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I have an obscure, and probably stupid question. I picked up a new differential drain plug for a fluid change on my e46. I noticed small quantities of white crusty stuff in a few spots on the threads, so I carefully scraped it off. Although I'm almost positive it was just surface corrosion, it just occurred to me that I may have scraped off some sort of thread lock compound. Can anyone confirm that there shouldn't be any sort of threadlock on a diff drain plug for this car? edit: VVV Thanks very much. I'm so paranoid of screwing something up on this car that I'm second-guessing myself at every opportunity. Taymar fucked around with this message at 02:56 on Apr 10, 2008 |
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Apr 10, 2008 02:31
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E30User posted:Do e34s have fold down rear seats to increase trunk space? I'm thinking about getting one in the future and that feature might be enough to make my decision. I believe they were available on the e34, though not standard on all models (mine didn't have them, but browsing some classifieds turns up some which claim to have them). I have another question - I'm noticing a faint grinding or rubbing feeling, felt mostly through the pedals when turning the car (e46, manual transmission, mechanically stock) on almost full lock at low speed. If I leave it in first gear and let the car drive at idle in a tight circle, I can feel it. It's quite faint and not really audible. It had its front control arm bushings done 3k miles ago, and has runflat tires in case that's relevant. I don't know if it could be wheel bearing(s), the car has 40k miles which I'd guess is a bit low for that to be an issue. I'm not overly worried about it but I'd like to rule out the diff as the source. Is there any test I can do myself to check this out?
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Apr 12, 2008 04:00
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Bateau posted:What is an acceptable substitute to BMW factory oil for E46s? BMW recommends their own oil (duh!) or any synthetic rated ACEA A3 / API SH. It seems that ACEA A3 is really hard to come by in off-shelf 5w-30 oils. The only Mobil 1 that fits that rating is 0w-40. One oil that seems to be a very popular substitute is castrol syntec 0w-30 'european formula' (autozone usually stocks it). Mobil 1 0w40 seems to be another popular choice. For my e46 I narrowed my choices down to amsoil european car formula 5w40, or Castrol syntec 0w30. Since the castrol meets all BMW's official requirements, I went with that. There's a lot of speculation that BMW's 5w30 and the Syntec 0w30 are better than the other off-the-shelf versions of syntec - something about them being made in germany and german laws supposedly not allowing a group III oil to be called synthetic. No idea how much truth there is to this, but I do know the 0w30 was the only grade of it at autozone which says 'made in germany' on the bottle.
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Apr 19, 2008 22:27
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zapplez posted:Can anyone explain to me what exactly the BMW Certified Pre-Owned warranty actually covers, the terms they use seem to be very vague. The language they use (focusing on the word "safety") makes it seem very far from a bumper to bumper warranty or a powertrain warranty. It's not bumper-to-bumper but seems to cover a good amount. Pretty much anything that's critical and not a wear item or an entertainment item. Apparently there's also a $50 surcharge for every warranty repair visit. covered by CPO warranty against defects in materials and workmanship: Engine Automatic/Manual Transmission Front Suspension Rear Suspension Steering Brakes ABS Brake System Electrical Air Conditioning/Heating System Cooling System Interior/Exterior Fuel System Final Drive Assembly, Propeller Shaft not covered by CPO warranty: Upkeep Items Maintenance; engine, transmission, and body adjustments; wheel alignment, balancing or rotation; wiper blade inserts; engine drive belts; spark plugs; filters; fuses; all batteries; all hoses and clamps (except air conditioning and power steering); oils, lubricants, fluids, refrigerants and coolants (except as required in the course of a covered repair); brake pads and rotors; brake shoes and drums; manual transmission clutch assemblies; suspension dampers (shock absorbers/strut elements); exhaust systems; tires. Wear and Tear All wear and tear items as defined in The Certified Pre-Owned BMW Protection Plan Consumer Information Statement (including all suspension parts and components). Body and Interior Paint; glass; headlamps; bulbs (except instrumentation); mirrors; lenses; body and chassis; body seals and gaskets; interior and exterior trim, moldings, and fasteners; upholstery, headliner, carpeting, floor and trunk mats; convertible top (all components except electronics); air or water leaks; wind or body noises; wheels; damage due to rust, corrosion, or contamination, except as covered by the BMW New Vehicle Rust and Corrosion Perforation Warranty. Accessories Radio/cassette player, telephone, navigation system, CD changer, or any components of those systems; non-original equipment parts, components or accessories. source: http://www.bmwusa.com/Standard/Content/CPO/Warranty/Default.aspx Taymar fucked around with this message at 21:56 on May 2, 2008 |
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May 2, 2008 21:53
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Lufiron posted:It really all depends on the dealer. If you're going to a dealer with a bad CSI in sales and service, chances are their CPO checks are gonna be sub-par. What's a CSI, and how can you find this out for a particular dealer? I hear now and again about these awesome dealers that go out of their way to accomodate the customer, but I've had mediocre at best experiences. I'd happily drive the extra distance to a decent dealership.
