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#1. Re: [E36M3] Spark plug/emission failure - Mechanics - from Jim Powell
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Date: Wed, 22 Nov 2000 19:45:32 -0800 From: Jim Powell <jsp98m3@home.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Spark plug/emission failure - Mechanics The F7LDCR I believe is a two electrode silver plug. The FGR8KQC is a 4 electrode platinum plug. I just put six new ones in tonight at $66.41 (for 6) + tax. Spew! As if I ever pay tax! Jim LoweSeaton@aol.com wrote: > > Date: Wed, 22 Nov 2000 13:42:24 EST > From: LoweSeaton@aol.com > Subject: Re: [E36M3] Spark plug/emission failure - Mechanics > > Ted, > > Argh! I need to be loading up the car and heading out of town. Oh well. > One more e-mail. <grin> > > Spark plugs: I don't think much of spark plugs. I don't think they make a > difference. I too am curious about the different spark plugs for the M3. I > see two listed in BMP. One is $4.99 (F7LDCR) and the other is $22.95 > (FGR8KQC). Beats me why a spark plug is worth $23. I'm not buying them. > > Funny story. I once saw the spark plugs come out of a Cadillac owned by a > woman. She put 150,000 miles on the poor car and never tuned it up!! There > was no electrode!! It had been burned off for thousands of miles. It must > have been sparking on the cylinder head. Amazing. > > In my opinion, spark plugs are almost a lifetime part. You never need to > replace them. Before unleaded gas, you needed to replace spark plugs every > 15,000 miles because they would foul. Many people still follow this rule. > Not necessary. Even BMW only recommends them at Inspection II. That is > about 40,000 miles according to the screwy BMW lights. > > You see these commercials for Ford pickups and Cadillac claiming 100,000 mile > tune ups? There you have it. You are expected to run those spark plugs > 100,000 miles. Unleaded gas and high voltage ignitions have practically made > spark plugs lifetime usage. > > I have 44,000 miles on my original spark plugs. I was thinking of replacing > them. I already bought them from The Ultimate Garage. Then I put my JTD > strut brace on. Doh!! Now I can't get the engine cover off. I'm too lazy > to take the JTD brace off. It was a chore to get on so I'll just keep the > old plugs in. > > Emissions test: Yeah, sounds like your engine was hot. 20 minutes of > driving and idling. Can't get any hotter than that. I'd just try a > different test place. Maybe you just had bad luck or his machine was out of > calibration. Good luck. > > Mechanics: I hate paying somebody else to work on my cars. I've never been > satisfied once. I know we have a couple of BMW mechanics on this List. I > don't mean to offend. I just don't understand why a professional mechanic > can't do the little things right. Is it no time? Is it that much pressure > to get the job done ASAP? > > He should have taken the time to grease your spark plugs. You could have > problems later. Dissimilar metals are very likely to corrode. You have an > aluminum head and steel spark plug. You really need to coat the threads. If > your Inspection II is coming up, I guess you could wait until then and > lubricate the threads. Is this your free Inspection II? Spark plugs are > scheduled to be replaced at Inspection II. > > Even the factory does not do good work. I wanted to remove my rear rotors. > One was seized onto the hub. I beat on it with a sledge hammer but couldn't > budge it. I had to use a propane torch. Guess what? There was no grease on > the hub. I took the extra time and greased the hub. The rotor will never > seize again. > > Sorry, this was long. Put anti-seize lubricant on your spark plugs at > Inspection II. Which model M3 do you have? I think the F7LDCR is for '95 > models and the FGR8KQC is for '96+ models. Try another test place for your > emissions test. If it still fails, you may have to go to a mechanic for a > tune up and software check. Good luck. > > Happy Thanksgiving. > > Lowell Seaton > '95 M3 > Dallas, Texas > > ************************************************************* > List Commands > UNSUBSCRIBE - (in subject line) unsubscribes you from the mailing list. > *************************************************************
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#2. GOODIES for Sale!! - from F. Graziano
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Date: Wed, 22 Nov 2000 23:18:24 -0500 From: "F. Graziano" <fgraziano@monmouth.com> Subject: GOODIES for Sale!! Time to clean up around the house. Make me an offer i can't refuse!! I'm in New Jersey but I can ship stuff anywhere (you pay of course) *Stock M3 Springs with 48k miles. Very Good Condition. *Haynes Manual *Stock M3 Lights(orange) -Rear Clusters -Side Markers -Parking Lights ******Off Topic but I also have 2 (yes two) unopened, brand new, Playstation 2 systems and games. If anyone is interested in those definately let me know. Thanks, Frank
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#3. Re: [E36M3] Spark plug/emission failure - Mechanics - from Ted Telesky
