-------------------- 1 --------------------
#1. it wasnt a differential whine - from Paul Elliott
Top
Date: Sun, 21 Apr 2002 15:03:54 -0400 From: "Paul Elliott" <elliott.paul@worldnet.att.net> Subject: it wasnt a differential whine Yesterday, I drove around with my back seat down, to hear any noises I may have picked up in the trunk, and I heard it...Something back there is resonating at 3500 rpms...Its high pitched, kind of like the sound you used to make if you ever put wax paper around a plastic come and hummed, like a harmonica. A high pitched buzzy resonance. I bet its the case of my CD changer, mounted to the roof of the trunk. Its very tight in its bracket, but theres a loose door which covers the front where the cd inserts, and also, it could be the metal case itself which is resonating. Glad to know its not a mechanical whine of a more serious nature! Paul Elliott --------------------------------------------------------- '99 White M3; < 45K miles; Dinan stage II SC kit with 6" RMS crank pulley: 11 psi; AA Water Injection; Fikse FM-10s; X-Brace; Dinan Koni Suspension; Stygar SS and Clutch Stop; Sound by Polk, Excelon, JLAudio
-------------------- 2 --------------------
#2. Wheel Locks - from Paul Elliott
Top
Date: Sun, 21 Apr 2002 15:23:14 -0400 From: "Paul Elliott" <elliott.paul@worldnet.att.net> Subject: Wheel Locks >>. Those sockets are very easy to come by and will remove 99.9% wheel locks with a cordless impact gun with ease. << Arent these locks with the eccentric patterns in the bolt head all supposed to be 'somewhat' unique? I dont know how many different patterns they are able to cut before they start repeating them or start making them so similar that many can be opened with the same key, but in general arent these keys supposed to be tied to these locks in roughtly a 1 to 1 ratio? I know I can a duplicate if I write to McGard, but wouldnt I have to give them a serial number or in some other way identify the locks which the key is supposed to match? Or is the problem that the eccentric patterns are so similar that its really easy to find keys which will open many of them. Ok, so for alternatives, theres an ACS lock set from TMS which looks exactly like McGard from the pics...But wouldnt they have the same problems? So, then, the eccentric pattern locs are out....But still, I need a chrome lock head to be the best match to the fikses...Second best would be a silver bolt head....I can get silver locks from Bavarian Autosports. Instead of an eccentric pattern cut into the lock head, they use a head with a series of longitudnal grooves cut into it for the key to match....Would this type face the same fate as the eccentric pattern ones? If true, then I guess any of them would face the same fate, and make locks in general useless..... Im just afraid to be driving around with unprotected fikses, if I have any choice at all. Paul Elliott --------------------------------------------------------- '99 White M3; < 45K miles; Dinan stage II SC kit with 6" RMS crank pulley: 11 psi; AA Water Injection; Fikse FM-10s; X-Brace; Dinan Koni Suspension; Stygar SS and Clutch Stop; Sound by Polk, Excelon, JLAudio
-------------------- 3 --------------------
#3. Kudos!!........was Track Trailer Pictures - from Burgess, Kim L
Top
Date: Sun, 21 Apr 2002 12:22:59 -0700 From: "Burgess, Kim L" <kim.l.burgess@boeing.com> Subject: Kudos!!........was Track Trailer Pictures Jeremy wrote: "ps. Everyone: Note how I trimmed away most of the attached post. It's a skill I know you can all develop, after all you were smart enough to buy an M3. ;) The people on digest (not me) will love you for it." Kudos!! Jeremy! Kim L Burgess
-------------------- 4 --------------------
#4. to FLUSH the hydraulics system on the M3 ? - from Cesar Omar Torres
Top
Date: Sun, 21 Apr 2002 15:44:52 -0400 From: "Cesar Omar Torres" <cesar@cfl.rr.com> Subject: to FLUSH the hydraulics system on the M3 ? Dear BMW Owners Were I can fine information on how to FLUSH the hydraulics system on the M3 E36. Please Help! I will highly appreciate. I bought two quart of Super Blue Racing fluid and a Brake Bleeding Kit. I do not know how to complete flush the system on car with ABS braking systems. PLEASE HELP!!!!! Cesar Omar Torres Orlando, Florida 1997 BMW M3
-------------------- 5 --------------------
#5. RE: [E36M3] to FLUSH the hydraulics system on the M3 ? - from Carey Probst
Top
