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Are there any cheap clutch stops for an E36? My ZHP has a stop and I love it, but trying to switch to my 328 is causing me to slip it like mad when I drive it. The ridiculous travel combined with the heavier throttle and making me feel retarded.
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Sep 17, 2011 21:58
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Crustashio posted:Are there any cheap clutch stops for an E36? My ZHP has a stop and I love it, but trying to switch to my 328 is causing me to slip it like mad when I drive it. The ridiculous travel combined with the heavier throttle and making me feel retarded. http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=108849
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Sep 17, 2011 22:26
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voltron posted:Does 50 pounds in the front versus the back really make that much of a difference? On a 3000-lb car with 55 front/45 back, you're looking at a 3% weight difference. Well you have to think, you're ADDING weight elsewhere, so maybe closer to a 100 lb difference in balance, which by your math would be 6%. That's not why I like it though, it just really cleans up the engine bay. Keeping heat away from the battery can't be a bad thing either.
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Sep 17, 2011 22:32
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Just found out the previous owner to my 99 M3, for some unknown reason, snipped the wires to the high-beams. Is it legit to splice off the lines for the regular-beams and wire those up to the terminals for the high-beams? I wish I snapped a photo of it when the safety inspector showed it to me. It's just a clean cut, clearly intentional.
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Sep 17, 2011 23:19
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voltron posted:Just found out the previous owner to my 99 M3, for some unknown reason, snipped the wires to the high-beams. Is it legit to splice off the lines for the regular-beams and wire those up to the terminals for the high-beams? Weird. Your fogs don't work do they?
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Sep 17, 2011 23:52
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revmoo posted:Weird. Your fogs don't work do they?
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Sep 18, 2011 09:12
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The 12v power outlet died on me a while ago and I've been struggling with finding a replacement. Has anyone had to replace theirs on their E30? Where did you find the part? I can't even find a part number on realoem!
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Sep 18, 2011 15:39
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What do you guys think about aftermarket warranties or service contracts for used cars? I am still looking for that used X5, but I am worried about running into a major mechanical issue, and the model year and mileage range I am looking for is just outside what BMW will offer CPO status for. The thing is, aftermarket warranties are massively expensive. The quotes I have gotten are in excess of $2500 for 24 mos/24000 mi of coverage. The only benefit I see to buying one of these cars from a dealership is that I could get the extended warranty on the car for a discount, since the dealerships mark them about 100%. I realize that it is basically making a bet that something major on the car will fail, but what I don't know is the probability that I will have to use it. Per goon advice, I am only looking for 3.0i models as the V8 models are prone to problems. I have moderate wrenching ability, but replacing something like a transmission or a water pump is probably over my head. Do any of you guys have any experience with these things?
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Sep 19, 2011 00:00
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Captain Tact posted:What do you guys think about aftermarket warranties or service contracts for used cars? I am still looking for that used X5, but I am worried about running into a major mechanical issue, and the model year and mileage range I am looking for is just outside what BMW will offer CPO status for. We've had a few people in this thread who've reported truly awful experiences with them. They will do everything they possibly can to claim things aren't covered. You'll pretty much just be out the money you pay, you're better off just taking good care of the vehicle.
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Sep 19, 2011 00:24
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Captain Tact posted:I realize that it is basically making a bet that something major on the car will fail, but what I don't know is the probability that I will have to use it. Per goon advice, I am only looking for 3.0i models as the V8 models are prone to problems. I have moderate wrenching ability, but replacing something like a transmission or a water pump is probably over my head. Warranties blow. Again the beauty of own a BMW is the huge enthusiast community. There is some one out there that has had the same issue that you have had and knows a solution. Here is a link to replacing the water pump in the 4.4i. http://www.xoutpost.com/file-e5344waterpump.htm If you have a good set of (metric) tools, follow directions, some logic and a little common sense, you can do just about anything short of a transmission.... and all that requires is just a bigger lift 
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Sep 19, 2011 00:54
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Kenshin posted:Terrible, terrible idea. I work at a BMW and this is true, but there is also a bunch of stuff that isn't covered under CPO anyway. Just keep the money you would spend on buying the CPO coverage and save it for when the car needs it Nodoze fucked around with this message at 01:59 on Sep 19, 2011 |
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Sep 19, 2011 01:56
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 Got everything I need for replacing my cooling system. Plan to get it done this upcoming weekend. I basically got everything thats in this kit, with the exception of the water pump. I had some extra cash so I picked up a EMP Stewart model so hopefully I won't have to worry about the water pump for the rest of the time I own the car.
