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So the A/C on my E46 has been acting odd lately. It works just fine initially but after 10-15 minutes driving with it on it will suddenly start blowing warm air. If I turn A/C off, HOT air blows from the vents regardless of what the temperature setting is. Very annoying, and only seems to happen when the outside air temperature is hot enough to want the A/C on all the time. I thought it might need a recharge, but when I attached the gauge on the fill side (closest to the firewall) with the fans set to max and the A/C set to max cool it read dead center in the "filled" zone so the level of refrigerant seems to be fine. I've heard things about the final stage resistor going out but that only causes the fan speed to constantly change IIRC. Also, dunno if this helps but before the A/C started going out completely it would just stop blowing cold air out of the footwell vent, it always seemed to blow warm/hot after 10-15 mins of running regardless of setting so I just lived with it. Later on it would start blowing warm air out of the driver's side vents and not the passenger's. Still annoying but now that it's stopped working altogether I figure it's time to do something about it. Any ideas?
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Apr 11, 2010 01:10
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kinkster posted:Yeah I'm hoping for a bimmer. I only mentioned Volvos saying my dad hasn't been adverse to imports. Are repairs/parts allot more on an older BMW (E30 or E36) than a comparative Volvo? Also, is there some listing online of shops that will repair BMWs? http://www.bimrs.org/ Seriously though, it depends on how much work you do yourself. Parts aren't expensive for an E30/E36 3-series, and the cars are built pretty straightforward. My E36 has over 182k miles, and since I want to own it for many more miles I've replaced all the ball joints, bushings, tie rods, etc... and do my best to keep up on the fluid changes. Because of this, my car has cost a bit more than someone else's that doesn't care about such things. But I think that'd be true for any car. There's this misconception out there that BMWs are super-high maintenance, that the parts cost more than solid gold, and that only super-specialists can touch them. While that may be in part true for 5- and 7- series, and especially newer cars, I really don't think that applies to E30 or E36 cars.
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Apr 11, 2010 03:01
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Hmmm, according to that site and some other search engine I found on google there aren't any BMW shops for 60 miles. Is that much of a problem? I'm pretty sure our local mechanic can do basic stuff.
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Apr 11, 2010 03:40
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CornHolio posted:While that may be in part true for 5- and 7- series, and especially newer cars, I really don't think that applies to E30 or E36 cars. This is pretty much how I feel too. I have an E30 and an E36, and neither of them have thrown anything at me that I can't handle on my own. And that's saying something too, because almost every job I've had to do has been learn-as-I-go.
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Apr 11, 2010 04:22
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McMadCow posted:This is pretty much how I feel too. I have an E30 and an E36, and neither of them have thrown anything at me that I can't handle on my own. And that's saying something too, because almost every job I've had to do has been learn-as-I-go. I'm sure someone will disagree with me on this, but I have an E38 (740il) and so far it's been pretty straight forward in terms of working on it. A lot of the car is overbuilt but none of the design elements are any weirder than other European cars I've owned. It's nowhere near as bass-ackwards complicated as my old Audi.
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Apr 11, 2010 04:27
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CornHolio posted:since I want to own it for many more miles I've replaced all the ball joints, bushings, tie rods, etc.  I've read the water pump on the M44 doesn't have the same spectacular failure mode as other I-6 E36 engines. Is that true?