Date: Sun, 21 Apr 2002 16:59:25 -0400 From: "Carey Probst" <hcprobst@alum.mit.edu> Subject: RE: [E36M3] to FLUSH the hydraulics system on the M3 ? Hi Cesar, Guess it's my time to help after your great advice on San Juan. I'll probably start a small flurry of responses since there seem to be as many answers to this question as there are people on this list, but here goes. My method, others probably different. Know lots of opinion on pressure/sucker bleeders. 1. Fill pressure bleeder with fluid, attach to master cylinder. Pressurize lightly. Too much pressure can cause bubbles. 2. Start at Right rear and bleed until you get blue/gold clear fluid. 3. Next is Left rear 4. Right front 5. Left front 6. Clutch Make sure that no air enters system and that pressure bleeder fluid level stays higher than the pickup. Remove pressure bleeder and fill master cylinder to fill line. Now if you really want to flush the ABS, the only way I know (other than getting the activator the dealer uses) is to drive around awhile activating ABS at every stop. Return home and repeat steps 1-6. Personally I don't worry about the little bit of fluid in the ABS system since it gets changed 2-3 times a year for drivers schools anyway. If you are doing on the 2-3 year interval recommended, then twice is still a cheap alternative to the dealer. Take care, Carey Carey Probst, '99 M3/2, BMW CCA Patroon and Genesee Valley Chapters Sharked, Stressed, Schrothed, Gauged, Hitched, X-Braced A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. > -----Original Message----- > From: Cesar Omar Torres [mailto:cesar@cfl.rr.com] > Sent: Sunday, April 21, 2002 3:45 PM > To: E36M3 > Subject: [E36M3] to FLUSH the hydraulics system on the M3 ? > > > Date: Sun, 21 Apr 2002 15:44:52 -0400 > From: "Cesar Omar Torres" <cesar@cfl.rr.com> > Subject: to FLUSH the hydraulics system on the M3 ? > > Dear BMW Owners > > Were I can fine information on how to FLUSH the hydraulics system on the > M3 E36. Please Help! I will highly appreciate. I bought two quart of > Super Blue Racing fluid and a Brake Bleeding Kit. I do not know how to > complete flush the system on car with ABS braking systems. PLEASE > HELP!!!!! > > Cesar Omar Torres > Orlando, Florida > 1997 BMW M3 > > > > > ************************************************************* > List Commands > UNSUBSCRIBE - (in subject line) unsubscribes you from the mailing list. > DIR - sends a listing of files available in the list's GET directory. > GET filename1.ext,filename2.ext - sends the requested file(s). > > To issue a command/request to the server: > Send a message with the command you wish executed as the > subject of the message to the email address e36m3@bmw-m.net. > ************************************************************* > > >
-------------------- 6 --------------------
#6. Vaseline under the Oil Cap - from The Buch
Top
Date: Sun, 21 Apr 2002 17:09:51 -0700 From: The Buch <the_buch@telus.net> Subject: Vaseline under the Oil Cap Topping up with a bit of oil today, I noticed a small buildup of muck under the oil cap the exact consistency of vaseline ... it has been about 8,000km (5,000mi) since the last change during which I have added about a quart of 10W-40 Amsoil to the initial fill of 10W-30 Redline (both full synthetic). I have also changed to an aluminum filler cap (AA) which is a very tight seal-fit. Any suggestions appreciated. Thanks, Doug
-------------------- 7 --------------------
#7. Re: [E36M3] Vaseline under the Oil Cap - from NickG
Top
Date: Sun, 21 Apr 2002 20:54:06 -0400 From: "NickG" <nick@tech-nick.net> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Vaseline under the Oil Cap Are you by chance losing coolant or overheating? The vaseline type buildup is indicative of water mixing with oil. Nick > Date: Sun, 21 Apr 2002 17:09:51 -0700 > From: The Buch <the_buch@telus.net> > Subject: Vaseline under the Oil Cap > > Topping up with a bit of oil today, I noticed a small buildup of muck > under the oil cap the exact consistency of vaseline ... it has been > about 8,000km (5,000mi) since the last change during which I have added > about a quart of 10W-40 Amsoil to the initial fill of 10W-30 Redline > (both full synthetic). I have also changed to an aluminum filler cap > (AA) which is a very tight seal-fit. > > Any suggestions appreciated. > > Thanks, Doug
-------------------- 8 --------------------
#8. The weekend report from Wayne (a bit long) - from Wayne Miller
Top
Date: Sun, 21 Apr 2002 23:22:44 -0400 From: "Wayne Miller" <m3@waynemiller.com> Subject: The weekend report from Wayne (a bit long) I know that the title is a bit vague but so many things happened over the weekend and I just decided to write one E-mail. On Thursday night, I drove up to Sharon, CT with Chester and Jim El Nabli to attend 2 driver's schools at Lime Rock on Friday and Saturday with the Connecticut Valley and Patroon CCA chapters respectively. During the trip, the trailer was fine and we cruised at 70-80 for much of the trip. I plan on taking the advice of a few people and repacking the bearings with some good grease before the next use because there wasn't all that much grease in there when I put it together even though I filled the cap. I was surprised at how stable the trailer was during the trip. So far the only challenge is backing it up but I am getting better at that. I discovered that if I have the floor jack (the heaviest