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#1. Bad Morning - Battery and Ignition Issues - from Mark D
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Date: Fri, 02 Nov 2007 10:37:45 -0400 From: Mark D <mdlkml@atari-source.com> Subject: Bad Morning - Battery and Ignition Issues Hey guys, 96 S52 So over the winter I wasn't smart enough to use a battery tender and my brand new (2 year old) BMW brand battery was shot. It wouldn't even work after a charge, so I took note of another battery laying on the floor. It was a reputed perfectly good battery out of a VW passat. Though the height was a little higher it fit fine and had a higher CCA and CA rating so I used it. Car started... Good - for 9 months. For the last couple weeks the car has been dying after the first crank, then the starter reengages and cranks enough to start. The other day it didn't start. I was putting off checking things out but when I finally did there was a huge nasty sulfur salt buildup on the negative terminal only. It seemed to have something to do with my stereo system whose ground wire was pleasantly discolored for about 6 inches from the terminal. I know I should be grounding to a post other than the negative terminal.... Before I noticed this, I simply bought another battery from walmart. Of course they don't have the one for the M3 so I again bought the type for the Passat since it fits and mounts just fine, but I'm starting to wonder if I should reconsider this based on the apparent acid leakage from the other one. When I took the old battery out there was some kind of moisture on and under it, and coming out from under the caps. I wore some thick rubber gloves. Cleaning the sulfur buildup was a hassle and I realize now that it's clean I need a new negative cable and clamp. So I spent hours doing this last night until midnight and installed hte new walmart battery. Car cranks fast and starts right up - and runs with a rhythmic miss in one cylinder! I only ran it for like 5 seconds because I live in a townhouse and would rather not annoy the neighbors. I come out this morning and start it again hoping that it just needed to relearn the idle or something of that nature but nope. Missing in 1 cylinder. I let it run for about 20 seconds to see if it would smooth out but once it through the CE light I knew I was done. I have yet to inspect the plugs since I was on my way out for work, but my assumption is that this is a coil. Anyone know off hand which terminals I should check and what resistance I should get? I have 190K, is there a dire warning to replace all 6 coils or can I get away with 1? I saw a picture recently of a Bosch +4 plug whose ground electrodes sheared off and were welded to the piston. I'm having heart palpitations just thinking of the possibility that it could have happened to me (though I think I am using the 2 electrode version) So the question is did 30 or so seconds of running a cylinder with plenty of fuel and no spark wash it? Do I need to take any special precautions to prevent damage? And B: can I run it again to get it 20 feet into my garage before diagnosing the issue? There's some pretty strict idiots in my neighborhood HOA who don't appreciate outdoor car repair. I assume the computer can only detect misfire in one of two banks rather than the individual cylinder but maybe it knows which coil failed. All tips appreciated and hope you guys understand my sensitivity on the issue. M engine = $$$ Absolutely do not want to harm it. Thanks, Mark
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#2. RE: jackstands - from Burgess, Kim L
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Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2007 08:08:19 -0700 From: "Burgess, Kim L" <kim.l.burgess@boeing.com> Subject: RE: jackstands I purchased four flattop AC stands from Steve about four years ago. Very happy with them. You can now get them from places like Pelican, ASEDEALS.com, though they seem to be on 'back-order' everywhere I checked lately and they are a bit spendy. I'd steer clear of the HF aluminum racing jack as I have had three fail in the past four months. COSTCO has what looks like a quality inexpensive jack available. http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11186866&whse=BC&topnav =&browse=&lang=en-US&s=1 KLB - No affiliation or interest -------------------- 5 -------------------- Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2007 07:39:29 -0400 From: "Marc Plante" <marcva@gmail.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] jackstands Ultimategarage has some nice AC stands. Think that Steve also has flat pads to support E36s better. You'll also want a jackplate so you can pick up the car, then support it on each corner. Marc Plante E36 M3/4/5 Vienna, VA
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#3. RE: jack stands - from Burgess, Kim L
