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miklm posted:As far as breaking down, the only time I've had one towed was when the oil pump nut backed off the gold car, at Deal's Gap (~300 miles from home) in June '06. I might be changing the oil pan gasket on my car in the near future (oh god), while I'm there is there anything I can do to keep this from happening? I know some people weld the nut on but that seems like overkill.
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Mar 28, 2008 18:28
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stump posted:Fuel computer currently read 36.2 UK mpg average (30 US mpg), which seems a bit low, I'm not sure if perhaps there is something wrong with it or if I should just lay off the LOL pedal. Out of interest what mpg do you guys see out of your petrol models? I get around 21-22mpg with 50/50 stop and go/highway at 70-80mph. I had been getting less than 18mpg before I changed my O2 sensor. This is a '92 325is so it's a Non-Vanos. As I understand it Vanos increased fuel economy by 1-2mpg.
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Mar 28, 2008 21:52
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Ziploc posted:That gearstick looks weird as hell. It's an SMG gearbox.
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Mar 31, 2008 21:05
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Whoops, looks like it is. That gear knob is similar to the SMG in the M3 and I thought the SMG box had trickled down into non-M cars.
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Mar 31, 2008 21:49
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Wow, I had no idea MCSes were that cheap now. And that is absolutely the best color combination for any Mini. Nice buy!
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Apr 4, 2008 16:45
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I think the Pelican clutch replacement DIY mentions what to do when that happens. I believe they just cut the heads off with a dremel and EZ-Outed the studs after the pressure plate is removed. You might want to give that article a quick read over.
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Apr 4, 2008 17:14
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stump posted:Edit: Reading my haynes (which only covers petrol models Yup, until the thermostat opens up nothing is going to flow through that hose. Nothing to worry about.
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Apr 6, 2008 18:19
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) I just discovered the radiator is isolated from the engine till it comes up to temp, I'll go out for a drive later and see if it pressures up when it's warm.
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CornHolio posted:Are you calling his wiring job absolutely hilarious? You might consider ordering the parts to do the fan delete mod. I've run this mod in Florida and it has never gone over 12 o'clock. And with the fan out of the way engine work at the front of the car is so much easier. And like it's been said, give your radiator a good look over. I believe you can see the date of manufacture if you get under the car. If it's more than 5 years old I'd say swap it out while you already have everything out of the way. It seriously takes less than 2 minutes to swap a radiator once you have everything else is removed. Besides that, how are your belts looking? Are the bearings in the idler pulleys starting to make noise?
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Apr 8, 2008 16:26
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Xenoid posted:Well I'm finally buying my clutch kit for my 97 540i. I'm looking at sales@ezclutchnparts.net on Ebay ($350 + $35 S+H) for a Sachs kit. There are a few other places like Pelicanparts but they don't offer shipping to Canada, or the prices are way higher. Can anybody suggest a place? I've been Googling but I haven't run across anything yet. RMEuropean has it for $290.23 but I don't know if they ship to Canada. I can't say enough nice things about this place for OEM BMW parts. They have always been the cheapest, have great customer service, and I usually get free 2 or 3 day shipping depending on how much I spend. That last part won't be applicable to you, because the free shipping is only for the lower 48, but it should be pretty reasonable. http://www.rmeuropean.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=247
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Apr 9, 2008 17:38
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Taymar posted:Can anyone confirm that there shouldn't be any sort of threadlock on a diff drain plug for this car? Confirmed. It's just corrosion.
