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#1. Re: [E36M3] cd changer dead, need new head unit advice - from Rex Tener
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Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2004 13:54:18 -0800 From: Rex Tener <rex_tener@yahoo.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] cd changer dead, need new head unit advice At 01:35 PM 12/16/2004 -0800, Kent L. Shephard wrote: >Okay makes sense, but I thought the topic was a new head unit at a >reasonable price to replace the dead one in the car? Someone mentioned various priced head units. Someone mentioned that the HK Traffic Pro looked cool, and was only at Crutchfield, but didn't match the BMW lighting or I-Bus. I mentioned that there is a Becker Traffic Pro unit that does match if you need navigation. Whether $100, $500, or $2000 is a reasonable price is left up to the beholder. :-) The BMW CD43 is nice, but their used prices went from $100 to almost $500, as soon as the all the E36 owners figured out they were plug-n-play in their cars. For my $500, I would rather have a BMW (Becker) Traffic Pro, which means I got the CD43 for free. :-) -- Rex Tener rex_tener@yahoo.com
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#2. Re: [E36M3] A-pillar gauges and cooling questions... - from Jim Bassett
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Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2004 13:59:02 -0800 From: Jim Bassett <jim@jimbassett.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] A-pillar gauges and cooling questions... Quoting Som Naderi <som@dimensionracing.com>: > On Thu, 16 Dec 2004 11:57:30 -0800, Jim Bassett wrote > > (I, too, am considering an A-pillar pod for oil temp and water temp. > > I actually use the sunglass shelf for, gasp!, my sunglasses :-)) > > I thought I was the only one! > > *cancels appointment with therapist* :-) > Even if the fan feels tight? I'm sorry, I guess I wasn't clear: REPLACE THE WATER PUMP. :-) > Should I look for an OEM radiator, as well? I've used OEM (Behr, IIRC) radiators in both cars. The original M3 one had some pin-hole leaks at ~50,000, it's replacement lasted ~100,000 miles (preventatively replaced after successful service :-)). The race car got one when I bought the car, and it was subsequently replaced with an OEM one from an S54-motored M Coupe (slightly larger capacity). (On that note, I have the replaced one from the race car for sale. It was in the car for 1 year, ~9,000 miles. It's in very good condition. I don't take it to the track, so it's not very helpful as a track-spare. It's just taking up space the garage. If someone can make use of it, make me an offer.) Jim Bassett ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program.
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#3. Re: A-pillar gauges and cooling questions... - from Som Naderi
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Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2004 14:14:09 -0800 From: "Som Naderi" <som@dimensionracing.com> Subject: Re: A-pillar gauges and cooling questions... Neil Wrote: >> 2) Can someone give me the quick list of cooling system to-dos for an >> 80k '98? So far from the digest-search I've got thermostat housing, >> thermostat, radiator, and water pump (if the bearings feel loose). >Anything >> else? Do the hoses need to be swapped out? Should I just purchase a >stock >> thermostat housing or is there an aftermarket alternative that's better? >> Any requirements on the thermostat itself (particular brands/temperature)? > >Zionsville <http://www.zionsvilleautosport.com> sells an aluminum radiator >or a full kit with additional parts, including the metal t'stat housing. Or >you can get that housing from Bimmerworld. Use the stock t'stat/calibration. >Use BMW coolant. Beautiful... thanks! >You wouldn't even think of doing a cooling system upgrade on a 7 year old >car and reinstalling the old hoses - right? You know, I still feel like this car is only a few years old or so. This has equal parts to do with it not feeling like it's almost 2005 (sheesh, halfway through the first decade of the new millenia!) and the way the car actually feels. 7 years sounds so... old! But now that you mention it, no, I wouldn't even think of it. :) - Som
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#4. cooling + diagnosing idle oddity - from m3rb@comcast.net
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Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2004 23:21:34 +0000 From: m3rb@comcast.net Subject: cooling + diagnosing idle oddity I did the cooling service thing recently and didn't do the water pump or hoses. The reason I didn't do the WP is that it was replaced at the dealer a couple years ago; I had the dealer do it because I was in a hurry and didn't know then how easy it was. At the time, I thought I was lucky to get my car back from them with my wallet "only" $240 lighter. I did take out the WP and make sure it was the latest-n-greatest composite type. As to the hoses, I gave them a thorough examination for thinness, softness, brittleness, and cracking, and found none such, so I think they are good for quite a while, yet. Almost 7 years, yes, but only 58,000 miles... Now as to my idle issue: As the motor warms up and the idle RPM comes down, there is a spot at about 1000 RPM where there is an unbalanced sort of vibration like a cylinder isn't pulling its weight. Also, ever so occasionally, at normal operating temperature, there is a blip down in RPM, a misfire I suppose. No CEL. There is no sign of problems other than at idle. I think, but am not certain, that this is more pronounced at colder ambient temperature, and with a nearly empty fuel tank. A suspect is Platinum+4 plugs, which I put in a couple years ago when I was naive and ignorant. If it really does happen more when the fuel is low, though, this seems unlikely. But I do intend to switch them out for NGK's... Robert Brooks