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Apr 11, 2010 07:59
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wolrah posted:Did that one come with the OBD-II end? I bought one off eBay about a year ago that looked like the same interface box but it only came with the big round connector that is completely useless to me. Xenoid posted:I'm also interested in this. I have the infamous airbag and engine service lights on and also some other codes are being thrown (o2 sensors) but it'd be nice to turn them off since they're annoying as all hell. E39 is listed on that page but I'm still a bit curious/cautious since it seems to be more for older vehicles. McMadCow posted:Awesome, thanks. I figured it was pretty straightforward, but after the debacle with my front nose panel (another job I expected to just breeze through) I figured it was worth getting a confirmation. Clockwork Sputnik posted:If by failing from the bottom, do you mean the clutch engages too early in the release process? (IE really early catch point?) evobatman posted:Got them on now, and holy poo poo they need to be balanced, they really brought out and enhanced every weakness there is in the suspension!  I like the wheels. And headlight washers, bastard.I've never heard of Weitec. How much are you looking to spend? For ~800ish, Bilstein Sports and H&R Race Springs are your only real option. For ~$1500ish you can get into real suspension like Ground Control C/O's or maybe Bilstein PSS9's. revmoo posted:Argg, within the span of like 5 minutes my clutch pedal went from nice and quiet and normal to super-squeaky. Is the clutch pedal bushing the only part that I should replace? ( 35-21-1-158-290-M9 ) I use to run 15w50 on my stock motor to quiet the top end/VANOS. I ran Total Quartz 5w30 on my new built motor for the first 6k of its life, and it was good stuff. I changed to 5w40 this oil-change, we'll see what Blackstone says about it in another 4500mi or so. I don't drive enough, so it will take a while. I like it tho, its a touch quieter now. evensevenone posted:I think the shocks on my 97 328is are pretty much gone. What would be a good solution for replacing them if I don't care about lowering it or anything like that? Basically I just want it to be safe and comfortable since I have to drive on curvy under-maintained mountain roads full of idiots a lot. http://www.autohausaz.com/search/pr...trut%20Assembly ~$480 shipped. I'd go with Bilstein's. There is a company who runs a group buy on BimmerForums and they are ~$480 shipped as well. I paid 1.5x that a few years ago  kimbo305 posted:
SiGmA_X fucked around with this message at 19:20 on Apr 11, 2010 |
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Apr 11, 2010 19:17
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My family friends have a legit 1973 2002 tii in hot orange I saw a few years ago and mentioned I would love to own one. My dad called me this morning and said they are willing to give it to me. For free. I need to go check it out, but assuming it is in good condition (it was last time I saw it), are they nightmares to own/repair? edit: It's Inka orange I believe. Muffinpox fucked around with this message at 03:48 on Apr 12, 2010 |
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Apr 11, 2010 23:00
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Muffinpox posted:My family friends have a legit 1973 2002 tii in hot orange I saw a few years ago and mentioned I would love to own one. My dad called me this morning and said they are willing to give it to me. For free. I need to go check it out, but assuming it is in good condition (it was last time I saw it), are they nightmares to own/repair? Rust. Other than that, go get it. NOW
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Apr 12, 2010 02:10
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Muffinpox posted:My family friends have a legit 1973 2002 tii in hot orange I saw a few years ago and mentioned I would love to own one. My dad called me this morning and said they are willing to give it to me. For free. I need to go check it out, but assuming it is in good condition (it was last time I saw it), are they nightmares to own/repair? If you come back and see this post, and you don't have the car yet, there is something wrong with you.
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Apr 12, 2010 02:31
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Doctor Grape Ape posted:If you come back and see this post, and you don't have the car yet, there is something wrong with you. I wont have time to see it until next Saturday sadly  This is going to be a long week.
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Apr 12, 2010 03:05
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kimbo305 posted:Well I did do the rear bushings myself (with the help of a friend and a pneumatic hammer) and the tie rods myself...  Muffinpox posted:My family friends have a legit 1973 2002 tii in hot orange I saw a few years ago and mentioned I would love to own one. My dad called me this morning and said they are willing to give it to me. For free. I need to go check it out, but assuming it is in good condition (it was last time I saw it), are they nightmares to own/repair? They have such an enormous fanbase that I can't believe they'd be terrible to own at all. And since that one is in hot orange, if you don't buy it, I will personally think less of you. so THERE. 
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Apr 12, 2010 03:29
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spodycart posted:So the A/C on my E46 has been acting odd lately. It works just fine initially but after 10-15 minutes driving with it on it will suddenly start blowing warm air. If I turn A/C off, HOT air blows from the vents regardless of what the temperature setting is. Very annoying, and only seems to happen when the outside air temperature is hot enough to want the A/C on all the time. You're right about the final stage resistor, this only affects the fan speed control. Your second paragraph would still lead to a low charge. My E46 had the same problem, where it would start blowing warm everywhere else except for the driver side vents. This is by design, and is a sign of low charge (at least 99% of the time, the other 1% is some weird problem related to some sort of water valve...). I don't trust those self-charge kits. My problem was simply a leaking schrader valve, so .50 for the valve, and about 100 bucks for the evac and recharge. I'd take it to any auto air place and have them at least try an evac and recharge. Just out of curiosity... does your ambient temp sensor read correctly?
