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#1. Sagging Headliner - from M540
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Date: Sun, 6 Aug 2006 15:32:57 -0400 From: "M540" <m540@bellsouth.net> Subject: Sagging Headliner All: What is the preferred repair solution for a sagging headliner? The headliner in my wife's '95 M3 caught us both completely off guard recently, simply appearing to let go from its backing. The fabric is now drooping across the entire ceiling and separating from the trim around the sunroof. (The sunroof panel appears fine for now.) Do I need to replace the entire headliner (if so, any tips for removal? Preferred part source?) or is there a repair method (DIY or otherwise) that yields good results? Concours appearance is not necessary but it's currently a bit ragged for our tastes. Thank you for the help! Kevin
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#2. WTT:E36 Dinan Front Strut Tower Brace for JT-D or latest Dinan - from Ivan Petrov
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Date: Sun, 6 Aug 2006 14:53:49 -0700 From: "Ivan Petrov" <crazyinp@hotmail.com> Subject: WTT:E36 Dinan Front Strut Tower Brace for JT-D or latest Dinan I finally bought Dinan Strut Tower Brace, apparently Dinan made couple version so I ended up with one that will not fit E36 with ASC. If someone has the later model Dinan Strut Tower brace on his 95 or on car w/o ASC I would like to trade, depend on the condition I will add some cash. Also will consider trade for JT-D one. Also would be great if you are in No.CA Pics can be found here. http://img465.imageshack.us/img465/5946/img2363ik9.jpg http://img313.imageshack.us/img313/664/img2364wm8.jpg http://img437.imageshack.us/img437/2695/img2365yl0.jpg
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#3. Manual steering rack? - from Walter J
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Date: Mon, 07 Aug 2006 09:40:17 -0400 From: Walter J <m3gtr@adelphia.net> Subject: Manual steering rack? The steering rack in my M3 chose turn 1 at Summit Point to explode and lubricate the tires this weekend... (wheeee! CPR, CPR... WTF was that and where is all that smoke coming from!?). I "can" just rebuild it or replace it with a Z3 unit as a lot of people have done _BUT_ I am sure that I've heard somewhere that there is a manual rack that bolts right up in the euro BMW parts catalog. This would solve the issue in a way that really appeals to me - no pump to drag on the motor, less parts in the way when work needs to be done and one less source of tire lube lurking under the hood. It is a racecar so I really don't care if its hard to manuver in slow/parking situations as long as it does not have a ratio like a bus (or an E30) at turn-in time. Anyone have experience, thoughts, part numbers... etc? -- Walter
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#4. Re: [E36M3] RE: Gas Smell! Figured it out! (I hope!) - from Kelvin
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Date: Mon, 07 Aug 2006 13:24:34 -0700 From: Kelvin <mpower@obikwan.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] RE: Gas Smell! Figured it out! (I hope!) Sorry to disappoint you Jim, no crazy stories....YET! I didn't have time this weekend to work on the car. I'll try after work one day. One thing I did notice was that I initially had wiped up the "pooled" fuel on top of the sender unit. A couple of days later, I look and there's a pool there again. So me thinks it's the gasket that needs to be replaced only and not the sender. Is there anyway to check the sender? (turn on the car and see if fuel shoots out and blows up my car?) I ended up putting 100miles on my car this weekend driving around and the gas smell is gone now. I suppose the problem was that I had a full tank of gas and it was just sitting in my garage. Normally I fill up then go out so I would never notice it (burn off some fuel first). This last time I filled up and parked it in the garage. On another note, I ended up ordering some 225/45-17 tires for my car. =D -kelvin Jim Bassett wrote: > On Fri, August 4, 2006 9:28 am, Kelvin said: > >> Think I'll take up smoking while working on this one. >> > > Excellent - someone else to give use exciting, hair-raising (-burning? > :-)) car-repair stories. > > >> I only need Items #2 and the rubber ring/gasket correct? >> > > If you are going to replace the sender, you are correct. > > >> Also, anyone know what that service bulletin refers to? >> > > Not sure, but I believe BMW changed/upgraded the senders/pumps due to the > resistance material that the float arm rides against pre-maturely wearing > out. The bulletin may refer to the fix for that condition (i.e. replace > with new, upgraded sender/pump - which you are about to do :-)) > > >> My tank is FULL too. I need to either drive around or siphon some gas >> into my wife's car. >> > > Or just be really, really careful <g> - I've done this repair with a > fairly full tank. Not the best time to do it, but do-able. > > (Offer still stands, if you want someone to "look over your shoulder" you > can drive up over to Pleasant Hill - depending on where you are, that > should lower the fuel level a bit.) > > >> PS: worm-drive clamps are the type you "screw" in to tighten correct? >> > > Correct. > > Cheers, > Jim Bassett > > > >
