-------------------- 1 --------------------
#1. Re: [E36M3] 99 M3 Spare Wheel Size? - from Chris Teague
Top
Date: Tue, 28 Jan 2003 06:59:38 -0800 From: "Chris Teague" <cteague@cox.net> Subject: Re: [E36M3] 99 M3 Spare Wheel Size? Mark, My 97 had a 17x7.5" spare with a 225/45 tire. If you look at the outer lip, the 8.5" has a much deeper outer lip. Chris 97 M3/4 ----- Original Message ----- > Date: Mon, 27 Jan 2003 21:12:35 -0800 > From: "Mark Kern" <markkern@cox.net> > Subject: 99 M3 Spare Wheel Size? > > Does anyone know the size of the 99 M3 spare? The 99 uses a staggered > wheel size (7.5 in front, 8.5 in rear). Awhile ago, I put the spare > wheel on the front right of the car. I'm worried that I put an 8.5 on > the front right, and still have the 7.5 on the front left (driver's > side). I'm wondering if this is why I'm getting steering wheel shake > while breaking... > > Anybody know the size, or where it is stamped on the wheel so I can > check it? >>
-------------------- 2 --------------------
#2. Electric Fan Conversion (Long) - from Neil Maller
Top
Date: Tue, 28 Jan 2003 10:51:40 -0500 From: Neil Maller <neil.maller@gte.net> Subject: Electric Fan Conversion (Long) As part of my forthcoming PWR aluminum radiator installation, I'm also planning to remove the fan clutch and its engine-driven fan and convert to a 16" SPAL electric cooling fan. (Note that since this car is a daily driver I don't want to eliminate the fan completely.) The 3 resources I've found are: http://mpactmotorsports.com/m3/E36M3_Electric_Fan_Install.htm http://www.sgmotorsports.com/mz3/auxfan.htm http://www.ohiomotorcycle.com/understeer/fanclutchmod.shtml All of these essentially follow the same strategy: - Use an 80C water thermostat (stock is 88C) - Substitute a 318i 88/80C dual water temperature switch (stock is 99/91C) and drive the new electric fan off the 80C low temp contacts. This means that the water thermostat will now open (allow water flow to the radiator) at 80C, and the new electric fan comes on at the same time. As long as the coolant remains hotter than 80C, the fan will continue to operate. This makes no sense to me, for the following reasons: 1) Lowering the water thermostat opening to 80C serves no beneficial purpose, since system cooling capacity is independent of thermostat calibration. However in low ambient conditions the engine will tend to run cooler than the design point, and heater effectiveness will also be reduced. In higher ambient/hard use conditions either an 80C or a 88C thermostat will usually be open, and the coolant temperature would therefore stabilize at the same higher temperature in either case. 2) There should be a temperature differential between the water thermostat and fan switch settings. In order not to run the electric fan needlessly, you want the water thermostat to open first. Then, if and only if that fails to cool adequately, the electric fan should kick in and run only as long as necessary. It seems to me that the 2-stage 80C thermostat/80C fan switch strategy therefore fails on both counts. My plan is to keep the stock 88C water thermostat, and control the electric fan (via a relay) from the existing 99C contact in the dual temperature switch. This allows for 3-stage operation and an 11C differential: - With engine "cold" (below 88C) the thermostat is closed and the electric fan off. - If the engine is "warm" (above 88C but below 99C) the thermostat is open and the electric fan off. - When the engine is "hot" (above 99C) the thermostat is open and the electric fan on. (Note that in both cases I'm ignoring the stock 2-speed auxiliary electric fan in front of the radiator. This is controlled according to various combinations of A/C function, and coolant temperature as determined by the dual temperature switch.) Comments? Questions? Counter arguments? Neil 96 M3
-------------------- 3 --------------------
#3. RE: [E36M3] 99 M3 Spare Wheel Size? - from Dames, Mark
Top
Date: Tue, 28 Jan 2003 09:24:30 -0800 From: "Dames, Mark" <Mark.Dames@PDO.Co.Santa-Clara.CA.US> Subject: RE: [E36M3] 99 M3 Spare Wheel Size? PART # 3611 2228 160 for rears (8.5") and 3611 2228 150 for fronts (7.5"). stamped on the inside of the center hub. -----Original Message----- From: Mark Kern [mailto:markkern@cox.net] Sent: Monday, January 27, 2003 9:14 PM To: E36M3 Subject: [E36M3] 99 M3 Spare Wheel Size? Date: Mon, 27 Jan 2003 21:12:35 -0800 From: "Mark Kern" <markkern@cox.net> Subject: 99 M3 Spare Wheel Size? Does anyone know the size of the 99 M3 spare? The 99 uses a staggered wheel size (7.5 in front, 8.5 in rear). Awhile ago, I put the spare wheel on the front right of the car. I'm worried that I put an 8.5 on the front right, and still have the 7.5 on the front left (driver's side). I'm wondering if this is why I'm getting steering wheel shake while breaking... Anybody know the size, or where it is stamped on the wheel so I can check it? - Mark ************************************************* Please help support the E36M3 list by visiting our sponsors: Taylor Autosport http://www.taylorautosport.com Rogue Engineering http://www.rogueengineering.com BMW M3 Specialties http://www.jt-designs.com Bimmerworld http://www.bimmerworld.com DIGEST INFORMATION: http://www.bmw-m.net/resources/digest_info.htm *************************************************
-------------------- 4 --------------------
