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rhombus
Apr 20, 2002

Goddamn German engineers. I love the rest of my 97 318ti, but this loving bowden cable (part 11 on the diagram if anyone cares) has decided to break , after I just replaced the drat thing last fall. At least it made it through the winter before deciding to leave me without any heat, but there was frost on the window this morning.

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Moruitelda
Aug 7, 2005

I'll shut you up with my cock, you son of a bitch!

Phlegmbot posted:

So I drove my dad's 2008 X3 for the first time a few weeks ago, and it's changed my life. I'll be in the market for my first car later this year.

Problem: I can't afford an X3.

What's out there that will replicate the X3 driving experience (handling-wise especially) that costs a lot less? I'm looking at something < $26k CAD, and I don't care whether or not its an SUV.

If you want a new car, I'd suggest crossing the border into the U.S. and picking up a base model 3-series or a Mini Cooper S. If you're unable or unwilling to cross, and willing to consider a used car, I'd look at more of the same in Canada. You're not going to be able to get anything beyond entry level. If you want pure handling bliss, I can't describe to you how awesome the Cooper S is (the base model is great too, but a little lacking in power).

skeevy achievements
Feb 25, 2008

by merry exmarx

SlapActionJackson posted:



This baby turns 6 this summer. Still an absolute joy to drive and so far so good on reliability and maintenance costs.

NICE

Mine's 6 this summer as well, finally off powertrain. Can't buy the new cab because the folding hardtop consumes drat near the entire trunk when it's down, so I'll likely still be driving this until people regain their senses and start making softtops again.

Dragobich
Jan 5, 2001

Here's mine



I finally got to enjoy it this year with the weather warming up last week. Planning on taking it in for an inspection 2 and then to the BMW trillium club for the track course.

maxallen
Nov 22, 2006

Hey, I'm looking into getting a strut bar to reinforce the towers, because I've got the sport suspension and I'm afraid of the towers mushrooming. I found a guy nearby with a set for $30, I don't really care about the performance, it'd be nice if it helped, but what I'm really wanting is tower protection, do you think this would be worth it:

Only registered members can see post attachments!

multiprotocol
Sep 16, 2004
label switching is fun. i can relate to that.

wolrah posted:

I know I'm going to get called crazy for this, but here's what I spent the evening installing...



The wiring's still a bit messy, but it'll be moved to an ignition controlled circuit as soon as I find an antenna mount that will handle my driving and can permanently run that line.

That looks like a newish 3 series, so pardon me if I say that your current wiring job looks like it goes over as well as a fart in church.

CornHolio
May 20, 2001

Toilet Rascal

multiprotocol posted:

That looks like a newish 3 series, so pardon me if I say that your current wiring job looks like it goes over as well as a fart in church.

Are you calling his wiring job absolutely hilarious? :)

On-topic, I ordered about $200 worth of cooling parts for my E36 from bavauto... new thermostat, water pump, upper/lower radiator hoses, both belts, OFFICIAL BMW coolant (two gallons @ $18 each, owch) and a new expansion tank... I already have six spark plugs and a fuel filter that Im going to do at the same time, and I just did an oil change/air filter, am I forgetting anything maintenance-wise? Will I need anything else to replace the entire cooling system?

Do I need the special tool to remove the large mechanical fan at the from of the engine? I've heard both yes and no from various places.

CornHolio fucked around with this message at 15:59 on Apr 8, 2008

wolrah
May 8, 2006
what?

multiprotocol posted:

That looks like a newish 3 series, so pardon me if I say that your current wiring job looks like it goes over as well as a fart in church.

You're right on the car, it's an '02 325i.

The mag mount antenna's sitting on the seat right now, i stick it out the sunroof to use it since it fell off the trunk at 90 MPH last week. The power line is going to a 3 way lighter splitter under the passenger seat. So yea, it's poo poo right now. Until I have a proper antenna I see no reason to bother digging around under the dash for a circuit to power off of.

The other two wires are an aux line going to the Sirius receiver on the left side of the wheel (I have a cord that's 2 feet longer so I can run it under the dash on order) and the iPod cord which I just need to tuck under the plastic again. I had it out at that point since I had just reinstalled the glove box.

e: I guess I also missed the GPS power hanging down from the mirror, that's tricky to hard wire since it wants 5 volts on a USB connector, so I'm working on properly disassembling the power cord to tap in to the garage door opener power where I have my radar detector pulling from.

