535i
1991 BMW 535i (manual)
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Specifications
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Engine:I 6 Engine Code: M30B35 Fuel: Petrol Fuel System: Bosch Motronic DME Engine Alignment: Longitudinal Drive: RWD Displacement: 3430 cm3 Bore X Stroke: 92 x 86 mm Type: 12 Valves Aspiration: N/A Compression Ratio: 9 Output: 211 cv (155 kW) @ 5700 rpm Torque: 305 Nm (224 lb.ft) @ 4000 rpm Gearbox: 5 speed Manual Wheelbase: 276.1 cm Length: 472 cm Width: 175.1 cm Height: 141.2 cm Cx: 0.32 Front Brakes: Vented Discs (302 mm) Rear Brakes: Discs (300 mm) Front Tyres: 225/60 R15 Rear Tyres: 225/60 R15 Kerb Weight: 1525 kg Weight/output Ratio: 7.23 kg/cv Front Suspension: Double Pivot McPherson strut suspension Rear Suspension: Track link semi trailing arm suspension Top Speed: 235 km/h (146 Mph) 0 To 100 Km/h: 7.7 s 0 To 400m: - s 0 To 1000m: 28.5 s Fuel Consumption: 7.6L / 9.6L / 15.8L / 11L (21 mpg) Range: 727 km Fuel Tank: 80 L Trunk: 460 L Co2 Emissions: 256 g/Km |
Suspension
| In May 2008 I installed new Sport Bilstien shocks and progressive coils from Bavarian auto. The project was not very difficult and the only problem encountered during the installation was getting the nut of the top of the front shocks shaft, which required an impact wrench. The end result was an inch lower ride hight in the front, ¾ of an inch lower ride height in the back, and very little weight transfer during hard cornering. The inherent downside to lower progressive springs is that the ride is a little bouncier that it used to be. - |
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| The picture to the right should show a before and after of the project just simply roll your mouse over the image to see the effect. |  |
Subframe bushings
The subframe bushings in car are completely busted and in need of replacement. I thought that the vibrations and movement from the rear end had to do with the play in my drive shaft but I am thinking differently now. The play in the drive shaft is not enough to create the effect I'm feeling and the subframe bushings are very old and torn. I've reinforced the bushings with delrin plates and an injection of polyeurythane but it only reduced the low speed side-to-side movement and only slightly limited the vertical movement. The plate sits beneath the bushing and prevents flex as the drivetrain engages and dissengages. The bushing itself has two hollow spaces running through it vertically that I have filled with polyeurythane window sealer. I guess there's no replacement like the genuine BMW part though. When I do change these thare are being replaced with the M5 version that does not have the hollow spaces in the bushing. |
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Driveshaft
| In October 2008 I started getting a lateral vibration from the rear of my car when traveling between 50 and 60 miles per hour. After inspecting all of the bushings and rubber pieces in the rear end I found nothing worn or broken, then I grabbed the drive shaft. It turns out that the inverse boot covering the Constant Velocity Joint going into the differential from the drive shaft has torn and that the joint has formed a little play, which in turn causes the balance of the drive shaft the shift of center at certain speeds. I am currently looking for a replacement joint but have had very little luck. I have now focused my efforts on finding a good axle repair shop. Wish me luck. |
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Flywheel
| My car was originally equipped with a flywheel design called the dual-mass flywheel. What this is a flywheel with two parts that are held together with a spring-loaded mechanism. This type of flywheel is designed to reduce vibrations from the engine and make accelerating and decelerating smoother. The drawback of this design for a flywheel is the weight, the stock flywheel on my car weight 26.8 lbs. My flywheel’s spring loaded mechanism was completely busted when I got the car so it was promptly replaced with an 11 lb. one piece steel flywheel, which allows the engine to rev fasted and shift quicker. |
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Brake Lines
| I finally installed my Braided Stainless Steel Brake lines. The pedal feeling is alittle stiffer but you don't really notice a difference until you really have to dig into a corner with them. Still, the old ones were prone to fail after 20 years so now I don't have hanging over my brake pedal anymore. |  |
Coupe
1982 Audi Coupe
Specifications
1981-1987 Audi Coupe/Coupe GT The 1981-1987 Audi Coupe was derived from Audi's 1978-87 third-generation 80/90 junior sedan series, called "4000" in the United States. The Coupe combined the basic bodyshell of the concurrent all-wheel-drive Quattro coupe with a conventional 80/90 front-wheel drivetrain with five-cylinder inline engines. The Audi Coupe was surprisingly roomy and pleasant, though not exciting, to drive. Model-year 1985 in the United States brought a GT suffix, yet few changes were made save a minor facelift and interim displacement increases. The Coupe was nicely equipped, and late-'87 U.S. versions received added standard items including a manual steel sunroof (formerly an option). The 1981-1987 Audi Coupe is a long-shot collector's item in the United States, but it's scarce enough to be increasingly desired by at least a handful of enthusiasts as time goes by. Pluses of the 1981-1987 Audi Coupe: • Solid German construction • Decent performance and economy • Secure, agile handling • Nice ride • Practical four/five-seater • Affordable Minuses of the 1981-1987 Audi Coupe: • Mediocre over-the-shoulder vision • Throbby post-'83 engines • Will always be overshadowed by Quattro Turbo • Limited appreciation potential in United States Production of the Audi Coupe (U.S. calendar-year sales) • 1981: 2,553 • 1982: 4,236 • 1983: 3,358 • 1984: 3,520 • 1985: 3,586 • 1986: 2,846 • 1987: 2,268 Specifications* of the 1981-1987 Audi Coupe (U.S. models): Wheelbase, inches: 99.8 Length, inches: 177.0 Weight, pounds: 2,510 Price, new: $11,895-$18,895 *U.S. Models Engines for the 1981-1987 Audi Coupe:
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The 5-cylinder
| The 5-cylinder engine's advantage over a comparable 4-cylinder engine is best understood by considering power strokes and their frequency. A 4-cycle engine fires all its cylinders every 720 degrees — the crankshaft makes two complete rotations. If we assume an even firing engine, we can divide 720 degrees by the number of cylinders to determine how often a power stroke occurs. 720 degrees ÷ 4 = 180 degrees, so a 4-cylinder engine gets a power stroke every 180 degrees. A V8 engine gets a power stroke every 90 degrees, (720° ÷ 8 = 90°). A given power stroke can last no more than 180 degrees of crankshaft rotation, so the power strokes of a 4-cylinder engine are sequential, with no overlap. At the end of one cylinder's power stroke another cylinder fires. In a 1-, 2-, or 3-cylinder engine there are times when no power stroke is occurring. In a 3-cylinder engine a power stroke occurs every 240 degrees, (720° ÷ 3 = 240°). Since a power stroke cannot last longer than 180 degrees, this means that a 3-cylinder engine has 60 degrees of "silence" when no power stroke takes place. A 5-cylinder engine gets a power stroke every 144 degrees (720° ÷ 5 = 144°). Since each power stroke lasts 180 degrees, this means that a power stroke is always in effect. Because of uneven levels of torque during the expansion strokes divided among the 5 cylinders, there is increased secondary-order vibrations. At higher engine speeds, there is an uneven third-order vibration from the crankshaft which occurs every 144 degrees. Because the the power strokes have some overlap, a 5-cylinder engine may run more smoothly than a non-overlapping 4-cylinder engine, but only at limited mid-range speeds where second and third-order vibrations are lower. Every cylinder added beyond five increases the overlap of firing strokes and makes for less primary order vibration. An inline-6 gets a power stroke every 120 degrees. So there is more overlap (180° - 120° = 60°) than in a 5-cylinder engine (180° - 144° = 36°). However, this increase in smoothness of a 6-cylinder engine over a 5-cylinder engine is not as pronounced as that of a 5-cylinder engine over a 4-cylinder engine. The inline-5 loses less power to friction as compared to an inline-6. It also uses fewer parts, and it is physically shorter, so it requires less room in the engine bay, allowing for transverse mounting. A 5-cylinder engine is longer and more expensive to manufacture than a comparable 4-cylinder engine, but some manufacturers feel these costs are outweighed by its greater capacity in a smaller space than a 6-cylinder. A disadvantage of a straight-5 over a straight-6 is that a straight-5 engine is not inherently balanced. A straight-5 design has free moments (vibrations) of the first and second order, while a straight-6 has zero free moments. This means that no additional balance shafts are needed in a straight-6. By comparison a straight-4 has no free moments of the first or second order, but it does have a large free force of the second order which contributes to the vibration found in unbalanced straight-4 designs.[1] |  |
Bosche CIS
(Continuious Injection System)
| CIS was developed by Bosch to replace mechanical fuel injection. While mechanical fuel injection is very efficient in supplying the engine with fuel, it takes horsepower to drive the pump. In some cases there is up to a 15 HP parasitic power loss. CIS does not have this downside, and is rugged and easy to maintain. It does, however, have some inherent drawbacks which must be taken into consideration. Air flow to the engine is restricted by the sensor plate. Excessive lift and duration camshafts and the inertia of the incoming air itself can cause poor throttle response due to the air sensor plate being bounced around. In addition, a phenomena called "charge robbing" can occur. This is caused by excessive exhaust overlap (i.e. the time span that both the exhaust and intake valves are open right before the intake cycle). This allows the exhaust gasses to flow backwards into the combustion chamber diluting the intake charge. For these reasons, camshaft selection should be carefully considered. Aggressive camshafts suitable for earlier model engines may not work well, if at all. Automatic transmissions and air conditioning also influence the type of camshaft used, due to the changing loads they place on the engine |  |
Nissan Maxima
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VQ30DE
| VQ30DE The 3.0 L (2987 cc) VQ30DE has a bore and stroke of 93 mm and 73.3 mm respectively with a compression ratio of 10.0:1. It produces 193 PS (190 hp/142 kW) to 230 PS (227 hp/169 kW) @6400 RPM and 205 to 217 ft·lbf (278 to 294 N·m) @4400 RPM. The VQ30DE was on the Ward's 10 Best Engines list from 1995 through 2001. It is an aluminum open deck block design with microfinished internals and a relatively light weight. |  |