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Sep 19, 2011 03:53
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timma85 posted:Got everything I need for replacing my cooling system. Plan to get it done this upcoming weekend. I basically got everything thats in this kit, with the exception of the water pump. I had some extra cash so I picked up a EMP Stewart model so hopefully I won't have to worry about the water pump for the rest of the time I own the car. Took me about six hours. Could have gotten it done much faster but the old hoses weren't cooperating and that expansion tank is hard to take off. I'll post some pictures of it when I get to an actual computer. If you have any questions let me know, but the DIYs out there are pretty good.
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Sep 19, 2011 06:29
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E46 cooling job is pretty easy. Definitely dealing with the expansion tank is the hardest part and it's really just fiddly work in a tight space. Nothing too bad. E: How come no one ever made an aluminum thermostat housing for E46's?
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Sep 19, 2011 12:09
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revmoo posted:E46 cooling job is pretty easy. Definitely dealing with the expansion tank is the hardest part and it's really just fiddly work in a tight space. Nothing too bad. Aluminum Thermostat I wasn't interested in it though because I'm not real sure if a cheap aluminum thermostat was any better then the stock BMW unit. I've read the expansion tank can be a bitch especially since the elbow that attaches to the radiator is plastic. Do the online DIY's cover getting the expansion tank off pretty well?
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Sep 19, 2011 15:02
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timma85 posted:Do the online DIY's cover getting the expansion tank off pretty well?
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Sep 19, 2011 16:22
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When I did mine, I replaced my radiator as well, and its definitely MUCH easier to do the expansion tank while its on the ground. That's probably not much help though. As far as thermostats go, I'd just stick with stock, it works and seems to work just as well as everything else in the area.
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Sep 19, 2011 17:48
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Reminder to all to check your Belts/Pulleys/Tensioners at least every three years. The belts that I installed back in 2008 were both cracked and the pulleys I installed at the same time had bearings that were dried out and spinning freely. I can't believe how thrashed most of these parts were after only 3 years of use. Both tensioners (hydro Alt and Mech A/C) were also pretty fubared - I've been lazy and as far as I could tell, they've never been replaced since my 330's June 2002 build date. Keyser_Soze fucked around with this message at 03:05 on Sep 20, 2011 |
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Sep 19, 2011 22:25
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Well, I just dropped off my Z3M to have the bumper replaced...should take some fall photos after I get it back
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Sep 20, 2011 01:00
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Shopping for a bimmer trip report: I went down to Regina, stopping to make some last minute this-is-still-on-right? phone calls. Get voicemail everywhere (three cars - another e36 showed up on my searches). Eventually I get into town, and get a message back from seller #1 (Burgundy, no pictures on ad, 328is), car is in the shop waiting on a part, getting a new clutch and some other work done. No word on how this might affect the price, but no chance to look at it. Seller #2 (blue, appears black in ad, 250K) and I play telephone tag for a while, eventually sort out meeting up. I get there, he's a decent sort, describes all the work done, I take it for a test drive. Excellent, wonderful car. He wants cash only, and will replace the tie-rods upon recieving a deposit and commitment to buy the car. Seller #3 (white) never gets back to me. On the way home, the alternator in my Prelude dies. gently caress. Couldn't it have waited two weeks? Goddam it, why do the pretty ones have to be so much trouble? Insult to injury: seller #2 relisted with a price increase from $5K to $6K. Sorry for the rant, I'll ask a question to keep things from being too annoying: how accurate is the fuel economy gauge on a 1994 318is? It's a neat feature, but I don't know how far to trust Seller #2's claims of 7L/100km (about 33 mpg) - if he was basing it on just the little needle, or actual fill-ups / distance driven calculations. Pretty much every ad for a 318 I've seen says "excellent fuel economy!" which is probably a euphemism for "doesn't accelerate the way you expect a BMW to"
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Sep 20, 2011 02:23
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revmoo posted:E46 cooling job is pretty easy. Definitely dealing with the expansion tank is the hardest part and it's really just fiddly work in a tight space. Nothing too bad. timma85 provided the right link, they appeared on the market last year. It really never needed to be made, as the plastic thermostat housing is very durable and outlasts the thermostat itself. Trust me, the aluminum version is NOT an upgrade, the mfgr. is sub-par, I actually bought one and it had burrs from machining and flashing left over from casting. Really poor quality, as once I had removed the sharp burrs, the rubber hose connectors don't actually fit! The OEM plastic one is all you need, after seeing the pitiful quality of the aluminum version first hand, I ordered the plastic.
