[uucdigest] Thursday, April 3 2003 Volume 03 : Number 6280
_________________________________________________________________ | | Search the ARCHIVES: | http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] | | Visit Richard Nott's Ultimate BMW Database: | http://www.bmwdatabase.com | | 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. | Technical Problems? Send 'em to [EMAIL PROTECTED] |__________________________________________________________________ In this BMW UUC Digest: Re: [uuc] <OT> Mustang auto tranny question [uuc] re: how would you feel if + re: soft wheels + lying manufacturers specs Re: [uuc] Potential Dex-Cool Class-Action Suit/lifetime fluids [uuc] Re: Questions about adjustable shocks Re: [uuc] Potential Dex-Cool Class-Action Suit RE: [uuc] <OT> Brake fluid flushing, domestic auto mfrs. Re: [uuc] [E30] iX motor swap options Re: [uuc] Potential Dex-Cool Re: [uuc] Potential Dex-Cool Class-Action Suit ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 3 Apr 2003 14:47:34 -0800 (PST) From: Mike Hsu <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: [uuc] <OT> Mustang auto tranny question I'm also a Mustang owner, but I don't know the problem your talking about. I think around that year they started to add in some electronics for the auto tranny. A couple forums that has some decent technical guys are www.corral.net and www.stangnet.com Good Luck. Mike > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Pharr, Jeff" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Thursday, April 03, 2003 4:54 PM > Subject: [uuc] <OT> Mustang auto tranny question > > > > Trying to help out a friend... > > > > This is for any closet Mustang enthusiasts that > might be lurking out > > there: > > > > Friend has a '95 Mustang (really, it's not mine!) > with about 90K miles > > on it and it just started making gear grinding > noises when being shifted > > from Park to Drive or Reverse and back. E Brake > light and airbag > > warning light came on and stayed on at the same > time this grinding > > problem started. The problem persisted for an > hour or so of city > > driving and then went away after the car sat for a > few minutes. Car is > > now fine with no warning lights and no grinding. > > > > It the small engine (whatever that is) and it's a > convertible (probably > > irrelevant). Sounds to me like a control module > of some sort, engine > > grounding, or something like that. > > > > Any thoughts? > > > > --Jeff > > (you can reply privately if you don't want to > admit to knowing anything > > about Mustangs) > __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - File online, calculators, forms, and more http://tax.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 03 Apr 2003 14:54:50 -0800 From: jkerouac <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [uuc] re: how would you feel if + re: soft wheels + lying manufacturers specs re: how would you feel if + re: soft wheels + lying manufacturers specs Tying two threads together: How would you feel if you bought a new car and the manufacturer told you to put tire pressure in your tires that was insufficient to protect the rim against normal road conditions? And to cause imbalanced handling too? That's just what BMW, and many other manufacturers continue to do. Examples: Early E30: 195/60x14. Countless bent rims. 85 model: BMW changes the factory tires size to 195/65x14. Still way too easy to bend a rim with factory recommended tire pressures, but for the simple minds who set to spec and only add air when the tires is obviously low, it gave some extra degree of protection. To compensate for the taller tires, the rear was shortened from 3.64 to 3.73. Then a marketing clown used the lower rear to claim that gave the car more rapid acceleration than the previous model year. 95 E36 //M3: 235/40x17 tires with factory spec 30 psi front / 35 psi rear pressures. Numerous bent rims, rediculous dealer marked up prices for replacements. 96+ model gets taller 225/45 f and 245/40 rear tires, with shorter rear to compensate. Similar claims made for a higher performance axle ratio, no mention of the taller tire diameter. Why the tire pressures as they are? A former VP at BMW, in confidence, once described to me the sticker pressures as "the lawyer's pressures". Yep, force the car to understeer no matter how much gas the driver gives it. Greater safety margin against the tire blowing out on impact if the pressure is lower too. Yet easier to dismount inward from the bead when hitting a curb, and much easier to lose control from the forced understeer the low front pressures would exaggerate. Also in the paranoid corporate legal mind, if the rim is softer, then it will bend on impact rather than cracking. Thus the tire will stay both mounted and inflated in the event of a hard road or curb impact. Yet with a higher pressure, and a harder rim, the impacts that are denting up the factory alloys would pass harmless if you had