Mini Project, E46 328CI
 

Hey everybody, my name is Ajith, I'm new to this forum but I thought I'd start a little write up as I go through this project so I could get some insights with the work I'm doing to the car.

So the project I'm undergoing is a 2000 E46 328CI that I got from my brother for free just because it needed a lot of work and he couldn't sell it for a decent price even if he sold it to a blind guy.

So lets start out with the good

GOOD
-Body has zero rust
-Motor has low km
-Interior has no rips or cuts

now lets get to the bad

BAD
-Motor runs rough
-coolant leaks at the expansion tank
-oil leaks everywhere!
-VANOS rattle
-All four ABS speed sensors gone
-Tires are way past 0/32...
-Front bumper has damage
-Hood dented in a tiny bit, so kidney grills don't fit properly...

basically a lot of f***ed up stuff. fcplm

https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.n...04430141_n.jpg

quite the light show...

https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.n...39229211_n.jpg

Here you can see the front bumper damage and the hood damage.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.n...39142009_n.jpg

and now the cars tucked away until parts start coming through.

I'll keep updating as I work on the car!

Wow lots of work! Love the colour and the body tho! Those things are important lol

Before you do ANYTHING to this motor, get it checked firts! NO point of fixing oil leaks if you end up replacing the engine two weeks later! Since you got the car for free, you can just get a good running engine and replace ALL the seals before droping it in, along with the cooling system. This will give you YEARS of trouble free enjoyment. *wave*

I know the motors fine, I work part time for nissan and I got some techs just to help me out and check the car out for me, motor is in good shape, thank god the car was topped up every now and then by my brother. This build is going to be fun *th-up*

Some parts have come in !
 

Water pump, expansion tank, valve cover gasket, vanos unit gasket, double vanos seal kit, and four abs speed sensors, Just waiting on my CCV and oil lines cause I'm sure they are all on the verge of cracking and probably will crack when I pull em out *thmbsdwn*, Can't wait til my final exams done, finish up part one of my build!*rockout*

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.n...44671007_n.jpg

Feels like christmas :D

Nice! Looks like a fun winter to come...

If on;y I could get a free car like that, I'd be over the moon!

I love seeing cars with potential being rescued from the brink of becoming scrap. Looking forward to the restoration build!

Thanks TSI and dbworld4k,

and if anyone would be to add a little insight to whether or not shortened end links will be required if I get a set of HSD HR coilovers, I consider doing a 2 inch or more drop. I know the most educated thing to do would be to get adjustable end links but since I'm a student I'm trying to not spend unnecessary money until I'm done school. If anyone could share some light on my question I'd be very thankful!

Good luck, not that bad really , sounds like the crap we do day in and out. All stuff your bro neglected over the years but all very common things. A good mechanic could get that all taken care of in a couple days.

So its about time I finally got some work started, so before I did anything serious I needed to wash the exterior and clean up the inside of the car cause it was filthy, I got the exterior just about right just waiting to give it a nice polish and a nice coat of wax, but today I just planned on swapping the expansion tank and water pump.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.n...85167727_n.jpg

First I removed the air box, radiator things that would get in my way when I am replacing the expansion tank and radiator.

You can find straight forward diy's to take out the water pump but just make sure you have m6 bolts to help push out the water pump because it will be sealed in there tightly.

old vs new water pump

https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.n...18451299_n.jpg

Got so angry when my brother put coolant leak sealant through the expansion tank to "try and fix" the leaks, the stuff doesnt work, just leaves a big fat mess, definitely needa run a coolant flush to clear out the system.

Picture of the water pump housing
https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.n...65694203_n.jpg

So just put my new expansion tank beside the old one, really should change these things early if they are leaking, causes the biggest mess.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.n...52770180_n.jpg

And basically in removal of taking the water pump out I snapped one bolt, even with using a 1/4 ratchet and the slightest force, oh well, waiting til tomorrow to go by bmw and buy 4 new bolts.

Note to self: When working on this car, expect everything to go wrong.fcplm lmao

Ended up finishing this part of the project the day after I put up these pictures, and a note of advice, if you ever use coolant seal liquids or whatever, it can cause the water valve (heater valve) to jam up, I ended up cleaning that as well, blows hot air and running a little bit smoother.

Now my plans for February are rebuild the vanos, install my ccv, get my clutch replaced, and also I'm having a start up issue, I believe its fuel pump related because it will start for a split second then die out, and I can't hear the fuel pump going so I will diagnose that soon and hopefully it will only be a blown fuse if not then fcplm.

I also am trying out these coilovers that I've heard pretty good things about from the vw guys I know, solo werkes s1's, going to be ordered and installed in March-April and got a new set of rims, and some other little goodies. :)

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.n..._1773697_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.n...84073139_n.jpg

Why didn't he just replace the expansion tank?! It's relatively inexpensive... fcpalm

Good to see some progress being made.

Nice -- VMR wheels?

Yup got them for a steal, 18x8.5s et35 all around, I can't deal with staggered set ups for now, my pockets aren't that deep haha

They're pretty sweet regardless, I think I have the same in a silver finish....with some curb rash accents :p