What have you done with or to your M3 today?

Was test fitting some spacers and got under to monitor my weeping DCT/thermostat o-ring and it is getting to the point where the fluid is blowing back and onto my exhaust pipes and rear diff. I can trace the fluid path from my transmission tray. My big decision is to try and DIY it on my back in the winter with the car up on quickjacks or just bite the bullet and bring it in. Not exactly sure how to get to the o-ring though and it had a full DCT service less than 10k miles ago😩

adam_s wrote

kolosy wrote

Got it a playmate!



Although I think it's time to admit that I have a BMW problem.

My wife has been complaining about my E92 M3 being 2 door. I should add an E60 M5, right? Obvious solution

I like the m5 addition a lot!!

spammysammich wrote

Was test fitting some spacers and got under to monitor my weeping DCT/thermostat o-ring and it is getting to the point where the fluid is blowing back and onto my exhaust pipes and rear diff. I can trace the fluid path from my transmission tray. My big decision is to try and DIY it on my back in the winter with the car up on quickjacks or just bite the bullet and bring it in. Not exactly sure how to get to the o-ring though and it had a full DCT service less than 10k miles ago😩

Here's the DIY thread for the DCT mechatronics loom harness O ring leak:

DIY: Fix the DCT Fluid Weeping Problem (Mechatronics Harness O-Ring) https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1697657

Not the same o-ring but thanks. #11 on line 12

Gassed up the M3, in prep for winter storage. Weather shifted drastically here. About two weeks ago and we were in high 70s (and smokey). Now it's sitting mid 40s, and about to dump 1.5 inches of rain on us tomorrow. Wish we got a proper fall this year. Haven't dumped in the fuel stabilizer in yet, hoping for one more nice weekend. I doubt we'll get it, though. Now I need it to stop raining, so I can wash the thing.

The CTT finally got a backroad run last weekend with the shift, for the first time in a few months. The pig is such a competent cruiser, you forget that it's a hoot on twisty roads. Old school laggy turbo power delivery (at least tuned), torque vectoring AWD and plenty of suspension travel. Like driving on overweight luxury rally car.

Soooooo I spent so much time concentrating on where I initially saw fluid coming from that I didn't check the mechatronics cover on the passenger side. That screw was backed off about a milimeter. I gave it 10 NM and checked the rest that I could reach. None of the others were loose and the lower pan was perfect with regard to fasteners.

To be frank the P/O said he didn't touch that cover during the full DCT service 10K ago so I didn't inspect it closely. I ran out of Brakekleen so I'll revisit this tomorrow and see if I've at least slowed down the weeping.

On a related note finding individual bottles of Pentosin ffl-4 has been kinda difficult. FCP are back ordered unless you buy a drain and flush kit. Had to resort to Amazon for a single bottle to top off.

spammysammich wrote

Soooooo I spent so much time concentrating on where I initially saw fluid coming from that I didn't check the mechatronics cover on the passenger side. That screw was backed off about a milimeter. I gave it 10 NM and checked the rest that I could reach. None of the others were loose and the lower pan was perfect with regard to fasteners.

To be frank the P/O said he didn't touch that cover during the full DCT service 10K ago so I didn't inspect it closely. I ran out of Brakekleen so I'll revisit this tomorrow and see if I've at least slowed down the weeping.

On a related note finding individual bottles of Pentosin ffl-4 has been kinda difficult. FCP are back ordered unless you buy a drain and flush kit. Had to resort to Amazon for a single bottle to top off.

Yeah the DCT is such a solid and special transmission but it sure does like to leak. Thankfully they're all fairly straightforward to address.

nothing special, washed my car after 1.5-2 months, corrosion prevention done cple weeks ago. Can't identify body rust, when suspension parts and axles show minor to medium corrosion. Aluminium surfaces, like gearbox, engine sump, steering gear has oxydation, not serious, just visual.

Today i see dry asphalt but winter times here are endless salt spraying. Awful.

Phone make indoor pictures with artificial lightning quite good but outdoors pictures are total crap. So i used my D40 after 5 years and dowloading nikon nx studio. Strange, i struggling with new software, when old capture nx worked smoothly.

Been without my car for 29 days.. got a new bumper, had them paint the side markers as well.
Also installed the Mashimaro GT4 lip today.
**edit to address fitment, I'd say it's 7/10. I am pre LCI so I guess that matters. But not bad for $500 lip.

Got her aligned today.

We're finally back on the road after a huge overhaul 🙌🏼

Had to go old school red neck to double check my work chasing down DCT leaks. Yes that's Gold Bond foot powder dusted all over my DCT case to show me leak paths. Not sure how but after only 15k miles since the PO did a full DCT service I'm getting weeping around the screws and possibly from the filter cap. I torqued all the screws down that I could get to a second time, drove it for a bit and it's clear I get to do a pan and gasket later. I'm only really bummed because of how expensive the fluid is, I knew I'd be doing at least a drain and fill at some point. I like to do them every 45k miles with my STI

spammysammich wrote

Had to go old school red neck to double check my work chasing down DCT leaks. Yes that's Gold Bond foot powder dusted all over my DCT case to show me leak paths. Not sure how but after only 15k miles since the PO did a full DCT service I'm getting weeping around the screws and possibly from the filter cap. I torqued all the screws down that I could get to a second time, drove it for a bit and it's clear I get to do a pan and gasket later. I'm only really bummed because of how expensive the fluid is, I knew I'd be doing at least a drain and fill at some point. I like to do them every 45k miles with my STI

Those pan bolts are single use stretch bolts. I wonder if PO didn't spring for new bolts or failed to torque them properly or both. You could try just replacing the bolts but you run the risk of having to buy them twice if it doesn't work. I use a 1/4" 0-20 Nm torque wrench with an analog visual readout. It can be hard to discern the subtle click of a similar 1/4" torque wrench at such a low setting, easy to go past and over tighten.

