Bimmer-Bob's 128i Belated Build Thread

[asbrr]

Originally Posted by Zombie_Head

Just an update regarding the gauges. I spoke with a shop that specializes in modifying gauges for BMWs, and i explained to them the lack of having an oil temperature gauge in the 125i.

They informed me that the 130i and 135i gauges (the ones with an oil temperature gauge) are a direct replacement, however the cluster needs to be coded. They offered me a €80 coding charge to have this done, used gauges work as well (does not have to be brand new).

Keep us posted on this....sounds intriguing!

[Zombie_Head]

Originally Posted by asbrr

Keep us posted on this....sounds intriguing!

You can always install/purchase the BMW M Performance digital steering wheel, it will include a lot more and has a small mini display for water and oil, as well as shift lights. However that wheel costs an expensive €1,099 as of today.

Personally i want a needle and a gauge so i can quickly take a look at the position, instead of looking for a few seconds to read digital numbers.

Brand new the gauge clusters go for €595 from the dealership, add another €80 to have it coded, still cheaper (nearly half) of the wheel.

Lots of used ones for sale, however they are for diesel versions or similar to the 125i, meaning no oil temperature gauge.

[gotcha43]

it will work fine.
I ran a 135/130i cluster in my 125i with oil temp.

Now, i'm running an M3 cluster with also oil temp.
These clusters are not that pricey.
But however it has to be coded for your car to work properly with right mileage.

[Zombie_Head]

Originally Posted by gotcha43

it will work fine.
I ran a 135/130i cluster in my 125i with oil temp.

Now, i'm running an M3 cluster with also oil temp.
These clusters are not that pricey.
But however it has to be coded for your car to work properly with right mileage.

There is a very nice and clean 125i for sale that i will go see tomorrow.

The current owner is very friendly with me and answered all my questions.

It is a 4 hour drive from where i live in Bavaria, and i just joined the 1er.de forums (saw a lot of used parts requests there, will come in handy ^^).

But thank you for confirming this.

[Bimmer-Bob]

Originally Posted by gotcha43

it will work fine.
I ran a 135/130i cluster in my 125i with oil temp.

Now, i'm running an M3 cluster with also oil temp.
These clusters are not that pricey.
But however it has to be coded for your car to work properly with right mileage.

Do you know what coding needs to be done, exactly? I'm okay with NCSExpert, if that's all it takes...

[gotcha43]

No, I don't...
A Friend of Mine did the coding...

[gixracer]

After looking at it, the coding involves chip removal just like some of the older e46 models. I'm actually kicking myself for selling a set of 135 gauges that I had

There were a couple of people in Cali that were doing it but one of them was kicked off E90post and the others are hiding around someplace. I there is someone I would hope to find them and get a 135 cluster done.

[Zombie_Head]

Originally Posted by gotcha43

it will work fine.
I ran a 135/130i cluster in my 125i with oil temp.

Now, i'm running an M3 cluster with also oil temp.
These clusters are not that pricey.
But however it has to be coded for your car to work properly with right mileage.

I can not seem to find any 130i/135i kombi gauges on ebay, any tips where i can find used ones for sale?

As i mentioned, i found a shop that can do the coding, its finding the cluster that is hard to come by (for me at least).

[RyanDavies]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-E82-E88...VYF1FY&vxp=mtr

Lots exist it seems.

[Zombie_Head]

Originally Posted by RyanDavies

https://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-E82-E88...VYF1FY&vxp=mtr

Lots exist it seems.

That is in the US not in Germany.

[gotcha43]

Originally Posted by Zombie_Head

I can not seem to find any 130i/135i kombi gauges on ebay, any tips where i can find used ones for sale?

As i mentioned, i found a shop that can do the coding, its finding the cluster that is hard to come by (for me at least).

https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-...39832-223-2910

or 1M Cluster:
https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-...18352-223-2910


With a lil' bit of sanding, the e9x Cluster will also fit.

Like this:
https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-...69949-223-2910
or this:
https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-...73063-223-2910

[Zombie_Head]

Originally Posted by gotcha43

https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-...39832-223-2910

or 1M Cluster:
https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-...18352-223-2910


With a lil' bit of sanding, the e9x Cluster will also fit.

Like this:
https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-...69949-223-2910
or this:
https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-...73063-223-2910

Danke schon!!

[Ric in RVA]

JB4 does gauge hijacking. Laying another gauge on the existing gauge.

So you could use the fuel gauge as a temp gauge on command.

I bet that part of the coding would transfer over.