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Date: Wed, 22 Nov 2000 23:16:42 -0500 From: Ted Telesky <TTelesky@compuserve.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Spark plug/emission failure - Mechanics Hi Lowell, Well first, I have a 95M3 build date 9/94. Jim Bassett sent me this link for a spark plug chart: http://www.unofficialbmw.com/images/sparkplugchart.jpg It lists the NGK BKR6EK and the Bosch F7LDCR for my car. Circle BMW has these both listed at around $6 each. My mechanic installed the NGK. The good news is that after the O2 sensor and new plugs, I passed today. The numbers were WAY down. By the way, I failed due to high HC at 3000 rpm. Too much gas I think. Anyway, I guess I will never know which really fixed it, but we could not see much improvement in the emissions at the mechanic's when we did the O2 sensor, which is why he did the plugs. I will say that the car actually pulls a little better. I looked at the old plugs and they looked like the gap had opened - burned???. Anyway, the mechanic said they were shot. I appreciate the comments on the grease. You and a few others agree... I also am a perfectionist at times and hate how some of these guys work... I just wish I had a place to work and more tools. I have done a few small things but that is about it. Anyway, I hope you got packed, got away, and had a great weekend, and thanks again for your comments and help. Ted Message text written by INTERNET:LoweSeaton@aol.com >Ted, Argh! I need to be loading up the car and heading out of town. Oh well. One more e-mail. <grin> Spark plugs: I don't think much of spark plugs. I don't think they make a difference. I too am curious about the different spark plugs for the M3. I see two listed in BMP. One is $4.99 (F7LDCR) and the other is $22.95 (FGR8KQC). Beats me why a spark plug is worth $23. I'm not buying them. Funny story. I once saw the spark plugs come out of a Cadillac owned by a woman. She put 150,000 miles on the poor car and never tuned it up!! There was no electrode!! It had been burned off for thousands of miles. It must have been sparking on the cylinder head. Amazing. In my opinion, spark plugs are almost a lifetime part. You never need to replace them. Before unleaded gas, you needed to replace spark plugs every 15,000 miles because they would foul. Many people still follow this rule. Not necessary. Even BMW only recommends them at Inspection II. That is about 40,000 miles according to the screwy BMW lights. You see these commercials for Ford pickups and Cadillac claiming 100,000 mile tune ups? There you have it. You are expected to run those spark plugs 100,000 miles. Unleaded gas and high voltage ignitions have practically made spark plugs lifetime usage. I have 44,000 miles on my original spark plugs. I was thinking of replacing them. I already bought them from The Ultimate Garage. Then I put my JTD strut brace on. Doh!! Now I can't get the engine cover off. I'm too lazy to take the JTD brace off. It was a chore to get on so I'll just keep the old plugs in. Emissions test: Yeah, sounds like your engine was hot. 20 minutes of driving and idling. Can't get any hotter than that. I'd just try a different test place. Maybe you just had bad luck or his machine was out of calibration. Good luck. Mechanics: I hate paying somebody else to work on my cars. I've never been satisfied once. I know we have a couple of BMW mechanics on this List. I don't mean to offend. I just don't understand why a professional mechanic can't do the little things right. Is it no time? Is it that much pressure to get the job done ASAP? He should have taken the time to grease your spark plugs. You could have problems later. Dissimilar metals are very likely to corrode. You have an aluminum head and steel spark plug. You really need to coat the threads. If your Inspection II is coming up, I guess you could wait until then and lubricate the threads. Is this your free Inspection II? Spark plugs are scheduled to be replaced at Inspection II. Even the factory does not do good work. I wanted to remove my rear rotors. One was seized onto the hub. I beat on it with a sledge hammer but couldn't budge it. I had to use a propane torch. Guess what? There was no grease on the hub. I took the extra time and greased the hub. The rotor will never seize again. Sorry, this was long. Put anti-seize lubricant on your spark plugs at Inspection II. Which model M3 do you have? I think the F7LDCR is for '95 models and the FGR8KQC is for '96+ models. Try another test place for your emissions test. If it still fails, you may have to go to a mechanic for a tune up and software check. Good luck. Happy Thanksgiving. Lowell Seaton '95 M3 Dallas, Texas <
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#4. Re: [E36M3] Spark plug/emission failure - from Ted Telesky
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Date: Wed, 22 Nov 2000 23:18:25 -0500 From: Ted Telesky <TTelesky@compuserve.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Spark plug/emission failure Jim, Thanks for the link - looks like the plugs were correct, and I passed today, so it was either the plugs or O2 sensor... I do notice the car pulls better now... Maybe changing the plugs every 15K is worthwhile... Thanks again. Ted Message text written by Jim Bassett >Here's a spark plug application chart from Ron Stygar: http://www.unofficialbmw.com/images/sparkplugchart.jpg If you have a '95, then either the Bosch or NGK plug is spec'd for your car. Cheers, Jim Bassett<
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#5. Re: [E36M3] Spark plug/emission failure - from Ted Telesky
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Date: Wed, 22 Nov 2000 23:25:41 -0500 From: Ted Telesky <TTelesky@compuserve.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Spark plug/emission failure Hi Everyone, Thanks again for all the emails and comments I received about my problem. Incidentally, my car passed with VERY low numbers today with a new O2 sensor and new plugs. I had failed due to high HC at 3000 RPM - the mechanic said it was running rich. So I think it was the plugs as the O2 sensor did not seem to effect the readouts at the mechanic's. BTW, the old plugs were installed 27K ago. So maybe new plugs at 15K is worthwhile.... I do notice the car pulls better and I can't see an O2 sensor doing that. Do many others change their plugs that often????? Again, thanks for all the help... Ted (passed and faster....)