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May 5, 2008 14:03
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Pissingintowind posted:Also, did both of you guys test both sides? I'm 75% sure that the lights should not come on when you lift the passenger does handle. This probably isn't any help, but on my e34 the interior lights were activated by the drivers door handle, but not the passenger side handle. They then went off again when the drivers door was opened, which they shouldn't have. I never got it fixed but it was diagnosed as a faulty body control(?) module.
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May 16, 2008 22:51
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Didn't see this posted yet (or sorry if I missed it). 'Shark Edit', due to be released next month for OBDI cars & July for OBDII, sounds quite interesting. From my limited understanding, it sounds like you'll be able to have your specific car tuned to best make use of any modifications, vs. having to pick an off-the-shelf chip or software. official info - pdf's of fliers from bimmerfest I believe. http://www.bonnevillemotorwerks.com/sharkedt/
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May 26, 2008 01:14
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I put redline MTL in the transmission and the shifts are definitely smoother and less notchy, especially when it's warmed up. Slightly worryingly, I drained considerably less fluid out than it took to refill, and the filler plug was bone dry. That probably accounts for a large part of the shifting improvement. Jumping on the wrong oil bandwagon, I recently put redline 75w90NS in the diff, thinking the non-LSD variant would be better for an open diff. Apparently not, according to redline. The friction modifiers in the 'regular' 75w90 gear oil are supposed to reduce heat and friction, and thus work better in an open differential. I'll probably change it to 75w90 for peace of mind, since it'll be in there for 30k otherwise.
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May 29, 2008 16:33
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Has anyone had experience with replacing the vanos piston seals in a dual-vanos setup? From what I understand, the seals supposedly deteriorate in a relatively short amount of miles, resulting in several symptoms; one of which is reduced low-end performance (sub 3000 rpm). There's plenty of posts on the BMW forums praising an improved aftermarket seal kit (beisan systems vanos seal kit), but the vendor states that dyno charts don't show the restored low end power. Improved low-end power would be the sole reason I'd install these seals. The thing stopping me is that if low end torque and hp were improved, surely it would be visible on a dyno readout?
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Jun 10, 2008 17:59
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CornHolio posted:I was looking over my car, and on the sides there are little pits in the paint. The area inside the pit is also painted, but on one side, theres a tiny bit of rust showing up. How the hell do I get the rust out of there? I dont want car cancer Are the areas inside the pit painted with original paint, or has someone painted them up with touchup paint & it's now started to rust from behind?
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Jun 20, 2008 13:12
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CornHolio posted:I just don't want it to spread. I planned on washing/claybarring/waxing the car this weekend and I want to know how to tackle this rust. I don't know whether this would be considered the 'right' way to do this, but how I've approached similar blemishes (rock chips which started to rust) was to use a 3M fiberglass sanding pen to remove all the rust, leaving a ~1/4" circle of bare metal. I tried all manner of other things which would leave a smaller spot but didn't have much luck myself. I primed this with a ballpoint primer pen, and finished with touchup paint. I intend to use some sort of abrasive to smooth the repair out, but I've been putting this step off for fear of screwing it up. It won't look perfect but I hope at least the rust is gone.
