[uucdigest] Monday, July 21 2003 Volume 03 : Number 6581
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Send 'em to [EMAIL PROTECTED] |__________________________________________________________________ In this BMW UUC Digest: [uuc] 540iT vs Suburban RE: [uuc] E39 540it purchase questions re: [uuc] E39 540it purchase questions RE: [uuc] E39 540it purchase questions [uuc] LA dealers [uuc] E34 Door brake [uuc] <E30> Sparco strut brace Re: [uuc] 540iT vs Suburban [uuc] M20 head tear down- rocker shafts & cam q's ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 20 Jul 2003 21:48:28 -0700 From: Matt Evans <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [uuc] 540iT vs Suburban erm, unless you need to tow a boat or a car+trailer, there is no reason to want a suburban over a 540iT. They said they were in that stage of their life when they're going to home depot a lot. My wife and i are in exactly that spot. We have a 00 Passat Wagon V6 5spd (MUCH roomier than any affordable BMW wagon, and easy to find with a manual, UNLIKE 5er wagons :/) THe passat isn't the best or worst for rear cargo room (surprisingly enough, the focus wagon has the higest rated trunk capacity iirc). However, its been serving us extremely well, especially once you get the roof bars. Yesterday we hauled a 8 foot couch on the bars (with all the cushions and a DISHWASHER in the trunk) to the "throw away stuff for free" event the city was putting on. Today we hauled back a futon (frame on top, matress and ancillaries in the back). For towing power, i wont disagree with you - an american V8 on a truck chassis is not beatable. But for just moving lots of people and lots of crap around, a wagon is fantastic. You'd have to remove basically all the seat rows to get a longer cargo deck out of a suburban than you get with a wagon with just folding down the seats. And honestly, why pay a HUGE premium for a gas guzzling, truck handling monster, when all you need is a trailer hitch and a single axle flat bed trailer. Nobody buys more than 2000 pounds of stuff from home depot at a time, and any european wagon can take a 200/2000 trailer with an aftermarket (or factory) hitch. My take - you want the performance and luxury of a german car every day. You exceed its native capacity one or two days a year. For those days - rent a home depot load and go, or buy a single axle trailer use it instead. Matt 88 M5 00 Passat Wagon 1959 Rambler - - brand new kitchen from the subfloor up - - two new bathrooms from the subfloor up (i beleive i am significant digit in home depots quarterly earnings) ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 20 Jul 2003 22:05:05 -0700 From: Peter du Bois <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: RE: [uuc] E39 540it purchase questions Wouldn't it be more cost effective to supercharge instead? Marginal cost increase over cams and whatnot, lots more power. If this is a wrong idea, I'd liked to know as it's the approach I'd take if any variant of a 528 were in the offing. The alternative is get a beater truck for the weekend hauling...... Peter E30 325iS, 250k Tucson >I would buy the 528it, slap on a conforti intake, a nice exhaust and a chip. If you >really want power, you can also go for the E36 M3 cams. > >I think you would find the steering in the 528it better than the steering in the 540i. > ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 20 Jul 2003 22:16:08 -0700 From: John Miller <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: re: [uuc] E39 540it purchase questions > I'm trying to get a sense of any hotspots to worry about with the V8 > powerplant? the E39 platform in general? Is there a good E39 page out > there? I'm very familiar with the E36 platform. The bmwe39 yahoogroups list, bmwtips.com, the usual general-purpose sites e.g. roadfly, bimmerfest, bmwm5.com, there's I'm sure others. E39 weak points: radiator neck failure on pre-2000? (change to spring-clip-retained hose) cars, some cat failures 50-60K miles, door seals on early cars squeak, folding rear seats on sedans can rattle, alphanumeric display in dash loses pixels (BMW will provide part free if you pay 2hr labor to fix), HVAC blower 'final stage resistor' goes bad causing random AC behavior, bonded-rubber oil filter mounts tear, some comments re front suspension bushing wear but this seems to be more common on 6-cyl cars (E39 6cyl and V8 front suspensions/subframes different, 6cyl is front-steer w/R&P, V8 is rear-steer w/recirc ball, V8 cars borrowed design from E38), no real engine/slushbox issues I'm aware of. 1997-98 cars had M62 (no VANOS), 1999-up M62TU (single VANOS, smaller intake runners, more midrange grunt, maybe fractionally weaker at the top end), later sport-package cars get shorter rearend for better acceleration. > I would buy the 528it, slap on a conforti intake, a nice exhaust and a > chip. If you really want power, you can also go for the E36 M3 cams. It'd never match the torque of the V8, which matters when you're pushing a 4000lb car around. 