Technical AzNdevil's RHD 335 6MT Build Thread

[AzNdevil]

New 8mm Spacers, New Rear Pads, New Brake Discs, Apex Stud Conversion Kit

Originally I had 12mm spacers in front to clear the wheels from the AST 5200 sway bar mounts but the tires were sticking up and catching on the front fender/bumper. When I corner hard enough the tire would rub against and now part of the fender is sharp enough to cut my finger if I run it against the edge.

Due to the hub centric design of BMW, fitting a 8mm spacer safely is not easy as the wheel will only have a 2-3mm lip from the hub to sit on after installing the spacer. So I took an idea from VAC motorsports and had my local machinist custom make a 8mm spacer + hub extender for me.

The middle bit is the extender and it goes into the hub itself. Spacer installs just like any other spacer.

I had some new Zimmerman Zinc Coated Rear Discs sitting around waiting for pads the whole time but I never got around to ordering the pads because I couldn't find anything locally... so I ended up ordering PFC 08 pads from Bimmerworld.

The Apex Stud Conversion Kit sat in my room for almost a year because someone bent the original set while installing them. So I ended up buying another set but haven't got around to installing it. Since I am replacing the discs, I might as well install it.

These were relatively easy to install... Threads need to be chased with a tap, loctite, and torque the stud to spec. Wait for it to dry, install wheels, done. No more fiddling with stupid bolts that are either too long or short.

 

[AzNdevil]

Brake Discs Cracked......

On the way home after installing new brake pads and discs... I bedded them in on the highway...
Did a couple of 200km/h to 100km/h stops, let the discs cool down for a while, repeat.

Then I heard some dragging from the discs... I knew my rear calipers are a bit sticky when hot so I ignored it as it will release itself once it cools down and it has never caused me problems so I continued and went home. (15 KM drive)

Parked the car, checked the discs and I saw this...............

FML....called my garage...told them the discs are fucked... Luckily I don't drive my car during the weekdays so... I asked them to order some new discs and go fix it again later...

A few days later... drove to garage, took the discs off... and there were 5 cracks in total...
The disc somehow warped from the bedding in process and dragged on the handbrake shoe... causing further damage...so I need a handbrake shoe replacement soon

Went home, did the bedding in process again, everything is fine this time. Must have got a bad one...

Some more WMI bits arrived...so I took two days off from work to finish the install this time. Hopefully everything goes to plan...

I also bought a used M3 RHD steering off eBay....should arrive in a week or two... we shall see...

Tires heat cycled out so...I will probably replace them with some RE71Rs...when I can afford it at least...

 

[doublespaces]

Oh man, good thing you caught that bad rotor. What bedding process do you follow?

 

[AzNdevil]

Oh man, good thing you caught that bad rotor. What bedding process do you follow?

200-100km/h hard braking until the pads start to fade.....cool down of around 1-2 minutes...
then its all good

these pads didnt really require too much bedding in compared to my project mu 999s.....

 

[crowdedthehouse]

I see you're in HK. I thought the cops were super strict on modded cars and they kind vehicles that are too modded?

 

[AzNdevil]

I see you're in HK. I thought the cops were super strict on modded cars and they kind vehicles that are too modded?

well...engine swaps are a big nono... otherwise... a friendly inspector and some $$ will do for yearly inspections

as long as you stay away car shows, popular spots and look stock enough, no one cares

 

[AzNdevil]

M3 Steering Rack Retrofit
This week's challenge.... M3 Steering Rack Retrofit

Used Rack from EBay UK + New Inner + Outer Tie Rods, I used the 335 version as the width of the rack is the same for a M3.

Space is very tight on RHD cars...

Comparison between 335 and M3 Rack
The plastic tab DOES lift up and you can shift it over. You will need to clock it the same way as the 335 rack or else your steering wheel won't be straight

Rack Installed with New Tie Rods

Thoughts: With 255 tires and ~7 degrees of caster, the wheel is very heavy. It feels similar to an unassisted rack especially under 30-40 km/h. At high speeds I can live with it but theres too much unnecessary feedback from the road and since I am at -2.8 degrees camber, I need to hold the wheel with both hands or else the car wanders around too much.

