[uucdigest] Friday, January 28 2000 Volume 03 : Number 141 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | 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 ����������������������������������������� In this BMW UUC Digest: [uuc] rants about cops thread [uuc] BMW factory alarm, 3d model [uuc] Can a cop cite for something he didn't observe? [uuc] Re: M5 Observations/Good Examples Left Re: [uuc] rants about cops thread [uuc] How to kill a resistor [uuc] FYI: Winter Warning - Scary Experience Re: [uuc] Re: Bad accident / reckless ticket RE: [uuc] How to kill a resistor ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 28 Jan 2000 12:39:12 EST From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [uuc] rants about cops thread My turn to come out of lurk mode... Judging what an officer is doing based on your 10 second observation is ridiculous. Unless you are riding shotgun, and actually know the TOTALITY OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES, you don't really have any idea what is going on. Case in point: The other night my buddy and I were riding in my 525i. We were in San Jose, CA where he is an officer ( I am an officer nearby). We decided to stop at a record store, where outside, he saw a vehicle that matched the description of a vehicle used in a robbery earlier in his shift. He used his cell phone and called dispatch. After giving them a brief description of the vehicle, he asked them to send a unit just to contact the driver and get his info just in case this pans out as a solid lead. Well the truck went on the move. We followed a couple hundred yards back, giving the dispatcher a play by play until units could get into position. Now....the first unit we saw, was speeding. No lights/siren. Why? well if it WAS the suspect, they are alerted to the police presence prematurely. Next, if it was the suspect, it gives them ample opportunity to take foot bail, which leads to a host of other problems and safety concerns, or they could flee in the vehicle...again causing a host of other problems-all under massive public scrutiny. I am certain there are some simple minded pinheads out there who subscribe to the "well yeah I did it but look at that guy over there" theory of defense, but doesn't that fly in the face of logic? There are very significant reasons why officers do what they do. Reasons you either don't know or can't (read refuse) to understand. Before you condemn an individual for their actions, take a moment to consider ALL of the potential circumstances. Like most other adults...you just hate being told "no, you can't do that." If you don't....you are no better than the racists or hate groups out there who make stupid assumptions based on appearance or religious affiliations. Think about it. finally...as I have said in the past if you really want to know what the job is all about...schedule a ride along. Make an INFORMED decision. John F ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 28 Jan 2000 12:52:37 -0500 From: "Binder, Larry - Paoli" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [uuc] BMW factory alarm, 3d model I am planning on purchasing an alarm for my BMW and was wondering if you guys (and gals) could tell me your opinions on the BMW factory alarm. A few people have told me that it has terrible range and that you have to lock, then double-lock the doors. The double-locking doesn't really sound that bad. But whats the deal with the range? I would appreciate any other info on this subject that you all could share with me. Also, I am still looking for a 3d model of an e36. (when I say 3d model I mean an electronic file like .prt .igs etc...) TIA Larry 97 318i Mech Designer/Draftsman Synthes Spine ************************************************************************* The opinions and statements expressed above are mine, and do not reflect that of my employer. ************************************************************************* ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 28 Jan 2000 09:54:51 -0800 From: Chris Barton <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [uuc] Can a cop cite for something he didn't observe? I asked my brother (a Riverside Sheriff)about this...here's his response.... Chris Barton I can't speak for other states, but for California, this is the way it is.... First of all, reckless driving means something different everywhere you go. In California, it simply means a blatant disregard for the safety of others and must be manifested by certain blatant acts that are dangerous, or a combination of dangerous blatant acts. Simply running a stop sign would not be reckless, but that coupled with doing it at 50 mph... at night.... with your lights off... in a crowded school zone would be MORE than enough. Regarding traffic accidents, all California peace officers, who are duly trained in investigating accidents, have the discretion to cite any at-fault driver for the "primary collision factor or factors." Primary collision factors (or PCF's) are the moving violation(s) that directly contributed to or caused the accident, such as running a stop sign or speeding. If the investigating officer finds that the driver did some particularly stupid things to cause the accident, and those things