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| Maintenance You Need To Do But Don’t Want To - Stop Putting it Off!
Maintaining our BMWs is essential. Fortunately, for us enthusiasts who insist on tackling those services at home, the process is largely cathartic, even therapeutic in some cases. However, as our cars age, the frequency and level of complexity for those repairs increases, which means the bigger jobs many of us don’t necessarily look to with excitement need to happen. This is where our dedication to the cars we love shine through and separate us from the average car owners, but there is a catch. We have to actually, you know, do the work. Currently, I myself am knee-deep in a massive overhaul on my E30 to bring it back to perfect condition, which involves several of those services most of us probably need to do, but definitely don’t want to. Today, we’re going to run through a fairly comprehensive list of those jobs it’s probably time for you to knock out as well. |
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| | Gaskets, Seals, and Fluids
Everyone knows changing your oil regularly is a requirement for healthy engine life. When the oil starts changing itself, though, you have a problem. Whether they’re just old and worn or shrunken from sitting, your rear main seal, rear crank seal, valve cover gasket, and oil pan gasket could be causing your BMW to leave a puddle wherever it parks. Replacing the gasket is often the best solution, but can be quite involved. Unless it’s new, taking care of the rear main seal and crank seal should happen when you perform a clutch replacement. In some cases, if the seal has just shrunk from sitting, LIQUI MOLY makes a wonderful oil additive that can restore those gaskets and seals, which will prevent you from needing to replace them entirely. For me, replacement is the best option and it might be for you as well, considering the next service. | | | |
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| | Transmission
If you don’t remember or don’t know when the transmission was last flushed, you most likely need to do that. Since my E30 is swapped, I don’t have the luxury of replacing fluids with the transmission installed in the car. Since it will be off, I will do my rear main, crank, and transmission seals all at once with the fluid replacement. Fresh fluids are important to keep your gears lubricated and to reduce chatter from inside the gearbox, gaskets and seals keep those fluids where they need to be. For a pro-tip, our Professional Fluid Extractor makes the transmission fluid replacement a breeze. | | | |
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| | Guibo
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, but definitely check it out to be sure. Your Guibo, or flex disc, is often the culprit for driveline vibration. As the rubber and guides wear, you can experience some nasty shaking, which just makes the car feel old. With the transmission and driveshaft removed from the car, now is as good a time as any to take care of that replacement, or upgrade to a polyurethane disc for reduced deflection. Just remember to line everything back up the way it was for balancing purposes. | | |
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| | Differential
Moving rearward, the differential is in the same camp as the transmission. If you don’t remember or don’t know when it was last drained and filled, you should add that to the list. Fresh gear oil will help reduce temperatures and maintain the lifespan of the diff just like with the transmission. The diff doesn’t necessarily need to come out of the car for this to happen, but you will probably want to take it out in this case to inspect everything. It’s no small task, but can be incredibly rewarding to remove the unit, clean it, respray it with some high-temp paint, replace the seals, install a new cover gasket, and fill with new fluid. To make your life easy, grab a stud kit for the fastest reinstallation of your diff to the subframe as well as a Turner Motorsport Delrin Differential Bushing. The bushing will reduce deflection and stiffen up your differential for increased transmittable power. | | |
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| | Axles
Since the diff will be coming out, you might want to inspect your axles/axle boots. In my case, the driver’s side boot on the diff was completely gone, which means its probably time for new axles on both sides. This is where I am presently stuck, as my axles are most likely 30 years old. Ever the determined fellow, I have tried all the methods I know short of an air hammer and more heat than my little butane torch can provide. Fortunately, a borrowed compressor and air hammer should knock the suckers right out. This service may best be performed by a shop if you haven’t done the job before, but tackling it on your own can be a rewarding experience. | |
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| | Bearings
With the axles coming out, if you have access to a press, your rear wheel bearings should probably be replaced. Again, this can be done at home, but it isn’t fun. While you have it apart, though, removing the rear hub and taking it to a shop is quite easy and will end with new wheel bearings you don’t have to think about again for a very long time. This is as good a time as any to replace them. | |
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| | Control Arms/Thrust Arms
If your BMW is aging, then you need to replace those worn out bushings and ball joints that keep your wheels pointed where they should be. Worn control arms and thrust arms can be disastrous if they fail, so inspect these carefully. Torn boots, cracked rubber bushings, or, in extreme cases, bends and rust indicate you need to replace them. Factory replacements are good solutions, but upgrades are often easier in these cases. Our Turner Motorsport Monoball FCABs and Thrust Arm Bearings offer zero deflection with the benefit of maintaining factory like ride quality. They come preinstalled, too, which makes installation into the car quite easy. | | |
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Those Little Things
Lastly, since you will have essentially a fresh drivetrain from the transmission back, why not take care of those little bits that you know you keep putting off since they aren’t critical? Overall, your car may be close to perfect, but surely there is some bit of worn/cracked trim, maybe burned out OBC light, missing switch, weak hood strut, or something that you have said ‘I’ll get around to it.’ Well, get around to it! While you’re in the restorative mindset, just go ahead and make those little repairs so your BMW feels brand new again. I, for one, will be diving into diagnosing why my seat heater suddenly stopped working as soon as I finish all that service… |
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