Category: Vehicles

And new feet as well I suppose, depending on how the analogy works for the wheels. It’s running 235/40 18s. That’s pretty close to the most tire it’ll fit the same size on all 4 corners with the Ohlins suspension. The M models and some Sportline options come with bigger rears, but I like to be able to rotate, because the rears definitely do wear ALOT faster, even with the electronic nannys engaged.

They are the cheapest, not stupid-looking wheel/tire combo I could find at this size – cast, all-season. Nuthin’ Fancy – from the Skynyrd album of that name:

For some reason(s), diesel vehicles offered to the average consumer over the past 40 years have arrived for sale at local dealerships either woefully engineered and/or seriously de-tuned. Fortunately manufacturers have recognized the value and profit potential in diesel technology and the engineering has caught up. Diesel builders have also been required to keep pace with ever-tightening emissions standards levied by governments. That has led to a combination of significantly de-tuned engines saddled with in some cases, ridiculous amounts of overly complex emissions control gear.

The real state of just how bad it is came to the fore last year with what’s being called “VW Dieselgate.” Volkswagen engineers forced to resolve meeting emissions standards against onerous bean counters in their own company simply decided to use software to cheat the government regulators in probably the biggest scandal that’s ever hit the automotive industry. Restitution to dealers and customers is running in the billions and it’s not over yet. Volkswagen’s survival as a company was even in question at one point. Here is a good synopsis of the VW fiaso, as of Thanksgiving, 2016. It’s not over yet.

Well, I’m not gonna take it anymore, and I’m far from alone in that sentiment. As usually happens in cases like this, 3rd party software engineers and fabricators have stepped up to address the issue. Enthusiasts who love their cars and are willing to pay the price, have options to modify or eliminate troublesome, power-sapping pollution control systems in their cars. Bimmertime is upon us. I just returned from a friend’s place who helped me get the car finally done right. He has some 1st hand experience with the 335D, and spent a day demonstrating how to eliminate the remaining two emissions systems from the car: DPF and DEF. These contraptions have the ability to stop the car in it’s tracks, entailing thousands of dollars in repair expense when they do break – and they are proven failure-prone. The $40/gal LL04 low SAPS oil required to support the DPF is a real kick in the wallet, too.  BMW took a beating in warranty outlays on this particular model here in the U.S. My car ended the extended warranty period last year with a total of a whopping $23k in warranty repairs – almost all emissions systems work.

We’ve seen in that previous post linked above how exhaust gas re-circulation and the crankcase vent combine to literally kill the engine by clogging the intake over time and what I did to correct those particular top-priority problems. That process was completed after we got the car back from BMW with an $8,000.00 bill (covered under warranty) for intake cleaning and new injectors. Finishing the job involved basically replacing the entire exhaust system along with an engine control computer coded to support a lack of the now-absent DPF and DEF systems. Here’s what came out and what went in:

Removing the DDE (Engine Control Computer) was probably the easiest part, despite involving quite a bit of disassembly to get to it. It’s hidden under two covers, and there are a few wires connected to it.

Old Exhaust New Exhaust

Installed

The car now returns even better fuel mileage, up by at least 2MPG, despite already being a star in that category. I snapped this dash readout upon arrival home after cruising the last 200 miles out of Kansas into Colorado, mostly gently upsloping terrain, no wind, 78mph (GPS-corrected) at 70F ~5,000 ft:

Last but not least, power is up nicely as well of course. Butt dyno says 350hp and 600 ft.lbs. It pulls HARD. I’ll guess mid 12’s properly setup for the quarter mile. I wanted to keep the exhaust sound on the quiet side of aftermarket, whatever that means to the listener. Some like it loud, I do not. This system suits my taste perfectly. The new mufflers are just slightly louder, producing a nice low growl at idle and a pleasing “woosh” under acceleration in normal driving. The only time I want to hear the engine note is during the wicked shriek it emits at full song on a highway kickdown – priceless!