demonstrated a blatant disregard, then by all means the driver could be hauled off for reckless driving. The idea of not being allowed to cite a driver when a violation did not occur in the officer's presence is generally true, but traffic accidents are one of several exceptions. Dave > > Date: Thu, 27 Jan 2000 12:40:43 -0500 > From: Mark Borchik <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: Re: [uuc] Bad accident > > A "Reckless Driving" citation is totally unwarranted, and as Kevin has > pointed out, > reckless op must be witnessed by the citing officer. I can't see this > citation > standing up in court. However, in jurisdictions that require a citation > be issued > at the scene of every accident, standard fare is to issue a "Failure To > Control" > citation, because, as the name of the citation suggests, the driver > failed to > control his/her vehicle, and THAT citation WILL stand up in court, > regardless of the > circumstances involved. > > Mark Borchik > *62 entries on DL in past 12 years* ($$$) ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 28 Jan 2000 12:58:34 EST From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [uuc] Re: M5 Observations/Good Examples Left In a message dated 1/27/00 12:31:27 PM Central Standard Time, Alex Cagann writes: << This is true but I still can't get the 'rare' factor thought out of my mind. Since there were approx 1,200 sent here in 88, what do you think is left now? Ones that are nice that is. I am assuming there have been a large number totalled, another number wrecked and repaired incorrectly, and some that have suffered from blatant malnutrition. That has to leave a small number of original, not wrecked, nice clean examples. >> Hmmm...depends on whether you are bothered by high miles or not. I recently completed a long, nationwide search for an E28 M5 that resulted in the purchase of a 44k (now 47k miles) :-) car that had been stored for 6 years. It is true that garage queens like this are hard to find. But I saw and called on many other cars, some with as many as 200k miles, that were in *unbelievably* good shape. I have bought and sold many cars, and some of these M5s could have been rolled back 100k miles and I would have had trouble telling. In my experience at least, there are still a good number of really well-preserved examples out there in the hands of enthusiasts. And, IMHO, they are a bargain. Best regards, - --Bob DiLeonardi Windy City Chapter BMW CCA '88 ///M5 47k miles Many former Bimmers ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 28 Jan 2000 13:22:52 -0500 From: "Rob Levinson - UUC Motorwerks" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: [uuc] rants about cops thread - ----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [uuc] rants about cops thread > Judging what an officer is doing based on your 10 second observation is > ridiculous. > Unless you are riding shotgun, and actually know the TOTALITY OF THE > CIRCUMSTANCES, you don't really have any idea what is going on. Please tell me what circumstances justify these observations: 1) passing me at 130mph on the NJ Turnpike with no lights or siren (numerous occassions). 2) running a red light in front of me crossing, also no lights or siren, once I was already in the intersection. 3) HIDING behind a bridge or bush instead of making his presence known... being visible keeps speeds down, hiding collects revenue. 4) This one is a favorite of mine - after getting a ticket for 35 in a 25, I was returning via the same route 1 hour later. Two police cars were blocking this two-lane road, one sitting on the shoulder (the spot where I was tagged from) and another in the street talking to the first one. I waited until they were done. The first one leaves, then the second one. I'm following, keeping a small distance... and then I realize I'm going 45mph! I flash my lights at the cop, he pulls over. When I asked him why I get a ticket for 35 in a 25 and it's okay for him to do 45, he just apologized. I asked him if he was going on a call or emergency. "Nope, I'm sorry" was his answer. He seemed genuinely remorseful as he realized he was in the wrong, and I thought he was being very honest instead of making up a story. I said to him "Well 'sorry' didn't work for me when I got this ticket an hour ago. Think about that next time." Yeah, yeah, I'm lucky I didn't get shot. OR... the cop is lucky I wasn't a maniac with a gun. <snip> > I am certain there are some simple minded pinheads out there who subscribe to > the "well yeah I did it but look at that guy over there" theory of defense, > but doesn't that fly in the face of logic? There are very significant > reasons why officers do what they do. Reasons you either don't know or can't > (read refuse) to understand. Before you condemn an individual for their > actions, take a moment to consider ALL of the potential circumstances. I am not talking about legitimate police work. I am talking about a system of revenue collection from arbitrary laws that have no basis in safety or reality of behavior, as well as blatant abuses of police power and privilege. Very big difference. >Like > most other adults...you just hate being told "no, you can't do that." No. I hate being told not to do things that are safe