The BMW UUC Digest Volume 2 : Issue 185 : "text" Format Messages in this Issue: Re: Air Filter Pleat Reply Re: Air Filter Pleat Reply Re: Air Filter Pleat Reply E36 rear shock mounts Re: Air Filter Pleat Reply Re: Air Filter Pleat Reply Re: Air Filter Pleat Reply Re: best replacement radiator for E36 6 cyl? Re: best replacement radiator for E36 6 cyl? Re: best replacement radiator for E36 6 cyl? coolant? Re: E34 Lower Control Arms - Aluminum vs. Steel??? Need help turning off oil and service lights Re: check your battery fluid level... SRS Fault/Non-Fault/Who's Fault?
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 13 May 2004 06:30:51 -0700 (PDT) From: Richard Dorffer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Air Filter Pleat Reply Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of John Kjos > I agree that pleats make a difference and withdraw my earlier poorly thought > out statement. A statement was recently made that they wouldn't make pleated > filters if the depth of the pleat wasn't a factor. The more I read and > listen It really sounds like oil soaked cotton filters, even if they flow > slightly better, aren't really going to do much over the stock filter. I > wonder why Dinan and may others make such a big deal out of this. Dinan > claims (if I recall correctly) about a 12HP gain. I can't believe that they > would hype this statistic just to sell $40 filters and cold air kits. Could > it be? --- Chris Baker <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Possibly the gains stated are more from the 'cold air' part than the > 'reduced restriction' part. This, of course, would be a very difficult > comparison to make while controlling all the variables, and thus very > difficult to (dis)prove. As Gary D has so aptly pointed out many times, most if not all OE BMW air intake systems are "cold air" intakes. Therefore, it can't be from the 'cold air' part as you state. If one of the after-market intake systems allows more efficient breathing, it likely comes from the ability to use a filter that flows better due construction/material (debatable as we have seen) or from the ability to use a larger filter (I know the ITG filter on my car is big and some of the K&N filters are big as well like the 9" barrel filter) or the construction of the air horn in the filter (the ITG filter has a nicely shaped air horn leading into the intake tube). I know Jim Conforti claimed that they got more gains with an ITG filter than without any filter due to the shape of ITG's air horn. As far as Dinan and marketing hype/hp claims....no comment. Regards, Rich ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 13 May 2004 09:46:36 -0400 From: "Chris Baker" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: Air Filter Pleat Reply Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> I realize that the benefits may not be actual, but I'm pretty sure that the intention of the systems is to imply, if not outright state, that they are providing a cold air benefit. The Eurosport website goes to the trouble of explaining how much lower the heat transfer coefficient is of their materials, which would seem to be claiming a cold air improvement over stock. The TMS site, however, skips that and claims the filter is much better than the "very restrictive factory airbox". I'm not arguing their case, just highlighting what I think their case is. I bought a used Conforti CAI for my '94 325i. I don't think it makes any more horsepower, but it sounds a lot better. Chris B. '94 325i -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Richard Dorffer Sent: Thursday, May 13, 2004 9:31 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [UUC] Air Filter Pleat Reply --- Chris Baker <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Possibly the gains stated are more from the 'cold air' part than the > 'reduced restriction' part. This, of course, would be a very difficult > comparison to make while controlling all the variables, and thus very > difficult to (dis)prove. As Gary D has so aptly pointed out many times, most if not all OE BMW air intake systems are "cold air" intakes. Therefore, it can't be from the 'cold air' part as you state. If one of the after-market intake systems allows more efficient breathing, it likely comes from the ability to use a filter that flows better due construction/material (debatable as we have seen) or from the ability to use a larger filter (I know the ITG filter on my car is big and some of the K&N filters are big as well like the 9" barrel filter) or the construction of the air horn in the filter (the ITG filter has a nicely shaped air horn leading into the intake tube). I know Jim Conforti claimed that they got more gains with an ITG filter than without any filter due to the shape of ITG's air horn. As far as Dinan and marketing hype/hp claims....no comment. Regards, Rich --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.684 / Virus Database: 446 - Release Date: 5/13/2004 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 13 May 2004 07:18:27 -0700 (PDT) From: Richard Dorffer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Air Filter Pleat Reply Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --- Chris