The problem with diesel emissions technology is really quite simple: Fuel. The more fuel burned, the more emissions needing squelched. Gassers are similar in this respect, but to a lesser degree and for reasons involving the different types of emissions they produce. So the obvious, easiest and most effective means for manufacturers to start addressing the diesel emissions quandary is to limit fuel. Less fuel equals less power. My old Dodge truck is a perfect example. It’s Cummins 5.9 came from the factory rated at 165 horsepower and 425 foot-pounds of torque. Power output literally almost doubled overnight after a new set of bigger injectors and turbo with some injection pump mods. But it puffs black smoke on shift recovery and under heavy throttle until it gets up on the turbo. I suppose if everybody drove one all the time it might hasten the planet’s demise by some immeasurable amount. But they don’t, and it won’t.

Government regulators would do well to focus more on commercial and corporate entities that actually produce a lot of pollution. I want my diesels to pull like a train as they should, and not send me to the poorhouse paying repair bills in the process.

Overall Trip Stats

It’s finally almost time to get the 335D straightened out once and for all. I made good progress getting the emissions crap worked around over the past couple years after it suffered an untimely intake clogging thanks to BMW’s ludicrously self-defeating pollution-control design coupled with Michelle’s short drive to work. Then it became “my” car, the preparatory work began and the extended warranty ran out. The crankcase now vents through a catch can that drains to the environment. The dime-sized spots of environment it sits parked over will just have to suffer:

The EGR system needed removed with significant re-work to compensate for it’s absence, including some custom mods addressing the EGR cooler, EGR Valve, valve position step motor and a CAN tool installed on the OBD-II port to reset the accompanying faults in the car’s computer every time it gets re-started. The EGR manifold ports were blocked and the cooler was replaced with a filter. The valve motor was a bit tricky and critical to the desired outcome. It’s lack of input triggers a limp mode on the system, so it needed to be retained in order to fool the computer:

The black tube in the 3rd pic above replaces the EGR valve, itself. Now it’s just a 3″ steel tube connecting the intercooler to the intake manifold with the primary water meth nozzle (1st stage of the 2-stage W/M injection system) included for good measure. At this point now, the car would be expected to run normally without EGR and CCV depositing too much junk in the intake and water-meth providing ongoing cleaning. But alas, it still has the catalyst reduction (Urea/DEF) system and diesel particulate filter (DPF) hobbling it.

Eliminating those calls for pretty much total exhaust system replacement and DDE (computer) coding to support a lack of numerous sensor inputs associated with that nonsense. The primary SCR tank (there’s 2, for chrissakes!) and metering valve have already been replaced once under warranty and the DPF is certainly running on borrowed time. Those are multi-thousand dollar repairs which are guaranteed to re-occur if you drive it long enough. Thanks a bunch for that, EPA and BMW.

I’ll be driving out east to see see some guys at one of the few places in the country currently doing BMW DDE hacking. The choice came down to these guys, mostly due to their location. I’m also looking forward to spending some time with my best bud from growing up back in PA. I imagine a detour back through PA for Thanksgiving with the eastern family is in the cards, as well. 😉

The low pressure side of the commonrail fuel system often gets overlooked, but plays a crucial role. I was pleased to see BMW specs nominal CP3 input pressure at ~5 bar. They probably used a fairly good quality lift pump in the tank which will likely never need replaced, assuming you ascribe to the fuel lubricity additive concept. Fuel supply flow capacity needs to increase proprtionally with power-adding mods. That does not appear to be an issue with this setup. My lift pump holds a rock-steady 60psi with the go pedal matted and JBD at 100%. But there are other things to consider. Cold weather for example, induces fuel viscosity increase, severely reducing pumpability once temps drop near zero and below. That’s why we have a fuel heater, but it can only do so much. Anything constraining fuel supply flow can quickly lead to injection pump damage. Unfortunately there’s no shortage of different ways to get things FUBAR’d on the upstream side of the CP3: cold weather, bad fuel (water especially), filter degradation, various lift pump malfunctions, etc.

