Adding some more boom boom - Infinity BassLink install

Even with my aftermarket amp setup, there wasn't enough low end for me in this system. So I bought a used BassLink off eBay. I wanted something small that wouldn't take up much trunk space. This was a well talked about unit on the net and, I've been eyeballing one for a few. Finally found a good deal on one so I pulled the trigger.

After some though and research I decided to run RCAs to the BassLink. I chose the center console route instead of the driver side method. Running them in this car has been similar in my experience to every other car. However, since it was all new to me it took me a bit longer to figure out how to get the center console apart. The arm rest is a bit more complicated than the non arm rest models.

This post will not be a full blown how to just the areas that stood out to me. There are several pop covers and hidden screws.

Removing the backseat requires a swift pull up for the bench. The back of the seat requires a swift pull forward towards the front on the car. I used my handy Bojo trim tools to separate the backseat from the upper deck so I could get my hands behind it to pull. Ultimately my plastic pry bar popped the back part of the seat off the clips. It took a good bit of force but, as the Internet told me, the clips are metal. There's no need to worry.

The next piece off is the small plastic trim piece running right next to the drivers side, back door. There are two clips on the underside of this piece where it sits on the door sill and one 10mm nut up at the top. I was unaware of where those clips were, made this a challenge.

The carpeting is well put in this car. It has a think foam backing in most places and is molded very well in to position. To get the RCAs from the bench to the console I used a metal hanger to fish them through. I could pick up both sections of carpet slightly but, the carpet heading up the side of the center of the car was a bit tight. It would have been better if I removed my front driver side seat. I didn't want to create more work than I had already.

The center console

This was the toughest part because I'm a newbie. There are screws:

• Under the emergency flasher button
• Under the cup holder
• Under the back seat cigarette holder/ash try.
• Under back seat flip tray thingy.

To get the arm rest to physically pop out there are three small screws on the underside of the arm rest that have small covers over them.

A normal #2 screw driver is all you need to get them out. Behind that cover, when the arm rest is up, are two little slotted openings.

Applying pressure with a small screw driver. This allows the plastic pins to release leaving the arm rest free to remove.

Disassembling the rest of the center console just takes removal of the screws properly.

Screw under the "closest to the arm rest" cup holder.

 

More screws under the back seat coin purse and ashtray.

So after pulling the center console I gently pushed the wires through a small opening on the left of the shifter. There is a 10mm nut securing the front console section to the floor of the car. Taking that loose allowed for just enough extra room to allow me to push the wires through with little effort. That puts you right at where you need to be. I pulled them up to the stereo din, following the route of the rest of the cabling.

 

Now the hard part, reassembling all of this.

Mounting the BassLink

The unit comes with mounting brackets for sideways or upright mounting. This made installation very easy. I secured both brackets (after measuring of course) to the left hand raised plastic floor tray. This put the unit nicely off to the side. Still plenty of room for junk in my trunk!

  The lower screw secures the bracket. The upper screw secure the BassLink.

I was having some issue with the unit turning on. When checking the power and ground connections I discovered that my ground wire was to put it nicely, terrible. I had it on the rear shock tower mount bolt. This was a not a good spot in this car, for me. I finally bit the bullet and did it the "good" proper way. True 8 gauge cabling, sanded the paint bare, screwed her down. Now I have nice even voltage from the battery. A proper ground is so important.

This thing also came with a remote bass controller. I ran that with the RCAs. I like my bass heavy and down low. Where it should be however, since this is a family car after all, I wanted to be able to tone it back. This is an awesome way of doing so, makes things nice and easy. I still need to "secure" the remote Bass adjuster but it fits the in the pocket of the dash almost perfectly.

I still need to put the rear drivers carpeting back in as you can see. I just want to be certain that I've got all the amp stuff buttoned up before doing so. 

  *Note: I still have enough room to get the taillight cover off without pulling this thing out of the car every time. Not that light bulbs fail that often but, they usually do in the worst times. BMW made them quick and easy to access and replace. I want to keep it that way.

Dialing in the Bass

So, there she is, secured, and "dialed" in. If you didn't get an owners manual with yours you can find one here: BassLink Manual via harman.com. Its not deep in its coverage but, it does describe what is necessary to "tune" the sub for the best sound. No rocket science here, just patience, the ability to read, and to listen. I found that dialing in the most bass, by turning the crossover knob towards the lower Hz setting, Then, turning the crossover towards the higher Hz rating, just to the point where the big sounding bass falls off. This gives me the best sounding sub bass for all genres, so far.. Each head unit will offer different results I'm sure. So tune it till you think it sounds good. 

