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#1. Re: [E36M3] Newbie Intro...and questions - from Andrej Dolenc
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Date: Tue, 22 Jul 2003 23:58:58 -0400 From: Andrej Dolenc <adolenc@erols.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Newbie Intro...and questions > Greetings, all. First off, many thanks to all the > contributors to this list....I just purchased a 95 M3 at the > end of June (I finally got into the 90s after many years > with an E30 and E28), and the content the last 3 weeks > has been GREAT. Welcome to the E36 fold! > 3) Is there a fix for the vader seats when the latch to > move the seat forward (as if you were getting in the > back seat) breaks? Yep, there is, and it's not all that terribly difficult to do. My passenger seat exhibited this 'feature' which I fixed with the help of this list. Below are the instructions that'll help you get through that. --- I recently had the same thing happen on my '97 M3, the passenger seat refused to fold forward. The culprit is a broken cable in the seat itself. With the help of this list, particularly Steve Cooperman, I got instructions on how to fix this cable myself. First off, what you need is: Bowden Cable Part# 52 10 8 187 999 Then, what you need to do is dissasemble the back of the seat to gain access to the cable. Steve forwarded me these instructions for installing the Power Lumbar Support, they contain info on how to take the seatback off. Once the seatback is off, you remove the existing cable (a few clips to pull off) and put on the new, unbroken cable (replace the clips). Removing the seatback is harder than replacing the cable. Instructions are below. Hope that helps, Andrej '97 M3 ----- Andrej, I developed these instructions for my buyers when I did the BMW Power Lumbar Support group purchase. The instructions that you need are in the article. This will make your project very easy to do. Have fun. Steve Cooperman '98 M3/2 Tucson, AZ ***This is the writeup that nobody wanted to publish*** Power Lumbar Support Installation Tips- presented by Steve Cooperman 1/17/00 We are reporting alternate installation techniques for the BMW power lumbar support accessory kit. Lumbar support has been available to European buyers but was not introduced to the United States market. The BMW part number is 52.10.9.404.379 and it fits E-36 models from 9/94 on. This is a collaborative effort based on the installation experiences of members of Suzyıs M3 Digest who were participants in the first and second group purchases for this kit. In no particular order, the contributors are Jim El Nabli, Garrick Louie, Wayne Miller, Shawn Roberts, and Steve Cooperman. Common sense should be used by the person installing this accessory kit since they are responsible for any unexpected results. This information supplements the BMW instructions and includes tips that can simplify the installation process. It will make more sense after you have read the instructions. The BMW instructions are printed in several languages. To simplify things you can photocopy the English instruction page, cut out the instruction sections and tape them over the German text. This is easier than flipping pages back and forth to compare written instructions to the illustrations. To remove the headrests, sit in the seat backwards (facing the seatback). Push upwards while moving the headrest front to back. The front/back movement helps the bars slip out of the spring loaded stops. Sitting backwards allows you to brace the backrest with your knees or legs so the seatback doesn't get too traumatized. You may need to recline the seatback a little to get clearance from the roof as you remove the headrest. Moving the seat forward and to its highest position gives greatest access for the installation. Remember to disconnect the battery cable before disconnecting any wires. If any sensors are disconnected while the power is on you may set a fault that requires a dealer to reset the airbag warning. The seatback levers must be removed. These are the levers that release the seatback so it can fold forward. They pull straight out. Use a screwdriver to pry them out but donıt pry against the cover piece below the lever or it may break. I used two small blocks of wood on both sides of the lever and two flat blade screwdrivers to pry out the lever from the seatback. Hold the lever halfway up and pry from the top and bottom using even pressure. The wood blocks are taller than the plastic piece so that they act as a fulcrum instead of the breakable plastic cover. Another technique is to hold the lever halfway up and use a 3/8" wide slotted screwdriver to pry the lever straight out from behind