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#1. 90K miles - from Alex J. Winslow
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Date: Mon, 04 Dec 2000 12:24:04 -0600 From: "Alex J. Winslow" <alex.winslow@attglobal.net> Subject: 90K miles I'm quickly approaching to 90K mark on my 95M3/2. I plan on taking it in for the 90K "physical". I am looking for input on what's important to check, i.e.; pitfalls, costs, etc. Thanks, Alex Dallas, TX
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#2. Re: [E36M3] Zen and the Art of M3 Repair - from Steve Sharp
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Date: Mon, 04 Dec 2000 10:31:47 -0800 From: Steve Sharp <steve.sharp@xilinx.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Zen and the Art of M3 Repair > 3. OBC likes to tell me, "1 BRAKE LIGHT FAIL" about once or twice during a > drive. Is this the same as the "BRAKE LIGHT CIRCUIT FAILURE" warning? I've > replaced the brake light bulbs (Third-brake light in wing was failed > sometime ago. Has been replaced). Maybe I should just drop the $10 for the > switch, no? > I had this message also a while back, but very intermittant. Had it checked out when I was in for some warranty work on my airbag computer and it turned out to be "burned contacts" in the tail light housing. They replaced the tail light assembly under warranty, but I bet you could clean the bulb contact yourself (as someone already suggested) and it should help. Steve Sharp
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#3. Misfire/NGK v. Bosch Spark Plugs - from NSimon1111@aol.com
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Date: Mon, 04 Dec 2000 13:31:45 EST From: NSimon1111@aol.com Subject: Misfire/NGK v. Bosch Spark Plugs I'm having a problem with occassional misfiring triggering the "Check Engine" light on my 99 M Coupe. The misfire is likely due to frequent short distance, stop and go driving and is easily cured by a quick Italian tune-up (ie, a couple bursts to redline). BMW installs two different 4-electrode platinum plugs -- NGK BKR5 and Bosch 4417. Which is best? Neil Wash, DC
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#4. Re: [E36M3] mega light wheel HEADS UP for E36 M3 owners... - from Josh
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Date: Mon, 04 Dec 2000 13:43:10 -0500 From: Josh <M3@MotorSportPower.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] mega light wheel HEADS UP for E36 M3 owners... > "A 245 you ask? They'd be too fat for the front, and fit a little funny on > the 8" wide rim. Plus, they don't make a 245/35R18 (which would be only > +0.1% bigger than a 245/40R17 in comparision)" 245/35-18 fits no problem in the front even dropped on Race springs and even on 18 x 8.5 wheels. You need a 35mm offset or smaller and some additional negative camber. Saying 245 looks funny on an 8" rim is subjective. Some people like a small tire that's stretched on a wide rim and others like a tire that provides a little lip over the rim to protect it. 245/35-18 is available in a Pzero, Goodyear Eagle F1 and a variety of competition tires. Josh
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#5. Re: [E36M3] Koni Strut Inserts - from Sean Hester
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Date: Mon, 04 Dec 2000 10:46:57 -0800 From: "Sean Hester" <seanh_race@hotmail.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Koni Strut Inserts >Are the Koni's drop in replacements or do they require cutting the stock >strut >assembly? > >I have heard two different things from "knowledgeable" sources. > >Thanks > >Bora i'd have to answer yes to both. i call them drop in (because you end up with half the old strut assembly, and the shock "dropped in" the hole vacated by the stock insert. but yes. there is cutting and welding and other "hard" work that goes on to get them dropped in. it's not like you can do it at home in 5 minutes. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com
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#6. eibach GP question - from vincent.a.leo@us.arthurandersen.com
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Date: Mon, 4 Dec 2000 13:48:02 -0500 From: vincent.a.leo@us.arthurandersen.com Subject: eibach GP question Did I see that there were a couple sets of the eibach sway bars from the GP were available? If so, please contact me. val *******************Internet Email Confidentiality Footer******************* Privileged/Confidential Information may be contained in this message. If you are not the addressee indicated in this message (or responsible for delivery of the message to such person), you may not copy or deliver this message to anyone. In such case, you should destroy this message and kindly notify the sender by reply email. Please advise immediately if you or your employer do not consent to Internet email for messages of this kind. Opinions, conclusions and other information in this message that do not relate to the official business of my firm shall be understood as neither given nor endorsed by it.
