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#1. Re: [E36M3] Re: Tthermostat - what temp rating am I looking for? - from Chester Wong
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Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2006 13:17:42 -0800 (PST) From: Chester Wong <chester_p_wong@yahoo.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Re: Tthermostat - what temp rating am I looking for? You're assuming that on hot days, the coolant can actually be cooled to 88 degrees vs. something higher than 92. Once a themostat is open, it's open...it can't help keep the coolant cooler, no? Chester --- mdriver13@aol.com wrote: > I did find that 88C is the typical OEM replacement for our cars. I might try > a lower temp one, the car should feels slower on very hot days. > > regards,
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#2. Re: [E36M3] Incorrect Check Coolant Message - from Bruce H
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Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2006 21:36:49 +0000 From: gobuffs93@comcast.net (Bruce H) Subject: Re: [E36M3] Incorrect Check Coolant Message I have been told that it is a fault in the OBC. Burnt out transistor like the 96+ digital climate control? I was told to replace the OBC which I haven't done. Bruce 95 M3 -------------- Original message -------------- From: "M540" <m540@bellsouth.net> > Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2006 14:25:00 -0500 > From: "M540" > Subject: Incorrect Check Coolant Message > > All: > > Our 1995 M3 has a near-constant check coolant message, despite having plenty > of coolant. I recently replaced the float sensor in the bottom of the > coolant tank, but this did not correct the error. Can anyone point me > towards other possible places I might find the problem? > > Thank you, > > Kevin
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#3. Re: Tthermostat - what temp rating am I looking for? - from Rich Dorffer
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Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2006 13:38:12 -0800 (PST) From: Rich Dorffer <e36m3digest@ameritech.net> Subject: Re: Tthermostat - what temp rating am I looking for? > From: "Burgess, Kim L" <kim.l.burgess@boeing.com> > > If you searched the archive ;) you'd find a claim by me stating _all_ > OBDII engines cam with 92C T-Stats. > Not true. > My 99 M3 came with a 88C, which I replaced with the same...My wife's 97 > 328 has a replacement 92C. Cooler produces more power - hotter helps > clean-up emissions. Really? How do you figure that the 88C makes more power? > From: mdriver13@aol.com > > I did find that 88C is the typical OEM replacement for our cars. I might try a lower temp one, > the car should feels slower on very hot days. Yeah, I am thinking of going with a 70C...it has to be good for at least 10-12 hp... ;-) Later, Rich
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#4. Re: [E36M3] RE: Tthermostat - what temp rating am I looking for? - from Carlos.F.Lopez@jci.com
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Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2006 16:39:16 -0500 From: Carlos.F.Lopez@jci.com Subject: Re: [E36M3] RE: Tthermostat - what temp rating am I looking for? >My 99 M3 came with a 88C, which I replaced with the same...My wife's 97 >328 has a replacement 92C. Cooler produces more power - hotter helps >clean-up emissions. Could you elaborate? I was under the impression that when a thermostat is open... it's open. What do I care when it opens (unless it is winter <g>)? It's not like it controls the temperature of the engine when it's hot, it can't make it run cooler, the radiator, the water pump or a fan may be able to. The colder aux fan switch AFAIK can make the car run cooler while it's idling or if you're running the A/C, at speed it should not come on though. Anyway if I'm totalling missing it an explanation would be nice. :-) Carlos 98 M3
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#5. RE: [e36m3] Re: [E36M3] Re: Tthermostat - what temp rating am I looking for? - from marco