With that said, I will do the servotronic retrofit when I receive the harness. I still need to figure out which pins are used for the Junction Box connector though as there is nothing to tap into.

CD Changer Delete
All Hong Kong cars come with the CD Changer as a standard option so it was impossible to find the trim locally. I had to order it on EBay and have it shipped from the US. The seller was nice enough to include the shallow panel as well.

CD Changer Delete requires VO and 2RAD coding and swapping the MOST bus fiber cables. I had to unplug the original Logic 7 Amp plug and use the CDC plug as there are two extra cables on them. I spent a few hours to troubleshoot why my MOST ring was broken and realized I forgot to plug in the MOST connector under the glove box. What a waste of time

This is where the Howerton Water Injection Tank will sit in the future. I still need to open a few holes to adjust my suspension, fit the strap and the 12v charger from my original trim.

Gauge Panel
Bought a 52mm gauge panel which I will somehow mod to fit the ashtray later on..

Hopefully I will have enough time soon to finish putting together my WI kit. I need new tires and an alignment ASAP though.

 

[AlexN]

Awesome build, subscribed to see how you retrofit servotronic, as I am planning to do the same swap in the future
Found the following on the 1 series forums, hope it helps if you haven't seen it yet:

Forgive the thread bump.

Have done this installation. To clarify the plastic tab should be left on the M3 rack and the wheel fixed during installation and it all fit up easily and there are no alignment problems. Standard steering arms make the the installation much easier than trying to use the M3 arms for no real gain.

The steering effort before Servotronic was very manly and forced you to throw the car into low speed corners and use the throttle to push it through. I do have 245 fronts and allot of castor. With Servotronic the steering is far more subtle and you can use extra castor for self centring and feel.

Implementation of Servotronic is not difficult with a bit of electrical wiring and coding.

+ and - wires needs to be taken from the valve on the rack to pins 5 and 6 on the rear plug on the junction box. Routing the wire is interesting and requires pulling apart some scuttle covers to get at the box where the wires go through the bulkhead.

The fusebox needs a 10 amp fuse at position 5. From there the car needs the servotronic option added to the car. The option number is $216. The next part is the one that was difficult to ascertain from all previous threads but in the end was very simple. NCS expert is required to activate the Servotronic valve in the JBBF2 ecu.

An interesting aside is that as a result of using the standard steering pump rather than a M3/1M unit the effort is a bit higher if you try turning the wheel while the engine is idling. I suspect the standard pump is smaller and needs a little bit of revs for full assistance to kick in.

Any questions I am happy to answer as this thread was very helpful in getting up the guts to do the change.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Warning long winded post.

So I think I have now got this sorted. I had a bit of a problem with the placebo effect as I would try something, restart the motor and move the wheel and think it is lighter. It is only when you turn to full lock do you feel the additional load that is required without Servotronic. In addition past 30 kph the additional weight is really not a factor.

To answer the post above they are basically the same rack. Same ratio, same fitment apart from the hydraulic pipes may be slightly differently oriented.

The issue has been whether you can get Servotronic operating on a 135i.

I have managed to get the speed adjustable assistance working in a more meaningful manner than the hit and miss that was previously the case. The weight is the same as without Servotronic in the quarter turn either side of straight ahead but the servo assistance kicks in past there and takes off the additional load as you add the additional three quarters turn. The reason for the additional weight is the amount of caster built into a 135i (approx 7 degrees stock) which means you are actually lifting the car as you are turning the wheel. It is accentuated with mine as I have 8.3 degrees.

The 135i pump is smaller than that on the M3 and 1M and I assume this means that the hydraulic pressure is less and so more human effort is required.

The new steering weight is not as light as a standard 135i and probably heavier than the sports mode on a M3 or 1M, but not un wieldy as with no Servotronic. This only really relates to parking speeds, other than that it is a little lighter up to 30 kph but faster than that feels the same as before the Servotronic function was active.

