Technical AzNdevil's RHD 335 6MT Build Thread

carabuser

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You've both got proper sleepers. I don't think my vehicles are modified enough to count as sleepers, but the factory look is what I want to stay with.

I was told by Birds that the ATB doesn't need a breakin fluid change.
 
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AzNdevil

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You've both got proper sleepers. I don't think my vehicles are modified enough to count as sleepers, but the factory look is what I want to stay with.

I was told by Birds that the ATB doesn't need a breakin fluid change.

tbh, i have no choice but to keep a relatively factory look as local police likes to pick on cars with exterior mods and tows them for inspection... which would be costly as my car doesnt pass smog even with all the cats in place.....

i might add a front splitter for more front grip as the car struggles on track but right now, cooling is a big issue and im piecing together an auxiliary radiator setup similar to @Asbjorn or upgrading my oil cooler again... or go dual oil coolers

havent completely made up my mind yet and im tempted to lower my coolant thermostat temp next time to see if i can workaround this...afterall its just for time attack and less is more...

diff fluid is cheap enough so i am doing it just for peace of mind ;)
 
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carabuser

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tbh, i have no choice but to keep a relatively factory look as local police likes to pick on cars with exterior mods and tows them for inspection... which would be costly as my car doesnt pass smog even with all the cats in place.....

i might add a front splitter for more front grip as the car struggles on track but right now, cooling is a big issue and im piecing together an auxiliary radiator setup similar to @Asbjorn or upgrading my oil cooler again... or go dual oil coolers

havent completely made up my mind yet and im tempted to lower my coolant thermostat temp next time to see if i can workaround this...afterall its just for time attack and less is more...

diff fluid is cheap enough so i am doing it just for peace of mind ;)
Out of interest, why does it not pass smog with all the cats in place?
 

AzNdevil

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Out of interest, why does it not pass smog with all the cats in place?
good question, i honestly have no idea
i suspect my second cats are contaminated because i have ran paint thinner and/or ethanol mixes before
even when i flushed the system with a few tanks of normal 93 fuel, it still wont pass smog

however, i only attempted to get it smogged during MOT a few times as the government was cracking down on friendly inspectors and
swapping downpipes to get the car inspected costs more than friendly inspections so... i reverted back to catless and parked my car for a few months
 

carabuser

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good question, i honestly have no idea
i suspect my second cats are contaminated because i have ran paint thinner and/or ethanol mixes before
even when i flushed the system with a few tanks of normal 93 fuel, it still wont pass smog

however, i only attempted to get it smogged during MOT a few times as the government was cracking down on friendly inspectors and
swapping downpipes to get the car inspected costs more than friendly inspections so... i reverted back to catless and parked my car for a few months
What are your thresholds for emissions (CO2 and NOx?) and what reading did it fail at?

For the UK MOT, both my cars pass without primary cats with a good 50% margin. If you have all 4 still in place then it should be even lower.

Drop me a PM and I can suggest some tune changes that'll reduce the readings. Should be able to sort that out.
 
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AzNdevil

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What are your thresholds for emissions (CO2 and NOx?) and what reading did it fail at?

For the UK MOT, both my cars pass without primary cats with a good 50% margin. If you have all 4 still in place then it should be even lower.

Drop me a PM and I can suggest some tune changes that'll reduce the readings. Should be able to sort that out.

thanks for the offer.... its been a few years since i tried to smog it officially so i dont even remember what the issue was
iirc HC was high for sure, CO is either too low or too high, something along the lines

i am running idle at ~14.9 afr and stock 6mt idle ~660rpm

we have two testing standards... one for yearly MOT which tests emissions at idle and a EPA rolling road test if you get caught by smog machines on the road side
 

AzNdevil

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lets see... for the past while i have been working on a few things

1. retrofitting a n20 oil pressure/temp sensor so i can get oil pressure readings. this is a digital sensor and only fits into the stock oil pressure switch location by stacking some washers. this also shows oil temp after my external oil cooler so it will be different to the readings taken from dme using the oil level sensor
1708283073867.png


2. installed a vdo coolant temp sensor + a m14 adapter to replace the cylinder head drain plug for coolant temps off the head directly (basically how the e36 guys do it) the gold sensor beside the knock sensor. the reading should be the same as the dme since stock readings are taken by the sensor on the oil filter housing
Screenshot_2024-02-19-03-31-11-122_com.miui.gallery.jpg


3. a tiny custom gauge to show all 3 items at a glance. this is 75% done. there are bugs on the display update due to my coding i need to fix.

todo:
1. need to add feedback to dme to trigger the low oil pressure light when it drops too much. 10 psi per 1k rpm should be enough. these engines tend to idle around 20-22psi when hot.
2. maybe replace the screen. its not readable under direct sunlight
3. make a custom housing for this. it looks too diy/ghetto

IMG_20240219_032723_740.jpg


4. canbus module for integration to racechrono, allows for steering angle, throttle/brake input, speed, coolant/oil temps, and other data available on the canbus to be recorded into a racechrono session. watch the in car video for a demo of what can be done.

i have a ublox m8n gps module laying around so i will add this before my next track practice. need to add oil pressure logging as well
also evaluating if its worth the effort to add boost and iat logging into the mix but this requires a lot of effort

