The BMW UUC Digest Volume 2 : Issue 23 : "text" Format Messages in this Issue: Spark Plug Question Re: Spark Plug Question Gorilla Locks - what specs Re: E46 Serpentine belt - help Re: E46 Serpentine belt - help Re: E36 Rear Shock Mount Replacement Re: E36 Rear Shock Mount Replacement Re: E36 Rear Shock Mount Replacement Re: E36 Rear Shock Mount Replacement Re: E36 Rear Shock Mount Replacement Re: Lose spark plug chain of events Re: My wheel locks are terrible!!! Re: <rant> autoextremist on BMW Re: <rant> autoextremist on BMW Re: <rant> autoextremist on BMW
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 10:33:41 -0800 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Spark Plug Question Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Re: 1987 325is with M20B25 engine and Bosch spark plugs - What would cause the porcelin spark plug insulators to crack? It happened to a friend of mine. Said plugs also had excessive carbon build-up, I assume because the plugs were not operating at peak efficiency. Any help appreciated. Scott Miller GGC BMW CCA ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 12:26:33 -0800 (PST) From: Brian Daley <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Spark Plug Question Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Just one plug, or all of them? Where is the insulator cracked? On the outside or at the firing tip? I'm not familiar with the M20B25 (I have no idea where the plugs are, how they're oriented, etc) but I've heard of cases where water got under the insulator on a spark plug. When the plug heated up enough to create steam the plug popped like popcorn. Brian '94 325ic -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Re: 1987 325is with M20B25 engine and Bosch spark plugs - What would cause the porcelin spark plug insulators to crack? It happened to a friend of mine. Said plugs also had excessive carbon build-up, I assume because the plugs were not operating at peak efficiency. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 13:41:41 -0500 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Gorilla Locks - what specs Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> What are the specs on standard E36 lugs - for ordering a set of gorilla locks? Phil Gosnell Quarry Supervisor Marriottsville Quarry ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 10:46:37 -0800 (PST) From: Brian Daley <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: E46 Serpentine belt - help Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Jay, I'd assume the procedure is pretty similar although the belt routing may be different. I'd suggest checking the tensioner action and that all of the pulleys turn freely before putting on the new belt. There's a good chance the tensioner failed or one of the pulleys is seized. Belts don't just fall off for no reason. My tensioner bearing seized and threw the belt just last week. Interestingly on my '94 325ic it's not actually a pulley, just a sealed bearing with a retainer plate. The belt rides right on the outer bearing race. Of course BMW wouldn't sell me a new bearing - I had to buy the whole tensioner assembly, which interestingly *does* have a real pulley. Much larger diameter, but the range of motion of the tensioner is slightly different. Probably because BMW realized that the tensioner arm is in the way of the lower bolt that holds it to the block. I ended up having to remove the alternator to get at it. Turned what should have been a 20-minute job into a 3! -hour job. Good Luck, Brian '94 325ic -----Original Message----- From: Jay Guillermo <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Feb 13, 2004 8:30 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [UUC] E46 Serpentine belt - help Search the ARCHIVES:http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] Last night I lost the serpentine belt on the alternator/water pump. Indications on panel : Battery light came on first, then the temp gauge went to the RED zone. I pulled over as quickly and safely as I could. What's weird is that the belt is not broken, it just came out from the loop. I bought new serpentine belts for both Alternator and AC and I'm trying to find some instruction that might be unique to the E46. Can't find one though and I'm hoping someone in the digest would offer some instructions. I've done a serpentine belt change before on my old E36. Is it the same procedure? ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 15:48:08 -0500 From: "Brett Anderson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "UUC Digest" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: E46 Serpentine belt - help Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Brian, So you suppose your original tensioner pulley had exploded? Given that the M50 has always used the same tensioner pulley, albeit on different styles of tensioner. AND, the pulley is available separately, although changing the tensioner was probably a smart move anyway. Also, to install the tensioner assembly, all you had to do was pin it in the fully retracted position to get to the bolts. Next time. ;-) Brett Anderson KMS > My tensioner bearing seized and threw the belt just last > week. Interestingly on my '94 325ic it's not actually a pulley, > just a sealed bearing with a retainer plate. The belt rides > right on the outer bearing race. Of course BMW wouldn't sell me > a new bearing - I had to buy the whole tensioner assembly, which > interestingly *does* have a real pulley. Much larger diameter, > but the range of motion of the tensioner is slightly different. > Probably because BMW realized that the tensioner arm is in the > way of the lower bolt that holds it to the block. I ended up > having to remove the alternator to get at it. Turned what should > have been a 20-minute job into a 3! > -hour job. > > Good Luck, > Brian > '94 325ic --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.573 / Virus Database: 363 - Release Date: 1/28/2004 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 12:58:37 -0600 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: "Brian Daley" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: E36 Rear Shock Mount Replacement Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> "Brian Daley" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > It's time to replace the shocks and struts on my 94 325ic. > At 106,000 miles I'm sure the rear shock mounts are also > in need of replacement. My question is this: The UUC tech > tips recommends using the E46 RSMs which are priced around > $18 each. First of all, OE RSMs are junk. E46 M3 or convertible RSMs are no exception, despite misguided but popular claims to the contrary. Worse yet, to replace OE RSM you need to peel the trunk lining. For some cars with large rear speakers (all '95 M3s, others), those need to come out as well. Royal PITA. > I stumbled across this alternative at Bimmerworld: > http://tinyurl.com/2twol Brian, this URL points to a generic Bimmerworld page. AFAIK those guys sell GC RSMs. Easily the best RSM solution on the market. Not only does it not wear out, but installing them will be the last time you will ever pull the trunk lining. From then on, you can swap the rear shocks or remove them to adjust Koni SA rebound setting from inside the wheel well. In under 5 minutes/side. Priceless. > Just wondering if anyone has tried these and has an opinion on > whether they're better than the E46 mounts. Yes. Hands down. > This car is a convertible and will never see a track, so I'm > not interested in Turner or GC billet mounts, etc. No reason > to spend $100 for something I don't need for my purposes. If your purpose is anything other than peeling trunk lining replacing OE RSMs every 30K miles, get GC RSMs. > On that note, how about the Z3 reinforcement plates? Any > reason to put them on a street car? Can't hurt. > Are the front strut mounts likely to need replacement? How can > I evaluate their condition? Should I replace the spring pads? > Should I use new fasteners? No/forget about it until you hit 200K miles/No/No Front stock camber plates hardly ever wear out. My old E30 had 230K miles on the original that still had perfect bearings. Some people succeed in damaging/wearing theirs out, but on a street-only convertible that would be highly unlikely. > Also, it appears that the Bimmerworld mounts require bolts while > the stock mounts have studs. It looks like the nuts listed for > the rear shock mounts are the same as those for the front strut > mount bolts. Is this correct? can I just get 4 front strut > mount bolts for the RSMs? Again, I'm not sure which Bimmerworld RSMs you are talking about, but 10:1 the new parts will either come with new nuts/bolts or you could reuse the ones already on your car. HTH, alex f ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 15:49:17 -0500 From: "Brett Anderson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "UUC Digest" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: E36 Rear Shock Mount Replacement Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Unless you have fold down rear seats. In which case, you don't need to pull the speakers or the trunk lining. Brett Anderson KMS > -----Original Message----- > Worse yet, to replace OE RSM you need to peel the trunk lining. For some > cars with large rear speakers (all '95 M3s, others), those need > to come out > as well. Royal PITA. > HTH, > alex f --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.573 / Virus Database: 363 - Release Date: 1/28/2004 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 16:17:54 -0500 (EST) From: Mark Andy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: UUC Digest <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: E36 Rear Shock Mount Replacement Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Howdy, On