One small step for DIY Man...

"ciscokidinsf" (ciscokidinsf) 12/16/2014 at 12:04 • Filed to: None

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...one huge step for DIY Mankind!

That's right - that's an E46 2002 BMW 330ci - WITH NO CODES OR WARNINGS! Only took about 3 months to get here DIY by DIY and all Autozone or used parts. (Budget is tight) This is my daily driver, so gotta take care of her.

Its a proper Jalop Bimmer with Stick and original OEM Nav (that can play my tapes! Glad I kept the best 30 or so with me for a couple of decades)

So, what did it took to get rid of all codes? They all happened one by one.

Problem: Oil pressure light would come up a few seconds after start, go away later.

Solution: Oil sensor needs replacement, but its on the bottom of oil pan, has to be empty to do the switch, so I waited until car was due for an oil change (1 month) and got the part at Autozone.

Problem: 'Brake' light (not brake pad light) would come up, car starts to ride weird

Solution: One tire had a very uneven spot of wear, seems like a tire-blister popped up, than then wore down, so I replaced tire with used but newish tire (tough budget) - 1 week to detect, 1 day to fix.

Problem: Brake pad light came up. (Right after the new tire)

Solution: New front brake pads and rotors. Got the parts at Autozone and did it with a buddy in an afternoon. (2 weeks)

Problem: 'Check Engine Soon' light came up, it used to get them occasionally and would go away for weeks, but now it didn't. It stayed around like a deadbeat brother in the holidays.

Solution: The usual 'Running too lean' codes -, Tried detecting for leaks (none) then I used up all gas in tank, used a couple of cleaner agents, good gas tank full. Reset the lights with ODB cable, light hasn't come back.

About $400 in a year of operations, so not bad at all. The 330 engine is flat out the most reliable of the 3-series. Coolant system is the weak spot of E46s, but it has behaved well so far.

Let's see how long we can stay clear.

bob and john > ciscokidinsf 12/16/2014 at 12:05

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The 330 V6 engine

-.-'

Cé hé sin > ciscokidinsf 12/16/2014 at 12:06

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"The 330 V6 engine is..."

You what?

Funktheduck > ciscokidinsf 12/16/2014 at 12:08

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v6?

ciscokidinsf > Cé hé sin 12/16/2014 at 12:12

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Fixed! Not a v6, a 6 cylinder I meant

ciscokidinsf > bob and john 12/16/2014 at 12:13

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Ya, I fixed.

ciscokidinsf > Funktheduck 12/16/2014 at 12:14

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fixed

Party-vi > ciscokidinsf 12/16/2014 at 12:20

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Hey that's not impressive I have a clear '02...

*looks at gauge cluster*

*Looks at bright orange Service Engine Soon light*

Fak.

Party-vi > ciscokidinsf 12/16/2014 at 12:22

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You need to spend $250 and get an M3 wheel. The difference is astounding.

ciscokidinsf > Party-vi 12/16/2014 at 12:24

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Hmmm, perchance when Tax refund time comes around.

Textured Soy Protein > ciscokidinsf 12/16/2014 at 12:29

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Its a proper Jalop Bimmer with Stick and original OEM Nav (that can play my tapes! Glad I kept the best 30 or so with me for a couple of decades)

Best use for a tape deck in the 21st century:

Party-vi > ciscokidinsf 12/16/2014 at 12:32

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It's the single best thing I've done to mine since I purchased it. Next will be a sprint booster or transmission software because the slushbox is slow-witted.

ciscokidinsf > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 12:36

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That depends... a generation ago we didn't have MP3's, so we had to do our mixes and playlists via tapes. But don't fear young fellow, Bimmer has an Iphone/Ipod integration done (with the old connector) and I carry an Ipod Touch with 8GB. Its connects via the CD changer and the controls work from steering wheel. But yeah, my tapes play in all their late 90's glory.

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > ciscokidinsf 12/16/2014 at 12:42

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Awesome. I had a car with over 200k miles some time back, and the engine light would never come on. Not good luck. It had been on so much, the bulb burnt out.

Textured Soy Protein > ciscokidinsf 12/16/2014 at 12:45

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Hey now, who you calling young fellow, pal?

I had many walkmen and discmen in my younger days.

