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#1. WTB: 95 M3 ECU w/ EWS - from RacerxJLing@aol.com
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Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2003 13:06:43 EST From: RacerxJLing@aol.com Subject: WTB: 95 M3 ECU w/ EWS Hello- Anyone out there parting out or know of a good place$$ to buy the DME out of a 95 M3 w/ EWS. Please private me @ racerxjling@aol.com to avoid list clutter. Thanks Jeff
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#2. RE: rear brakes - curse this rotor! - from David Foos
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Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2003 12:06:52 -0600 From: David Foos <David.Foos@prairiecomm.com> Subject: RE: rear brakes - curse this rotor! Chris, I had the same trouble with mine. It turned out to be the parking brake 'brake shoes' that were holding up the removal of the rear hub. If you've got a manual take a look a the illustration for the rear hub and you'll see what I mean. The solution was to back off the brake shoe adjusters until the hub was free. (Imagine the parking brake shoes pushing from the inside out and your hub hung on them.) There is a small cog on the rear hub for adjusting the distance of the shoes to the rotor. You can reach the cog by sliding the screwdriver inside the holes around the center of the rear rotor. You may have to spin the rotor on the hub to get to the cog (if you can). You can use a SMALL flathead screwdriver to move the cog (probably several rotations is necessary). You'll also need a good flashlight to see what you're looking at. good luck, Dave 95 M3 >-------------------- 8 -------------------- >Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2003 10:36:15 -0500 >From: Chris Papademetrious <chrispy@ieee.org> >Subject: rear brakes - curse this rotor! > >Hey guys, > >I've done the front brakes (pads and rotors) on my M3 before, around 80k >miles. Well, I'm at 131k miles now and the rears are about shot, so I put >the car up in the air last night to tackle the rear pads and rotors. After >removing the wheel, pads, caliper and rotor retaining screw, I tried > >pulling the rotor off. No dice. I tried hitting it several times on the >front of the rotor surface with a soft-faced mallet. I tried hitting it a >little harder from the back side where the caliper used to be, no dice. I >took a framing hammer (metal face) and got a little more friendly with it, >and it's still not budging. The parking brake is off and I can spin the >hub/rotor, I just can't remove the damn thing. Are there any tricks to >this, or is it just a matter of getting rough and showing it who's > >boss? More often than not, this approach tends to result in a bigger job >than I planned for. I wish BMW provided a threaded hole in the hat of the >rotor like some other cars do, so I could thread a bolt in there to break >the rotor free. > >One additional question I had concerns the brake pad wear sensor, which I >must replace. I traced the wire back to unplug the connector, only to >follow the wire into a dirt-encrusted plastic box. I haven't spent the >time to clean it up to figure out how to open it up yet, but since I'm >posting, does this just pry open with a small flathead screwdriver?> > > - Chris
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#3. RE: rear brakes - curse this rotor! - from BOOM,BILL (HP-Roseville,ex1)
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Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2003 13:50:36 -0500 From: "BOOM,BILL (HP-Roseville,ex1)" <bill_boom@hp.com> Subject: RE: rear brakes - curse this rotor! > From: Chris Papademetrious <chrispy@ieee.org> > Subject: rear brakes - curse this rotor! > >... I just can't remove the damn thing. Are there any > tricks to > this, or is it just a matter of getting rough and showing it who's > boss? Exactly. I spent a good 20 minutes per side whacking away with a hammer the last time I took mine off. - Bill
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#4. Re: [E36M3] rear brakes - curse this rotor! - from Ed Yee
