The BMW UUC Digest Volume 3 : Issue 42 : "text" Format Messages in this Issue: Re: fs: 1997 BMW, dirty Re: fs: 1997 BMW, dirty Re: Z8 issue...anyone seen this? Re: Z8 issue...anyone seen this? Re: Z8 issue...anyone seen this? Re: Z8 issue...anyone seen this? Re: My E34 Temporary Audio Solution Re: My E34 Temporary Audio Solution Re: My E34 Temporary Audio Solution Re: My E34 Temporary Audio Solution <E36> M3 euro 6 speed tranny <WOT> iPod E34 stereo dilemma
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 09:48:10 -0500 From: Felix Vicente <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> Subject: Re: fs: 1997 BMW, dirty Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> Without downloading the video, what was the car? 3er? 5er? > > It was a 5 series. I believe a 1997 E39 540i. > >> Why was the engine blown? Can Brett rebuild it? ;-P > > Not sure what he did to the engine. Maybe the radiator failed... (that is a > joke, his father owned a radiator shop and the E39 radiators are prone to > failure...never mind). Looks like an E38, especially the headlight that's still intact. The grille holes look way too wide for the E39 kidneys. Can definitely ID the M62 engine cover, that's for sure. Had it been a 95, it would be easy to know why the engine was shot, but on a 97 Nikasil isn't an issue. Oh well. Here in South FL many a dubious person dumps undesired vehicles in the large canals and lakes just west of town. The po-po clean out the particularly popular ones often. -felix Miami,fl 01 540/6 98 740 95 525 ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 08:28:50 -0800 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [email protected] Subject: Re: fs: 1997 BMW, dirty Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> How much experience does Brett have exterminating worms from BMWs? I'm sure he would be better suited to getting out crocks, but the car wasn't in a swamp. Scott Miller GGC BMW CCA >Date: Sun, 22 Jan 2006 20:35:38 -0800 (PST) >From: Carlos Lopez <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [email protected] >Subject: Re: fs: 1997 BMW, dirty >Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >--- Rich Dorffer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >>This is a local story...I have been hearing about it a fair >bit. > >Without downloading the video, what was the car? 3er? 5er? >Why was the engine blown? Can Brett rebuild it? ;-P > >Carlos. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 10:15:20 -0500 From: Neil Maller <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> Subject: Re: Z8 issue...anyone seen this? Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> on 1/20/06 3:08 PM, Kazuto Okayasu <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > On a related note, E46s also have the shock tower crowning problem, > and I've seen cases where one of the weld seams between the shock > tower and the inner fender breaks open as well. I believe this has > made it to Roundel's TechTalk column recently. I'm starting to > wonder if a strut brace might be a worthwhile investment on my E46. This does make me wonder whether BMW engineers lack a good understanding of the loading on shock towers. Consider: - The 95 E36 M3 had front strut tower crown distortion problems that resulted in the introduction of a reinforcing sandwich plate starting in 96. It's part #15 here: <http://tinyurl.com/cut4w> Every 95 E36 M3 owner and every regular E36 owner with stiffer springs or shocks should fit them. - The E36 M3 rear shock towers are also prone to tearing damage. - The E46 reportedly can be subject to front shock tower issues. - The Z8 shock tower damage just discussed. - A similar and well established problem with Mini Cooper S front shock towers mushrooming, often including damage to the strut hats. Seems to be a BMW group pattern here... Neil Fort Wayne, IN 96 M3 - Bastard child 03 525iT - Sterling Grey Metallic 77 MGB - Original owner, need to sell 05 Mini - Cooper S with LSD! ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 08:46:59 -0800 (PST) From: Richard Dorffer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [email protected] Subject: Re: Z8 issue...anyone seen this? Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --- Neil Maller <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > This does make me wonder whether BMW engineers lack a good understanding of > the loading on shock towers. Consider: > - The 95 E36 M3 had front strut tower crown distortion problems > that resulted in the introduction of a reinforcing sandwich > plate starting in 96. It's part #15 here: <http://tinyurl.com/cut4w> > Every 95 E36 M3 owner and every regular E36 owner with stiffer springs > or shocks should fit them. > - The E36 M3 rear shock towers are also prone to tearing damage. > - The E46 reportedly can be subject to front shock tower issues. > - The Z8 shock tower damage just discussed. > - A similar and well established problem with Mini Cooper S front shock > towers mushrooming, often including damage to the strut hats. > > Seems to be a BMW group pattern here... As Mr. Miller says, all BMWs after the E30 are crap... :-) Regards, Rich - thinks Mr. Miller is right in a limited sense, at least when it comes to shock towers. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 12:05:16 -0500 From: Ben Keyes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> Subject: Re: Z8 issue...anyone seen this? Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> I helped replace the strut bearings on a friend's Cooper S which had failed pretty impressively, giving him an insane amount of camber as well as nice clunking. the dealer of course wouldn't offer any sort of help other than ratcheting down the bill by a couple hundred bucks the first couple of times he asked them for an estimate. we did it for the maybe $100 in the cost of the bearings & some time by the sidewalk with spring compressors & hand tools... might be a lack of suspension travel, lack of metal structure, stiff sidewall runflats and heavy wheels conspiring together to hammer things nicely when big bumps are involved... Ben Neil wrote: > - A similar and well established problem with Mini Cooper S front shock > towers mushrooming, often including damage to the strut hats. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 13:55:33 -0500 From: "Gary Derian" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Ben Keyes" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, <[email protected]> Subject: Re: Z8 issue...anyone seen this? Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Heavy wheels and tires hammer the pothole and smooth the impact to the vehicle, unless it bottoms. Gary Derian >I helped replace the strut bearings on a friend's Cooper S which had > failed pretty impressively, giving him an insane amount of camber > as well as nice clunking. the dealer of course wouldn't offer any sort > of help other than ratcheting down the bill by a couple hundred bucks > the first couple of times he asked them for an estimate. we did it for > the maybe $100 in the cost of the bearings & some time by the sidewalk > with spring compressors & hand tools... > > might be a lack of suspension travel, lack of metal structure, stiff > sidewall runflats and heavy wheels conspiring together to hammer > things nicely when big bumps are involved... > > > Ben > > > Neil wrote: >> - A similar and well established problem with Mini Cooper S front shock >> towers mushrooming, often including damage to the strut hats. > > 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: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 19:29:15 -0600 From: JPWheelr <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Scott & Charlotte Miller <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: UUC Digest <[email protected]>, E34 Yahoo Group <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: My E34 Temporary Audio Solution Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> for what it's worth the kid at best buy is a moron. slap him across the back of the head for me. punk kids aren't experts. From this punk kid: if your car is 92+ it is pretty much plug and play, they should wire it up, slide it in, and send you on your way. DO NOT let them sell you a PAC-OEM2 or similar device (any line output converter) as it is wrong for that car, and very uneccssary. The only thing they may screw up (most do)... They need to hook the REMOTE TURN ON LEAD of the radio to the POWER ANTENNA LEAD of the car wiring harness. Most connect the antenna lead to the antenna lead. This makes it so the factory amplifier is only on when the radio (which uses the antenna) is on, and nothing else (which doesnt use the antenna) the remote lead is always on when the unit is on, CD/MP3/Radio/Aux/Etc if your car is 91- then you need a COMMON GROUND ADAPTER - the pac-oem2 may work for this. It is very easy to install also, and comes with wonderful, illustrated instructions. Not brain science. Anyway, I gather you are not near St Louis, or I would do it for you. How close are you to portland? Talk to the actual instal bay manager at best buy, not the zit-prone sales floor goon; these guys are usually career, and learn from their mistakes. Sorry if I'm cranky, dinner just showed up. Best of luck, Peter Scott & Charlotte Miller wrote: >First of all, thanks to the several dozen people who contributed to >the discussion about my E34 audio problem, and also a subsequent >similar discussion responding to someone else's question. There are >multiple options, and while exploring them, my wife threw a monkey >wrench into the works. Wives do that kind of thing. > >My temporary solution: We had our daughter load a dozen of our CDs >onto her i-Pod. I also