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04-25-2017, 08:39 AM | #133 | |
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What are you going to use to crank the stock snails?
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"Tobias" 2013 135i ///M-Sport 6MT • Pure Stage 1 • XDI 35 HPFP • 404whp/440wtq |
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04-28-2017, 06:40 PM | #134 | |
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---------------------------------------------------- Well the weather finally cleared enough for me to spend some dedicated time with the new brakes. I found a desolate stretch of road and bedded in the new setup. Not only does this setup look sensational, but the stopping power is improved with the new pads and rotors. Time will tell if the dust is any different than the OEM pads. I also had a few hours to kill this evening, so I hosed off the car to knock off all the pollen and went to take some glory shots of the new setup. As far as the aesthetics of the car, I couldn't be happier. The side skirt extensions and front lip really bring everything full circle, and thankfully, clearance doesn't seem to have been compromised all that much. I've been over some interesting terrain today and didn't scrape on anything. Enough blabbering -- I'll let the pictures do the talking. And tucked away safely in my own driveway. Away from possible door dings. For those wondering, Winston is enjoying the new digs as well. Did you spot in him in the pictures above? He's a big fan of the new braking ability and couldn't quite understand why he couldn't come along for the bedding procedure. |
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Matticus913504.00 Bimmer TV125.00 |
05-01-2017, 09:19 AM | #135 |
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Looking good! I only caught Winston in the 5th pic haha
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05-01-2017, 12:03 PM | #136 |
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Winston and Apollo should get together and discuss the current state of affairs.
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Matticus913504.00 chadillac20001227.50 |
05-03-2017, 12:24 PM | #137 |
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I finally got the call to come get my airbag replaced under recall. The process took about an hour and a half and I got to check out a brand new, fully optioned M4 in the main lobby while waiting.
As the service technician pulled the car around, he complimented the car and inquired about what exactly I'd done as far as modifications. When I mentioned that I was running around E40 fuel in the car, he went on a rant about the dangers of ethanol in gasoline and that I should run ethanol-free in these cars if you could find it. Just a reminder, these are the "professionals" working on your vehicles folks.
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05-17-2017, 10:13 PM | #138 |
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Even though I just finished up with a large round of modifications, I've found myself tinkering with my setup once again. This time I started tearing things down for a few different reasons.
I had become fatigued from the constant noises expelled from the HKS blow off valve under the hood. I was impressed and entertained for the first 6 months or so, but the combination of inlets, trimmed engine cover for catch cans, BMS cowl covers and the HKS BOV made it audible whenever the throttle was lifted no matter the RPM or boost level. That, coupled with the fact the fact that I'll probably be pushing 25psi when I upgrade the turbos, I wanted a more robust (and quiet) combination of charge pipe and blow off valve. Enter the proven Evolution Racewerks black anodized long charge pipe with a black Tial blow off valve bolted on. It was slightly used, but I was able to purchase this one for exactly what I sold my previous Evolution Racewerks short charge pipe with HKS blow off valve. Besides a few little paint chips, everything looked pretty much brand new. Before I uninstalled the current setup and sent it off to the new owner, I took the time to transfer over the rubber o-ring for the interior seal of the charge pipe, the large C-clip, and finally the 3.5 BAR sensor and BMS adapter. I quickly got to work taking off the intakes, engine cover, old charge pipe, throttle body, and pulled back the catch cans in preparation to remove the intake manifold. Why would I go through all of this simply to get the charge pipe setup swapped out? Even though I hadn't broken off the plastic OEM vacuum source nipple on the intake manifold, with this new Tial blow off valve, I wanted to have a dedicated vacuum source with a larger diameter hose. Hopefully this would avoid the fluttering that some people experience with inlets, as well as make the BOV respond instantly. Because of the orientation of this particular charge pipe, I would be able to utilize a very similar location for the larger vacuum source I'd be creating. Seeing as I'm the planning ahead type, I'd already placed an order on Amazon so I'd have all the necessary supplies to make this as quick and painless as possible. With the intake manifold removed, the old nipple was plugged, and an 11/32" drill bit was used to tap the new vacuum source. Following the initial drill bit pass, I took a 1/8" NPT tap and created a threaded spot to screw in the 1/8" NPT to 1/4" barbed fitting I also had. The barbed fitting threaded in perfectly, but considering there would be a lot of pressure flowing through this manifold at times, some added protection would be needed. Some JB weld on the threads and surrounding areas would be enough to do the trick. I was very careful with this portion of the project, as I've seen some very messy DIY results due to sloppiness on this step. Add some 1/4" (6.35mm) high temperature silicone vacuum hose, a small hose clamp to ensure the barbs hold, and now this Tial BOV should have no problem operating properly. At this point I also took a flashlight and took a peek at my intake valves. With 61,000 miles on the odometer I cleaned my intake valves spotless and installed catch cans on the high and low sides including an external PCV system. With 74,500 miles on the odometer today, I was somewhat disappointed at what I saw. The valves weren't fully gunked up, but there were plenty of deposits on all 6 cylinders. It appears without some type of injection setup in conjunction with all the other preventative steps I've taken, eliminating intake valve cleanings completely may not be possible. Oh well, at least I'm getting better at removing my intake manifold. As did my last, the Evolution Racewerks charge pipe fit great and came with high quality clamps. I made sure to get the charge pipe fully seated and all the t-clamps on the upper intercooler hose to charge pipe connection tightened and over the bead. The black anodized pipe and black finish of the Tial BOV look great in the engine bay and are much preferred over the previous polished look. With everything bolted back on, its hard to tell the engine bay is even modified. The charcoal colored filters, and black plasti-dipped upper components, black catch cans, etc. keep everything subtle and stock-looking. Before firing up the car, I turned on the ignition and connected with my JB4 Mobile App, activated the 3.5BAR TMAP option, and saved the settings. The car cranked without issue and there were no leaks under vacuum that I could find. First impressions of this setup over the old:
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Matticus913504.00 Neiman Levenson258.00 |
05-18-2017, 10:33 AM | #139 |
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Nice work Chad. Do you find there to be any more responsiveness in the throttle? Any change in RPM drop?
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05-18-2017, 01:54 PM | #141 | |
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Not yet! In fact, I haven't even purchased them yet. One stipulation of the contest was that the offer would be valid for 6 months, so to minimize cost and maximize the use of my original turbos, I've been saving month by month so the final bill, when coupled with my $1000 discount, won't be that hard to swallow in September. Plus I can crank up the boost on my stock snails for the summer. More updates on that to come very soon. And to be honest, I still haven't decided if I'll be going with the GC Lites or the stage 2+ cast options Vargas is about to release. They are significantly cheaper, don't require new inlets/outlets, and still supports up to 675whp.
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05-18-2017, 01:56 PM | #142 |
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I've heard nothing but canoes about the Vargas setup
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05-18-2017, 10:41 PM | #143 |
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Today was the end of a chapter in my N54 life. It would be the last time I'd have to use the Bavarian Technic cable and BB software to add back end flashes. For the past few months I'd been running on the BMS E85 BEF added with the BT Cable and BB software with great success. Just this morning I took a quick jaunt on the on-ramp in third gear, E45 in the tank, Map 7 activated. The fantastic JB4 Mobile App immediately began logging as I entered WOT so I was able to go back and analyze afterwards. It's always refreshing to see the numbers looking as they should.
Although I'd never hit a snag with the BT/BB combo when flashing the DME, the whole process, as well as online horror stories, always made me nervous. In addition, the only trustworthy Windows computer I had access to was a desktop. This meant flashing on the go was not a possibility. Not good if my access to E85 was suddenly compromised. Using the BB software and BT cable to flash the stock .org file back to the ECU may have not been a necessary step, but I wanted to ensure no complications going forward. This meant dragging out the desktop one last time and firing up the BB software. With a battery charger attached, I began the writing process. 15 minutes later, my stock software was now present and I was back to square one. I had managed to escape the BB/BT method of flashing for years without one hiccup. I consider myself lucky. As I exit the era of outdated flashing and long write times, enter the Lenovo Tab3 A8 ($99 on Amazon), a basic OTG cable ($4.79 on Amazon), the existing K+DCAN USB cable I use to operate INPA, and the MHD Flasher app. Once connected, I purchased the Flasher Module ($99) and the E85 Mix Maps Pack ($49). I plan on utilizing the M Boost Option or possibly a custom tune from Trebila in the future, but for now I'll play with some of the OTS Wedge E85 tunes. With the battery charger still attached, I opted for the E40 v7.1 flash (my ethanol content was E43 at the time), selected my manual transmission, and entered the options mode. There I was able to activate the cold start noise reduction mode, a feature I was very much looking forward to using. The only other option I activated was the turbo wastegate rattle fix, but I'm sure I'll experiment with some of the others down the road. I have no intentions of going anywhere near the exhaust burble option -- too many mixed reviews and my exhaust already burbles on command naturally. The estimated write time for the first go around was 35 minutes, but involved none of the anxiety associated with the old method. A little over a half hour later and the flash was complete. Just to see how quickly the subsequent writes would be, I slightly altered the wastegate rattle slider and flashed the E40 v7.1 flash again. Only 2 minutes this time. Excellent! And in this compact package, I can stick the tablet and cables in the glovebox and have the ability to flash maps at the pump, on the go, or whenever I feel like changing things up. This also gives me the ability to work remotely with a tuner in the future. After letting the car sit for a few minutes, I turned the ignition back on, entered menu 4.4, and changed from map 0 to 4 before saving the settings and starting the car. The car turned over immediately, rose to 1000 or so RPMs and settled back near the 650 stock idle point. Incredible! My setup is pretty quiet to most, but those cold starts can get obnoxious in the early mornings. I'll try to grab some videos of that soon. Once the car had reached the proper temperature, I took the car fully through 3rd gear in a similar on-ramp situation as I had this morning. Perhaps it was just placebo effect, but the E40 Wedge OTS flash felt noticeably better than the BMS E85 BEF / Map 7 I had been running hours earlier. Maybe it was just the increased throttle points, as boost seemed to come on earlier and stronger, but I certainly liked what I felt. Once I get used to this for a few days/weeks, I'll move on to the E60 map to see which I prefer. |
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05-21-2017, 12:41 PM | #145 |
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Yeah suuuurrreeeee Preeth! Looks like you're doing some fun stuff in the suspension department on the 128 you're putting together. I will be keeping up with that as that will be something I address further down the road.
