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#1. RE: [E36M3] Cheap Tow Vehicle Suggestions... - from Scott McClung
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Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2005 15:08:44 -0700 (PDT) From: Scott McClung <smlists@pacbell.net> Subject: RE: [E36M3] Cheap Tow Vehicle Suggestions... Yeah - I hear you, and I hate driving them around as well. But the Armada is much nicer than the 'burb at least. I have many times run numbers and analysis on replacing ours with a wagon for family use plus truck for towing, but we need 4wd for skiing, the wife wants 6-7 pass capability, and the list goes on. I used to have my wife driving the big SUV, but now she drives about 16K miles / year around town - all city driving, just running around - she is a stay at home mom, kids are 8 and 10 and quite involved in everything. Then on top of that I use it 3-5K miles for ski trips and various camping, race events towing, etc. Plus another 5K of family use for road trips etc. So pretty soon it adds up to 25K miles per year if 1 vehicle, which is not pretty at 14-15mpg around town. So now my wife drives a fuel miser Protege5 that gets 25mpg in town, and the big SUV is used just for the long freeway trips. Works out much better than way. Going to a truck to town and a AWD wagon, even car-based one also makes no sense as we'd be driving it 20K+ miles per year which is expensive in depreciation on a $40K vehicle not to mention more $$ in gas than her little Mazda. She can drive that into the ground for all I care - only cost $14K, so there isn't much to depreciate!! Anyways, that's my story :-) Those Toyota's should be nice, but double check your math to make sure you are OK on the tow capacity thing. Make sure to leave ~1K lbs for stuff incl. pass inside the truck. You should be OK with a 1Klb AL trailer I would think. And for sure the Toyota will be easier to deal with than the big hog Armada I have. You could also consider the V8 Toureg, rated to tow 7700lbs - if you do not need a 3rd row seat. That is for sure the one I'd get if I didn't need a 3rd row seat. Very reasonably priced for what you get. Scott Roy Kao <royckao@gmail.com> wrote: Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2005 17:29:34 -0400 From: Roy Kao Subject: RE: [E36M3] Cheap Tow Vehicle Suggestions... I'm with you, I too have started looking for a vehicle suitable for towing my M3 as it's becoming the dedicated track car for DE events and maybe to become a prepared club racer. We started looking at a car for the wife (X3 3.0i) and a truck to tow (Toyota Tundra or NIssan Titan). As we did more research, we realized that it's better to rationalize the 2 requirements down to 1 vehicle. So, we've narrowed our choices down to to Toyota Land Cruiser or its Lexus brethren, the LX470. In '06 guises, they're rated for 6,500 lbs. and that should be okay since I am looking for an aluminum trailer, new or used. The one cool feature they share is a rear view camera when in reverse...should make lining up with the trailer easier. What's caught me by surprise is the price of the aluminum trailers, new or used...I was in for a sticker shock. But the search continues for the trailer and I have some time since we won't be getting the SUV until December or so. I'd never thought I get one of these full size SUVs as I hate driving around them, but I guess I've found a purpose for these monstrous vehicles by towing the M3. -- ____________________ Roy - '99 M3 Estoril Blue > > -------------------- 8 -------------------- > Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2005 11:01:22 -0700 (PDT) > From: Scott McClung > Subject: Re: [E36M3] Cheap Tow Vehicle Suggestions... > > I also started towing with a mid-sized Dodge platform, in my case it was a '94 Durango with the 5.2L V8 and it was rated to tow 7400lbs. What a crock that rating was, I fried the trans the first time up and over the hill to Reno to HAN. I was towing a 1400lb trailer with a 3800lb car, 2 people and some gear, so all that was easily 1Klbs lower than the rated capacity. I had to leave the truck in Reno at the dealer for a trans rebuild and rent a car to drive home for a few days, then drive all the way back to get the truck and pick up my trailer. What a serious PITA that was. I sold it shortly there-after of course.... > > And moved on to a '94 Suburban K1500, rated to tow 6500lbs. That thing towed so much better it was amazing - I think the longer wheelbase and mostly the added weight and solid chassis of the suburban were the keys there. > > Somewhere along the way I sold the show / drag race car and started towing a '89 Camaro and eventually a '91 Corvette to track days, so the load lighted up by ~500lbs or so. > > Next tow vehicle was another K1500 Sub, this time a 2001. Much better at towing - especially the brakes, much better stopping distances than before and less likely to fade. And yes, I do