[uucdigest] Tuesday, January 18 2000 Volume 03 : Number 054 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | For all available Digest commands including unsubscribe/subscribe, | visit the BMW UUC Digest page: http://www.uucdigest.com | Send SUBMISSIONS to [EMAIL PROTECTED] | Complaints? Send 'em to [EMAIL PROTECTED] if you must. | Visit http://www.bubbaclub.com | www.bimmers.com - "serving enthusiasts on the 'net" | Visit http://www.bimmer.org - ultimate BMW bulletin boards! | Subscribe to the Zionsville Autosport Parts Digest: | http://www.zionsvilleautosport.com/majordomo.htm ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ In this BMW UUC Digest: [uuc] <E28> Purchase/Maintenance Observations, Part 2 of 3 [uuc] <E28> Purchase/Maintenance Observations, Part 3 of 3 Re: [uuc] HK Stereo in '95 M3? [uuc] FS: Dinan / Euro Airbox [uuc] People who run red lights [uuc] <E28> relays, the $9 one, the $40 one? Re: [uuc] Suspension-What to replace? <E30> [uuc] Redline oil in ZF autos [uuc] photo radar in VA? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2000 22:33:11 -0700 From: Pearson-Franks Family <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [uuc] <E28> Purchase/Maintenance Observations, Part 2 of 3 Part 2 of 3 of my long post. More E28 look-for's: 3) Oil and Oil Leaks - Visually, 'fresh' oil will appear a clear brown, as you know. Black just means old, any cloudy or white means water, which is very BAD, 'bad' being likened to crossing two anti-proton streams, resulting in the destruction of the universe as we know it. - Check under oil filler cap: there should be no cloudiness, and gives you an idea of internal cleanliness (which is good). - The owner's manual says it is 'OK' if the oil pressure light comes on 'at times', like idling when hot, but should go out when revved. Drives me crazy if it comes on at all! If the oil light comes on like this, replace it. If it _still_ comes on, replace the oil pump - see below. - The oil pressure sender is a frequent leaker. The leak will track down the side of the engine and drip off the lowest point of the bell housing, so don't confuse it with other potential problems. - The pan gaskets occasionally 'creep' out of their space and self-destruct. If you go in to replace this on a high miles motor you intend to keep, replace the oil pump (and probably the sprocket) at the same time. $150ish, and well worth it. 4) Other Engine Compartment Stuff - All fuel lines are suspect by 100K - especially the short hank to the cold start injector at the lowest extreme of the intake manifold, for some esoteric reason. Don't use cheap stuff! Buy the BMW 8 x 13 mm original from one of many sources. - Vacuum leaks are a major hassle. Prime symptom is rough idle, flat spots at mid revs, may also be fuel pressure regulator. Do easy candidates first: put an o-ring in one of the grooves in the dipstick top. Put clamps on the hoses to the valve cover and idle motor (if E28). Replace any hard-as-rock hoses in general. Replace the fuel injector o-rings. - Look at the brake fluid. Black is _bad_, but at least means it wasn't being topped up each week (see 'slave' discussion below). Color of the brake fluid is a very good indicator of the general tenor of the maintenance regime for the car. If it is black as pitch, indicating it is _not_ getting the yearly replacement the anal-among-us so lovingly do, check more closely for all the other maintenance opportunities. - Lots of things can make this baby idle rough; already mentioned vacuum leaks. Mucho covered in FAQ's. Best I have seen is by Sam Lin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> for a copy. - Plug wires are a 100k consumeable in my book. Cleap insurance, can help several marginal symptoms, lotsa sources, $80ish. 5) Tranny and Clutch - The 4-speed auto is famous for scorching the first clutch pack if revved in neutral. Actually not a terrible job to accomplish if you are a steely-eyed DIYer. Check that you can get the parts locally first! - The Getrag 5-speed should enter all gears smoothly - they are not especially prone to synchro failure in normal operation (i.e. not auto-x'd) but most are 'notchy', kinda hard to push into gear, especially when rev's not synched, but easily improved by putting in Redline MTL tranny oil. - Every 100K+ Getrag I've seen leaks. From the rear is OK but messy - shift shaft seal fails, soaking back of tranny. Output shaft seal weeps, no major heartache. Seam between front and rear half of tranny case weeps, wets bottom of tranny, but no sweat. Saving the best for last: If there is oil (not brake fluid, see below) coming out of the drain hole in the bell housing, either the tranny front seal is leaking, (likely) or the engine rear main (possibly). This is _bad_ (see definition above) because the clutch is not designed to be oil-bathed, and will tend to chatter and