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05-21-2017, 12:53 PM | #146 |
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While this isn't directly related to my 135i build, it does relate to my relationship with the N54 engine. A few months ago I began testing the waters to see if there were any interested buyers in 2008 535i with 197,000 miles. After scanning the market for what prices were on similar cars, I stuck mine underneath all of them at $6500 and quickly started receiving messages. Before long I had arranged to meet up with a family investigating the car for their daughter.
Knowing this, I decided to have one last rendezvous in the garage with this noble stallion. The car had been leaking oil into the spark plug galleys, which had caused the dreaded "engine malfunction -- reduced power" chime on a few occasions. This usually only happened on inclines at low RPMs, but still wasn't an issue I wanted to make an unsuspecting victim have to deal with in the future; especially if I already had the gasket on hand. I was certain it was the valve cover gasket as it had 197,000 miles on the original and had been leaking for a while so I had picked up one up a while back. The ECS Tuning guide made this about as simple as it could be. That said, there were a ton of components that needed to be removed to change this gasket! On the other hand, I welcomed the experience as I knew I would eventually have to do the same repair on my 135i that I plan on keeping long term. It was also the first time I'd open up everything and take a peek at that valve train. About two hours in of careful removal of every necessary surround component, I had the top off. Tie wrapping (no bungee cord available) the wiring harnesses out of the way made things much easier when doing this job solo. 28 bolts and 3 ground studs hold everything down. Those printed ECS instructions made organizing bolts and brackets easy. After triple checking all the connections and priming the fuel pump, the car cranked for a few seconds and fired up. No leaks. I then jacked the car up, drained the oil, cleaned up the underside of the car from the leaking oil over the past few months, replaced the old oil filter with a fresh Mann unit and new o-rings, and added 7 quarts of Motul Xcess 5W-40. I quickly vacuumed out the car, rinsed it off, met up with all five family members. Within a few minutes of driving it they were counting out my asking price in $100 bills. That $6500 will be applied towards paying off my E82 and putting a small down-payment on a more versatile second vehicle. I'll share that later this week when I take delivery. I did disclose the fact that the car was equipped with a JB4, 7" FMIC, Fuel-It Stage 2 LPFP and catless downpipes. Luckily the car will be registered in South Carolina, a non-emissions state. I put the car in map 4 with code clearing capabilities turned on and gave instructions to the family about how to change the settings. I never thought I'd be handing both sets of keys over to a 15 year old girl, but that's how it goes. What an absolutely pleasurable owning experience!
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05-25-2017, 07:25 AM | #147 |
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Congrats on the sale. Excited to see what you get as a new car. I vote for a f10 m5 lol
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05-29-2017, 10:11 PM | #148 | |
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A 2012 Porsche Cayenne Base -- Pure White exterior with Luxor Beige interior, 45,000 miles, 1 owner car from just a few hours away that we were able to pick up for just a little over $30,000. Loaded with options like heated/ventilated seats, heated steering wheel, backup camera, rear power sun shades, etc. Since we wouldn't be towing anything and didn't need the extra power of the S or the Turbo (nor were we able to invest the money necessary to obtain one), the VR6 engine of the base was acceptable in our eyes. Plus it was proven and reliable, so I could maintain it myself without too much worry. In just the first few days of ownership I swapped out the OEM corner lights for a set of clear versions with chrome coated amber bulbs, replaced the OEM transfer case fluid with Ravenol, and ordered the necessary items to change the oil, oil filter, spark plugs, and air filter. Future mods will include tint, larger diameter dark wheels, and perhaps a red finish added to the famous Porsche calipers.