using your hand as a fulcrum. The covers under the seatback levers are removed next. Do not try to pry the covers out of the seat because they will break. The covers are retained by two clips on the top and bottom ends. These clips go into the seat and are held by barbed ends that clip around a piece of plastic. To remove them, place the tip of a flat blade screwdriver inside the opening and flat against the plastic clip and follow it to a plastic cross piece. Stop when you reach the cross piece. Push upward on the top piece and rotate the screwdriver outward to pull that end out. Repeat with the lower piece and push downward to release the barb and rotate outward. You only need to move the clip about 1 or 2 mm to release the retaining clip. It doesnıt take much pressure and you will not damage anything. There are two screws at the bottom corners of the backrests that must be removed. They are Torx head screws (T-20 size). Using a Torx bit with a ratchet handle gives easy access to the screws. The BMW instructions in the F 36 51 524 P illustration tell you to remove four clips. Apparently not all cars have these clips. If you canıt find them, donıt worry about it. Remove the cover at the bottom/back of the seat to make the power plug easily accessible from the back. You need to remove this cover to route the wiring from the bottom to the lumbar support motor. The Torx screw that holds it in place is large (T-30). The other end of the cover plate is snapped in place and pulls off. Pull downward and it comes off. Install the lumbar cushion as directed by the illustrated instruction. Do not attach the pump motor with the zip ties until the power cable has been routed from under the seat to the seatback. The BMW instructions instruct you to insert the lumbar support cushion ³in the direction indicated by the arrow². The arrow is imaginary as far as I can tell. The lumbar cushion is placed in the seatback from the bottom of the spring toward the top. Here is what I did. I pulled the lower spring (the one that extends across the backrest) back and inserted a 1.5 inch block of closed cell foam at the extreme side positions between the seat spring and the back of the cushion. This moved the spring back enough to be able to insert the lumbar cushion. The blocks need to be far enough to the side so that the lumbar cushion will fit between them. Wood or any other kind of spacer should be ok to push the spring away from the seat. Make the spacer as thick as needed but use the smallest thickness possible to avoid overextending the spring. The next problem is that the seat cushion back is foam and is grippy. The lumbar cushion does not want to slide over it. I used a sheet of paper between seat cushion and the lumbar cushion to make it easier to slide the lumbar cushion in place. Don't forget to remove the paper after the lumbar cushion is installed. It is difficult to feed the lumbar cushion into the space available between the seat cushion and the springs. I had to feed the cushion in at about a 90 degree angle to the seat back and then pull it through a fraction of an inch at a time. Your fingers will fit through the wire supports just enough to do this. You will be adjusting and feeding from the bottom, then pulling up from the top to keep things smooth. Finally it will be in place and you can hook the top tabs around the wire to keep it in place. The support wires are wrapped around themselves at the frame and have the ends sticking out. These ends can puncture or cut your hands so use caution in this area. The BMW instructions direct you to remove the seat from the car and to remove the seat cushion for the lumbar installation. We have found that these steps are not necessary. The technique to avoid these steps is outlined below. Remove the Torx screw (T-30) and unclip the plastic cover (as described above) from the very bottom of the back of the seat (the one that covers the motor). Move the lower part of the seat all the way forward and recline the back of the seat all the way down on the rear seat. Feed the socket to the pump motor through the hole in the lower seat frame that the heater wiring runs up. You'll need to pull the lower cushion toward the front of the car to reveal it. Run the socket along the path that the seat release cable travels and you've done the hard part. It is easy to remove the cover plate for the actuator switch. The cover is retained by clips on the ends of the cover. Push the retainer clips toward the center of the plate with a screwdriver and it comes out very easily. Use an inspection mirror to help visualize the area. All manipulations can be made from the side or back of the seat. Instead of laying upside down to