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Sep 20, 2011 03:06
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ExecuDork posted:Sorry for the rant, I'll ask a question to keep things from being too annoying: how accurate is the fuel economy gauge on a 1994 318is? It's a neat feature, but I don't know how far to trust Seller #2's claims of 7L/100km (about 33 mpg) - if he was basing it on just the little needle, or actual fill-ups / distance driven calculations. Pretty much every ad for a 318 I've seen says "excellent fuel economy!" which is probably a euphemism for "doesn't accelerate the way you expect a BMW to" It's not the same at all, but in my e90 328 it's pretty accurate. But you have to keep in mind that it's accurate for what your car is doing at that moment. You can look down while at speed and see "Oh 30mpg, yay" but that's what it's getting while you're at highway speed. If all you do is drive on a highway, great. It's not taking into account when you hit traffic and you slow down and then accelerate and you're getting 12mpg. On a three hour drive of hitting traffic and stopping for food, my 30mpg ends up being about 26. And in the city I'm getting 19. I trust the actual average mpg the computer gives me, but I'd trust reseting the trip odometer at gas fill up and calculating that with how much gas I put in at the next fill up. So maybe while he's on a flat stretch of road going 55-65, his car is telling him he's getting 33mpg, but that's not accurate overall. But I don't know how the fuel economy gauge works in that car. In mine it's being calculated, in some old cars it's a "how much is my gas pedal depressed" gauge that doesn't mean anything.
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Sep 20, 2011 04:50
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Thanks, that's about what I thought. I did glance at it several times during the test drive, which included stomping on it from zero up to about 140km/h - pedal flat through third gear, it was pushing up northwards of the 20L/100km mark, about 12mpg; when I lifted it dropped to under 10, and gliding in-gear down the spedometer it was at zero, consistent with the idea the injectors shut down when the engine is turning from the connection to the wheels. So, an interesting little device and a fun toy, but not super useful for long-term fuel economy considerations.
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Sep 20, 2011 05:04
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I bought an 02 M5 yesterday, yay! Quick pic: It's not as fast as the AMG but it's a ton of fun to drive. I've really missed an actual honest-to-god 6MT rather than the flappy paddle poo poo. I'll put some more pics up sometime this week. Ordered the 545i shift lever & ZHP knob already. The car came with a DVD player in the trunk that wires into the television in the dash. This car has the 16:9 TV so I'm assuming it's an MKIV unit? What is everyone using for iPod connectivity these days, the DICE Silverline kit? I don't mind ditching the changer. P.S. what's the verdict on oil for the S62? I'm reading that post '00 cars use 5w30 whereas 00 and earlier are calling for TWS / BMW Castrol 10w60.
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Sep 20, 2011 05:51
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Car: 1997 328i Mileage: 210,000 As I stated earlier, my car's been throwing a P140 CEL: O2 sensor bank 1, sensor 2 (that is, post-cat) not responding. Upon checking the voltage, it just stays on high voltage the whole time. After doing some research it seems this Bosch O2 sensor (for a '94 Ford Econoline 5.8L apparently) works as long as I splice the wires in. It's a fourth of a cost of the BMW one and is apparently the same thing. Anybody done this?
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Sep 20, 2011 14:34
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I've got a 2004 330Ci that I purchased in December '10. Its coming up on 75,000 miles and I am going to go ahead and do a complete cooling system refresh on it, as I have no idea if it's been done before and I'd rather be safe than sorry. I've found a DIY guide here that I'm going to go by unless someone has one that they'd recommend. I also found a DIY to remove the fan and shroud on bimmerforums (my car is an automatic) so I'll be using that advice for that part of the procedure as well as getting the tools needed for removal. The parts kit I'm probably going to get is this one unless someone has a better suggestion. Pelican Parts has a kit available but it costs more and does not come with the expansion tank, however it does come with the fan removal tools. Is there an advantage in going with the metal water pump over the composite? The one from the link above is OEM so I'm guessing it's the composite variety. I'm not afraid of replacing it again in ~60k miles so if the only advantage of the metal one is longer life than that's not my greatest concern. Also, what other maintenance should I do while I'm there? I plan on doing the belts as well, should I be looking at pulley/tensioner replacement as well? Thanks in advance for any advice.