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#5. Re: [E36M3] RE: Gas Smell! Figured it out! (I hope!) - from Jim Bassett
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Date: Mon, 7 Aug 2006 13:33:40 -0700 (PDT) From: "Jim Bassett" <jim@jimbassett.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] RE: Gas Smell! Figured it out! (I hope!) On Mon, August 7, 2006 1:26 pm, Kelvin said: > So me thinks it's the gasket that needs to > be replaced only and not the sender. That's most likely, yes. > Is there anyway to check the > sender? (turn on the car and see if fuel shoots out and blows up my car?) Yep, you could turn the car on with the access covers off, and see if there's any leakage. Probably be more of a "slow leak" than "shooting out", though. Jim Bassett
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#6. FS: H&R Sport Springs and Bilstein Sports - from twisty M3
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Date: Mon, 07 Aug 2006 19:12:03 -0700 From: "twisty M3" <twistym3@hotmail.com> Subject: FS: H&R Sport Springs and Bilstein Sports I have a set of H&R Sports and Bilsteins coming off my car that I'll be looking to sell. Nothing wrong with them and I've actually always felt that it was a great compromise suspension that did a really nice job on track (ran with RD Sport bars). My only reason for taking it all off is that the car is now just a track car that goes to and from tracks (and the shop!), so I have a little something on the way from UPS arriving on Wednesday. Springs and dampers have right around 100K miles on them with the Bilsteins having slightly less... maybe 85K miles? I'll look back to see exactly what the mileage was when they went on, but they're still in great shape and it's hard to believe they have this many miles. I don't even know what a fair price is at this point, so I'll entertain realistic offers. Please email me off list. Thanks, Jonathan L.
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#7. Summit Point Weekend - from Ahmad Lutfeali
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Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2006 10:12:39 -0400 From: "Ahmad Lutfeali" <m3_racer99@hotmail.com> Subject: Summit Point Weekend It was great seeing a bunch of you guys (finally was able to put the names/faces together). Met: Jack Money, Carlos Lopez (thanks to both of you for doing a great job during tech), Mo Karamat (an old time M3 buddy whom I have not seen in 5 years), Walter Jordon (good luck on your IP car) and above all Dave Hogg (my IS competitor). We had a great race. I was looking forward to racing Dave. Both of us had exchanged emails on car setups, tires etc. During practice I followed Dave around to acquaint myself with the track. Dave qualified .2 second faster than me for the race. I was lucky and was able to jump on a few cars (David was right behind me). Billy Jack Ethridge spun right in front of us and I went agriculture to pass him at the right time. I lost David who was neck to neck with me then (SUCKS). Since the finishing position determined your grid position for the Enduro and David had brake issues during the Sprint, I was ahead in the Enduro and was not much motivated. Got to a good start, maintained my position throughout but didn't go all out (preserve the equipment mode) until I pulled into the pits. Dave's crew person walked over and said "Dave is only one car behind you and is only 15 seconds behind you". That's all I needed to hear :) After that I did whatever I could to keep the 95% pace. Race was awesome. Dave and I were have identical cars, setup, brakes etc and were running literally .1-.3 seconds apart from each other. On a separate note, Dave was on Goodyear GSCs and I was on Hankook Z211s unshaved tires. The Kooks held up AWESOME. No fade, very consistent, no thread squirm even at 8/32 since the thread blocks are so wide (unlike RA1s). I am glad I upgraded these tires from the RA1s. I love the RA1s but I think the Kooks grip better. Think of Kooks as a heat cycled out Hoosiers (they don't howl and scream) with the longevity of an RA1. Grip: Kook > RA1s. Longevity: Kook is comparable to RA1s however; since you can run the Kooks unshaved, they have an edge in overall life as well (RA1s need to be shaved before they behave well). Regards, A.L.