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#7. Re: [E36M3] Exhaust - from Sean Hester
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Date: Mon, 04 Dec 2000 10:50:31 -0800 From: "Sean Hester" <seanh_race@hotmail.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Exhaust >I talked to a mechanic a while ago and he told me that >I should get an exhaust b/c I had the JC intake. He >said that the intake may be detrimental if I do not >have the proper flow to match the increased intake >flow. I am still on the stock exhaust. I had my head >gasket replaced b/c of slight bleeding, however, the >minor bleeding was there before the intake was on. >Otherwise I've had no problems. > >How much relevance does this guy's argument have? I >bought the chip in conjunction with the intake so I >assume those types of issues are addressed. At least I >hope so. Does this guy have a ggod point? i'll bet (no scientific measurements here) the "flow capacity" of the intake side of an M3 with the jim c intake is about the same as the "flow capacity" of the stock exaust. on a stock M3 the intake side is much more restrictive. so when you increase it with an intake system, you're bring it up to match the exaust side. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com
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#8. Re: [E36M3] Got my Eibachs over the weekend and Hawaii pics - from Rob Hatrak
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Date: Mon, 4 Dec 2000 10:48:32 -0800 From: "Rob Hatrak" <Hatrak@ix.netcom.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Got my Eibachs over the weekend and Hawaii pics I too installed my Eibach Sways this weekend. INSTALLATION NOTES ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - As per Stephen's advice I set them to Soft/Soft. Seems to be perfect. I need to resist the urge to see what stiff/stiff feels like. - Instead of using lube, I used teflon tape. I wrapped the end of the bars like a hockey puck, using 3 layers. So far, no squeaking at all. - The fit is perfect, and the bars measure up to what Eibach advertises. - Without air tools and a lift, this would be one hell of a hard job! Also, the rear bolts that mate the sway bars up to the rear links were *fun*! W/O air tools, they would be a real bear to get in. THE VERDICT ~~~~~~~~~~~ Wow!! These things absolutely transformed the car. What a wonderful mod! The car stays very flat, and didn't negatively affect the balance of the car. I notice no more under/over steer than before. The car seems quite neutral and very predictable. Well worth the money. On the lighter side of things, my mother was visiting with me when the FedEx guy delivered them. We unpacked them together and put them out on the office floor. Once she understood that they were car parts and not exercise equipment (as she assumed), she got a strange look on her face and said "Your car is so pretty. I can't believe you'd put *RED* bars on it!" I explained to her that if she ever saw these bars again, it would be because my car was upside-down and she should hope the seatbelts did their job. : ) Rob Hatrak Sin City Chapter 95 M3
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#9. RE: Koni Strut Inserts - from Bob Stommel
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Date: Mon, 04 Dec 2000 14:20:16 -0500 From: Bob Stommel <rstommel@iquest.net> Subject: RE: Koni Strut Inserts On the E36 M3, the front Konis are strut inserts. The OEM strut tube is the actual shock housing and is sealed at the top. To install the Konis, you have to cut off the top of the OEM strut, pull out the internal shock parts, and install the Koni insert (the insert is held in place by a bolt attached through the bottom of the strut tube). The Konis come with fairly good instructions on how to do this, but if you don't have at least some mechanical ability, it's better left to a repair shop. Bob Stommel >Date: Sun, 03 Dec 2000 21:40:50 -0800 >From: Bora Akyol <akyol@pluris.com> >Subject: Koni Strut Inserts > >Are the Koni's drop in replacements or do they require cutting the stock strut >assembly? > >I have heard two different things from "knowledgeable" sources. > >Thanks > >Bora
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#10. Re: [E36M3] Got my Eibachs over the weekend - from Wen Liew
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Date: Mon, 04 Dec 2000 19:30:39 From: "Wen Liew" <wwliew@hotmail.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Got my Eibachs over the weekend >From: Chester Wong <chester_p_wong@yahoo.com> >no squeaking (it is understood that yearly maintenance is required to >relube the bushings, but don't advertise that I wrapped my "rebadged Eibachs" with teflon tape before installing the silicone grease oozing bushings. It's been more than a year now and I have yet to hear a squeak. Wen _____________________________________________________________________________________ Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com
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#11. TCC at Sears Point (part 1) - from Kit Wetzler