The failure mode varies, but sudden catastrophic loss of the CP3 can take out everything in it’s path. Many parts are subject to damage, potentially requiring replacement of injectors, sensors, and at a minimum, a complete fuel system flush from head to tank. Dealers confronted with it often elect to simply replace the entire fuel system. It means lots of parts and labor hours, but ironically, ends up being quicker and easier in the long run if one thing after another starts turning up bad during a piecemeal approach. But this is all easily avoidable with a little monitoring. I understand the car’s sensors and software will set codes for a plethora of fueling paramter anomalies. But I doubt it’s ability to forewarn impending problems or long-term degraded conditions in the fuel supply like a simple, mechanical guage.

There are a couple of fairly serious issues involved with using a mechanical fuel gauge in the cabin. There’s a small chance it will fail in some way as to allow a leak. A worst case scenario might be something like it explodes spraying fuel in your face while driving in heavy traffic smoking a cigarette. My customized combination shutoff valve/snubber mitigates this issue and another problem fairly well. The other problem is CP3-generated pressure wave reflections wreaking havoc with the gauge readout. Installing a ball-bearing poppet in the valve’s gauge port stifles that phenomenon. The rubber valve seal gets soaked in gear oil while doing up the valve assembly to induce swelling to the point of actually making the thumbscrew harder to turn after reassembly. Done right and reassembled using JB Weld for thread locker, the valve will never leak and just cracked open provides a safe, stable analog/mechanical fuel pressure reference to the gauge.

Tapping the fuel line post-filter is not exactly straightforward. There are lots of candidates for places to do that, but BMW’s proprietary faux plastic lines and fittings everywhere take all the fun out of it. A good way I found was to slide the stock filter back a couple inches in the mounting clamp and clock it about 15 degrees. This creates enough room to splice in the adapter quite nicely. Remember you are working on the clean side of the filter, so parts and activity related to opening it downstream of the filter must be meticulously maintained in pristine cleanliness. If not, the car will immediately tell you about your failure to do so upon restart.

I expect fuel filter maintenance intervals to increase significantly with the ability to actively monitor fuel pressure. Filters filter better the longer they are in service, right up to the point where they can no longer meet the flow requirement. I believe changing filters of almost any type on a schedule is just dumb. Of course there are specific exceptions to the rule, but they are limited to special types of equipment and conditions not in the consumer automotive realm.

Dumpsters behind quick lube joints across the country are always full of perfectly good filters. Also, it should be interesting to see pressure fluctuation (or not?) with a hotter tune at some point. I have a feeling fuel supply is not going to be an issue. The 9mm ID tubing should be adequate for up to around 400hp.

The w/m injection nozzle coupling worked it’s way loose somehow. I discovered it after dumping about 3 gallons of juice on the road between the time that started and when I identified the problem. So while I was at it I decided to upgrade it to a 2-stage system. The trucks use progressive controllers to modulate delivery, but I really doubt the efficacy of those devices in normal use. The main purpose for having it on the “D” is keeping the intake clean. It can also add a little power. I theorized a more practical approach would be two injection events, a smaller nozzle coming on earlier more often, and a bigger nozzle coming in only at or near full load.

1st phase of the project was installing a 2nd smaller injector, size M2. The original M3 stays put in the intercooler coupler, after of course modifying the connection to keep it secure. I suppose those push-in 1/4″ pipe couplers are OK, because I never had this problem until now, after years of using them on the trucks and continuing to use them at various locations in this system as well. A hose barb reinforced with JB Weld is not coming apart without a forcefully applied tool. Here’s the new nozzle mounted right at the manifold flange:

Phase 2 involved setting up a solenoid valve to fire the original M3 injector off a secondary pressure switch set for the max boost range starting ~24psi. I began by testing with the spare pump to ensure it would effectively atomize 2 injectors, because it’s a pretty small pump. No worries there. Setting the boost switches accurately was a frustrating moving target at first. The engine will see somewhere around a 3psi delta on the high side parameter depending on a number of factors. 22psi is where it typically tops out, but I’ve seen it pull 25 briefly under heavy load.