So yea, the wiring is certainly not up to what I want, but for now it's OK until I get some more parts in to sort out the little details.

CornHolio posted:

Are you calling his wiring job absolutely hilarious? :)

Yes it is hilarious... On a side note, every time I stop in a CB shop to see if they have any good solutions for my antenna I get a "WTF" look when I tell them I have a Cobra 29 in a BMW, then a laugh when they see I'm serious.

wolrah fucked around with this message at 15:59 on Apr 8, 2008

CornHolio
May 20, 2001

Toilet Rascal
Also, am I the only one that thinks the taillight cluster setup is AWESOME when it comes time to replace bulbs?



I mean, seriously, it took me longer to open the package than it did to replace the bulb. Open the access door, twist the stick thing, it pops out, the bulb is spring-loaded in it.

I couldn't tell you how it works, other than voodoo, but I wish all cars were this easy to replace bulbs in.

wolrah
May 8, 2006
what?

CornHolio posted:

I couldn't tell you how it works, other than voodoo, but I wish all cars were this easy to replace bulbs in.

Agreed. I've done both front corners, both side markers, a headlight, and a reverse light in the time I've owned the car and it seriously does take longer to open a blisterpack bulb than to install it.

frozenphil
Mar 13, 2003

YOU CANNOT MAKE A MISTAKE SO BIG THAT 80 GRIT CAN'T FIX IT!
:smug:

CornHolio posted:

Do I need the special tool to remove the large mechanical fan at the from of the engine? I've heard both yes and no from various places.

You'll wish you had it if you don't get it. I didn't bother because it just looked like a skinny wrench. I ended up putting a cheap wrench to the grinder to make it fit. The right tool makes the job 100x easier. Even without, it only took me a few hours to do the job and that was only because it was the first time I'd ever worked on a BMW. I could probably do the job in 30 minutes now.

How does your radiator look? If they end caps are ugly you might want to go ahead and do it while you have everything else apart. Same goes for the thermostat cover. You'll have it off anyway so you might as well replace it while you're in there if it looks questionable.

The PO of my car gave me an aluminum housing and a new thermostat and it got swapped on the day after I brought the car home (thermostat was dead so I was going to be in their anyway). He had already swapped in a new radiator, so I got lucky there.

CornHolio
May 20, 2001

Toilet Rascal

frozenphil posted:

The PO of my car gave me an aluminum housing and a new thermostat and it got swapped on the day after I brought the car home (thermostat was dead so I was going to be in their anyway). He had already swapped in a new radiator, so I got lucky there.

Im pretty sure I have an aluminum thermostat housing, but Im not sure about the radiator - what should I look for while Im in there specifcally, with regards to the radiator?

Ultimate Mango
Jan 18, 2005

wolrah posted:

Agreed. I've done both front corners, both side markers, a headlight, and a reverse light in the time I've owned the car and it seriously does take longer to open a blisterpack bulb than to install it.

I'd be surprised if those if us with the newfangled LED clusters will have it so easy...

Does anyone have a good solution to hitting the remote fob buttons while said remote in in their pocket? I have found that I am hitting the buttons when seated. While I usually don't sit within range of the car, when I am sitting in the car (comfort access), I find myself unlocking and locking the doors while driving.

Yes, I realize that not having the keys in the pocket would be an option, but I'm looking for another option (protector cover thingy?).

frozenphil
Mar 13, 2003

YOU CANNOT MAKE A MISTAKE SO BIG THAT 80 GRIT CAN'T FIX IT!
:smug:

CornHolio posted:

Im pretty sure I have an aluminum thermostat housing, but Im not sure about the radiator - what should I look for while Im in there specifcally, with regards to the radiator?

Check the end caps on the radiator to make sure they don't have any cracks or weak looking areas. For some reason, BMW thought it a good idea to make them out of plastic. They are a very common weak spot in the cooling system and usually break within 80k miles.

Here's a guide to doing the job if you need it.
http://www.bimmerdiy.com/diy/e36coolingsystem/

Doctor Grape Ape
Aug 26, 2005

Dammit Doc, I just bought this for you 3 months ago. Try and keep it around for a bit longer this time.