view the underside of the seat, sit on the floor outside the car and use an inspection mirror. If you need more access space, you can unbolt the seat (two bolts and two nuts) and just tilt the seat back to the rear. This really isnıt necessary, but you donıt have to lift the seat out unless you really want to. The power supply connection can be confusing. The instructions describe power plug ³d² connecting to the plug housing for the electric seat adjustment. I interpreted (incorrectly) that it plugged into the seat adjustment switch. WRONG!!! There are two power plugs (plug/socket) in the lumbar support wiring harness. You should remove the power supply plug coming from the floor to the seat. Connect the plug from the wiring harness to the (now empty) seat power socket. Snap the wiring harness socket housing to the plug that you just inserted into the seat (they have attachment points on the side of the plugs to do this). The power supply from the floor plugs into the socket from the wiring harness. A different explanation of the power supply connector is that it is a Y-splitter (similar to a computer when you need to add a CD-ROM drive and add a Y-splitter to the power supply). This may help to visualize what is required for the power connection. It is easier to route the wiring harness for the actuator switch through the hole in the seat and then connect the plug to the switch. Then simply push the switch into the mounting hole and snap into place. There is a plastic cover piece attached to a power plug on the wiring harness. It is not needed when installing in a car with power seats. Miscellaneous information: Under tools and materials required, there is a universal knife mentioned. Nobody has figured out what is to be cut or why. One thing that is confusing about the lumbar cushion itself is that they are the same for both sides, meaning the hose comes out on the right facing forward, although you would expect them to be "mirror-inverted." This puts the pump's wiring connector on the left side of both seats although on the passenger seat, the seat harness comes up on the right side. This turns out to be a non-issue as there is plenty of cable length. I feel that the inspection mirror is the key to not removing the seats. Actually seeing how the parts fit together is necessary (for me anyway).
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#2. beeping/over rev/3.5 parts ????? - from GGray657@aol.com
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Date: Tue, 22 Jul 2003 23:55:18 EDT From: GGray657@aol.com Subject: beeping/over rev/3.5 parts ????? It seems my 95 is trying to tell me something but I have no clue what....It is beeping three beeps..no warning lights light up, just three beeps and then they stops... I did over rev last week end :-( and it ticks pretty loud now. I figure I bent some valves,...NOT BAD though it gives me an excuse to put the 3.2 (48k miles) motor in, bought it last year "just in case." Could the beeping be associated with the over rev? Or something else? Does any one know of a cank/piston combo to do a 3.5 conversion? I read an article a few years ago about it...and it was not the RD kit.... Gary Installing more fun, AKA: 3.2 motor..and aluminum flywheel!!!!!
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#3. Re: [E36M3] What good is a Warr? - from B Stoll
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Date: Tue, 22 Jul 2003 23:52:09 -0500 From: "B Stoll" <bobstoll@ameritech.net> Subject: Re: [E36M3] What good is a Warr? Scott, What is the mileage on the car ? Sorry, I don't understand "...the part is under the limit..." WTFO ? How can a part be under a limit ? What limit ? "And this item is not covered by BMW extended emissions coverage b/c the part is under the limit (this is a CA law thing)." What company is your Aftermarket Warranty through ? Kind Regards, Bob ----- Original Message ----- From: "Scott M" <smlists@pacbell.net> To: "E36M3" <e36m3@bmw-m.net> Sent: Tuesday, July 22, 2003 1:57 PM Subject: [E36M3] What good is a Warr? > Date: Tue, 22 Jul 2003 11:50:32 -0700 > From: Scott M <smlists@pacbell.net> > Subject: What good is a Warr? > > > > I have an aftermarket warr on my '99 540. Took it in cause the check engine > light was on. Turned out to be the MAF sensor. > > Warr company doesn't cover ANY emissions related items... WTF!! > > And this item is not covered by BMW extended emissions coverage b/c the part > is under the limit (this is a CA law thing). > > So it's going to cost me $780 - the part alone was $450... > > Fuuuugg me. > > Wonder if I can still cancel this POS aftermarket warrantee - doesn't seem > to be worth much..... > > Scott > '98 M3/4 > '99 540iT