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Date: Mon, 04 Dec 2000 11:31:39 -0800 From: Kit Wetzler <kitwetzler@mindspring.com> Subject: TCC at Sears Point (part 1) Had a fun weekend at Sear's Point in my M3! Nice to meet Jim Bassett and Donna Seeley, (and thanks for letting me drive your car, Donna...) That track is extremely fun to drive, and very technical. After some pointers, (thanks Jim!) I think I was turning pretty decent lap times. first off, here's a track map. http://www.searspoint.com/graphics/maps/trackmap98.gif H&R coilovers: This was my first track event on my H&R coilovers. I have K-mac camber plates, GC rear shock mounts, TC Kline trailing arm bushings and the H&R coilovers. I had H&R sports and Konis. The coilovers are great! Very crisp turn-in, hardly any body roll and very stable, even under heavy braking. The only time the car felt a bit loose was coming into the carousel. I'd hit the brakes right as I'd crest the hill, and the rear end would scoot over a few feet. Other than that, the car felt nothing but planted. I could see how stiffer springs might give better turn in, but I think the rates the coilovers come with are really good for a combination of street and track driving. G-force R1A tires: These things have *really* stiff sidewalls. From what I understand, the R1A really only works well when you can dial in LOTS of camber. I have -3 degrees of camber up front, -1.6 in the rear, with zero toe. (damn K-Macs, though... I can only get about 4.5 degrees of caster with those camber settings) I figured that I could fit 245/40r17 G-force R1As up front with stock 17x8.5 contour wheels. (I have 4 17x8.5s) Whoops. I was wrong. They just barely fit with 5mm spacers (I lost some of the letting on the tires and wasn't comfortable with that) so I ordered 10mm hubcentric spacers from Steve G. They fit fine, no rubbing on the fenders or the suspension bits, but the steering is *really* darty. :( Donna felt it, on a 55mph parade lap, if I hit any bumps or uneven surfaces, the steering wheel wants to jerk out of my hand. I didn't really notice how bad is was until I drove Donna's car and realized that her steering wheel didn't try to rip my fingers off my hands when I touched a curb. Darn. The G-forces also don't stick *at all* when they are under 50 degrees, so the first few laps were always dicey. I couldn't go WOT in first or second, without massive wheel spin and wheel hop until the tires heated up. This is really hard on the suspension, your bushings, your wheel bearings, and any fillings you might have in your teeth. However, Sear's Point only requires a downshift to second for turn 11, so they worked out alright. I think these would be really poor autoX tires if you live somewhere where it gets cold. However, once they warm up, I really like them. The R1A's fiberglass belt makes the tire a bit more forgiving (and lighter) than the normal G-force R1. They give a bit more feedback and more warning when the tires let go. .... continued ...
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#12. TCC at Sear's Point (part 2) - from Kit Wetzler
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Date: Mon, 04 Dec 2000 11:33:07 -0800 From: Kit Wetzler <kitwetzler@mindspring.com> Subject: TCC at Sear's Point (part 2) Car: I was really happy with the car all weekend. Temperatures were really low, on Saturday it was 34 degrees on my OBC when I showed up! yikes! I put in half a tank of 100 octane unleaded to stop the car from pinging, and boy, did it wake the car up! I gotta try dynoing it with race gas when it's cold out... it certainly felt fast. It also maintained more of its power over the day... usually my car gets a bit sluggish feeling by the end of the day when the motor is heatsoaked... (not surprised, the knock threshold is much lower when the motor is hot). I did almost goof really badly a couple of times. I came up the hill to turn 2 and saw some smoke and slammed on the brakes, thinking that someone had crashed in front of me (turns out it was coming from the bulldozer working on the track on the far side of the tire wall) and the car got pretty loose, and I had to apply quite a bit of counter steering to get it back in line. Normally this wouldn't be much of an issue, but there is a tire wall about 1 foot from the track on the outside of the turn and I was heading straight for it. Also, I put 2 wheels off in turn 3a, coming down the hill. That was purely my fault, I carried too much speed into the turn... It's scary, it's a blind crest and there is a tire wall fairly close on the other side... I also found out that yes, you can stuff an E36 transmission into first at about 80 mph. I was downshifting from 4th and I guess I shoved all weird, because it went into first. Luckily, I didn't let the clutch out... I pulled the lever out of gear and felt it snap over, between 3rd and 4th... if it'd been in third, like I wanted, it wouldn't have moved over. YIKES. That would've blown my engine really quickly. I got lucky... Hopefully the STN rings I ordered from JTD will stop the tranny from flopping around so much. All in all, a really fun weekend. Glad I came out unscathed, I was a bit nervous before the event. :) Hope to meet more of you out at these events! Anyone going to Laguna Seca with TCC on Dec 16th and 17th? If anyone needs a set of 5mm spacers with longer lug bolts, let me know. I have a set for sale, and would like to get $30 for them... preferably local, shipping them is a pain since they're fairly heavy. -kit 97 m3
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#13. E36M3 Front mudflaps for sale - from Marc.S.Edwards@questdiagnostics.com
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Date: Mon, 4 Dec 2000 12:13:53 -0800 From: Marc.S.Edwards@questdiagnostics.com Subject: E36M3 Front mudflaps for sale Group; I just took these off seeing as I don't really need them in the LA area: Front E36M3 mudflaps came off of my 1995 2 door M3. Black in color. I installed them 1 year ago in anticipation of moving to the northeast. That never happened. Car was in the garage until move to LA earlier this year. Mudflaps have about 5000 miles on them. BMW part number: 91 760 000 026 All mounting hardware and instructions are present. I honestly don't know if these will fit other E36 models or will fit 4 doors. Great for those of you experiencing winter I suppose. 25$ shipped ground/routine anywhere in the 48 contiguous United States by UPS or US mail. Consideration given in order of e-mail receipt. Thanks, Marc SoCal 1995 M3 without the need for front mudflaps