Bottom line

• This is not the sub you want if you want to beat down yo block and let all the neighbors hear you.
• If you want clean sounding bass that can fill the cabin, shake the mirrors without the dreaded trunk rattle, this unit is for you.

Taking care of the little things - Helena gets a few tid bits squared away

  I made a swing by Parts European yesterday afternoon. Had a few things on my mind. As always Zack and Brad were friendly and helpful. Every time I'm in there its like sensory overload. Being surrounding by all the cool stuff.

  I needed some strut mount caps. Zach quickly helped me source some from an e30. They should fit. They were too small. I forgot that I used the Z4 mounts up front so, they would need to come off an e46. Zach popped me out some in a jiffy.

  I blew a fuse in the rear of the car while messing with the amp. When I opened up my fuse box I realized that I was missing some of the spare fuses and the puller. Brad was happy to accommodate. Now I have a full set.

  Two of the lights on my OBC have gone out also. They also had a few extra bulbs they were willing to separate with. I was thinking about ordering new ones but, I'm fine with used bulbs. There is no telling how long any bulb will last. Plus, I'm happy to give them a good home.

I also needed one snap cover for my valve cover, cover.

  I'm glad that there is a source for parts in Spartanburg owned and ran by good, helpful people. If you are in the Spartanburg SC area, or not, please give Brad a call. They accept PayPal and are willing to ship. Check out their website: PartsEuropean.com

Distracted by the aftermarket - E36 Factory Lowe Amp Open Case

Thanks to Brad at Parts European for donating two amps for tear down.

  *My Original intent with this post was to dissect the inner workings of the stock amp and, gain better sound quality from it. Read below for more details. After some work, reading, thought, and ultimately time needed in other areas, this post stands as a what if. Nothing more.

  I've been distracted by the after market. Given the low cost of small amps pulled me over to their side. I'll have more up and coming on that in future posts. I'm still prototyping mounting locations. This is my rough draft if you will so far:

  Original Post:

  I'd like to discover whats inside these guys and how/if I can get the rear channels before they are crossed over. In our quest for stereo goodness I need a full range signal to the rear coaxial pioneers in our setup. I'm jumping head long in to territory I know nothing about at all. I'm not an Electrical Engineer by any means. Given enough time and reading material one can be good at just about anything.

  My thought is this: We only need about 25watts RMS to the speakers to get reasonable sound levels. If I can somehow get this from the stock amp or, stock amp parts, I don't have to fool around with mounting an aftermarket amp. Clipping harnesses, is really not an issue as you can get the pins from your current amp and make a harness for your after market amp fairly easily.

  I've browsed many a forum, never posted. I've read a lot about how amps work. I've so far been able to identify what amplifies the sound however, I've got no idea where it goes from there.

We are peering into a Loewe, Low amp. 

Those little flat raised silver pieces are what do the amplifying. They are called transistors. Cool stuff.

  I know from many a wire diagram and, tracing out the wires, where the four channels come into the amp, from the radio. From there the signal goes through a series of resistors and capacitors. There appear to be several similarity configured items on this board. More noticeable from the bottom.

  To get to the signals internally I need to understand which paths come into the transistors from the head unit and which leads they are output through. I reached out to Loewe to inquire about a wiring diagram for these circuits. Of course they were not able to furnish such because of private/proprietary knowledge or copyrights. I assumed that this would be the case. I mean why wouldn't it be. When a company puts time into making and designing something you can't just give out such knowledge to some random e-mailer. 

  This case will be up to me to crack. I've begun doing some more research into how transistors work in general. If I can find another similarly designed transistor perhaps I will have success in finding the output signals I need. This might just be a pipe dream, given my limited time, however, it is certainly an interesting prospect.

Finally finishing ASC delete with 10ohm resistor

  

  I finally got around to putting my resistor across the ASC to remove the lights on the dash.

  I twisted the ends of the resistor wire and gently pushed them into either end of the 2 wire ASC plug. The stock connector was so brittle it broke instantly. I was trying to properly de-pin it. I was going to use heat shrink properly however, I decided to "test" it with e-tape first. I'd hate to get everything shrunk down just to see there was some issue.

  With everything taped up, viola', no dash lights. Works like a dream. Easy to do, and cheap too.

  So the question is why didn't you get a silicone elbow. I'll answer that with a question: why do I need it? I mean for the $25 it costs to get a new BMW non-ASC boot and hose, I delete the ASC with stock pieces. Or for $80 you can get a silicone one that lasts forever, resists heat, and is supposedly better. Anyone see any measurable gains with the silicone one on a stock M52 intake manifold? Doubtful. I don't have that kind of cash flow to drop on something that "might" improve my airflow slightly anyway.