#4. M3 on three legs :( - from Michael Michalski
Top
Date: Tue, 28 Jan 2003 11:51:14 -0600 From: "Michael Michalski" <mmichalski@leaselink.com> Subject: M3 on three legs :( Good morning (at least for some I hope), Well guys it's been one hell of a weekend. My baby is in the hospital. :( :( I was headed home from a friends house Sunday morning and it was snowing here in Chicago. I decided to make a right hand turn into a Walgreen's to get some red bull for the drive, (really needed some caffeine at this point). Well, the right hand turn did not happen, the car preceded to continue in a straight line, sliding in the snow, right into a two foot curb at 50mph. The drivers side front tire took all the impact and shifted the tire back a good five to six inches into the fender and wheel liner. It appears the A arm is twisted. Not sure about the total damage at this point. I will know more tomorrow. I had to spend all day yesterday looking for a good repair shop. Are there any issues that I need to be aware of here? Anything to look for in the repair that might raise issues later? The thing that really sucks........Enterprise has me driving a Ford Focus! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr. What a P.O.S. Michael Michalski Limping M3 Windy City Chapter
-------------------- 5 --------------------
#5. Compression Test - from Dorffer, Rich
Top
Date: Tue, 28 Jan 2003 12:56:57 -0500 From: "Dorffer, Rich" <RDORFFER@CleIndians.com> Subject: Compression Test Juan says > > Had a compression test done this weekend on my car. The results were 175 on > all cylinders, except #5, which scored a 160... Well, consistency is good. Compression across all cylinders within 10% is a standard measure. Your right there with #5. > This was with three cranks. Now, I've seen numbers on this list much higher > than that, around 200- or maybe I'm imagining things... I have heard of E36 M3s up to about 200 and some as high as 210 - 215 (although I am not quite sure how they got that high on a stock non-rebuilt motor). I was told by Brett Anderson that 200 is just about the max but maybe a few tighter motors eek over the 200 mark. Also, the more you crank and have the fuel injecting, the fuel can increase the seal on the rings boosting the numbers a little IIRC. With a few cranks, I have registered 200 - 195 across all six and that was when the motor had ~20,000 miles. Adding oil to the cylinder can also falsely boost the numbers and a warmed up motor should reflect higher numbers than a stone cold motor. > Is this because more cranks were done to achieve a higher number? Is there > no uniformity in the way these tests are performed? See above. After so many cranks/revolutions, the numbers will only go so high. Anything more than about 10 cranks/revolutions is mute. > My mechanic said the results were very good, and well within spec-- the > engine is very healthy and pulls strongly-all this according to him. They are within spec of 10% across all six and above 150 which is considered the bottom end of the range you want to be in. > The engine BTW has 155K miles on it. Those numbers don't look too bad for 155k miles IMO. Best regards, Rich
-------------------- 6 --------------------
#6. FS: JTD RSM - from Junaidi Irwan
Top
Date: Tue, 28 Jan 2003 10:15:29 -0800 (PST) From: Junaidi Irwan <cuwei@yahoo.com> Subject: FS: JTD RSM FS: Used JTD Rear Shock Mounts with bushings. They are still in good condition. First $60 takes it. Jay __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com
-------------------- 7 --------------------
#7. shocks needed - from James Clay
Top
Date: Tue, 28 Jan 2003 13:37:22 -0500 From: "James Clay" <james@bimmerworld.com> Subject: shocks needed I need a couple sets of throwaway shocks from an E36 M3 - fronts only. Does anyone have these around collecting dust? I will pick up shipping and give some store credit. James James Clay http://www.bimmerworld.com Engineered BMW Performance 540.639.9648
-------------------- 8 --------------------
#8. Re: [E36M3] Electric Fan Conversion (Long) - from alex.fadeev@verizon.com
Top
Date: Tue, 28 Jan 2003 13:55:40 -0600 From: alex.fadeev@verizon.com Subject: Re: [E36M3] Electric Fan Conversion (Long) Neil Maller <neil.maller@gte.net> wrote: > > As part of my forthcoming PWR aluminum radiator installation, I'm > also planning to remove the fan clutch and its engine-driven fan > and convert to a 16" SPAL electric cooling fan. (Note that since > this car is a daily driver I don't want to eliminate the fan completely.) Neil, You do know that you have the auxiliary electric fan on the car already, right? I don't know how long it will last if you make it one and only fan on your car, but that's only money. > All of these essentially follow the same strategy: > - Use an 80C water thermostat (stock is 88C) > - Substitute a 318i 88/80C dual water temperature switch (stock is > 99/91C) and drive the new electric fan off the 80C low temp contacts. > > This makes no sense to me, for the following reasons: > 1) Lowering the water thermostat opening to 80C serves no beneficial > purpose, since system cooling capacity is independent of thermostat > calibration. However in low ambient conditions the engine will tend > to run cooler than the design point, and heater effectiveness will > also be reduced. In higher ambient/hard use conditions either an 80C > or a 88C thermostat will usually be open, and