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Jun 20, 2008 20:12
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ethanol posted:That's great info thanks. What about mileage on used BMW's? What's the green zone to look for? Within reason, some people regard mileage as a secondary concern to service records. Most BMW's can still be running great at high mileage if properly maintained. There's also some common failure parts which should be replaced at various intervals as preventative maintenance, notably water pumps, radiators and suspension bushings. I believe it's something like 60k for the water pump and 80-100k for the radiator on the e36 & e46. I'd try and find something that's either had these items replaced already, or won't be needing them in the immediate future.
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Jun 20, 2008 22:57
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Swell posted:vanos seals stuff Thanks for the info. The only symptom I have is possible loss of low-end torque. I can't even say this for certain as I have nothing to compare it to - it just seems like it could have a bit more below 3k. Sounds like it's probably not worth doing it just yet then (42k miles).
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Jun 24, 2008 20:40
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Ultimate Mango posted:Any thoughts on the Castrol European Formula 0w-30? There has been some good discussion on other boards on the topic and was wondering what y'all thought here... I put that in my car last oil change and it's seemed fine. I looked at a lot of UOA's, one guy had used this and bmw's 5w30 and the UOA results were almost identical. I'm going with the BMW 5w30 oil next time, it's much better value with the cca discount, and there doesn't really seem to be much to choose between them if you don't need the extreme low temperature protection.
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Jul 1, 2008 16:57
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BraveUlysses posted:Going to start trans mounts and tranny fluid flush with Redline MTL in an hour or so...any suggestions for a pump that I can make/buy to get the fluid up into the fill hole? I used one from harbor freight that was meant for gallon containers. It worked, but not very well (didn't fit the quart bottles obviously, not much room to use the plunger under the car, and the pickup tube kept falling off into the bottle). They also had this one which I should have got instead.
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Jul 13, 2008 22:18
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Luk3 posted:I'm really sorry if this has been asked before, but something that has been nagging me about my 330Ci is that when shifting, especially from 1st to 2nd, it might take a couple tries to get the shifter to go into gear. I'm not really sure how to explain it any better than that unfortunately. As I go from 1st to 2nd it just sort of stops half way. Like it leaves first, goes past neutral and then just gets stuck going to second. I've made sure that the clutch is all the way in, etc etc. I had the same problem with mine. I recently changed the transmission fluid and slightly worryingly, the fill plug was bone dry, and noticably less oil drained out than it took to refill it. The car had 40k miles at the time and no record of the transmission ever having work done on it. I filled it up with redline MTL and the shifting has definitely improved. It does take quite a lot of pressure to put into any gear though, more than on most manual cars I've driven. I'm guessing this is partly due to the short shifter the zhp received. I'd probably just put in the BMW fluid if I did this again (supposedly it needs less babying when cold). I would also look into the clutch delay valve. I'm going to replace mine with a zeckhausen racing modified one. Supposedly this allows the clutch to fully engage/disengage faster and helps you shift more quickly without crunchiness. Taymar fucked around with this message at 19:43 on Jul 16, 2008 |
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Jul 16, 2008 19:21
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brae posted:I'm looking at a pre-owned 335xi at my local dealer. It's a nice price for all the options, which include a bunch I wouldn't have gotten if I were going to get a brand-new one. My only complaint about it is the beige leather - I would've preferred something darker or probably leatherette. Can anyone with the same interior in an older model let me know how they hold up after a few years of service? I have beige leather in my e46. It seems to have held up ok, there's some wear on the driver's seat bolster - presumably from it being rubbed every time you get in and out of the car (sport seats with the larger bolsters). I'm pretty sure the previous owner didn't treat it with leather conditioner which definitely didn't help. Apart from a few ares of neglect or minor damage, the rest of it looks in great shape. The door panels and dash sections which are beige look fine. I really wanted a black interior too but I have to say after having the car a while I really like the tan now. The only real downside is the heel pad on the floormats gets dirty fast. I sprayed them with scotchgard so hopefully that will help them clean up well.