The next thing is to thank the author of NCS Dummy and the member who
posted a 1M FSW_PSW dump file on this forum. The dump file enabled me look at the difference between the instructions of a 135i and 1M and trace down the ecu other than JBBF which needed to be re coded. NCS Dummy helped find what was required in the Kombi ecu.

What came up was that the following instructions were active on a 1M and inactive on a 135i. I coded them in as active and this settled down the rather on/off Servotronic assistance I previously had. (I was aware that the Servotronic function was working after I had coded in the option as when I disconnected the wiring I would get a fault come up and there was a current running to the valve but it fluctuated wildly).

ST_MDRV_ALIVE_MONITOR
aktiv
ST_MDRV_CSUM_MONITOR
aktiv
ST_MDRV_ID_MONITOR
aktiv

So there you have it, add the option $216, recode the whole car, alter JBBF to Servotronic aktiv and make the changes to the kombi ecu as above.

It is not as assisted as a 1M but it is a lot better than none at all.

There are a host of ST_ and other instructions in the JBBF ecu which are steering related and they are the same between a 135i and a 1M. These may adjust the level of assistance but I am not sure I want to tamper to much with these. They may only relate to activ steering or electric steering. I am happy with the way it is.

I am not going to put in a big warning about doing this at your risk as I have found the ecus' to be remarkably resilient to cock ups. These are only minor changes and I also found that NCS Expert will not allow you to make alterations to instructions that are not reasonable.

 

[AzNdevil]

Awesome build, subscribed to see how you retrofit servotronic, as I am planning to do the same swap in the future
Found the following on the 1 series forums, hope it helps if you haven't seen it yet:

thanks we have our own servotronic thread here as well
https://bmw.spoolstreet.com/threads/servotronic-on-a-335i.1400/#post-10261

still waiting for my parts to get here.... in the meantime...i have my WI kit finally hooked up
but its not turning on at pre ignition... and my car ran out of battery so i couldn't crank it to see if there is response afterwards so...we shall see....

 

[AzNdevil]

WI Install Part 2
Finally found the time to complete my install...didn't have much time to take pics like before so this is just a quick recap

Mini T Taps

Zip tied the living shit out of my FAV...I originally intended to put it inside the PS reservoir mount but realized it's not flat! lost one of the bottom nuts when i took the mount out as well...

Took apart my center console...was going to wire the gauge up and found this shitty camera install left over by PO... fixed it and found out there is lighting in the ashtray and the cig lighter...

Love at first sight....

Temporarily filled up the tank with water to test for leaks...had to tighten the water level sensor a little and it seems fine so far... pump is primed and water level sensor works cause the system stopped after water level is low

That's all I had time for this week...still need to test FAV and injector to see if it's spraying properly

Bits for servotronic retrofit is on order as nothing is in stock... I have ordered...
61129129793 - Wiring harness, Servotronic (e92 M3)
61130005199 - Bushing Contact for Junction Box Plug (Comes as a Pin with Wire for repair)
5 meters of 20AWGx2 core cable insulated with silicone (The servotronic plug is right beside the rear turbo on RHD cars....)

and some extra cable so I can wire in an oil pressure and water temp gauge later on....
I have VDO water/oil temp/oil pressure senders left over from a previous project...if only the oil pressure block is cheaper...

I am still considering whether I should use a custom gauge made by myself with an Arduino or Buy the VDO gauges, the only thing that bothers me is... a normal gauge doesn't have alarms and honestly...I doubt I would look at the gauges unless I feel somethings wrong

Also, it might interfere with the RTD shifter which I hope isn't vaporware so I need to see how much space I have to work with before I decide on anything...