528i is viable with 5-speed, a little sluggish with automatic. > I think you would find the steering in the 528it better than the > steering in the 540i. True, it is better but IMO not *that* much better. > And there is nothing like a sweet inline-6, and **definitely** nothing > like an S14 revving at 7800. The ability to maneuver through traffic with an S62 under the hood, anywhere from 2200 to 7000 RPM, without touching the shifter. 540i doesn't get you one of those, though, it's not bad. > Get the 6spd. Not available in a US-market Touring. Could probably be swapped in if one wanted to spend some money kitbashing. > Ray was/is considering pulling a Brett - switching a 6-spd into a 540iT > auto. If I had a whole lot of time and a certain amount of money laying around, I'd have a 540iT parked next to a rear-end-total M5 and every day a few more parts would move... > What would it take to convince BMW to make the next gen M5 available in a > touring model? Even if they priced it at, say, a $13k premium, they would > still sell several hundred, not to mention win all sorts of kudos from > enthusiasts.... I agree, there's definitely a core of us that'd love the idea, but is it enough? John. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 21 Jul 2003 01:30:49 -0400 From: "Rob Levinson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: RE: [uuc] E39 540it purchase questions Frankly, I think the difference in acquisition cost versus upgrade cost should be examined before the purchase. Buying a 528iT with the intention of supercharging it when a 540iT is a similarly-priced alternative does not make much sense. The final result with a 540 will be faster, more reliable, and retain more value / be easier to sell. I don't see the point in building a small motor up to the point where the factory already has a larger motor. If you already have the car and really like it, and the mod bug bites you, that's one thing... but contemplating it for the initial purchase in something entirely different. - - Rob - ---- Original Message ---- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: [uuc] E39 540it purchase questions Date: Sun, 20 Jul 2003 22:05:05 -0700 >Wouldn't it be more cost effective to supercharge instead? Marginal >cost >increase over cams and whatnot, lots more power. If this is a wrong >idea, I'd liked to know as it's the approach I'd take if any variant >of >a 528 were in the offing. > >The alternative is get a beater truck for the weekend hauling...... > >Peter > >E30 325iS, 250k >Tucson > > >>I would buy the 528it, slap on a conforti intake, a nice exhaust and >a chip. If you really want power, you can also go for the E36 M3 >cams. >> >>I think you would find the steering in the 528it better than the >steering in the 540i. >> > > ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 21 Jul 2003 03:46:38 -0400 (EDT) From: John Drendel <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [uuc] LA dealers According to some of my well informed sources, Santa Monica has the most competitive automobile market in the US. You should be in an ideal situation to shop around. I know that I got about 5 grand off list for my mom's 325xi by simply calling around LA and then asking Weatherby in Berkeley to give me the same deal. John Drendel Departement d'Histoire Universite du Quebec a Montreal CP 8888 Succ. "Centreville" Montreal Qc. Canada H3C 3P8 514 987 3000 3687# ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 21 Jul 2003 05:52:53 -0700 (PDT) From: Jonathan Brush <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [uuc] E34 Door brake Gruppe: Pt. is '92 535i. Over the weekend the passenger door brake started making a loud "popping" sound when the reaching either the intermediate or full detent. I do have the nice door brake reinforcement installed (thanks, Brett) and the attachment bolts are tight. The brake does hold well and makes no other noise. I've kept it lubricated with lithium grease. Seems pretty clear this is a failure mode, but before I tear off the inner door panel I thought I'd check. I did replace the driver's side a few years ago after it seemed stiff, but I never had this noise. Jon __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? SBC Yahoo! DSL - Now only $29.95 per month! http://sbc.