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#1. Re: [E36M3] Seatback Release fixes? - from Andrej Dolenc
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Date: Sun, 07 Jan 2007 11:17:17 -0500 From: Andrej Dolenc <adolenc@erols.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Seatback Release fixes? I went through this on my M3, though it's been a fair bit now. It's a cable that breaks in there. It goes from the seatback release lever to the bottom of the seat, where the mechanism actually resides. I had a writeup of how to replace that, but not sure where it is. Chances are if you search on the E36M3 list archives and use the phrase 'Bowden cable', it'll turn it up. The replacement wasn't bad. Once you take off the seatback, you should see the cable that goes from the lever to the bottom of the seat. The cable should be there, the inner cable within the jacket is the one that breaks. Then it's simply a matter of getting a new cable from the dealer, pulling the old one and installing the new one. I was able to do it with the seat in the car, but the M3 has just a bit more back seat room than your M Coupe... Hope that helps, Andrej '97 M3 Reid Conti wrote: > Howdy.. I know this topic comes up frequently, but couldn't find quite > what I was looking for in a search. > > I have a 2000 M Coupe and my seatback release is not working. I think > it works on the left side but not the right, as I can get the seat to > lean back a notch on the left side. > > I've pulled the plastic back cover off, but that helps.. very little. > I still don't know where the cables are or where they go. > > Does anyone have a guide for the E36, as I imagine my car will be > quite similar... so I can get a feeling for what I'm looking for. > > Also, what usually fails? Does the cable break or just become > detached? This is sorta a PITA because I'll have to pull the seat to > work on it (not enough room behind the seat in the coupe), and I don't > want to pull the seat only to find I need to reinstall it to drive to > the dealer (or wait for shipping) to get a new cable. If they're > usually broken I'll just go ahead and order whatever I need before > pulling the seat.. > > Thanks for any pointers. > > - reid > 2000 M Coupe >
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#2. WTB: rear tower bar - from Rich Dorffer
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Date: Sun, 7 Jan 2007 13:38:37 -0500 From: "Rich Dorffer" <E36M3Digest@gmail.com> Subject: WTB: rear tower bar I think we can all agree that the front strut towers and the rear shock towers are barely adequate for their intended purpose and that you might say they aren't adequate due to torn strut towers and torn shock towers. Strengthening the front towers with a cross brace provides additional support for the strut bearing or the camber/caster plate by sandwiching the tower. Depending on the strut brace, it can also provide additional support and rigidity for the tower by tying the two together which provides additional rigidity to the suspension geometry. Strengthening the rear shock towers with a cross brace provides additional support for the rear shock mount by sandwiching the tower (this can also be accomplished with Z3 reinforcement plates or many of the aftermarket plates that are available). But, the rear suspension geometry is not dependant on positioning of the rear shock tower* so any potential strengthening is irrelevant for these purposes and the car is not going to feel any different, "crisper", "stronger", etc. by increasing the rigidity of the shock tower. Rear bars are purely about bling aside from the support they may provide for the shock mount which can be just as easily accomplished by easier and less expensive alternatives. * - ignores those that may have gone to a true coil over set-up in the rear which is a whole different story. Regards, Rich
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#3. Re: [E36M3] Seatback Release fixes? - from Reid Conti
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Date: Sun, 7 Jan 2007 10:48:13 -0800 From: "Reid Conti" <reid@conti.net> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Seatback Release fixes? When I saw this, I realized something was wrong... I was mentally connecting the E36 problems with my own problems -- wasn't thinking about the fact that my car doesn't even have what breaks on the E36. What broke on my car was the seat *recline*, not the seatback release. Whoops. Looking back over the years I think what always broke on the E36 was the release rather than recline, so I'm probably on my own here unless I can find a coupe/roadster owner who has gone thru this. I have taken my seatback cover off, and there is no obvious cable, but then it's not clear where the mechanism itself is.. and since the handle is down on the side of the seat, instead of on the seatback, I'll probably at least need to get under the seat to find where it attaches. Guess this job *definitely* isn't happening with the seat in the car! Thanks again. - reid > The replacement wasn't bad. Once you take off the seatback, you should > see the cable that goes from the lever to the bottom of the seat. The > cable should be there, the inner cable within the jacket is the one that > breaks. Then it's simply a matter of getting a new cable from the > dealer, pulling the old one and installing the new one. I was able to > do it with the seat in the car, but the M3 has just a bit more back seat > room than your M Coupe...
