[uucdigest] Tuesday, June 10 2003 Volume 03 : Number 6450
_________________________________________________________________ | | 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: [uuc] <clears throat> I Am a Moron. (thank you.) [uuc] <E30> brake caliper choice [uuc] To store or not to store ( Warning L-o-o-o-ong) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 17:07:19 -0700 (PDT) From: Tammer Farid <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [uuc] <clears throat> I Am a Moron. (thank you.) Oops. Obviously meant for JJ. I wish I could blame beer, but this time it's just my own ineptitude. - --- Tammer Farid <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Mr. Money, __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Calendar - Free online calendar with sync to Outlook(TM). http://calendar.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 20:34:47 -0400 From: "Dorffer, Rich" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [uuc] <E30> brake caliper choice > Just picked up some rebuilt brake calipers for the '87 325. I had ordered > ATE and got Girlingunits. Is there any difference wrt quality? Are they really the > same even > though Girling isconsiderably cheaper? My car originally had Girlings and I put > ATEs on > from my wreck simplybecause I liked the things my wreck had. There is little difference between the Girling and Ate units for the front of the E30. Some feel the Ate quality is higher but I think the difference is negligible when it comes to the E30 units. The Girling are less expensive and way more common place. > If it makes any difference the car does get > tracked a few times a year and I use the brakes hard on the street. Nope, makes no difference as far as I am concerned. Regards, Rich - with at least five extra sets of E30 Girling front calipers and one set of E30 Ate front calipers 95 M3 - Ate calipers all the way around 90 325is - Girling front / Ate rear calipers 89 325is - Girling front / Ate rear calipers ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 18:48:04 -0600 From: "Ike Moolla" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [uuc] To store or not to store ( Warning L-o-o-o-ong) Hi Phil, I store my Porsches for six to seven months every year without any problems. I have attached a write-up I did on the subject of "winter storing" for my local Porsche newsletter since it is a frequent question from members. Feel free to email me if you have any questions. Winter Storage I have a copy of storage procedures that I have followed over the years without any adverse consequences. This is a compendium of information gathered from other car owners, together with my own personal experience, from having stored my own Porsches over the last ten years. Please note that there are procedures included here, that I do not personally follow, either because of our geographic location, specific climatic conditions or because I just plain don't agree with the rationale. I have however elected to include these procedures to make this as comprehensive a document as possible. If you have better procedures, suggestions or feel that I missed something please send them to the editor, or me. I will be happy to amend future versions of this document. As a reference point, I store my cars in an unheated garage and the outside temperatures routinely go down to minus 40C, this being Edmonton Alberta. 1) I wash & wax the car prior to the day I intend to store it, I then drive the car a little in order to help evacuate water from brakes, nooks, & crannies. BTW, washing and waxing is about as controversial a subject as religion is and I will attempt to write my views on that subject at some point in the future. 2) If you have an older Porsche, lube the electric antenna mast with thin oil and retract. When I had mast-endowed cars, I used a BMW product that was especially formulated for this purpose in the form of lube wipes. Do not use WD40 - it will collect dust and bind the mast in short order. 3) I apply leather treatment to all leather surfaces, to prevent drying and cracking. My personal favorite is "Leatherique" but I also use "Lexol". I also use Lexol's "Vinylex" product on my vinyl items. I do NOT use "Armourall" because it is loaded with silicones and will invite every dust particle within a 30-mile radius of the car. It is also water based and may induce dash cracks if the water in the product finds its way into the body of the vinyl and the temperature drops, freezing the trapped water. 4) I increase my tire pressures to about 44-46 PSI. (Or about 8-10 PSI higher than normal) to prevent flat spotting. 5) I add "StaBil", or other quality gas stabilizer additives to the fuel tank and fully top it off to eliminate any room for moisture formation through condensation within the tank. I run the car/engine afterwards to mix and circulate the treated fuel throughout the entire fuel system. 6) I change the engine oil and filter just prior to storing. Fresh oil will be free of contaminants that are the natural byproducts of combustion and which are acidic and may attack crank bearings or other engine parts that remain immersed or in contact with the oil during the lengthy storage period. I use an oil weight appropriate for the season when the car will be put back on the road. These days however, I just use multi-grade synthetic oil like Mobil 1, 15W.50 that can safely be used year round in our climate. 7) If the Porsche is water-cooled, I check the antifreeze strength. I only use the VW/Porsche recommended, phosphate-free antifreeze - "Autobahn" brand, to prevent aluminum degradation. I have seen VW Vanagon heads that were pitted beyond repair, because this recommendation was not followed. Porsche engine components and heads are way too expensive to play Russian roulette with. 8) I check the windshield washer fluid and make sure it is winter-formulated to prevent freezing and cracking of my (expensive, inaccessible) plastic windshield washer reservoir. 9) I coat door, hood, trunk and targa rubber seals with Rubber protectant. My personal favorite is Black Magic Professional Protectant by Blue Coral. Some people use silicone spray but I am not a fan of silicone sprays. 10) Concours guys tell me that they only close doors, hood, and trunk to the FIRST LOCK position so that the seals remain relaxed. If the battery is not disconnected make sure, hood and interior door lights are not left on. I do not do this - I prefer that my car is closed tight. 