With the record heat we are having, one of the things I am seeing a lot on the road are blown out tires. Very important to keep an eye on your air pressures in your tires to make sure they are properly inflated. Improperly inflated tires plus a lot of heat can end up leaving you on the side of the road. Picked up this BMW from a customer’s house after he complained of a bad thumping sound when driving. …
Last week we got Chumper finally finished. It has been a long road getting this car ready, but it finally came together. At least for a little while 🙂 After running the car at MAM to see what we had, we brought it home and starting finishing off the front half of the cage. Nascar style door bars make entry/exit very easy. We finished up a few odds and ends like the electrical system for the cool suit. And the …
29May2012
BMW Chump Car Chronicles Continued
Last week we took some time to get some progress made on the chumper. Got the new car 54 decals put on. And the bumpers pulled front and rear. Then I added some mesh to protect the radiator from debris. And we knocked out the back window as required by the rules, and got the brake lights working. No pictures, but this weekend Wes and Donavon got the rear hoop section of the rollbar fabbed up and installed. A lot …
07Apr2012
Thumper Carrier Bearing Repair
Had to do some daily driver repair the other day on Thumper. With 200k miles on it, it was starting to make a very loud thumping at low speeds upon acceleration. After some investigating, I found the drives haft carrier bearing had blown apart and needed replacement. Up on top of the exhaust and heat shield is the drive shaft. With the exhaust removed, and the heat shield out of the way, you can get to the 2 piece drive …
07Feb2012
BMW X5 Suspension and Oil Leak Repairs
Had this 150k mile X5 come in today with a few issues. The rear tires are wearing very unevenly, and we spotted the upper rear control arms having excessive play in the ball joints, so we will replace those tomorrow. Hard to see, but the upper rear arms are the issue. After pulling the lower pan, I discovered the oil pan was coated in oil. Not often a pan leaks in these cars, so I followed the leak upwards. Turns …
23Jan2012
530i 60k Service
Had this 530i come in for it’s 60k service today. Being an 04, it was time to get the fluids flushed and the filters changed. Step 1: Drain the oil. Step 2: Make big oil mess. Step 3: Drain the coolant and get fresh coolant in. Lifetime coolant? LOL But, we do replace with the proper BMW blue coolant. Then it was time for filters. The air filter here. And two pollen/cabin filters here. Notice the new and the old. …
18Jan2012
323i Throttle Body Completed
Finished up the 323i throttle body install the other day. Pretty straight forward going back together, except that we tossed the crappy old torn rubber intake boots in favor of new boots. New throttle body ready to go on. TB installed with new rubber intake boots. Since the car came in on a flat bed, I didn’t really know the condition of the car. Once it was running, it was discovered it had a large oil leak and a significant …
17Jan2012
BMW 323i EML and CEL Light
This poor little thing was towed in with an EML light and check engine light on. The EML light typically relates directly to the throttle body being bad (internal TPS sensors on this model), and the CEL revealed a list of about 9 codes ranging from secondary air injection problems to MAF sensors to cam sensors to O2 sensors. Yuck. But, to get it back on the road, the EML was the main issue, so I ordered in the new …
12Jan2012
BMW 325is Throttle Repair
This was a quick in and out project that came by the other day. Car lost all power and wouldn’t take throttle. Turns out the bushing in the gas pedal had rotted out and the cable slipped out of the lever. A new bushing and we were back in business. Driver under panel removed to get at the bushing. Hard to see, but the cable is just kind of flopping around in the hole. And the rotten bushing.
12Jan2012
Chump Car Cage Fabrication
Richard came by today to start the install of a roll cage for his future BMW chump car. With the benders, notchers, and welder out, the guys went right to work. Interior gutted and ready for the cage install. Wes bending steel by hand…….. Ok maybe he had some hydraulic help. The rear main hoop bent to shape and size. From there the diagonal bar was mocked up for the rear hoop and cut to fit. The tubing notcher in …