have trailer brakes too. The burb was rated at 8000lbs I think > > Current tow vehicle is a Nissan Armada. That thing simply rocks as a tow rig, with a nice 5-speed trans with low 1st gear and 385lb-ft of V8 grunt, you hardly notice the trailer back there. Rated to tow ~9K lbs. I think it would tow an enclosed set-up well. Nice thing is this vehicle also gets duty as our family road trip rig, plus great for camping and ski trips, and is my current business vehicle for the 1-2 times a month I need to haul around 4 people all day. I have thought about getting a cheap 3/4t pick-up for towing and hauling duty, but every time I do the math it works out cheaper and better to do it all with one vehicle. Food for thought there, depending on your other vehicle needs. > > Scott > '02 330i > '04 Armada > '03 Mazda Protege5 (wife's car) > '91 Corvette road race car > '04 Z06 - FOR SALE, $39,900 - only 6K miles!!! ************************************************* 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 Treehouse Racing http://www.treehouseracing.com Elephant Motorsports Inc. http://www.elephantmotorsports.com DIGEST INFORMATION: http://www.bmw-m.net/resources/digest_info.htm *************************************************
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#2. Re: [E36M3] Cheap Tow Vehicle Suggestions... - from Mark Dadgar
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Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2005 15:16:24 -0700 From: Mark Dadgar <mark@pdc-racing.net> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Cheap Tow Vehicle Suggestions... On Jul 22, 2005, at 3:12 PM, Scott McClung wrote: > Those Toyota's should be nice, but double check your math to make > sure you are OK on the tow capacity thing. Make sure to leave ~1K > lbs for stuff incl. pass inside the truck. Leave yourself some headroom, too. Towing at the max rated towing capacity is not the smartest move and not a lot of fun, either. - Mark ----- mark@pdc-racing.net Check out my JustRacing Home Page at: http://www.justracing.com/homepage/mdadgar
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#3. I was on vacation - from Jim
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Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2005 16:15:58 -0700 From: Jim <rx3sp@lanset.com> Subject: I was on vacation "Maybe Turner should have the pics modified so the rubber flow gates are on the wrong side in the pics, so if anyone "copied" their product without giving it some thought, there would be consequences... " Been there, done that. Then they just buy the parts to copy them. Afterwards, sell them in the "used parts" section of their website. I got a good deal on some brand new Evosport pullies that way. They looked like they were just taken out of the box and never installed. Sort of dusty though, almost like they were sitting around a machine shop for a week. -- Jay Morris
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#4. RE: [E36M3] Dire Bentley warning against bleeding brakes - from Jeremy Conners
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Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2005 20:25:39 -0400 From: "Jeremy Conners" <jeremy.conners@comcast.net> Subject: RE: [E36M3] Dire Bentley warning against bleeding brakes Yes, I know someone that knows... <BFG> 2WD Traction Control vehicles with front/rear split brake systems require 2 extra hydraulic valves. So, our (96+) cars have 10. Unless you installed a "dry" or "new" hydraulic control unit in the M3, you are fine with a standard brake bleed. Forget the Bentley. Jeremy Conners 97 M3 // -----Original Message----- // From: Michael, Dave [mailto:Dave_Michael@maxtor.com] // Sent: Friday, July 22, 2005 8:53 AM // To: E36M3 // Subject: [E36M3] Dire Bentley warning against bleeding brakes // // Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2005 08:51:12 -0400 // From: "Michael, Dave" <Dave_Michael@maxtor.com> // Subject: Dire Bentley warning against bleeding brakes // // I was re-reading my Bentley Manual on brake bleeding yesterday and once // again came upon the passage with dire warning against either pressure // bleeding or pedal bleeding cars that are equipped with traction control. // The general list explanation of the reason for this is that if air gets // into the ASK controller, there is no way to get it without the Modic. // BUT - this has me confused, since there is no such warning for cars // equipped with JUST ABS. My impression has always been that ASC is merely // ABS with better software, in which case the warning would also apply to // ABS equipped vehicles. // // I know bazillions of you guys have bled the brakes on your ASC equipped // vehicles with no consequence, as have I. But given my recent posts on // soft pedal when hot ( which I got after installing new calipers and // brake lines), I am trying to look at all sides of the issue. // // SO - does anyone know what the hardware differences between ABS and ASC // cars are, and what specific damage is the Bentley worried about (other // than air in the controller?)? // // Anyway // // TIA // // Dave // 98 M3/2 85k // 90 200 QA 208k // // // // // // ************************************************* // 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 // Treehouse Racing http://www.treehouseracing.com // Elephant Motorsports Inc. http://www.elephantmotorsports.com // // DIGEST INFORMATION: // http://www.bmw-m.net/resources/digest_info.htm // *************************************************