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Apr 10, 2008 02:32
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Sooo, let's talk mods on our BMWs! What have you done, and what are you planning on doing? So far on my '92 325is: -BavAuto Springs (Kind of wish I went with Eibach or H&R, but these are fine for the price) -Bilstein Sport Struts and shocks -M3 front and rear sway bars with the M3 drop links up front. Still on the list: -Adjustable Rear Lower Control Arms. I need these. Really soon. I've almost worn out my current tires with only 12000 total miles on them, and 3000 since I changed suspension. Yay 5+ degrees of rear chamber. I'll be going with the $180 steel ones from BimmerWorld, as that seems to be the best deal going. -Budget SSK (anyone want to sell their stock E36 328i or M3 shifter to me?) -CAI of some sort, maybe DIY because to hell with paying $200-300+ for one. I just want the induction noise. -Ultimately, Schrick intake cam and swapping the stock intake cam to the exhaust and getting a custom tune. -Farther down the line I think I'll replace the springs with Eibach or H&R and replace the swaybars with some SwayBarbarians, but that won't be until everything else is taken care of/I get mad at the handling/I come into a lot of money. If the latter happens expect a project thread with me building a 300hp NA monster out of the nonvanos M50. Most of the money I have spent on this car (I stopped keeping track) has been spent on maintenance, and there are still a few more parts I have to replace. Once all that is taken care of I can start spending money on some modzzzzzz. omgitstheinternet posted:Hopefully before the E46 is goe I'll get a chance to get it together with the E92 and his (my ex) M coupe for some pictures. The three BMWs I want most. 
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Apr 10, 2008 04:25
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chem42 posted:In my '92 325i I'm lucky to break 20 on a tank with half highway and half city, but I drive like an rear end in a top hat. I just replaced the 02 sensor and keep my tire pressure good. Well, at least I know I'm not alone on this. I can eek out 21mpg if I drive somewhat sane, but it's usually 19-20.5.
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Apr 12, 2008 21:09
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clredwolf posted:4 wheels for $600 is what I'm seeing for now, I'd love you if you can find something for $500 or less if that's even possible. Check Craigslist in your area. People are always selling cheap OEM BMW wheels. I usually see E36 wheels for ~300-400 for a set. quote:Also, the previous owner seemed like he took at least decent care of the car, but he got the car off eBay. So, incomplete history. The car just turned 200,000. So far I've replaced the ball joints, alternator, belts, brakes (new calipers, pads), tires, and had the interior rebuilt. I'm going to try and get the engine tuned up when I get the wheels and shocks replaced, but I need to know if there's anything else I should be looking at doing. I've heard timing belts and radiators are things to watch, should I ask them to check both while that's all getting done? Cooling system. If you don't have the records just replace it all: radiator, expansion tank, hoses, thermostat, thermostat housing and waterpump. Gas mileage usually drops when your oxygen sensor is starting to fail, so replace that, there's only one and it's <$100 if you look around online. Other than that, check the plugs and see what shape they're in. It could also be possible at that mileage that the ignition coils and boots are going bad. Are you having any drivability problems? Sluggish down lown, bogging under power down low, etc. [/quote]
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Apr 13, 2008 18:09
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ynotony posted:I bought my 94' 325i with 90k miles a three years ago. What is the typical mileage at which the O2 sensors would be replaced? ~100k ish? I have no clue if the previous owner replaced the O2 sensors at anytime, and my average MPG seems to have fallen about 2MPG on the highway, and 1MPG in the city at 110K miles. I'm trying to make sense of it. BMW says every 40-50k miles  In actuality, probably much longer, but at 110k it's probably time to replace it. There is a good cheap DIY on using a Ford Econoline van O2 sensor and soldering it to your old connector to save some money. I did it, and it worked just fine.
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Apr 13, 2008 22:28
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I just spent ~$450 on my '92 325iS. -New tierods, boots, and crush washers. -Diff output seals. -BimmerWorld Steel Adjustable Lower Control Arms -M3 rear lower ball joints -M3 RTAB -Rogue RTAB Shims After all that I can finally get an alignment and get some new tires. and just 30 minutes ago I scored a stock M3 shifter for $1.04+12.something shipping, and new decals for my wheels for $13 shipped from Thailand. It's getting there, slowly. The only big items I have left are the brakes, subframe reinforcements, subframe bushings, motor mounts, tranny mounts and rebuild the shifter. So 2-3 big purchases left. And then, around Christmas time, Schrick hot cam and tune 
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Apr 14, 2008 04:30
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Guinness posted:In the USA, BMW is marketed as an exclusively premium brand. Premium brand = leather interiors. Again, I suppose it's personal preference, but leather seats are SO much nicer than cloth seats, and hold up so much nicer if taken care of. The leather seats in my 1990 535i were nearly pristine. The front leather seats in my 1992 325is are pristine. They've had the $400 a pop BMW Sheepskin covers on them since new  God I love those sheepskin covers, the seat is never too hot or too cold or uncomfortable.