ordered a Monster Cable iCarPlay Wireless FM >Transmitter. (It is actually cheaper to order this from Amazon and >have it shipped 2-day than it is to buy it locally.) This will do >for our quick trip to/from Southern Cal. The big disadvantage, for >our daughter, is that she won't be able to listen to her own music on >her earphones while we're listening to our music on the car stereo. > >We still have the longer-term problem to resolve. There is the "i-Pod >vs other brands of MP3 players" debate. Then the issue of >connectivity to either the factory or aftermarket stereo. I was going >to avoid this debate by buying an Alpine AM/FM/CD head unit at Best >Buy for $169. It came with free installation. But wait! The sales >kid said that it would not be compatible with our amplifier (this may >not be true), so they were gonna charge me darn near the cost of the >stereo to remove the amp! Finally, my wife (it is her car, remember) >said that she refuses to remove the face of a detatchable face stereo, >and she does not want the guilt that will come with the stereo being >stolen with the faceplate that she does not remove. So far I have not >been able to find an aftermarket head unit without a detatchable face. > >Apparently a few late E36s (mainly Z3s) came with an AM/FM/CD head >unit that is plug-and-play in our E34. But used ones are hard to >find. > >So we have a short term solution and a continuing dilema for the >eventual permanent solution. Anyway, thanks to everyone for your >input, and for the various offers to borrow equipment for our trip. > >Scott Miller >GGC BMW CCA > > > >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: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 18:49:01 -0800 (PST) From: "Kazuto Okayasu" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "UUC Digest" <[email protected]> Subject: Re: My E34 Temporary Audio Solution Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Will the floating ground 92+ cars' builtin amps accept modern 'high-power' high-level inputs? E46s do, but I don't know about other (i.e. earlier) models. In my experience, the PAC really doesn't work well in the common ground cars. It DOES work, but there's so much noise, you might as well just not have a stereo. On a E30 I worked on, I ended up reassigning 4 of the 5 common ground wires, and added a single 2-pair cable to get 4 floating ground channels, and jumpered those to the original amp's output lines (sans the amp) to the stock speakers. Sounds infinitely better than the stock amp+ PAC or PAC-only (I tried both those ways). On my E24, the radio I had was ampless so I had to run RCAs to an amp in the back anyways (and reassigned one of the original common ground speaker wires as the amp turn-on). I even managed to keep the stock amp harness in place for 100% reversibility. :) In both cases, the factory speakers turned out to be of higher quality than low-end aftermarket stuff. > for what it's worth the kid at best buy is a moron. slap him across the > back of the head for me. > punk kids aren't experts. > > From this punk kid: > > if your car is 92+ it is pretty much plug and play, they should wire it > up, slide it in, and send you on your way. DO NOT let them sell you a > PAC-OEM2 or similar device (any line output converter) as it is wrong > for that car, and very uneccssary. The only thing they may screw up > (most do)... They need to hook the REMOTE TURN ON LEAD of the radio to > the POWER ANTENNA LEAD of the car wiring harness. Most connect the > antenna lead to the antenna lead. This makes it so the factory > amplifier is only on when the radio (which uses the antenna) is on, and > nothing else (which doesnt use the antenna) the remote lead is always on > when the unit is on, CD/MP3/Radio/Aux/Etc > > if your car is 91- then you need a COMMON GROUND ADAPTER - the pac-oem2 > may work for this. It is very easy to install also, and comes with > wonderful, illustrated instructions. > > Not brain science. > > Anyway, I gather you are not near St Louis, or I would do it for you. > How close are you to portland? > Talk to the actual instal bay manager at best buy, not the zit-prone > sales floor goon; these guys are usually career, and learn from their > mistakes. > > Sorry if I'm cranky, dinner just showed up. > > Best of luck, > > Peter > > > > > > Scott & Charlotte Miller wrote: > >>First of all, thanks to the several dozen people who contributed to >>the discussion about my E34 audio problem, and also a subsequent >>similar discussion responding to someone else's question. There are >>multiple options, and while exploring them, my wife threw a monkey >>wrench into the works. Wives do that kind of thing. >> >>My temporary solution: We had our daughter load a dozen of our CDs >>onto her i-Pod. I also ordered a Monster Cable iCarPlay Wireless FM >>Transmitter. (It is actually cheaper to order this