[uucdigest] Tuesday, April 18 2000 Volume 03 : Number 616 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | 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] Reply - Plastic padding under front of car Re: [uuc] E30 M3 part #s needed Re: [uuc] CR Wax Re: [uuc] CR Summary on Wax [uuc] <WOB> Discount Tire and the nail... [uuc] <E36>re:E36 318is Issues [uuc] what to do with old diff? [uuc] E46 wheels onto E36 Re: [uuc] Nail in tire [uuc] <E28> with a clunk Re: [uuc] Mosport ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2000 12:01:03 -0500 From: "Harmon W. Fischer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [uuc] Reply - Plastic padding under front of car I lost that misearable p.o.s. on both my '95 and '98 M3s. The OEM part can easily be damaged by parking area stops, as it lives maybe 1 1/2" - 2" lower than the bottom of the front bumper cover. If you drive too close to one of them, when you back up it snags on the stop and tears the part. There is an answer! J T Designs makes a replacement kit of what seems to be black anodized aluminum - retail is about $150. I showed it to Mike Miller (Roundel Tech Guy) at Gateway, and I am in the process of submitting a "New product" article for the magazine. Hopefully the pictures will turn out ok. The best part is that it does not come below the bottom of the front bumper cover, and it is obviously much stronger than the OEM part(s). If anyone is interested, contact me privately and I will send ordering information. Harmon Fischer BMW CCA # 1806 '98 M3 F ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2000 13:06:27 -0400 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [uuc] E30 M3 part #s needed Michael W. wrote >I really need to get the part numbers for the three relays behind the >coolant overflow bottle on an 88 M3. Michael if you don't get the numbers by the weekend, take them off your car and show it to them. You already know orange is fuel pump, silver is main relay, and black is purge. FWIW the new main relay I bought is white, fuel is still orange, (I haven't bought a new purge one yet). Here's what I have: Fuel pump relay 0332 019 456 (orange, Bosch) Main relay 12.63-1729004 (white, Siemens) Carlos 91 M3 running much better after a good weekend workout ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2000 14:23:56 -0400 From: "McEntee, Marc" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: [uuc] CR Wax Brad says: Some findings: 1. Zymol came out on top. (yes it did) 2. No wax or polish lasts more than a couple months. (true if the vehicle is outside 24hrs. a day) 3. Nothing makes a new finish any shinier (you don't need to wax a new car). (you should still wax it to protect the paint, but it is next to impossible to improve on the shine from the day it was new) 4. Multi-step systems like Mother's can take all day and give nice results, but they weren't convinced it was as good as Zymol. (weren't convinced it was worth the extra time and effort as the one step Zertle) 5. Car wash formulas that wax while you wash don't leave any measurable amount of wax on the car, but it sure is easy to apply! (junk) Marc P.S. A couple of us did a little test of our own...Zaino's did well, but wasn't going to last much longer than the other "long" lasting wax's. Griot's best of show did very poorly, in gloss and durability. Zymol original doesn't last, not good for a daily driver. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2000 14:46:28 -0400 (EDT) From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [uuc] CR Summary on Wax At the risk of adding fuel to the wax thread (Oh No! make it stop!) the Zymol stuff tested by CR is DEFINITELY NOT the "good stuff". They tested "Zymol Cleaner Wax" which comes in a liquid, 16oz container, and is a polish. In contrast, the "good stuff", Zymol Carbon or Creame, are NOT supposed to be polishes (they "feed" your paint, in Zymol's words,) are even more expensive and come as a solid in that nifty clear plastic container with the o-ring seal. And never mind their outragesouly expensive Concours, Ital, Titanium, Destiny, Atlantique and Vintage products... I tend to think that things get a bit ridiculous at that level, but hey, I have been known to pay for their Carbon wax, so I'll keep my mouth shut. Regards, Felipe. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2000 12:59:14 -0700 From: "Richard F. Viehdorfer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [uuc] <WOB> Discount Tire and the nail... Wait a second... before you take it to those guys...I should let you know that they have managed to screw up two sets of tires on my 535i (tires I bought from them) because they can't balance them properly. 3 weeks after they 'balance' them, the tires are shot, and they blame it on the alignment. So I dutifully run it up to the guy who does my alignment, who shakes his head and says.. no alignment problem..its out of balance.. who did the balance...? And then shows me the actual data. The first time they did this, I just bought a new set of tires, took it up to him, and he said: no alignment problem, they are out of balance. BADLY. The second time was when we switched from summer to winter tires, and luckily I caught it, but not before the front tires were scalloped so badly that they rumble something fierce in the back end where we put 'em to try and save what we could. Same story - its the alignment, dude - we didn't do it! Right.... Oh and one more thing: their lift system also screwed up the alignment on my exhaust system for the second time. The first time was last year, with the first go around with the tires. I didn't catch it until they did it again this time. Moral of the story: You get what you pay for. And Discount Tire will no longer be getting any of my money, no matter how many free bells and whistles they throw at me. As I remember it, when you take a tire off a wheel, it