The official E36 OT Thread!!

there are all sorts of ways to 'fudge' fe numbers, and i am certain that all of the car companies do that. however, i have always used the ratings as an 'optimum' figure, not an actual one.


710 fluid...must need some of that sometime....does it go next to the blinker fluid reservior??


that vid was funny, btw...


looking at the ti tommorrow. will see what it looks like and will go from there. if it looks like something that i can work with then great!!


and chad, i think the 01 740i is probably going to be the best one out there for me when i get ready to get an e38. in imola, please....


also, met a guy from texas yesterday who does glass work. not a lot of that out that way, but he was here trying toget some talent to work for him. south jersey is *all* about the glass, lemme tell ya...so many talented people here that do scientific glass, as well as lots of artists that work in the material. turns out his father makes cowboy boots by hand. *soooooo cool!!!!!* been wanting a really nice pair, but don't think i can afford a grand on boots. well, at least and not still remain with mrs df....



and jen, hope you feel better soon!!!


cj, breaking down is teh sux....but you're mobile, again, right??






df

df

Originally Posted by ZeGerman

Kidding. I totally think it should be fully legal throughout the US, but I don't partake very often. Usually just when old friends are in town, etc.

I know how you environmentalists roll. If you're not saving the trees you're burning them

Originally Posted by Gooby

Originally Posted by B1MM3R

Aluminum radiator people what brand radiator have all y'all been buying?

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I got mishimoto when ECS had a sale. Go all Aluminium and never look back.

Thoughts
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1990-1999-BM...705f57&vxp=mtr

the rad from mishimoto, was it for an //M?? or the regular m50/52?? the pics look like they don't have the a mounting for the coolant tank, which i thought was an //M style.

i want to get an aluminum radiator, and like the fact that mishimoto will be the last rad i ever buy, but want to make certain i get the correct one.





df

I'm curious what to do...I have the 318 radiator setup in my car...not sure what all I will have to change to put in aluminum rad.

Originally Posted by drivinfaster

the rad from mishimoto, was it for an //M?? or the regular m50/52?? the pics look like they don't have the a mounting for the coolant tank, which i thought was an //M style.

i want to get an aluminum radiator, and like the fact that mishimoto will be the last rad i ever buy, but want to make certain i get the correct one.





df

I think only the 318 has the reservoir mount as part of the radiator tank. The 325,328, and M have the reservoir mount as part of the lower radiator mount and the fan shroud.

Originally Posted by B1MM3R

I'm curious what to do...I have the 318 radiator setup in my car...not sure what all I will have to change to put in aluminum rad.

Jesse, you'll either need to pick up the rad mount set up from an I6 car or make your own mount for your reservoir.

Dang...I may just go with OEM then until next year

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Originally Posted by drivinfaster

i want to get an aluminum radiator, and like the fact that mishimoto will be the last rad i ever buy, but want to make certain i get the correct one.

df

Depends on how long you plan to own your car, since any radiator can/will build up sediment and sludge over time. I guess you could always have it steam cleaned if you still owned it 20+ years from now. That's one of the reasons I'm okay with having an OEM plastic radiator. Every 7-10 years my car will get a totally fresh radiator with no sludge inside for $160. Not too steep of a price to pay... I've heard of some people developing pinhole leaks with the Mishimotos, but those stories are rare, and Mishimoto now offers a lifetime warranty on their radiators, even if you get into an accident (don't know why they would advertise this, since a person's insurance should cover it, not the part manufacturer, but hey...).

Originally Posted by B1MM3R

I'm curious what to do...I have the 318 radiator setup in my car...not sure what all I will have to change to put in aluminum rad.

I'm 99% sure the last time I looked up core supports on RealOEM, it showed a different part number between the 4-cyl and 6-cyl cars. But regardless, I'd pay the extra money for the Mishimoto (versus the eBay one you linked to) since it's a product of known quality and has the lifetime warranty, which is fairly important for something like a radiator.

Originally Posted by jonesin

Madness on Wheels: Rallying's Craziest Years. BBC 4. I found a copy of it here Ken.

It's a torrent. 700 MB.

