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#1. 911 as farm machinery - from Zachary Eyler-Walker
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Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2003 15:48:06 -0400 (EDT) From: Zachary Eyler-Walker <zwalker@cs.utk.edu> Subject: 911 as farm machinery > From: "Bruce" <gobuffs93@attbi.com> > Subject: Re: [E36M3] Re: 911 > > The current 911 (coded 996) was introduced in 99. The previous model to > that is the 993 (95-98)- considered the ultimate 911 by enthusiasts. The That's as may be. However, I drove a 993 C4 the other day, and came away feeling as though I'd just been cruising in a steam tractor or something. Admittedly, a rather fast steam tractor that can stop on a dime. That car is an antique, and I now definitely know what people mean when they say it's agricultural. The interior trim was disintegrating, even though the car has fewer miles than my M3 (meaning fewer than 43k) and is a year newer. Horrible, horrible pedals/pedal box, incredible sounding engine, rock hard brakes, good steering feel. It seemed faster, but didn't knock my socks off. Of course, I don't think the e46 M3 feels all that much faster on the street, either. It would be great on the track, except I'd be worried about screwing up my footwork and wadding the car. I can imagine paying $20k for a 993, but I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for such a deal. The 996, on the other hand, is fully modernized, and a hell of a car. I could definitely get used to one of those without much trouble. Zach
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#2. Re: [E36M3] 911 as farm machinery - from Chester Wong
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Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2003 13:00:46 -0700 (PDT) From: Chester Wong <chester_p_wong@yahoo.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] 911 as farm machinery Isn't the interior of a 996 still rather ugly? I mean, I think the E36 interior is nicer. Then again, I don't think the E46 interior was much of an improvement over the E36. I think they say the next gen 911 will have a better interior... Chester --- Zachary Eyler-Walker <zwalker@cs.utk.edu> wrote: > The 996, on the other hand, is fully modernized, and a hell of a car. I > could definitely get used to one of those without much trouble. =====
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#3. Re: [E36M3] 911 as farm machinery - from Mark Dadgar
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Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2003 13:11:54 -0700 From: Mark Dadgar <mark@pdc-racing.net> Subject: Re: [E36M3] 911 as farm machinery Zachary Eyler-Walker at zwalker@cs.utk.edu wrote: >> The current 911 (coded 996) was introduced in 99. The previous model to >> that is the 993 (95-98)- considered the ultimate 911 by enthusiasts. The > > That's as may be. However, I drove a 993 C4 the other day, and came away > feeling as though I'd just been cruising in a steam tractor or something. > Admittedly, a rather fast steam tractor that can stop on a dime. That car > is an antique, and I now definitely know what people mean when they say > it's agricultural. Oh yes. It's a cross between a laser scalpel and a UPS truck. > The interior trim was disintegrating, even though the car has fewer miles > than my M3 (meaning fewer than 43k) and is a year newer. Horrible, > horrible pedals/pedal box, incredible sounding engine, rock hard brakes, > good steering feel. The pedals take some getting used to (the brake pedal swings into the floor, for example, which is the opposite arc from a conventional pedal) but once you do, you become fond of the arrangement VERY quickly. > It seemed faster, but didn't knock my socks off. Of course, I don't think the > e46 M3 feels all that much faster on the street, either. The E46 M3 is probably faster on the track, but it's WAY WAY less rewarding to drive fast. The pre-996 911 is truly one of the few cars I've ever driven that feel better the faster you drive them. They are kind of awkward at very slow speeds but absolutely MAGICAL when they speed up. It needs to be experienced to be believed. > The 996, on the other hand, is fully modernized, and a hell of a car. I > could definitely get used to one of those without much trouble. IMHO, they are kind of boring compared to a 993 or earlier P-car, but certainly much easier to live with. They are also faster on the track than a 993. Depends on what you're looking for. With the exception of a GT3 or GT2, I'd take an air-cooled 911 (any one) over the new 996 cars in a heartbeat. There's just so much more character. - Mark, spectacular '97 993 Carrera Widebody (C2S) sacrificed on the altar of auto racing (read: I sold it to buy a truck and trailer) '97 528i '94 325is Club Race car in-progress (tested 1st time yesterday!) -- mark@pdc-racing.net
