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Any BMW coding guys in here? I'm looking at the market for e46 tourings and good condition automatic 325iTs are almost half the price of a manual. 6-8k seems to be standard for autos whereas manuals are listed for around 10-12k thanks to rarity. I'm considering hunting down a good auto then pilfering someone's parts car for all the necessary parts (trans, clutch box, flywheel, shifter, etc). Mechanically I have the know-how, I can pull and install a BMW trans in about a weekends worth of time. The problem is the coding - E46s need some ECU reprogramming to get rid of the auto trans computer and get the clutch switch and DSC working. I just can't make sense of anything I see with google searches with the sea of acronyms. I'm just looking for a basic guide to what software/hardware is required for this kind of thing. If I lived the the states I'd just have someone do the recoding for me, but there isn't really anyone around and canadian dealers won't touch that poo poo.
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Feb 13, 2013 23:41
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Unless you really want to learn all that poo poo, just call around for a euro shop with an Autologic and they can do it in a couple minutes by pressing one button.
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Feb 14, 2013 00:37
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In a fit of really dumb luck, I'm not going to be getting that last M3 for 6100. The old posting, should anyone want it can be found here. It's in Pittsburgh so I imagine a few of you are nearby. So this posting came up today, and it's from a nearby [<10 minutes away] used car dealer.  He said it runs well, and while that's dealer speak, if it drives well enough to take home I'll probably be buying it. It's a really disgustingly good deal.
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Feb 14, 2013 06:06
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Sarcophallus posted:In a fit of really dumb luck, I'm not going to be getting that last M3 for 6100. The old posting, should anyone want it can be found here. It's in Pittsburgh so I imagine a few of you are nearby. That is a good deal...if it isn't a salvage title. If it isn't, buy it and be ready to put in a couple thousand to have it perfect.
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Feb 14, 2013 12:28
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Sarcophallus posted:In a fit of really dumb luck, I'm not going to be getting that last M3 for 6100. The old posting, should anyone want it can be found here. It's in Pittsburgh so I imagine a few of you are nearby. It might just be the lighting, but it looks like the lower grille is missing as well as the undertray. Also, at that price and 4 doors, it's probably an automatic. Still probably worth it if the body and interior are clean.
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Feb 14, 2013 13:17
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Lowclock posted:Unless you really want to learn all that poo poo, just call around for a euro shop with an Autologic and they can do it in a couple minutes by pressing one button. And charge me 600 dollars for it. From what I gather its possible to get full access using a cable and an emulator running on virtual machine. Its just hard to figure out exactly what works and what all the specifics are. I've been reading the diagnostic section on bimmerforums but it already assumes you know what every program does.
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Feb 14, 2013 13:35
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mungtor posted:It might just be the lighting, but it looks like the lower grille is missing as well as the undertray. Also, at that price and 4 doors, it's probably an automatic. Still probably worth it if the body and interior are clean. It is an automatic, regrettably, but I'll probably just keep driving on it until the transmission fails and swap it for a manual. Or more likely pay to swap it for a manual. I was told it was just repainted, so I'm a bit more wary of the exterior, but I did get another picture with the grille in.
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Feb 14, 2013 17:19
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I was driving through small town Missouri yesterday and spotted a white e36 M3 for sale in front of a garage/used car dealer along side a bunch of pickups. I checked it out, it's a 5-speed with nice Vaders and in pretty decent overall shape. I walked in and asked about it, the guy says "It's a '96, has 118k miles, only problem I know of is the door panels coming apart around the handles. Asking 5 thousand" and hands me the key. It drove great but had a check engine light. The radiator and coolant tank looked excellent, suspension felt good, engine was very quiet, even the OBC worked 100%. It had a Dinan intake which makes me think it was owned by someone who didn't mind throwing money at it which may be a good sign. I told him I'd be back in a few days with cash in hand if he can sort out the check engine light. I'm looking for an autocross/track slut so I don't mind a car that's a little rough around the edges since I'll be overhauling the suspension anyways. I've got a '92 325i that was my daily driver for several years before being turned into a Chumpcar so I know my way around e36s pretty well. This will a sound financial decision considering I almost bought an Alfa last week.