Still not like having a suite of instruments.

I'd use torque pro and an OBD bluetooth and set up a gauge display.

[Suhb]

Kind of on-topic. I read in the N52 pdf doc that the oil level sensor is activated after 60 celcius which isn't fully up to temp. I thought it only gave a read out on operating temp.

[Bimmer-Bob]

Maintenance time.

So, I've been coming due for a coolant flush, and recently I've also become sort of preoccupied with the idea of changing out my drive belt and pulleys, because of the risk of pretty catastrophic consequences in case of belt failure. So I started collecting parts and waiting for a good time, which finally came around this past weekend. I opted for a Continental belt and INA tensioner and idler pulley.

Of course, I can barely start a job without realizing I should also be doing x, y, or z, or that I'm missing some essential tool or random fastener or other minor part, right? I guess one of the good things about working on your own car is that you notice things, hopefully before something bad happens. This time around, I barely had the intake off the car when I started noticing some oil residue on the front of the engine - not much, but more than zero. I worried for a second that my relatively new VCG was leaking, but realized quickly that it was probably coming from the OFHG instead, which was a repair that I knew was coming one day. Ironically, it's this very failure that I think leads ultimately to drive belt failure - and as I thought about it, it really didn't make any sense to replace the belt and pulleys without also replacing the OFHG.

I noticed oil all over the front of the tensioner, and once I got the belt off, I found that the idler puller was spinning freely, with almost no resistance. When I got the pulleys off, I found oil residue caked all over the engine-facing sides.

So I decided to break for a few days and planned on incorporating the OFHG replacement into the job. Now, I don't mind spending money on maintenance too much (it sure beats spending money on repairs!), but what I like spending money on even more is upgrades. I had thought long ago about upgrading to the OE oil cooler found on the high-output N52s, which is incorporated into the oil filter housing. I figured I might do it one day, but it was relegated to the back burner. However - now seemed like an excellent time to consider it - especially since I was also draining coolant. It seemed like a no brainer, and then I found the required oil filter housing on sale! The part required is a little over $300 (just the housing, not counting all the additional parts you need to make it work). Anyway, the part has gone through several revisions, and ECS had a limited quantity sale on a housing that they had listed under one of the old part numbers, and it was nearly $100 cheaper than the current part number. So I decided to pull the trigger (and, as it turns out, when the part arrived it was labelled with the new part number! Go figure).

So, the new OE oil filter housing arrived with new gaskets installed, as well as a new oil filter and cap. I also ordered a Nissens heat exchanger, a Rein oil pressure switch, an OE cover for the heat exchanger, and a Rein hose that connects the heat exchanger to the engine coolant supply pipe. Speaking of which, I had to order a new OE engine coolant supply pipe, because mine did not have a barb for fitting the aforementioned hose, as well as various OE hose clamps and fasteners.

EDIT: If I were to do this over again, I would probably spring for the OE hose that runs between the heat exchanger and coolant supply pipe. The barb on the coolant supply pipe has an alignment pin for the hose - the OE hose has a notch to accommodate this pin, the Rein hose does not. The OE hose also has guide marks for where exactly to place the hose clamps - not strictly necessary, but kind of a nice touch. Of course, at the time of this writing the OE hose was a little over $50, while the Rein hose was only about $15.

Funny enough, one thing led to another once again. When I was underneath the car surveying parts, I noticed a coolant leak at the engine block, where the coolant supply pipe coming from the water pump connects. So it was a good thing I was replacing this part, for more reasons than one.

Next I decided to drain the coolant, and I noticed when I uncapped the overflow reservoir that the level was quite low - not past the MIN mark, but well below MAX. Then I drained the radiator, and then I discovered how annoying it is that our cars don't have a block drain as well. The official method for draining the block is to disconnect a hose from the thermostat, which is totally stupid and resulted in a huge mess. Oh well. Incidentally, at this time I also replaced the radiator drain plug and overflow reservoir bleeder screw with billet aluminum pieces from ECS.

With the coolant drained, I was able to get everything taken apart and put back together again without too much difficulty. There were a few times when it seemed like I was once again using every extension and U-joint adapter in a ridiculous combination in order to barely reach some fastener, but I suppose that is just a function of modern engine design. I seriously wonder what the factory-trained techs are doing in some of these occasions - do they just remove more parts to get better access?

I thought long and hard about replacing the water pump and thermostat at this point. I mean, I was as close as I was gonna get, and from what I've heard, it's just a matter of time until they fail. But to be honest, they still seemed like a PITA to get to, and I really didn't want to spend an extra $300-400 just to be thorough, when I had no real indication of impending failure.

