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#1. RE: [E36M3] Sea Foam / Top end cleansing - from Mel Silva
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Date: Thu, 14 Nov 2002 09:14:57 -0600 From: "Mel Silva" <melsilva@mindspring.com> Subject: RE: [E36M3] Sea Foam / Top end cleansing I have used this "snake oil" as others have put it myself, but never in my crankcase oil. My mechanic has used this stuff for years and swears by it as a "miracle cure", but used as a FUEL ADDITIVE. I have seen it remove water and varnish buildup from the fuel system. I use this stuff regularly on my lawn and garden equipment in the springtime since these engines sit in the shed for 4 to 5 months without being used. Would I use it in my BMW? What the Hell for? My M3 has never sat "idle" for more than a week at a time. I realize that some of you that live in the frozen tundra might put your Bimmers away for the winter, so this may be of some value to you. However, I imagine that you probably have your own "procedure" that you follow before storage. I have seen Seafoam do wonders on a cruddy old fuel system in a Porsche 928 that was sitting in someone's barn for 13 years, but nobody would subject a BMW to that kind of treatment, would they? Mel
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#2. Re: [E36M3] PIAA Xtreme white 9006 (low beam) bulbs - from George R Carr Jr
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Date: Thu, 14 Nov 2002 08:45:55 -0700 From: George R Carr Jr <georgercarrjr@earthlink.net> Subject: Re: [E36M3] PIAA Xtreme white 9006 (low beam) bulbs >Date: Wed, 13 Nov 2002 18:39:40 EST >From: Nsxlr8@aol.com >Subject: PIAA Xtreme white 9006 (low beam) bulbs > > >I purchased a set of the subject bulbs for our '98 M3. The instructions >indicate to make sure that the relay harness is capable of the extra >amperage. Is this a problem on these cars? I've been told that they are a >direct plug in with no modifications required but want to make sure. > >Jeff > I believe that you do not need to do anything when putting the PIAA's in. I did not when I put them in my M Roadster. When I did the EURO headlights on the M3 with Halogen bulbs I DID use the heavier wire indicated and upgraded the fuses. George -- =========================== georgercarrjr@earthlink.net
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#3. Re: [E36M3] PIAA Xtreme white 9006 (low beam) bulbs - from George R Carr Jr
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Date: Thu, 14 Nov 2002 09:15:09 -0700 From: George R Carr Jr <georgercarrjr@earthlink.net> Subject: Re: [E36M3] PIAA Xtreme white 9006 (low beam) bulbs >Date: Thu, 14 Nov 2002 08:45:55 -0700 >From: George R Carr Jr <georgercarrjr@earthlink.net> >Subject: Re: [E36M3] PIAA Xtreme white 9006 (low beam) bulbs > >>Date: Wed, 13 Nov 2002 18:39:40 EST >>From: Nsxlr8@aol.com >>Subject: PIAA Xtreme white 9006 (low beam) bulbs >> >> >>I purchased a set of the subject bulbs for our '98 M3. The instructions >>indicate to make sure that the relay harness is capable of the extra >>amperage. Is this a problem on these cars? I've been told that they are a >>direct plug in with no modifications required but want to make sure. >> >>Jeff >> > >I believe that you do not need to do anything when putting the PIAA's in. >I did not when I put them in my M Roadster. When I did the EURO headlights >on the M3 with Halogen bulbs I DID use the heavier wire indicated and >upgraded the fuses. > One followup. What is the wattage of the bulb you are using. If it is close to the Hallogen bulb (80-110 watts) then you will need the wiring and fuse. If it is closer to the original wattage (like the PIAA's I put into my Roadster). George -- =========================== georgercarrjr@earthlink.net
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#4. car storage (was: Sea Foam / Top end cleansing) - from Jesse Caldwell
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Date: Thu, 14 Nov 2002 10:48:41 -0700 From: Jesse Caldwell <Jesse.Caldwell@Colorado.EDU> Subject: car storage (was: Sea Foam / Top end cleansing) > > Would I use it in my BMW? What the Hell for? My M3 has never sat "idle" > for more than a week at a time. I realize that some of you that live in the > My M3 sits idle for periods of a month or more fairly regularly. I don't have a garage but my friend does, so guess where my car lives. Between my car living several miles away and my bicycle fanaticism, I've put less than 4K miles on my '96 since I bought it in Jan 2001. My car needs to be moveable at a moment's notice so I can't do anything drastic like drain fluids from the engine. Does anyone have a checklist of things to do for storage -- preferably stuff that don't make the car undriveable? I know about battery care, keeping the gas tank full, keeping fluids as fresh as possible, and getting the car good and warmed up when it does go out. What am I missing? Maybe I'll donate my car to BimmerHaus and ask them to sponsor my bike addiction. :) Jesse