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Jul 23, 2008 14:12
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kimbo305 posted:There's been complaints from both Roundel and Grassroots Motorsports that the 1's handling is slightly inferior to the 3's. Does anyone have some comparative anecdotal evidence? Even if it were lighter, I wouldn't accept it as a succesor to the old line of 3s if it were dynamically inferior. And it's only 300 lbs lighter, right? I've seen the same criticisms in reviews too. I believe the one in Roundel recently said something along the lines of wider front tires and suspension tweaks would make the car much better balanced.
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Aug 28, 2008 12:56
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Lufiron posted:Replace them. If the cost of new OEM speakers is a bit much, you could do an aftermarket made-for-BMWs upgrade. I forget the name of the company, but they advertise in Roundel magazine. Bavarian Soundwerks (BSW) I think.
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Sep 8, 2008 23:49
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Is there any reason why an electric fuel pump would produce a whining sound only while the car is being cranked, but sound normal when the engine is running? My e46 has developed a weird electrical whine/whistle which I think is coming from the rear, but only during the few seconds when it's being started (which is making it hard to track down). On a somewhat related note, is there a safe way I can crank the car without it firing, such as a specific fuse or relay to remove that won't cause a CEL?
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Oct 22, 2008 01:18
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EvilMoFo posted:are stock bmw wheels from an e46 and an e39 interchangeable? I'm fairly sure the offset is different, and I think the hub diameter is about ~1mm different also.
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Oct 27, 2008 12:07
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Doctor Grape Ape posted:How hard is it to retrofit powered seats into a car that originally had manual seats? Specifically E46 sport seats into an E36. I know that dimensionally they fit, but what wiring needs to be done? Just a +12V and GRND? I think there's an airbag occupancy sensor, and the seatbelt pretensioners/buckle sensor stuff also. I don't know if the plugs & wiring for that would be compatible. There's possibly additional wiring on cars with seat memory (I was told the car can be programmed to recall a seat position depending on which key you open it with, mine doesn't do this so I can't verify).
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Oct 29, 2008 13:02
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I flushed my brake fluid, and replaced the clutch delay valve with a higher-flow version recently. I ran into some problems bleeding the system, using a vacuum bleeder, as it sounded like a safer solution than a pressure bleeder. I found that as soon as it was opened enough to allow any fluid out, it sucked air through the bleeder screw threads. It still sucked fluid (a very slow trickle) out as well, and after letting it go for a while it had pulled the old fluid out and was sucking fresh fluid through. But now my clutch and brake pedals feel very slightly spongy. The clutch engages and disengages properly, and the brakes stop the car with plenty of force, the pedals just don't feel quite right. Would it be worth trying to bleed them again with a pressure bleeder?
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Nov 9, 2008 14:51
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Xenoid posted:I would just do it again, you don't need any tools but they help. Why didn't you remove the CDV outright? It's an awful piece of poo poo. I wanted to avoid bending the hard line, and keep the stock appearance. It definitely seems much nicer than with the original CDV, even with a slightly spongy clutch. I may be wrong here, but I think there's not a definitive list of which cars did and didn't have it (I've also heard european versions don't have it, but can't verify). It's easy to check if your car has it by looking at the slave cylinder lines though, it's an extra piece between the hard line from the cylinder, and the flexible line which goes to the master cylinder. On my car it was mounted to a bracket.
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Nov 9, 2008 17:33
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oops, quote is not edit.
Taymar fucked around with this message at 22:54 on Nov 9, 2008 |
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Nov 9, 2008 17:34
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Lowclock posted:You can buy the unions and lengths of tubing at the auto parts store for this. It was less than 10 bucks to do it on my friend's 240. Just remove the CDV completely and replace it with a bent piece of tubing and two unions to screw it together, no bending anything stock and it goes right back very easily if you don't like it or something. That's a really good idea, wish I'd thought of that. The modified valve I got is certainly pricey for what it is ($35 + shipping for a $15 BMW part that has had the restriction baffle removed). I drove the car for longer today and it has made a massive difference, the 1-2 shift is less jerky, but the best thing is that it's completely eliminated the crunch/notchiness I had going into 3rd. I was seriously considering a transmission rebuild and tried this as a last resort. I think there was someone else here having crunchy shift issues with their zhp; I'd definitely recommend giving this a shot before trying anything more costly.
