The BMW UUC Digest Volume 3 : Issue 24 : "text" Format Messages in this Issue: Re: <E30> Radio Static Re: <E30> Radio Static Your thoughts please: '93 525iT IHKR air distribution problems pre purchase inspection recommendation in the SanRamon, CA area Re: E36 Check Control/Temp display purchase options? E30, spark and fuel...no start <E39 540iT> Grinding noise on slow braking Re: E34 or E39 Purchase Questions <E36> front wheel bearings Re: <E36> front wheel bearings Re: <E36> front wheel bearings
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 18:33:20 -0800 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [email protected] Subject: Re: <E30> Radio Static Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Scott, I know this will sound weird but a bad bearing can cause a low level static on low AM frequencies. Does the static change with rpm? Moving or standing? Is the ground lug secure on the antenna down by the fender? -Kevin ---------------------------------------------------------------- This e-mail communication is confidential and is intended only for the individual(s) or entity named above and others who have been specifically authorized to receive it. If you are not the intended recipient, please do not read, copy, use or disclose the contents of this communication to others. Please notify the sender that you have received this e-mail in error by replying to the e-mail. Please then delete the e-mail and any copies of it. Thank you. ---------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: 6 Jan 2006 22:51:39 -0800 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [email protected] Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: <E30> Radio Static Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> If the noise is a steady hum or buzz that varies with the engine speed, suspect the plugs, wires, etc. If it's more of a steady whine that varies with engine speed, suspect the alternator. If it's a random crackling sound, check for loose connections, especially the hood ground and the antenna connections. Curt Ingraham 72 2002tii Oakland, CA Scott crossposted: > Subject Vehicle: E30 325ix (belongs to a good friend, he bought it > about a year ago) > > What's been done within the last 2 years: cap rotor, plugs, plug > wires, alternator. I can't tell you whether or not the parts were > OEM. > > Symptom: Static on the AM radio band when the engine is running, but > it stops when the engine is shut off. > > Anyone BTDT? How can my friend get rid of the AM radio static? > Without changing to FM or tape or just shutting off the radio all > together. My theory is that he has the wrong spark plugs. Haven't > checked them yet. > > Thanks, > > Scott Miller > GGC BMW CCA ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 19:34:02 -0800 From: "T WALROD" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "bmw digest" <[email protected]> Subject: Your thoughts please: '93 525iT IHKR air distribution problems Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Ok, as the header says, I'm working on a new to me '93 525iT. PO reported that he had had the heater core replaced and heat hadn't worked properly since. I can feel heat and hear the fan doing it's thing, but air just sort of leaks out indiscriminately. Started pulling parts and found the outside air bowden cable unclipped from the slide controls - broken female retainer on the slide control. Not the problem. Got to the point that I pulled the microfilter, left it's cover off, and started the fan - bunches of air gets pushed backwards out the microfilter cover opening. For some reason neither the heat nor defrost flaps are opening, though the bowden cables move smoothly and the levers on the heater box move back and forth. I pulled the stepper motor on the right side of the heater box and it makes little short spins as I play with the heat/defrost sliders. I suspect, though I don't know, that the stepper motor mixes air to reach a given temperature. This system is completely new to me - I have no idea what a good stepper motor would act like. Can anyone hazard a guess as to what the problem might be here? Hate to pull all the clips on the heater box if it can be avoided. Thanks for any help or further troubleshooting suggestions. Tom Walrod ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 20:18:35 -0800 From: "Kelvin" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Subject: pre purchase inspection recommendation in the SanRamon, CA area Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Wow, I think my subject says it all! I'm looking for a recommendation to have a pre-purchase inspection done in the san ramon area in the Bay Area. My regular mechanic is in SF, and that's too far to bring the car for an inspection with my current time constraints. Does anyone have any recommendations? Is there anything a person should look out for on an e39 528? ('99) Any insight, tips, or info would be appreciated! Thanks ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 06 Jan 2006 23:55:17 -0500 From: Brian Daley <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [email protected] Subject: Re: E36 Check Control/Temp display purchase options? Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sorry for the late response - I sent this a couple days ago and just realized it bounced. David, You can get a used OBC for a lot less than that. http://car-part.com (no affiliation, etc, etc.) Select year, make and model and the GPS/TV Screen/Info Center category. E36 OBCs are listed as cheap as $45 for a 7-button 318i OBC, and and you might find one even cheaper if you're willing to spend some time on the phone with the "call for price" listings. I'm sure they're at least guaranteed not to be DOA, and although there's probably no warranty you could replace it 5 times for less than the cost of a new one. Brian '94 325ic -----Original Message----- > From: Greg Cagle <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Jan 3, 2006 6:47 PM To: > [email protected] Subject: Re: [UUC] E36 Check Control/Temp > display purchase options? > > bavauto.com has them for $269.95, listed under interior -> interior > trim -> various interior parts. > > - Greg > > David Taylor said the following on 1/3/2006 3:20 PM: > > E36 Check Control/Temp display Where can one purchase a new display > > panel. Dealer only? I just need the temp/check control style. My > > pixels are evaporating. David Taylor > > > > 98 //M3/4/5 88 911 ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 7 Jan 2006 05:28:58 -0500 From: Whit Lowell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: [email protected] Subject: E30, spark and fuel...no start Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Peter, I've got a story for you. One of my cars is a 1989 325ix that I've owned for about 900 miles of daily driving/60 miles a day and 500 miles in driving it from Nashville to Newbury, Ohio. The car came with all service records since '93, currently has 246k on it, and it's rather evident to me that the last timing belt job was done by a shade tree hack, then the owner of the car, at around 220k. After solving a number of unrelated driveability and functionality issues, I noticed an irregular amount of noise originating in the front of the engine bay as revs dropped. In taking it apart, I discovered that the tensioner spring had been set at maximum compression, thereby leaving nominal pressure on the idler. The associated noise was the belt rubbing against the insides of the timing covers. It's understandable as to how this transpired -- somebody wasn't using his dome piece. Installed a new TBK and replaced the tensioner spring; the engine runs as it should. As Brett says, I "dodged a bullet." Now, I recognize that there exists in the universe of auto mechanics a lot of....situational variability, but consider this: a reversed pin, wherein the sharp end is physically in the water pump mounting point designed for the opposite side, would inherently place more tension on the idler than would the fully compressed spring due to the aforementioned pin's physical length. My engine survived three idiot owners with as much tension on the belt as it takes to put it on (not much). Have that foreign makes machinist friend look over your shoulder while doing a leakdown test?! :) It really is a stunningly good idea. Good luck! best, whit On 1/4/06, Peter Harkonen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Thanks Scott, I needed a little humor. I just completed a compression check > and got some really bad readings. From cylinder 1 to 6 it went as follows: > 135, 132, > 80, 120, 0, 70. Yes that's a zero for number five. I'm open to anyones > thoughts on > what is wrong here, but I think a leakdown test will prove that 3,5 and 6 > have > valves that are not fully seating or sealing. No sign of broken valve > springs under the > valve cover. My finger tip got pushed and pulled from the plug hole on 5 when > cranking the engine over. > > My guess is that a previous owner broke a timing belt and just slapped > another one on > without pulling the head, or the incorrectly installed last timing belt was > so slack that > it allowed cam timing to go off far enough to kiss the piston tops at high > revs. > Either way, does anyone have a M20 "i" head in good shape to sell? I'd like > to get another > head set up to drop on once I pull the bad one. > > AARRRGGHH!!!! > > Pete Harkonen > 1990 325i 5spd. > > > -------------- Original message ---------------------- > From: "Scott & Charlotte Miller" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > So that one of the pins will get jealous? > > > > Scott Miller > > GGC BMW CCA > > > > >Date: Tue, 03 Jan 2006 22:40:57 +0000 > > >From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Peter Harkonen) > > >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > >Cc: [email protected] > > >Subject: Re: E30, spark and fuel...no start > > >Message-ID: > > <[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > cast.net> > > <snip> > > > Why are there 7 pins, and 6 female? > > > > > >-Pete > > > > > > > > Search the ARCHIVES:http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] > > > > > > __________________________________________________________________________ > > 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 > > > Search the ARCHIVES:http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] > > > __________________________________________________________________________ > 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: Sat, 07 Jan 2006 15:02:04 +0000 From: "Vijay Nuthulapaty" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [email protected] Subject: <E39 540iT> Grinding noise on slow braking Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> I recently purchased a 99 540iT with around 74k miles. When I bought the car, it had the Brake, ABS and the traction control triangle on all the time. I had the dealer read the fault codes and the problem was identified as the right rear speed sensor. I had the speed sensor replaced and now all the lights are out. The only problem now is that I get a kind of grinding noise when I apply the brakes around 25-30mph. I looked around the message boards and see that the ABS/DSC control units on these cars tend to fail. I dont want to go replacing the control unit (around $800 in parts and dealer-only coding labor needed) if I dont have to. The grinding sounds feels like the ABS is activating at that speed. This did not happen before I got the speed sensor replaced. Anybody here had a similar experience with their E39? I would like to see what I can do to get this fixed. Thank you, Vijay 