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#5. RE: [E36M3] Sea Foam / Top end cleansing - from Ron Buchalski
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Date: Thu, 14 Nov 2002 14:15:16 -0500 From: "Ron Buchalski" <rbuchals@hotmail.com> Subject: RE: [E36M3] Sea Foam / Top end cleansing Part of their procedure is to spray their cleaner into a vacuum line, which will suck the cleaner into the combustion chambers and clean the valves in the way. It sounds like the same procedure that mechanics use with the BG cleaning system. The cleaner that's added to the oil is supposed to remove varnish and other deposits from inside the engine. You don't add enough to thin the oil and cause lubrication problems. 5-8 oz is added to 7 quarts of oil. I pulled the throttle body off of the intake manifold of my E34 525iT recently (154k miles), and the inside of the intake manifold has a nice oil coating on it. There is a crankcase bleeder hose that feeds into the rubber intake elbow attached to the throttle body. BMWs don't have PCV valves, so the crankcase vapors are always drawn into the intake airstream. Is there a need to clean out the intake manifold occasionally? Ron Buchalski BMWCCA #76387 1995 E36 M3 1993 E34 525iT 1999 Mazda Miata >Date: Wed, 13 Nov 2002 15:14:28 -0800 >From: "Dames, Mark" <Mark.Dames@PDO.Co.Santa-Clara.CA.US> >Subject: RE: [E36M3] Sea Foam / Top end cleansing > >This sounds like a real good way to waste your bearings and other >lubrication dependent engine parts. >The increased bearing clearance following the "high rpm" drive around town >may account for the perceived "better throttle response" and "greater >power". >Without a controlled test, engine teardown, and wear diagnosis, you can't >afford to be gambling your engine on this snake oil stuff. > >There's only a couple of things which actually effect performance and >relate >to "top end cleansing". 1) Carbon on the spark plugs, 2) carbon on the >valve's/combustion chamber. You get rid of #1 by changing your plugs. You >can get rid of #2 by spraying water (from a spray bottle) into the intake. >It travels with the air fuel mixture into the combustion chamber turns to >steam and disolves the carbon. > >You don't get to the spark plug/combustion chamber carbon through the oil >supply. _________________________________________________________________ Tired of spam? Get advanced junk mail protection with MSN 8. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail
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#6. Frozen Tie Rod?? - from Dorffer, Rich
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Date: Thu, 14 Nov 2002 14:21:45 -0500 From: "Dorffer, Rich" <RDORFFER@CleIndians.com> Subject: Frozen Tie Rod?? A.L. said > > Last week I got my Bilsteins (chose over stock due to life-time warranty)and > E30 Control arms (with offset bushings) on my recently purchased 98 Boston > Green coupe (this one will stay stock. (The car sits higher than stock by a > full inch-front-but thats another story all together). Why the E30 control arms? Were these the aluminum ones or the steel ones? If aluminum, why? If steel, why? > Upon 400 miles of driving, I noticed some severe feathering on the front > tires. Well I realized toe was off so I went to the alignment rack. The guy > couldnt turn the passenger side tie rod to adjust the toe. He said it was > frozen. I peaked under the car and the nut was lose but the rod wouldnt > turn. Well as a band aid solution we left the passenger side rod static and > played with the driver's side tie rod so I do not burn through the tires > (BTW it was -3 degrees total toe out). Its in spec now but the steering > wheel is really off. Did you do an alignment after swapping the control arms and bushings? > Has anyone experienced this frozen tie rod issue? Any tips? or do I just > need to get a new passenger side tie rod? Like Chester said, torch it (or heat it up) and also use PB Blaster (which actually helps the metal retain it's strength when heated IIRC). We did both to my old 325is and it worked like a champ. Anyone else use a little bit of antiseize on the tie rod threads for next time :-) Best regards, Rich
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#7. Re: Frozen Tie Rod?? - from Ahmad Lutfeali