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Apr 12, 2010 13:40
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Crustashio posted:Don't the M42 e30s get better mileage? Not that I've ever owned one, but I figure anything would be better than an m20. I'm lucky to get 20-21 highway mpg. My M42 engined car (~120k miles) gets ~30 miles per _UK_ (imperial) gallon cross country, driven very carefully with an eye on the mileage gauge. So yeah, better than that! IIRC 2 and 4-door owners can get 32 or a bit more. Is that really what M20s get? Is this an auto we're talking about? The M42 is a great engine for twisty roads - just about perfect with good tyres to be almost idiot-proof. But you can still get the back end out. Actually, you can yaw it in on the brakes in tight corners, hot-hatch style, and then carry the yaw out on the throttle, even with my open diff. Mine still has whatever the 316i diff was, so 4.2'n' or even the 4.4 whatever it is exactly, and according to the satnav's GPS, I doubt it would quite crack 100mph at redline in 5th. As I have bikes, I don't give any gently caress about straight line performance (it's going to be slow - it's a car and a cheap car at that) or care that 80mph cruising is about 4100rpm. The back-road handling over lovely surfaces and ability to completely take the piss in the soaking wet is the amusing part. And being a touring, I can haul silly amounts of junk in the back. e: kinkster, there's nothing exotic about a 3 series - any American mechanic who is familiar with the metric system can work on them. The only thing exotic about them is the Pagani level of rear end-raping you will get if you let a BMW main dealer work on your BMW. Parts are cheap for the older models (E30 anyway). As with any car these days, newer means more complicated and therefore more expensive when it inevitably goes wrong. IMO that makes the E30 the pick, as the E36 and E46 are significantly heavier and more "feature packed". OTOH, I like light & simple in cars. Speaking in generalities, I'd much rather have another E30 than a Volvo from a reliability standpoint. However, with any old car, it's condition and maintenance which make the difference. You can buy a 2004 E46 that's dead on its feet/wheels or a one-owner '83 E30 that's had a poo poo-ton of attention over its lifetime and still looks/drives like new. If you want decent fuel economy, you can't buy a pre-2007 or so (efficient dynamics itroduction?) automatic with a petrol engine (no diesels in the US). It will suck, very badly. Saga fucked around with this message at 17:09 on Apr 12, 2010 |
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Apr 12, 2010 16:52
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SiGmA_X posted:By oil filter housing gaskets, you mean block to housing? It takes me around 45-60min taking my time. Pull intake box, alternator (disconnect batt first), and drop the PS pump down. Then its 6 bolts against the block and time to clean the piss out of everything and reassemble. I'd pull the oil filter out at the start of things, it will allow the oil to drain into the crankcase slowly. Also replace the VANOS crush washers (4x14mm?) and oil pressure switch (1x12mm? 14mm?) No, it's this guy: http://www.amazon.com/OES-Genuine-Switch-Cover-Gasket/dp/B001G7L5NM It's leaking out of there. Also, mine is a '92, so there's no VANOS.
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Apr 12, 2010 19:12
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Fermunky posted:Just out of curiosity... does your ambient temp sensor read correctly? Curious about this myself. Also curious why you ask. Mine's off by -10* F Does this have any effect on the climate control? My e46 has funny noises/groans from the compressor when its engaged. I need to get that checked because I'm not loving with AC. Never done anything with it and I haven't the foggiest how.
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Apr 12, 2010 21:06
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A/C is something that should always be done with the proper equipment (which is expensive) and by people with proper certification. In fact, I'm pretty sure intentionally evacuating an A/C system and not being certified to do so, even if you do it right, is illegal.
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Apr 12, 2010 21:18
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Saga posted:My M42 engined car (~120k miles) gets ~30 miles per _UK_ (imperial) gallon cross country, driven very carefully with an eye on the mileage gauge. So yeah, better than that! IIRC 2 and 4-door owners can get 32 or a bit more. Is that really what M20s get? Is this an auto we're talking about? 5-speed. I have an iX so I get some extra parasitic loss, but I doubt the m20 could do much better than a few mpg more. It's an old not very efficient design. On the other hand, it is dead simple and still loves to rev (even if the first 3-3.5k rpm have no pull).