 

[doublespaces]

WI Install Part 2
Finally found the time to complete my install...didn't have much time to take pics like before so this is just a quick recap

Mini T Taps
View attachment 2943

Zip tied the living shit out of my FAV...I originally intended to put it inside the PS reservoir mount but realized it's not flat! lost one of the bottom nuts when i took the mount out as well...
View attachment 2944

Took apart my center console...was going to wire the gauge up and found this shitty camera install left over by PO... fixed it and found out there is lighting in the ashtray and the cig lighter...
View attachment 2945

Love at first sight....
View attachment 2946

Temporarily filled up the tank with water to test for leaks...had to tighten the water level sensor a little and it seems fine so far... pump is primed and water level sensor works cause the system stopped after water level is low
View attachment 2947

That's all I had time for this week...still need to test FAV and injector to see if it's spraying properly

Bits for servotronic retrofit is on order as nothing is in stock... I have ordered...
61129129793 - Wiring harness, Servotronic (e92 M3)
61130005199 - Bushing Contact for Junction Box Plug (Comes as a Pin with Wire for repair)
5 meters of 20AWGx2 core cable insulated with silicone (The servotronic plug is right beside the rear turbo on RHD cars....)

and some extra cable so I can wire in an oil pressure and water temp gauge later on....
I have VDO water/oil temp/oil pressure senders left over from a previous project...if only the oil pressure block is cheaper...

I am still considering whether I should use a custom gauge made by myself with an Arduino or Buy the VDO gauges, the only thing that bothers me is... a normal gauge doesn't have alarms and honestly...I doubt I would look at the gauges unless I feel somethings wrong

Also, it might interfere with the RTD shifter which I hope isn't vaporware so I need to see how much space I have to work with before I decide on anything...

Very nice, so I guess I should order those two servotronic parts also?(EDIT: FYI, USA E93 M3, the part number is: 61129115546 and I just bought those two parts, thanks).

Regarding the gauges, nobody ever really looks at them until its too late or doesn't matter. If you've got some kind of gauge with an indicator it may give you enough time to get out of it and potentially avoid some issues. Making the policy to let off whenever you see some lights over in that area is probably the best one.

 

[AzNdevil]

Very nice, so I guess I should order those two servotronic parts also?(EDIT: FYI, USA E93 M3, the part number is: 61129115546 and I just bought those two parts, thanks).

Regarding the gauges, nobody ever really looks at them until its too late or doesn't matter. If you've got some kind of gauge with an indicator it may give you enough time to get out of it and potentially avoid some issues. Making the policy to let off whenever you see some lights over in that area is probably the best one.

well you will need something to put into the connector for it to connect

there is nothing to tap into if iirc...

and yes...no indicator/alarm = gauge is useless.. i want to get an oil pressure gauge installed before i do oil coolers so i can measure how much pressure drop (if any) there is

cant really seem to find solid info on this matter and everyone seems to install and forget about it until it leaks.......

if i am anal enough im pretty sure i can rig up the arduino to do some datalogging with a raspberry pi....

 

[rebo0t]

Nice build

 

[AzNdevil]

Well...just when everything is going smoothly and I was planning on a set of new tires and a LSD, my clutch and rear turbo decides to shit itself.

Clutch slips at 3/4 gear at high rpms and rear turbo wastegate won't shut so.... I am fucked.

 

[R.G.]

Well...just when everything is going smoothly and I was planning on a set of new tires and a LSD, my clutch and rear turbo decides to shit itself.

Clutch slips at 3/4 gear at high rpms and rear turbo wastegate won't shut so.... I am fucked.

Faaaaccckkkkk.

What's the game plan AzN?

 

[doublespaces]

Sounds like time to go single

 

[AzNdevil]

RHD and single.... is just asking for trouble...

to be honest... i dont know..i am either going stock or pure s2...with in and outlets...and doing the clutch + motor + tranny mounts + the rtd shifter at the same time

but i am not in a situation to spend money on my car as...i am going to be out of a job soon and dont have anything lined up

i have prices quoted from pure and rb and southbend already so i have a rough estimate on how much i need to spend to get my car healthy again... something like 7k usd if i go stock turbos and ~9k usd if i go pure s2....

 

[Jsherry20]

Amazing build :$

 

[AzNdevil]

ABS pump took a shit as well... luckily its only the mechanical part so I can make due with a used pump.............

 

[doublespaces]

About to be taking the Heel Toe Express