fail. Seals are $5-$10 each, clutch trio (pressure plate, clutch disk, throw-out bearing) are $300ish. All quite doable, but considerable labor, dropping exhaust, removing driveline. - While you're down there, check that the rear tranny mounts have not gone to mush, they do that. Check the engine mounts too; check for cracks in the top, especially on the right. - Clutch pedal should depress smoothly, although with a lot more force in the 535i than the 528e or a 3-series. Should not hang up on either the upswing or downswing - that could be broken 'ears' on the throwout bearing. - Stick your fingers under the forward edge of the dash sound cover just above the brake pedal and feel for wet, and smell your fingers - odor of brake fluid means the master is leaking. - Also check for clutch master cylinder flex to one side when the pedal is depressed - the pedal bracket mounting the master cylinder fatigues and cracks, allowing the master to move around. Time-consuming to replace, but not hard. - If brake fluid is leaking out of the drain hole of the bell housing, the clutch slave cylinder is leaking - very common, but cheap and easy to fix. Smell it to distinguish from oil, but bear in mind that you could be getting both. Another tip-off for this one is really clean brake fluid, from someone topping it up as it coats their garage floor. Another symptom for the slave being bad is that the clutch disengages very close to the floor, or the pedal will not return. This symptom is temp sensitive - may be fine when all is warm. Clutch pedal return problems _may_ be the assist spring on later E28's, if you are lucky ;~). - Many of these beasties have developed a lot of play in the shift mechanism: worn shifter bushings, mushy rubber mounts on the shift pivot mounting plate. I greatly enjoy the result of the Metric Mechanic short-shift kit. Stock shifter bushing parts will cost you $35-$60 at a dealer, MM shifter $200, ACS shifter $800. Or BL/SS. No affiliation. end-o-part-2. Larry F. - -- Pearson-Franks Family Issaquah, Washington ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2000 22:33:35 -0700 From: Pearson-Franks Family <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [uuc] <E28> Purchase/Maintenance Observations, Part 3 of 3 Part 3 of 3 of my long post. More E28 look-for's: 6) Driveline - Check guibo, the rubber flexdisk connecting the output of the tranny to the driveline. At 100K it will be cracked, and may be the cause of a shudder at certain speeds (frequently 25 to 35 mph), especially while under load. - Ditto the center bearing and support, but much harder to check, as you have to dispose of the exhaust system (well, remove enough to get the heat shield off, but you know what I mean!). - Do the traditional twist-drive-components-and-note-any-play of the two U-joints. The rear one is the more likely to fail, and is easily observed. Bear in mind that if they are bad, you will need to get the driveline rebuilt, $450ish if you rebuild the whole thing (recommended). Check the Roundel for rebuilders - I have used Portland with great success. - Lots of candidates for driveline shudder; such as motor mounts, rear subframe mounts, and rotating the driveline to diff. orientation (which might have been thrown off by previous work). - Drop me a note if you want the long diatribe on dropping the exhaust, removing the driveline, etc. Almost the same for E30's. 7) Suspension, Steering and Brakes - There are books written on the subject of the front control arms bushings, but the exec summary is: they all die. Symptoms of impending doom are shuddering when braking, especially from say 65 down to 45. May get very jumpy at the steering wheel. There are upper and lower control arm bushings and ball joints, and lots of alternatives (bushing upgrades, etc.). FAQ's abound. $160-$800 in parts. Go with the modified 750 ones (Steve D'G or BavAuto) if you plan on keeping the car. - And, of course, the front rotors warp. $120ish. Always replace the 5mm hex that secures the rotors. Cheap insurance. - The 535i boost system feels weird (the 528e is a very vanilla vacuum boost.) The point is; in a perfectly healthy hydralic- boosted system, you can 'surprise' the system if the engine is running but the car is standing still by stomping the brake pedal hard - you can make it most of the way to the floor. Not to worry; you are _way_ past the point that triggers ABS, but tech checks for track days may be tricky - the typical M3 driver doing the check will panic. Explain ahead of time! - With the engine running for brake boost, stand on the brake pedal for 30 seconds or so. If it drifts toward the floor, time for a master cylinder. Replace, don't rebuild. $80 to $180, +/- year and/or ABS. - Steering should be 'tight' when gently rocked at the center of travel when the engine is off. 