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Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2006 13:40:32 -0800 From: "marco" <m3driver@iname.com> Subject: RE: [e36m3] Re: [E36M3] Re: Tthermostat - what temp rating am I looking for? True. IMHO. Going the route of a cooler T-stat to get a steady state improvement would require better cooling. The S54 radiator evidently can get you better cooling since I noticed that on cold track days I'd need to actually block off part of the radiator to get to a normal operating temperature. Amazing how marginally cooled the s50/s52 motors are from the factory. Marco -----Original Message----- From: Chester Wong [mailto:chester_p_wong@yahoo.com] Sent: Friday, January 20, 2006 1:22 PM To: E36M3 Subject: [e36m3] Re: [E36M3] Re: Tthermostat - what temp rating am I looking for? Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2006 13:17:42 -0800 (PST) From: Chester Wong <chester_p_wong@yahoo.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Re: Tthermostat - what temp rating am I looking for? You're assuming that on hot days, the coolant can actually be cooled to 88 degrees vs. something higher than 92. Once a themostat is open, it's open...it can't help keep the coolant cooler, no? Chester --- mdriver13@aol.com wrote: > I did find that 88C is the typical OEM replacement for our cars. I might try > a lower temp one, the car should feels slower on very hot days. > > regards, ************************************************* 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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#6. RE: [e36m3] Re: [E36M3] Re: Tthermostat - what temp rating am I looking for? - from Chester Wong
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Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2006 14:00:11 -0800 (PST) From: Chester Wong <chester_p_wong@yahoo.com> Subject: RE: [e36m3] Re: [E36M3] Re: Tthermostat - what temp rating am I looking for? --- marco <m3driver@iname.com> wrote: > True. IMHO. Going the route of a cooler T-stat to get a steady state > improvement would require better cooling. The S54 radiator evidently can > get you better cooling since I noticed that on cold track days I'd need to > actually block off part of the radiator to get to a normal operating > temperature. That kinda doesn't make sense since if your coolant dips below optimal temp, wouldn't the t-stat start to close to restrict cooling? Having said that, I know a few people on the Elise boards are reporting that on very cold days, at high rpms, the coolant temp dips below 160 degrees or so. Below a temp near there, the engine management software does not allow the engine to rev past 6000 rpms. So what they are seeing is you're up to operating temp, you start going fast and revving past 6k rpms to the 8500 redline and then the coolant dips and when you shift or get below 6000 rpms, you cannot accelerate fast after that. Haha. Why this happens, I'm not sure. Could it be that the engine is sucking in very cold air and cooling the coolant in the engine? But we're still talking about a combustion process, no? So it's still hot, hot, hot! Or maybe the coolant sensor is mounted in a strange location that isn't truly indicative of the overall coolant temp in the block... Chester
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#7. Re: Incorrect Check Coolant Message - from Shane Kleinpeter
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Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2006 14:36:05 -0800 (PST) From: Shane Kleinpeter <sak335@yahoo.com> Subject: Re: Incorrect Check Coolant Message >Our 1995 M3 has a near-constant check coolant message, despite >having plenty of coolant. I recently replaced the float sensor >in the bottom of the coolant tank, but this did not correct the >error. Can anyone point me towards other possible places I >might find the problem? Somehow I find comfort in the fact that I'm not the only one! This has been driving me nuts for weeks. I'm going to do continuity checks this weekend...but I think my problem lies in the connector. Will report back if I find anything, hope that if the others get motivated they will do the same. Shane K. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
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#8. [E36M3] Re: Thermostat - what temp rating am I looking for? - from marco
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Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2006 14:36:07 -0800 From: "marco" <m3driver@iname.com> Subject: [E36M3] Re: Thermostat - what temp rating am I looking for? if you've ever watched a t-stat open (every one I get I dump into a pot of water and bring it to a boil to ensure it's working, call me paranoid) you'll see that it doesn't just spring open at the rated temp, I believe it is fully open at the rated temp. One of these days I'll put a thermometer in the pot to see when it starts to open. Don't think of the t-stat as being binary. So if you have enough cooling capacity to keep the engine at 160 due to the ambient conditions and a partially open t-stat I could see how the Elise guys are having a problem. also makes sense they see it at high rpm since the pump is flowing more water at higher rpms. somewhat counter intuitive since you'd associate higher rpm with more heat. Marco -----Original Message----- From: Chester Wong [mailto:chester_p_wong@yahoo.com] Sent: Friday, January 20, 2006 2:00 PM To: m3driver@iname.com; E36M3 Subject: RE: [e36m3] Re: [E36M3] Re: Tthermostat - what temp rating am I looking for? --- marco <m3driver@iname.com> wrote: > True. IMHO. Going the route of a cooler T-stat to get a steady state > improvement would require better cooling. The S54 radiator evidently can > get you better cooling since I noticed that on cold track days I'd need to > actually block off part of the radiator to get to a normal operating > temperature. That kinda doesn't make sense since if your coolant dips below optimal temp, wouldn't the t-stat start to close to restrict cooling? Having said that, I know a few people on the Elise boards are reporting that on very cold days, at high rpms, the coolant temp dips below 160 degrees or so. Below a temp near there, the engine management software does not allow the engine to rev past 6000 rpms. So what they are seeing is you're up to operating temp, you start going fast and revving past 6k rpms to the 8500 redline and then the coolant dips and when you shift or get below 6000 rpms, you cannot accelerate fast after that. Haha. Why this happens, I'm not sure. Could it be that the engine is sucking in very cold air and cooling the coolant in the engine? But we're still talking about a combustion process, no? So it's still hot, hot, hot! Or maybe the coolant sensor is mounted in a strange location that isn't truly indicative of the overall coolant temp in the block... Chester
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#9. Re: Tthermostat - what temp rating am I looking for? - from Don Eilenberger
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Date: Sat, 21 Jan 2006 00:12:42 -0500 From: Don Eilenberger <deilenberger@yahoo.com> Subject: Re: Tthermostat - what temp rating am I looking for? At 04:21 PM 1/20/2006, you wrote: >I did find that 88C is the typical OEM replacement for our cars. I might >try a lower temp one, the car should feels slower on very hot days. Probably not due to engine temps.. cooler air is denser. More air = more oxygen = more power. >regards, >Bob Gill >97 ///M3 coupe (sponsored by WCC & JT-Designs) >Philly Region SCCA >2005 Philly Region BSP Champion Don Eilenberger, Spring Lk Hts, NJ JMP#1, PSJ, SquidBOOF#1 deilenberger@verizon.net NJ Shore BMW Riders web page: http://www.njsbmwr.org/ Moderator BMW E39 Enthusiast Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bmwe39 ==================================================================== "Argue with an idiot and he will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience" - Dilbert "The difference between intelligence and stupidity is - there is a limit to intelligence" - Anon ====================================================================
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#10. Quick Bilstein Sport review, and a cooling radiator-cap question - from Scott
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Date: Sun, 22 Jan 2006 00:04:38 -0800 From: "Scott" <stiles_s@hotmail.com> Subject: Quick Bilstein Sport review, and a cooling radiator-cap question First, I haven't seen a review of the Bilstein Sports w/the new front perch/bumpstops here. Install was uneventful. Fronts were a bit more time consuming, and the bolts were a PITA to remove (the bottom two strut bolts). The front strut bearings were pretty dry (no lube), but felt OK so I re-packed them w/some axle grease. Everything fit like factory, though the lowered front perches bring the perch *really* close to the tire. No contact no foul. Coming from an 85k mile OEM suspension, it's obviously a big improvement. My worries about harshness were unnecessary -- it's actually pretty supple, yet nicely buttoned down. Very tight damping. Feels like Bilstein got it right w/their 2nd gen of these struts. So, finally I can say the M is fun to drive down a curvy road (after x-brace, strut-barbarian, rsms, rtabs, tie rods, etc). It was pretty floppy when I first bought it... I still have control arms sitting in the garage ready to go on, but things are feeling pretty good now. Not quite as sharp as I remember my '99 being when new from the factory, but pretty darn close and better snubbed w/the Bilsteins. Oh, and ride height was definitely raised by at least 1/2". Hopefully it'll settle a bit, but even if it doesn't I'm very satisfied. ...Now to the radiator cap question. I've replaced the radiator (OEM), thermostat and hoses. Did this about 1k-mi ago. Tonight was the first time I've really driven it hard since. After I got home I noticed that some coolant had spewed around the radiator cap, even though it was on there nice and snug. My question is: do these typically go bad, or do you think something else is going on? Thanks, Scott. '97 M3/2