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#4. Re: [E36M3] beeping/over rev/3.5 parts ????? - from Jim Bassett
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Date: Tue, 22 Jul 2003 22:09:49 -0700 From: Jim Bassett <jim@jimbassett.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] beeping/over rev/3.5 parts ????? At 08:57 PM 7/22/03, GGray657@aol.com wrote: >It seems my 95 is trying to tell me something but I have no clue what....It >is beeping three beeps..no warning lights light up, just three beeps and then >they stops... Does it happen around the same time, near the top of every hour? The "memo" feature is probably set on you OBC. Jim Bassett
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#5. Re: [E36M3] Newbie Intro...and questions - from Jim Bassett
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Date: Tue, 22 Jul 2003 22:17:46 -0700 From: Jim Bassett <jim@jimbassett.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Newbie Intro...and questions At 08:37 PM 7/22/03, Dave Bell wrote: >Greetings, all. First off, many thanks to all the >contributors to this list....I just purchased a 95 M3 at the >end of June (I finally got into the 90s after many years >with an E30 and E28) Welcome to LAST decade :-) >1) How serious is a knock sensor failure? I'm getting >code 1226 (Thanks for the gas pedal tip!) - knock >sensor #2. I would replace it at some point, but I ran my 325is with a bad knock sensor for a while before getting around to replacing it with no apparent ill effects. >2) Previous owner apparently put on on cross-drilled >rotors with PBR Deluxe pads (I know, I know). Without >starting a "religious" discussion, what is a reasonable >setup for the street with the occasional autocross? When I autocrossed, I used Brembo rotors and stock Jurid pads (I don't mind the dust). I still have this setup even though the car is only a daily-driver now. Check the archives (http://www.bmw-m.net/) as to the latest pads to try. I haven't kept up on the pad discussions as I'm happy (for the moment) with the stock pads (may try Hawk HPS(?) next as I have a certificate from the Tire Rack). >What's >the deal with Euro "floating" rotors? Separate hat and rotor, hence "floating rotor". Supposed to allow for better cooling/better heat handling, but after running a set on the track, I didn't find that to be the case. They're close to twice the price of a set of Brembos, and not worth it IMO. YMMV. Hope that helps, Jim Bassett 1998 M3/4 - nearing 130,000 miles(!) 1993 325is #44 JP/A5
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#6. Re: Re: [E36M3] Re: Cold start problem - from B Stoll
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Date: Wed, 23 Jul 2003 00:19:23 -0500 From: "B Stoll" <bobstoll@ameritech.net> Subject: Re: Re: [E36M3] Re: Cold start problem Allen, Whats the mileage ? And where are you located/ RFG-II fuel ?? Make sure you have the latest Cal flashed in the DME. Dealer should update this as a courtesy, in or out of warranty. Cold-Start stumble is a big complaint on this engine, as the dealer advised me. The cold-start-spark-retard basically starts the fire as late as possible to warm up the cats quickly. This is part of the stumble on a good running engine. On my RX-7, I once checked for leaky injectors by installing a pressure gauge to the fuel rail. I checked the gauge after leaving it sit overnight. Not sure how the BMW maintains rail pressure, ie. check-valves in the pump or filter ? If rail pressure drops, it may not just be the injector leaking. HTH, Bob ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ron Buchalski" <rbuchals@hotmail.com> To: "E36M3" <e36m3@bmw-m.net> Sent: Tuesday, July 22, 2003 7:57 AM Subject: [E36M3] Re: Cold start problem > Date: Tue, 22 Jul 2003 08:47:32 -0400 > From: "Ron Buchalski" <rbuchals@hotmail.com> > Subject: Re: Cold start problem > > Allen, > > Sometimes this can be caused by a leaking fuel injector (or injectors), > which fill the combustion chambers with fuel when the engine sits. When you > start the engine, the excess fuel causes the engine to run rough until it's > cleared out. > > This can be the result of failing injectors, or it could simply be due to > deposit buildup on the injectors. The cheap fix is to try a can of good > injector cleaner, like BG-44K or Techron. > > > Ron Buchalski > BMWCCA #76387 > 1995 E36 M3 > 1993 E34 525iT > 1999 Mazda Miata > > > > >Date: Sat, 19 Jul 2003 13:41:55 -0500 > > >From: "Allen Hyman" <allen.hyman@starcore-dsp.com> > > >Subject: Cold start problem > > > > > >My 99 M3 is difficult to start in the morning. It turns over and > > >catches, but 'stumbles' for the first 30-40 seconds. > > > > > >I cleaned the air filter but I'm not sure what to do next. It exhibits > > >the problem every time it sits for a long period, like overnite or all > > >day at work. >