and certainly much more safe than activities that are ignored. I hate being unjustly hassled, denigrated, and fined. I also hate when a cop enjoys a "power trip" telling people they "can't do that." > finally...as I have said in the past if you really want to know what the job > is all about...schedule a ride along. Make an INFORMED decision. Do you really suppose State Troopers allow that? I might have to make some inquiries. - - Rob ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 28 Jan 2000 10:34:59 -0800 From: "Chao, Harvey" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [uuc] How to kill a resistor The purpose of the resistor is to drop the input voltage to the fan to a value lower than the battery voltage, this produces a slower fan speed. The Resistor produces a voltage drop according to Ohm's law, Voltage (drop) = resistance x current. OK - the DESIGN condition is that the fan draws a certain current which flows through a fixed resistance and produces a given voltage drop and ta-da - - we get the desired voltage drop and slower fan speed. BUT - we also get power dissipated as heat as a result of the voltage drop. The power dissipated in the resistor is expressed in watts, and is equal to the value of the resistor and the square of the current it is passing. So, since we know the design current that the fan draws, and the value of the resistance necessary to produce the desired voltage drop/fan speed, we can calculate and size the resistor to handle the necessary dissipation ( I think it is pretty high, on the order of 30-50 watts). Now, as the fan ages, and the bearings (can) start to contribute more drag than the original design intended, the current draw of the fan will increase (in extreme cases to where the fan won't run any longer) the current draw of the fan will increase. It doesn't have to go up a lot before the increased current draw increases the power dissipation in the dropping resistor goes up beyond it's ability to dissipate the heat (remember the power is a function of the SQUARE of the current, so for example, a current increase of 50% yields a 225% increase in power dissipation) . Most (at least any that I can think of) power resistors can handle a small excess dissipation perhaps 10-20 % for a nominal time but will fail prematurely, and when the increase becomes larger, then the resistor starts to think about transforming itself into a fuse! :-) Harvey - I live with fear, death, and evil...but I used to be able to turn it off and use a Mac. " Author Unknown - Dragged over to the "Dark Side" under duress This day, Thursday, 9/16/99 - - A dark day indeed! - Failure is not an option. It comes bundled with your Microsoft product. -- Ferenc Mantfeld ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 28 Jan 2000 13:42:39 -0500 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [uuc] FYI: Winter Warning - Scary Experience I just had a rather scary experience that I thought I'd share with others, for future reference. I took out my car for the first time since the frigid weather hit the East Coast. I gave the car a few minutes to warm up, but not alot considering that it had sat ice cold all week. I tried to quickly merge onto a parkway. and all of a sudden, the steering wheel shook like hell! It was like nothing I had experienced in twenty-five years of driving! I slowly drove (no shaking) about two miles, until I could pull off of the parkway. I got out looked at the front tires for a major flat or front-end damage that could explain the problem. None. I started driving again, and once I went over 40MPH, it shook again. I was actually heading to the BMW Ultimate Drive in NJ, but decided I should go to the mechanic (EuroMeccanica, in Mount Vernon; a good friend of the NY chapter of BMWCCA - in fact, he is hosting a chapter event a week from tomorrow [ Feb 5th]). While driving there, it continued to shake at 50MPH, so I drove VERY slowly. However, just before I got to Mike's, I was able to ease up to 70 MPH! I was puzzled. When I got there, I probably was pale, worried that I had really damaged something on my e30. I explained the story to Mike. He said " You probably had a chunk of ice or snow in your wheel and it threw it out-of-balance, but then melted or fell out by the time you got here." That made perfectly good sense to me - unfortunately my car is parked outdoors, about 150 yards from the Hudson River, and my apartment windows were COVERED with ice! So, probably some snow or ice blew up into the wheels!! Moral of the story: If there is a major snow/ice storm, besides digging out your car from the snow, look into the wheels and see if there is any snow or ice stuck in there before you drive!! Regards, David:.............................................______ '93 325ic <E30>.................................o/__ ___\o 5-speed;LSD;JimC................................ (oo=00=oo) BMW CCA #138963..................................