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#1. Steering wheel off center! - from Dorffer, Rich
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Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2002 17:54:49 -0400 From: "Dorffer, Rich" <RDORFFER@CleIndians.com> Subject: Steering wheel off center! David says > > After cooling myself down after the brake job, I've noticed my steering > wheel has been knocked slightly off center. It must be the force I applied > removing the front rotors! Huh? how is this possible. Something more is amiss here than the force you applied while doing your brake job. Are your tie rods loose (and turning)? This doesn't coincide with your alignment being alright though. Is you power steering rack messed up somehow. All these seem to be a stretch and I can't think of much else. Regards, Rich
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#2. Re: [E36M3] TONS of M3 Aftermarket Goodies for SALE!!! - from alex.fadeev@verizon.com
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Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2002 16:47:54 -0500 From: alex.fadeev@verizon.com Subject: Re: [E36M3] TONS of M3 Aftermarket Goodies for SALE!!! "Paul Elliott" <elliott.paul@worldnet.att.net> wrote: > > >>I know I wouldn't be very > >>interested in an M3 with "go-fast" parts > > To me, this is just a ridiculous prejudice that some people have. > [...] Are these parts so damn fragile that normal use over a year's > time is enough to render them useless? Thats the way your talking. > Cant Koni Shocks, Big brakes, Superchargers, etc, etc, withstand a > year's worth of non track use? Paul, The issue is not the quality of the aftermarket parts (though that varies a LOT more than you think), but the implication of (ab-)use to which the car was subjected. Have you ever looked at any rubber bushings on a tracked car? All of them, and I do mean ALL, are cracked and require replacement after 1-2K track miles. And that's not an inexpensive and sometimes non-DIY proposition. Ask me how I know. It would be nice if the original owner's maintenance budget always had priority over upgrades, but that's rarely the case. On top of that most people don't even know what to look for and how to properly maintain their cars. Last but not least, it takes a very special kind of a buyer to value Your mods. Most people will shriek away from what You may consider to be the ultimate street/track compromise. Thus the problem with heavily depressed demand for modified cars. > But, assuming you should be able to get at least 50k to 100K miles, > or possibly well more, on many performance upgrades, I just dont > understand the 'logic' thats says that go fast parts decrease the > value of the car, or are worth less than nothing, etc, etc. I think > its just a stupid myth, and dumb predudice, not backed up with evidence. I think you have a very powerful disincentive to understand ;-) This logic is indeed an anathema to the people who dump all that cash on the mods. The only way a heavily modified car is a good buy is when it was owned by an anal poseur mechanical engineer. Those do exist, but are far rarer than half assed chopped rides. A friend recently bought a car with fewer miles than yours, a year older, all your mods and than some (Porsche brakes, etc) for around $25K. Are your palms sweating yet? Yes, I think he got a sweat deal. Particularly since I know the PO and the car was reasonably well maintained and tracked only occasionally. > >>modified cars are driven quite hard, on or > >>off the track. Even if they've been maintained well, > >>they've seen far more abuse than a stock car.<< > > I beg to differ. Ive seen NA guys who spend alot more time up at > redline than I ever have! Well, shame on you! ;-) alex f
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#3. Re: Overheating when idling... - from Neil Maller
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Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2002 17:09:35 -0500 From: Neil Maller <neil.maller@gte.net> Subject: Re: Overheating when idling... on 9/18/02 4:42 PM, Juan Rico <juan_rico@captionsinc.com> wrote: > Can't figure this one out... My car will run with the water temp needle right > in the middle be it 80 or 110 degrees outside, whether I'm driving like my > granny or redlining it... > > However, if I leave the car idling for more than 10 minutes, the temp gauge > will slowly start climbing toward the red-even at night with 60 degree ambient > temperatures. > > As soon as I get the car moving again, everything goes back to normal. As long > as the car is moving, the car runs cool. Does anybody know the explanation for > this? > > Is this the water pump getting ready to go? My coolant level is OK, and I > don't have any coolant leaks... If the water pump were going your car wouldn't cool when moving either. The difference between cooling in motion and when stationary is airflow through the radiator. The symptoms suggest that your fan clutch may be going bad. While the cooling fan is probably turning, it may not be turning enough to move sufficient air. The auxiliary electric cooling fan should also come on when the engine starts to overheat. Does it? Neil 96 M3