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Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2007 08:14:43 -0700 From: "Burgess, Kim L" <kim.l.burgess@boeing.com> Subject: RE: jack stands I was doing RTABs on a 95 M3 recently for a fellow club member. He was using a Pelican jack pad and the welds on the jack receiver in the body failed. First I'd seen of this failure though I heard of it in the past and actually stopped using my SteveD's JP for doing anything other than raising my car enough to get a jack under the center jacking point. KLB
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#4. RE: Jack and Stands - from Burgess, Kim L
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Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2007 08:17:06 -0700 From: "Burgess, Kim L" <kim.l.burgess@boeing.com> Subject: RE: Jack and Stands Even with a lift you are going to want a jack around. .....And obviously she does not understand you can never have too many tools around but you can have too few. KLB -------------------- 9 -------------------- Date: Fri, 02 Nov 2007 10:16:22 -0400 From: Mark D <mdlkml@atari-source.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Jack and Stands bnmhead-bmw@yahoo.com wrote: > Date: Thu, 1 Nov 2007 21:23:22 -0700 (PDT) > From: <bnmhead-bmw@yahoo.com> > Subject: Re: [E36M3] Jack and Stands > > There's a good page at hyjacks.com (http://www.hyjacks.com/H2.HTM) that details different brands, where they're being built, and what sort of quality can be expected from them. For example, I'd thought Lincoln jacks were only made here in the US, turns out they've gone overseas towards the end of the '90s (I don't know that quality suffered, I think design didn't change at least - but makes me wonder where my Lincoln was built). > I don't mind a chinese built jack as long as it's built to decently engineered specs and the American selling it is willing to trust his life to it. I'm more interested in reputed quality and not having to buy one in 2 years again. Thinking back though, my pep boys special isn't used very often but it is something around 7 years old. It's honestly lasted a whole lot longer than I could have imagined. The lady is challenging me on buying a jack and stands stating that we intend to buy a lift in a year or two so why bother. Who can argue with that!? Thanks, Mark
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#5. WTB Front Sub-frame - from Karl Rentler
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Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2007 11:34:05 -0400 From: "Karl Rentler" <csws.69@gmail.com> Subject: WTB Front Sub-frame Lined up and Oil-pan. Anyone have a spare Front subframe they want to sell? Please ping me off-line. Thanks Karl 95 M3 (Wounded)
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#6. Jack pads. - from Richard Sperry
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Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2007 12:40:31 -0400 From: "Richard Sperry" <richardsperry@comcast.net> Subject: Jack pads. There is no way I'm going to jack my car high enough to put jack stands under it using a JACK PAD. Have you looked at how that hole is welded to the unibody? It really is bearly tacked... That location, (I almost said hole again..lol) is meant for emergency use to change a flat on the road. I bought one of those HFT, US General aluminium jacks a couple of years ago, and it works fine for what it is. I used it to jack the car high enough to get a real jack under the rear and front. Funny thing is I still have to use it to lift the car enough to get the two post lift arms under the car.
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#7. Re: [E36M3] RE: jack stands - from Carlos Lopez
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Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2007 13:18:25 -0400 From: "Carlos Lopez" <clopez98m3@gmail.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] RE: jack stands On 11/2/07, Burgess, Kim L <kim.l.burgess@boeing.com> wrote: > I was doing RTABs on a 95 M3 recently for a fellow club member. He was > using a Pelican jack pad and the welds on the jack receiver in the body > failed. First I'd seen of this failure though I heard of it in the past > and actually stopped using my SteveD's JP for doing anything other than > raising my car enough to get a jack under the center jacking point. That is its intended use. Are you saying your friend was using the part similar to Steve D'Gs adapter thingie from Pelican as a place for a jack stand? Or he had the floor jack there and this was the only point that was holding the car. Steve stopped selling those for that same reason. Someone left their car overnight supported by the adapter and was upset when something in the car bent or failed. I forget what the exact problem was but Steve said enough of that and quit making them. Carlos (had one but sold it when my 95 M3 sold) 98 M3
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#8. RE: jack stands - from Burgess, Kim L