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Feb 15, 2013 00:51
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Stuff like that is why I carry around an ELM327. Pull the codes right in front of them and harp on about expensive (but not really) repair costs to lowball dumb people.
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Feb 15, 2013 00:59
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I dunno about that futuristic OBD-II jibber jabber, I've only owned cars from 1990, 1992 (x2), 1988 (x2), and 1979.
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Feb 15, 2013 01:25
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Zlatan Imhobitch posted:Does anyone know how long KW V3s last before they need refurbing or whatever? A mate is selling a used set with Schirmer springs which is pretty much the ultimate set of coils if I want to spend <£3k. They have been tracked though so I don't want to pick them up and they just be useless after a few weeks. He's only selling because he's a baller with nitrons now. Hoping this just got lost at the bottom of the last page. Where is E46 M3 suspension crew?!
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Feb 15, 2013 01:28
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User Error posted:I dunno about that futuristic OBD-II jibber jabber, I've only owned cars from 1990, 1992 (x2), 1988 (x2), and 1979. If you have an android phone you can use Torque and an ELM327 bluetooth adapter that plugs into the OBD2 diagnostic port. On the e36 it's right above the dead pedal. It lets you pull any check engine codes and gives you a brief description of them. Also does a bunch of other stuff like pull data from any sensor, etc. A must when going to check out used cars post '96 so sellers can't bullshit you.
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Feb 15, 2013 02:32
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Too good to be true? http://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/cto/3618492532.html
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Feb 15, 2013 08:27
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Hog Obituary posted:Too good to be true? It's skirting the line between salvage title price and good price for a good car.
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Feb 15, 2013 08:33
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Kenshin posted:Possibly. With a price like that it may well be a salvage title. ad says "clean title" -- it's a pretty easy thing to confirm, unless it's got a branded title in another state i guess.
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Feb 15, 2013 08:43
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GOD drat COOLING SYSTEM Looks like I busted a hose on my way to see a show in Tulsa. Car started overheating while I was idling at a rest stop half way between Tulsa and Stillwater. Got it towed home since I didn't want to be stuck on the side of the road in the middle of loving nowhere, Oklahoma during a lovely night filled with slush and snow. Looks like I saved the headgasket because I was able to drive it to work this morning without it overheating, but I'm still a little worried as to what caused it to overheat in the first place. It could be it was leaking for a while and I just didn't notice it since I don't really drive in stop and go traffic with a lot of idling and my commute is only 20 minutes or so and it just leaked enough to start overheating the car on the trip, but I'm worried about the fan clutch. When they fail completely what happens?
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Feb 15, 2013 16:05
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When my fan clutch failed, it just was engaged the entire time. So at 7k RPM it lost all the blades on the fan and then became extremely unbalanced, requiring replacement.
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Feb 15, 2013 16:12
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Zlatan Imhobitch posted:Hoping this just got lost at the bottom of the last page. Where is E46 M3 suspension crew?! I can tell you that in general, track miles are much much easier on suspension components then street miles, and if I were buying used suspensions I would greatly prefer to pull a setup from a track car vs. a street car. I can also tell you that the KW V3s have a terrible reputation as a track suspension, but should be cheap to rebuild if necessary (~$150/corner last I checked).
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Feb 15, 2013 16:15
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Well I don't have to worry about 7K RPM (eta  ) at least.
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Feb 15, 2013 16:47
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Bank posted:One of my friends from high school just started working at the local BMW dealership washing cars and giving people rides when they drop off their car for service. I went to visit him during my lunch and he was in the office not chatting, but buying a car. Maybe the whole M3 buying scene was staged to impresses old high school friends when they visit him at his poo poo job. I'd rather him be incredibly insecure and crazy than that financially stupid. But part of me is jealous because I don't have the balls to buy an M3.
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Feb 15, 2013 17:32
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Then you can watch his life spiral down the drain as he can't afford to maintain it.
