Noob M30B35 Build

E28 technical advice asked and given! Troubleshooting, modifications and more.
Post Reply
tig
Posts: 9292
Joined: Mar 18, 2013 6:25 PM
Location: Durango
Contact:

Post by tig »

Going through all my parts to get stuff sent off for powder coating and plating.

I discovered the B35 didn't come with a fuel rail. I knew the injectors were missing, but since I'd never taken apart a motor before I had no idea the fuel rail was missing when I took it apart.

The B34 donor motor has a good fuel rail. I searched and it appears the B35 and B34 rails are the same other than the B34 rail having 4 mounting points. I test fitted the B34 rail on my B35 intake and it seems fine.

Image

Am I really ok? Just trying to double check everything.
tig
Posts: 9292
Joined: Mar 18, 2013 6:25 PM
Location: Durango
Contact:

Post by tig »

Another question:

Remember: I'm going with a B34 block, but started with a B35 block.

It seems the oil filter housing for the B35 is better. Will it work on the B34 block?
tig
Posts: 9292
Joined: Mar 18, 2013 6:25 PM
Location: Durango
Contact:

Post by tig »

Ready for powder coating...

Image

Valve cover will be black (crinkly) with lines & BMW polished. Fuel rail will be black. Everything else will be aluminum.

Note extra pullys. Off the B34. Might as well; maybe someone will want to buy them.

And plating...

Image

Everything will be yellow/zinc.

This is actually everything from the B35 and B34 donor motors. For this amount of stuff the place I'm using charges the same so might as well. Before tossing it all together I carefully took pictures of each of my labeled zip-locks with the fasteners that went together all neatly laid out.

For example:
Image

It'll still be a challenge figuring out what each fastener is for, but at least I'll have a reasonable reference.
Last edited by tig on Nov 06, 2013 11:52 PM, edited 1 time in total.
wkohler
Posts: 50924
Joined: Oct 05, 2006 11:04 PM
Location: Phönix, Arizona, USA
Contact:

Post by wkohler »

The B35 filter housing *seems* better. I never saw anything wrong with the earlier style, but apparently there are some people who can't keep liquid in a cup.

I've never seen anyone explain this better than this:
Shawn D. wrote:If you don't like the oil in the filter housing draining out, then go for it!

The B34 doesn't have the drainback passage that the B35 does, so if you put a B35 housing on a B34, the housing will remain full of oil when you change the filter.
Now for our listeners at home, some might ask, "Well whaddya do if'm ya wanna put one o' dem der B34 housins on dat der B35 block?"

There's a passage in the B35 that needs to be plugged. It's already tapped and just requires insertion of a DIN 908 screw plug (M10x1). It tightens and seals. If you absolutely have to have BMW parts, you want 11 12 7 539 543.

That's a good idea on how to keep the parts identified. I've got a ton of fasteners that I'm going to send in for yeller cad and I am afraid to send stuff in off of a car for fear of losing it.
tig
Posts: 9292
Joined: Mar 18, 2013 6:25 PM
Location: Durango
Contact:

Post by tig »

Thanks Chris. I guess I can take the b35 assembly out of the powder coat pile. The b34 assembly I have will clean up nice with the soda blaster so no need to powder coat it.
tig
Posts: 9292
Joined: Mar 18, 2013 6:25 PM
Location: Durango
Contact:

Post by tig »

You'll note in the photo above that there's a B34 harmonic balancer but no B35. Why?

Well, as I was falling asleep last night I wondered the same thing. Fortunately I convinced myself it had to be SOMEWHERE and was able to fall asleep.

This morning I searched the garage and could not find it. What. The. Eff?

I checked the photos of the motor and verified that, yes, it was on there when we bought it.

Then I noticed my parts washer in the corner of the garage...

At least it's clean.
Mike W.
Posts: 27207
Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM
Location: California Whine Country

Post by Mike W. »

wkohler wrote:The B35 filter housing *seems* better. I never saw anything wrong with the earlier style, but apparently there are some people who can't keep liquid in a cup.
Anyone who has trouble with the E28 era oil filter needs, just once, to change the filter in an early M30, say pre 77 or so with the bottom bolt steel canister and a spring you had to compress while lying on your back. Once with that and they would never again complain about the E28 type.
tig
Posts: 9292
Joined: Mar 18, 2013 6:25 PM
Location: Durango
Contact:

Post by tig »

This is why I'm loving this project so much:

I dropped by the machinist this eve to get him some rocker parts and I was telling him about losing the harmonic balancer in my parts washer. He said "oh, you don't want to powder coat that...it has rubber in it."

I'm not afraid to admit I'm a noob and maybe it is obvious to everyone that a harmonic balancer works via the rubber dampening the harmonics in the crankshaft, but I simply hadn't really thought about it. Makes total sense now.