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Sep 20, 2011 20:38
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The DIY link and the kit you're getting seems perfectly fine. As for the water pumps, I think either will do. I would suspect the metal one would last longer but I dunno. As for fan removal, you technically do not need the special tools, just a 32mm (or whatever size the fan nut was) wrench with a long handle and a hammer to give it a good whack would do. Remember the fan nut is reverse threaded.
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Sep 20, 2011 20:47
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Fermunky posted:As for fan removal, you technically do not need the special tools, just a 32mm (or whatever size the fan nut was) wrench with a long handle and a hammer to give it a good whack would do.
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Sep 20, 2011 21:02
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ExecuDork posted:Sorry for the rant, I'll ask a question to keep things from being too annoying: how accurate is the fuel economy gauge on a 1994 318is? It's a neat feature, but I don't know how far to trust Seller #2's claims of 7L/100km (about 33 mpg) - if he was basing it on just the little needle, or actual fill-ups / distance driven calculations. Pretty much every ad for a 318 I've seen says "excellent fuel economy!" which is probably a euphemism for "doesn't accelerate the way you expect a BMW to" If it's like the one in my E34, it's not as inaccurate as I thought, and I believe mine shows an updating average since the last time it was reset. Mine has 2 readouts for this and you can reset them independently. So if I want to know what I have been doing since the last fillup, that can be on one and if I am curious about the drive I am on, that can be another. If it's not accurate, you can get an accurate MPG estimate yourself and then adjust the computer. There's a procedure Lowclock posted a ways back, search his posts if you are interested. This way your range estimates will be more correct. I am sure mine's never been adjusted and it was +/- 1-2MPG over what I got from doing the math myself. The
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Sep 20, 2011 21:49
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Bank posted:If you can get it off without the tool, more power to you -- I have an automatic and tried it without the fan tools, but I don't think I even got close to taking the thing off after 30 minutes. Not to mention you will be striking the hammer very close to the Vanos unit. Maybe I just suck at the method. I paid for the overpriced fan tools (they are just pieces of cast metal) but they were worth it. It will help you pull off the four bolts on the water pump pulley too. Thats why I indicated a wrench with a longggg handle. Alternatively, you could use a long screw driver to wedge between two of the water pump pulley bolts to hold it while you try to wrench the nut off. But I do agree with you, if you have the tool, it is certainly worth having, but in a pinch, the hammer/wrench will get ya by.
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Sep 20, 2011 21:54
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   Found this baby sitting in a '96. Seems like it could be a great candidate for an M60 / M62 hybrid, but I need to find out if the motor is fudged. I don't think I can do a compression or leakdown test, so it seems my only option is to go back on thursday and yank the heads to see what's up. I've heard these motors are pretty tanky, so I'm hoping it's alright. Any recommendations? I posted this is my build thread, but I was hoping some M62 gurus might be lurking here
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Sep 20, 2011 22:02
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ExecuDork posted:Sorry for the rant, I'll ask a question to keep things from being too annoying: how accurate is the fuel economy gauge on a 1994 318is? It's a neat feature, but I don't know how far to trust Seller #2's claims of 7L/100km (about 33 mpg) - if he was basing it on just the little needle, or actual fill-ups / distance driven calculations. Do you mean the instantaneous fuel consumption gauge, or the OBC-calculated average? It's difficult to tell how accurate the instantaneous gauge is, as it's, well, instantaneous. The only time it's worth paying any attention to at all is when cruising at a constant speed. However, the OBC in my 2004 E46 is eerily accurate, often down to the 0.1 mpg compared to the (miles driven/gallons pumped) calculation I do at the gas station. That said, the OBC in my 1990 E34, which is likely a lot more similar to the E36 OBC, was generally accurate within a couple MPG. The more highway driving I did the more accurate the OBC was. ExecuDork posted:Pretty much every ad for a 318 I've seen says "excellent fuel economy!" which is probably a euphemism for "doesn't accelerate the way you expect a BMW to" Bingo. Other euphemisms include "zippy" and "peppy". The E36 318 is dog slow. Like 10+ seconds 0-60 slow. Even by early 90s standards that was slowwww.