Torque settings: https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1330067


I did my fluid change myself following this Sal's Garage YouTube video below. I didn't measure fluid temp on the fill, just went by time and feel. You're just running it in idle until the fluid warms up and gets sent to the dct fluid cooler to drop the level in the transmission, giving you room to add the last 1.5 liters.

I went with Redline DCT fluid and was pretty happy with it. I think the oem is Pentosin so you can pick it up cheaper than from BMW. Here's the exact BMW part/fluid replacement thread: https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1343867

Installed Ohlins R&T up front. Missing a strut spacer for the rear so waiting on that.

Got it set about perfect. Left a little room for meatier tire. 6mm of preload and 20 turns from the cup bottomed out. ARC8 18x10 et25 with a 5mm spacer. Hankook v12's 275/35/18. If anyone wanted some specs.

Installed the new Turner Valved axle back and gave it a bath.

I also had a scary moment where my car slipped off the jack while raising it up by the rear subframe. Luckily it was still touching the ground and didn't fall too far. Unluckily, the jack cracked the trunk plastic floor. It's flex sealed now lol, but gonna have to replace that sooner than later, bad situation but I think I got off light.
Think a quick jack system is in my future, ain't doing this again.

Ajolives wrote

Installed the new Turner Valved axle back and gave it a bath.

I also had a scary moment where my car slipped off the jack while raising it up by the rear subframe. Luckily it was still touching the ground and didn't fall too far. Unluckily, the jack cracked the trunk plastic floor. It's flex sealed now lol, but gonna have to replace that sooner than later, bad situation but I think I got off light.
Think a quick jack system is in my future, ain't doing this again.

What kind of jack?! Always been a fear of mines it like fails once put up. I'm so ocd I put a spare used tire when possible …

Mimmer wrote

Ajolives wrote

Installed the new Turner Valved axle back and gave it a bath.

I also had a scary moment where my car slipped off the jack while raising it up by the rear subframe. Luckily it was still touching the ground and didn't fall too far. Unluckily, the jack cracked the trunk plastic floor. It's flex sealed now lol, but gonna have to replace that sooner than later, bad situation but I think I got off light.
Think a quick jack system is in my future, ain't doing this again.

What kind of jack?! Always been a fear of mines it like fails once put up. I'm so ocd I put a spare used tire when possible …

I have a low profile 3 ton Pittsburgh jack from harbor freight but not confident it was at fault, I think the car rolled forward a tad and I didn't notice. I was just lifting the rear to check my work after a test drive and didn't have the front wheels chocked well enough. Ended up just giving myself more work lol.

Did you have any sort of jack pad? I like to use a rubber block or hockey puck for that point so the subframe doesn't slip in the cradle. I was going to cut a shallow v into a chunk of 4x4 to keep round shapes in place and act as a jack pad for the cradle to bite into. Should provide enough grip to pull the jack along on smooth surfaces as it changes angle with height.

Ajolives wrote

Installed the new Turner Valved axle back and gave it a bath.

I also had a scary moment where my car slipped off the jack while raising it up by the rear subframe. Luckily it was still touching the ground and didn't fall too far. Unluckily, the jack cracked the trunk plastic floor. It's flex sealed now lol, but gonna have to replace that sooner than later, bad situation but I think I got off light.
Think a quick jack system is in my future, ain't doing this again.

This usually happens when the jack wheels can not roll on the ground. The jack needs to move while you are lifting the car. Look at this:

spammysammich wrote

Did you have any sort of jack pad? I like to use a rubber block or hockey puck for that point so the subframe doesn't slip in the cradle. I was going to cut a shallow v into a chunk of 4x4 to keep round shapes in place and act as a jack pad for the cradle to bite into. Should provide enough grip to pull the jack along on smooth surfaces as it changes angle with height.

I do the same thing, I have a 4x4 block between the jack and subframe to get me more height and stability. Heard the wood crack a little, which happens from time to time. So I shook it off, checked to make sure it was still square and gave it a couple more pumps. Heard another bigger crack from the wood and then I knew something was up. I started to let it down and as soon as I let out the pressure it slipped forward.

Next iteration will have a v like yours. Makes sense.

NiBe wrote

This usually happens when the jack wheels can not roll on the ground. The jack needs to move while you are lifting the car. Look at this:

Yeah that's happened a couple time before, the wheels will get caught in the relief cracks of the pavement. Jack was free to move about, i make sure every time. This case my car rolled forward with the fronts not chocked properly. My driveway also slopes down towards the street so it was a risky move regardless. I've gotten away with it before but not this time.

Also it is safer to lift the rear by diff rather than subframe. Subframe is rounded which is not optimal as a lifting point and you usually need to use something between jack and the subframe which makes things quite worse. Diff is a recommended lifting point by BMW. If you are worried that you will stress diff mounts then please note that the mounts are beaten much more while you drive as there are much higher forces than the weight of the rear of the car. But Don't lift it by the aluminium diff cooler (fins) but by the diff body.

NiBe wrote

Also it is safer to lift the rear by diff rather than subframe. Subframe is rounded which is not optimal as a lifting point and you usually need to use something between jack and the subframe which makes things quite worse. Diff is a recommended lifting point by BMW. If you are worried that you will stress diff mounts then please note that the mounts are beaten much more while you drive as there are much higher forces than the weight of the rear of the car. But Don't lift it by the aluminium diff cooler (fins) but by the diff body.

Lifting by the diff gives me "lifetime fluids" vibes haha. I'm sure it's safe I just can't convince myself it is