Many thanks for that, Ed. I downloaded it. Yup, that's the same show. Titled differently than the one shown on Velocity, but the same film. I'd say those drivers had cajones as big as basketballs, but one of their top drivers (finished 2nd in the Group B championship in 1982) was a very talented woman, Michele Mouton http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mich%C3%A8le_Mouton

Let's just say she had tremendous intestinal fortitude. She's my age. She was quite a looker in her racing years, and ain't bad for 61!

Originally Posted by ZeGerman

Depends on how long you plan to own your car, since any radiator can/will build up sediment and sludge over time. I guess you could always have it steam cleaned if you still owned it 20+ years from now. That's one of the reasons I'm okay with having an OEM plastic radiator. Every 7-10 years my car will get a totally fresh radiator with no sludge inside for $160. Not too steep of a price to pay... I've heard of some people developing pinhole leaks with the Mishimotos, but those stories are rare, and Mishimoto now offers a lifetime warranty on their radiators, even if you get into an accident (don't know why they would advertise this, since a person's insurance should cover it, not the part manufacturer, but hey...).



I'm 99% sure the last time I looked up core supports on RealOEM, it showed a different part number between the 4-cyl and 6-cyl cars. But regardless, I'd pay the extra money for the Mishimoto (versus the eBay one you linked to) since it's a product of known quality and has the lifetime warranty, which is fairly important for something like a radiator.

Yea I agree...think I'm just going to go OEM so it will drop right in.

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Originally Posted by B1MM3R

Yea I agree...think I'm just going to go OEM so it will drop right in.

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Thats not a bad idea if you don't feel like fiddling with the mounts. I went with the mishimoto because it was on super-sale just above OEM price and I was switching to an electric fan.

What ended up being wrong with cps car?


loose battery cable/bad battery?

Well don't think rad bad! Think was lose hose...drive for a while and see

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Well... Yesterday was a long ass day. Left RIT around 10am and didn't get to my girlfriend's school in CT until 11pm.

Here's what happened...

I was maybe 30min from my school and I noticed the car was starting to lose electrical power. No radio, dash dim, etc. Eventually the car had very little power even at WOT. I was able to limp it to the exit a few miles away (I was on the Thruway). Pulled over in the exit shoulder (where I could still get back on the highway if necessary). I checked the voltage at the battery, and of course, it read 7v. I was pretty sure it was the alternator.

I flagged the first car to take the exit and asked him for a jump. He turned the car around so that his engine bay faced mine. Just as I got the cables out, a statie pulls over next to me (perfect timing). Don't mean to be offensive, but I swear the cop sounded like he was half-retarded or something as he kept shouting "don't you do it!". He was pissed that the other guy was turned around in the shoulder (there was plenty of room). So we negotiated with the cop and he agreed to let the guy pull me off the interstate where we could jump it. The cop was pretty dumb, as I later found out that towing on the interstate without a license is a $1000 fine

So he pulled me off the interstate and down the road to a Napa. The guy that was pulling me was an electrical engineering alum from RIT. He thought that the problem could be the battery and that I should get it tested first. I wasn't convinced, but I got the test done anyway. Turned up bad, so I forked out the money for a battery. It was $150, but I didn't have much choice, as the closest autozone was 5mi away and my car was currently a rolling turd. Well it started right up, and ran fine. I wasn't convinced that it was the problem, but I was hoping it would get me home where I could test it (over 300mi away).

So I got back on the interstate and made it about 100mi before I got the same symptoms as earlier. It was raining and starting to get dark, but the closest exit was over 5mi away, so I had to turn off the headlights to make it there. As I'm pulling off the exit with barely any power left, I realize that the town name is familiar. Turns out it was the town that Joe lives in. So coast into a gas station and I give him a call, and he's there 5min later.

So Joe drives me to a few parts stores to find an alternator. By some crazy luck, Autozone has one in stock for $140. I figure it's the only way I can get home, so I pull my alternator out for the core. Last second before purchasing, I decide to get the alternator tested just in case. They strap it up, and it turns out good. What the hell??