item) at the back of the box and take the tires off the front, the whole thing flops backwards so I am going to try rearranging the box contents with the heavier stuff further forwards. I may even look at mounting the jack externally somewhere to save some space in the box. For those that noticed that the tongue was riding low, I borrowed a co-workers receiver hitch about 20 minutes after I took the pictures and now the trailer is almost level (with an even higher one on order to get the trailer level). On Friday morning, we went to the track and had a great, safe day. The OBDII cam kit performed flawlessly and the car felt great. Many people said that my car was noticeably louder going down the front straight (from the roar of the intake and the SuperSprint exhaust which I love). It was hot out for most of the day (in the 80's) and I ran without the fan and with the lower temperature fan switch and the temperature gauge never moved out of the middle. The oil temperature did get up to about 230 degrees but that isn't appreciably more than Chester's and he still has the fan. There was a sudden thunderstorm in the middle of the afternoon and everything stopped during a huge downpour but then we went back out when the rain stopped and the track dried very quickly. Overall, it was a great day. On Saturday morning we went back to the track for another day. We got there right before 7am and I had just unhooked the trailer and Jim said, "Do you feel that?" I look and both the car and the trailer were vibrating back and forth. What's up with that? There was an earthquake in NY that day and we were experiencing it. I am an East Coast boy so what do I know about earthquakes? That was interesting. The day was considerably cooler than Friday and mostly overcast but we still had a great day. There was one incident where a 2002 flipped over but the driver was fine. Again, it started to rain in the afternoon so everything stopped. When the rain stopped, people went back out but this time I decided that I had already had 2 good, incident free days so I skipped my last session when the track was wet (even though I had already swapped the SO3's back on). There were at least 2 minor incidents on the wet track with one E36M3 and one E30M3 but both were drivable afterwards. Again, another good day. On Sunday, Chester, Mike Tse, Dave Ngo and Mark Kelly all came over and we talked and did some mechanical work on the cars. Afterwards, we took out my car, Chester's car, Mike's car, Dave's car and my dad's NSX and went for a nice drive. We came up with some hand signals to communicate with each other and tried some rolling acceleration runs. I was a bit surprised that the NSX was still faster than my M3 but not by all that much. We started out even for the first few hundred feet (starting at about 60) and then the NSX just slowly started pulling away. Now the NSX isn't stock either (the engine has intake, headers and exhaust) and I have dynoed it at 264 at the rear wheels. The M3 is slightly less than that at the rear wheels but where I think the biggest difference lies is the fact that the NSX redlines at 8,000 which seemed to be an advantage during the tests. I can see how this helps the E46M3's too. Don't get me wrong, I am in no way unhappy with the performance of the OBDII cam kit but I thought that it would be closer. One thing for sure, it really sounds great with the kit (others can chime in here too). I guess that I do need that extra 10hp so I am looking into the Evosport pulley kit (actually I was looking into it before but now I am more interested). The only issue that crept up is a check engine light for one of the after-cat O2 sensors. I cleared it and then it kept coming back so when I had the car up while swapping my brakes back, I took a quick look and found that the wire was routed wrong and the exhaust burned through the insulation and started melting the wires which triggered the code. I'll see if I can get that covered under warranty when it goes in on Tuesday. Other things I noticed? After Chester and Mark drove my car, they said that it felt very unstable on the highway. I thought about that when driving it later and they were right, it was a bit floaty so time to start playing with things again. I think that I am going to try the Eibach Pro-Kit springs first because they are linear and lower the car just a little bit. I also think part of the problem was in the alignment that I just got because I don't think they did exactly what I wanted. We bled the brakes on Dave's car and they feel good but still nothing compares to the pedal feel on Chester's car. I don't know how or why the Movit kit brakes would change the pedal feel but his pedal just doesn't move. On most cars, there is at least a little bit of mushy travel first but there's none on Chester's. There must be some ancient Chinese secret that he doesn't want to let us