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Apr 12, 2010 23:33
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Crustashio posted:5-speed. I have an iX so I get some extra parasitic loss, but I doubt the m20 could do much better than a few mpg more. It's an old not very efficient design. On the other hand, it is dead simple and still loves to rev (even if the first 3-3.5k rpm have no pull). Oh, IX. I suspect that's not helping! My sister in law has a 320i touring and manages ~25(UK) or so IIRC. I just missed a 98% perfect M50TU conversion touring (one bracket and a radiator repair required) on ebay and this is making me kick myself even harder - bet you get 30 with an M50. And the 192hp can't be too shabby either. My alternative was going to be a B25 block and plumbing/loom.
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Apr 13, 2010 16:59
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SlapActionJackson posted:Sounds like something in the brakes binding up or a sticking piston/hanging pad. Are the pads worn evenly inboard/outboard and left side/right side? I ended up just doing the pads on the left wheel, (where its been hanging up) there was maybe 1/3 of a centimeter of pad left on the inside and outside. But on the right front wheel the pads still have plenty of life in them. The guide bolts looked good to me and slid in and out just fine. Nothing looked strange other than the extreme pad wear which I expected. After replacing the left side, I took it for a drive, and when it wanted to start wobbling, it wobbled but only a tiny bit. And its still hanging up occasionally, but not as violently as it was before, still enough to get so hot that it vaporized the rain on the caliper tho. I think I'm just going to get a pair of new rotors and calipers because   .
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Apr 13, 2010 19:17
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PurpleFender posted:Curious about this myself. Also curious why you ask. Mine's off by -10* F Does this have any effect on the climate control? I believe it does. At any rate, take it to any place that does a/c work and have them evac and recharge. My compressor also groaned when low.
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Apr 13, 2010 20:26
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Saga posted:bet you get 30 with an M50. Hah.
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Apr 13, 2010 23:38
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My E46 gets a rough idle when the compressor comes on and also a slight hissing noise, which goes away pretty quickly. Normal or do I need a recharge as well?
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Apr 14, 2010 00:20
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I'd been getting a fast turn signal on the left side of my e30 recently but all the lights worked so I figured it was just a dirty connector or acting wonky and ignored it for the time being. Now, I get the fast flashing followed shortly by the left turn signal ceasing to function after a few seconds unless I turn them off and turn them back on. Hazards do the same thing but right turn signal is fine. I plan on replacing the bulbs and cleaning the connectors but was wondering if this is the relay going out or something else.
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Apr 14, 2010 01:57
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Arwox posted:
You might want to try a caliper rebuild kit first. Sounds like you have a sticking piston on the left side.
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Apr 14, 2010 04:11
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Saga posted:bet you get 30 with an M50 Ohhhhh, just about half that.
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Apr 14, 2010 04:37
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Doctor Grape Ape posted:Ohhhhh, just about half that. Not as good as the donor car then. Oh well, at least I can revel in the fact that I'm getting ~30mpg. Of course the bike gets 45-50, so when I have to drive to work I'm still kicking myself. e: probably explains why this M50 swap was being sold - gas prices in the UK are sky-high ATM.
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Apr 14, 2010 07:05
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Raymn posted:I'd been getting a fast turn signal on the left side of my e30 recently but all the lights worked so I figured it was just a dirty connector or acting wonky and ignored it for the time being. Now, I get the fast flashing followed shortly by the left turn signal ceasing to function after a few seconds unless I turn them off and turn them back on. Hazards do the same thing but right turn signal is fine. I plan on replacing the bulbs and cleaning the connectors but was wondering if this is the relay going out or something else. I'd go for the relay. I had the relay fail in the weirdest way on my E34 once. I was driving, then suddenly it began flashing permanently to the left, and I couldn't flash to the other side. Turned off the car, turned it on again, and it was wonky in some different way I can't remember. Try taking out the relay and shaking it against your ear. Often you'll hear a little piece of metal (a broken off relay arm) rattling about inside, but it can also have failed without this happening.