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Nov 10, 2008 00:38
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I'm looking at the e46 clutch bleeding procedure, and it says you need to take the slave clyinder out & compress the piston with a ($120) special tool. I know it's arguable as to whether this is necessary, but if you are doing it that way, are you supposed to just jiggle it free from the bellhousing and then try to position it with the bleed screw at the top? Since the clutch line goes through the bracket that holds the CDV, I wouldn't have thought you can really move the cylinder around too easily. Anyone tried bleeding it this way? I'd be pressure bleeding it this time if that makes any difference.
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Nov 11, 2008 01:40
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VERTiG0 posted:What sort of things were available for the Individual poo poo? I thought it was custom interior colours and such. This thing is just grey seats with grey stitching. Though, the steering wheel is entirely suede or alcantara or whatever it is, I haven't seen that on any BMWs before. I would try and find out if is an M-sport or if it's got the M-performance package (zhp). A brief bit of reading online (no idea how accurate though) suggests that the alcantara wheel means it's a performance package car, which would be a nice bonus.
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Feb 10, 2009 14:56
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personaljesus posted:I have been in the market for a while, looking for a used BMW. I live in NY area. I guess I am pretty scared of dealers, that's why I guess I prefer a BMW authorized dealer and a BMW certified car. But I realize my options are pretty limited with a budget around $18K - $19K. Personally I wouldn't put so much stock in the CPO. It's not an extension of the bumper-to-bumper warranty, and there are many things it doesn't cover. Some third party warranties cover more than BMW's does if you really want the peace of mind. It's easy to get swept up in the marketing that certified cars are cream of the crop, babied cars but I didn't find this to be the case. I went with a CPO e46, and paid the price premium. I really like the car, but I wouldn't buy another CPO BMW - the difference between this and a well looked after 'regular' used one doesn't justify the price difference. I'd agree with Brock Landers, a private sale car which has been well looked after could be a much better bet. Many enthusiast owners will have done stuff like extra oil changes, which is pretty much unheard of with a leased car (which many CPO cars are).
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Mar 12, 2009 12:52
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Lowclock posted:I have been noticing my e34 following the camber of the road a little more than it used to, and the on-center dead zone in the steering is now about an inch. Time for new tie rods correct? In addition to replacing linkage parts, there's also the possibility of steering box adjustment, and also checking the 32(?)mm nut on the column below the dash which I believe holds the sections of the adjustable steering column together. This can apparently work a little loose over the years causing some play, but it shouldn't be overtightened since it's a sleeve joint and the sections must be able to still move.
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Mar 29, 2009 14:03
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I'm trying to find the part number/a good source for the tool which compresses the clutch slave cylinder (e36). From the TIS I've found that it's called 'special tool 21 5 030' but I haven't had much luck trying to convert this to a BMW part number and/or price. Anyone have any suggestions as to where I might find this for a relatively reasonable price online? I've found it for $180 at MiniMania.com but I vaguely remember hearing that it can be had for around $130.
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Apr 22, 2009 13:55
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CornHolio posted:Is this it? That looks like it'll work, and at a fraction of the price - thanks very much. peterjmatt posted:And the N54 motor, while an absolute blast to drive, has had more issues than any other BMW motor I can think of off the top of my head: turbo waste gates breaking, high pressure fuel pumps dying, low pressure fuel sensors, and software tuning issues. How is the N52 in this respect? I'm half considering a 1-series but I can't decide if the 128i would be a better bet for this very reason. Taymar fucked around with this message at 00:55 on Apr 23, 2009 |
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Apr 23, 2009 00:49
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Zeinin posted:My only question so far is what gives with playing mp3s on the head unit? I brought a few mp3 ceedees and they did not work. I was told that only late 04 (october?) and newer head units are mp3 compatible; is it possible your car was built before then but not registered until 05? Mine's an 04/04 and doesn't play mp3 cds, but plays most audio cd-rs ok. Congratulations, that's a beautiful car.