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#4. Seat Bracket and Harness Install - from kresener@aol.com
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Date: Sun, 07 Jan 2007 22:13:00 -0500 From: kresener@aol.com Subject: Seat Bracket and Harness Install Since Santa didn't bring me the Recaro Pole Position seats and Schroth six point harnesses I wanted, I'll be taking matters into my own hands here shortly. HMS Motorsports seems to have the seats, sliders, and mounting brackets that I need, has anyone used their brackets and sliders? I've been led to believe that the sliders can be tricky, and that some may be more difficult to make work correctly than others. Any words of wisdom out there or suggestions on other sliders and brackets? On the harnesses, I know that the Schroths come with pretty detailed instructions on where to locate the mounts in the car. Aside from locating those exact spots relative to the seat and my body in the seat and ensuring that I don't drill through any wires under the carpet, is there any "gotcha's" in drilling for the crotch straps and the inside lap belt mounts? I'm thinking that the front bolt that holds the slider bar that the bottom of the stock three point belt rides on down behind the door may provide a good mounting spot for the outer lap belt, has anyone used that? Darn, why haven't I paid more attention to those mounting spots on other cars when I've been at the track?! Any advice and "been there, done that" tips greatly appreciated before I get buried in this project! Kurt Resener Louisville, KY 1995 BMW M3 2001 BMW X5 2002 BMW 325xiT (just bought Friday for my wife!) 1975 Mercedes 280c 1997 Audi A6 quattro Avant (now for sale, with 160k miles...) ________________________________________________________________________ Check out the new AOL. Most comprehensive set of free safety and security tools, free access to millions of high-quality videos from across the web, free AOL Mail and more.
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#5. Re: [E36M3] Removing Drivers side knee bolster - from Brian Ruiz
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Date: Sun, 7 Jan 2007 23:39:54 -0800 From: "Brian Ruiz" <eurowerke@gmail.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Removing Drivers side knee bolster There is a c-shaped plastic clip on the vertical side of the knee bolster, just unscrew the 3 (?) screws and as soon as that's done, pull the whole piece horizontally out and the clip should pop right out. The clip just fits into a rectangular cutout of the dash and slides forward to grip onto the dash. Brian build 8/95 On 1/7/07, Rick Cooke <rickcooke@rcn.com> wrote: > > Date: Sun, 7 Jan 2007 09:15:07 -0500 > From: "Rick Cooke" <rickcooke@rcn.com> > Subject: Removing Drivers side knee bolster > > I am installing a keyless entry and found that there is no power for the > alarm at Fuse 47. This is the fuse that is "under the glove compartment" > according to the panel under the fuse box. I have now read that it is > REALLY > located in a unmarked location near the firewall under the driver's side > knee bolster. > > I am looking for it, but I cannot figure out how to remove the knee > bolster. > There seems to be a hidden clip in the upper left corner by the door. I > have > a feeling I will break something if I force it. Any help out there? > > Rick > '96 M3 > > > ************************************************* > 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] Seat Bracket and Harness Install - from Jim Bassett
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Date: Mon, 8 Jan 2007 11:07:33 -0800 (PST) From: "Jim Bassett" <jim@jimbassett.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Seat Bracket and Harness Install On Sun, January 7, 2007 7:15 pm, kresener@aol.com said: > and ensuring that I don't drill through any wires under the carpet, This shouldn't be an issue, since you're going to cut/remove the carpet (and any sound deadening, both internal and external) from around the mounting locations anyway so as to get metal-to-metal contact for all your hardware, right? (Hint: The correct answer is: "Of course, Jim, why would you even think to ask such a silly question?" :-)) Jim Bassett 1998 M3/4 1993 325is #44 JP
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#7. Re: [E36M3] Seat Bracket and Harness Install - from kresener@aol.com
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Date: Mon, 08 Jan 2007 14:54:25 -0500 From: kresener@aol.com Subject: Re: [E36M3] Seat Bracket and Harness Install Uh....of course, Jim. Why would you even think to ask such a silly question?? Tip one recieved and logged! Thank, Jim! Kurt -----Original Message----- From: jim@jimbassett.com To: kresener@aol.com Cc: e36m3@bmw-m.net Sent: Mon, 8 Jan 2007 2:07 PM Subject: Re: [E36M3] Seat Bracket and Harness Install On Sun, January 7, 2007 7:15 pm, kresener@aol.com said: > and ensuring that I don't drill through any wires under the carpet, This shouldn't be an issue, since you're going to cut/remove the carpet (and any sound deadening, both internal and external) from around the mounting locations anyway so as to get metal-to-metal contact for all your hardware, right? (Hint: The correct answer is: "Of course, Jim, why would you even think to ask such a silly question?" :-)) Jim Bassett 1998 M3/4 1993 325is #44 JP ________________________________________________________________________ Check out the new AOL. Most comprehensive set of free safety and security tools, free access to millions of high-quality videos from across the web, free AOL Mail and more.
