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House broken? I come as a packaged deal of "car guy that likes/has car things"... take it or leave it!
Been doing some more research on transmissions, just to evaluate my options. Car is going to get an automatic.. because cruiser. The more I think of it, this car is becoming my go-to hungover/lazy/tired driver when I just don't feel like loudness. Is it possible to own a different car for every mood you're in??
Still not sure on 4L60 vs 4L80 vs 6L80, but I've compiled as much comparison info as I can for shifting & physical constraints.
6L80 vs 4L80 physical comparisons:
Look at the size of the factory 5spd ZF 5HP24 transmission!...
Did some photochopping to try and get a better picture of the GM transmissions' sizes vs factory ZF trans size.
Here is a 4L60 adjusted for approximate size and ghosted over the ZF 5spd...
And here is a 6L80 adjusted for approximate size and ghosted over the ZF 5spd...
And just to get super nerdy, because I couldn't really find the info elsewhere, below are data comparisons of 4L60, 4L80, 6L80, and factory 5HP24 transmissions.
I've noticed that the BMW trans doesn't start in 1st gear unless you put it in Sport mode and shift into 1st at a standstill, then it will start rolling in 1st. So my car essentially has a 4spd, which is why I adjusted the gear-ratio graph to also have a "w/o 1st gear" curve for the factory trans just starting in 2nd gear under normal automatic operation.
I've been slowly collecting some more parts for the engine. So far I've got everything BNIB or used off Craigslist or LS1tech Marketplace for 15-50% discount.
Recently picked up:
- used truck 6 bolt flexplate ($30)
- new GTO oil pan with pickup, will have to notch it for crossmember clearance ($220)
- used LS2 intake with injectors & fuel tubes ($375)
- new truck throttle body ($140)
- new truck D585 coils, brackets, & wires ($100)
- new CTS-V A/C compressor, bracket & tensioner
All parts that are used are in like-new condition.. I want this engine bay to end up looking like it was well cared-for and not just an engine straight from the junkyard.
I have enough hard parts for the engine to start leisurely building a de-looming and trimmed wiring harness, based off a 2011 Silverado 2500 wiring harness & E78 ECU. I'm undecided whether I'll use the E78 ECU or swap to a more common E67 ECU.
Last night I spent about an hour de-looming the harness and figuring what goes where. I'll scrub it clean before I take it back to the apartment to start snipping and routing plugs/wires.
I also washed the car for the first time since I got it in February.. I'm really not good at keeping my vehicles clean but this car is in such good condition I felt obligated to shine it up. It's going to be sooooo good with ~450hp and quiet...
Any updates on this project? I’m very interested in the integration of the canbus on this car. I want to build one as well. It’s definitely ambitious and I’d like to see if it’s all going to be possible(through someone else’s wallet first!)
Haha oh man... this project is.... on stall(?). My problem is the stock M62 is still making the same bark-at-cold-startup noise that it made in March.. however it hasn't progressed any worse. From my Youtube watchings, this is the *start* of timing guides deteriorating.. whoever I put an inspection camera in the oil filler and changed the oil.. and saw no signs of plastic chunks or even bits from the guide. My plan is still to do something with this car.... but I'm unsure what, and when. If I can preemptively replace the guides, and add a supercharger.. without engine swapping it... that's a neat idea with less work overall.
I had got as far as mock-assembling an entire alloy 5.3 engine in my apartment... including LSA accessory drive, LS2 intake & throttlebody, coilpacks, and misc sensors. I will be drilling+pinning the LS crank snout as well as building this engine with an LSA crank pulley.. so that it is ready to throw a LSA/LS9 blower on top of it (with rectangular-to-cathedral port adapters) when the time comes to swap a blower onto it.
Conveniently, Trevor has amassed and shared some amazing blower swap info in his thread. It's all info I was intending on researching and gathering, but he's be amazing at tracking his learning/progress in his thread, linked below:
I plan to still slowly build this engine, including custom engine wiring harness terminated with a single milspec connector at the bellhousing area... but I can't promise what car the engine will go into at this time. I would like the engine to be ready to swap into something when "the engine is needed". That said, there is still a strong want for this E38 to be making blower noises... I just can't be motivated to engine swap it while the BMW engine is still running well and pulling strong.
I had ordered an Arduino shield and cable, to build a communication box to read the CANbus as I test the various functions, and eventually to turn into a permanent communication-translator box between the E38 chassis and a potential LS engine. It seems like these E38 cars use a very basic CANbus, and a lot of chassis functions run independently from the ECU. Something like the cruise control and the A/C compressor are the only functions that rely on communications with the DME (German name for ECU) to functional properly. But naturally I would want the chassis to communicate with the ECU, so that things like the fuel mileage needle and other niceties would work correctly.
Apparently there are a lot of similarities between the E38 and E46 chassis. I found an epic CANbus-deciphering thread for an E46 car, and as far as I can tell the coding should communicate with my car well:
06-19-2019, 10:00 PM