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#4. RE: Steering wheel off center - from BOOM,BILL (HP-Roseville,ex1)
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Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2002 15:09:57 -0700 From: "BOOM,BILL (HP-Roseville,ex1)" <bill_boom@hp.com> Subject: RE: Steering wheel off center > From: "david tow" <david_tow@hotmail.com> > Subject: Steering wheel off center! > > Hi, all, > > After cooling myself down after the brake job, I've noticed > my steering > wheel has been knocked slightly off center. It must be the > force I applied > removing the front rotors! > > Is this an easy job to fix? I am sure the alignment is okay, > since I drove > the car over the speed limit a number of times without > feeling anything > funny. The car tracks straight like an arrow. If the steering wheel was centered before and is not now, the only thing I'm aware of that could explain that is a change in toe, either from bad tie rods or running over a curb. (If it was always off-center, the toe could have just been set wrong at the alignment shop.) If toe changed on one wheel, the car would still self-center as you drive it but the steering wheel would be in a different spot. In any event, you may want to have the toe checked - not just total toe but that you have an equal amount on each side. Even if total toe is within spec, one side could have more than the other, and if so it should be reset (after first centering the steering wheel.) - Bill
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#5. Re: [E36M3] Overheating when idling... - from Joe Dyer
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Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2002 15:21:03 -0700 From: "Joe Dyer" <joedyer@attbi.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Overheating when idling... Sounds like a faulty fan clutch. With the engine off, see if you can spin the fan blade by hand. If it spins freely without much resistance, then its a goner! Joe ----- Original Message ----- From: "Juan Rico" <juan_rico@captionsinc.com> To: "E36M3" <e36m3@bmw-m.net> Sent: Wednesday, September 18, 2002 1:12 PM Subject: [E36M3] Overheating when idling... > Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2002 13:06:53 -0700 > From: Juan Rico <juan_rico@captionsinc.com> > Subject: Overheating when idling... > > > Hello, > > > > Can't figure this one out... My car will run with the water temp needle > right in the middle > > be it 80 or 110 degrees outside, whether I'm driving like my granny or > redlining it... > > However, if I leave the car idling for more than 10 minutes, the temp gauge > will slowly > > start climbing toward the red-even at night with 60 degree ambient > temperatures. > > As soon as I get the car moving again, everything goes back to normal. > > As long as the car is moving, the car runs cool. Does anybody know the > explanation for this? > > Is this the water pump getting ready to go? > > My coolant level is OK, and I don't have any coolant leaks... > > > > > > Juan. > > > > > ************************************************************* > 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. > ************************************************************* > >
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#6. Re: [E36M3] TONS of M3 Aftermarket Goodies for SALE!!! - from Paul Elliott
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Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2002 18:33:04 -0400 From: "Paul Elliott" <elliott.paul@worldnet.att.net> Subject: Re: [E36M3] TONS of M3 Aftermarket Goodies for SALE!!! >>Have you ever looked at any rubber bushings on a tracked car<< Again, almost everybody who has replied to my post has brought up something about TRACKED cars. Didnt anyone notice in my post that I explicitly EXCLUDED tracked cars from the discussion? Once again, none of the points Ive been making about modded cars were meant to apply to Tracked car. Most modded cars are never tracked! Many BMWs are modded. Few BMWs are tracked. >>Last but not least, it takes a very special kind of a buyer to value Your mods. Most people will shriek away from what You may consider to be the ultimate street/track compromise<< It depends on the mods. I disagree completely that if you offer a great car in great condition, with a top flight supercharger, with variable boost, and a Koni suspension with springs that perhaps lower the car an inch but are non jarring, with no rubbing, and a few more middle of the road mods, that this somehow makes the car into an insular creature that appeals to noone who's interested in generally accepted upgraded parts. There are LOADs of people who would make buying a supercharger one of the first things they would add to a car purchase, if only they could afford it. Offer them the same car, with supercharger, and a chance to buy it at a fraction of its new cost, well, this would provide an awful lot of people the