TiAg ZHP

[ELLLLLIOTTTTT]

Are you doing new control arms or just the bushings? Pressing those bushings in/out is not worth the hassle IMO. I love that shifter kit, looks stout.

[paulkeith]

I bought part #6 whole, some Meyle HD versions instead of OEM replacements. Just unbolt, pull them off the control arm, push the new ones on, bolt back up. Apparently with a little soap or similar the new ones go on pretty easy, pulling the old ones off usually requires a clamp or puller but isn't supposed to be THAT bad.

[zjeepin]

wait a minute... i missed something... you sold or wrecked the first one and got another?

[rstrucks]

If the bushings are difficult to remove use a sawzall to cut the inner shell that surrounds the aluminum arm. That will let is slide off pretty easily. To install the new ones, clean the aluminum and add a little lubricant and they should pop on fairly easily. I always used spray silicone but I'm sure some soap would work well too.

[paulkeith]

wait a minute... i missed something... you sold or wrecked the first one and got another?

I wrecked it. Like a douche.

If the bushings are difficult to remove use a sawzall to cut the inner shell that surrounds the aluminum arm. That will let is slide off pretty easily. To install the new ones, clean the aluminum and add a little lubricant and they should pop on fairly easily. I always used spray silicone but I'm sure some soap would work well too.

Roger, thanks for the tips! I need to get around to this. Noticeable "pop" on sharp brake inputs. Pretty worn out.

[Pearce]

I wrecked it. Like a douche.

Well that sucks. But were you having fun with it at the time? Do you miss coming home from a wheeling trip with a bunch of new dents in the rig and not caring?

[zjeepin]

hate to hear that paul... hope to hear that you were having fun when it happened at least

[paulkeith]

hate to hear that paul... hope to hear that you were having fun when it happened at least

Nope. Fucked up in traffic and stuffed it into a minivan. Biggest error I've ever made on the road SA wise and it bit me HARD.

Well that sucks. But were you having fun with it at the time? Do you miss coming home from a wheeling trip with a bunch of new dents in the rig and not caring?

Yeah, that feeling was one of the reasons I got rid of my M3s back in the day, hated having to be worried 24/7, anytime i wanted to carry stuff, whatever. Now that I have the F-250 for days like that I'm much happier with the setup.

Hope I can talk the wife into a project soon - thinking a lot about another CJ.

As far as activity, I just ordered a motive power bleeder (with adapters for the 250 and 4runner too) and some ATE super blue fluid. Needs to be flushed badly, I also hope it will firm up the pedal a little.

I'm also playing around with lighting and bulb color a little bit, trying some yellow fog bulbs and "flash to pass" (inner headlights on bmws) bulbs.

These are bixenon headlights, so the true high beams are actually just shutters that raise the cutoff of the low beams. As a result, the inner bulbs do nothing but flash when you pull the high beam stalk the other way.

installed:


FTP only:



FTP w/ fogs (learned fogs stay on w/ FTP if only parking/fog lights are on):



xenon low + FTP (here you can see the fogs turned off...):



xenon low + fog:



bixenon highbeams:



I'm slowly learning how to code the modules in the car with BMW factory software, called NCS Expert. It will allow me to adjust certain behavior, in particular i'm interested in setting it up so that my fogs stay on with my high beams, and that the halogen inners also come on with the bixenon highs. I'll be working on that this weekend, along with another euro-spec lighting retrofit called "city lights." Just replaces your corner lights as parking lights with 5W bulbs in those inner lights. Have to install the bulbs themselves (provisions are there), run the wires, and code the lighting module accordingly. Really all pretty superficial stuff from what we're used to around here, but fun to mess with and not too invasive or expensive.

[paulkeith]

So, this "special" version of the 330i (called the ZHP) differs from a base 330i motor in 2 ways - ECU programming, and camshafts.

Because these cams have a higher lift, they tend to wear out the helical gears used to control variable valve timing. This creates a harmonic vibration from 2-3000 RPM called "VANOS rattle." VANOS is BMW's name for their variable valve timing system - pistons controlled by oil pressure to move helical gears that then adjust the timing of each cam:



Beyond that, the o-rings BMW used to seal the pistons to their bores were buna-n....poor selection for the op temps, so they plasticize and get brittle, seal poorly. results in poor control of the cam, therefore loss of torque and flat spots in the torque curve. This problem is universal to any VANOS.

So since both of these are super common problems, o-rings for every VANOS, and the rattle for all ZHPs, there are kits out there to fix both. I bought one for $120:

o-rings...for the o-rings, those metal rings for the rattle part:



and here are the install pics:

This was my first wrench session using my new craftsman portable automotive service tray. I don't know how I lived without this thing:





VANOS unit closeup...not super happy with the sludge, guess the previous owner took those 15,000 mile change intervals to heart. not the worst i've seen by any means...


removed:


on the bench:


pulled apart:


one of the two pistons with the o-rings cut out:


intake piston disassembled:


exhaust piston disassembled (the ring 2nd from the left is what gets replaced to eliminate the rattle):


reassembled:


also flushed the brake fluid with some ATE superblue. first time using a motive power bleeder, yet another product i dont know how i lived without:

[paulkeith]

also swapped to a shifter that mimics one of BMW's WTCC cars

[zjeepin]

i think you should mount those shocks in double shear dude, its just not safe otherwise...

[paulkeith]

baha

I could probably run a bracket down from whatever that big round thing is just above and behind it

[zjeepin]

Be sure to Pre and post heat....

[ELLLLLIOTTTTT]

Looking good dude! I've never seen the VANOS pulled apart.

[paulkeith]

Went back to the leather wheel and leather knob to keep things interesting.

[Pearce]

Wanna race??

[paulkeith]

race? fuck that.

LETS HOOK EM UP BO

[Jeep Whore]

Pearce you might do better in your YJ

[Pearce]

race? fuck that.

LETS HOOK EM UP BO

Now that would be redneck! RWD vs FWD, scarry



edit: HA! nice signature change above!

[paulkeith]

All BS aside, i love that gen TL. It would have been a contender to fill the BMW's spot if they were RWD.

The headlights are about as good as they get too.

How do you like it?

[ajmorell]

The ZHP looks nice man.

All BS aside, i love that gen TL. It would have been a contender to fill the BMW's spot if they were RWD.

The headlights are about as good as they get too.

How do you like it?

I love those gen TL's too. I looked high and low for a type-S when were looking at cars for my wife but couldn't find a reasonably priced one anywhere around.

[Pearce]

It's freaking awesome. I had an ulterior motive when my parents were looking to buy new back in 2004. Setting myself up for the right sedan purchase 8 years later. Worked perfect. It's quick, goes way faster than I should drive it and way to easy, rides like a sports car and has a little growl to it. There is very little to improve upon it except maybe upgraded sway bars to Type S ones. And a small exhaust mod. But, I did't buy it to do that, LOL. Tempting, VERY tempting. I went car shopping with my parents this year and drove all the new stuff with them in the same class. I still like this 2004 TL better.

Oh the HID Projector Headlights are by far the best I've ever experienced. The absolute only way to go for a headlight upgrade. I've already found how to put them in the Dodge, but that would take away from the Jeep money.

[paulkeith]

Good to hear. I've never really heard a bad thing about them. I'm trying to do what I can to leave the zhp alone too beyond cosmetics and mx - just want to pound pavement with the thing.

Yeah those projectors are extremely popular for any retrofits, especially in the BMW crowd. Check out lightwerks or lightwerkz or something - they have a few kits that I think are based off the tl projector.