The BMW UUC Digest Volume 3 : Issue 211 : "text" Format Messages in this Issue: Re: OBD-II Cats? Re: M30 running rough PEI Re: OBD-II Cats? Re: Carfax RE>OBD-II Cats 116i Rental [Fwd: [SVBC] OT- Hydrogen, was: tesla (ref: Bedard article)] Re: [Fwd: [SVBC] OT- Hydrogen, was: tesla (ref: Bedard article)] Re: [Fwd: [SVBC] OT- Hydrogen, Re: [SVBC] OT- Hydrogen, was: tesla (ref: Bedard article)]
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 26 Jul 2006 14:57:42 -0700 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [email protected] Subject: Re: OBD-II Cats? Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Scott, Time and again, I've read how the stock cat is just better than the aftermarket types. Must be something in the matrix or it's composition/construction that makes the OEM better. -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: Wed, 26 Jul 2006 17:19:24 -0500 From: "Robert Blakeney" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [email protected] Subject: Re: M30 running rough Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Thanks to Jeff Nord and his suggestion that it may be as simple as a fuel injector unplugged. It was (doh). It's amazing how smooth a six cylinder engine will run on all six cylinders. And I'm amazed with that big lovable lump of an M30 running fairly well on five since it never idled well anyway. I just hate my mechanic. ;^) Now the 528i temp gauge has been inching up lately. Sigh.... Thanks to all that responded. Robert 1990 535i, 162,000 miles and idling smooth as rough silk 2000 528i, 60,000 miles idling smooth as fine silk but a little hot ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Jul 2006 19:24:58 -0300 From: "Roger Langille" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Subject: PEI Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Having lived in PEI for the last 26 years, and NS for the preceding 23, I'll try to offer some insight: 1. PEI has a population of about 140k 2. Charlottetown has a population of about 40K 3. Of people I know personally in Charlottetown, their garages include several E36 325i's, two E39 540's, two X5's, a new 745, a 635csi, an E34 535, and an E90. I own a 328ic and a 528it. I know of no locally owned Z4's. But, I don't know everyone here. In fact I'm sure I know fewer than 10% of the local population. ;) 4. The nearest, and only, BMW dealership in Atlantic Canada is in Halifax, about 3.5 hours away. With a monopoly like that, the dealer doesn't deal. I bought my current BMW's in Quebec and Dallas. The previous one (an E36 325i) I bought in Toronto. 5. As performance vehicles, BMW's are superb; trouble-free they aren't. Add the fact there is no dealer in PEI, and no garage with MODIC, and most people shy away from the marque. We have our share of successful business people, doctors, lawyers etc, but the vast majority prefer to buy cars that don't break, and if they do, can be serviced here. 6. As much as I like (love?) my BMW's, I'd likely not bother if I didn't enjoy maintaining/wrenching them. 7. Honda, Toyota and Mazda are omni-present. The new slab-sided Caddy's and big SUV's are everywhere. We even have a few Hummers (sigh). The entry-level Chev's (whichever model has succeeded the Cavalier) are still the car of choice for many with their first job, buying their first car. 8. Young pups trying to 'score a babe' are hanging fast and furious 'mufflers' on their Civics and Preludes, and installing thumpy base speakers, and god-awful large chrome wheels - California influences with which most of North America would likely have been happy to live without. 9. The Confederation Bridge was built by the private sector, at a cost of about $1 Billion. It takes about 12 minutes to cross, as contrasted with about an hour by ferry it replaced (no longer in existence), not to mention what were once long and mind-numbing waiting periods. 10. Even those who were most vehemently opposed to the construction of the Bridge (and there were many) now acknowledge it has changed the 'Island way of life' very little, if at all. 11. No one misses to frantic drives to 'catch the boat' nor the 'Indy-500' races to Charlottetown when the boat unloaded. - sheer madness. 12. The ferry the travels from the east end of the Island to NS takes about 1.5 hours, and the fare is $17 more than the Confederation Bridge Hope that helps. Roger Langille PEI Canada ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Jul 2006 18:31:25 -0400 From: "Chet Dawes" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "UUC Digest" <[email protected]> Subject: Re: OBD-II Cats? Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> BMW indeed knows what they are doing, more so than the aftermarket 'universal' catalyst suppliers, at least when it comes to BMWs. The OE catalyst formulation/composition of precious metals, substrate material and cell density and wash coat are unique to the application. You see Platinum, Palladium and Rhodium are very expensive precious metals to be throwing around in excess! The idea that an aftermarket universal catalyst is superior for any specific application is absurd to me unless the car came without one to begin with. If the aftermarket is the wrong size (too large) it may never get hot enough to stay in 'light-off' and therefore will be very inefficient with break-through emissions. Too small and it does not have the capacity and you get break-through emissions. And even