CornHolio posted:

Are you calling his wiring job absolutely hilarious? :)

On-topic, I ordered about $200 worth of cooling parts for my E36 from bavauto... new thermostat, water pump, upper/lower radiator hoses, both belts, OFFICIAL BMW coolant (two gallons @ $18 each, owch) and a new expansion tank... I already have six spark plugs and a fuel filter that Im going to do at the same time, and I just did an oil change/air filter, am I forgetting anything maintenance-wise? Will I need anything else to replace the entire cooling system?

Do I need the special tool to remove the large mechanical fan at the from of the engine? I've heard both yes and no from various places.

You might consider ordering the parts to do the fan delete mod. I've run this mod in Florida and it has never gone over 12 o'clock. And with the fan out of the way engine work at the front of the car is so much easier.

And like it's been said, give your radiator a good look over. I believe you can see the date of manufacture if you get under the car. If it's more than 5 years old I'd say swap it out while you already have everything out of the way. It seriously takes less than 2 minutes to swap a radiator once you have everything else is removed.

Besides that, how are your belts looking? Are the bearings in the idler pulleys starting to make noise?

CornHolio
May 20, 2001

Toilet Rascal

Doctor Grape Ape posted:

You might consider ordering the parts to do the fan delete mod. I've run this mod in Florida and it has never gone over 12 o'clock. And with the fan out of the way engine work at the front of the car is so much easier.

And like it's been said, give your radiator a good look over. I believe you can see the date of manufacture if you get under the car. If it's more than 5 years old I'd say swap it out while you already have everything out of the way. It seriously takes less than 2 minutes to swap a radiator once you have everything else is removed.

Besides that, how are your belts looking? Are the bearings in the idler pulleys starting to make noise?

The fan doesn't really bother me, and I'm hesitant to remove it in a car that is already notorious for its cooling problems.

My belts look OK, and I don't hear any noise from the pulleys, but when I drive through a puddle one of my belts starts squealing and slipping. That might be normal, but considering I dont know how long these belts have been on the car, I might as well replace them.

BagHutch
Aug 18, 2007

3363 posted:

gently caress yes, there may be something wrong with me but I find four-cylinder BMWs to be tremendously interesting. Not just the S14 either:

I'm the same I love BMW's with high performance 4 cylinders.

Brock Landers
Jul 28, 2004

You're a donkey. I like that.

Ultimate Mango posted:

I'd be surprised if those if us with the newfangled LED clusters will have it so easy...

Does anyone have a good solution to hitting the remote fob buttons while said remote in in their pocket? I have found that I am hitting the buttons when seated. While I usually don't sit within range of the car, when I am sitting in the car (comfort access), I find myself unlocking and locking the doors while driving.

Yes, I realize that not having the keys in the pocket would be an option, but I'm looking for another option (protector cover thingy?).

I don't think the LED clusters will need servicing. LEDs don't burn out. At least, not for a long, LONG time. They are sealed anyway, at least on my E39. As for the keyfob, I'm surprised BMW doesn't disable the keyfob when the car is running. That seems like a glaring error and you might want to bring it up with the dealer. My second key is useless once I've started the car.

two_beer_bishes
Jun 27, 2004
I bought this back in December but I just got around to taking pictures of it.

It's a 1985 325e with the M20B27 engine. It isn't very fast but holy god it's fun to drive! :)



milieu
Apr 26, 2003
Vizier of Allah
I've got a question for you fine gentlemen: What would you rate are the best bang for your buck bolt-on mods for an e46 323 manual? I've got a 99 323 (2.5L M52) but I'd like to get as much performance out of it as possible sans supercharger or turbo (for the price of doing that I might as well sell the car and just buy an M3).

Here's what I'm thinking that I'd like to do, in no particular order:

1. Upgraded springs and shocks
2. Front and rear sway bars
3. UUC lightweight flywheel + M5 clutch (it's a kit)
4. Underdrive pulleys (eh...I don't know if this is snake oil or not. Opinions?)
5. Remove spare tire and toolkit and replace with can of fix-a-flat (stage I weight reduction!)
6. ECU flash (probably won't do this as it doesn't seem worth it)
7. Cat delete (legal? No inspections in my state -- MI)
8. 300 lbs fiberglass body kit, fuckoff huge spoiler, and neon underglow

Do you guys know of better stuff I could be spending my money on?

CornHolio
May 20, 2001

Toilet Rascal

milieu posted:

STUFF

Please tell me you're joking for items 7 and 8.