a harder rim and higher pressures. Do you thing that the press demo cars that BMW brings to test drive events have only factory spec pressures in them? the 94 //M3 I test drove at a BMW product demo event had over 40psi in all tires. But sometimes I think the Irish speak the english language the way it was meant to be, where lawyer and liar come out sounding exactly the same. :-) ;-) Early on with BMWs I learned my le$$on about factory recommended tire pre$$ures and resultant bent rims. More experienced owners taught me that street tire pressures in the range of 38-42 front, and 35-38 rear, with about a 4psi front to rear difference, made the cars both handle better, and protected the rims. From 205/55x14 on stock 14x6 E30 rims, 195/50 on 15x6 for 2002 and 320i, 245/40 on 16x8 GM Camaro wheels on E36, and now 235/40 front w/ 245/40x17 rear on an E36 //M3, I've never dented up a rim nor blown out a tire as long as the tire pressures are sufficiently, not excessively, high. On an E36 //M3, try 41f/37r psi. No out of round tires or wheels despite 80 k miles on the car and 235 front rather than 225/45 stock front tire size. These pressures help the car behave better too. If you're familiar with Page Mill Road, Tunitas Creek, and those who descended West Alpine on the recent GGC Rally, you've seen that the SF Peninsula has back mountain roads that are both awesome to drive, and unfortunately show the effects existence along the San Andreas Faultline has on steep slowly creeping dirt/mud hillsides. Despite these road conditions, Jack's //M3 Lightweight forged factory alloys are still round and true. Enjoy, 'jk 'pressure is good, stress is not' ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 3 Apr 2003 15:12:45 -0800 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [uuc] Potential Dex-Cool Class-Action Suit/lifetime fluids Here's my take on the concept of "lifetime fluids" or "lifetime lubrication". When the part fails, it has reached the end of its life - however many years or miles that may be. Depending on all kinds of factors that I will not list here, this could be different lengths of time or mileage for different people. When the part's lifetime is over, it is over. Not that this exactly inspires confidence in a customer. Scott Miller GGC BMW CCA >Date: Thu, 3 Apr 2003 15:04:19 -0600 >From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Subject: Re: [uuc] Potential Dex-Cool Class-Action Suit/lifetime fluids > >Eurowerks <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> With the newer trannies accepting only "factory" synthetic fluids, >> this makes flushing (not changing and diluting) the transmission not >> very cost effective. > >Kirk, >You have way more experience with this than I do, but IMHO the >"factory-only" fluids mandate is highly questionable. <snip> ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 03 Apr 2003 18:16:07 -0500 From: Neil Maller <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [uuc] Re: Questions about adjustable shocks on 4/3/03 4:44 PM, "J. Ochi" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Gee - I just put a 3/8" drive hex key socket on a breaker bar, then put the > bar on the floor. Stand on the handle, put the shaft on the hex key, > compress and turn away. Piece of cake. But what kind of fun is there in that????? Neil 96 M3 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 03 Apr 2003 19:21:20 -0500 From: Brian Daley <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: [uuc] Potential Dex-Cool Class-Action Suit [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: >"Brian Daley" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > >>Considering the recent discussion of a possible link between coolant PH >>and plastic radiator neck failure I thought folks might be interested in >> >>the following: >> >> >>http://www.bigclassaction.com/class_action/dexcool.html >> >> > >Brian, >I'm not sure what point you are trying to make. >DexCool is an excellent coolant. Sulfate and silicate free and with a low pH level of >8.3. >The coolant should be flushed every 2-3 years regardless of what some >sales/marketing monkey might be blabbering. >IMHO, anyone who believes that coolant should be left alone for 5+ years >and 100+K miles fully deserves what's coming. > > That's *exactly the point* I was trying to make. The general consensus on this list seems to be that DexCool is a superior coolant. The lawyers are representing it as "damaging to the cooling system." I was also making the point that this representation goes well beyond "doesn't prevent corrosion as long as advertised" a statement which would be much better supported by the alleged facts. I do however understand their point. If the manufacturer tells you the coolant is good for 100K miles I don't think you're out of line in looking to them to cover repairs to damage resulting from the fact that it evidently is *not* good for 100K miles. When you say that those