I then mixed up some OE coolant with distilled water and Red Line Water Wetter, and used the Schwaben coolant vacuum fill tool to refill the cooling system. This thing is pretty sweet, fills the system super fast, and supposedly without leaving any air pockets behind. Of course, I also ran the electric pump self-bleeding procedure, which is pretty cool as well. The Schwaben tool also lets you check for leaks, because if there are any, you shouldn't be able to hold a vacuum when you disconnect the air compressor.

I also took the opportunity to replace my Bosch AGM battery. It's only a couple of years old, but it died anyway, and was replaced under warranty.

Got everything back together and took her for a shake down cruise, and all is well. Taking her down to the dealer next week to finally have the air bag recall done.

Engine bay is looking pretty sweet - it's crazy how tight it is, though. I wanted to remove the plastic cover to show detail of the heat exchanger, but it can't be removed without removing the intake first, which isn't going to happen right now, lol. Oh well.

[Taskmaster]

Originally Posted by Suhb

Kind of on-topic. I read in the N52 pdf doc that the oil level sensor is activated after 60 celcius which isn't fully up to temp. I thought it only gave a read out on operating temp.

??
The level sensor will tell you the oil level - but it's not the same as the temp sensor. I think all E92s have a oil temp gauge in place of the MPG gauge, mine does at least.

[chris_flies]

Originally Posted by Taskmaster

??
The level sensor will tell you the oil level - but it's not the same as the temp sensor. I think all E92s have a oil temp gauge in place of the MPG gauge, mine does at least.

The three oil-related sensors I know of are (along with diagrams):

1) The oil pressure switch, located on the OFH (the screw-in one, near the intake manifold). Basically closes the circuit when oil pressure is way too high or way too low, triggering a CEL. http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/show...53#12618611273

2) The oil/water temperature sensor located on the cylinder head by the OFH. Dual purpose for both oil and water, no idea why. It's just what RealOEM has it as. http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/show...36#13621433076

3) The oil level sensor, located at the bottom of the oil pan. Manual says that you have to drive for at least 5 minutes (presumably to get the oil to temp, almost). http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/show...94#12617607910

Not saying much here, just shot-gunning info into the world...

I fitted a 135i cluster into my 128i for the oil temp sensor. Swapped the EEPROM, programmed the temp display (defaults to MPG meter), and then spliced the gauge face for the 128i's tach and the 135i temp face together. Now I have an accurate and convenient oil temp readout at all times. Never crested 240F at my last track days in 90F ambient temps with the high-load N52 oil cooler, too, which is good (well, better than stock).

[Bimmer-Bob]

Originally Posted by chris_flies

I fitted a 135i cluster into my 128i for the oil temp sensor. Swapped the EEPROM, programmed the temp display (defaults to MPG meter), and then spliced the gauge face for the 128i's tach and the 135i temp face together. Now I have an accurate and convenient oil temp readout at all times. Never crested 240F at my last track days in 90F ambient temps with the high-load N52 oil cooler, too, which is good (well, better than stock).

Have any more info on this? Like a write up? Or you can PM me some details, if you don't mind. I hate not have an oil temp gauge in the cluster, especially since there's just a blank space where there could be actually useful information.

[hassmaschine]

Originally Posted by Taskmaster

??
The level sensor will tell you the oil level - but it's not the same as the temp sensor. I think all E92s have a oil temp gauge in place of the MPG gauge, mine does at least.

Its the same sensor. It measures level, oil quality, and temperature.

In fact, the clusters are the same too. You dont need to swap the whole cluster - you could swap just the face and recode it to display oil temp instead of MPG.

[Bimmer-Bob]

Originally Posted by hassmaschine

Its the same sensor. It measures level, oil quality, and temperature.

In fact, the clusters are the same too. You dont need to swap the whole cluster - you could swap just the face and recode it to display oil temp instead of MPG.

The 128i gauges don't even display MPG like the 328i gauges do - that space on the lower left is just completely blank on our cars.

[gixracer]

I have been tempted to get a 135 cluster and get it coded just for the temp gauge. Another thing that was temping was to add an oil cooler for extra heat displacement. After Mid Ohio with 80+ temp and high humidity and no limp mode issues I decided to sell my oil cooler set up.

[mzollo93]

that's interesting, my 09 128 has a ton of stuff displayed in the bottom left.. must be an option?