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#7. Re: [E36M3] What good is a Warr? - from Scott M
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Date: Tue, 22 Jul 2003 22:26:53 -0700 From: Scott M <smlists@pacbell.net> Subject: Re: [E36M3] What good is a Warr? Oh sure, if I had known that was the problem - I got called from the dealer with the repair already done... I figured it would be covered by either my warranty or the CA emissions control warranty. Scott on 7/22/03 12:38 PM, Robert S. Hatrak II at rshatrakii@earthlink.net wrote: > Save yourself a ton of money and order the part from the internet. After > that, install the thing yourself, and you'll be good to go. MAFs are about > as hard to R&R as a lightbulb. Go for it! > > Rob > > -----Original Message----- > From: Scott M [mailto:smlists@pacbell.net] > Sent: Tuesday, July 22, 2003 11:57 AM > To: E36M3 > Subject: [E36M3] What good is a Warr? > > > Date: Tue, 22 Jul 2003 11:50:32 -0700 > From: Scott M <smlists@pacbell.net> > Subject: What good is a Warr? > > > > I have an aftermarket warr on my '99 540. Took it in cause the check engine > light was on. Turned out to be the MAF sensor. > > Warr company doesn't cover ANY emissions related items... WTF!! > > And this item is not covered by BMW extended emissions coverage b/c the part > is under the limit (this is a CA law thing). > > So it's going to cost me $780 - the part alone was $450... > > Fuuuugg me. > > Wonder if I can still cancel this POS aftermarket warrantee - doesn't seem > to be worth much..... > > Scott > '98 M3/4 > '99 540iT > > > > ************************************************* > 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 Turner > Motorsport http://www.turnermotorsport.com > > DIGEST INFORMATION: http://www.bmw-m.net/resources/digest_info.htm > ************************************************* > > > > This e-mail and any attachments may contain confidential and privileged > information. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender > immediately by return e-mail, delete this e-mail and destroy any copies. Any > dissemination or use of this information by a person other than the intended > recipient is unauthorized and may be illegal. >
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#8. Re: [E36M3] What good is a Warr? - from Scott M
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Date: Tue, 22 Jul 2003 22:29:00 -0700 From: Scott M <smlists@pacbell.net> Subject: Re: [E36M3] What good is a Warr? It was $720. They got me for $250 in diagnostic labor charges... :-/ I also have done some investigation and the CA law seems to indicate that any emissions related repair bill greater than ~$450 (factored number over time) should be covered. I think I need to fight BMW on this. Scott on 7/22/03 2:02 PM, Michael Lawrence at 95m3ltw@comcast.net wrote: > So 450 out of 780, what were the other charges? I can see 1 hr labor to > read codes and replace the part, what else did they do? HFM is very very > easy to replace > > Mike > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Scott M" <smlists@pacbell.net> > To: "E36M3" <e36m3@bmw-m.net> > Sent: Tuesday, July 22, 2003 2:57 PM > Subject: [E36M3] What good is a Warr? > > >> Date: Tue, 22 Jul 2003 11:50:32 -0700 >> From: Scott M <smlists@pacbell.net> >> Subject: What good is a Warr? >> >> >> >> I have an aftermarket warr on my '99 540. Took it in cause the check > engine >> light was on. Turned out to be the MAF sensor. >> >> Warr company doesn't cover ANY emissions related items... WTF!! >> >> And this item is not covered by BMW extended emissions coverage b/c the > part >> is under the limit (this is a CA law thing). >> >> So it's going to cost me $780 - the part alone was $450... >> >> Fuuuugg me. >> >> Wonder if I can still cancel this POS aftermarket warrantee - doesn't seem >> to be worth much..... >> >> Scott >> '98 M3/4 >> '99 540iT >> >> >> >> ************************************************* >> 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 >> Turner Motorsport http://www.turnermotorsport.com >> >> DIGEST INFORMATION: >> http://www.bmw-m.net/resources/digest_info.htm >> ************************************************* >> >> >> >> This e-mail and any attachments may contain confidential and >> privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, >> please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail, delete this >> e-mail and destroy any copies. Any dissemination or use of this >> information by a person other than the intended recipient is >> unauthorized and may be illegal.
