-------------------- 1 --------------------
#1. Battery/Alternator - from Shane Kleinpeter
Top
Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2007 12:53:47 -0700 (PDT) From: Shane Kleinpeter <sak335@yahoo.com> Subject: Battery/Alternator Listers, My M3 sits quite a lot since I've been living in Manhattan and only communting "home" to NC every couple weeks. (I've only logged 2500 miles since January) I got home on Thursday and needed to jump in the car right away to head to Virginia for the weekend and the car barely started. I've had a slow drain for several years now that has eluded me and have not had the time to work on it lately. Normally I would put the car on a battery charger and it would be good to go. Since I had no time, I just jumped in and figured it would be charged by the alternator on the 2.5 hour trip up to Blacksburg, VA from Charlotte. When I woke up on Friday morning and went to move the car, it *barely* cranked and I had the same problem all weekend long. After another 2.5 hour drive back to Charlotte on Sunday, I put the battery on my battery charger and it showed the battery at 50% capacity, and it charged up in about 5 hours. My question is this: Why didn't the alternator charge the battery? Alternator is a nearly-new Bosch unit that has been tested by two different places and confirmed to be good. I'm stumped. And yes, I realize that I need to get a battery tender and leave the car on that while I'm away until I take the time to fix whatever the root of the problem really is. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better Heartthrob. Get better relationship answers from someone who knows. Yahoo! Answers - Check it out. http://answers.yahoo.com/dir/?link=list&sid=396545433
-------------------- 2 --------------------
#2. Re: [E36M3] Battery/Alternator - from David Thomas
Top
Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2007 13:38:14 -0700 From: David Thomas <dave@sasdatalink.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Battery/Alternator On Monday 24 September 2007 12:58:39 pm Shane Kleinpeter wrote: > My question is this: Why didn't the alternator charge > the battery? Alternator is a nearly-new Bosch unit > that has been tested by two different places and > confirmed to be good. In short, you killed your battery by allowing it to be discharged too many times. Standard car batteries can only be deep discharged a few times before it starts to take a toll on them. These days it seems that most batteries wont tolerate it very much at all...I have heard that its due to the quality of the recycled lead they use in most batteries now but I am not sure I buy that. I really like the Odyssey dry cells for use in cars that sit for long periods of time. They have huge capacity, charge very quickly, and can handle repeated complete discharges without any issues. Expensive though... Dave
-------------------- 3 --------------------
#3. Re: [E36M3] Should I??? (Thinking of selling my street car - - from Rex Tener
Top
Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2007 13:37:45 -0700 From: Rex Tener <rex_tener@yahoo.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Should I??? (Thinking of selling my street car - Sedan) At 08:58 PM 9/23/2007, Jeff Conner wrote: >I'm having a difficult time giving up the Marque, and I could get a >325i Sedan (E36) for dirt cheap, comparatively, and a 328 for soil >cheap, but neither of those really solves the issue that I have with >stuffing things into the car. I've been tempted by Subaru, they make >lots of wagons. Heeelllllllllp! Does anyone have any recent >experience with a $5-10k car (95-02) that is even remotely fun to >drive, and far more utilitarian than my M3 sedan? Hey Jeff, As Scott and others have mentioned, a Mazda Protege 5 can fit a decent amount of stuff in it, is relatively fun to drive, gets good milage, and they built a lot of them with five speed manuals. A little bit out of your budget range, but can haul a ton of stuff in it, is a Mazda 6 Wagon. All have V6's, some have manual transmissions. I believe I had mine when I picked up the new M3 wheel from you. I can drive four people to SFO with all their luggage in the trunk for an international trip. With the fold down rear seats and the built in cargo net, I can get oversize items home too. Another option is a trailer hitch and utility trailer for the M3. Great for bringing home construction and gardening materials (dirty stuff). Rex
-------------------- 4 --------------------
#4. Re: [E36M3] Should I??? (Thinking of selling my street car - - from Scott McClung
Top
Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2007 14:49:28 -0700 (PDT) From: Scott McClung <smlists@pacbell.net> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Should I??? (Thinking of selling my street car - Cost of trailer hitch for M3: $179.99 cost of utility trailer: $1000.00 trip to home depot for landscaping supplies: $256.79 look on the face of the contractor's in their 3/4t pick-ups picking up similar materials: Priceless!!! ;-) Scott --- Rex Tener <rex_tener@yahoo.com> wrote: > Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2007 13:37:45 -0700 > From: Rex Tener <rex_tener@yahoo.com> > Subject: Re: [E36M3] Should I??? (Thinking of > selling my street car - > Sedan) > > At 08:58 PM 9/23/2007, Jeff Conner wrote: > >I'm having a difficult time giving up the Marque, > and I could get a > >325i Sedan (E36) for dirt cheap, comparatively, and > a 328 for soil > >cheap, but neither of those really