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Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2003 15:01:04 -0500 From: "Ed Yee" <edyee@attbi.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] rear brakes - curse this rotor! Try spraying a good penetrating oil in the lug stud holes (I used PB Blaster) and let it sit for a while. Just use a small amount aimed at the seam between the hub and the rotot hat, you don't want to get the oil all over the rear parking brake shoes. Then whack it good with a hammer. Since I was replacing the rotors, I used a mini sledge. Hit both sides of the rotor as well as "edge on" which should help loosen it. The brake sensor connector is underneath the cover of that plastic box. It is hinged on one side and made of soft plastic, you should be able to just use your fingers or carefully use a small screwdriver. HTH, Ed
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#5. E36 M3 Trailer Wiring - from Dave Kelley
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Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2003 16:39:56 -0500 From: "Dave Kelley" <d.kelley@usa.net> Subject: E36 M3 Trailer Wiring Have any of you wired an E36 or M3 with a trailer wiring harness to a standard 4-wire flat trailer connector. I've bought a Hoppy Power Converter but have found some apparent inconsistencies in the Bentley manual, i.e. different lights with the same wire colors! Thought I would try to connect behind the right tail cover to be near the battery for the power converter. Also, if you are curious, I have a Da'Lan hitch that I have not installed yet. I'm making a track trailer out of a folding 4x8 trailer from Harbor Freight! Just thought that I would ask for any hints before I started hooking it up. Dave Kelley 98 M3/4 94 325i
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#6. Re: Radio woes - from GregKono@aol.com
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Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2003 16:53:30 EST From: GregKono@aol.com Subject: Re: Radio woes My FM radio in my '97 M3/4 intermittantly cuts out. BMW says $150-$400 to fix it. Any suggestions on this factory radio?..........Greg in Mi. (snowy and cold)
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#7. RE: [E36M3] FS: Suspension set-up for E36 - from Dames, Mark
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Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2003 14:54:23 -0800 From: "Dames, Mark" <Mark.Dames@PDO.Co.Santa-Clara.CA.US> Subject: RE: [E36M3] FS: Suspension set-up for E36 And I've got the M3 sway bars available for anyone interested in the Bay Area Price = negotiable (one to two six packs of import or brew-pub quality beer) Mark. -----Original Message----- From: Peter Guagenti [mailto:peter@guagenti.com] Sent: Friday, February 14, 2003 9:29 PM To: E36M3 Subject: [E36M3] FS: Suspension set-up for E36 Date: Fri, 14 Feb 2003 21:24:15 -0800 From: Peter Guagenti <peter@guagenti.com> Subject: FS: Suspension set-up for E36 I just pulled my old suspension and replaced it with Ground Control Coilovers, so it's available for sale. Parts Include: - Koni front shocks in M3 Housings - H&R Sport Springs - K-Mac Adjustable Camber Plates Front shocks are fully assembled and ready to bolt to your car. The shocks are almost brand new. I had to use the rear Konis so they are not included, although the matching springs are. These parts were on my '95 M3, but will fit any E36 3-series (and will allow you to switch to M3 swaybars). Everything sells new for ~$800, I'm asking $450. Prefer local NorCal buyers, but will ship. -peterg ************************************************* 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 *************************************************
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#8. Windshield/Aerial Question - from Dames, Mark
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Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2003 15:04:04 -0800 From: "Dames, Mark" <Mark.Dames@PDO.Co.Santa-Clara.CA.US> Subject: Windshield/Aerial Question My Windshield has developed a crack, and I want to know if there is a requirement to replace with a BMW windshield or will another brand suffice? My concern is, that it looks like there is wiring impregnated around the edge of the windshield which I assume is either the aerial for the radio or maybe a electric defroster enhancement/heater. If this is true, will aftermarket windshields contain the same component, and same quality? How critical/difficult a task is the electrical connection during installation? TIA, mark.