So I put the old one back in, and try all kinds of electrical test to try and find the problem (with the help of Chadley over the phone). Of course, while I'm doing this in a parking lot, some lady comes up and asks me if I'm a mechanic. She says that she has been trying to get home but the accessory belt in her Econoline is busted. I say, "No problem" and we go over to Autozone to get a belt. I try getting it in but there is nearly NO room to work in that damn van. We spent an hour before realizing it was just a little too short. So we go back, and they gave us the wrong one, of course. I spend another half hour trying to get the new one in, and I finally get it. But it kept coming loose on the crank pulley when we tried to start it. I tried tightening the hydraulic tensioner, but had no luck. It was dark and cold out and we were soaked from the rain so we decided to give up for the night. She had to spend another night sleeping in her van because she didn't have money

So I go back to my car, at this point it is around 6pm and I've been tooling around in Joe's town for quite a few hours. I'm getting very frustrated at this point, because I just can't find the problem. It seems like the car is losing power somewhere, but I couldn't find where. The alternator was only pushing around 10v when I could get it started, but it passed on the Autozone tester. At this point, Joe sent one of his buddies to come help me diagnose it. We limped the car over to Autozone, and talk to the manager. He was super cool and said that I could return the alternator that night if it turned out to not be the problem. So I bought the alternator (with my dad's credit card number since I spent the rest of my money on the battery and gas).

I replaced it and it was still taking soooo long to jump. Even with the autozone jumper box. Eventually we get it going, but there is still only 12v or so going to the battery. I didn't want to risk getting back on the interstate because I would be screwed if I broke down again. So we drove it around a bit, and the voltage was very slowly climbing. It was around 7pm and I just wanted to get back to CT (3 hours away). So Joe and his buddy follow me for quite a few miles just in case. The car is running well, and the voltage at the battery is 13v. So I decide to go for it, and I had no problems. Around halfway back, I notice the voltage has finally reached normal (14v). Pretty strange, but it got me home. I guess the problem was the alternator after all.

Well that was super long, but I did leave quite a few things out. Anyway, I learned a lot and spent $300 (The most I've ever spend at one time to maintain my Bimmer ). Seems that I got pretty lucky with the tow and stopping right in Joe's town, though. Could've been much worse. I haven't checked the car yet today, hopefully she's still good.

Damn cj.

can you return the battery?

Didn't think of that... seriously doubt it though.

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Eh at least you have a new battery now.

And dang that's a rough day.

That was nice of you to help that lady!

Thats awesome that joe was right there too.

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Wow CJ, sounds like a lousy day. I wonder why the alternator tested fine when it wasn't.

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Originally Posted by E36 Phantom

Wow CJ, sounds like a lousy day. I wonder why the alternator tested fine when it wasn't.

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Because auto part stores are retarded. They couldn't even test the e30 alternator.

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I knew it was the alternator! I bet the reg went on the fritz, based on what you told me. Glad you got it sorted though

Also, mega props for trying to help the lady out. I definitely know the Econoline-belt-change pain, not an easy task if you arent familiar (now try it on a dual-alternator diesel Econoline van...hehehehe). Hopefully she found the help she needed.

Make sure you charge that battery. Number one killer of alternators are dead batteries. The alternator is meant to maintain, not to bring the battery from no charge to full charge. They CAN do it, but you burn the brushes up much faster

Originally Posted by E36 Phantom

Wow CJ, sounds like a lousy day. I wonder why the alternator tested fine when it wasn't.

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Parts stores test an alternator like this: Strap to a bench, spin it at 1500-3k rpm, and see if its putting out voltage. They dont check amperage, which is key to actually charging. Nor do they check how it performs under load. You can have a bad alternator that puts out 14v, but does not crank out amperage.

Sorry to hear about your day Cj ,

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Originally Posted by drive by72

Parts stores test an alternator like this: Strap to a bench, spin it at 1500-3k rpm, and see if its putting out voltage. They dont check amperage, which is key to actually charging. Nor do they check how it performs under load. You can have a bad alternator that puts out 14v, but does not crank out amperage.

^ THIS EXACTLY^ That's why I always tell people to get their battery and alternator LOAD TESTED. Voltage means nothing if the amperage isn't there.

Well that wasn't fun. My wife spent yesterday afternoon in the ER having difficulty breathing and severe abdominal /chest pain. Came home last night.
Better today: but still not 100%. We were able to buy a tree at least!

And I have to work tomorrow. Mean while my hope of fixing the rear door lock this weekend keeps fizzling.
The idle also bounces when cold, was hoping to clean MAF and ICV.
Le sigh. Need more hours in day...