a built-to-application aftermarket version won't be as good as OE. Better than a failed OE cat and cheaper certainly, but not as durable and efficient as the OE version. At the same time as OBDII the emissions regulations were also becoming increasingly more stringent. In the case of an e30 (pre 1993) an OBDII (mandatory in 1996) catalyst would be from the e36, be designed for a different engine family, etc. Any idea how the car failed the test? NOx, HC, CO too high? Probably had pre-existing conditions and little to do with the catalyst unless some other condition smoked the catalyst! Cheers, Chet Dawes -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Scott & Charlotte Miller Sent: Wednesday, July 26, 2006 3:08 PM To: UUC Digest Subject: [UUC] OBD-II Cats? I'm regurgitating something I saw on a local E30 message board, hoping to become enlightened by the collective wisdom that is the UUC Digest. Someone's E30 didn't pass smog, and the culprit was determined to be the cat. The owner installed a new DEC cat - a brand that many say is about the best aftermarket cat available. The car still failed smog. Owner contacted the CA Bureau of Automotive Repair, who regulates smog testing. Someone at the BAR said that they often recommend OBD-II cats for cars that have trouble passing with the standard factory cat for that mode. WTF? What is different about an OBD-II cat that makes it better than an OBD-I cat? We're not counting the oxygen sensors here, since obviously a car running OBD-I software wouldn't know what to do with the after-cat oxygen sensors. This sounded bogus to me, but I didn't want to say that without actually knowing. Ultimately, the owner took it to a shop. The shop owner swapped cats with his personal car, which had a known good factory cat. It passed. So the problem turned out to be the new DEC cat. I guess BMW actually knew what they were doing with the cat they fit to the car, eh? Scott Miller GGC BMW CCA ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Jul 2006 18:32:32 EDT From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [email protected] Subject: Re: Carfax Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> No Paul, he didn't get any help. Hopefully, it's merely a case where nobody on this list has a Carfax Account right now...if anyone does, and doesn't offer to help..."SHAME ON YOU"! Helping each other is what it's all about.....I actually helped my son out on his request by posting to one of the BMW 2002 Message Boards and received several immediate responses. '02 guys "always" help each other out!!! :-) Good luck with your search....can anyone help Paul out here??? Happy ///Motoring, John Weese '88 M5 4 tutu's '96 Jeep GC ('02 Hauler) In a message dated 7/26/2006 5:29:49 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2006 13:56:25 -0700 (PDT) From: Justin Weese <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Paul Craven <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, [email protected] Subject: Re: Carfax Please Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Hopefully you're cooler than me. I got zero help last week when I asked the same question. Wwooo! ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Jul 2006 17:24:19 -0700 From: Harvey Chao <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [email protected] Subject: RE>OBD-II Cats Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> So - other than a factory cat, does anyone know what aftermarket cat I might need for my wife's 87 325ic with 196,030 miles ? I have to go get it "Test Only" Smogged on Friday, day after tomorrow. It passed 2 years/~3K miles ago after I drove it up and down the freeway in 3rd gear @ ~3KRPM for a while. I haven't done any other emissions related work on it since then, just routine oil and gas sort of stuff. I plan to repeat the drive it around for 15-20 minutes again Friday and then pull right in and put it on the machine. It burns about a qt of oil ever 750 miles or so, but no visible smoke from the tail pipe when starting, after idling, on accelleration or decelleration . . . Any recommendations if I need a cat this time? Or other suggestions to help ensure that it passes again? Thanks Harvey ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 27 Jul 2006 01:22:30 -0400 From: Michael Thompson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [email protected] Subject: 116i Rental Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> I have a 116i rental from Avis this week. Very nice. Just a little bit smaller inside than my E36. It could use a little more horsepower when there are four people on board. The 2.0 diesel would be a lot more practical. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Jul 2006 23:48:50 -0700 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: "[uucdigest]" <[email protected]> Subject: [Fwd: [SVBC] OT- Hydrogen, was: tesla (ref: Bedard article)] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> From a similar thread on the Silicone Valley Bicycle Coalition elist, written by an electric car hobbyist: That is exactly why everyone who understands the energy economy is convinced that today the only alternative to the internal combustion engine is the Battery Electric Vehicle. We see more and more signs that they become popular again, after many years of being only an "uncomfortable truth". Most notably the electric scooters and bicycles are slowly becoming popular, but the Electric Auto Associations and the EVDL mail list for discussion of Electric Vehicle owners, builders and enthusiasts are seeing more and more traffic. Let's also not forget the electric drag racers who silently blow the doors off the noisiest muscle cars. The Tesla Roadster is the first real production vehicle to be in this class, but there are many self-built (converted) cars that are street-legal, sometimes daily driver, while also racing on the drag-strips. One of the most noteworthy is a 1973 Econobox Datsun 1200 that runs under 12 seconds in 1/4 mile. (name: White Zombie) Most vehicles though are grocery-getters and commute-vehicles that silently and without tailpipe transport their drivers around. Not only is this the most efficient (least energy required) of all variants of transport, but also is it natural to combine it with a renewable energy system to recharge the batteries, resulting in truly zero emissions for the fueling up. Charging it from the electricity grid does not require new power plants and does not cause more blackouts, because almost all charging happens at night when the electricity is abundantly available due to low demand, rates drop to 5c per kWh between midnight and 7 AM due to this, so the efficiency leads to an even lower cost for fuel of approximately 2c/mi. Think of it this way: at today's gas prices you would need a car with 150 MPG to get the same fuel cost per mile as electric. Oh, and if you think that these are sort of golf carts then you are mistaken - I am talking about normal sedans and light trucks, that are allowed to use the Carpool lane and toll bridges for free on the Freeway with one occupant due to being ZEV. One of the things I love about an EV is that I do not feel guilty over making a few short trips, like groceries and picking up or dropping off someone, because the motor does not have a warm-up phase in which it emits far more than when it is warm. Short trips in a petrol car will create a lot of pollution in the first mile of driving. The EV is just as clean in the first mile as in any other: zero tail-pipe emissions. Last important thing to keep in mind - petrol vehicles get dirtier when they get older, due to wear on the emission components. Electric vehicles' source of emissions is the smokestack of the power plant. The few power plants are much easier to clean up than the millions of cars. The restrictions and filtering requirements on power plants are increased about every year. In California only 3% of the power (of PG&E) is produced using coal for example, more and more renewable energy is used. This makes the EV pollution go down every year, contrary to the conventional car. BTW - my second Electric Vehicle has 2 wheels and 90% of the time I am pedaling the 20 miles commute. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Jul 2006 23:59:12 -0700 From: Mark Dadgar <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Fwd: [SVBC] OT- Hydrogen, was: tesla (ref: Bedard article)] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> On Jul 26, 2006, at 11:48 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > That is exactly why everyone who understands the energy economy > is convinced that today the only alternative to the internal > combustion > engine is the Battery Electric Vehicle. [snip] > Charging it from the electricity grid does not require new power > plants and does not cause more blackouts, because almost all > charging happens at night when the electricity is abundantly > available due to low demand, rates drop to 5c per kWh between > midnight and 7 AM due to this, so the efficiency leads to an even > lower cost for fuel of approximately 2c/mi. While I think electric vehicles are interesting, the above paragraph betrays a fundamental lack of understanding of basic economics (in spite of the assertion to the contrary in the first paragraph). How long do you think electricity is going to cost 5c/kWh when everyone is plugging in their electric cars overnight? Anyway, we have a ways to go before battery technology catches up to what we can build in powertrains. Not to mention that whole inconvenient, just-ignore-the-man-behind-the-curtain issue of what to do with all of those dead-but-highly-toxic battery packs when they cycle out. Baby steps. - Mark ----- [EMAIL PROTECTED] Check out my JustRacing Home Page at: http://www.justracing.com/homepage/mdadgar ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 27 Jul 2006 07:18:16 -0400 From: Vic Maslanka <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [email protected] Subject: Re: [Fwd: [SVBC] OT- Hydrogen, Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Range? Did he forget about range? Or just ignore the uncomfortable truth? Or is that not part of the energy economy? They've only been working on it since at least the seventies, but there still is no economical battery that will give an EV a reasonable range - say, at least 200 miles. Yes, the Tesla is nice, but how many $90,000 plus toys will be sold? Not much of a solution. Vic At 02:48 AM 7/27/2006, you wrote: > From a similar thread on the Silicone Valley Bicycle Coalition > elist, written by an electric car hobbyist: > >That is exactly why everyone who understands the energy economy >is convinced that today the only alternative to the internal combustion >engine is the Battery Electric Vehicle ... ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 27 Jul 2006 09:53:19 -0400 From: "Rob Levinson * UUC Motorwerks" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [SVBC] OT- Hydrogen, was: tesla (ref: Bedard article)] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Was that "elist" or "elitist"? Sorry, couldn't resist. But for those not living in perpetually-sunny-and-beautiful-Californialand two miles from our university offices, bicycling is not an option. What I do see missing from this hobbyist's blue-sky view is the black-sky view of the increased usage of older power plants which have not been updated and "cleaned up". I'm not so sure it's easier or less expensive to update a 20-50 year energy plant build cycle than to update the vehicles which generally have little more than a 7-year lifecycle. I'm not "for" pollution - in fact, I just commissioned our own line of high-efficiency catalytic converters - but I am for a realistic view of things. Current technology always being the problem, there still isn't a reasonable battery solution. They're too heavy, too toxic, too expensive (both in dollars and in production energy). I believe that an efficient battery technology is possible, but it requires an exponential increase in efficiency compared to what we have now. With that in mind, I strongly believe that government-forced continual increases in emmissions controls need to stop. The gains are rapidly diminishing while the costs keep escalating. The same "forced technology development" funds would yield immensely better results if put toward the battery technology. But none of that is a surprise, a 4-year election cycle breeds shortsightedness. - Rob ----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "[uucdigest]" <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, July 27, 2006 2:48 AM Subject: [Fwd: [SVBC] OT- Hydrogen, was: [UUC] tesla (ref: Bedard article)] > From a similar thread on the Silicone Valley Bicycle Coalition elist, > written by an electric car hobbyist: > > That is exactly why everyone who understands the energy economy > is convinced that today the only alternative to the internal combustion > engine is the Battery Electric Vehicle. > We see more and more signs that they become popular again, after > many years of being only an "uncomfortable truth". > Most notably the electric scooters and bicycles are slowly becoming > popular, but the Electric Auto Associations and the EVDL mail list for > discussion of Electric Vehicle owners, builders and enthusiasts are > seeing more and more traffic. > Let's also not forget the electric drag racers who silently blow the doors > off the noisiest muscle cars. The Tesla Roadster is the first real > production > vehicle to be in this class, but there are many self-built (converted) cars > that are street-legal, sometimes daily driver, while also racing on the > drag-strips. > One of the most noteworthy is a 1973 Econobox Datsun 1200 that > runs under 12 seconds in 1/4 mile. (name: White Zombie) > Most vehicles though are grocery-getters and commute-vehicles > that silently and without tailpipe transport their drivers around. > Not only is this the most efficient (least energy required) of all > variants of transport, but also is it natural to combine it with a > renewable energy system to recharge the batteries, resulting > in truly zero emissions for the fueling up. > Charging it from the electricity grid does not require new power > plants and does not cause more blackouts, because almost all > charging happens at night when the electricity is abundantly > available due to low demand, rates drop to 5c per kWh between > midnight and 7 AM due to this, so the efficiency leads to an even > lower cost for fuel of approximately 2c/mi. > Think of it this way: at today's gas prices you would need a car > with 150 MPG to get the same fuel cost per mile as electric. > Oh, and if you think that these are sort of golf carts then you are > mistaken - I am talking about normal sedans and light trucks, > that are allowed to use the Carpool lane and toll bridges for free > on the Freeway with one occupant due to being ZEV. > > One of the things I love about an EV is that I do not feel guilty > over making a few short trips, like groceries and picking up or > dropping off someone, because the motor does not have a > warm-up phase in which it emits far more than when it is warm. > Short trips in a petrol car will create a lot of pollution in the > first mile of driving. The EV is just as clean in the first mile as > in any other: zero tail-pipe emissions. > > Last important thing to keep in mind - petrol vehicles get dirtier > when they get older, due to wear on the emission components. > Electric vehicles' source of emissions is the smokestack of the > power plant. The few power plants are much easier to clean up > than the millions of cars. The restrictions and filtering requirements > on power plants are increased about every year. In California only > 3% of the power (of PG&E) is produced using coal for example, > more and more renewable energy is used. This makes the EV > pollution go down every year, contrary to the conventional car. > > BTW - my second Electric Vehicle has 2 wheels and 90% of the > time I am pedaling the 20 miles commute. > > 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 > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.10.4/401 - Release Date: 7/26/2006 > > ------------------------------ End of [bmwuucdigest] digest(11 messages) **********