Baker <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I realize that the benefits may not be actual, but I'm pretty sure that the > intention of the systems is to imply, if not outright state, that they are > providing a cold air benefit. The Eurosport website goes to the trouble of > explaining how much lower the heat transfer coefficient is of their > materials, which would seem to be claiming a cold air improvement over > stock. The TMS site, however, skips that and claims the filter is much > better than the "very restrictive factory airbox". Your point I thought was that they make more horsepower over stock due to the "cold air" part. I already stated what I think about that and that the stock intake is a "cold air system" so that really isn't the reason they "make more power" (if they do) and they might make more power due to other features and they avoid power losses due that are attributable to "non-cold air intakes". I think why some of the after-market units make such a big deal about the "cold air" part is that many of the POS after-market systems that originally came out didn't do much if anything to shield the intake from the engine bay heat and fan wash. So, many of them caused more issues and loss of power. So, the "better" after-market systems tout being a "cold air intake" as a result. It is just sort of funny though when people say they are replacing the stock system with a "cold air intake" when the stock system already is. I guess people should say they are replacing the "stock system" with an "after-market system" which is also a cold air intake, etc. The factory air box may indeed be restrictive somewhat based on their design (and desire to reduce noise, etc.) which the after-market cold air intakes can take advantage of. It is also interesting when people remove the air horn in factory air boxes claiming gains... Conforti went on to say that the air horn is really one of the nicer features of the ITG air filter. Regards, Rich ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 13 May 2004 07:52:59 -0700 (PDT) From: Richard Dorffer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: E36 rear shock mounts Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> At 08:09 PM 5/12/04, Rich Dorffer talked about: >I have heard first hand many complaints about the >JTD units as basically being crap and people gave them away or threw them in >the trash (they may have changed the design since AFAIK). From: Jim Bassett > Not to start a whole product debate thread, but I'd be curious as to what > the "crap" problems where. I will concede that I should have used a different term... :-) I also don't want to start a debate (see my paragraph below on my primary point). The "issues" I recalled when I wrote this post late last night was about the rubber insert wearing out quickly, even more quickly than a stock mount. It didn't seem to matter whether it was the 'his' or the 'her' bushings that originally came with them. Also, I remembered someone having an issue with the studs ripping out which caused the shock tower to be damaged. So, I did some searches on the E36 M3 digest and found a few supporting posts. If anyone is interested, I found six different people that had the issues I mentioned above with the JTD mounts and replaced them with something else (usually GC or OE units). The E36 M3 digests I found were #2987, #2809, #2808, #2636 and #1585. You can search the archives via Google or here: http://www.bmw-m.net/Digest/ Like I said, there *may* have been design changes since then, I don't know for certain. I just know there were a number of issues with them at one time. I also know of some people on this list that had issues with them but they can speak for themselves if they so choose. > As mentioned, I've been using 2 sets on both my E36s for years. Only one > problem (which I think has since been solved): One of the bolts in one RSM > for the 13mm nut would come unlocked from the mount and needed to be > re-Locktited. No big deal. But then, I didn't spend time swapping in and > out bushings either - set and forget was/is my philosophy. > I hadn't noticed any appreciable added harshness in ride quality, either. > With 6+ years of track time, I'm sure I'd notice, but on the other hand > probably wouldn't care if I did :-) And that really is my point too. There are a lot of choices these days in RSMs. I would simply say that one should choose one that will work for their application and criteria. Therefore, the E46 RSM may be a perfectly acceptable choice to some. On the other end of the spectrum, a TC Kline mono-ball unit may be perfectly acceptable. And, there appears to be a number of choices in between. Regards, Rich 95 M3 - TC Kline RSMs with Z3 reinforcement plates with welded in, upside-down, studs (I made myself) for easy removal and access to the top of the DA Konis 90 325is - E46 RSMs and Z3 reinforcement plates ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 13 May 2004 09:56:30 -0400 From: "Gary Derian" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: Air Filter Pleat Reply Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> One more intake comment. Any change to the length of the tube