solves the issue > that I have with > >stuffing things into the car. I've been tempted by > Subaru, they make > >lots of wagons. Heeelllllllllp! Does anyone have > any recent > >experience with a $5-10k car (95-02) that is even > remotely fun to > >drive, and far more utilitarian than my M3 sedan? > > Hey Jeff, > > As Scott and others have mentioned, a Mazda Protege > 5 can fit a > decent amount of stuff in it, is relatively fun to > drive, gets good > milage, and they built a lot of them with five speed > manuals. > > A little bit out of your budget range, but can haul > a ton of stuff in > it, is a Mazda 6 Wagon. All have V6's, some have > manual > transmissions. I believe I had mine when I picked > up the new M3 > wheel from you. I can drive four people to SFO with > all their > luggage in the trunk for an international trip. > With the fold down > rear seats and the built in cargo net, I can get > oversize items home too. > > Another option is a trailer hitch and utility > trailer for the > M3. Great for bringing home construction and > gardening materials > (dirty stuff). > > Rex > > > > ************************************************* > 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 > ************************************************* > > >
-------------------- 5 --------------------
#5. RE: [E36M3] OT: Boxster S sold - bought 330CI - from Scott McClung
Top
Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2007 14:53:08 -0700 (PDT) From: Scott McClung <smlists@pacbell.net> Subject: RE: [E36M3] OT: Boxster S sold - bought 330CI hey - don't get me wrong, my current "fun car" is a 69 Camaro with full boogie aftermarket suspension treatment with coil overs, rack and pinion, etc. and a mild EFI V8 making ~380hp and 400lb-ft. The car weighs about what a E36 M3 does. I do not consider it overpowered for the street - feels just right to me :-) That said - I still really liked the RX8 and feel it would make a nice complimentary vehicle to my classic hot rod. The appeal is also very much related to the price of entry, which especially for the lease deals they are offering - is very very low indeed!! Scott --- Matt Bader <mbader@exammaster.com> wrote: > Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2007 07:04:12 -0400 > From: "Matt Bader" <mbader@exammaster.com> > Subject: RE: [E36M3] OT: Boxster S sold - bought > 330CI > > The issue of too much speed on the street is > legitimate, particularly where > things are congested, like the East Coast. But, I > do generally find that > more powerful cars, particularly if they have good > torque, are easier to > drive. So, even though I may be driving a car that > goes 160, it is still > nice to drive at more reasonable speeds because I > can deal with traffic > situations more easily. > > Cars get bogged down on the freeway because they > don't have the power to > move through openings in traffic, etc. They get > stuck in the fast lane > behind a slow driver, and you know the story. I see > it all the time. With > a powerful car, you can cut through traffic, take > advantage of opportunities > that slower cars cannot, and still keep things > reasonably legal. > > I test drove the RX-8 and didn't like it from > perspective that it was too > low in the torque department. It was a fairly short > test drive so that was > just my preliminary impression. > > Matt Bader > 98 M3/4 > New BMWCCA Member > > -----Original Message----- > From: Scott M [mailto:smlists@pacbell.net] > Sent: Monday, September 24, 2007 2:09 AM > To: E36M3 > Subject: Re: [E36M3] OT: Boxster S sold - bought > 330CI > > Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 22:38:27 -0700 > From: Scott M <smlists@pacbell.net> > Subject: Re: [E36M3] OT: Boxster S sold - bought > 330CI > > Very good point - I had a Z06 for awhile, and that > car was way > overkill for the street. > Keep the go pedal mashed down for just a few seconds > and you are > breaking every speed limit in the country. > Seriously tempting fate and risking jail time > driving that car > anywhere near it's limits on the streets. > I know what you mean about the E36 - the balance is > very good for a > street car. It isn't slow by any means, but doesn't > have crazy power > that will only serve to get you in trouble on the > street. I felt > much the same way about the RX8 btw. > > Scott > > On Sep 23, 2007, at 5:38 AM, Dave Hogg wrote: > > > Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 08:39:07 -0400 > > From: "Dave Hogg" <dhogg1@comcast.net> > > Subject: Re: [E36M3] OT: Boxster S sold - bought > 330CI > > > > The 330i is a great choice. The new 335i with > Xede piggyback > > processor is > > putting out about 385 HP and 400+ lb-ft at crazy > low rpm's. That > > all sounds > > great on paper (electrons?), but I can tell you > that for the street > > it's > > massive overkill. The E36 M3 was more fun to > drive on a daily basis, > > because you can have some fun with it. It doesn't > just instantly > > hit 80+ > > mph. I miss it for that. The 330 is a great > compromise for the > > street. > > You can throw it around a little and still not get > yourself thrown > > in jail! > > > > > > > > Dave Hogg > > > > > > > > ************************************************* > > 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 > > ************************************************* > > > > > > > > ************************************************* > 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 > ************************************************* > > > > > > ************************************************* > 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 > ************************************************* > > >