Finishing up the rear end - Bump stops, covers, and reinforcement plates

  Fathers Day wouldn't be Father's Day without some  car workings. Finally taking the time to put the bump stops and shock piston covers back on the rear shocks.

Pretty straight forward.

Remove rear shocks.

 

Take off shock mount.

Snap bump stops into the covers.

Slide on the shaft till it stops.

Reassemble.

  Its not like tons of debris make their way up on that shock piston but, it is nice to have the cover since that is the way it was designed to be. Makes way more sense seeing them together than when the covers were just floating on the shock body. There were no more bumps stops left on the old shocks. Poor thing had bounced them to nothing.

  I was able to add the shock mount reinforcements as well. Not that I really need them for daily duties but, peace of mind for later down the road. 

Fresher rear badge for Helena - Differences between e36 and e46 rear badges

  When removing the rear badge off your hot whip be careful using any metal object. If your an impatient goober like myself then, you will scratch your paint. Not that anyone else can see it after the new roundel is on but, you know its there.

  A good set of plastic/poly interior removal tools proves very valuable here. Most of the issues I've heard and seen with badges are from the plastic grommets on the trunk side cracking. This makes for an insecure fit on the new roundel. 

Differences between E46 badges and E36 badges  

  BMW stock part number on e36 front/rear badge: 8 132 375 

  Size Front and Rear: 82mm

  Part number on e46 badge: 

  Front: 8 132 375   Size Front: 82mm

  Rear:  8 219 337   Size Rear: 73mm

  Applies to the rear roundel only: As you can see the e46 badge (on right) is slightly smaller.

  
Removing the rear badge

 What worked for me. I started using a plastic spatula to get mine off the rear. However, the edge wasn't slim enough to get under it. I then, used a small screw driver that I wrapped in a paper towel. Not a smart Idea. I might as well have just used the screw driver. 

One I got it started by applying light pressure to the left and right sides of the roundel. When it started to lift,  I rocked it gently going from one side to the other. It then, started to shimmy itself out properly. Don't be too rough on it or you will crack those grommets. Once off, clean up the filth under it. Check your grommets, replace as necessary. Then, pop on your new roundel and enjoy.

  

  

Contemplations - The mind of a car guy

  I left for work earlier than usual this morning, to take the long way in to work. I miss taking the back roads in to work. I don’t have many quality roads on the way in to where I work but, I find the joy and anticipation of those few choice corners to be my exhilaration for the day. In retrospect it is pretty sad that my most enjoyable moments are the ones spent in my car driving, alone, with the music on. I need more bass down low though a, work in progress.

  Helena feels so much better. She is fun to drive. When I push it just a bit I can hear the tires start to loose traction. I can feel the back end start to shimmy ever so slightly. My mind is just begging to get a little more foot in it. Let’s see what this thing can do. However, the realization that I’m on a public road, with a low speed limit, makes me calm down.

   I really need to get her out on the track where I can push and see what happens. My biggest fear is just overcoming the initial newness of this car, the nervousness of trying something new, and the time spent away from the girls. It’s not exactly something my whole family can get in to. Deep inside the need grows to just go have fun with this thing. I can understand how folks get in to Motorsports so deep. There is this yearning to just push the machine as much as you possibly can then, fix what’s left if it goes wrong.

  Not that I’m some kind of expert in these things, however, there seems to be quite the difference in how cars are setup for different Motorsport genres. I mean a drift car can race on a track. Will it be faster than a track specific setup? I guess it all depends on the vehicles involved. In my mind a car made specifically for track racing, is not intended to be a drift machine. Same goes for cone courses, mountain climbs, or drag racing. I’m sure that there is bleed over; however, F1 cars don’t run in the WEC for a reason. Two separately designed vehicles entirely.

  This is not to say that you can’t build a car that does all of these things. I’m really just generalizing here. The real question on my mind is: Can a family car, driven daily on the street, perform well on the track? I’m not sure where I stand on that at this moment as I have no experience in the matter. Where is the line between a family vehicle and a hard, bouncy, rocket machine?

  I’ve never been able to keep up with two separate vehicle projects at once anyway so, I’ll just keep going with Helena and see what happens. The whole reason I bought this car was to get a vehicle with four doors to carry the Niño’s. Now my mind is contemplating how close to a smoky, drift machine I can get this thing; with flappy, smoke stack exhausts of course. Chyeah!