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      11-29-2019, 07:04 PM   #155
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Wow Micheal, amazing fab work mate
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      12-11-2019, 02:28 AM   #156
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael9218 View Post
Couple of minor modifications while I wait for parts.

Decided to move the Canton power steering reservoir to the frame rail. I didn't like how it would fit on the new motor mounts. Came out very clean and solid.





Also needed to address the damage the center bearing did to the mount. When it let go at 100 mph shit got ugly quick! Even though the bearing carrier is weak cast aluminum designed to break away (which it did), it still managed to mangle the sheet metal and the threaded inserts. They were definitely compromised so I decided to weld a couple pieces of 16 gauge to beef it up. Should be stronger now than ever. With the motor drop it makes sense to drop the center bearing 1/16". Or maybe I should say it can't hurt...

Spot welded the shit out of it.


Dressed up the spot welds. Doesn't need to be pretty.


Painted up like it never happened.


For perspective.
Just wondering Micheal, Due to lowering the engine/trans did youy have to modify the height of the mount of the driveshaft carrier bearing?

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      12-11-2019, 06:02 AM   #157
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Short answer is not sure. My reinforcements added a couple mm of drop. Interestingly, none of the lowering motor mounts (AKG, VAC, BW) mention lowering the center bearing. Maybe the two piece design with a CV joint at the diff renders this unnecessary.

Those CMP rear subframe raising bushes had me wondering if that would also create issues.
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      12-12-2019, 03:22 AM   #158
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Yep, was thinking the same thing Michael, I guess we will see.
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      12-17-2019, 02:25 AM   #159
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Absolute madness. Loving this build.
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      01-15-2020, 06:57 PM   #160
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Lightweight dash

Finally got around to executing on some ideas I've been having regarding reducing the weight of the heavy plastic dash and the mess of gauges. Even skinned underneath, the stock dash and trim (with aftermarket gauges) weighs in at a hefty 15 lbs. I knew I wanted to make something out of carbon fiber (my new found love...), but just couldn't decide on how to house all the gauges in a practical and aesthetically pleasing way with a dash that would be within my capabilities to mold. After seeing a commercially available universal CF dash for drag cars that was a simple flat panel type design, I had my epiphany. If only I removed all gauges, I would be free to make the dash a simple, elegant, and light, design.



So I made a simple three sided mold out of wood. Used body filler and epoxy to get a nice smooth finish, even though this will be a positive mold so the surface of the mold will be the underside of the dash. For vacuum bagging, you need a good seal.



Sorry, not a lot of pictures of the process, but here is the finished dash. The top is a laminate with 1/8" foam core, 2 layers of 3k twill under and one more over. I used a unusual finish on the top of the dash. Your typical 3k twill would create a very high sheen finish. Not good for a dash. I wanted something matte and with a small pattern. So after the dash came out of the vacuum mold, I wet laid a layer of 1k plain weave and gave it a dry look finish. Doesn't give that CF pop most like, but I dig it. Unique and functional.



I gave the lower section of the dash some structure by epoxying in some ribs. This made for a very rigid dash, much more so than the flimsy plastic dash. You can also see in this picture what I mean about the sheen on 3k twill. Looks nice, but too much glare!



2 pounds, 1 ounce!



Size comparison to the lumpy behemoth.



The finished product. Very clean and simple. I also made the center stack (it's about 4 ounces). Same finish, but the lighting is making it look like it has more sheen. I will have 4 switches mounted to it in front of the shifter; sport button, radiator fan, seat blower, and cool suit.

For gauges, I've purchased an AiM MXL2. I've got it mounted and mostly wired up, but will do a separate post on that with instruction on how to make it work.
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      01-16-2020, 08:08 AM   #161
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Looks well pro, clean and straightforward, I wish you had done this a few years ago, I would have placed an order with you! LOL
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      01-16-2020, 08:55 PM   #162
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Thats bloody awesome mate!! love it!! hanging on for the MXL2 write up.
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      02-13-2020, 08:41 AM   #163
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AiM MXL2 install

After installing my new carbon fiber dashboard, I now needed to install my AiM MXL2 display dash.

Some background:
Before starting this process, spend plenty of time studying the information available from the AiM-sportline.com website (https://www.aim-sportline.com/en/products-all.htm). Here you’ll be able to review the many dashes they offer and download the RS3 configuration software. The RS3 software will help you decide which dash is best for your situation. In this software you can mock up configurations on what you want to display and how you want it laid out. After a lot of consideration I decided on the MXL2.