If you had asked me to speculate how one worked before I would have suggested it was simply a rotating mass on the "free" end of the engine and that was enough to dampen vibrations. Hence my not noticing/realizing they have rubber in them.

So, no powder coating for the harmonic balancer...ill just clean it up in the media blaster, masking off the rubber bushing, and spray paint it.

anything else super obvious about these things that I'm missing?
tig
Posts: 9292
Joined: Mar 18, 2013 6:25 PM
Location: Durango
Contact:

Post by tig »

Just a little pr0n from my visit to the machinist today. The bottom end is done. The top end will be done tomorrow.

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image
wkohler
Posts: 50924
Joined: Oct 05, 2006 11:04 PM
Location: Phönix, Arizona, USA
Contact:

Post by wkohler »

Looks nice!

BTW, you might want to take those hose clamps out of your plating pile. They're stainless and aren't supposed to be cad or zinc plated or whatever.
tig
Posts: 9292
Joined: Mar 18, 2013 6:25 PM
Location: Durango
Contact:

Post by tig »

wkohler wrote:Looks nice!

BTW, you might want to take those hose clamps out of your plating pile. They're stainless and aren't supposed to be cad or zinc plated or whatever.
Thanks. Just sent a mail to the plater asking him to take those out. Appreciate the head's up.
tig
Posts: 9292
Joined: Mar 18, 2013 6:25 PM
Location: Durango
Contact:

Post by tig »

I have not bought a head gasket or new head bolts yet.

Recommendations?
wkohler
Posts: 50924
Joined: Oct 05, 2006 11:04 PM
Location: Phönix, Arizona, USA
Contact:

Post by wkohler »

Stock head bolts and an Elring headgasket. Buy the Victor Reinz kit for everything else, but you will have to buy the exhaust gaskets with the heat shields separately. The kit comes with just standard gaskets for some reason. I guess they're assuming we all have thermal reactors or something.
tig
Posts: 9292
Joined: Mar 18, 2013 6:25 PM
Location: Durango
Contact:

Post by tig »

Everything is home, except the flywheel which has been balanced but the machinist forgot to surface it.

Image

Image

Image

Need to transplant the heater outlet from the donor B34 head onto the B35 head after cleaning it up.

Image

:banana:
tig
Posts: 9292
Joined: Mar 18, 2013 6:25 PM
Location: Durango
Contact:

Post by tig »

wkohler wrote:Stock head bolts and an Elring headgasket. Buy the Victor Reinz kit for everything else, but you will have to buy the exhaust gaskets with the heat shields separately. The kit comes with just standard gaskets for some reason. I guess they're assuming we all have thermal reactors or something.
Why the Elring headgasket over the Victor? I searched and found other threads where others said Elring, but nobody said why. Totally willing to follow the advice, but would like to know if it's just a quality thing or some sort of specific failure.

Pelican sells a kit with all gaskets and heat shields but includes the Victor Reinz. $96.

The Elring headgasket is $61. I wonder if I can get them to swap it out of the kit? I'll call them monday.

I was creating an inventory of all the gaskets I need and it was nice to see those kits. But I wish I could tell what all was the kit; the picture doesn't really help. Anyone have a list?

http://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/sma ... 059238-M17
tig
Posts: 9292
Joined: Mar 18, 2013 6:25 PM
Location: Durango
Contact:

Post by tig »

Acquired another harness. This one from an E34. It is in far better shape than the original E32 harness and will give me a lot more confidence.

Image

Image
tig
Posts: 9292
Joined: Mar 18, 2013 6:25 PM
Location: Durango
Contact:

Post by tig »

Powder coating complete.

Image

Image
(note I did all the pullys from both engines; figure maybe others can use them)

Image

This B35 oil filter housing is for sale. I am using a B34 housing.
Image

I found my B35 fuel rail and got it to the poweder coater in time. It was buried in a box. B35 on top. B34 on bottom. I'll sell the B34 one...
Image

I have no idea what that black sheet metal piece is for. It was off of the E32 donor. I can't find it on any parts diagram. Anyone know what it is?

This was not powder coated. I media blasted it and painted it myself. Finish is slightly different than pullys but, really?
Image
tig
Posts: 9292
Joined: Mar 18, 2013 6:25 PM
Location: Durango
Contact:

Post by tig »

Heh. Now assembly can finally begin. Will get started sometime next week...

Image
Cooperman
Posts: 902
Joined: Apr 17, 2009 11:21 PM
Location: Fayetteville, AR

Post by Cooperman »

Loving this thread. :clap:
slammin_e28
Posts: 6135
Joined: Aug 05, 2007 4:57 PM
Location: 24477

Post by slammin_e28 »

Oh myyyy.