only opportunity theyre going to have to get into it. I have found more than a few individuals who would jump at the chance to buy my car if it were for sale. That's because its in great shape, well maintained, beautifully clean, never abused, and, has upgrades which are generally those which performance freaks, who like forced induction, would opt for themselves. Just look at it. This, by the way is to counter your notion that 'it takes a very special kind of buyer to value your mods...', as if you cant admit there is certain nucleus of parts which are often considered desirable. For instance, despite what you may think, there are more than a few people who like Dinan products. If you offer them the opportunity to get into a beautiful car with a Dinan supercharger, Dinan suspension, X brace, AA Aquamist water injection system, a beautiful stereo upgrade, and a Steiger Short Shift kit, and they can get into it at just a couple or few thousand dollars over the car's non-modded book value, what happens is that even if they might not have chosen the exact brand of a particular mod that's on the car, for the opportunity to get a low mileage version of it at what amounts to 80% off more, they begin to overlook the one or two items that might not been exactly what they would have bought themselves. Actually, if the price and condition are good enough, and if the total package is desirable, what had previously perhaps been considered a liability all of a sudden becomes viewed as an asset! >> think you have a very powerful disincentive to understand ;-) << That would only be true if I had any intention of selling...I love my car. I dont need the money a sale would generate. I plan on driving it til it cant go anymore. I never bought the upgrades with any intention of getting the money back when I sell the car. I knew that if I bought the upgrades wisely, that when I was done, Id have a car that for me to duplicate in the market, would cost me somewhere over $70,000, which of course is much more than the car plus mods cost me. And to duplicate the performance of what Im driving in the open market would cost me more than id realistically want to spend at this point. Thus, I feel I met my goal. Clearly, I know you never go into something like this to make money! Nor, do I feel you need to go into it and expect to lose your shirt. I think my approach will be to replace parts as they wear out, and keep it going for as long as I can. When you really love a car, you tend to do this! Adding to what I said before, Ive had several people say to me, mostly younger and less established folks, that the only way theyd be able to buy a forced induced M3 is to find a great used one, with as few miles on it as possible. Get it checked out, and if all checks out well, expect to pay a few thousand dollars over its book value to try and get a great deal on the upgrades. Say what you want, I still believe this to be the case. Paul Elliott --------------------------------------------------------- '99 White M3; 45-50K miles; Dinan stage II SC kit with 6" RMS crank pulley: 11 psi; AA Aquamist Water/Methanol Injection; Fikse FM-10s; X-Brace; Dinan Koni Suspension; Stygar SS and Clutch Stop; Sound by Polk, Excelon, JLAudio ----- Original Message ----- From: <alex.fadeev@verizon.com> To: "Paul Elliott" <elliott.paul@worldnet.att.net> Cc: "E36M3" <e36m3@bmw-m.net> Sent: Wednesday, September 18, 2002 5:47 PM Subject: Re: [E36M3] TONS of M3 Aftermarket Goodies for SALE!!! > > "Paul Elliott" <elliott.paul@worldnet.att.net> wrote: > > > > >>I know I wouldn't be very > > >>interested in an M3 with "go-fast" parts > > > > To me, this is just a ridiculous prejudice that some people have. > > [...] Are these parts so damn fragile that normal use over a year's > > time is enough to render them useless? Thats the way your talking. > > Cant Koni Shocks, Big brakes, Superchargers, etc, etc, withstand a > > year's worth of non track use? > > Paul, > The issue is not the quality of the aftermarket parts (though that varies a > LOT more than you think), but the implication of (ab-)use to which the car > was subjected. > Have you ever looked at any rubber bushings on a tracked car? All of them, > and I do mean ALL, are cracked and require replacement after 1-2K track > miles. And that's not an inexpensive and sometimes non-DIY proposition. Ask > me how I know. > It would be nice if the original owner's maintenance budget always had > priority over upgrades, but that's rarely the case. On top of that most > people don't even know what to look for and how to properly maintain their > cars. > > Last but not least, it takes a very special kind of a buyer to value Your > mods. Most people will shriek away from what You may consider to be the > ultimate street/track compromise. Thus the problem with heavily depressed > demand for modified cars. > > > But, assuming you should be able to get at least 50k to 100K miles, > > or possibly well more, on many performance upgrades, I just dont > > understand the 'logic' thats says that go fast parts decrease the > > value of the car, or are