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#6. re: E36M3 moved from ESP? Nope! - from Ron Katona
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Date: Thu, 23 Nov 2000 09:33:14 -0500 From: Ron Katona <rkatona@bellatlantic.net> Subject: re: E36M3 moved from ESP? Nope! Peter Guagenti wrote: > "Proposals to move the BMW M3 from ESP to BSP or ASP have been tabled at > this time, and no action is recommended. This was announced a few weeks ago and stirred up quite the controversy in the autocross world (again). I think it's a great decision and the car is classed exactly where it should be. As you may know, Bob Tunnell won the national ESP Pro Solo and Solo-II championships and pretty much dominated all year. That dominance is cited by many Pony Car owners as proof that the car is misclassed. As you can imagine, the Pony Car contingent is pretty large and pretty vocal. This decision by the Solo Events Board (SEB) took a good deal of integrity and courage. Most of the argument concerns weight and better (fully independent) suspensions. Yet the DSM AWD Turbos are also in ESP with similar weight to an M3, fully independent suspensions, and AWD! These cars also did very well on the Pro Solo tour where a good launch is key. If it rained at nationals, they would have dominated. But because no one has been able to be as successful as Bob in a DSM car, it hasn't taken the brunt of the complaining like the M3 has. I recently drove a WS6 which I later found out was the 2nd place ESP car in '99. I was .7 seconds faster in it after only two runs than in my car, although my tires were admittedly just about done. I hated it in every way, but you can't argue with big cubes and fat tires. This thing hauls a$$ - crude but effective. My car needs some tweaking, but I don't know what Bob does to be so dominant in this class over these cars. Then there's the simple realization that one guy may be a better driver than anyone else in the class. That's one thing the Pony Car guys refuse to even consider and frankly get offended if you mention it. OTOH, the "real" M3 got shafted once again. Although the E36 got moved from CSP to ESP last year, the E30 never moved and is as uncompetitive against 1600 lb 125 hp CRXs as ever. In stock class, it was going to be moved to GS where in fact it would have been quite competitive. That move was also killed which means the E30 M3 will again compete in AS against the E36 M3, Boxster, 968, and S2000s next year. Oh... Happy Thanksgiving! -- Ron Katona
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#7. Re: [E36M3] Spark plug/emission failure - Mechanics - from NickG
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Date: Thu, 23 Nov 2000 10:30:06 -0500 From: "NickG" <nikog@MediaOne.net> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Spark plug/emission failure - Mechanics High HC's are usually the result of a misfire. The spark plugs were probably the culprit. Nick ----- Original Message ----- The good news is that after the O2 sensor and new plugs, I passed today. The numbers were WAY down. By the way, I failed due to high HC at 3000 rpm. Too much gas I think. Anyway, I guess I will never know which really fixed it, but we could not see much improvement in the emissions at the mechanic's when we did the O2 sensor, which is why he did the plugs. I will say that the car actually pulls a little better. I looked at the old plugs and they looked like the gap had opened - burned???. Anyway, the mechanic said they were shot.
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#8. Re[2]: [E36M3] Spark plug/emission failure - from Andrej Dolenc
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Date: Thu, 23 Nov 2000 11:32:12 -0500 From: Andrej Dolenc <adolenc@erols.com> Subject: Re[2]: [E36M3] Spark plug/emission failure > So maybe new plugs at 15K is worthwhile.... I do notice the > car pulls better and I can't see an O2 sensor doing that. > Do many others change their plugs that often????? I changed my plugs myself at 25k when I noticed a decrease in gas mileage. Came right back with new plugs. 2nd change of plugs came at Inspection II (I assume, haven't actually checked the plugs or anything). Andrej '97 M3
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#9. Re: [E36M3] 3.0 head on 3.2 block - from NickG
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Date: Thu, 23 Nov 2000 11:56:11 -0500 From: "NickG" <nikog@MediaOne.net> Subject: Re: [E36M3] 3.0 head on 3.2 block > What are some of the benefits of doing such a swap? > > Thanks Saving money I guess?? If you've blown your 3.0 block and you want to install a 3.2 block, reusing the 3.0 head will save you some cash. Performance wise they should be identical. Nick
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#10. 1995 e36 m3 stuff for sale.. - from ClassiGuy3@aol.com
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Date: Thu, 23 Nov 2000 13:15:42 EST From: ClassiGuy3@aol.com Subject: 1995 e36 m3 stuff for sale.. I am selling the following. these are the FINAL PRICES. Bought a 540is -Stock cd changer w/rug cover and mounts/ 2 cartriges - 250 -eyelids painted avus blue - 75 -clear euro lights set - 200 -Bilsteins/H&R's (1k mile) - 650 -UUC Sways - 375 -18inch bbs rc's polished with pilot mxx3's 2353518 set of 4 about 3k miles. -2200 -floating rotors with 20k miles. -100 -Factory alarm w/box 2 leather transmitter covers. - 250 -factory armrest light grey leather-200 I am also open to best offers..all prices are without shipping. Leo