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Apr 16, 2008 15:54
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two_beer_bishes posted:That's exactly what I did this past weekend but with the driving that I do, I really need power steering (lots of parking ramps with really tight turns...) Oh come on, man the hell up. (Have you tried contacting Vines or looking on eBay for a used rack?)
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Apr 18, 2008 01:07
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Date with Ikea posted:Nice to see some other WVU people here. I'll be starting grad school there in a few weeks. On my dads M52 dual vanos there was a brittle vacuum line going to the SAI thingie-ma-jigger. It's the little silver cylinder on the exhaust side of the engine mounted towards the front of the car. You can't miss it. Just check the lines and see if they're brittle. If they aren't, check for other vacuum leaks.
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Apr 22, 2008 07:04
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maxallen posted:The 2001 was M54. Not sure it matters. For all intents and purposes the M52TU and M54 were more or less the same engine in this regard. I thought it was the camshaft position sensor going out too, but then a heard a loud click in the engine bay and the engine stumbled right after that. I traced it back to a vacuum leak. If nothing else, a vacuum leak is cheaper than a CPS, so might as well start there.
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Apr 22, 2008 20:42
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I just installed adjustable lower control arms on my E36. Holy poo poo it's stupid easy to get a differential out of a BMW.
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Apr 23, 2008 19:15
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^^^Could you buy one now since it's getting warmer and work on it over the summer?chem42 posted:How do you like them? Is the extra strength noticable, or is it just for the adjustability? Mostly for the adjustability, but they are a hell of a lot beefier than the stamped stock control arms, especially since I got the $190 steel ones from BimmerWorld. When I lowered my car I got about 3 degrees of negative chamber in the back, and I want to dial that back to about 2 degrees. I've chewed through a set of tires in about 3000 miles, thank god I hate the tires. Now I just have to do a ghetto alignment to keep the car on the road for another month so I can by new tires and get a real alignment done. I did M3 RTAB + Rogue RTAB shims this past weekend and the rear end seems a lot more solid. I also replaced the tie rods because the boots for the ball joints were cracked and the ball joints themselves were making noise. Now all I have to do is get the drat outter lower control arm bushings out so I can replace it with the 96+ M3 balljoints and I'll be done with the suspension on this car. Then it's tranny mounts, motor mounts, rebuild the shifter, subframe bushings, M3 subframe reinforcements, ignition coils, and fuel pressure regulator. Then I can finally start doing some power mods. Dyscrasia posted:It really is, isnt it. I swapped out the diff on my E30 this past weekend. 5 bolts plus 4 more for the driveshaft. I already had both axles off, but I suppose those bolts count too. The E36 has you beat, only three bolts holding the diff in . Plus the 12 torx bolts for the half shafts, and 4 for the driveshaft. I had been putting off installing these control arms because I didn't want to deal with moving the diff around, but drat, it really was too easy.
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Apr 23, 2008 21:41
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^^^^ I tried that on my car and all I have to show for it are two holes in the dash.
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Apr 27, 2008 03:12
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So, E36 alignment suggestions. This is for a car that sees 90% normal driving, and 10% spirited. I was thinking 0 toe up front, .1* toe-in at the rear, and 1.8* negative camber? Does this sound good?
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Apr 30, 2008 04:24
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Is the X-Brace for the E36 really a worthwhile mod? It's pretty much the last bit of suspension that I have any desire to put on (well, that and the 95 LCA bushings for added caster). If nothing else I figure it's cheap insurance to guard against things hitting my oil pan.