I mostly skipped the ipod era—I was more of a download-and-burn CDs guy. I had a couple non-Apple MP3 players but never really got around to filling them up with more than a few playlists.

Now I'm all about Pandora & Spotify, which is why for the year that I had my old '99 Grand Cherokee winter beater/utility/road trip vehicle, I used a cheap $5 tape deck aux adapter to plug in my phone. I replaced it with an '05 Grand Cherokee which has neither a tape deck nor an aux jack. I've been buying and returning FM transmitters from Amazon until I find one that works decently.

One of these days I'll get around to ripping the mass quantities of CDs I bought in high school and college. I've been saying that for probably 10 years.

Schaefft > ciscokidinsf 12/16/2014 at 13:18

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Traction-control-off light should always be illuminated.

Well, I still need to replace the driver side front abs sensor, last time I tried the damn thing was seized and everything I could grab fell apart. I'll also have to do the front brakes at one point so everything will get done at the same time I hope.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 14:39

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The problem with those FM transmitters is that none will really be any good (at least the wireless ones). It has to do with transmitting on a dead frequency and the power of the transmitter, which just makes it difficult. I believe they have line-in fm transmitters that basically plug into the antennae slot directly. Those work a bit better but are still not ideal. My solution that I have used is to skip the head unit entirely and just directly wire in a 4-channel amplifier so that my phone becomes the head unit (didn't want to hack up the stock radio to put in something aftermarket).

Textured Soy Protein > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 12/16/2014 at 14:56

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It's just my winter car and I don't want to really modify any wiring if I can avoid it. I'm not expecting 100% perfect results, but my Amazon Prime membership lets me try out several and find one that works best for me.

First I got an Mpow Streambot Oval which died when I twisted the power plug in the lighter outlet.

I then got a VicTsing [Upgraded] Wireless In-Car Bluetooth FM Transmitter which works ok. I haven't quite gotten a static-free station, but 93.5 is working ok for now. When it turns on a lady with a Chinese accent says "the bluetooth is ready for pairing," and then "the bluetooth is successfully connected," when the phone connects to it.

Now I've ordered a GOgroove FlexSMART X2 Mini which is more expensive but has many more positive reviews.

I'm going to try the GoGroove out and keep either it or the VicTsing one depending on which works better for me.

Or maybe just keep trying some other ones.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 15:18

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Haha yeah, I guess I am just used to the 'wiring project' that ended up in my old car. So now just the one amp with "relatively" simple wiring seems like a cakewalk to me. But I find that stuff fun so its obviously not for everyone. I do wish automakers never stopped using tape decks, it would make life so much easier!

Textured Soy Protein > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 12/16/2014 at 15:23

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An aux jack, or ideally bluetooth audio streaming, would be lovely.

My '13 135is has bluetooth but only for phone calls, not audio streaming. But it also has an aux jack. If I'm listening to music through the aux jack and a call comes in, it flips over to bluetooth. I keep the aux cable plugged in.

My '05 Grand Cherokee also has bluetooth but only for phone calls, and no aux jack. So that's why I'm messing with these FM transmitters (and have avoided pairing my phone the car's build-in bluetooth).

Textured Soy Protein > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 12/16/2014 at 15:37

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Oh and if I do any wiring, it will be to add one of these aux input adapters to the factory stereo.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Textured Soy Protein 12/16/2014 at 15:45

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mmm yeah those PAC adapters are great for that. But my problem with that is if I am going to hack into the stereo and spend $100, I might as well just get a new head unit at that point. Bluetooth can be just as hairy as FM if not done right. There is a lot of interference going on in a car that wireless becomes patchy sometimes. But yeah I surely see the convenience! Amazon is great with returns so I am sure there must be an fm transmitter that is at least passable.

Textured Soy Protein > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 12/16/2014 at 16:19

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I prefer the PAC adapter over an aftermarket head unit, because the factory stereo is a weird shape, with knobs sticking out either side like this:

There are dash kits, but the end result looks like this:

Which, ehhhh, that just doesn't suit me so much.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Textured Soy Protein 12/17/2014 at 08:53

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Yeah that's pretty weird looking for that stereo. I think the factory/stock look is generally better on most cars anyways. It helps prevent theft to keep it looking stock. That GoGroove seems like your best bet. Amazon reviews have never let me down and it has a good 5000 or so!