11) Place small index cards under wiper blades so they are off the glass. I was told that rubber blades are prone to fusing onto the windshield and some poor owner bent a wiper arm and screwed up his wiper motor by not doing this. I have never seen this happen but I do this anyway. I personally make two copies of this procedure and place the two sheets under my wipers, thereby making this information readily available for reference both at time of storage and more importantly at the time of retrieval, besides my wiper blades stay off the glass as a bonus, voila! 12) If high humidity conditions are expected, leave a desiccant bag in the car. Place the bag in a large plastic or metal foil tray preferably on the floor to prevent moisture from seeping onto carpet/upholstery. I understand it is not unusual for these desiccant bags to absorb copious amounts of moisture. Personally, I have never done this because our bone-dry Edmonton winter air is more likely to suck dry the desiccant bag then to favor it with moisture. 13) Seal intakes and exhaust pipe/s with tape, steel wool or towels to prevent rodent entry. I just use plastic sandwich bags secured with rubber bands. 14) Close the heater flaps on rear engine cars to prevent rodent entry. 15) I drive and park the car onto a sheet of 4 or 6 mil plastic, in case there are fluid leaks from the car - these are far easier to identify and monitor in this manner. I also do this in case the floor is damp, in order to prevent moisture from attacking the underside of my car. 16) I always remove the battery and store it OFF the floor in my heated basement in a clear, heavy, open at the top, plastic bag, to freely allow any potential explosive gas build-up to dissipate safely. Pulled batteries should be stored in a cool, dry place, preferably on a piece of wood. I place the battery in a highly visible location so I can keep an eye on it (without having to be reminded to do so). It has always retained almost full charge (even without a battery maintainer), though I still recharge it out of habit, before re-installation. 17) Before you disconnect or remove the battery or fuses, make sure you have the anti-theft codes for radios alarms etc. I record my radio code on a yellow sticky and place it in with the battery in my basement - so that it is readily at hand when I reconnect the battery. 18) For shorter storage periods some people leave the battery connected and pull clock and burglar alarm fuses to prevent battery drainage. They also slow charge every several weeks (I've had good luck with a small Schumacher 1 Amp smart charger, which charges only when battery voltage begins to fall - available at Walmart.). You can also use more recent technologies, like the battery tender, which will automatically cut power to the car (clocks, alarms etc.), before the battery level falls dangerously low. It will retain enough power to at least enable the car to start a few times. My car/s are stored at locations remote from my house so I cannot utilize this kind of short-term storage methodology. 19) If you propose to do this type of storage - IMHO, do NOT start the car unless you plan to drive it long enough (at least 20 miles or 20minutes in our winter climate) to guarantee complete warm-up. This ensures that the engine oil will become hot enough to burn off the moisture, that is a natural by-product of the combustion process, which is corrosive if left suspended and unburned in the engine oil. I am not an advocate of periodically starting a car to keep seals and running gear lubricated because of the above. Do NOT run the car in an enclosed/attached garage under any circumstances, because of the danger of monoxide poisoning. 20) If the car will be exposed to direct sunlight, cover glass to protect the interior or cover with a QUALITY car cover which will allow humidity & moisture passage. Porsche dealers sell a relatively inexpensive well fitting cover for most models or alternatively, go to your local Canadian Tire store and buy a good generic cover. I own one of those expensive khaki poly/cotton covers with the non-scratch flannel backing, which fortunately came with one of my earlier cars since I could never justify paying the $200+US for something like it today. 21) For annual storage, raising the car on jack stands is NOT recommended as the wheels will droop and shock absorber pistons will be fully extended, exposing moving parts, which can cause corrosion and binding. 22) I do NOT engage the emergency brake. You want to have all of the brake components relaxed. 23) I do not put the car in gear, unless a permanently leaning shift lever or weak spring in the gearshift mechanism is desired. 24) Say Goodbye. Remember before you re-start the car in Spring: * To avoid a dry start - disconnect the coil from the distributor and crank the engine (low rpms) to prime up the oil pressure before actually starting/firing the car. * Better yet, pull the DME relay (Fuel pump relay), which is what I do, because I am told it is safer and less likely to fry the brains in the newer cars. Ike Moolla Date: Mon, 9 Jun 2003 20:33:00 -0500 From: "phil irby" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [uuc] To store or not to store Group, I got word today I got a temp job I applied for that is an exchange program my company has with Australia. I'll be going to Brisbane for 6 months starting in October and returning 1st wk of April. I would appreciate any advice on what to do with my 92 E36 325i while I'm away. I've considered just storing it but don't have access to a "real" garage. I have possible access to a carport that is closed on 3 sides but open on the front. It belongs to a neighbor so I'd have to leave tires mounted and give a friend a key so he could move it if there's any problem. I've heard it's not good to leave tires mounted in one spot for extended periods due to flat spots, etc. Also have heard it's a good idea to remove plugs and squirt oil in each cylinder to prevent rust, then just loosely re-install the plugs. I've had quite a few offers from coworkers to keep my battery charged by driving it, but wonder if I can trust them to care for my baby the way I would. I've also had some tell me just to rent a storage unit and put it in there, but wonder about the security of that too. Other facts: 98xxx miles on the clock right now so will be over 100K by departure date. I live in north Florida so it can get down to sub-freezing for at least a few weeks each winter. Also would appreciate any advice fellow listers would have on places to go, things to see, etc. I've been told I get a compact rental for the time I'm there. One guy who went last year said he had a Holden Commodore made by GM. Sheesh......gonnna have to learn how to drive all over too.....on the "other side". Phil 92 E36/M50 Soon to be in the land down under ------------------------------ End of [uucdigest] V3 #6450 *************************** | | 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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