Fri, 13 Feb 2004, Brett Anderson wrote: > Unless you have fold down rear seats. In which case, you don't need to pull > the speakers or the trunk lining. Really? Tell me more? All the procedures for rear shock mount replacement I've seen have said to take out the speakers... I'd _much_ rather not have to deal with that. This would be on a '93 325is w/fold down rear seat... Thanks! Mark ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 16:05:28 -0500 From: "Steve Stoner" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: E36 Rear Shock Mount Replacement Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Brett writes: "Unless you have fold down rear seats. In which case, you don't need to pull the speakers or the trunk lining." Damn, wish I'd known that the last two times I changed my rsms. Steve Stoner ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 15:33:03 -0600 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: "Brett Anderson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: E36 Rear Shock Mount Replacement Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > -----Original Message----- > > Worse yet, to replace OE RSM you need to peel the trunk lining. > > For some cars with large rear speakers (all '95 M3s, others), > > those need to come out as well. Royal PITA. > > HTH, > > alex f > "Brett Anderson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Unless you have fold down rear seats. In which case, you don't > need to pull the speakers or the trunk lining. Brett, Hate to argue with you, but I do have rear fold down seats in my '95 M3. The rear speakers sit right on the RSM location. I could peel the carpet lining from the side of the seats, but there is no way I'm getting to the RSMs with the speakers in place. I presume with shallower speakers in '96+ cars, the rear fold down seats could make life easier with peeling the lining. Still no picnic. alex f ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 11:04:30 -0800 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Lose spark plug chain of events Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sam, I had this same problem (same symptoms also) on a 320i many years ago and it turned out to be a cracked distributor cap. Worth a check even if it's new. -Kevin ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 13:18:25 -0600 From: Dennis Wynne <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: My wheel locks are terrible!!! Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> As others have said, the McGard or Gorilla seem to be fine. DiscountTire sent me Gorilla studs for my E46 snow wheels and they worked well - they were not exactly locks, but had a "Torx" like pattern, and there were 20 of them. http://www.mcgard.com/automotive/auto_search.asp http://www.gorilla-auto.com/pdfs/catalog.pdf Looks all the 77 and up BMWs use M12 x 1.5 bolt with 17mm head (except for the new 7's and the X5s). I would suggest using anti-seize on them and making sure some ham-handed mechanic does not remove or install the lock with an impact wrench. Dennis 01 M5 silver/black At 05:18 AM 02/13/2004 -0500, you wrote: >Search the ARCHIVES:http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > >I've had experience with three different types of wheel locks and I now >hate all of them, including my current ones. Yes, I know wheel locks can >be nothing more than a false sense of security - as a true wheel thief will >know all the tricks, but none the less. My girlfriend's VW Jetta had the >McGard locks that have a lug adapter with a protruding outline like a >flower. She managed to bend this all to hell one evening when trying to >change a flat. My bimmer came with the plastic locking caps with actual >keys. These were junk, the locking caps would foul up and the key would >break. My other bimmer came with the adapter type that has a solid ribbed >protruding section that inserts into the female matched lug. Last night's >wheel changing event was the straw that broke the back. I've polished, >lubed, and prayed for these to worked each time, And each time I have to >pull the adapter out with pliers, The last wheel, last night, turned out >to be a 20 minute episode. > >Before simply replacing them with standard lugs - any suggestions? > > >Phil > > > >__________________________________________________________________________ >In memory of Michel Potheau - friend, enthusiast, founder of the BMW CCA. > >UUC Motorwerks - BMW Performance Fine-tuning and home of the Ultimate >Short Shifter - accept no substitutes! >908-874-9092 . http://www.uucmotorwerks.