The RS3 software will also let you see the data the dash can pull in through the CANBUS from the MSS70 ECU and MK60E5 ABS. Probably one of the coolest features is the ability to set up alarms. You can use them for many things, from low oil pressure to predictive lap compared with best lap in session. You can also set up multiple variables for alarms. Like oil pressure below 40 if rpm’s are above 5,000.

The configurations aren’t fully customizable, so some may see that as a limitation. I also didn’t like the RPM display options. With a redline of 8,200 on my S54, I wanted an RPM scale that went to 9,000. They only offer 2,000 increments, so 8,000 or 10,000. 10,000 made the scale too small, so I opted for 8,000 and have set up the shift lights on the top of the display to light up to 8,300. Hopefully this will suffice.

Physical Install:
For my application, I wanted to mount the AiM dash on the steering column immediately in front of the steering wheel. Bimmerworld sells a mount for the E46 that uses the four screws that mount the column stalks and such. While the bolt pattern on the Z4 is the same as the E46, the steering shaft must be different as the BW part doesn’t fit. But for $25 it was worth it to use this as a template to make my own bracket to mount the AiM dash as the bolt holes are the same. If you make your own bracket, you’ll want to use a 1/8” spacer on the top mount to the AiM dash so it tilts a bit. The BW bracket is bent to accomplish this, but I wanted a more rigid bracket and so bent the edges over making it impossible to bend the bracket for tilt.





Wiring:
Basic installation of the wiring harness is pretty simple. All the wires you’ll need to tap into are on the instrument cluster plug. If you’re planning to keep your instrument cluster in place, than you’ll want to splice into the wires so you can still use the plug. Before starting, I would strongly suggest studying the wiring diagrams here: https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e86-z4-m-3.2-cou/







Rather than cut the wires, de-pin the wire from the plug and strip back the insulation and solder the jumper wires and use heat shrink (this is why you de-pin it so you can get the heat shrink on).

For the instrument cluster plug pin locations, reference this list: https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e....2-cou/YXCyggk
Pin 1 (brown) is your ground wire.
Pin 3 (violet/yellow) will give you power in the key position 1/2/3 (acces/run/start). Pin 5 (green/yellow) if you only want to power the dash when the key is in 2/3.
Pin 16 (yellow/brown) is CAN low.
Pin 17 (yellow/red) is CAN high.

If you plan to leave your instrument cluster plugged in, than fuel will be available on the CANBUS and your AiM will display fuel level. If not, than things get a bit more complicated…

If you remove your instrument cluster like I did, than you will need to use an ohm to voltage converter that you can get from Iron Canyon Motorsports (http://www.ironcanyonmotorsports.com/icm-fuel-sender/). Installation instructions are included, but don’t include specific wiring instructions for a Z4M. After a bit of trial and error, and talking to Mark at Iron Canyon (very helpful!), I determined the wires you need to tap for this module are pin 24 (black/red/white) and pin 25 (black/red/yellow). Connect both to the bare lead from the ICM. You’ll also need to ground the two wires in pin 11 (brown/black/white) and pin 12 (brown/black/yellow). Now your AiM should be able to read the voltage from the fuel tank. You’ll still need to drain the fuel tank and go through the ICM procedure to translate mV to liters or gallons for the display.

To drain the tank, I referenced this DIY from Pelican Parts: https://www.pelicanparts.com/techart...mp_Testing.htm

For oil pressure, I used the AiM pressure sensor. Simple plug and play.

Since my instrument cluster was removed, I also needed to have an alarm for ABS fault. This also proved a bit of a challenge. Fortunately, a friend had a homemade module that used a powered 2.7k ohm resister. Essentially you will need to tap the wire at pin 8 (green/black/yellow). This is the signal wire from the ABS unit (pin 44). I then used pin 5 from above for the power to the resister. Works like a charm. Here’s a clip of the alarm I set up. Both oil pressure and ABS will flash red. Should definitely get my attention!



Another cool thing that the AiM can do is send a powered signal out. Unfortunately AiM makes you buy the expansion cable to use this feature. I decided to eliminate my light control module and use the brake switch signal from the ABS to have the AiM power a relay for the brake lights. I put my running lights on a simple rocker switch (I have no headlights). I also used this feature to power my Spal radiator fan. It’s set to come on at 175 degrees and turn off if mph is over 35. Very cool!