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 21 Jul 2003 22:53:45 +1000 From: "Simon Leigh" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [uuc] <E30> Sparco strut brace Greetings I am looking into getting a strut brace for my 04/90 build RHD E30 318is. The Sparco is listed at evosport and it is claimed to fit all E30s. However the Ireland Engineering site says "IMPORTANT--The factory book says the distance between the strut towers is 1002.2mm +-2mm (39.5"). Measured from center to center (where the shock sticks thru). We have found many cars that measure about 980mm (38.5"). This leads us to believe BMW made two slightly different unibodies. Therefore we now make two versions of our brace" I measured my car and it comes in at ~980mm. I guess I could always modify it to fit. Does anyone have first hand experience with this, especially a Sparco. The other consideration is whether it actually fits over the top of the M42. A post from another Australian 318is owner states "Neither the cheap steel Sparco nor the Ireland Engineering braces will fit the 318is. The Sparco bar is designed for the M3 but may fit 6 cylinder models with some modification. Sparco make a more expensive aluminium brace that is claimed to fit the 318is but I have not found out for sure." and yet another posts "See http://www.needforspeed.co.uk/sparco/index.htm, which lists the E30 Sparco strut brace fitment as "ALL" (03676, 70 GBP), "All except M3" (03675, 90 GBP) and "M3" (03677, 45 GBP). None of these contain any adjustment option." which would suggest that either the 03676 or 03675 might work. Any "first hand" experience would be appreciated. Cheers Simon Leigh 318is in Oz ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 21 Jul 2003 06:23:51 -0700 (PDT) From: Jason Daniels <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: [uuc] 540iT vs Suburban That is why we bought a Volvo XC70 (Cross Country) I needed the wagon after selling the Touring a year and a half ago but didn't want a land barge. Is it the best handeling? Nope, but with 9 inches of ground clearance, aftermarket skid plates, better tires, a 3500 rated factory tow package, and some other upgrades it is more than capable. I tow a 17ft boat and a camper with it without any issues. It gets 25-30 mpg on the highway, is AWD, a big plus for the ocasional off road too. The best seat I have had in a car yet as well. The only draw back is it isn't available in a 5 speed in the states, you have to go to the "road" version of the wagon for that. I loved my touring, but the maintenance was KILLING me. Geeze, $800-1500 everytime I turned around. Time for the money pit to go. JMHO. Jason - --- Matt Evans <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > erm, unless you need to tow a boat or a car+trailer, > there is no reason to > want a suburban over a 540iT. > > They said they were in that stage of their life when > they're going to > home depot a lot. My wife and i are in exactly that > spot. We have a > 00 Passat Wagon V6 5spd (MUCH roomier than any > affordable BMW wagon, and > easy to find with a manual, UNLIKE 5er wagons :/) > Matt ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 21 Jul 2003 09:23:19 -0400 From: "Beaudette, Roland" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [uuc] M20 head tear down- rocker shafts & cam q's First, thanks to Gary (for the no-brainer advice) and Brett. I had mistakenly removed one of the tranny bolts (E14) and overlooked the fourth and final E10 bolt. No problems after that. We'll, except for getting greasy; it's a mess under there. In removing the rocker arm shafts, I've run into a hitch. How does one remove the end plugs to access the threaded bolts? I've been using a dowel and hammer to drive the shafts free, but have run out of dowel after getting 6 & 5 disassembled. I'm also looking for comments on determining if the rockers are good. The four I have examined so far are pitted on 1/2 of the surface, the portion closest to the shaft journal. Is that normally an area that contacts the cam? Does anyone have experience with having a cam reground? There is some mild pitting in a few areas. Would a regrind would clean this up? Are new eccentrics necessary? These questions may be better directed at Ireland Engineering but email will get me a wider audience. Cheers, Roland ------------------------------ End of [uucdigest] V3 #6581 *************************** | | 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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