Cannot wait to see it assembled!

Loving the fasteners.....never thought I would either, lol.
bwalvoord
Posts: 5
Joined: Nov 24, 2013 12:26 PM
Location: Greenville, SC

Same song different verse

Post by bwalvoord »

Per Paul's recommendation, I'm building the same engine for my E9. Can't wait for updates.
BuzzBomb
Posts: 1672
Joined: Aug 21, 2011 12:14 AM
Location: SoCal

Post by BuzzBomb »

cek wrote:Acquired another harness. This one from an E34. It is in far better shape than the original E32 harness and will give me a lot more confidence.

Image

Image
A quick question:
Are you going to mount the ECU in the engine compartment by the battery or are you going to run all the wiring for the fuse box back through the firewall?
Either are not so good ideas. Get an SETA or '89 635 harness to save you a lot of work, since you'll be doing a lot of harness unraveling with an e34 version.
BuzzBomb
Posts: 1672
Joined: Aug 21, 2011 12:14 AM
Location: SoCal

Post by BuzzBomb »

ahab wrote:
cek wrote:Are the accessory mounts (e.g. for A/C, PS, Alternator) the same between the B34 and B35 blocks?
No, the mounting points on the B35 oil pan for the power steering pump and alternator bracket stuff is different. The alternator may work (can't remember) but the PS pump and bracket are wider on the B35. AC side is the same.
No exactly correct. 5 and 7 series B35 bracketry is different, while the 6 series B35 is the same as B34.
kzolee
Posts: 346
Joined: Jan 12, 2011 5:10 AM
Location: Hungary
Contact:

Post by kzolee »

BuzzBomb wrote: A quick question:
Are you going to mount the ECU in the engine compartment by the battery or are you going to run all the wiring for the fuse box back through the firewall?
Either are not so good ideas. Get an SETA or '89 635 harness to save you a lot of work, since you'll be doing a lot of harness unraveling with an e34 version.
I mounted it right in the glovebox where the original ECU was, the E32 harness is long enough.

It can be done.
wkohler
Posts: 50924
Joined: Oct 05, 2006 11:04 PM
Location: Phönix, Arizona, USA
Contact:

Post by wkohler »

There is plenty of length in that harness and the best thing is to take it all apart, run the wires where they need to go, tie out what isn't needed and re-wrap. Cleanest install.
tig
Posts: 9292
Joined: Mar 18, 2013 6:25 PM
Location: Durango
Contact:

Post by tig »

wkohler wrote:There is plenty of length in that harness and the best thing is to take it all apart, run the wires where they need to go, tie out what isn't needed and re-wrap. Cleanest install.
This is the plan. I've started taking it apart, but got sidetracked by Maytag. Now that Maytag apparently needs no more love, I can start back on this project.
BuzzBomb
Posts: 1672
Joined: Aug 21, 2011 12:14 AM
Location: SoCal

Post by BuzzBomb »

wkohler wrote:There is plenty of length in that harness and the best thing is to take it all apart, run the wires where they need to go, tie out what isn't needed and re-wrap. Cleanest install.
I hugely disagree. I'm using the harness from an '89 635 and everything is exactly where it should be for an w28, including the correct firewall grommet. This is by far, the cleanest install.
wkohler
Posts: 50924
Joined: Oct 05, 2006 11:04 PM
Location: Phönix, Arizona, USA
Contact:

Post by wkohler »

I strenuously object.

What the fuck does it matter? He doesn't have an E24 harness. He's got the E34 harness. The cleanest way to install the E34 harness is to do what I said. It reaches in the car and its fine. Besides, the E24 harness still has the round C101 so you have to make an adapter harness or adapt an E28 C101. If I was going to do this myself, which I never, ever will, I'd use the E24 one.

Seriously, if I said BMW made the E28, you'd say I was wrong.
BuzzBomb
Posts: 1672
Joined: Aug 21, 2011 12:14 AM
Location: SoCal

Post by BuzzBomb »

wkohler wrote:I strenuously object.

What the fuck does it matter? He doesn't have an E24 harness. He's got the E34 harness. The cleanest way to install the E34 harness is to do what I said. It reaches in the car and its fine. Besides, the E24 harness still has the round C101 so you have to make an adapter harness or adapt an E28 C101. If I was going to do this myself, which I never, ever will, I'd use the E24 one.

Seriously, if I said BMW made the E28, you'd say I was wrong.
Grow up Kohler. You act like the earth would spin off its axis if anyone disagreed with you. I didn't call you an asshole or any thing, I just disagreed. People are allowed a different opinion. Deal with it.
wkohler
Posts: 50924
Joined: Oct 05, 2006 11:04 PM
Location: Phönix, Arizona, USA
Contact:

Post by wkohler »

That's funny.
Post Reply