Hi all, I am the first owner of the car and meticulous on the maintenance. Like to get some real world expertise... Just a background - I have 48k on the car. All fluids including transmission & differential have been changed per Old School maintenance. I get about 20MPG with a mix of city and highway driving. Q1 - Is valve adjustment required at a certain mileage? My shop says that the valve do not need any adjustment - he says that there is no noise so he would not suggest opening the engine unnecessarily Q2 - What is a good software for the DME or other potential power enhancements within the engines natural limits? I know that the E46 engine is a true detuned racing engine - like to get additional power but within the limits without compromising the longevity. Thanks Manik
I think the newest BMW engine requiring valve adjustment would be about 19 years old, now. I don't know what issues happen when on the S54, but here's some info on just the vanos system - http://drvanos.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=5&Itemid=6 Shark Injector: http://www.turnermotorsport.com/BMW-E46-M3/c-15-bmw-engine-chips.aspx
Valve adjustment I do for customers on inspection 2 at 60 k most of the time they do not need any adjustment but never hurts to check. As for the second questions I would say do something along the lines of DINAN or a custom flash from a good tuning company. Shark is a ok tuner not my favorite though but good for the price.
Another set of questions - for this same car... The car is at 58K now...still going strong...ended up with the ESS DME software a year back and I am very happy. Q1. I like to do the Diff and Trans fluid change - instead of the BMW fluids I am thinking of Redline - Any opinions out there? Q2. My Diff is showing signs of very minor leak - no drops just stickiness around the diff bottom. It showed up this summer (Chicago)...how long can I hold off or should I get the seal fixed ASAP. BTW, checked the level of the fluid - still okay after 3 months of noticing the stickiness. Q3. Are there any good solution for undercarriage protection besides the factory plastic covers? I am noticing that that these are becoming brittle (9 years old now) - e.g. one of the screw holders of my fuel filter cover broke. Thanks
Yes redline is a good product to use. The diff fluid just make sure you get the right weight and make sure it is for limited slip diff's. You can hold off until the leak start leaking large drops on the ground. As for the undercarriage I recommend the original panels to help with protection and aerodynamics.