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#8. Bringing Back the Brake Pad Battle - from Jeff Conner
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Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2006 10:07:37 -0700 (PDT) From: Jeff Conner <jeff.conner@yahoo.com> Subject: Bringing Back the Brake Pad Battle So, I think I read every post from the thread that started last April and have yet to find a conclusion as to what would be best for me (and my wife) as a set of track pads. I'm not a racer, but on the track I will drive hard and put my foot into the brakes. I'm going to Thunderhill at the end of August so I'll need something to withstand the heat. It would also be cool if these pads could double as my Auto-X pads, but that's not a sticking point at all. I've been told good things about Cobalt SpecVR, HT-10, Ferodo DS3000 and PF-01. Lots here have raved about the HT-10 (and HT-14/10 combination). Which would be best for an intermediate level track freak (me :) without shredding my rotors or making my wheels look like gunmetal? TIA -jeff 98///Sedan __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
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#9. Re: [E36M3] Bringing Back the Brake Pad Battle - from Carey Probst
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Date: Tue, 08 Aug 2006 13:47:37 -0400 From: Carey Probst <hcprobst@alum.mit.edu> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Bringing Back the Brake Pad Battle I've gotten really hooked on the ceramic setup from www.carbotecheng.com or from one of our list members, Gerry Low <gerry@parallel-mkt.com>. I run the XP8s on both my M3 and 325 for track and late spring/summer/early fall, returning to stock pads for the winter. No serious dusting and great grip. Mild rotor wear, at least for the XP8. For the M3 they make both an XP9 and XP10 which are more aggressive than the XP8 but I believe harder on the rotors. I swap pads and rotors around Thanksgiving and Easter because I like the better feel and control they offer in the summer. When the current Pagids are gone I will start using the Carbotech Bobcat for a winter pad which is compatible with the XP... and doesn't require a rotor swap. DO NOT try to run the Carbotechs with the rotor used with stock pads or you will get a vibration that feels like the rotors are warped and all the lug bolts are loose. Ask how I know. Jeff Conner wrote: > Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2006 10:07:37 -0700 (PDT) > From: Jeff Conner <jeff.conner@yahoo.com> > Subject: Bringing Back the Brake Pad Battle > > So, > > I think I read every post from the thread that started last April and have yet > to find a conclusion as to what would be best for me (and my wife) as a set of > track pads. > > I'm not a racer, but on the track I will drive hard and put my foot into the > brakes. I'm going to Thunderhill at the end of August so I'll need something to > withstand the heat. It would also be cool if these pads could double as my > Auto-X pads, but that's not a sticking point at all. > > I've been told good things about Cobalt SpecVR, HT-10, Ferodo DS3000 and PF-01. > Lots here have raved about the HT-10 (and HT-14/10 combination). > > Which would be best for an intermediate level track freak (me :) without > shredding my rotors or making my wheels look like gunmetal? > > TIA > > -jeff > 98///Sedan > >
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#10. 95 M3 valve spring retainers - from Rick Dahlka
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Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2006 15:36:49 -0400 From: "Rick Dahlka" <rickd@swfla.rr.com> Subject: 95 M3 valve spring retainers I am going to pony up for the replacement of the VS retainers on my early build 95. Are there any other items that I should consider while going into the engine to that extent? The job will be performed with the head in place (pressurizing the cylinders).