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May 3, 2008 16:41
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mungtor posted:a BMW is a lifestyle rather than just a car. http://www.bmw-online.com/ mungtor posted:Yes. 100% worthwhile and one of the best mods you can make for the money, IMO. If you are at all sensitive to chassis flex and turn-in behavior, you'll notice it immediately. Good to know. I'll put it on the list for after I do the oil pan gasket (oh god).
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May 4, 2008 02:50
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Billy4774 posted:- The shift linkage is all screwed up, and finding the gears is VERY vague. To replace all the wearable parts in the shift linkage it will be ~$70. Pelican has a kit with every bushing and wearable part on their site I believe. The reverse switch is a $7 part that is stupid easy to replace. It's just screwed into the side of the transmission. The CMC is ~$60 but I couldn't tell you how easy/hard it is to replace. But like most things BMW I'm sure there's a tutorial out there. So all in all you're looking at around $150 in parts and a weekend worth of work.
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May 5, 2008 06:17
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maxallen posted:Any suggestions on rotor/pad combinations for cash savings? I was thinking of putting EBC Greenstuff on my car when the pads run out, although they might be too short life and/or eat rotors too much. I'd like something that's fairly good performance, can run through two sets of pads for each rotor, and has a good lifespan. I have a feeling this is an impossible combination to get though The OE pads will do that just fine.
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May 6, 2008 01:34
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Lufiron posted:I think its because the make them pretty thin from the factory to make them as light as possible. This is obviously to decrease unsprung weight. I think this is the case too. The stock E36 rear rotors come new at 10mm thick, but the minimum thickness is 8.4mm. You wouldn't be able to machine them and keep them within tolerance.
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May 6, 2008 13:35
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1000 is just the end of the stream of codes, which in your case you have none. You only get 1444 if you had a fault but it is now gone. When you get a 1444 you can erase it, and then you'll get a 1000. Edit: Actually, I think that might be backwards. After the code finishes press the gas pedal down for over 10 seconds, then rerun the test. You should see 1444 then.
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May 7, 2008 13:18
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CornHolio posted:My concern is that the two kits come with a lot of different parts - the bavauto kit comes with tools and stuff, while the pelicanparts.com kit comes with a new slave cylinder and hose... I know I need the tools, but will I need a new slave cylinder? You don't really need a new slave cylinder until the one you have fails. They're stupid easy to replace so I wouldn't bother with the pelican kit. Have you tried piecing together all the BavAuto parts on https://www.rmeuropean.com Might be a little cheaper. And you're pretty much correct in the "how difficult is it?" It's not "hard" just really time consuming. A few AI Bimmer people have changed clutches on an E36 and they all were successful, so, take that as you will.
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May 16, 2008 15:44
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So, E36 Motor Mounts. Is there any difference between the M3 and non-M mounts? ie. are they stiffer? Because for only $4 more a side...
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May 25, 2008 19:05
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FWIW I put Redline MTL in my Getrag box and it's been shifting like glass. When I researched for what to use it was the closest thing I could find to the OEM fluid. Granted, mine has the "Use only BMW MTF-L-Whatever" sticker on it, not the ATF sticker.
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May 28, 2008 19:33
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Doctor Grape Ape posted:So, E36 Motor Mounts. Is there any difference between the M3 and non-M mounts? ie. are they stiffer? Because for only $4 more a side... Quoting myself to say that E36 M3 mounts fit non-Ms and they are considerably stiffer. Not so much that it causes any NVH, but you can tell just by putting the two side by side that the M mount is more rigid. A pretty nice upgrade for only a $6 premium for the pair. Just make sure you soak the nuts in PB Blaster and only use a 6 point socket. I blazed through the first mount in 20 minutes, then stripped the bottom nut on the other one and it would haunt me for the next 8 hours (until I said gently caress it, ran to Autozone and bought the rounded off nut extractor tool). Lesson learned: just use the right tool and don't gently caress around for 7 extra hours trying to cut the drat thing out with a Dremel. I'm going to tackle the fuel pressure regulator tomorrow, and then rebuild the shifter and replace the tranny mounts (UUC Street Reds) whenever my package from UUC arrives. Which could be a while, since the tranny mounts are back ordered. I think I'm going to order the X-Brace and ZHP knob from Tischer this weekend too if my wallet allows it. I keep saying "I'm almost done with the maintenance!" and then I find another $300 worth of stuff that needs/I want done. The list is getting pretty drat short now though. New rear end bushings and the M reinforcements are the only things left on my list that are major. After that I can get to the fun mods, like a cam, and then a custom tune if the reviews for that Shark Tuning thing are good. And maybe some SwayBarbarians. And offset LCAB to add some more caster and reduce camber in the front. Then a front end alignment. Maybe a DSSR. Is there no end to this?