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Date: Thu, 14 Nov 2002 21:24:19 +0000 From: "Ahmad Lutfeali" <m3_racer99@hotmail.com> Subject: Re: Frozen Tie Rod?? > >Why the E30 control arms? Were these the aluminum ones or the steel ones? >If aluminum, why? If steel, why? Its lighter than the steel ones, Turner says it improves steering feel and they use it on all their race cars. I didnt fall for the marketing, it was on sale at Bimmerworld and was cheaper than steel ones. Plus the offset bushings (since I have a 98) helps get a bit more caster. >> >Did you do an alignment after swapping the control arms and bushings? Well 400 or so miles later. >>Like Chester said, torch it (or heat it up) and also use PB Blaster (which >>actually helps the metal retain it's strength when heated IIRC). We did >>both to my old 325is and it worked like a champ. Anyone else use a little >>bit of antiseize on the tie rod threads for next time :-) I gues I will have to do just that. Thanks for the feedback Rich. A.L. > >Best regards, > >Rich _________________________________________________________________ STOP MORE SPAM with the new MSN 8 and get 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail
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#8. RE: [E36M3] Re: Frozen Tie Rod?? - from Andrew-Taylor Autosport
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Date: Thu, 14 Nov 2002 16:26:52 -0500 From: "Andrew-Taylor Autosport" <astaylor@taylorautosport.com> Subject: RE: [E36M3] Re: Frozen Tie Rod?? > > > >Why the E30 control arms? Were these the aluminum ones or the > steel ones? > >If aluminum, why? If steel, why? > > Its lighter than the steel ones, Turner says it improves steering > feel and > they use it on all their race cars. I didnt fall for the > marketing Marketing and truth aren't mutually exclusive, you know. The aluminum arms are 4.5lbs lighter per side. Somewhere around half of that savings is unsprung weight. Steering feel is improved, suspension responds better, it's an upgrade any way you look at it. Andrew http://www.taylorautosport.com/
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#9. Re: [E36M3] Re: Frozen Tie Rod?? - from Patrick Buthmann
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Date: Thu, 14 Nov 2002 17:15:09 -0500 From: "Patrick Buthmann" <patrick@teutonic.ca> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Re: Frozen Tie Rod?? > > >Why the E30 control arms? Were these the aluminum ones or the > > steel ones? > > >If aluminum, why? If steel, why? > > > > Its lighter than the steel ones, Turner says it improves steering > > feel and > > they use it on all their race cars. I didnt fall for the > > marketing > > Marketing and truth aren't mutually exclusive, you know. > > The aluminum arms are 4.5lbs lighter per side. Somewhere around half of > that savings is unsprung weight. > > Steering feel is improved, suspension responds better, it's an upgrade any > way you look at it. I have two concerns on running the aluminum lower control arms on E36's. One, price. They are nearly double the price of the steel M3 lower control arms (at least here in Canadian pesos). Secondly, given that they were designed for the E30 M3, which is a significantly lighter car than the E36 M3, I'm not convinced of their long term durability. We generally recommend that people change their lower control arms on an annual basis, or sooner, based on an average of about 20-25 track days per year. They may very well be a performance upgrade, but I'm not sure of what lifespan they possess in the E36 chassis. Does anyone know how often Will Turner changes his? We've seen plenty of near catastrophic failures from M3 lower control arms; I'd be interested in knowing the replacement schedule for these, and how they perform on a price/performance curve. Pat ____________________________________________________________ Free 20MB Web Site Hosting and Personalized E-mail Service! Get It Now At Doteasy.com http://www.doteasy.com/et/
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#10. Re: Where to get Toyo Proxes T1-S in SF Bayarea? - from Joe Tan
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Date: Thu, 14 Nov 2002 14:20:36 -0800 (PST) From: Joe Tan <mailjtan@yahoo.com> Subject: Re: Where to get Toyo Proxes T1-S in SF Bayarea? www.treadepot.com is a good online source for Toyo tires. ----------------- > Folks, > > Does anyone know where I can get Toyo Proxes T1-S in > Bayarea? I'm looking for 225/45 17. Any good dealers > around? > > Also, did anyone have good experience with Americas > Tire Co? > > TIA > > -Yella > > ===== > -Yella > v_yella@yahoo.com > __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Web Hosting - Let the expert host your site http://webhosting.yahoo.com