[]=----=[] Spuyten Duyvil, New York ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 28 Jan 2000 13:54:30 -0500 From: "Coldfire" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: [uuc] Re: Bad accident / reckless ticket Impeding the flow of traffic. If the speed limit is 55 the reasonable man will do the speed limit or slightly above or below. Therefore if there are no other factors i.e. weather, oil, debris contributing to the much slower than normal speed, the person gets a ticket. This is one of the best tickets a cop can give. Nothing worse than a driver on the road who will not go the speed limit because they are afraid, don't want to, are conserving gas etc. Many states have a mandatory law concerning the number of vehicles that can be following you. If you hit that number you are required to pull over and let the other vehicles pass. Drivers who fail to maintain the flow of traffic cause quite a few accidents. Think of a blind curve on a highway you're doing the speed limit and now you have a guy who is doing 25mph. This is the same crap people pull when they want to chat to each other forcing traffic to back up behind them on a two lane highway. If you enjoy that then I guess you are right to side with the slowpoke. Just like most of us don't want someone on our bumper, cops don't want people on theirs. Guy '87 535iS - ----- Original Message ----- From: Chester Wong <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, January 28, 2000 10:49 AM Subject: Re: [uuc] Re: Bad accident / reckless ticket > Slime. All I can say is, "SLIME!" Unless there is a speed minimum sign, how > can he justify that unless they were in the passing lane??? ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 28 Jan 2000 13:50:30 -0500 From: Don Eilenberger <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: RE: [uuc] How to kill a resistor Ummmm... I'll take a flying guess at this, Eric is fanless so..: >Here's a question for the tech heads. I recently replaced a dead >resistor on the auxiliary cooling fan's low speed circuit. Two days >later, the new resistor is dead. No continuity (infinite resistance) >when measured at the resistor. Could the fan have killed the new >resistor? The fan still works at high speed and the rest of the circuit >is working properly. > >Thanks, > >Eric >GGC >87 E30 M3 OK... when you say the 'rest of the circuit is working correctly' exactly what do you mean? This is gonna be a lot longer answer than you might have expected, so unless you wanna know all about the resistor pack - hit CTLR/D now! You've been warned! Normally if the fan resistor opens up - only high speed (which is direct without the resistor) works. Now - to why. The usual failure of the BMW fan resistors is NOT the resistors - it's the thermal-overtemp fuse that is part of the circuit, and is there so the resistor doesn't get SO hot that it causes a fire (and for it to actually burn up - it has to get THAT hot). I have heard/seen lots of the pack with open fuses, and only heard of one where the actual resistive element went kaput. So - what causes the thermal-fuse to open? Two things I can think of: (1) fan on - with all vents closed. I believe some models have switches on the vent controls which are supposed to shut the fan off in this case - but these may fail. Some models may not have these safeguard switches.. (2) fan worn out and drawing more current than it should.. also very possible. The resistor MUST have air flowing across it to cool it - or the thermal fuse will open to prevent it overheating.. (why all vents closed is a BAD thing if the fan continues to run). How to fix the thermal fuse? Well.. if you were really stupid or a risk taker, you could jumper around it.. but since I know you're not.. I would suspect the fuse uses a solder called "woods-metal" which is a low temperature melting solder (it's also used in fire sprinklers - as the temperature released plug). Woods metal melts at about 170F or so.. and is commonly used for this sort of application (it's also used in the thermal-fuses in your coffee pots..) The fuse contacts on the resistor pack look like relay contacts - - soldered together. When the fuse overheats, the solder holding them closed melts and the contacts open up due to a spring force on the moveable contact. To fix - you could try heating the contacts with a soldering iron and holding them closed until they cool off. There may be enough woods-metal left to hold it closed. Or - if you have woods-metal around (I do, don't ask..) - you could try adding a bit to the contacts while heating them and holding them closed. Or - you can go to the dealer and fork over $14 for a new resistor pack. To check if the vent switch is there (or working) put the fan on HIGH speed (bypassing the resistor pack entirely) and try closing all the vents (don't leave them like this for long..) If the fan continues to run - there is no vent switch, or it isn't working. Best (snow sucks), ........................................ Don Eilenberger, Spring Lk Hts, NJ JMP#1 [EMAIL PROTECTED] NJ Shore BMW Riders web page: http://www.monmouth.com/~deilenberger You're absolutely right, and I apologize --Darryl Richman ........................................ ------------------------------ End of [uucdigest] V3 #141 ************************** _________________________________________ | Please visit these UUC-approved BMW parts vendors/service providers: | (listed alphabetically) | Bonneville Motorwerks . http://www.bonnevillemotorwerks.com | Circle Tire Co. 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