from Amazon and >>have it shipped 2-day than it is to buy it locally.) This will do >>for our quick trip to/from Southern Cal. The big disadvantage, for >>our daughter, is that she won't be able to listen to her own music on >>her earphones while we're listening to our music on the car stereo. >> >>We still have the longer-term problem to resolve. There is the "i-Pod >>vs other brands of MP3 players" debate. Then the issue of >>connectivity to either the factory or aftermarket stereo. I was going >>to avoid this debate by buying an Alpine AM/FM/CD head unit at Best >>Buy for $169. It came with free installation. But wait! The sales >>kid said that it would not be compatible with our amplifier (this may >>not be true), so they were gonna charge me darn near the cost of the >>stereo to remove the amp! Finally, my wife (it is her car, remember) >>said that she refuses to remove the face of a detatchable face stereo, >>and she does not want the guilt that will come with the stereo being >>stolen with the faceplate that she does not remove. So far I have not >>been able to find an aftermarket head unit without a detatchable face. >> >>Apparently a few late E36s (mainly Z3s) came with an AM/FM/CD head >>unit that is plug-and-play in our E34. But used ones are hard to >>find. >> >>So we have a short term solution and a continuing dilema for the >>eventual permanent solution. Anyway, thanks to everyone for your >>input, and for the various offers to borrow equipment for our trip. >> >>Scott Miller >>GGC BMW CCA >> >> >> >>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 > -- Kazuto Okayasu Administrative Computing Services University of California, Irvine ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 21:16:07 -0800 From: Greg Cagle <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [email protected] Subject: Re: My E34 Temporary Audio Solution Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> I think so - at least I have run Sony head units with the built-in amps on both my 94 325i and 98 M3 with no trouble. - Greg Kazuto Okayasu said the following on 1/23/2006 6:49 PM: > Will the floating ground 92+ cars' builtin amps accept modern 'high-power' > high-level inputs? E46s do, but I don't know about other (i.e. earlier) > models. -- Greg Cagle gregc at gregcagle dot com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 06:58:06 -0800 From: "Scott & Charlotte Miller" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "JPWheelr" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: "UUC Digest" <[email protected]>, "E34 Yahoo Group" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: My E34 Temporary Audio Solution Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Hey, more good advice, thanks! The car is a '93. It has the diversity antenna system, no mast to erect. I can't wait to see what tricks are needed to make the antenna system work with an aftermarket stereo. Hope your dinner was yummy. Scott Miller GGC BMW CCA (Golden Gate Chapter, about a 10 hour drive from Portland, OR - not sure how far from Portland Maine) ----- Original Message ----- From: "JPWheelr" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Scott & Charlotte Miller" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: "UUC Digest" <[email protected]>; "E34 Yahoo Group" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, January 23, 2006 5:29 PM Subject: Re: [UUC] My E34 Temporary Audio Solution > for what it's worth the kid at best buy is a moron. slap him across the > back of the head for me. > punk kids aren't experts. > > From this punk kid: > > if your car is 92+ it is pretty much plug and play, they should wire it > up, slide it in, and send you on your way. DO NOT let them sell you a > PAC-OEM2 or similar device (any line output converter) as it is wrong > for that car, and very uneccssary. The only thing they may screw up > (most do)... They need to hook the REMOTE TURN ON LEAD of the radio to > the POWER ANTENNA LEAD of the car wiring harness. Most connect the > antenna lead to the antenna lead. This makes it so the factory > amplifier is only on when the radio (which uses the antenna) is on, and > nothing else (which doesnt use the antenna) the remote lead is always on > when the unit is on, CD/MP3/Radio/Aux/Etc > > if your car is 91- then you need a COMMON GROUND ADAPTER - the pac-oem2 > may work for this. It is very easy to install also, and comes with > wonderful, illustrated instructions. > > Not brain science. > > Anyway, I gather you are not near St Louis, or I would do it for you. > How close are you to portland? > Talk to the actual instal bay manager at best buy, not the zit-prone > sales floor goon; these guys are usually career, and learn from their > mistakes. > > Sorry if I'm cranky, dinner just showed up. > > Best of luck, > > Peter ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 22:55:06 -0800 (PST) From: Brian Ruiz <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: UUC Digest <[email protected]> Subject: <E36> M3 euro 6 speed tranny Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Random question: does anyone know off hand if the linkage and such is the same on the Euro M3 6 speed? Wondering if a UUC ssk will fit on one. Brian 95 M3 __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 00:02:00 -0800 (PST) From: Brian Ruiz <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: UUC Digest <[email protected]> Subject: <WOT> iPod Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Simple question- iPod: white or black? Brian 95 M3 __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 14:55:26 -0500 From: "Ryan Brenneman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Subject: E34 stereo dilemma Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Gruppe I have an E34 also and put a Clarion DXZ735MP in it a couple of years ago. It has many possible illumination colors and the amber is close enough to be ok. It has some silver buttons on it that do not match anything very well but otherwise it is fine. Another big plus is that it still has a volume knob. I like being able to flick the knob quickly when I need to drop the volume. Harder to do with the newer style rocker controls. It does have a mute button but try and find it quickly while you are driving. The guy that said you would have to get rid of the factory amp is kind of right. The adaptor harness that most stereo places are going to use will tap the new head units' amplified speaker outs for the music signal. The factory amp is expecting a line level signal from the factory head unit on it's inputs. The amplified head unit signal from the new unit will overdrive the inputs on the amp and cause the amp to clip prematurely. This is the way mine is currently installed. It sounds ok at lower volume but it will not get very loud before it starts clipping. I did it myself so I have only one person to blame. But in the next couple of months I am having some custom kick panels made for some nice separates and I will rewire at that time to correct my input issues. This is my own idea for a solution but I believe that to correctly connect a factory amp to an aftermarket head unit you would need to use the line out connections on the head unit. These are RCA style connectors on the back of the head. Most head units that are above the lowest level.say $200 and up, have line outs for front and rear and sometimes a subwoofer also. These line outs are what will be used to send the signal that the factory amp will like. There will be a front pair and a rear pair. Create four cables that are RCA male to two wire and connect those wires to the adaptor harness speaker connections. Then plug into the line outs on the head. I believe this will then send a line level signal to the factory amp. The amp will then work much more like it is supposed to. Just remember that in a BMW the amp is also the crossover which divides the signal into the low, mid, and high range frequencies which you hear coming out of their respective speakers. In any modern BMW if you want to replace the speakers or the amp then you will have to replace both. Factory BMW speakers do not have the same specifications as most currently available aftermarket speakers. Plus they use really strange sizes that do not offer many (if any) drop in replacements. If you are contemplating something more than a head unit you should check out the car audio forum over on Bimmerforums.com. JP Wheeler who posted earlier here seems to be one of the resident brains there. After you use the very helpful search function (you have to register but they do not spam you) if you do not have an answer he and his fellow audio nuts will be happy (alright maybe only slightly aggravated) to help you. If anyone would like a picture of what the unit looks like in the car email me and I will get one to you. Scott I would not worry too much about not removing the face plate from a radio. These days thieves are after the crazy TV screen encrusted DVD playing thump mobiles with their multi-amp systems. I doubt anyone on the shady side except for the crack addict looking for a quick score will give a second thought to a car with only a mid level head visible. Now leave your Valentine One, laptop, Ipod, and Blackberry in the car and they might take the stereo "while they are in there". I will qualify that by adding "around these parts" which is Charlotte, NC. Crime plagued neighborhoods like Beirut and Mexico City may have different types of thieves. Check with your local stereo shops for statistics. HTH YMMV yada yada yada.. Ryan Brenneman 92 328i track rat, no stereo 93 525iT has stereo 84 732i Euro FS Has Blaupunkt CD POS ------------------------------ End of [bmwuucdigest] digest(13 messages) **********