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#5. Re: [E36M3] Back Seat Replacement - from ChuckBrazeau@aol.com
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Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2004 21:01:54 EST From: ChuckBrazeau@aol.com Subject: Re: [E36M3] Back Seat Replacement You might try building something yourself... take a look at this thread on bimmerforums.com _http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=140850_ (http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=140850) Happy Holidays! Chuck Brazeau 1995 BMW M3 - Violet on Black SCCA Solo2 - B-Street Prepared #95 _http://www.brazeauracing.com/_ (http://www.brazeauracing.com/) In a message dated 12/16/2004 11:35:20 AM Central Standard Time, lmb_cfls@sbcglobal.net writes: Anyone aware of some sort of flat panel arrangement that replaces the back seat in the coupes? If possible, I'd like to configure the back seat area so I can transport my 175# Mastiff in the car. I'm looking for a configuration that is strong enough to support his weight and protect the SRS component (and my nav system component) located under the seat bottom, and able to close off the trunk compartment from the the passenger area. I can soundproof, pad, carpet, and finish the panels (and provide for securing the dog with the existing rear seat belt mounts) as necessary. Thanks. Lew Becker
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#6. cd changer dead, need new head unit advice - from Lew Becker
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Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2004 18:16:25 -0800 From: Lew Becker <lmb_cfls@sbcglobal.net> Subject: cd changer dead, need new head unit advice Pioneer's coming out with an IPOD interface in the spring. The AVIC N1 should then function as an IPOD controller (FWIW: the AVIC may be a bit bling infected, and the lighting couldn't be muich more discordant; but, the touch Nav screen is great, thr solund quality improved significantly with no other mods, and the virtual guages are a kick -- e.g. according to the unit's accelerometers, I consistently approach 1.25 g's on freeway ramps, with no drama at all). I previously had an ICE Linlk hooked up to the stock HK head unit through the CD changer cable; except for a poorly eexecuted comnnection to the IPOD (which has since been superceded) the ICE Link worked well as an IPOD controller, and charged the IPOD as well. It seems to me that if the Becker unit can control the stock CD changer it should work with the ICE Link interface through the CD changer cable. Lew Becker >-------------------- 3 -------------------- >Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2004 08:53:46 -0800 >From: Rex Tener <rex_tener@yahoo.com> >Subject: RE: cd changer dead, need new head unit advice > >At 11:43 AM 12/16/2004 -0500, Jonathan Evans wrote: > > >>And regarding the iPod, the Alpine interface is the only true digital >>interface. I want the iPod in the glove compartment acting like a hard >>drive being controlled by the head unit. As far as I know, Alpine was the >>only one to hack the controller code on the iPod (or had Apple's >>permission). >> >> > >Shhh, don't tell my wife, she might still be subscribed to this list. :-) > >We needed Nav, and the Becker/BMW unit was the best solution for us. I had >not heard that someone had gotten a head unit to act as the controller with >the Ipod, that is great integration. > >I am looking at a TomTom GO portable Nav unit to swap between the three >vehicles that I drive, especially for when I travel to national autox events. > > <http://www.tomtom.com/products/product.php?ID=12&Language=4> > >-- >Rex Tener >rex_tener@yahoo.com > > > > >
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#7. Re: [E36M3] head units and connections - from marty
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Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2004 22:33:53 -0500 From: marty <mfraiser@earthlink.net> Subject: Re: [E36M3] head units and connections If one were to get a set of component speakers to replace HK front speakers can they be wired to the existing speaker outs from the built-in amp? One of my original door-mounted speakers stopped working and another buzzed terribly (blown i guess?). I had removed the speakers from one side during troubleshooting and it wasn't very difficult. I went to the local Crutchfield store and got some moderately priced Infinity component speakers installed. In addition to breaking every panel imaginable during the installation the new speakers sound horrible. I need to take it back and have them fix it but not sure what to tell them to do differently. Plus I'm scared to death they'll break something else if they get back in there, not that there's much left undamaged :-) I did let them know of the damage and poor sound and they told me the life-time warranty would