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#9. Re: [E36M3] What good is a Warr? - from Scott M
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Date: Tue, 22 Jul 2003 22:34:16 -0700 From: Scott M <smlists@pacbell.net> Subject: Re: [E36M3] What good is a Warr? Car is a '99 with 55K miles. Emissions warrantee is mandated by CA ARB out to 70K miles and 7 years old, but there is a clause that says each mfg must classify items as "high priced" or not as defined by: $300 * CPIn-2 / 118 where: CPI = Consumer price index n = current model year cars Which I take to read the CPI in 2001 / 118 Which some quick math results in $450 And my repair bill was $720. So this is total BS and looks like I need to fight BMW because they are breaking CA law by not covering this item. Anyone know how to raise an issue to BMW on a warrantee claim? Scott on 7/22/03 9:52 PM, B Stoll at bobstoll@ameritech.net wrote: > Scott, > > What is the mileage on the car ? > > Sorry, I don't understand "...the part is under the limit..." WTFO ? How > can a part be under a limit ? What limit ? > > "And this item is not covered by BMW extended emissions coverage b/c the > part > is under the limit (this is a CA law thing)." > > What company is your Aftermarket Warranty through ? > > Kind Regards, > Bob > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Scott M" <smlists@pacbell.net> > To: "E36M3" <e36m3@bmw-m.net> > Sent: Tuesday, July 22, 2003 1:57 PM > Subject: [E36M3] What good is a Warr? > > >> Date: Tue, 22 Jul 2003 11:50:32 -0700 >> From: Scott M <smlists@pacbell.net> >> Subject: What good is a Warr? >> >> >> >> I have an aftermarket warr on my '99 540. Took it in cause the check > engine >> light was on. Turned out to be the MAF sensor. >> >> Warr company doesn't cover ANY emissions related items... WTF!! >> >> And this item is not covered by BMW extended emissions coverage b/c the > part >> is under the limit (this is a CA law thing). >> >> So it's going to cost me $780 - the part alone was $450... >> >> Fuuuugg me. >> >> Wonder if I can still cancel this POS aftermarket warrantee - doesn't seem >> to be worth much..... >> >> Scott >> '98 M3/4 >> '99 540iT
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#10. RE: New Bilstein Shocks - from JUSTIN GERRY
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Date: Wed, 23 Jul 2003 09:08:31 -0400 From: "JUSTIN GERRY" <JGERRY@butchers.com> Subject: RE: New Bilstein Shocks >>"design change" I wonder if Bilstein is finally dealing with the bump stop issue?? I've only had trouble with the rears, but that was from an evil pothole. -Justin -- '76 02 '97 m3 bmw cca checkout http://www.bmw2002.net
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#11. RE: odd heat up (not quite overheating) issue? - from Paci, Noah
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Date: Wed, 23 Jul 2003 09:17:30 -0400 From: "Paci, Noah" <npaci@rr.com> Subject: RE: odd heat up (not quite overheating) issue? I just had a similar experience with my wife's car, talked a mechanic friend who indicated that it is probably the fan clutch, which is most likely slipping. Cheers, Noah