'Clunks' may mean Pitman arm bushings (_bad_), loose collar nut under dash (easy) or bad center track rod (cheap, <$60, but obnoxious). Play also comes from a worn idler arm bushing. <$30ish> - The two senders on the brake pressure regulator regularly leak. Replace them both, $32ish total. - There is a 'nitrogen ball', frequently referred to as the 'brake bomb', due to it's cartoon-bomblike appearance, that dies. Symptom is a slow-to-respond brake pedal, frequently accompanied by a flash of the 'brake' idiot light, and/or no brake boost immediately after shutting down the engine. (It should give several-to-many 'assists' after shutdown). Again, several fine FAQ's on replacement (somewhere). $60ish. - When checking the p/s and brake boost fluid level, bear in mind that if the engine has been running and the nitrogen ball is in working order, there is a inch or so of fluid in the ball. Fully discharge the ball by stomping the brake pedal 10-20 times and watch the fluid level creep up. Adjust to the line in the side of the can at that point. This applies to the 'i' only; as the 'e' uses vacuum boost. - Fluid should be pretty; not black. There is a filter in the bottom of the reserviour that should be changed on the 'i'. - This is another classic oil leak source: the cheapy crimped hose clamps on the lines to the reserviour 'relax'. Replace with decent stainless steel from Steve D'G. Replace the low pressure hoses with quality stuff if anal-like-me. 8) Interior, Electrical - Alternator brushes ($5.50 at BavAuto) are typical 140K items. Two screws pop the assy off the back of the alternator to check. - Weird guage problems (tach or mpg guage erratic, etc.) indicate a possible SI battery replacement needed. Very typical, and lots written on the subject. - Dead SI batteries may also cause the Oil Service lights to be on at odd times. <$10 for batts, couple hundred for rebuilt board.> - If batt's are OK, lights are very easily reset, refer to FAQ's and/or reset tools, or, for the very brave, just ground pin 7 of the diagnostic connector, turn on the ignition (but don't start) until all the lights go off, and you're done. Many will tell you this procedure is highly risky, but so is cutting vegetables with a dull knife - sheesh! no rocket science here. - Jump pins 11 to 14 for remote start. (15 pin version) - Headrest up/down dies. Easy fix, good FAQ's elsewhere. $0. - Just an observation: window lift and sunroof switches were illuminated 'standard' in late '86 US cars on. Easy swap, wires already in place, as an easy upgrade. I got a set from Jason at Zionsville, very cool outfit (no affiliation, yada x 3) Also, they get mechanically sticky and electrically erratic if exposed to Armorall. Switches can be opened and cleaned. - Fuse box has chronic, but easy problems. Fuse clips corrode, wirebrush 'em. Fuses corrode, replace 'em all. Connections inside the box can get erratic or hot. A real bear to troubleshoot. - Several chronic problems show up as 'cutting out' at any speed, frequently the 'main' relay, sometimes the fuel pump relay, sometimes the position or timing sensors. Connections to the _underside_ of Fuse 6 can corrode and heat up. - Several handy voltages to know, measured at the battery: 10.0v - voltage at batt while cranking starter 12.3v - 50% charged battery, 'at rest' 12.7v - fully charged battery, 'at rest' 13.6v - minimum acceptable alternator output at idle 14.3v - maximum acceptable alternator output at revs Ref: Mark Calabrese article "In the Dark?" March, 1996 Roundel - If the ABS light comes on after you start rolling, chances are one of the sensors is faulty. The wires flex and fail inside the insulation. Definitive test is with an ohmmeter on the connector to the ABS brain above the fuel injection ECU above the glovebox. Details in Bentley and elsewhere. Also, the sensors or the gear they read can just get scummed up, and are recovered by mere cleaning. Which entails pulling the wheels, rotors and sensors. <$0>. 9) General - Don't believe a _dang_ thing a salesperson says, if there is not documentation behind it. "Changed the oil every 3K miles" if literally true means they _never_ changed the filter. Semantics? Maybe. The car tells the real story, a salesperson has a car to sell. - Lots of exhaust replacement opinions, choose one you like. The E28 cats crack, but can be successfully welded for years. - Water in the trunk is usually a bad (hardened and/or cracked) rubber gasket around the taillight assy's. Replace them both. - Buy a Bentley manual, and an ETM (Electronic Troubleshooting Manual) if you are electrically astute. - Check to see if it has the TRX tires. If so, you face one of the classic $$$ delimmas - discount asking price $400 if tires OK, $1000 if tires need replacement. Many details elsewhere. - For an excellent treatment of all the E- and M- numbers, check: http://www.unixnerd.demon.co.uk/enumber.html, John