5. mdrive external module since my m3 szl doesnt like to advertise the correct messages to the dme and i want to get the shiftlights working on my dct m3 cluster. i have the module made and changed the code from superwofy's module to fit my use. just need to get it wired into the car but something cut my thumb open while i was trying to feel if there is still thread on the tire so i wont be able to do this until its healed

6. bought two sets of new old stock audison k4e speakers for front and rear, shitty e92 doors have a really shallow pocket for speakers so these doesnt exactly fit, it rubbed a hole in the foam barrier inside the door and wont allow the window to completely open (theres a 0.5cm gap). hacking of the stock tweeter pod in the rear is required to fit the upgraded tweeters.

i cant stand listening to anything but the radio with the stock top hifi speakers + l7 amp. i hated the stock sound system ever since i bought the car but my trips are usually ~30 minutes so i beared with it until recently when it became possible for me to drive to china. this means i will go on longer drives (1-3 hours) and i dont want my ears to suffer any longer.

i still havent 100% decided if i want to upgrade the audio system further in my car. its a deep hole to dig myself into and its unnecessary weight for my car. the l7 amplifer and underseat subwoofers could definitely use an upgrade.

7. broke the passenger door (rhd) handle while i was removing the door card to install the speakers, luckily the e90 rear left door handle fits but i cant reuse the stock cover cause its shaped a little bit different....

i will add details and pics and do a short write up when i can be bothered

also went to a different track for some practice sessions, heres some footage of my shitty driving
Full Send (This is what it looked like from the outside during the last few seconds of the In Car Lap video)

In Car Lap with data from canbus
 
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AzNdevil

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wow....somehow the turner studs installed 4 months ago managed to all snap while i was driving on the highway....
i was going 100~120mph down the highway, something started vibrating so i stopped to check..
kicked the tires a few times but it was fine so i continued, vibrating started to get worse so i stopped again but still nothing....

i chickened out so i drove slower at ~40mph then boom. i heard something dragging on the ground and see my wheel flying off into the sunset.....poor wheel, it had to sit in the fast lane all by itself

IMG_20240302_131336.jpg



IMG_20240302_124858.jpg


IMG_20240302_130616.jpg


couldnt call emergency services with my phone for some reason so i got my garage to help call them. stood at the side of the highway for an hour before a tow truck came and picked me up...took another hour for them to load my car up cause my rear end is sitting on the ground and they didnt have anything low enough to jack my car up... so they ended up dragging my car up pieces of wood until their jack fit and put everything on a dolly


IMG_20240302_143349.jpg


riding down the highway on a flatbed is a new experience
IMG_20240302_142511.jpg


IMG_20240302_145351.jpg


kind of surprised my apex wheel survived this without new scratches
IMG_20240302_143640.jpg


anyways.........the aftermath

rear left wheel hub with all 5 snapped studs. the stud thats sticking out has its threads destroyed. garage tried drilling out the other broken studs but failed
IMG_20240302_160235.jpg


brake dust shield took most of the damage
IMG_20240303_174833.jpg


minor scratching on the brake disc since it did drag on the ground
IMG_20240303_174906.jpg


luckily everything else was fine
IMG_20240302_155930.jpg


oh and i found out why my rear clunks when going into reverse....turns out my cl brakes rc5+ brake pads fell apart after a few track sessions.....
IMG_20240302_163032.jpg


ended up replacing both rear hubs + bearings, rear left brake dust shield, both rear rotors, rear brake pads and going back to normal bolts for the rear.... i still need to figure out a solution for the front since standard bolts are too short and extended bolts are too long

this is not the first time i have had wheel studs snap on me. i installed these turner studs because one of the apex studs i was using snapped before my first track session. to be fair, these were ~6 years old and since they are supposed to be replaced every year or so, this is on me.

IMG_20231118_155507.jpg


my thumb still isnt healed completely so i couldnt get my m drive arduino module installed. i will be going on vacation this week so it will have to wait until im back...
 
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AzNdevil

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WTH, glad you're ok.
thanks im still alive :)

i am kind of annoyed now since i wont make the track day in two weeks now that a bunch of issues show up but i am leaving for vacation tonight....

need to deal with the front studs as i dont trust them for the track anymore
trying to quote/buy high friction rear brake pads has always been a big pain in the ass
on top i need new tires and an alignment.........
 

wheela

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Any thoughts on what caused this? Straight up defective studs? I've never heard of somebody's wheel actually falling off.
 

AzNdevil

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Any thoughts on what caused this? Straight up defective studs? I've never heard of somebody's wheel actually falling off.

honestly no idea.... most likely the studs werer shit and the nuts backed out somehow and everything vibrated until they snapped...

studs were ~3 months old with 4 days of track practice sessions.
they were installed per ecs install instructions with the loctite supplied.
wheel was retorqued the week before when it was taken off to check an unrelated rear clunk.
 

AzNdevil

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now that i am back from vacation, heres a todo list for myself before i forget

ASAP
- new tires, done.
- alignment, remove 0.1-0.2 rear camber

before next track session
- check lpfp filter to see if its dirty or clogged, if not, time to replace lpfp
- order and replace hpfp
- replace rear brake pads with something upgraded
- replace front studs with new front hubs + bolts
- feed racechrono logger with oil pressure data for logging

eventually
- upgraded fuel lines + external fuel regulator?
- install m drive module + get cluster shiftlights working, i'd love to test this on the track
- additional external radiator? tbc after next track session
- new gauge to show oil pressure + oil temp + coolant temp? i bought the gauge already but major hardware change required.