Bringing our E30 out of hibernation
Race season has already kicked off and my teammates are looking to get back together and in our BMW E30. Last time it was on track was back in May 2019 and we weren’t terribly nice to her. The bottom pan ended up ventilated for maximum James Bond effect. By the time I had understood the extent of damage, replaced the oil pan and had the car back up and running we were in the beginning of COVID-19. So it has just been sitting in my back yard for the last few years. Time to understand what is the car’s current status.
Ouch
Not exactly what we wanted to see at the end of our last race. This luckily was just ‘superficial’ damage for the engine. I rebuilt it in 2020 and test started the car.
A rear view of Xin’s adventure over the burm between Thunderhill West and East.
Before starting (today)
Air filter clean? - Yup
Oil level? Good, but smells like fuel
=> must change
Spark plugs? Fouled, but cylinders look good. No rust or scoring
=> Replace spark plugs (NGK R - ZGR5A)
Coolant level - very low
=> Drain water and refill
Battery? It is fine, sits on a tender in my garage
Crank with distributor disconnected for oil pressure
=> Holding off until finishing the above
Before driving
Flush brake system
Differential fluid
Transmission fluid
Grease brake slide pins
New brake pads
Check rotors for damage and thickness
Torque
Differential bolts
Engine mounts
Suspension arms
Guibo bolts
Transmission bolts
Before racing
New Schroth 6 point harness
Seat certification or replace
Window net replace
New fire system or Recertify
Check hub play
New clock or timer, the old ones have sadly both died
GoPro mount and power
Need to order some parts and work through a bit of maintenance, but overall the car is in decent condition considering the neglect.
Next time I hope to flush the important fluids and get the car back to life.