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#9. Re: oil starvation question - from GGeick6055@aol.com
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Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2003 18:53:58 EST From: GGeick6055@aol.com Subject: Re: oil starvation question My '92 e36 325IS fills to 8 quarts at the dip stick fill line, not 7.5 as the manual lists. From there I can add about 3/4 quart or so WITH OUT the oil level rising on the dip stick, must be some kind of reservoir action in the sump. I believe some of the oil pump nuts are know to loosen over time, but try the maximum fill first. I always use it on the track and I have never seen the light go on. Gordon Geick
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#10. Re: [E36M3] rear brakes - curse this rotor! (fixed) - from Chris Papademetrious
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Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2003 19:39:32 -0500 From: Chris Papademetrious <chrispy@ieee.org> Subject: Re: [E36M3] rear brakes - curse this rotor! (fixed) I have to say that I love this list! I got a bunch of suggestions from kind list members, and as it ends up, they *all* came in useful. Some of the suggestions I received included: * making sure the parking brake is off, or it will hold the rotor in place * back off the parking brake cog adjustment if necessary * soaking the hub/rotor interface with PB Blaster by squirting a bit into the lug bolt holes and letting it sit there * driving the car with the lug bolts slightly loosened, and hitting the brakes to wiggle the caliper * beating the ever-loving snot out of it with a BFH * beating the ever-loving snot out of it with a sledgehammer * beating the ever-loving snot out of it with a 25lb dumbbell (this was my favorite) Armed with the knowledge that I can get rough with these rotors, I headed back down to the garage and grabbed my biggest Harbor Freight soft-faced mallet. (You, in the back - stop laughing... Thank you.) I rolled under the car where I could get a real nice swing at the rotor from behind, and started going to town. I'd give it a few good whacks, then rotate the rotor. This went on for awhile until I saw a piece of something fly off, so I stopped to admire my work. It turns out that the outside wear ridge on the rotor was cutting into the face of the mallet, and chunking it all up. The urethane side of the mallet is now basically destroyed, but I had the "rubber" side left. I next decided to try a variation of Jay's idea of driving with the lug bolts loosened. As Jay suggested, I reinstalled all the brake hardware and put the wheels on with slightly loosened lugbolts. However, I kept the rear of the car in the air instead of driving it on the ground. This is really a neat technique. An inspection of the rotor reveals that the lug holes are larger than the diameter of the lug bolts, which means that when the drivetrain is in motion and the calipers clamp down, a tremendous rotational force will result between the rotor and the hub. Essentially, all the braking force is transmitted from the rotor to the hub. With the lug bolts slightly loose, the rotor is free to rotate ever so slightly to break the corrosion loose. My first couple tries were just revving it up to 2000rpm or so in reverse, and then hitting the brakes hard. This didn't work, so I brought it up to about 4000rpm and hit the brake hard while my other foot was still on the gas. The engine stalled (as expected) and I heard a nice satisfying cracking sound from the rear of the car. I hopped out and pulled the wheels and calipers back off, and found that the rotors were ever-so-slightly rotated with respect to the lug holes. Success! Well... Hmm. I still can't pull them off. The hub rotates completely freely as they did when I first started this whole process. Now, I can also freely spin the rotor ON the hub. But, they just show the slightest signs of cooperation when trying to pull them off the hub. I decide to revisit the physical violence angle, only with a 16oz framing hammer instead. Using a foot-long length of 2x4, I roll back under the car and brace one end against the rotor, and begin pounding the end of the 2x4. After only a handful of hits, I see the end of the rotor beginning to wiggle. I get back in front of the rotor and now I can wiggle it, but it still won't come off. After a great deal of effort and profanity, I keep wrestling the rotor from side to side, and finally manage to walk the rotor off the hub. Once the rotor is off, I realize why the rotor would spin freely with the hub but not actually come off - after 131k miles on the rear rotors, a decent wear lip had built up along the e-brake shoe brake surface such that the rotor would not pull free past it! I didn't think the e-brake was a problem because the hub turned so easily. Armed with this new-found knowledge, I went to the other side, loosened the e-brake cog a bit, gave a few good 2x4/hammer whacks from underneath to break it loose. Presto - with a minimum of effort and profanity, the rotor pulled off. My thanks to everyone who offered advice - it was ALL useful. - Chris