Lightbulb Out
Apr 28, 2006

slack jawed yokel

milieu posted:

8. 300 lbs fiberglass body kit, fuckoff huge spoiler, and neon underglow

You can't forget the loud as gently caress and huge as gently caress exhaust if you go with 8

Ultimate Mango
Jan 18, 2005

TractionControl posted:

You can't forget the loud as gently caress and huge as gently caress exhaust if you go with 8

Folgers can would do it.

wolrah
May 8, 2006
what?

milieu posted:

I've got a question for you fine gentlemen: What would you rate are the best bang for your buck bolt-on mods for an e46 323 manual? I've got a 99 323 (2.5L M52) but I'd like to get as much performance out of it as possible sans supercharger or turbo (for the price of doing that I might as well sell the car and just buy an M3).

1, 2, and 3 are great. Underdrives and an ECU flash won't get you enough to be worth it. As for removing the spare tire/toolkit, I'd say keep it in normally and just pull it out when you take it to the track. The difference won't be noticeable during normal driving and it's not like it's hard to pull them when you need to. The benefits in weight don't outweigh the loss of a nice backup plan when something goes wrong.

Cat delete falls as another thing you won't gain anything noticeable from, and it'll reduce the value of the car on resale.

I also hope you're joking about #8.

Frozen Horse
Aug 6, 2007
Just a humble wandering street philosopher.
so, now that waffleimages is happy again, this is me halfway through adjusting a 733i's valves for the first time:

User Error
Aug 31, 2006

milieu posted:

I've got a question for you fine gentlemen: What would you rate are the best bang for your buck bolt-on mods for an e46 323 manual? I've got a 99 323 (2.5L M52) but I'd like to get as much performance out of it as possible sans supercharger or turbo (for the price of doing that I might as well sell the car and just buy an M3).

Here's what I'm thinking that I'd like to do, in no particular order:

1. Upgraded springs and shocks
2. Front and rear sway bars
3. UUC lightweight flywheel + M5 clutch (it's a kit)
4. Underdrive pulleys (eh...I don't know if this is snake oil or not. Opinions?)
5. Remove spare tire and toolkit and replace with can of fix-a-flat (stage I weight reduction!)
6. ECU flash (probably won't do this as it doesn't seem worth it)
7. Cat delete (legal? No inspections in my state -- MI)
8. 300 lbs fiberglass body kit, fuckoff huge spoiler, and neon underglow

Do you guys know of better stuff I could be spending my money on?

323s have a restrictive exhaust, you would see gains with a 328 or m3 exhaust system.

Lightbulb Out
Apr 28, 2006

slack jawed yokel
I may drive a monster truck now. I just put 225/50R16 on my E30 with stock suspension. It rubs on the fronr inner fender liner and I need to roll the rear fenders.

They look huge but the difference is AMAZING. Pix soon.

not black enough
Oct 14, 2004

gently caress the haters, get on that body kit now.

UserNotFound
May 7, 2006
???

TractionControl posted:

I may drive a monster truck now. I just put 225/50R16 on my E30 with stock suspension. It rubs on the fronr inner fender liner and I need to roll the rear fenders.

They look huge but the difference is AMAZING. Pix soon.

It always amazes me how small some cars wheels are.. a lot of American sedans have 225/60r16 and plenty of wheel gap :(

Xenoid
Dec 9, 2006

UserNotFound posted:

It always amazes me how small some cars wheels are.. a lot of American sedans have 225/60r16 and plenty of wheel gap :(

Not old ones I reckon. Nothing had very big tires back then. Even Porsches were rockin 13s.

miklm
Dec 7, 2003

What a cunning fellow.

CornHolio posted:

Do I need the special tool to remove the large mechanical fan at the from of the engine? I've heard both yes and no from various places.

You can do it without it, but after banging around for a couple of hours and getting VERY angry about not having the proper tool, I found a picture of the implement and my brother found a suitable piece of scrap metal, a grinder, and drill press and made his own. It is reverse threaded, so you have to hold the bolts while screwing the fan backwards. With the right tool, its a 5-minute job to R&R, otherwise you may get lucky or you may not.

This is what you need:
http://www.samstagsales.com/SirTool/stbmw_3037.jpg, along with a thin wrench (memory fails me, but its around 36mm, which won't be in your basic tool kit). (which just reminds me -- we actually broke the fan pulley trying to get the fan off with the wrong tools, so I ended up having to buy that -- that's when we made the right tool to fit)

CornHolio
May 20, 2001

Toilet Rascal
Yeah I ordered the proper tool from Pelican Parts, it wasn't as expensive as I had feared. Sure I still paid about $25 for a wrench, but dammit its a special wrench.