cover all that - just haven't been back yet to resolve it. I'm thinking speaker outs to the component crossover may be a problem since the signal is already filtered at the amp? I haven't looked but think maybe they used only one of the outputs. i.e. if they used the 5 1/4" output I'd guess there's be just about no signal for the tweeter to use and vice-versa. I suggested they bypass the crossover but they were afraid the frequencies wouldn't match the new speakers. They stuck some sort of inline filter on the tweeters after they sounded like they were going to explode - (clipping maybe is the term?). I wouldn't mind getting in there and fixing it myself if I knew which way to go. Any recommendations? thx, marty jakeadavis@comcast.net wrote: >Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2004 16:09:55 +0000 >From: jakeadavis@comcast.net >Subject: head units and connections > ><snip> >Actually, the stock speakers are so cruddy, even modestly priced separates outperform the stock speakers by such a margin that I belive it's worthwhile. But the speaker install can be time consuming done on your own, or fairly costly done by a competent installer. >Buy the Alpine 9835, use its internal amp and spring for a front set of Boston, Infinity, or similar midpriced separates and it'll kill the stock system. >
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#8. RE: Re[2]: [E36M3] cd changer dead, need new head unit advice - from Jeremy Conners
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Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2004 23:38:58 -0500 From: "Jeremy Conners" <jeremy.conners@comcast.net> Subject: RE: Re[2]: [E36M3] cd changer dead, need new head unit advice nice floor mats...what, are you saving the car for someone else? do you have a cover on your couch at home? <jk> to each his own. Jeremy // -----Original Message----- // From: Graeme Weston-Lewis [mailto:gweston@lsil.com] // Sent: Thursday, December 16, 2004 10:15 AM // To: E36M3 // Subject: RE: Re[2]: [E36M3] cd changer dead, need new head unit advice // // Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2004 08:05:08 -0700 // From: "Graeme Weston-Lewis" <gweston@lsil.com> // Subject: RE: Re[2]: [E36M3] cd changer dead, need new head unit advice // // That looks familiar - except for the name above the display! // http://gwl.rmsolo.org/Boxster/pages/P5010430.html // // I can tell you the hew of orange is way, way different! // // Graeme
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#9. RE: [E36M3] A-pillar gauges and cooling questions... - from Dave Arnold
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Date: Fri, 17 Dec 2004 01:27:25 -0500 From: "Dave Arnold" <air2daa@insightbb.com> Subject: RE: [E36M3] A-pillar gauges and cooling questions... Som, Group, I have installed the SPA duel LED gauges in a dual pod mount on the A pillar. I wanted to retain the use of the sunglass spot for just that. Besides, on the track, I don't want to move my eyes that far away from the track to focus inside the car at the console to check gauges. I just didn't think that would be very safe. I also very much recommend the SPA gauges as they have the programmable alarms that will flash at you at a predetermined threshold that you set. This is very handy as it will get your attention and alert you to a problem instead of you forgetting to check the gauge and a problem go unnoticed. The installation is pretty much as others have mentioned, pretty straight forward to install the gauges and the A pillar pods. I used black screws and nuts to attach mine to the A pillar instead of the little plastic push pegs that the pod mount came with. I also used a heat gun to form the plastic a little better than it came, although the pod mount was supposed to be just for the e36 car and fit fairly well. I think I paid $35 for it. Make sure you get the one with the correct size openings for your gauges. The trickiest part of the install is routing the wires from the sending units to the gauge heads. I routed mine through the fuse box in the engine bay on the driver's side. If you pull the cover and unscrew four screws on the side of the fuse box, you can pull the center section up enough to route the gauge harness through the fire wall. The hardest part about that is doing this all very carefully so as to not pull any wires loose while crossing your fingers that you won't be chasing electrical gremlins down for the next year. I chose to install the sending units first, then to work toward the gauges with the wiring in order to conceal any extra wire length under the dash instead of the engine bay. I think this makes for a cleaner install. Of course, you can always cut the wires to length but that was not something I wanted to do with the SPA gauges because the wiring harness had 6 wires per harness. To make routing the wire harness through the fire wall easier, I separated each pin from the white Molex connector and then routed the harness through the opening, and then placed the pins back into the connector. Something that I haven't seen anyone mention yet, but you should consider is the mounting position of the sending units. A common place for the oil temp is to replace the oil drain plug with one that has a sending unit in it. I didn't want a wire hanging down to get snagged on anything, so I bought a Y-connector off a list member that allowed you to retain the factory pressure unit (maintains