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#4. RE: [E36M3] 911 as farm machinery - from john_stoj@excite.com
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Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2003 16:14:07 -0400 (EDT) From: "john_stoj@excite.com" <john_stoj@excite.com> Subject: RE: [E36M3] 911 as farm machinery Wow. I've kept out of this one as it's pretty much off the E36 topic, but I've got to disagree with the interior trim comment. I've owned two 911's (one 911 - sold, and one 993 - current) and one E36 M3. The interiors of both 911's, while dated, were/are of distinctly higher quality than my M3. I can't imagine what was the issue with the car you drove. I have had the opportunities to drive/ride in many BMW's and Porsche's and when it comes to the pre-996 911's, quality was at the very least on par with BMW, and almost certainly (IMHO) better. Pedal placement is a learned thing. You will find plenty of Porsche drivers who'll tell you how perfect they are. As for comping E36/E46/911 on the street, I don't think you'll notice anything much in terms of performance differences (I certainly can't - I'm not that good a driver). What you will notice is "personality," and the 911 has gobs of it. That's why I like mine so much. Still, I can't bring myself to get rid of the M3 either. - John S. --- On Tue 04/29, Zachary Eyler-Walker < zwalker@cs.utk.edu > wrote: I drove a 993 C4 the other day, and came away feeling as though I'd just been cruising in a steam tractor or something. Admittedly, a rather fast steam tractor that can stop on a dime. That car is an antique, and I now definitely know what people mean when they say it's agricultural. The interior trim was disintegrating, even though the car has fewer miles than my M3 (meaning fewer than 43k) and is a year newer. Horrible, horrible pedals/pedal box, incredible sounding engine, rock hard brakes, good steering feel. It seemed faster, but didn't knock my socks off. Of course, I don't think the e46 M3 feels all that much faster on the street, either. _______________________________________________ Join Excite! - http://www.excite.com The most personalized portal on the Web!
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#5. Window that won't go down problem returns - from Dave Spragg
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Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2003 16:21:16 -0400 From: "Dave Spragg" <dspragg@attbi.com> Subject: Window that won't go down problem returns Damn... I thought I had it licked. Now it's stuck in the up position again after working just fine for a bit. Time to cut out the rivits on the door skin again? :( I really don't want to have to wire up a set of toggle switches without any of the stock "brains" but it's getting frustrating... Not to mention that to race this weekend I will have to cut out the rivits, apply power to the motor to lower the window after removing control cover inside the door, then rivit the panel back on to race. Jim and others filled me in that the doors have to be closed after a battery reset but this time the battery has not been disconnected and is starting the car fine. It clicks when I press the down button and clicks when I press it up but doesn't move. Any other tricks? I am thinking that maybe the door closed sensor on one side or the other isn't working all the time? How do these work and how do you get to them. It looks like it must be in the latch mechanism as there aren't any plunger like things such as the stock trunk setup (mine is removed but it worked after that for over a year). Dave Spragg dave@spragg.com 99 M3 street 92 318is #330 IP (95 M3 engine and suspension)
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#6. RE: [E36M3] 911 as farm machinery - from Jon Phillips
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Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2003 13:29:54 -0700 From: jon@maximumpc.com (Jon Phillips) Subject: RE: [E36M3] 911 as farm machinery My only gripe with the 3e6 is the pathetic build quality of the interior. I don't care if a car's interior is leather, fake wood grain, carbon fibre or plastic -- it just needs to stay together after year's of use. But my e36 interior is full of squeaks, vibrations, and rattles, all tied to brittle plastic, delamination, and plastic pins that have broken. At 03:18 PM 4/29/2003 -0500, you wrote: >The interiors of both 911's, while dated, were/are of distinctly higher >quality than my M3. I can't imagine what was the issue with the car you >drove. I have had the opportunities to drive/ride in many BMW's and >Porsche's and when it comes to the pre-996 911's, quality was at the very >least on par with BMW, and almost certainly (IMHO) better.