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Matticus913504.00 lab_rat395.50 |
05-30-2017, 05:21 AM | #150 |
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Congrats on the Cayenne. Looks like a nice vehicle with room for the growth of a future expanding family. Time to get to work!
Plus, you can still have some fun it. After all, it is a Porsche! |
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05-30-2017, 09:00 AM | #151 |
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The lip is an eBay special. It fit decently on mock up, but looks great when everything was secured with small self tapping screws. While the paint I used is not holding up so well, the lip itself looks brand new. The drop provided by the Eibach Pro-Kit springs and the front lip was not drastic enough to create any clearance issues. In fact, I haven't even scraped the bottom on anything as far as I know. This gives me great hope for this lip's life expectancy.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/371708063537 The wheels are pretty common around here -- Apex ARC-8 wheels in the anthracite finish. Fronts are 18x8.5 ET45 and rears are 18x9.5 ET58. Wheels are wrapped in a set of 235/265 Hankook V12s with no rubbing dropped on Eibach Pro-Kit springs and Koni shocks. I appreciate that! This vehicle should be great for us, and still provide me some fun with the ability to tinker, maintain, and customize. The 3.6-liter VR6 engine, the silky eight-speed Tiptronic transmission, the big brakes, and all the bells and whistles make this one of the funnest SUVs I've been in. While I never thought a Cayenne would be the first Porsche I'd own, I can completely understand what all the hype is about -- especially when it comes to the upper tier P-cars. |
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05-30-2017, 12:58 PM | #152 |
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Loving the new daily man. That's a lot of buttons in the center console though haha are you worried about maintenance at all?
Also 100% agree on the larger, dark colored wheel idea. The wheels are the only thing holding back it's appearance IMO.
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05-30-2017, 04:54 PM | #153 |
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congrats on the new daily! Now you have more of an excuse for making the 1er a racecar (GC turbos!)
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05-31-2017, 10:36 AM | #154 | ||
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I quickly found out the transfer cases can be a problem on all 958 builds -- Base V6 models, S V8 models, as well as the TT. At varying mileages and under varying circumstances the transfer case fluid can become comprised and not allow the clutches inside the transfer case to work properly. This causes a hesitation similar to a misfire under certain acceleration circumstances in 3rd and 4th gears mostly. Some others mention cracking noises under full lock turning at low speeds. Porsche considers the fluid inside their transfer cases as worthy of a lifetime rating, but the community has realized that if problems arise, a simple fluid change usually solves any hesitation problems caused by the transfer case. Porsche wants to replace the whole system every time it starts acting up instead of changing the fluid. When I went to drive the Cayenne I ended up buying, the car ran flawlessly for the first 15-20 minutes of our test drive, but then I was able to feel the transfer case "slipping" as others had described. While I wasn't getting the cracking sounds, I was able to replicate the issue over and over again in front of the salesman. Because everything I had read indicated a simple fluid flush at a cost of about $20 would solve my issues, I decided to go ahead with the purchase and negotiate in a heavy discount once I pointed out the problem and called Porsche to see about repair costs. I already had a fresh bottle of Ravenol transfer case fluid, the forum consensus replacement fluid, waiting when I pulled the car back at home after purchasing. I didn't even have to jack the car up to complete the fluid change. I just climbed under the car with my 5mm hex key, removed the top fill bolt, removed the bottom drain bolt, and allowed the nasty smelling dark liquid with bits of clutch particles to come rushing out into a drain pan I had. In less than 15 minutes the job was complete and a long test drive confirmed that the fluid change had made the transfer case silky smooth again. I'll be changing the oil for the first time on the Cayenne within the next week or so and I'll be changing the transfer case fluid again to get all the original fluid out of the system that may have been trapped in the pump and crevices of the case. All in all, I saved about $2,000 off our previous negotiated price and solved the problem with a $20 bottle of fluid. Knowing the fluid will break down again with time and mileage, I will be changing this every other oil change as added insurance. I'll keep everyone updated, but hopefully looking at a headache-free experience with my first pig! Quote:
Have you gotten around to tapping that manifold with a bigger vacuum port? I haven't seen anyone add a dedicated vacuum source for any of the HKS BOVs, but I'm not sure why it would be any less important than with the Tial. Everything I read indicated that bigger vacuum source was a good idea. I ordered all the supplies off Amazon if you're interested:
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