Burns' page. That's it! As before, comments, corrections welcome. Larry F. - -- Pearson-Franks Family Issaquah, Washington ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2000 22:44:52 -0800 (PST) From: Chester Wong <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: [uuc] HK Stereo in '95 M3? > I was wondering if anyone knows if it is possible to retro fit a '95 M3 > (production 9/94) with a Harmon Kardon Stereo system from a later M3? > What is entailed in doing this? Is the wiring significantly different > etc.? Unless someone is giving you the setup for free, I wouldn't waste the effort. I think the sound improvement is marginal at best. Spend the money to get a good amp and power the existing speakers....probably better sound quality in the end. YMMV. FWIW. Chester ===== __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2000 22:41:14 -0800 From: "Rob Hatrak" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [uuc] FS: Dinan / Euro Airbox Please send email if you are interested. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2000 22:57:17 -0800 (PST) From: Chester Wong <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [uuc] People who run red lights I think those red light running machines are great...especially if no points are assigned for the offense. Aside from special circumstances (funeral, emergency, wife is having a baby, etc), there is absolutely no excuse for running a red light! ...save for an ambulance on your butt with him no where to go at a red light. I really love those people in those old Monte Carlos who edge up and up and up...until they run the red light and repeat the offense in about 200 feet at the next light. When all is said and done, you caught up to the guy because all the lights turned green. I can only imagine how bad it would be to get t-boned by some assh*le who ran a red light. Just the other day while cruising down the side street, I see the light turned green in front of me. I had at least another 40 feet before entering the intersection when lo and behold, it's a Ford Taurus that just zipped through!!!! It's times like this that I wish I could chase them down and bonk them on the head! Here's a funny story: When I was in JHS, my friend and myself were riding our bikes back from a beeper store to activate his beeper(I thought it was a total waste of money for a 12 yr old...but whatever floated his boat at the time). Anyway, as we approach East 12th Street and Ave T (heading southbound on E12th with the green light in our favor), some hick in a pickup truck runs the red heading eastbound on Ave T. I scream out, "Hey d*ckhead...you ran a redlight! You f*cken moron!" Ok...I was had a pretty "fresh" mouth back then ;) He immediately slammed on the brakes (we had just crossed the intersection) and started screaming, "What? You little f*ckin gook. WTF are you saying?" He wasn't even calling me by the right racial slur. Hello? I'm Chinese! =) I replied, "F*ck you assh*le". He then threw it in reverse, and started chasing us down the block. We headed for the sidewalk peddling as fast as we could. He hit the next intersection and feign to turn left. He turns left and then we dart back down E12th Street. At this time, he was trying to back up again, but Ave U was very crowded and all sorts of people were honking at him. He biked as hard as possible back to my place, ran up the stairs with the bikes and hid in my place until the coast was clear. Man, it's amazing that I've made it this far.... =) Chester ===== __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2000 23:15:03 -0800 (PST) From: John Bolhuis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [uuc] <E28> relays, the $9 one, the $40 one? Getting some relays to replace the old crusty ones in the '84 533, '85 535. There's a main relay, the one with 2 "87" output terminals, and it's very reasonably priced. Then there's a 4-pronger no-frills 30A relay that runs things like the fuel pump, and the high & low speed cooling fan, among others. They cost about $9, unless you look up the fuel pump relay specifically, then it's $40. Can anyone shed light on this? A conspiracy? Recommendations welcome. Also, regarding main relays, they have a pair of diodes in the coil circuit, presumably to eliminate back-EMF spikes from affecting whatever circuit activates it. It is possible to buy cheap sh*t $5 relays that have the correct pinouts, but no diodes. So you Motronic experts, if one used an unprotected main relay, would the back-EMF spike damage at turn-off be immediate, cumulative, or nonexistant? - -- John Bolhuis | "In America it is not considered to be mentally ill bolhuijo | when a woman advances on her prey in a discotheque @bolhuijo.com | setting with hardy cocktails present." | -Madonna ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 07:55:33 -0000 From: "Fitzgerald, Mark ()" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: [uuc] Suspension-What to replace? <E30> If there is a squeak from the rear suspension then it is most likely the rear sub-frame bushings. It is, by all accounts a difficult job to do. Mine are squeaking at the moment and I just stuck a piece of rubber between the bush and the body (look at the bottom corner in front of the wheel to spot these bushes) to stop the squeaking. I have the replacement parts and there are good instructions on the unofficial BMW page http://www.unofficialbmw.com <http://www.unofficialbmw.com> on how to do this job, must get round to doing it. The shocks could also be causing the squeaking, a worn shock would cause a squeak, try grease the shaft of the shocks, if squeaking stops then it's your shocks, oh, to test the rear subframe bushings, jack up the car and attempt to move the wheel (without turning) from front to back of car, squeakng should be evident if R S-F bushings are gone. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 21:27:00 +1300 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [uuc] Redline oil in ZF autos I've been following the thread about the ZF 4HP22 auto trannies and in Digest #48 Scottie asked about Redline fluid. I have a '88 325i with the 4 EHP22 tranny. I'm sure John Burns is right about the expected lifespan of one of these... look after them and they'll last much longer. Of course, the design fault with the 'A' clutch needs fixing, but assuming that's taken care of, regular servicing will make a big difference to their longevity. I've heard of a few which have done over 200K without trouble. The one thing they had in common: Regular servicing. My car is reasonably low mileage for it's age, (93K) so I wouldn't expect any trouble form the tranny for a while yet. About 8K ago I serviced the tranny. I'd ordered some Redline oil for it, but grew nervous about using it after a mechanic at my local BMW Dealer said he would'nt put a synthetic oil in one of these trannies. I decided to email ZF in Germany directly and ask their opinion. They replied promptly, saying that any oil which meets their specification - and Redline does - would be fine. However, they did add that they couldn't see any advantage to using a synthetic and considered it an unnecessary expense. As my oil was already ordered I took delivery and after changing the filter and 'O' ring in the 'box, filled it with Redline. That was 8K ago and it still works. I couldn't notice any difference at all in performance, despite being very attentive to the changing pattern and smoothness for the following week or two. I do feel now that my tranny has excellent protection against early failure. Maybe the greatest benefit is peace of mind. I'll be changing oil and filter every 20K. Where synthetics really score is their ability to keep on lubricating without breaking down at very high temperatures. I guess if the tranny ever got really hot the synthetic oil would help to keep it going, but then, if the temperature has got that high there's probably something wrong with it anyway. No oil will repair a mechanical fault. So, according to ZF: Use a synthetic oil if you like. It won't do any harm. Whether it does any good will no doubt continue to be a topic of debate. Regards, Paul. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 03:32:09 -0500 From: albert jenab <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [uuc] photo radar in VA? Maybe a dumb question, but what does a photo radar unit look like? Here in Virginia, they place these big trailer units by the side of the road which have a sign on them saying "your speed is" and then big LED display. I have always used them as a signal to downshift, floor it, and watch the numbers climb (works best w/o front plate). Never got a ticket. But recently they've put one on GW Parkway south, just beyond Memorial Bridge around a curve, where they usually have a speed trap. There have been some newspaper articles about putting photo radar on the Parkway. Anyone know if this is a photo unit or not? - -Al 95 M3 ------------------------------ End of [uucdigest] V3 #54 ************************* _________________________________________ | Please visit these UUC-approved BMW parts vendors/service providers: | (listed alphabetically) | Bonneville Motorwerks . http://www.bonnevillemotorwerks.com | Circle Tire Co. (used & classic BMW parts) e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] | Curry's Auto Service . http://www.currysauto.com | Eurosport . http://www.eurosport-hp.com | Koala MotorSport . http://www.koalamotorsport.com | Taylor BMW - http://www.taylorbmw.com - Doc Bimmer! | The Ultimate Garage . http://www.ultimategarage.com | UUC Motorwerks . http://www.uucmotorwerks.com | Zionsville Autosport . http://www.zionsvilleautosport.com ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
