted by ObsidianX

Really appreciated your build, Bimmer Bob. Great upgrades and I love the way it looks. You got me thinking about picking up a 128i some day.

Out of curiosity, any specific reason you went with the 128i rather than a 135i when you made the original purchase?

Honestly, originally it was a money thing. My income at the time couldn't really support a 135i, but I was also very leery of the turbo car. It was sort of the height of the HPFP failures, and I knew a guy with a 135i that seemed like it was always in the shop for something or other. By contrast, my car has never been "down," and the only shop time it has seen is for mods or for warranty work. It didn't hurt that, for me, the 128i represented enough of a performance upgrade that I've never felt like I was settling. Over time, I've made enough significant mods to the chassis that I wouldn't take a stock 135i in trade at this point, and I certainly wouldn't want to start the mod path from scratch all over again. And, despite the fact that the HPFP issue seems to have died down, I remain convinced that the 135i will have a significantly higher cost of ownership over the long term.

I think the 128i represents BMW values in the purest sense, and hearken back to the golden age of European automobiles (the 1970s-1990s, IMO), when a BMW didn't have to have an ///M badge to be something special. No, it's not the best thing to ever come out of Munich, but my little 128i, in it's current build, is pretty spectacular as far as I'm concerned. It's just so balanced (and pretty darned fast!) - my dream cars used to be a 911 and a 2002tii, but this car (to me) checks all of those boxes with the advantage of being paid for. I'm perfectly content with this car as my "toy" and don't plan on replacing it in that role for the foreseeable future.

It doesn't hurt that these days I spend more time driving my (other) project car, a 1992 Mercedes-Benz 300D 2.5 Turbo - so when I do pull the 128i out of the garage, it feels like a rocket ship in comparison!

[Bimmer-Bob]

Small little update today.

Recently, while doing a routine inspection under the hood, I noticed something slightly alarming. The problem:

A missing strut brace cap!

I sort of dreaded the day this would happen. I remember when I installed the strut brace thinking it was only a matter of time before one or more of these caps gets lost. They're pretty snug when new, but as the strut brace needs to be removed for any front end suspension work, or when better access to the engine bay is required, the caps get looser and looser every time they are removed, and all it takes is for some tech somewhere along the way to get careless. Well, go figure, it finally happened, and I was left with one strut brace cap missing.

I sort of figured I'd be SOL when this happened, as I didn't think the caps were sold separately - and of course it would be crazy to replace the entire strut brace for one missing cap.

But, lo and behold, what a little research turned up:

The caps are indeed sold separately! BMW p/n is 51717896829, and I picked this one up from ECS Tuning for $4.58, as an add-on to a larger order. It's a rip-off, I know, but a small price to pay for an OCD car nut. Part of me thinks I should have ordered a handful, for when the inevitable happens again - but I'll probably just order a few again when the time comes.

Anyway, consider this a PSA.

[Suprgnat]

I'm right there with you. Every time I have something done to my tires, the car comes back with the wrong valve stem caps. I finally bought 20 of 'em.

Originally Posted by Bimmer-Bob

Part of me thinks I should have ordered a handful, for when the inevitable happens again -

[Bimmer-Bob]

Originally Posted by Suprgnat

I'm right there with you. Every time I have something done to my tires, the car comes back with the wrong valve stem caps. I finally bought 20 of 'em.

Ha! I've got a little Ziploc baggie of valve stem caps in my tool chest, too. Definitely handy to have around.

[Taskmaster]

Originally Posted by Bimmer-Bob

Well, finally got my car back on a dyno for a few pulls this morning. You'll recall I had one done a couple of months ago, after which I sent the dyno to Active to have them review the AF ratios and tweak the tune appropriately.

Well, this time the AF ratios look better, but the adjustments were worth all of 1HP! Consistently pulled at 239 this morning versus 238 in November. I did also get TQ readings this time, and as you can see I peaked at 220.

See dyno below; the blue line is the peak November pull, and the red line is today's best.

Attachment 1341112

hassmaschine
It ALL makes sense now.

[Bimmer-Bob]

Originally Posted by TheAxiom

hassmaschine
It ALL makes sense now.

Clarification?

I haven't been following the dyno threads lately - any new data going around?

[Taskmaster]

Originally Posted by Bimmer-Bob

Clarification?

I haven't been following the dyno threads lately - any new data going around?

Well Hass was able to lead my thought process in the right direction. I had a lot of ideas as to why this was different from some of the others, but he confirmed it for me.

Cat overheat protection is still on, car standard A/F ratio was still there until you requested a retune, 4th stage DISA is still there - nothing horrible, just a lot left on the table.

How does it drive though?

[hassmaschine]

I always forget that I can post here too. lol

the OTS AA tune doesn't chance much of the AF curve, and they don't know how to turn off cat overheat protection (watch it go pig rich at the end). Also, at 6900rpm the disa flaps close and they don't know how to fix that either. in fact, the OTS AA tune doesn't change a single DISA setting anywhere (they are still stock x28i).

[Taskmaster]

Originally Posted by hassmaschine

I always forget that I can post here too. lol

the OTS AA tune doesn't chance much of the AF curve, and they don't know how to turn off cat overheat protection (watch it go pig rich at the end). Also, at 6900rpm the disa flaps close and they don't know how to fix that either. in fact, the OTS AA tune doesn't change a single DISA setting anywhere (they are still stock x28i).

Did you see his "retune" AFR, which looks like the 330i map, and it does seem to add a tad bit of power in some areas...

[Bimmer-Bob]

Originally Posted by TheAxiom

Well Hass was able to lead my thought process in the right direction. I had a lot of ideas as to why this was different from some of the others, but he confirmed it for me.

Cat overheat protection is still on, car standard A/F ratio was still there until you requested a retune, 4th stage DISA is still there - nothing horrible, just a lot left on the table.

How does it drive though?

Originally Posted by hassmaschine

I always forget that I can post here too. lol

the OTS AA tune doesn't chance much of the AF curve, and they don't know how to turn off cat overheat protection (watch it go pig rich at the end). Also, at 6900rpm the disa flaps close and they don't know how to fix that either. in fact, the OTS AA tune doesn't change a single DISA setting anywhere (they are still stock x28i).

Is there another OTS tune that address these issues? The BPC one? I haven't been following tune development for months...not sure there's enough improvement to justify several hundred dollars on a new tune.

Then again, MOAR is always better, lol...