in on. I also discovered that my pedal is either in a different position or moves too much because you can't heal and toe due to the fact that the pedal is too far down. I don't think the brakes feel mushy at all but the pedal alignment is just off. Is there any adjustment for either the throttle or the brake to move the static position? Yes, it sucks that my garage backed the SUV into my car but I am actually not all that upset. First, it does take a lot to get me upset (although my ex-girlfriend has managed to do just that recently but that's another story) because while it may be an M3, it is still just a car and it can be fixed. Second, I was planning on getting the entire front clip repainted this Spring anyway because the paint job that the last body shop did (after my crash at Pocono 2 years ago) was just plain terrible. This way, my garage is now paying for the repaint so in one sense, they saved me about $2,000. I don't feel too bad for them because I pay $315 per month for a stupid parking space here in NYC so they won't be left starving. Now I am just plain exhausted from the entire weekend so I am going to go to sleep. If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask. -Wayne
-------------------- 9 --------------------
#9. Re: [E36M3] Wheel Locks - from Juan Bruce
Top
Date: Sun, 21 Apr 2002 23:21:17 -0700 From: "Juan Bruce" <jbrucebmw@hotmail.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Wheel Locks I also had a terrible time removing a stuck McGard wheel lock. I broke two keys before finally removing the stuck bolt with a third key in an impact wrench. Now I'm in a quandary. I don't ever want to use a wheel lock again. On the other hand when my friend had the wheels stolen off of his Miata they dropped the car on the ground. It caused so much damage to the lower body panels, suspension etc. that they totaled the car out. A totaled car over some $400 stock wheels! I could deal with stolen wheels but I would hate to have to deal with all the other potential damage. Juan Bruce '85 M635CSi '95 M3 >-------------------- 8 -------------------- >Date: Sun, 21 Apr 2002 11:46:51 -0400 >From: Andrej Dolenc <adolenc@erols.com> >Subject: Re: [E36M3] Wheel Locks > > > I remember a thread not too long ago where someone had a real bad time >with > > a wheel lock or key coming apart leaving him in a bit of a lurch...then, > > others chimed in with their comments, but I dont remember if there were >any > > we should be staying away from > > > Right now, Im considering Mc Gard in the chrome color from BMPD for $36. > > There's a very similar looking chrome set by ACS. > > > Are either of these the type that guys had trouble with? Theyre the >type > > with the eccentric pattern in the top of the lock. > >Might have been me as I did have problems with my McGard wheel locks >that I got from Fikse. The key used to remove the wheel lock stripped >as I was trying to pull one of the wheel bolts off. The shop I use >for tires had a special socket which they hammered onto the wheel bolt >and pulled the rest of them off. They replaced them with normal wheel >bolts, and they've been that way ever since. > >I can heartily NOT recommend the McGard locks. > >Andrej >'97 M3 > > > > _________________________________________________________________ Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com
-------------------- 10 --------------------
#10. RE: [E36M3] HK AM? - from Jeremy Conners
Top
Date: Mon, 22 Apr 2002 07:34:16 -0400 From: "Jeremy Conners" <Jeremy.Conners@compdevsys.com> Subject: RE: [E36M3] HK AM? Mel, IIRC, FM uses the external antenna that plugs into the radio and AM uses the car body as an antenna (through the ground). I'm sure BMW's electrical engineers isolated this during development of the 3. It sounds like one of the ECUs are bleeding a signal back to ground (because there are multiple accessories causing the noise). I'll check with some more knowledgable sources on this and reply back if there are any more developments. -Jeremy <SNIP> List, I have the Luxo-barge package on my 97 4 door and part of that is the Harmon Kardon sound system. Lately I have had an interest in listening to AM talk shows instead of the Alternative Rock that has been rattling my eardrums. (Am I getting old?) The problem is that I get intermittent pseudo-clear reception with most of the time getting electrical interference noise. Anyone else have or hear of this problem? I checked Stygar and the UBMW archives but found no leads. Its not just ignition noise either; I get fan noise from the AC system or from the radiator pusher fan, ignition, sunroof, power windows and overhead AC lines (the last I expect). It is irritating enough that you can't hear the "talk" through the static. I have considered pulling the head unit out to see if some connection is loose in the back, but I doubt that could be it if my FM reception is great. <SNIP>