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May 31, 2008 03:25
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Replacing a fuel pressure regulator on an E36: A loving PAIN IN THE rear end, CHRIST. Get a second person to help you hold poo poo out of the way while you work. Results: no more hesitation, instant throttle response, and finally being able to move faster than a snail in 3rd, 4th and 5th gear while lower than 3k RPMs.
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May 31, 2008 20:40
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CornHolio posted:How did you know it was going bad? Im curious in case I ever need to do this. The car was running really rich, you could smell it at idle, and the tops of the pistons were coated in a thick layer of carbon. Driving-wise there was a noticable amount of hesitation off idle up until around 2500RPM, which should be about where the vacuum pulling on the diaphragm should easy up and allow the full 3.5 bar of fuel, meaning it never leaned out below 2500RPM. I found another way to tell today when I changed it out, the vacuum line was all stretchy and corroded, could easily tell fuel had been leaking through it into the intake manifold. The vacuum line is kind of hard to find if you don't follow it from the FPR, and I have an M50 so the position of yours might be different, but it was mounted on a nipple molded into the bottom of the intake manifold to the rear of the throttle body. If you feel that and it feels spongey and corroded, then your FPR probably bit the dust a long time ago. Also, be prepared to replace the 2 inches worth of fuel line that runs from the hard line to the rear of the fuel rail, the only way I could get that off was to cut it. Granted, it needed changed too as it was dry rotted.
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Jun 1, 2008 00:54
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http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=1254&mospid=47308&btnr=11_0538&hg=11&fg=15 #3?
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Jun 10, 2008 20:56
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Did you check the fuses?
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Jun 17, 2008 16:39
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ethanol posted:Looking for a little help here, I've heard bmws are hit and miss when it comes to reliability. What I mean is, some models/years are quite expensive and some aren't. Can anybody provide more info on this? I'm quite liking the enthusiast market on this automobile and am very anxious to buy one if it can be my daily driver. Generally the more complex the BMW the less reliable it will be. Ergo, the E21 and E30 3-series are almost rock solid, E36s are still reliable but have their faults, E46s are as reliable as E36s with the exception of a few electrical components, and I have no idea about E90s. This also works as a general rule by saying that the 3 series will be more reliable when compared to similar year 5, 6, 7 and 8 series cars. The good thing about BMWs is the large enthusiast community on the web. Every common fault of every generation has been dealt with and there will be well documented DIYs for fixing those problems. One important thing when it comes to buying a used BMW, especially ones that are now close to or over 20 years old, is service records.
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Jun 20, 2008 21:15
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CornHolio posted:Though its really depressing washing an older car, there are so many bad areas its depressing... Yeah, mine looks good from 20 feet away, but when you're right up next to it you get to see about 10 imperfections on every panel.
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Jun 22, 2008 17:00
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ethanol posted:Is it worth spending the extra money to get a '96 328 instead of a cheaper 325 for the extra torque? How much extra? The later OBDII cars also gained some weight so it's only slightly faster. As a general rule the interiors of the later cars are also better put together and haven't had a chance to age as badly as the older cars. I'd personally buy the car that has the better maintenance records/best condition regardless of the engine.
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Jun 22, 2008 17:23
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