the coolant temperature > would therefore stabilize at the same higher temperature in either case. Assuming that at the operating temperature the thermostat is already open (don't know that for a fact), I would agree. > 2) There should be a temperature differential between the water > thermostat and fan switch settings. In order not to run the electric > fan needlessly, you want the water thermostat to open first. Then, > if and only if that fails to cool adequately, the electric fan > should kick in and run only as long as necessary. > It seems to me that the 2-stage 80C thermostat/80C fan switch strategy > therefore fails on both counts. You are assuming that the engine will NOT overheat without the main fan and with the electrical fan off. Since BMW seen fit to put in two (2) fans in there, the above assumption seams shaky. It may well be that you HAVE to run your electric fan ALL the time if you remove the main viscous clutch fan. > My plan is to keep the stock 88C water thermostat, and control the > electric fan (via a relay) from the existing 99C contact in the dual > temperature switch. How high can one heat up the pressurized water/coolant mixture before it find a weak spot in your cooling system? IIRC, the cooling mixture's boiling point is above 100C (normal water boiling point) under pressure. But how much higher is it? There may be a good reason why both E30 and E36 cars' auxiliary electrical fan were wired to run at max speed at 99C. > This allows for 3-stage operation and an 11C differential: > - With engine "cold" (below 88C) the thermostat is closed and the electric > fan off. > - If the engine is "warm" (above 88C but below 99C) the thermostat is open > and the electric fan off. > - When the engine is "hot" (above 99C) the thermostat is open and the > electric fan on. Your 3-stage scenario may well revert to one stage (3rd) all the time if some of the assumptions I had pointed out are incorrect. > Comments? Questions? Counter arguments? Here you go. alex f
-------------------- 9 --------------------
#9. Re: [E36M3] Extended Warranty. - from alex.fadeev@verizon.com
Top
Date: Tue, 28 Jan 2003 14:06:50 -0600 From: alex.fadeev@verizon.com Subject: Re: [E36M3] Extended Warranty. "Robert Exconde" <99e36m3@exconde.com> wrote: > > I'm coming up on my 50K mark on my 99M3, which means that warranty is > coming up on expiration. I'm wondering if I should get the extended > warranty. I believe it is around $1800 or so for another 4 years/ 50K > miles. I'm not a proponent of the extended warranty plans, but than again I do not fly to Vegas to get rich. However, if you are in the habit of visiting the dealer every time your wiper blades need replacement, I would see a point in considering one. Most of the people I know who had their E36 radiators replaced at the dealer reported invoices between $400-650 for parts and labor. At those rates $1.5K extended warranty may in fact pay for itself. All for a $150 part that one can easily buy and install yourself in less time than it takes to drop the car off at the dealer. But if you do not DIY, the above point is moot. > I know people that drive their cars a lot harder than anyone and > only had a seat heater break and an O2 sensor go out, everything > else was driving related. What are some of the problems I should > look into, consider or am overlooking?? 1. the cooling system (radiator, water pump, thermostat housing). 2. suspension (shocks and bushings), though I do not believe those are covered under most extended warranties. 3. lately VANOS noises, though it's unclear if they are terminal or just irritating. > Lastly, Are all dealerships the same $$ for the warranty? Or should > I shop online as well? I would definitely shop around. The fewer sales monkeys (including dealer's) you have between yourself and your warranty company, the lower the cost will be. I remember reading reports from people who had paid just south of $1K for the aftermarket warranty. Unfortunately one of them is having a hell of a time getting any service approved by his company and is now suing it (forgot the name). The devil is also in the details. Some cover more than others. Some have larger and multiple stage deductibles. HTH, alex f P.S.: I know BMW does NOT pay dealers their advertised labor rate. I wonder if the extended warranty companies insist on their own labor rates as well. Does anyone know?
-------------------- 10 --------------------
#10. Re: [E36M3] Electric Fan Conversion (Long) - from David Bauer
Top
Date: Tue, 28 Jan 2003 16:09:48 -0600 From: David Bauer <dbauer@blkbox.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Electric Fan Conversion (Long) > How high can one heat up the pressurized water/coolant mixture before it > find a weak spot in your cooling system? > IIRC, the cooling mixture's boiling point is above 100C (normal water > boiling point) under pressure. But how much higher is it? > > There may be a good reason why both E30 and E36 cars' auxiliary electrical > fan were wired to run at max speed at 99C. > I've seen typical pressurized water/coolant systems (~15psi) listing boiling points of 127C. I would assume the E36 is in the same ballpark. I am planning to follow the same route as Neil and see how it goes. I'll hook up a water temperature gauge to keep an eye on things. I would think the 16" SPAL and the aux fan would be able to handle it. Dave