00 740iL 99 540iT 98 M3/4 ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 7 Jan 2006 10:27:37 -0500 From: "Russell Highton Jr" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Nick Ortwein" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "UUC Digest" <[email protected]> Subject: Re: E34 or E39 Purchase Questions Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Nick, I went through this process a year ago when searching for a car for my wife. I checked out e34's and e39's, and ended up with a 2002 e39 525it. I love the car. The reasons I chose the 2002: - 5 speed ZF auto-trans - these are pretty much bulletproof. The older models had GM 4-speed transmissions that were not known for reliability. - 2002 has the face lifted front end (looks good) - Safety - latest features etc... - M52 engine is great - timing chain - e39 is a very tight and reliable car in general. - Sport package handles awesome, M3 steering wheel, etc. - 2002 is near the end of the model run. As a general rule, I buy BMW's at the end of their run. Most the problems are worked out by then. With an E39 common problems are: - Gauge cluster loosing pixels from the OBC display in the middle - this is fixed by changing the entire cluster, I had mine done under warrantee at 49.8k miles. - electrical gremlins on some older ones, newer seem to be better - weak battery can cause all sorts of problems - Some had coil issues on the engine, there is a bulletin about it - Idler pulley fail - radiator is good for ~85k due to plastic fatigue Minor issues in my opinion. Hope this helps. The e34 is a great platform as well, but I prefer the M5 flavor. -Russ 02 e39 525ita 94 e34 M5 Others... -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Nick Ortwein Sent: Friday, January 06, 2006 3:04 PM To: UUC Digest Subject: [UUC] E34 or E39 Purchase Questions I am thinking of buying a E34 or E39, either a 525i(1994-1995) or 528i/iT(1997-2000) All having <100k miles, and automatic. What should I look for other than having the car inspected by a mechanic? What are the weak point on these cars? I have owned several BMW's in the past, nothing this new though. Also do these have timing belts or chains? Any other useful information to consider when buying one of these would be helpful. Thanks in advance, Nick Ortwein 2001 Audi S4 MTM Stage II 1988 BMW 325is Search the ARCHIVES:http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] ________________________________________________________________________ __ 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: Sat, 7 Jan 2006 10:52:02 -0800 (PST) From: Brian Ruiz <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: UUC Digest <[email protected]> Subject: <E36> front wheel bearings Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> I picked up a set of FAG wheel bearings (integrated with the hubs, obviously) from the dealer for the front of my M3 last week, but I was wondering about the SKF bearings. I see them on the Turner site; they are quite a bit cheaper than the FAG ones, but the ABS wheel on the inside of the hub seems like it is better on the SKF hub than the FAG hub from the dealer. Does anyone have any recommendations either way? If the SKF ones are good or even better than the FAG hubs from the dealer, I'd sure like to save the extra $100 I spent on the dealer hubs. Thanks, Brian __________________________________________ Yahoo! DSL Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less. dsl.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 07 Jan 2006 12:42:10 -0800 From: Jim Bassett <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [email protected] Subject: Re: <E36> front wheel bearings Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> At 10:52 AM 1/7/2006, Brian Ruiz talked about: >I picked up a set of FAG wheel bearings (integrated >with the hubs, obviously) from the dealer for the >front of my M3 last week, but I was wondering about >the SKF bearings. I've not heard of FAG bearings, but I've been using SKF bearings on both cars with good success, no complaints. Jim Bassett 1998 M3/4 1993 325is #44 JP ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 7 Jan 2006 16:51:12 -0500 From: "marshall lytle" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "'Brian Ruiz'" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "'UUC Digest'" <[email protected]> Subject: Re: <E36> front wheel bearings Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> I have used both brands on race and street e36 and e30's. Can't tell a difference performance or longevity wise. They both work fine. Get them from www.ultimategarage.com. Steve puts a kit together with all the nuts, seals and dust covers. -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Brian Ruiz Sent: Saturday, January 07, 2006 1:52 PM To: UUC Digest Subject: [UUC] <E36> front wheel bearings I picked up a set of FAG wheel bearings (integrated with the hubs, obviously) from the dealer for the front of my M3 last week, but I was wondering about the SKF bearings. I see them on the Turner site; they are quite a bit cheaper than the FAG ones, but the ABS wheel on the inside of the hub seems like it is better on the SKF hub than the FAG hub from the dealer. Does anyone have any recommendations either way? If the SKF ones are good or even better than the FAG hubs from the dealer, I'd sure like to save the extra $100 I spent on the dealer hubs. Thanks, Brian __________________________________________ Yahoo! DSL - Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less. dsl.yahoo.com Search the ARCHIVES:http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] __________________________________________________________________________ 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 ------------------------------ End of [bmwuucdigest] digest(11 messages) **********