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Feb 15, 2013 17:35
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Jealous Cow posted:Even with zero out of pocket you can lease a base E92 M3 for less than $750 a month. He should net around $1800 after taxes per month. Doable. Dumb, but doable. That's not even counting a likely incentivized lease due to being an employee. Friend of mine was a parts counter jockey a number of years ago, and when the E85 chassis Z4s were winding down (2008 or so), employee lease rates were something stupid to the tune of like 169/month for a fully loaded 3.0 car. Figure an outgoing M3 is probably 5-600 for an employee lease, factor 15/hr and a kid living at home with no other bills, and it's easily doable. Hell, go troll around on bimmerforums for a bit and you'll see how common it is.
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Feb 15, 2013 21:30
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In my endless quest to get this piece of poo poo running right, I swapped the turner chipped 173 out of the E30 and replaced it with a stock 380 ECU. Holy crow the difference is night and day. It doesn't idle like poo poo and run pig rich when cold and the drivability is much better. It's still got the miss under load but it's not as pronounced, and there's a vacuum leak somewhere. I think the chip was just compounding the existing problems. I still need to yank hacked together engine harness out and replace it with the clean one I got. It sure was a lot punchier under acceleration with the chip though 
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Feb 15, 2013 21:39
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Moxie Omen posted:In my endless quest to get this piece of poo poo running right, I swapped the turner chipped 173 out of the E30 and replaced it with a stock 380 ECU. Holy crow the difference is night and day. It doesn't idle like poo poo and run pig rich when cold and the drivability is much better. It's still got the miss under load but it's not as pronounced, and there's a vacuum leak somewhere. I think the chip was just compounding the existing problems. I still need to yank hacked together engine harness out and replace it with the clean one I got. It sure was a lot punchier under acceleration with the chip though If the turner chip was anything based on the old Conforti builds (likely), then yea, that makes sense. Jim's old chips used to run the car pig rich, makes nice power though. I've got an aggressive conforti chip in a 24v vanos swap car with a straight pipe, and that thing belches flame off throttle.
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Feb 15, 2013 21:46
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I'd rather not clutter the thread with his bad financial decisions, but the car he got was an 08 with 109k on the ODO. He ended up getting it for $31k OTD which is actually pretty decent, esp. considering we're in CA. The poo poo part is that he is going to be making payments for the next 72 months at 2.9%. No idea how they secured that rate for him, but he'll basically be using his paycheck to pay for the car. Hopefully he realizes that he has to pay for gas and insurance, then sells it. Though I'm going to try and sneak in some joy rides in the mean time.
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Feb 15, 2013 22:14
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Stardotstar posted:I can tell you that in general, track miles are much much easier on suspension components then street miles, and if I were buying used suspensions I would greatly prefer to pull a setup from a track car vs. a street car. I can also tell you that the KW V3s have a terrible reputation as a track suspension, but should be cheap to rebuild if necessary (~$150/corner last I checked). Terrible reputation how? I thought they were regarded as the absolute bees knees for track cars that needed to be daily driven too? They were from a car that consistently lapped the ring in the 7s and he had no problems with them.
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Feb 15, 2013 22:21
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ThatCguy posted:If the turner chip was anything based on the old Conforti builds (likely), then yea, that makes sense. Jim's old chips used to run the car pig rich, makes nice power though. I've got an aggressive conforti chip in a 24v vanos swap car with a straight pipe, and that thing belches flame off throttle. That'd make sense. I bought an E30 MS3 setup off a guy recently so I'll probably just wind up throwing that on the car and playing around with it once I sort out these other problems.
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Feb 15, 2013 22:26
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Moxie, what all do you have to do to convert your car to MS3?
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Feb 15, 2013 22:27
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Lightbulb Out posted:Moxie, what all do you have to do to convert your car to MS3? From what I've read, '89+ has all the necessary stuff like cam sensor, etc so it's just a matter of wiring the ecu connector to the megasquirt box, T'ing in a vacuum line since MS works off manifold pressure instead of AFM, and whatever wideband O2 controller you're using. I was actually looking at buying a MSPNP since it's a single plug & play box but stumbled over this MS3 setup with all the connector wiring already done and a wideband controller for less than what the MSPNP alone runs.