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Sep 20, 2011 22:30
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Not much of a car guy, but I've always had a hard-on for bmw body lines, and I'm interested in buying a car. It'll be used, and I'm prioritizing fuel economy, low initial cost, and reliability over peppy pickup, though honestly I just want a sexy, shiny piece of motorized metal to cart my rear end to work this winter. I'd like an 88-96ish beamer, but I know squat about them and cars in general. What's the difficulty of upkeep and pricing of parts compared to a more pedestrian car like an accord or something? Are there any particular models which hit a nice price/performance sweet spot? Are there any models/years which are plagued by recurring issues? thx
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Sep 20, 2011 23:56
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Guinness posted:Do you mean the instantaneous fuel consumption gauge, or the OBC-calculated average? It's difficult to tell how accurate the instantaneous gauge is, as it's, well, instantaneous. The only time it's worth paying any attention to at all is when cruising at a constant speed. Other car ads that include "zippy" and "peppy" and variations on that theme include Saturn S-class (with 1.9L four-bangers rated at 124bhp at most) and pretty much every other two-door compact out there. It's pretty sad to see it applied to a bimmer.
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Sep 21, 2011 01:44
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Goon posted:Not much of a car guy, but I've always had a hard-on for bmw body lines, and I'm interested in buying a car. It'll be used, and I'm prioritizing fuel economy, low initial cost, and reliability over peppy pickup, though honestly I just want a sexy, shiny piece of motorized metal to cart my rear end to work this winter. If you want cheap to run and reliable, a BMW doesn't really fit those criteria all that well. Parts are more expensive in most cases than a Honda or a domestic (though not by as much as you might expect). More importantly, BMWs require a more proactive attitude towards maintenance; just putting gas and oil in isn't enough. The attitude I take to mine is that I would rather spend some money maintaining the car properly as opposed to spending a lot of money fixing something broken. If that doesn't scare you off, get a 3-Series; they have proven consistently to be the most reliable of the BMW lineup. In the years you've expressed interest in, you're looking at late E30s and early E36s. Both are fine cars in their own right, but they're not without their pitfalls...chief among them being that 99% of E30s are grossly overpriced (for reasons I don't fully understand; I've never been a big fan of the E30), and 99% of E36s of that age are being abused by the hats-front-to-back crowd. As for mechanical issues, give this thread a good read...it's pretty much the best single source of BMW information I've seen online.
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Sep 21, 2011 01:50
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MrChips posted:Both are fine cars in their own right, but they're not without their pitfalls...chief among them being that 99% of E30s are grossly overpriced (for reasons I don't fully understand; I've never been a big fan of the E30) Nait Sirhc posted:I bought an 02 M5 yesterday, yay! Quick pic: BlackMK4 fucked around with this message at 02:01 on Sep 21, 2011 |
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Sep 21, 2011 01:59
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CornHolio posted:Car: 1997 328i Cornholio, I don't think this works for 96+ cars since they should have 4 wire O2 sensors. Find anything on bimmerforums? Alternatively, some shops sell o2 stimulators for the secondary system.
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Sep 21, 2011 02:11
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I wasn't disappointed by the acceleration, handling, speed, or anything else about the 1994 318is I test drove, though of course I'm not arguing it's anything other than a slow car by the standards of the rest of what BMW makes. According to Wikipedia, this 1995 318ti hatchback has the same engine - is there anything about the hatchbacks that makes them much worse or just significantly different from the coupe or sedans?
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Sep 21, 2011 03:31
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Goon posted:I'm prioritizing fuel economy, low initial cost, and reliability over peppy pickup, recurring issues? A BMW is pretty much none of these things. If you really want a crash course in working on cars they're a good place to start. But if you seriously need daily, affordable transportation buy a 90s japanese car that hasn't been eaten by rust.
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Sep 21, 2011 03:35
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ExecuDork posted:I wasn't disappointed by the acceleration, handling, speed, or anything else about the 1994 318is I test drove, though of course I'm not arguing it's anything other than a slow car by the standards of the rest of what BMW makes. According to Wikipedia, this 1995 318ti hatchback has the same engine - is there anything about the hatchbacks that makes them much worse or just significantly different from the coupe or sedans? Well, 3 Compacts look terrible, for one.  Also, they don't drive or ride as nice as their bigger brothers. Some of that is down to the shorter wheelbase, but also because the E36 Compact borrows a lot from the E30 underneath. Compared to the normal E36, the E30's (and by extension, the E36 Compact) suspension is pretty primitive, and it kind of shows in terms of ride and handling.
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Sep 21, 2011 04:23
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