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#7. Re: Battery vent tube - from Ron Buchalski
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Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2003 16:35:48 -0400 From: "Ron Buchalski" <rbuchals@hotmail.com> Subject: Re: Battery vent tube The vent tube is used to vent battery vapors to the atmosphere. If you don't, the vapors could build up in the trunk, to an explosive quantity! Ron Buchalski BMWCCA #76387 1995 E36 M3 1993 E34 525iT 1999 Mazda Miata >Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2003 12:22:10 -0700 >From: "Wen Liew" <wwliew@hotmail.com> >Subject: Battery vent tube > >After being away for 2 weeks, my 96 107k car failed to start. A quick check >with PepBoys revealed that the battery can't hold its full charge. So, I >replaced it with a Sears Diehard. What is the function of the battery vent >tube? If my guess of it venting battery fluids during evaporation at >different temperatures is true, then the tube needs to fit into the vent >hole to dispose of the fluids. Can anyone confirm this? Thanks. > >Wen _________________________________________________________________ The new MSN 8: smart spam protection and 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail
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#8. Re: Subframe Bushing Replacement - from butchberney@attbi.com
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Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2003 20:37:22 +0000 From: butchberney@attbi.com Subject: Re: Subframe Bushing Replacement I replaced the bushings in the M3 suspension carrier (subframe) that I bought. It is a pretty straightforward job as long as the subframe is out of the car and you have access to a press. I would not want to try to do this job with hand tools. I was stressing the hydraulic press that we have in the engineering lab trying to get the old bushings out. They were really stuck in there. The only tip that I would have is to make sure that you support the frame right at the circle where the bushing goes in. If you try to support the frame by the sway bar mount, they will bend (oops). Fortunately, I noticed it before we got too carried away, and was able to bend them back into place. While the subframe is out, it is a good time to reinforce the sway bar tabs if you have not already. I have a few pictures of my reinforcement if you are interested. Getting the subframe out of the car was relatively uneventful with the exception of the differential axle flange bolts. I would recommend buying 12 new ones ($0.66 each from Pacific BMW) and new "locking plates". I ended up having to cut two of the bolts off when the torx head (E12) stripped. The new bolts have a slightly longer head that gives more purchase to the socket than my original ones. Good luck! Butch -------------------- 11 -------------------- Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2003 11:27:43 -0400 From: shane.a.kleinpeter@accenture.com Subject: Subframe Bushing Replacement I need to replace the rear subframe bushings in the race car ...
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#9. Subframe Bushing Replacement - from Dorffer, Rich
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Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2003 16:51:24 -0400 From: "Dorffer, Rich" <RDORFFER@CleIndians.com> Subject: Subframe Bushing Replacement Mark says > > You REALLY, REALLY want to weld in the M3 reinforcement plates while you're > in there. > You can see pics here: > http://www.tcdesignfab.com/E36%20diff%20mount.htm This seems to be a fairly common occurrence seeing Jim providing his...errr..."assistance": http://www.tcdesignfab.com/mark-2.jpg :-) Later, Rich
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#10. Re: [E36M3] 911 as farm machinery - from Mark Dadgar
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Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2003 14:04:57 -0700 From: Mark Dadgar <mark@pdc-racing.net> Subject: Re: [E36M3] 911 as farm machinery Jon Phillips at jon@maximumpc.com wrote: > My only gripe with the 3e6 is the pathetic build quality of the interior. I > don't care if a car's interior is leather, fake wood grain, carbon fibre or > plastic -- it just needs to stay together after year's of use. But my e36 > interior is full of squeaks, vibrations, and rattles, all tied to brittle > plastic, delamination, and plastic pins that have broken. Mine is sitting in the garage. Want to buy it? :) - Mark -- mark@pdc-racing.net