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 14:38:07 -0600 From: "Scott Staewen" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: <rant> autoextremist on BMW Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Who knows, Pavel, maybe the new designs will grow on me. But probably not. What I find more disturbing than how the new cars *look,* though, is how corpulent and complex they have become, and how IMO they are straying from being "ultimate driving machines." That's what seems like "brand erosion" to me. Then again, at more than twice your age, maybe I'm just getting crotchety. BTW, I may disagree but that doesn't make your post a WOB. :) Scott Staewen >Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 11:37:01 +0200 >From: "Pavel Tcholakov" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: Re: <rant> autoextremist on BMW >Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >Just thought I'd say what I think on the subject. > >I don't agree at all with the article. I think Bangle might have gone a >bit too far, made his moves a bit too early, but IMO it needed to be >done. > >First the was the shocker E65 7 Series. I'm sure pretty much everyone >thought "WTF? They must be kidding?" when they first saw one. But it >introduced the new design of BMW in a big way. The 7 was never their >biggest trump card so it was kind of sacrificed - the people who have >money to buy 7's can suffer quick deprecation as well, so I don't feel >sorry for them :-) I still think it doesn't look quite right... But >guess what, yesterday I drove past a beautiful E38 740i parked on the >side of the street and I thought to myself, this looks SO DATED. The E65 >has grown on me so much, that I'd take it over any other 7 in terms of >looks. It's just one of those things... > >As for the rest of the "new" range - Z4 and E60 5er, I think they're >stunning. I've no words to describe how much I adore both of those... I >love the 6 too, especially the cabrio. And I know I'm not alone. I think >it's just us, BMW fanatics, who are looking into this so much. For >example when the E60 first came out, my boss commented on how great it >looks - and he's a die-hard Benz man! > >I guess part of the reason why I find these new designs is my age - I'm >21. Just thought it had something to do with it... Then again, my dad >who's 50ish thinks the 760i is the most beautiful car ever made... > >Never tried iDrive, will probably find it logical and simple - but then >again I'm not a representative sample of the general population. Most >people don't think C++ is logical and simple either. > >Best regards, >Pavel > >Sorry for the waste of bandwidth if you disagree :-) > >'94 E36. Best car in the world, that is until I can afford a Z4. > _________________________________________________________________ Plan your next US getaway to one of the super destinations here. http://special.msn.com/local/hotdestinations.armx ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 13:20:43 -0800 (PST) From: willie yeo <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: <rant> autoextremist on BMW Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> More on the new 5ers. I did test drove the new 530 at a GM sponsor event. No I did not get to test drive the Corvette. The wait for 530 took 2 hrs. My first reaction to the steering feedback was this car drives like a Honda Accord. The car felt light at its feet compared to the e30 and e36. So there. My 2 cents. Will __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Finance: Get your refund fast by filing online. http://taxes.yahoo.com/filing.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 15:52:00 -0500 From: "GA Carnut" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: <rant> autoextremist on BMW Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >longing to trade my E39 for a new model. At this point, the next BMW for me >would more likely be an E30, E28 or E34. > >Scott Staewen > >>It's unfortunate that there exists the possibility that the E36 & E39 will >>be thought of as BMW's pinnacle. Hear hear. While I love the newer BMW's (e34 535i/530/540), and the e36 M3/4 (need 4 doors for the kids), I still like e30's and e28's better. Maybe it's just me. I fell in love w/ an e30 318iS 5spd a few years back, man did that thing feel like a go-cart! I will drive BMW's as long as I need 4 doors. When I switch back to two, I may look at an e30 318iS, M3, etc. I think of my car as a 4dr porsche (wishful thinking, I know). But if I'm going 2dr, I'd probably just get a 911sc and be done with it. :-) Funny thing is, every time I think about spending the $$ to get into another car, I drive my e28 and fall in love w/ it all over again... despite all its... opportunities... Chip Mautz '65 Austin Healey Sprite - too small '88 BMW 528e - just right '03 Chevy Suburban - too big I didn't grow up - my toys just got more expensive. Your mileage may vary. My odometer broke years ago... _________________________________________________________________ Click here for a FREE online computer virus scan from McAfee. http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963 ------------------------------ End of [bmwuucdigest] digest(15 messages) **********