-------------------- 6 --------------------
#6. RE: [E36M3] OT: Boxster S sold - bought 330CI - from Dave DeBuhr
Top
Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2007 16:23:05 -0700 From: "Dave DeBuhr" <debuhr@comcast.net> Subject: RE: [E36M3] OT: Boxster S sold - bought 330CI You shoulda kept your Evo IX bud! ;- ) That car rocked. Even if it did sound like a giant Hoover going down the backstraight at Thunderhill with the stock exhaust. :) Dave D 98 M3/4 -----Original Message----- From: Scott McClung [mailto:smlists@pacbell.net] Subject: RE: [E36M3] OT: Boxster S sold - bought 330CI That said - I still really liked the RX8 and feel it would make a nice complimentary vehicle to my classic hot rod. The appeal is also very much related to the price of entry, which especially for the lease deals they are offering - is very very low indeed!! Scott
-------------------- 7 --------------------
#7. Subject: Re: Reliable, fun, cheap? - from Grant Fairweather
Top
Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2007 20:11:58 -0500 From: "Grant Fairweather" <grantfairweather@sbcglobal.net> Subject: Subject: Re: Reliable, fun, cheap? >Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2007 12:17:28 -0400 >From: "Marc Plante" <marcva@gmail.com> >Subaru impreza hatchbacks are fun. The Forester XT 2.5 turbo wagons are fun >and have a little more hauling capacity (though they are kinda fugly). >Marc Plante >E36 M3/4, 80k >Audi Allroad (just sold w 43k on it for 19k) >Honda Odyssey (tooo practical). >Vienna, VA Hmmm... Grant Fairweather E36 M3/4 83k Honda Odyssey (uninspiring and oh so practical) Born/raised in Charlottesville, Virginia Looking to replace my '98 M3, so I test drove a '05 C55 AMG and '05 S4 this past weekend. Too much tranny delay in C55 for my liking (spoiled by a manual). The S4 had fantastic Recaro seats, well controlled ride and great power delivery through its 6-speed. Felt like a newer version if my M3. The deal killer was the small interior. Great car otherwise. Next on tap is an '05 545i and an '06 Infinity M45.
-------------------- 8 --------------------
#8. Re: [E36M3] Battery/Alternator - from Shane Kleinpeter
Top
Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2007 18:23:01 -0700 (PDT) From: Shane Kleinpeter <sak335@yahoo.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Battery/Alternator OK, I like the thought, but why can I charge it up with the charger? It's fine after I charge it directly, just won't charge with the car running. And I forgot to mention, this is a less-than-year old Interstate battery. Last one lived 5.5 years. Shane --- David Thomas <dave@sasdatalink.com> wrote: > In short, you killed your battery by allowing it to > be discharged too many > times. Standard car batteries can only be deep > discharged a few times before > it starts to take a toll on them. These days it > seems that most batteries > wont tolerate it very much at all...I have heard > that its due to the quality > of the recycled lead they use in most batteries now > but I am not sure I buy > that. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Fussy? Opinionated? Impossible to please? Perfect. Join Yahoo!'s user panel and lay it on us. http://surveylink.yahoo.com/gmrs/yahoo_panel_invite..asp?a=7
-------------------- 9 --------------------
#9. Re: [E36M3] Battery/Alternator - from David Thomas
Top
Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2007 18:31:01 -0700 From: David Thomas <dave@sasdatalink.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Battery/Alternator On Monday 24 September 2007 6:23:01 pm Shane Kleinpeter wrote: > OK, I like the thought, but why can I charge it up > with the charger? It's fine after I charge it > directly, just won't charge with the car running. From your original description of the issue it does not sound like it will hold a charge. You charge it, then after a day or so its dead again, its 'cus your battery is toast and it wont hold a charge...plain and simple. Check your alternator output. If the output is OK then you have simply ruined your battery by allowing it to sit in a discharged state. > And I forgot to mention, this is a less-than-year old > Interstate battery. Last one lived 5.5 years. Age is not a factor when the battery has been abused....or at least not a huge one. Dave
-------------------- 10 --------------------
#10. Re: [E36M3] Should I??? (Thinking of selling my street car - - from Carey Probst
Top
Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2007 23:11:00 -0400 From: Carey Probst <hcprobst@alum.mit.edu> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Should I??? (Thinking of selling my street car - Well put. Scott McClung wrote: > Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2007 14:49:28 -0700 (PDT) > From: Scott McClung <smlists@pacbell.net> > Subject: Re: [E36M3] Should I??? (Thinking of selling my street car - > > Cost of trailer hitch for M3: $179.99 > cost of utility trailer: $1000.00 > trip to home depot for landscaping supplies: $256.79 > look on the face of the contractor's in their 3/4t > pick-ups picking up similar materials: Priceless!!! > > ;-) > > Scott > --- Rex Tener <rex_tener@yahoo.com> wrote: > > Carey Probst Member, M.I.T. Educational Council Perm: hcprobst@alum.mit.edu A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.