Auu
Sep 22, 2004
It's a bit dicey, but when I did the fan delete, I managed to wedge a long (almost 2ft long) flathead screwdriver between two of the pulley bolts to wedge it in place, then wrenched the main bolt off while holding the screwdriver in place. It did take a while to make this work.

In other words, yeah, the $25 wrench might not have been a bad purchase :)

Xenoid
Dec 9, 2006
Well I'm finally buying my clutch kit for my 97 540i. I'm looking at sales@ezclutchnparts.net on Ebay ($350 + $35 S+H) for a Sachs kit. There are a few other places like Pelicanparts but they don't offer shipping to Canada, or the prices are way higher. Can anybody suggest a place? I've been Googling but I haven't run across anything yet.

Lightbulb Out
Apr 28, 2006

slack jawed yokel
It looks kind of retarded because my car isn't lowered yet, and it won't be until late summer most likely, but here they are.







I'm going to be doing the shadowline trim soon, too. I'm going black/red theme. Also my front still isn't fixed, that's next week.

I'm getting there.

Moruitelda
Aug 7, 2005

I'll shut you up with my cock, you son of a bitch!
More issues in my tire search - I got my Yokohama Parada Spec-2 tires in, and called a shop about getting them mounted, and was told the rims on my MINI are specifically designed for the runflats, and that traditional tires could therefore not be mounted on them. Is this true? Is there any way around it without having to buy 4 new rims or trying to get Tire Rack to accept a return of the tires I've just purchased? I'm really at a loss here.

IOwnCalculus
Apr 2, 2003





Moruitelda posted:

More issues in my tire search - I got my Yokohama Parada Spec-2 tires in, and called a shop about getting them mounted, and was told the rims on my MINI are specifically designed for the runflats, and that traditional tires could therefore not be mounted on them. Is this true? Is there any way around it without having to buy 4 new rims or trying to get Tire Rack to accept a return of the tires I've just purchased? I'm really at a loss here.

I've never heard that before. People switch from runflats to non-runflats all the drat time. Call another place that isn't run by douchebags.

Moruitelda
Aug 7, 2005

I'll shut you up with my cock, you son of a bitch!

IOwnCalculus posted:

I've never heard that before. People switch from runflats to non-runflats all the drat time. Call another place that isn't run by douchebags.

I just called the local MINI dealership and a guy in service confirmed it - the 17" wheels are designed for runflats and non-runflats cannot be mounted on them. :(

E: Now, shopping around to try to get ahold of 4 17" wheels that are going to work with regular tires, but there doesn't seem to be any kind of distinguishing between the two based on online advertisements. What the gently caress?

Moruitelda fucked around with this message at 17:35 on Apr 9, 2008

Jonontherun
Nov 29, 2003

Brooooooooooooom
I've got what might be a stupid question. I'm doing an auto to manual conversion right now in my e30 (1986 325e). I was wondering if someone with a manual e30 could take some pictures of the brake fluid reservoir and how it feeds the primary clutch cylinder? Drop me a pm if you would prefer to email them rather than post them.

I'm saving up everything to post one big project thread later one, but I've already replaced all the brakes, the starter, the flywheel, and I'm getting ready to mount the clutch. I'm missing the bolts to attach the basket to the flywheel however, so this is stalling me right now.

Future plans include replacing the cooling system, painting the car, and putting on some lowering springs.

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Doctor Grape Ape
Aug 26, 2005

Dammit Doc, I just bought this for you 3 months ago. Try and keep it around for a bit longer this time.

Xenoid posted:

Well I'm finally buying my clutch kit for my 97 540i. I'm looking at sales@ezclutchnparts.net on Ebay ($350 + $35 S+H) for a Sachs kit. There are a few other places like Pelicanparts but they don't offer shipping to Canada, or the prices are way higher. Can anybody suggest a place? I've been Googling but I haven't run across anything yet.

RMEuropean has it for $290.23 but I don't know if they ship to Canada. I can't say enough nice things about this place for OEM BMW parts. They have always been the cheapest, have great customer service, and I usually get free 2 or 3 day shipping depending on how much I spend. That last part won't be applicable to you, because the free shipping is only for the lower 48, but it should be pretty reasonable.

http://www.rmeuropean.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=247

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