I used 1-amp fuses on the pump and solenoid circuits to dial it in pretty close to my target settings. Those switches from McMaster Carr are quite sensitive and accurate. I started with them set high and repeatedly ran the car to the desired boost setting, stopped and checked the fuse until it blew. Took three tries on the high switch and about 6 or 7 on the low switch. I haven’t run it with a boost gauge installed since removing Burger’s JBD tuner last summer, but I imagine it should go higher with that extra fuel.

After a couple weeks of using too much water while randomly fiddling with the switch settings I ended up making a tool for pressurizing the system manually to see exactly where the switches were tripping. It probably would be better to tap into the MAF sensor for this purpose, but I’m still a little skittish about the electronics on this high-tech Teutonic contraption.

The pump supply line tees off to the primary injector before the secondary solenoid valve:

The last phase was simply getting everything wired up, plumbed and tested: Pressure Switches:

The air, or “boost side” of the system literally comes together on the driver’s side shock tower. Both switches and the gauge reference the same charge pipe feed at this junction:

The car has a Boost Gauge mounted in the instrument cluster. It’s more of a testing tool that anything else, necessary to fine tune the pressure switches. I used the high-pressure gauge on my compressor to set the switch before, but it’s not good enough at lower pressure to see the 1-psi increments needed for this application with any accuracy.

Compared to the single-nozzle version which came on at 20psi, the system now provides >60% more water/meth on the top end, while delivering about 30% less at moderate load between 18 and 24psi boost. I expect the real-life consumption rate to go up spraying less more often, based on my driving habits. Before I was using about about 1gal/tank of fuel, really only hitting it with go pedal down hard. I’m hoping this new setup equates to better cleaning in normal driving.

Ran across this little gem of an articles highlighting some critically acclaimed BMW’s over the years that were not quite as fast or flashy as their M-counterparts, but potentially even more desirable for “other” reasons:

BMW did not bring the monster 6-pot twin-turbo 3.0l diesel to the U.S in the 3-series after phasing out the e90 chassis, opting instead for a 4 cylinder single-turbo in the U.S. F30. That makes my 2011 335D one of the last of the greatest diesel cars to ever hit the streets in this country. Many pundits still argue to this day the merits of the F30 chassis over the previous design. I can attest to their concerns after driving both, and they are completely different cars, with the E90’s hydraulic steering, overall smaller size and tighter suspension easily trumping the new models in every performance handling category. Add in the phenomenal powerplant and it is truly a rare and exciting car, the likes of which will likely never be seen again on a showroom floor in this country.

Despite complying with horribly oppressive EPA-imposed emissions restrictions, the “D” still manages this:

Admittedly, it was under ideal highway conditions after filling up in Cheyenne yesterday, heading south on I-25 and setting the cruise at 85mph. I snapped this pic about an hour later on the other side of Ft. Collins. Interestingly enough, the real hand calculated figure is always around 3mpg higher than the car’s computer thinks it is. Not too shabby for a 3-liter twin-turbo diesel making 500 ft-lbs. of torque.

How I do love this car. I mean, anyone with the sense God gave a chimp would have gotten rid of it long ago. I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed to see how far it gets me before the next problem crops up when the extended warranty expires, probably around early next year at the current miles-clocked rate. Fortunately that CPO warranty came through again and I’m only out-of-pocket for the cost of a new battery + registration and 4-wheel alignment.

It had a bad January. Around the middle of the month I failed to avoid the largest-ever pothole, no – pot canyon, on the I-36 eastbound Boulder entrance ramp. I pulled off at the next exit to inspect for damage because the steering wheel was cocked noticeably to the right after hitting so hard it almost threw me into a skid as I rounded the turn at 50mph. You have to be extra careful about tire damage under these circumstances as well, because run-flats are so good people have been known to unwittingly drive them until they come apart. You might not even know you have a flat without a TPMS warning. Another benefit of the run-flats is great wheel protection. Conventional tires suffering this hard a hit would have also incurred serious wheel damage.