who believe the manufacturer's representation "deserve what's coming" I disagree. Perhaps this analogy will be illuminating: Many on this list feel that oil changes per the SI lights is insufficient and change their oil religiously at 3K miles (or whatever their interval of choice may be). Does this mean that an owner who takes their car to the dealer and has the official BMW-branded, supernatural-power-endowed oil installed when the SI lights say to "deserves what's coming" when their engine seizes because *you* know better than to follow the manufacturer's service recommendations? Brian Daley ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 3 Apr 2003 18:18:48 -0600 From: "M Kittock" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: RE: [uuc] <OT> Brake fluid flushing, domestic auto mfrs. Ford also. When I had a Contour SE I asked the dealer service writer about flushing the brake fluid and I got a blank look back. He said it never needs flushing. I asked him to do it anyway - and he said they couldn't as they didn't have equipment and knowledge of how to do it. So I took it to an independent and had it done. Mark Kittock '96 328i Sport Pkg; 17"OZ,H&R Sport, X-brace,Turner Motorsport bars > > > "Gary Derian" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> sez: > > "GM also has no specific brake fluid flush > interval. Anecdotally, they > discourage it on the basis that they expect their > technicians to screw up > something during the flush. After 10 years or > so, the brake system needs > everything replaced." > > Same thing with Chrysler. When I asked the dealer to > flush the brake fluid (after 70K miles) on the > minivan, as it was in there for a recall anyhow, I was > told that "the factory does not specify any need for > this". Then, when I said, "How about you do it > anyway?" I was told, "We have no equipment to do it". > That's when I knew it was past time to use an > independent. How dumb can you get. Mebbe they figure > the tranny will go soon anyway and it will be in the > junkyard before the whole brake system corrodes to > uselessness. > > Jon<----guess I could have told them how to get the > shop gofer to pump the brakes while they bleed out the > old fluid, but somehow I *knew* they would screw it > up. > > ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 3 Apr 2003 16:38:38 -0800 From: "T WALROD" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: [uuc] [E30] iX motor swap options I might be looking at the high pressure relief valve on the oil pump - if it were to stick open you would have substantially reduced oil pressure at low RPMs. Of course that assumes that BMW oil pumps are like other maker's pumps I have seen. Tom Ah. Ok. As some may already know I have an 325i with 208k on the clock and a low oil pressure/volume problem which showed up as a lack of oil at the spray bar for the cam. I am replacing the oil pump on general principals (and praying that it works). Now that I have the new pump on hand I am figuring that the intake screen on the old one is clogged based on the tiny hole the oil has to flow through to get to the pump. At 200+k I am replacing the pump anyway. Of course the other opinion is that the bearings are all so worn that I can't maintain the oil pressure. As such I am suddenly very interested in what if any symptoms (other than lack of oil pressure) a worn out engine would give. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 3 Apr 2003 19:14:05 -0800 (PST) From: Jonathan Brush <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: [uuc] Potential Dex-Cool Kirk sez: "From: "Eurowerks" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> The last BMW and MB trans. flushes that we performed were in the neighborhood of $425.00 for the 20 quarts (!!!) of fluid that is necessary to completely flush and top-off the trans. level, and the filter kits, and the labor." Hoo boy, another argument for sticking with the good ol' manual tranny. Jon __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - File online, calculators, forms, and more http://tax.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 3 Apr 2003 22:19:11 -0500 From: "Gary Derian" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: [uuc] Potential Dex-Cool Class-Action Suit Don't forget the classic drain the transmission and add 5 quarts to the engine. Gary Derian > Another ignorant owner story... I > > > I had a friend who had this stupid fiancee. <snip> > ------------------------------ End of [uucdigest] V3 #6280 *************************** | | In memory of Michel Potheau - friend, enthusiast, founder of the BMW CCA. |________________________________________ | Please visit these UUC-approved BMW parts vendors/service providers: | (listed alphabetically) | | Autoscope-Motorsports - http://www.autoscope-motorsports.com | |==================================================== | | Koala MotorSport . 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