needs to be *TA-DA* re-balanced. Buyer Beware.... Rick Viehdorfer no longer a Discount Tire customer ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2000 12:00:37 -0700 (PDT) From: Ron Browne <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [uuc] <E36>re:E36 318is Issues Herman Chan wrote: Hey Folks, Looking for answers for these two maladies: (92 318is, 78k) 1) Engine knock under load -- occurs when pulling away from a stop sign on a hill or goosing the throttle while going up a hill. Car has original Jim C chip, and has had a diet of name brand(Chevron or 76) premium gas all its life. Crappy (but expensive) gas? Carbon buildup? Techron/BG44k time? Italian tune-up? Any component failures to check for? Engine seems to run fine aside from knock. Only recent problem was a check engine light for lambda control (1222), which extinguished itself after I poked around the O2 sensor and probed for intake leaks. No current codes. The plugs and O2 sensor are well within expected lifespan (<20k miles on both). I pulled the plugs (NGK BKR6EK) and they look fine. Still, I believe the engine may be running slightly rich, since the gas mileage has dropped 2-3 mpg from its historical average and a slightly sooty tailpipe. To offset this however, I do have to factor in that my driving pattern has flopped from 80% freeway/20% city to 20/80 for the past year. Plus less-efficient California-RFG blend gas. 2) Rubbing/scratchy noise from driver's door over bumps/rough pavement -- this vexing problem is driving me absolutely *insane*, since it's right next to my ear. Sounds like two pieces of styrofoam rubbing against each other. This started not long after I had some bodywork (dent removed and respray/blend). The frequency has gone from occasional to constant annoyance. I've tried everything I can think of to track it down, but so far it has eluded me. New door panel clips, new window regulator slides, felt or foam in strategic places, gummifledged door seal. At first I thought it was a loose vapor barrier inside the door, but I've re-secured it with new butyl tape and even used the passenger side door as a guide. I've pulled the door panel off more times than I care to count, and everything internal in the door seems to be tight. The glass is properly adjusted to factory specs. I did have to tweak the door closure/striker plate after the bodywork, but since I don't have the specs for that I just eyeballed it so the door is flush and straight. Only thing left is perhaps a loose/worn regulator or window tracks. Window does function correctly, with no binding. I'm near the end of my rope on this one. Ron B. You still out there? Any thoughts? TIA, Herman 92 318is ============================================= Hey Herman: Yep, I'm still here. Until my brother gets rid of his 1993 325i, I will still consider myself a part of this BMW crew! Regarding your engine knocking, I dont know, because I never had that problem. Is it temp related? My brother used to encounter some serious pinging with his car. ONLY during the hot summer months, and ONLY with the Jim C chip installed. Jim C got back to us, and basically stated to not worry about it. Kind of a trade-off for the noticeable power gains my brother received during the cooler fall/winter/spring months of the year. Again, that was PING..not knock. Knock is not good. I would suggest trying the stock chip. A AM NOT SAYING THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE JIM C CHIP. But, if the engine is not in a good, tuned state, an aftermarket chip may only exaggerate the problem. The chip is assuming the engine is tuned/running properly. Other than that, have you confirmed the timing is within spec? Beyond that, and the other tests youve done, Im stumped... Regarding the rubbing noise, are you positive its from the door? Early E36's are known to have a rattly sound emanating from the lower fenders when the stereo is really cranked. That problem is the sunroof drain tube smacking against the fender. It can be found by removing the kick panel speaker housings/speakers. Make sure thats not the culprit. Hope I could be of some assistance.. Ron Browne Bowie, MD 2000 Lincoln LS Sport __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Send online invitations with Yahoo! Invites. http://invites.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2000 12:02:31 -0700 (PDT) From: "K.C. Boyce" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [uuc] what to do with old diff? All, I'm looking for some advice on what to do with my old differential. It's an open 2.79 from an Eta, and I'm guessing there are not too many takers out there for such a low(ly) diff. As I'm graduating and leaving the country in ~1 month, I don't have time to place an ad in Roundel and wait (and wait and wait...). So, how do I get rid of this old thing? I'd prefer to get some cash out of the deal, if possible. Do scrap yards buy old diffs? Has anyone out there faced this dilemma? TIA. KC Boyce '85 325e E30 Eta Page: http://rikki.coloradocollege.edu/~k_boyce/ __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Send online invitations with Yahoo! Invites. http://invites.