worth less than nothing, etc, etc. I think > > its just a stupid myth, and dumb predudice, not backed up with evidence. > > I think you have a very powerful disincentive to understand ;-) > This logic is indeed an anathema to the people who dump all that cash on > the mods. > The only way a heavily modified car is a good buy is when it was owned by > an anal poseur mechanical engineer. Those do exist, but are far rarer than > half assed chopped rides. > > A friend recently bought a car with fewer miles than yours, a year older, > all your mods and than some (Porsche brakes, etc) for around $25K. > > Are your palms sweating yet? > > Yes, I think he got a sweat deal. Particularly since I know the PO and the > car was reasonably well maintained and tracked only occasionally. > > > >>modified cars are driven quite hard, on or > > >>off the track. Even if they've been maintained well, > > >>they've seen far more abuse than a stock car.<< > > > > I beg to differ. Ive seen NA guys who spend alot more time up at > > redline than I ever have! > > Well, shame on you! > ;-) > > alex f > > >
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#7. Re: Re: [E36M3] Overheating when idling... - from cteague@cox.net
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Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2002 19:03:15 -0400 From: <cteague@cox.net> Subject: Re: Re: [E36M3] Overheating when idling... Joe, This seems like a logical solution, but everywhere else I see people recommending removing the engine fan to get more HP, and most people say it does not affect the cooling in most climates as long as the electric fan works. See www.understeer.com. I was hoping to do the engine fan removal myself. I think Juan is in So Calif. like I am, and it is not all that hot where I am. Not sure about Juan. So could this be the electic fan going, or is the fan removal mod really not a good thing? I was going to also get the lower temp electic fan switch as recommended, but I know several people who have not done that, and still have no overheating problems with the engine fan removed. Chris 97 M3/4 Who was hoping to toss out the engine fan > Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2002 15:21:03 -0700 > From: "Joe Dyer" <joedyer@attbi.com> > Subject: Re: [E36M3] Overheating when idling... > > Sounds like a faulty fan clutch. With the engine off, see if you can spin > the fan blade by hand. If it spins freely without much resistance, then its > a goner!
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#8. Re: Climate control issues - from Sprichardson@aol.com
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Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2002 19:20:44 EDT From: Sprichardson@aol.com Subject: Re: Climate control issues
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#9. Re: Climate control issues - from Sprichardson@aol.com
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Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2002 19:32:38 EDT From: Sprichardson@aol.com Subject: Re: Climate control issues Group, As usual somebody starts talking on the list about some gremlin, and my car immediately begins showing symptoms... This time it's the apparently fairly common climate control module. The temp display on the dash goes blank from time to time and it seems to default to whatever setting it feels like. If I bump the side of the console near the unit (well ok, hit it fairly hard) it comes back on and works properly. This sounds like the module from what others have described. Right? My car is a 96 lux coupe and has automatic climate control. Someone on the list metioned $200.00 for the module, my independant mechanic said around $160.00 and then when I went to buy one at the local stealer they quoted me $325.00 !!! Anyone have recent experience and/or maybe a part number ? What should I be paying? Where's a good place to buy one that will ship to MN.? Thanks, Scott 96 M3/2
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#10. RE: [E36M3] Overheating when idling... - from Juan Rico
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Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2002 16:49:58 -0700 From: Juan Rico <juan_rico@captionsinc.com> Subject: RE: [E36M3] Overheating when idling... Just got back from trying that. No, the fan doesn't spin freely. It barely spins, actually, unless I push it along by hand... For my edification, is the electric fan the one on the front of the radiator? To test if it's working, how soon is it supposed to come on? -----Original Message----- From: Joe Dyer [mailto:joedyer@attbi.com] Sent: Wednesday, September 18, 2002 3:21 PM To: Juan Rico; E36M3 Subject: Re: [E36M3] Overheating when idling... Sounds like a faulty fan clutch. With the engine off, see if you can spin the fan blade by hand. If it spins freely without much resistance, then its a goner! Joe > > > > > ************************************************************* > 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. > ************************************************************* > >