The one thing I wasn’t able to figure out was how to display the DSC status. Since I run my car without DSC active, I decided this just wasn’t worth the chase.

I should also mention that some of the idiot lights are also not available to display (SES, TPMS, highbeams...). If you don't see the data element in RS3, than you can't display it.

Hopefully, someone will find this info useful…

AiM update:
Unplugging the instrument cluster caused an issue with EWS. Everything was fine for a while until one day the motor just wouldn't fire. Took a lot of time and effort from many sources to figure out that it was simply the instrument cluster being unplugged. The instrument cluster is a gateway to many things, including reading various modules.

So, I removed the front face of the instrument cluster and tied it up under the dash. A bonus to connecting the instrument cluster is that the fuel read out is much better than using the Iron Canyon Module. I never could get a useful read on fuel when the car was in motion. If you leave the instrument cluster plugged in, you can disregard the instruction above about wiring in the ICM and calibrating your fuel.

I’ve done numerous track days now with the MXL2 and can say it’s a fantastic little display. All the info you need is staring you in the face. Makes monitoring your gauges so simple. Highly recommended!

Last edited by Michael9218; 11-03-2020 at 06:52 AM..
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      02-13-2020, 08:45 AM   #164
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Side Skirts

Another small project that I wanted to knock out. I made these laminate panels with 8 plies. No foam core. I wanted them to be thin for jack clearance and be tough in case of impact. I riveted these in place using a 1/8" spacer on the outside edge of the rocker to make the side skirt close to level. Otherwise, it will point up a bit. Would still be functional but would be an odd aesthetic.

Hopefully these will compliment the flat floor.




Last edited by Michael9218; 02-13-2020 at 08:57 AM..
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      02-13-2020, 05:54 PM   #165
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Artisan design, fabrication and installation - wowie.
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      02-14-2020, 12:16 AM   #166
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Love the Aim write up mate, very informative and lots of in fo for us less technically minded kids. Very impressive. Have you thought about a sun glare screen for the aim? prob a good idea.

Nice side skirts. again, very nicely done.. your setting a pretty darn high standard mate.

let us know how you like the MLX2 on track.
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      11-03-2020, 09:37 AM   #167
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SLR failure

Sad to report that my SLR control arm kit failed. The outer ball stud snapped at the upper nut. Fortunately this happened right away on an out lap, so collateral damage is minimal. A bit of fender damage and a wheel.

I had planned to replace all the hardware this winter, as after three years of use I was having anxiety about this. How ironic...

The one chronic problem I have had with this kit is the hardware loosening. Numerous times I've had shudder issues on track only to find that one or more of the nuts had loosened. I was also worried that the top nut on the outer ball mount may have been stretching the stud every time it took more torque. I even talked to Sean about this. Looking at the failure, it suggests to me that this stud did stretch as the failure looks to me like a tension failure rather than sheer.

For now I'm going back to stock arms. Will be interested to get Vanne's feedback on the MRT DTM kit.








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      11-03-2020, 10:02 AM   #168
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Sorry to hear. Sounds like you were lucky is happened when it did.

Looking at the pics, did the HW have the appropriate taper to fit snug into factory steering knuckle? I had issues with HW losening on an E30 M3 DTM set up that was modified to fit the factory strut.
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      11-05-2020, 10:54 PM   #169
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I had sleeves made so that the bolts would fit perfectly into the knuckle. I am not sure if thats a design deficit, or if thats the way its supposed to be, but when i put it together, i knew straight away that that wasnt going to do for me.

Ill need to disasemble it one more time before i torque mount it, so i might take a few snaps to show you what i mean. I am also a little annoyed that one of the bottom nuts isnt secured with a locking wire.. i might need to change that too.
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      11-14-2020, 09:06 AM   #170
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael9218 View Post
Sad to report that my SLR control arm kit failed. The outer ball stud snapped at the upper nut. Fortunately this happened right away on an out lap, so collateral damage is minimal. A bit of fender damage and a wheel.

I had planned to replace all the hardware this winter, as after three years of use I was having anxiety about this. How ironic...

The one chronic problem I have had with this kit is the hardware loosening. Numerous times I've had shudder issues on track only to find that one or more of the nuts had loosened. I was also worried that the top nut on the outer ball mount may have been stretching the stud every time it took more torque. I even talked to Sean about this. Looking at the failure, it suggests to me that this stud did stretch as the failure looks to me like a tension failure rather than sheer.

For now I'm going back to stock arms. Will be interested to get Vanne's feedback on the MRT DTM kit.