So the next day I gave it a rough alignment adjustment by guesstimate to hold it over until I got an opportunity to have it done properly. Then in my infinite wisdom due to a stretch of bad weather, I drove the 2500 and left it sitting in the garage for over 2 weeks and the battery died. Ordinarily not that big of a deal. Sometimes I miss the days of purely mechanical vehicle maintenance. It gets a little dicey when the computer-controlled magic specter of intelligent charging systems and carefully synchronized electronic creature comfort rears it’s angry head. After a full re-charge the car seemed fine from a cranking, starting and running perspective, but the iDrive was unresponsive – lights on, but nobody home.

That iDrive controller (little round joystick control knob with buttons in the center console) is an $800-to-replace BMW-only item. So I left the “D” with Gebhardt the day before yesterday, and they expect to have it until Monday. The 428i loaner they gave me is a pretty sweet car, but it ain’t no E90 335D.

At the end of the 2nd row starts the pics from the D’s water meth install:

335D Pics

I think it worked out really well.  Total parts bill came to around $200.  The hardest part of the whole project was finding the right tank that would hold at least a couple of gallons and tuck into the rear quarter trunk area without taking up too much space.  eBay came through again with that as well as a very nice stainless medical-grade gear pump that seems to match up with the chosen nozzle quite well.  The pump was only $50 so I got two to have a spare, but doubt I’ll ever need it.  I suspect they probably cost hospitals using them in dialysis machines a few more bucks than that. The most time-consuming portion of the work was fashioning the pump mount bracket.  It had to be hand-crafted from scratch, pseudo-forged with oxy-acetylene from a muffler clamp and steel strap rounded to match the inner fender curve it’s bolted to.  Activation is achieved with a simple boost switch grounding the pump at around 20psi.  There’s a power cutoff switch in the cabin by the trunk release in case it ever runs low away from a water source.

Initial road testing was done with the feed line running into a gallon jug in the cabin.  This way I was able to easily determine boost switching behavior.  I guessed setting it at 20psi might be close to what it needed and that was a good guess.  it comes on at anything more than modest acceleration but does not engage at cruise on the highway until about 85mph on level terrain.  That probably equates to something like a 10-20% duty cycle for typical driving, running enough to hopefully keep the intake clean and providing a little kick and cooling when needed.  Consumption is coming in right where I wanted it on the Aurora commute at about a 2-1 fuel/water fill-up ratio, or consuming a gallon of water-meth per tank of fuel in typical driving.

With the JBD fueling chip now also re-installed and adding another 90hp, the car should be running over 350hp and well over 500ft/lbs torque.  My butt dyno confirms these figures, and the “D” is now a real sleeper corvette-killer.  Roll-on thrust at highway speeds above 70mph is just phenomenal.  The best part is the CCV and water/meth injection mods should keep carbon buildup at bay in the future.  The W/M adds maybe another 20hp over the “on paper” 350hp guess derived from the factory rating + 90hp in additional JBD fuel.  It’s only one small nozzle, but seems well-matched to the 3.0L powerplant.
Only a Motorguard bypass oil filter remains to complete the D’s planned mods. I have a Cat fuel-water separator I’d like to put upstream of the factory unit, but cannot yet see a way to do that.

I’m kinda proud of the way the 2002 Chrysler Sebring we bought new just before I retired from the AF in Colorado Springs has made it to 145k miles. The 2.7 engine in it is notorious for some catastrophic failure modes involving the timing set and water pump systems and associated sludge issues. Poor design maybe, but I believe the oil bypass filter I installed early in it’s life did the trick. The only costly repair we’ve done to it in 12 years ownership was the water pump which failed normally last year with an obvious slow weep hole leak. They are known to fail leaking internally fouling the oil with resultant massive damage.

I am re-installing that bypass filter today after it’s rubber lines finally degraded beyond further repair. We were lucky the car didn’t die from an oil leak due to that after I found it leaking with the umpteenth bad hose connection and 2 quarts low after Phoebe brought it home one day last week. This one last time I will re-install the bypass with copper lines and compression fittings for the long haul. After a few more maintenance items coming up in the near future like struts, CV joints, injectors, coils and maybe a cat gut we’ll see how long it goes. It’s all icing on the cake now for a car that was reputed to be one of the worst of it’s era. Just goes to show what the “pundits” know.