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#8. Re: [E36M3] cutting new door panels - from Mpower
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Date: Mon, 8 Jan 2007 15:30:11 -0800 From: Mpower <mpower@obikwan.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] cutting new door panels All, Just wanted to give you an update on my door panel swap. I finished the door panel install. Mine will probably be easier than yours in terms of cutting. I took the opportunity to "delete" the factory speakers, and thus did not have to cut out holes for those. I only had to cut out 1 hole for the power window switch. That was straight forward enough, I cut it "smaller" and just filed it to enlarge the hole. I however made it "slightly" too large so I put a little bit of electrical tape around the switch to 'enlarge' it from the bottom. Couple of notes: -lost one of my plugs to cover one of the screw holes on the door handle (anyone got an extra black one for sale?) -the "metal door handle" of the driver's side door was misaligned compared to the factory so that took some messing around with to get it aligned let me know if you have any questions! -kelvin --------- Original Message -------- From: Mpower <mpower@obikwan.com> To: E36M3 <e36m3@bmw-m.net> Subject: [E36M3] cutting new door panels Date: 27/12/06 20:56 > Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2006 12:54:02 -0800 > From: Mpower <mpower@obikwan.com> > Subject: cutting new door panels > > All, > I broke down and bought new door panels. The old panels were delaminating > and annoying the crap out of me. I originally was going to just > re-upholster the doors, but decided that I didn't have the time to do that > right now. So instead I bought new door panels. > > Now none of the holes come pre-drilled. So I need to "cut" out the hole for > the power mirror switch. The hole is marked from the backside already > though. > > Does anyone have any recommendations on what the best way to cut this hole > out would be? This is a "measure twice and cut once" situation, because if > I FUBAR it up, I'm going to have to set the car on fire! =P > > Thanks! > > ________________________________________________ > Message sent using UebiMiau 2.7.9 > > > ************************************************* > 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 > ************************************************* > > > > ________________________________________________ Message sent using UebiMiau 2.7.9
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#9. Re: [E36M3] cutting new door panels - from Shelhart2@aol.com
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Date: Mon, 8 Jan 2007 20:15:22 EST From: Shelhart2@aol.com Subject: Re: [E36M3] cutting new door panels I'm going through the same quandry. I took the panels off today and took them in to a local well known interior / top shop. The guys has done some real unique things and has had a few cars at SEMA. He told me he couldn't do it and that I'd need to get new skins from BMW. What did the cost from the dealer? Do they come with the clips, side plastic "pocket, etc? Shel 1995 M3 2002 Boxster S
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#10. [E36M3] Vibration - from Teddy Lam
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Date: Mon, 8 Jan 2007 22:12:24 -0800 (PST) From: Teddy Lam <teddy080799@yahoo.com.hk> Subject: [E36M3] Vibration Hello~ I am pretty new to this M3 list and this is my first time to post here. Are you guys all from the US? You guys are so lucky that you can have tracks readily accessible. :) I have a manual 4/96 E36 M3 3.2 for almost 2 years now. It was running in complete original form. Currently I get a little problem on my M3 and I have no luck that the local garage here cannot have it properly fixed after a few tries. We have no clue on it…The car has a little bit of vibration during idle. This vibration can be felt through the steering wheel and through the seats. However, with air-con on, with the engine idle lift a bit the vibration is reduced much…Apparently this is not a strong vibration but it’s a bit annoying to me because I will have air-con off quite often. Also when I engaged in rear gear, a rough engagement and vibration can be felt in the clutch pedal…The garage here helped me to replaced the engine mounts, transmission mounts, transmission oil already. Recently, my car has a gasoline smell problem but we have replaced all of the leaking valves and hoses, with reflash of factory programme already. The gasoline smell problem gone but the vibration is still here… Do you guys have any experience or suggestion with this? _______________________________________ YM - 離線訊息 就算你沒有上網，你的朋友仍可以留下訊息給你，當你上網時就能立即看到，任何說話都冇走失。 http://messenger.yahoo.com.hk