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Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2007 10:20:45 -0700 From: "Burgess, Kim L" <kim.l.burgess@boeing.com> Subject: RE: jack stands Friend/club member was jacking the car using the jack pad. KLB -----Original Message----- From: Carlos Lopez [mailto:clopez98m3@gmail.com] Sent: Friday, November 02, 2007 10:18 AM To: Burgess, Kim L Cc: E36M3 Subject: Re: [E36M3] RE: jack stands On 11/2/07, Burgess, Kim L <kim.l.burgess@boeing.com> wrote: > I was doing RTABs on a 95 M3 recently for a fellow club member. He was > using a Pelican jack pad and the welds on the jack receiver in the > body failed. First I'd seen of this failure though I heard of it in > the past and actually stopped using my SteveD's JP for doing anything > other than raising my car enough to get a jack under the center jacking point. That is its intended use. Are you saying your friend was using the part similar to Steve D'Gs adapter thingie from Pelican as a place for a jack stand? Or he had the floor jack there and this was the only point that was holding the car. Steve stopped selling those for that same reason. Someone left their car overnight supported by the adapter and was upset when something in the car bent or failed. I forget what the exact problem was but Steve said enough of that and quit making them. Carlos (had one but sold it when my 95 M3 sold) 98 M3
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#9. Imported jacks still bring lead into the US domestic environment - from Skip Bogard
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Date: Fri, 02 Nov 2007 13:28:31 -0400 From: Skip Bogard <skip.bogard@alumni.duke.edu> Subject: Imported jacks still bring lead into the US domestic environment >I don't mind a Chinese built jack as long as it's built to decently engineered specs > and the American selling it is willing to trust his life to it. Would lead paint be included in decent engineering specs as acceptable for adult products (just never to be used on children's products)? I learned the Chinese were exporting products with lead paint way before the toy fiasco. I bought a Made in PRC bird bath fountain a decade ago and all the paint subject to moisture chipped off in large chunks. How do I know it was lead? Just experience....when you snapped a piece of paint, it snapped like the familiar lead paint on very old houses. (I'm dating myself...I'm age 49). So, now that the Chinese manufacturers have learned we don't appreciate lead paint on our kids toys, do you think they grasped the corollary? (the corollary is we don't appreciate lead paint on ~anything~ in the U.S....especially when used around our homes and our families) My last visit to Harbor Freight tells me "no". So, I only buy tools from Taiwan when I visit there. Taiwan has figured good manufacturing practices (GMP) while China is still just learning. When I walk into a Harbor Freight store in the future and the air doesn't smell like a 55 gallon barrel spilled over containing a mix of rubber plasticizers, rubber tackifiers, rubber accelerators, and rubber activators then I will know that the Chinese are making progress on the tool front (and maybe the tire front, notwithstanding the massive Chinese tire recall this year). If you don't think lead in the environment is important, then you might want to know this history: When the US mandated removal of leaded gasoline, the detected levels of lead in the blood stream of US children slowly dropped as leaded gas was phased out. - Skip Bogard
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#10. Re: [E36M3] Jack pads. - from marty
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Date: Fri, 02 Nov 2007 13:32:05 -0400 From: marty <mfraiser@embarqmail.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Jack pads. I use a jack (e.g. Craftsman aluminum racing jack) with an actual hocky puck in it's round cradle. The puck fits perfectly in the car's underside jacking positions and is hard rubber so it's slip resistant and doesn't mar anything (especially good since my stock pads (aka hockey pucks) are long gone). I can jack a side up where one or two tires are off the ground or enough to get a longer jack under the subframe if I need the front end off the ground to install jack stands. Works great, although I'm hankering for a drive-on four post lift. Originally I was thinking two-post lift but i have a hard time getting the arms positioned under the car. marty Richard Sperry wrote: > Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2007 12:40:31 -0400 > From: "Richard Sperry" <richardsperry@comcast.net> > Subject: Jack pads. > > There is no way I'm going to jack my car high enough to put jack stands > under it using a JACK PAD. Have you looked at how that hole is welded > to the unibody? It really is bearly tacked... That location, (I almost > said hole again..lol) is meant for emergency use to change a flat on the > road. > > I bought one of those HFT, US General aluminium jacks a couple of years > ago, and it works fine for what it is. I used it to jack the car high > enough to get a real jack under the rear and front. Funny thing is I > still have to use it to lift the car enough to get the two post lift > arms under the car. > >