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Apr 14, 2010 13:30
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Fermunky posted:I believe it does. At any rate, take it to any place that does a/c work and have them evac and recharge. My compressor also groaned when low. Word. This is info I needed. Thanks to you goon sir.
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Apr 14, 2010 14:46
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This wait is loving killing me. Here's the car circa 1 year before I was born.  Someone in MA come with me and bring a trailer.
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Apr 14, 2010 23:04
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I checked my PS fluid today and found out it's not low, but blacker than poo poo. So I'm flushing it this weekend. How much / what kind of fluid should I buy? '97 328i, the cap says ATF for what its worth.
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Apr 15, 2010 01:04
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I used cheap atf, whatever spec the Bentley called for.
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Apr 15, 2010 01:14
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Jerk McJerkface posted:Dang it! I slipped and fell in the snow as I was walking around my car, and I dented the car with my elbow, right here (not my car). It's about dark, 30 degrees and pouring right now, so I didn't get any pictures. Anyone know any good paintless dent repair shops near the 07446 zipcode? Just to follow up on my post from a while ago. I took the car to Prestige BMW in Ramsey, NJ for an estimate and some other routine maintenance. The dent guy didn't get to look at it, but the dealer told me he typically charges about $250 per panel. With the dent being on a crease like that, he said it'll be closer to $375. He's out of his mind. I should try to find a private shop to do it, it'll probably be half that.
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Apr 15, 2010 02:49
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revmoo posted:I used cheap atf, whatever spec the Bentley called for. Yep, cheap ATF. Spend the extra $ on some ATF Stop-Leak and throw that in for shiggles.
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Apr 15, 2010 03:42
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Well my 318iS chewed up it's waterpump/alternator belt on the way to work yesterday. I didn't hear anything, all the dash lights just came on. I was only about 3 miles from work, so I limped it there with the temp ending up the red. Everything seemed find and there was no obvious overheating. It's my fault really, as a I knew the belts were old when I bought the car in 2008. I even ordered the belts last year and just never bothered to change them. I hardly drive the car, so I figured I'd get to it "eventually". Luckily I didn't learn the lesson the REALLY hard way. I was able to bring all the parts and my tools back to work last night. I blindly followed the Bentley manual which stated I needed to remove the AC compressor bolts and rotate the compressor to get the new belt on. After struggling to line up the bolt holes for about an hour, I remembered something I read on the Internet about the job and there being an adjuster on the idler pulley... after that it was cake. I could do the whole thing in half an hour... now. I think the old belt was stretched badly as I couldn't put the right amount of tension on it. The new on has perfect tension with room to tighten it more. Drove it and no obvious overheat damage, so I think I'm OK there. Lessons: Change your belts early and don't blindly follow Bentley! 
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Apr 15, 2010 12:33
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Sterndotstern posted:Yep, cheap ATF. Spend the extra $ on some ATF Stop-Leak and throw that in for shiggles. How much would I need for a good flush, though? I'm sure more than the capacity, but I don't know how much more.
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Apr 15, 2010 13:31
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CornHolio posted:How much would I need for a good flush, though? I'm sure more than the capacity, but I don't know how much more. Shouldn't 2 quarts just about do it?
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Apr 15, 2010 13:47
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Jerk McJerkface posted:Just to follow up on my post from a while ago. I took the car to Prestige BMW in Ramsey, NJ for an estimate and some other routine maintenance. The dent guy didn't get to look at it, but the dealer told me he typically charges about $250 per panel. With the dent being on a crease like that, he said it'll be closer to $375. He's out of his mind. I should try to find a private shop to do it, it'll probably be half that. Half? I had 10-12 dents spread across all 4 doors on my e90 from a hail storm (all much closer to creases than yours), and a private PDR shop charged $200 to do all of them. Those quotes are insane.
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Apr 15, 2010 15:03
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PurpleFender posted:Shouldn't 2 quarts just about do it? 2 is enough, get 3 in case. It's like 2 bucks a quart so you aren't breaking the bank.
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Apr 15, 2010 15:44
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revmoo posted:2 is enough, get 3 in case. It's like 2 bucks a quart so you aren't breaking the bank. Got it. I've never done this before and didn't want to buy too much, but didn't want to not have enough. Thanks!
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Apr 15, 2010 16:18
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