Well this is concerning! I have had the same kit on the car now for about 1.5 year but I haven't had the car on track much this year due to covid. Now I am bit worried to because of this failure.

The only thing I will say is I didn't really had the hardware loosening issue. I have had the arms off the car once since installing them initially and when I did a re-torque after about 500 street miles I only got one or two nuts that needed a tiny retorque. Then after that they stayed put for the next 3Kish (track/autox/and back road carving) miles until I took them off again.

Have you been in contact with Shane at all about the failure? I am wondering if all the nuts/bolts on this kit should be wear items.
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      01-30-2021, 07:10 AM   #171
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SLR failure update

After multiple conversations with Sean regarding this failure, I thought I should share the prevailing theory as to what failed and why.

In short, it would appear that the steer plate (the purple billet plate) was not flush to the outer ball mount and the steering arm. The wear apparent on the steer plate in the pic below shows wear on the back side of the interface with the steel outer ball tab on the knuckle. This caused deformation of the aluminum steer plate. Placing a straight edge across the plate, there is a visible taper at the wear mark. This progressive deformation caused the loosening of the hardware and the small shock loads probably led to the stud failing in tension at the weakest point (the threads at the top of the taper).



For those that have this kit, I would strongly recommend checking to make sure that you have properly shimmed the tie rod mount. My kit was provided a 3mm shim for the tie rod mount. This should have been more like a 1.5mm shim. The steer plate is machined with a 4mm drop for the outer ball mount to tie rod mount. The actual drop on the Z4M is more like 2.5mm. Using the provided 3mm shim caused my steer plate to sit at an angle and not flush with both mounts.



Pic below shows the actual drop as measured with the steer plate upside down for illustration.

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      01-30-2021, 07:57 AM   #172
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael9218 View Post
After multiple conversations with Sean regarding this failure, I thought I should share the prevailing theory as to what failed and why.

In short, it would appear that the steer plate (the purple billet plate) was not flush to the outer ball mount and the steering arm. The wear apparent on the steer plate in the pic below shows wear on the back side of the interface with the steel outer ball tab on the knuckle. This caused deformation of the aluminum steer plate. Placing a straight edge across the plate, there is a visible taper at the wear mark. This progressive deformation caused the loosening of the hardware and the small shock loads probably led to the stud failing in tension at the weakest point (the threads at the top of the taper).



For those that have this kit, I would strongly recommend checking to make sure that you have properly shimmed the tie rod mount. My kit was provided a 3mm shim for the tie rod mount. This should have been more like a 1.5mm shim. The steer plate is machined with a 4mm drop for the outer ball mount to tie rod mount. The actual drop on the Z4M is more like 2.5mm. Using the provided 3mm shim caused my steer plate to sit at an angle and not flush with both mounts.
]

Thanks for the update....I used the E46 shim which I think is the 3mm shim so looks like I am going to have the same issue.

Although I never really had the loosening issue this has me spoked. I am going to have to email Sean and see what I should do. At the very least I will replace all the hardware but I am wondering if I have any damage on the steering plate.
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      02-07-2021, 09:22 AM   #173
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Did you end up going with the MRT Kit?


Bimmerworld also sells a roll center kit that has a weld on riser that is on the bottom of the kingpin / knuckle. The riser is sleeved into the control arm bearing.

But, it doesn't do anything for steering response, Just a Ground control ADJ bump steer kit is available for that.
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      02-07-2021, 09:26 AM   #174
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I haven't gone though here thoroughly, But you may want to make your suction lines on the dry sump with stainless braid, It will hold the vacuum and not suck shut costing an engine.
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      02-07-2021, 07:49 PM   #175
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For now, I’m sticking with stock arms and Condor Speed Shop offset bushings.

Wouldn’t recommend the Bimmerworld kit. Know of several failures.

Scavenge lines are suction rated for 27 in/hg. So far no issues.

Last edited by Michael9218; 10-17-2022 at 07:17 PM..
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      02-08-2021, 08:08 AM   #176
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael9218 View Post
For now, I’m sticking with stock arms and Condor Speed Shop offset bushings.

Wouldn’t recommend the Bimmerworld kit. Know of several failures.

Scavenge lines are suction rated for 27 psi. So far no issues.

Was the BW kit the old or new style? Everything times out, But what failed?

How many hours did your have on your SLR kit?

Just a heads up, common problem on the scavenge lines. Speak to any reputable engine builder that does dry sump.
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