the dash idiot light), oil pressure sending unit for the gauge and oil temperature sending unit. This attaches by removing the stock sending unit from the rear of the oil filter housing and using a special hollow BMW bolt to attach the Y-Unit with senders attached in its place. For the water temperature, I bought the aluminum thermostat cover with a tapped hole for the water temperature sending unit. I bought this for $35, which was only about $5 more than without the tapped hole. If you plan on tapping your own, be very careful on placement as there is not much clearance for the sending unit. One last recommendation for the SPA gauges, they are somewhat expensive, but when you compare that each gauge comes with the sending units and includes two gauges in one - they are actually not that more expensive than analog gauges individually. Then when you compare the extra features the gauges offer over typical analog gauges, for me at least, it was a no brainer. Good luck, hope this helped. If anyone would like to see pictures of the sending units installed or the final look of the A-Pillar, let me know and I can send them to you. Dave A 95 ///M3 "HI OFCR" -----Original Message----- From: Som Naderi [mailto:som@dimensionracing.com] Sent: Thursday, December 16, 2004 12:55 PM To: E36M3 Subject: [E36M3] A-pillar gauges and cooling questions... Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2004 09:44:51 -0800 From: "Som Naderi" <som@dimensionracing.com> Subject: A-pillar gauges and cooling questions... Another two-questions-in-one-email email. 1) How difficult are the A-pillar gauges to install? I want to get oil temp/pressure gauges and either water temp/voltage on the A-pillar. Is this something I can expect to do myself? If not, how much should I expect to pay someone to do it? 2) Can someone give me the quick list of cooling system to-dos for an 80k '98? So far from the digest-search I've got thermostat housing, thermostat, radiator, and water pump (if the bearings feel loose). Anything else? Do the hoses need to be swapped out? Should I just purchase a stock thermostat housing or is there an aftermarket alternative that's better? Any requirements on the thermostat itself (particular brands/temperature)? One more thing... I've got the E36 FAQ, and I have a bookmark for one of the threads in Bimmerforums, are there any other good FAQs for the E36 M3 out there? Thanks for everyone's help... - Som ************************************************* Please help support the E36M3 list by visiting our sponsors: Bimmerworld http://www.bimmerworld.com Turner Motorsport http://www.turnermotorsport.com Eurosport High Performance http://www.eurosporthighperformance.com Rogue Engineering http://www.rogueengineering.com DIGEST INFORMATION: http://www.bmw-m.net/resources/digest_info.htm *************************************************
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#10. OT: Stupid human tricks; changing to winter tires - from Jason Olin
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Date: Fri, 17 Dec 2004 04:22:28 -0800 (PST) From: Jason Olin <jtolin64@yahoo.com> Subject: OT: Stupid human tricks; changing to winter tires Ok- This does not make me look very good, but I thought my misery might bring a smirk to the group. Disclaimer: I am a very amateur mechanic (Miata: no problem; 97 M3: problem). So, it was time to change the wheels with the summer tires to the wheels with the winter tires. My little 20th month old boy watched as I took the BMW lug wrench (from the trunk) and started to loosen the nuts. So, having noticed that the local repair shop (Rolfs) had overtorqued them, I took the wrench, attached a large 3-foot cast iron pipe to the end of it, and started hopping on it. No problem! Hop one-- hop two-- and snap, the bolts loosen up. A few minutes later I've got the rear wheels changed. My boy smiles at his Daddy's funny hopping dance. This method had seemed to work fine in the past, though I did bash my thumb onto the hood once a couple of years back when a particularly tight bolt gave way. So now, I keep my hands out of the way from the car. On to the front wheels. The first bolt goes fine. The second bolt was not so easy, until I realized that I had the wrench facing the wrong way and was actually tightening the thing?! It was the third bolt that got me. I was hopping and hopping, trying to take my mass and convert it into kinetic energy. Except, this-- I slipped. My foot twisted suddenly, and OUCH! I sprained the damn thing. Now I was really hopping, but this time in pain! My boy laughs at his Daddy's new funny hopping dance. I limped back into the house, where my wife reprimanded me for being an idiot who is too lazy to toss the wheels into the car and bring it to the shop. Today I'm bringing the car back to Rolfs and letting them do it. ...and so this brings up a question-- How do you loosen really tight lug nuts? Or should I not give up and start using my one good foot that's left?? Or should I build a platform and drop heavy weights onto the wrench? I'm sure there's a physicist out there who could tell me exactly how high the platform needs to be and the size of the mass. Happy holidays, Jason PS-- I should point out that in removing my old shifter knob I was able to pull it out without bashing my own head. So, there is hope. --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Read only the mail you want - Yahoo! Mail SpamGuard.