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#5. Re: Cheap Tow Vehicle - from Admranger
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Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2005 19:50:45 -0700 From: "Admranger" <admranger@earthlink.net> Subject: Re: Cheap Tow Vehicle Ok, here's my suggestion for a reasonably cheap tow vehicle. The '96+ Ford F250/350 Powerstroke diesels aren't that expensive anymore -- in the range of $10k-ish depending on level of equipment, miles, condition, etc. There is a great forum based website for all your questions on these trucks <www.dieselstop.com> These things tow great and will run all day long. Diesels are easy to get extra power with a chip -- we're talking 50hp and 100 ft-lbs easy. Mileage depends on how much you tow and how fast. I am towing a 26 foot enclosed trailer that is nearly 10k lbs loaded. Marco is right about how much stuff you can haul -- 10 extra race wheels and tires, spare truck wheel and tire, two spare trailer wheels and tires, plus tons of stuff for the race car... I go over two or three mountain passes (depends on which track I'm on my way to) in the middle of summer in the Mojave Desert with no overheating issues and I've never been passed by a gasoline powered rig pulling an enclosed trailer. It is nice to have a large range (i.e., large fuel tank) regardless of your bladder size. Running a rig this big through a gas station is a PITA. You want to fill up the truck when the trailer isn't there. I guess that's why I put in a Transferflow 74 gallon across the bed fuel tank. I don't have to fill up the truck with the trailer attached so life is good (except for the cost of the fill up, of course). Bladder relief takes place at rest stops where you park alongside the big rigs so there's plenty of room. IF (big if) I ever find the right used diesel pusher RV, my '96 F350 Crew Cab Dually will be for sale soon (shameless plug). Cheers, Kirk Lachman Sin City Chapter '95 M3 #21 I-stock '96 F350 Crew Cab Dually Diesel
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#6. No clock, no windshield wiper when squirting - from Brad Sunshine
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Date: Sat, 23 Jul 2005 11:02:14 -0700 (PDT) From: Brad Sunshine <bsuns@yahoo.com> Subject: No clock, no windshield wiper when squirting Folks, I am new to the list and find the discussions entertaining and somewhat educational :~). I am a new owner of a 97 sedan with the 18 button computer. The other day the clock in the right hand smaller display was no longer visible. I haven't read the manual yet to see if I accidently turned it off, but don't see how I could have. Any insight? 2nd issue, when I pull on the stalk to spray the washer fluid the wipers do not turn on automatically. The wipers do work fine in all the different positions. Again, I haven't started trouble shooting, but figured some of you may have a clue. Brad ex Dinan engineer 97 M3/4 78 MGB powered by 92 M42 04 Sienna 96 Jeep 99 VFR Intercpetor 00 Giant NRS-1 etc. Thanks, Brad ____________________________________________________ Start your day with Yahoo! - make it your home page http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs
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#7. Rear floor tearing out - from Alan Leung
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Date: Sat, 23 Jul 2005 15:16:53 -0500 From: "Alan Leung" <alanleung100@hotmail.com> Subject: Rear floor tearing out As my 95 M3 ages I'm more concerned about preventive maintenance I should do since I plan on keeping the car for a while. On the other hand reports of the rear floor tearing apart keep coming in for cars over 100k miles. A couple questions: I believe BMW reinforced the rear subframe mount area after a certain year. Can anyone tell me what year/model E36s have the reinforced rear floor? For those of you who have used the Turner rear floor reinforcement kit (especially the racers out there), is that a cure-all? Before I spend thousands on suspensions and possibly this reinforcement kit (a huge job from what I understand - the whole rear has to come off) I want to have reasonable confidence that it'll last. Once the rear floor tears out it's usually cost-prohibitive to repair. Thanks a lot for all your input. Alan 95 M3 - 95k