from the throttle to the outside air will change the way the MAF/HFM reads the air flow. The intake tube has it own resonance, at some speeds it reads higher than actual air flow, at others, it reads lower. The fuel and spark tables are adjusted to compensate for this. Changing it means, for best performance, the chip needs to be re-tuned for the new patterns. Gary Derian > > As Gary D has so aptly pointed out many times, most if not all OE BMW air intake systems are "cold > air" intakes. Therefore, it can't be from the 'cold air' part as you state. > > If one of the after-market intake systems allows more efficient breathing, it likely comes from > the ability to use a filter that flows better due construction/material (debatable as we have > seen) or from the ability to use a larger filter (I know the ITG filter on my car is big and some > of the K&N filters are big as well like the 9" barrel filter) or the construction of the air horn > in the filter (the ITG filter has a nicely shaped air horn leading into the intake tube). I know > Jim Conforti claimed that they got more gains with an ITG filter than without any filter due to > the shape of ITG's air horn. > > As far as Dinan and marketing hype/hp claims....no comment. > > Regards, > > Rich > ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 13 May 2004 09:04:12 -0700 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Air Filter Pleat Reply Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> One problem is that, at Dinan, $40 filters cost $200. Scott Miller GGC BMW CCA >Date: Wed, 12 May 2004 21:30:47 -0700 >From: "John Kjos" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: Air Filter Pleat Reply >Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >Mike & Group, > <snip> >I wonder why Dinan and may others make such a big deal out of this. Dinan >claims (if I recall correctly) about a 12HP gain. I can't believe that they >would hype this statistic just to sell $40 filters and cold air kits. Could >it be? > >John Kjos ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 13 May 2004 09:31:12 -0400 From: "Gary Derian" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: Air Filter Pleat Reply Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> The cold air part is much more significant than the reduced restriction part, except that the cars are already equipped with a cold air system from the factory. Gary Derian > Possibly the gains stated are more from the 'cold air' part than the > 'reduced restriction' part. This, of course, would be a very difficult > comparison to make while controlling all the variables, and thus very > difficult to (dis)prove. > > Chris B. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 13 May 2004 09:42:20 -0400 (EDT) From: Mark Andy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: UUC Digest <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: best replacement radiator for E36 6 cyl? Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Howdy, Cool, thanks for the info! Can't get the radiator until tomorrow unfortunately though, so that makes getting it done prior to the weekend a bit problematic but hopefully still doable. Anything weird on the radiator replacement, or do I just need to remove the plastic air duct to the altenator, unbolt the hoses, and yank the rad? Thanks! Mark ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 13 May 2004 12:05:52 -0500 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: "Mark Andy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Brian Daley" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: best replacement radiator for E36 6 cyl? Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> "Brian Daley" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > I bought mine about a year ago from Zygmunt http://www.bimmerparts.com/ > (no affiliation, etc.) as they had the best price at the time. > Currently it looks like they have stock replacements from 3 > manufacturers for E36s: > L&R $191.29 > Behr $201.04 > Nissens $208.08 Wow, that's steep! I arranged an OEM E36 radiator group buy for local (LSC) members a few years ago. I could dig up my records for all the sources and their quotes, but we ended buying from radiators.com They had a local warehouse (ability to inspect for damage prior to delivery) and with 8.25% TX sales tax we paid around $150 for South African Behr radiators. The radiators were identical to the dealer parts. One of our members went in on the purchase to return the $150 Behr for the $280 on he had purchased from the dealer. The radiators were identical down to the color and placement of the stickers. He got his money back from the dealer. bimmerparts.com deals is pretty good as well. If waterpump/thermostat replacement are on your to-do list. > I don't know if it's been proven, but it's been suggested that the more > neutral ph of Dex-Cool spec coolant (the orange stuff) is easier on the > plastic components of the cooling system and may allow them to last > longer. There are numerous accounts of correlation, but not causation. That's good enough for me. > For the couple of bucks difference in price I figured it's worth a shot. > You can get Prestone Dex-Cool certified coolant (I think it's actually > a GM spec) at any WalMart or auto parts store. Yep. That's what I use as well. alex f ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 13 May 2004 10:41:12 -0700 From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: best replacement radiator for E36 6 cyl? Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Rich says: > So the radiator neck broke on our '93 325is, apparently a common failure. >Really, gee, never heard of it. Some of guys on the E30 list claim *ALL* >BMW radiators last 150k - 200k miles... >(sarcasm off) >Yeah, the best option is an OE replacement Behr unit for ~$200, sometimes >less for a street car. How long did your stock unit last? How long do you >plan to use the car on the replacement unit? Typically, the answer to those >questions point towards a stock unit. But, if you track your car or plan to >use it for 150k miles or more, then an aluminum unit might make more sense >(financially/security). Mine lasted 149K but now I have an extra that I've used as a shrine in my garage as a member of the Umoronite tribe. Brand new, still in box. Should you decide to go OEM, let me know. Pingger ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 13 May 2004 13:47:12 -0400 (EDT) From: Joel Gallun <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: coolant? Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> I've been using texaco dex-cool equivalent coolant in my bmw for quite a few years, but the last time I was in the autozone I saw they had a G-05 (M-B, VW spec) coolant available. Anyone use it? Better/worse/same as dex-cool? joel ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 13 May 2004 09:51:24 -0400 From: "Gary Derian" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: E34 Lower Control Arms - Aluminum vs. Steel??? Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Yes. In fact the latest Euro M5 spec went back to steel arms for some reason. That was good enough for me and I used steel arms in my M5. Gary Derian > Other than cost and weight, is there any difference between aluminum and > steel lower control arms on an E34? > > Can steel be substituted for aluminum with no penalty other than weight? > > Dana > 94 530i ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 13 May 2004 07:27:56 -0700 From: "Ben Dixon" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Need help turning off oil and service lights Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Hey can anybody tell me why I wasn't able to turn off the lights with my Peake tool? I tried twice on a 1984 318i and nothing worked. Never had this problem before. What am I doing wrong??? thanks, ben Ben Dixon '95 325i ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 13 May 2004 08:11:45 -0700 From: Peter B Du Bois <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: check your battery fluid level... Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >I have some special dehydrated di hydrogen monoxide that is easily >reconstituted by adding water. It works great in batteries. I should put >some on eBay. >Gary Derian Obviously this is used to make dry ice....... A relevent selling point for eBay Peter ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 13 May 2004 10:48:37 -0700 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: SRS Fault/Non-Fault/Who's Fault? Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> I had to replace the turn signal flasher relay on my '90 325i Note that this is an airbag car. I have had the steering wheel off a few times in the past, so I was fully aware that the Torx screws that thread into the captive nuts on the far side of the airbag/horn button assembly are easy to bugger up. But do I learn from my mistakes? Apparently not. So I disconnect the battery and wait more than the required 20 minutes for the SRS system to fully discharge. I remove the airbag, pull the wheel, and change the relay. Then I put the wheel back on, with the airbag wiring harness threaded through the hole to the steering column. Only I goofed, and the harness didn't go into the steering column, it went down through the crack between the wheel and the column. So once again I remove the wheel, put the wires where they belong and tighten up the big nut that holds the wheel - again. (Yes, I used LocTite). Then I reinstalled the airbag. And sure enough, I buggered up the threads again, and now I have a half-installed airbag I can neither screw down tight or remove. Sigh. Oh well, something else to fix when I have more time. So to be safe, I left the airbag wires discocnnected (the orange plug on the underside of the steering column), and accepted the fact that I was going to have to have the SRS system fault condition re-set. Reconnected the battery. Turn signal works great, mission accomplished. But much to my surprise, the SRS light does not stay on. WTF? I thought it would stay on to warn of a fault? But it is off. Do I just mis-understand the system's function? TIA for any answers on this. Scott Miller GGC BMW CCA 1990 325i w/ buggered up airbag mounting screw threads - again 1991 325iA w/ no such issues ------------------------------ End of [bmwuucdigest] digest(15 messages) **********