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May 17, 2009 16:28
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I need to remove the lower reinforcement plate from the front subframe of my e46 sedan, but I've run into some confusion regarding refitting it. The BMW TIS says (from what I can make out) tighten to 59Nm (43 lb-ft) then a torque angle of 90 degrees. The Bentley manual lists the same torque spec, but then says 90 degrees + 30 degrees. (it doesn't say +/- 30). It's also vague about whether or not these bolts need replacing on non-M cars. I know it's probably overkill, although I'd prefer to know I've done it by the book. Could anyone confirm that I'm interpreting this correctly, and it is in fact tighten to the specified torque, then a further 90 degrees? I plan to refit this part with the car supported on four jackstands. Are there any pros or cons to doing it with the car's weight supported on the wheels instead, or is this just splitting hairs?
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Jul 25, 2009 18:18
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SlapActionJackson posted:My copy of TIS says 59Nm and then 90 + 30 degrees. It also says nothing about mandatory bolt replacement. Thanks for looking this up, do you recall if this was for the coupe or sedan? Taymar fucked around with this message at 12:37 on Jul 27, 2009 |
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Jul 27, 2009 12:28
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peterjmatt posted:Sorry for the long post, but I'm just a little tired of everyone pushing poly bushings, especially for major component mounts (engine, tranny, rear subframe, etc). They have their place, but they're just not a perfect fit for every application. Is the main downside to putting these in the rear subframe mounts the increased noise/vibration, or the fact that they don't offer much (any) improvement for normal driving? I may have to have the rear subframe out at some point, and figured it would be a good opportunity to replace these. I'd been looking at the urethane kits, thinking that they wouldn't need replacing again, but now I'm not so sure if that's a good plan.
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Aug 28, 2009 13:05
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I'm possibly going to need oxygen sensors on my e46. I've looked around the usual sites and found lots of conflicting information on oem vs. dealer parts, mostly talking about wiring and electrical connector differences. AutohausAZ shows bosch parts for ~135 each, the best price I've found from a dealership is about 170. Are these likely to be anything like the cam position sensors where you should just get the dealership parts, or should they be the same provided that they're bosch? Also, without specific fault codes it's not possible to say whether pre or post-cat sensors are more likely to cause a rich condition, is it?
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Sep 23, 2009 13:50
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I need to change the fluid on a newer BMW diff, which only has a fill plug. My plan was to hook some 1/4" tubing to a fluid extractor and try to poke that down into the diff through the filler hole to extract as much of the fluid as possible. I'd started to wonder about attaching something magnetic to the end, but the last thing I want to end up with is a magnet stuck inside the diff. Short of removing the entire diff to drain it, are there any other tricks which might make this more successful?
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Jun 20, 2010 23:26
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I finally found a replacement for my zhp:  It's a 128i manual with M-sport package, xenon lights and not much else. The closer the delivery date got, the more I started to worry that I'd made a huge mistake (I was only able to test drive an automatic, which was underwhelming). A couple of months in and I've got no regrets whatsoever. It really is a ton more fun than I was expecting.
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Aug 7, 2010 17:04
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Regnevelc posted:I'm looking to pick up a 2004 330i zhp, what did you think of your zhp? These are right in my price range and I'm looking to get more of an 'adult' car while keeping some sporty aspects of driving. It was a fantastic car, but the best advice I could offer is to hold out for a really nice example that's been well taken care of. I bought mine Certified Preowned, (later found out it was an off-lease car) and in hindsight it was a mistake. I wish I'd held out for a private sale on a 'babied' car. Decent tires are a not-insignificant expense for it, and it goes through rears pretty fast. I replaced tons of preventative and common failure items, which cost a fair bit but everything was an easy DIY. It's a really nice car to work on.
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Aug 26, 2010 12:32
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