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#8. Re: [E36M3] No clock, no windshield wiper when squirting - from Jamie Howton
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Date: Sat, 23 Jul 2005 15:28:29 -0500 From: Jamie Howton <jhowton@gmail.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] No clock, no windshield wiper when squirting > owner of a 97 sedan with the 18 button computer. The > other day the clock in the right hand smaller display > was no longer visible. Press the Clock button, if nothing happens it could be the display. I am not sure if they are known for failing on E36s, mine works fine. > 2nd issue, when I pull on the stalk to spray the > washer fluid the wipers do not turn on automatically. > The wipers do work fine in all the different > positions. My SWAG would be the switch is bad or the switch contacts are dirty, but again, mine works fine and I haven't heard of major problems with them. Regards -- Jamie Howton 2000 M5 1995 M3 Hampshire, IL
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#9. Fan clutches and where does the coolant exit - from Rex Tener
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Date: Sat, 23 Jul 2005 22:14:30 -0700 From: Rex Tener <rex_tener@yahoo.com> Subject: Fan clutches and where does the coolant exit I have had some weird cooling issues the last few months that I think I finally have a handle on. I will post after I have confirmed the solution or when I am stuck again. :-) My question is, when a M3 boils over, where does the coolant exit? I had some spray from the back of the expansion tank, about half way down, near the fan shroud. Does that sound normal for a boilover exit location or did my expansion tank split? I tested the viscous fan clutch on my M3 last week and I was able to stop it pretty easily with a rolled up newspaper when the car was hot. So, I installed a brand new fan clutch (OE BMW) and it fails the same test. What are the odds that the new fan clutch is bad too? Or maybe my testing methodology is bad. :-) Thanks, -- Rex Tener rex_tener@yahoo.com
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#10. RE: [e36m3] [E36M3] Rear floor tearing out - from marco
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Date: Sat, 23 Jul 2005 22:32:44 -0700 From: "marco" <m3driver@iname.com> Subject: RE: [e36m3] [E36M3] Rear floor tearing out If it's an M3 it has the stronger rear subframe mounts. But still check them if the car is heavily tracked. Repair in San Francisco runs $750 to $1500 depending on how bad the damage is. But that is at a shop that has done probably dozens of those repairs. It used to be prohibitive, and may still be costly if a shop has no experience doing the repair. If it's a regular E36 and it's tracked or just even being driven hard on the street it's only a matter of time until it happens. Sounds like banging coming from the rear. A friend's street E36 325is just had it done due to severe damage (I told him to take it in months before he finally did) and it ran him about $1500. If by now you haven't replace the rear toe bushings, do it. Also you may want to just proactively replace all the rear subframe bushings, while those are being replaced you can do a good inspection of the rear subframe bushing area. Early 95 M3s had an earlier design on the front subframe. I would check that and either use the turner kit or buy a new subframe that comes with reinforcements from the factory. Otherwise you're motor mounts will pull out of the subframe eventually. Marco -----Original Message----- From: Alan Leung [mailto:alanleung100@hotmail.com] Sent: Saturday, July 23, 2005 1:27 PM To: E36M3 Subject: [e36m3] [E36M3] Rear floor tearing out Date: Sat, 23 Jul 2005 15:16:53 -0500 From: "Alan Leung" <alanleung100@hotmail.com> Subject: Rear floor tearing out As my 95 M3 ages I'm more concerned about preventive maintenance I should do since I plan on keeping the car for a while. On the other hand reports of the rear floor tearing apart keep coming in for cars over 100k miles. A couple questions: I believe BMW reinforced the rear subframe mount area after a certain year. Can anyone tell me what year/model E36s have the reinforced rear floor? For those of you who have used the Turner rear floor reinforcement kit (especially the racers out there), is that a cure-all? Before I spend thousands on suspensions and possibly this reinforcement kit (a huge job from what I understand - the whole rear has to come off) I want to have reasonable confidence that it'll last. Once the rear floor tears out it's usually cost-prohibitive to repair. Thanks a lot for all your input. Alan 95 M3 - 95k ************************************************* 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 Treehouse Racing http://www.treehouseracing.com Elephant Motorsports Inc. http://www.elephantmotorsports.com DIGEST INFORMATION: http://www.bmw-m.net/resources/digest_info.htm *************************************************