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Feb 15, 2013 22:53
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Every few months I get an urge to buy parts to upgrade my E90 328. But then I remember it only has 230 HP and it's an automatic. It will cost way too much to get much more than that. I think I'm going to have to buy a second car to mess with.
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Feb 15, 2013 23:01
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Moxie Omen posted:From what I've read, '89+ has all the necessary stuff like cam sensor, etc so it's just a matter of wiring the ecu connector to the megasquirt box, T'ing in a vacuum line since MS works off manifold pressure instead of AFM, and whatever wideband O2 controller you're using. Doesn't seem too bad, I'm interested in converting my car but haven't done enough research to really say much.
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Feb 15, 2013 23:20
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Rear right shock is leakin', are these a good replacement for the money? (294$ shipped for me if it displays different) http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/sku/BMW/318i/Koni/Shock_Absorber_and_Strut_Assembly/1992/Base/4_Cyl_1-dot-8L/W0133-1601803.html?loc=Rear Everything else on the car is stock (92 e36 318i) I'm just going to replace each thing as it breaks with a cooler thing I'm probably not gonna take the car on a track so it's just for daily drivin yyyyyy fucked around with this message at 23:34 on Feb 15, 2013 |
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Feb 15, 2013 23:30
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Bank posted:The poo poo part is that he is going to be making payments for the next 72 months at 2.9%. No idea how they secured that rate for him, but he'll basically be using his paycheck to pay for the car. Hopefully he realizes that he has to pay for gas and insurance, then sells it.
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Feb 15, 2013 23:58
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I'm thinking about what I should do with the 92 325i auto I bought. Two issues: 1. It will not shift from first, then wouldn't even give forward motion if the revs went over some number (3K rpm I think). From a bit of research, it could be either fluid change, loose connector, or bad transmission. If I end up keeping it, I would want a manual transmission. Therefore, I am thinking that I should just ditch the auto and just do the swap. 2. The climate control does not work, and the stereo is missing. Not knowing much about these, was there ever a "manual" climate control, where you just set the heat level, fan speed, etc.? I would prefer this over an automatic system that can crap out. The end goal is to have this as the car I take to autocross and beat on.
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Feb 16, 2013 02:21
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Zlatan Imhobitch posted:Terrible reputation how? I thought they were regarded as the absolute bees knees for track cars that needed to be daily driven too? Im not sure what you want to hear about them but KW's do not have an amazing reputation here in the states. Make sure they don't clunk or have them tested on a shock dyno and then decide.
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Feb 16, 2013 02:51
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This isn't as hard as I thought it would be. Just need to get an ADS/OBD2 to USB cable and try to get the emulator to work with my 328. Might as well try to figure out why the ABS/TCS lights have been on forever. Crustashio fucked around with this message at 03:18 on Feb 16, 2013 |
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Feb 16, 2013 02:58
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Crustashio posted:This isn't as hard as I thought it would be. !!! Oh I need to get ALL over this.
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Feb 16, 2013 04:46
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Crustashio posted:This isn't as hard as I thought it would be. Its not really that simple. Apparently due to hardware limitations, it doesn't run on usb->serial connections and needs a serial-> obdII->20 pin connector to really work as well as have a native, hardware serial interface computer side. Don't tell me that though, I have it installed on an old machine with a hardware serial and it only randomly works. (i.e. won't pull poo poo from my e36s but works perfectly on a buddy's e36/7) 
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Feb 16, 2013 05:33
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BraveUlysses posted:Im not sure what you want to hear about them but KW's do not have an amazing reputation here in the states. Make sure they don't clunk or have them tested on a shock dyno and then decide. I don't want to hear anything. I was wondering what the issue was, quality or ride or reliability or what? I have no emotional involvement in them and just thought a company like schirmer wouldn't bother with something that's poor. I didn't mean to come across as hostile 
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Feb 16, 2013 05:41
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Crustashio posted:This isn't as hard as I thought it would be. Crustashio posted:Just need to get an ADS/OBD2 to USB cable and try to get the emulator to work with my 328. Might as well try to figure out why the ABS/TCS lights have been on forever.
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Feb 16, 2013 06:35
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