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2000 12:28:30 PDT From: "DAVID NGUYEN" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [uuc] E46 wheels onto E36 thanks everyone on their input on the E46 wheels i'm getting. i asked my buddy that's a mechanic up at BMWofsanfrancisco. he insured that they fit no problem. but i heard otherwise from others on this post that i'd come across problems. anyone ever done this before? fitted the E46 "17x8.0 7-spokes onto my '94 E36. am i right that the tire size i should aim for is 225/40/17? i got quoted $135 for NITTO NT555's in that size. is that a good price? oh yea, and the car is lowered on ACschnitzer(uncut)sport springs ( best springs i ever had...helps the car handle like it's on rails!) i shouldn't rub with these wheels eh? david n. '94 325is ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2000 13:14:54 -0700 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [uuc] Nail in tire Discount Tire does the work for free because they need the practice on BMW tire changes : ). They tried to remove the tire off of a rear wheel on my '98 M3 and couldn't. It was pathetic to watch them try to remove the tire. They had up to three people working on it and tried using many valve stems between the tire bead and wheel to keep the bead separated from the wheel. After about an hour, I made them stop trying and took the wheel to a different shop which had experience (and no problem) removing the tire. They had one valve stem fall into the tire during the fiasco and of course couldn't get it out. You should have seen the expression on the tire changer's face when he found a valve stem inside the tire : ). BTW, my dealership recommended Discount Tire to me. For other tire needs, Discount has given me good service and competative prices. I am not complaining about Discount, just noting that BMW (maybe just M3) wheels are different and require greater knowledge and experience from the tire changer. YMMV. Steve Cooperman Tucson, Arizona Ben writes: >Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2000 09:32:39 -0400 >From: ben keyes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: Re: [uuc] Nail in tire >why is it that Discount Tire does this service for free - do they assume that >(rightly) you will remember & use them to purchase/install tires when you need >them ?? >I know they give you a nice new free Pilot Sport 245/40-17 tire when their >tire-jockey slices the stock Dunlop 8080E bead while getting it off to find the >leak ;-) must be those pesky asymmetrical hump wheels.... >just curious. >Ben Keyes - waaay to many tires in basement right now thanks to the digest.... ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2000 15:21:46 -0500 From: "Robert B. Kasten" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [uuc] <E28> with a clunk > Keith wrote: > <<When I start off or back off the throttle > <<in reverse or first gear a clunk comes from the backseat. > > Keith, > This happened to my '87 528e a few months ago. It had been doing it for a > while, and I finally got hacked (and annoyed) enough to take it to the > mechanic. Turns out the Pitman arm (I think that's it. Isn't that the thing > that connects the rear axle to something?) was pretty much shot. Tony (the > mechanic) was surprised the whole rear axle hadn't fallen off the car before. The Pitman arms, or trailing arm links, exist only to limit the travel of the trailing arms with respect to the subframe. If they are shot, they can make some noise and affect handling. The sub-frame and trailing arm bushes are more important, however, and would cause more noticeable problems if worn. Maybe that's what was replaced... ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2000 16:40:57 -0400 From: Chris Skene <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: [uuc] Mosport >Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2000 22:07:38 -0400 >From: "Robert Yap" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: [uuc] Mosport > >> I have been driving my 72 (mostly) '02 for the last three > > days at beautiful sunny (for a few minutes) Mosport. > >So Chris, how do you like the changes to Mosport? >Inquiring minds want to know. The pit exit is now between corners 1 and 2. About five feet of new asphalt has been added on the left between the exit and the top of two. The runoff for two has been widened considerably, but the track remains the same. I can still keep up with a 911 Turbo through two in my 2002. Four and five have been widened and repaved and the bridge has been removed. A lot of trees have been removed, so you can see the exit of five from the top of four. There was a lot of discussion about the best line through these - no definitive answer yet. We'll have to watch some races and see what those guys do. It was interesting on the Friday lapping day. I believe the BMWCC school was the first event on the new track. We did a slow drive-around with stops and and walks through the new sections. Out came the brooms to get rid of all the gravel that had been scattered across the track. On the exit from five there was about a hundred feet of track completely covered in clay dust. It was slippery and sent up such clouds that you couldn't see the car in front of you. The clay was from the runoff from the melting snow on the hill beside the track. Between nine and ten there is new asphalt on the left, allowing you to come out of ten onto the start-finish straight faster. All the pit sheds are gone, so there's no place to get shelter there when it rains (or snows). The pit wall now meets FIA standards. It sure didn't before, and whenever anyone was unfortunate enough to hit it, the club was charged $1200 a crack for repairs. Now, it'll be more for car repairs and less for the wall. I generally like the improvements. The mystery of flying into corner four and not knowing what is ahead because of the bridge and the trees is gone. Unfortunately for spectators, the bridge at four and the bridge at the start-finish are gone, so they'll have to do some more walking to get around the track. I don't know what plans there are to replace them. C - -- Chris Skene For voice services, check <http://skene.org/chris> ------------------------------ End of [uucdigest] V3 #616 ************************** _________________________________________ | Please visit these UUC-approved BMW parts vendors/service providers: | (listed alphabetically) | Bonneville Motorwerks . http://www.bonnevillemotorwerks.com | Camptown Automotive - http://www.camptownauto.com | Circle Tire Co. 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