Messages

1

General Topics / Untimely Death, insurance Battle, want my car?

« on: October 23, 2010, 09:49:57 AM »

Takoma Park, Maryland, Fall 2010

So, I'm standing in my driveway about to do some work on my front roof gutter.  Wife's getting ready to take her mom to the airport in our 1991 318i, with Bill Arnold shop-rebuilt engine 10,000 miles ago (195000 on odo), single-mass flywheel, lowered suspension (eibach spring, sport shocks), recaro seats from 318ic, completely rust and trouble free California-until last year (garaged all winter), never seen salt in its life.

BANG! Emanating from intersection 100 feet away.  Instant sound of engine revving to redline. SWOOSH-BANG. 15 feet away something slams into my baby at 60+, turns on its side, hits speed bump, flips, skids 300+ feet down road, bang - totals another car.  Flame from engine bay.  Bang - door opens and three kids pop out and go running away.  

Ultimately, the thugs are caught, but Bianca is no more:

http://www.examiner.com/dc-in-washington-dc/robbery-suspects-fleeing-police-dodge-get-mangled-crash-and-try-to-escape-on-foot

Now, my insurance company has valued the car at $2000.  It probably cost me about $8,000 to get the car in its pre-crash state with the mods above and numerous other repairs (like new steering rack, control arms, ac system....).  And I don't expect to recoup my investment.  Thank god I didn't do the complete two stage paint job this summer.  But $2000 for a car in that condition?  

Ah well, thanks to anyone who's posts helped me build up this car and from whom I may have bought parts.  With a newborn and a mountain of debt, my days as an e30 owner ('89 m3 and 86es) are over for the foreseeable future.  

I thought I could add a couple photos to this post, but uploads of smallish size jpegs failed.  Would love to share, so not sure what to do.  They're impressive photos.

Car is in a junk yard in Baltimore awaiting final resolution of insurance claim. If someone wants it - engine should still be in tip-top shape - and can pick it up (will need flatbed), minus a couple of parts I'd like to keep, like the OEM stereo, let me know. You can have it.  I'll just tell my insurance company I'm keeping it, which they let me do when my es was totaled.

2

General Topics / DC Area Mechanic Needed

« on: October 25, 2009, 05:20:57 PM »

Recent transplant from Bay Area and sadly I can't afford to fly Bill Arnold out here to work on my baby to pass inspection (a bad front strut).  

Unbelievably, my car also failed inspection, in part, because a fog light wasn't working (fixed now) - made it cross country fine without it.

Northern side of city preferred.  

- Andrew

3

Engine + Driveline / 3.73lsd - many thanks MARIN PRIDE!

« on: November 15, 2008, 08:50:26 PM »

Yup. In real world driving where you're not redlining the engine at every stop light, 3.64 diff will make for a quicker more comfortable daily driver because you wont have to shift as often. In 1st to 3rd gear you wont notice any loss of acceleration. 4th gear will feel exactly like 5th before the swap. 5th is a highway cruising gear. It will feel slower while accelerating but rpm will be about 12% lower at any speed.

Marin Pride,

I bought my Alpine White 3, 318i in spring of 2007, around the same time I think you bought a gray 318is?  Anyway, I read your diff. swap posting with interest - wanted something a bit quieter at highway speed and a little better gas mileage.  I must say it was the best mod I've done, besides completely overhauling suspension (lowering car about an inch).  With a conforti chip, the car at 180k runs like a champ and second gear to 60 if I want it.  Best of all, is fourth gear at 70 and passing with power, something I couldn't have done before.  I hope you read this, because it really is a great improvement, even if there is a bit of initial loss of power - it's more than made up for with first gear to 30....

- Dru

4

Engine management / Don't dis the ETA

« on: September 16, 2007, 09:47:20 PM »

keep it 3 years, and I'll take that eta off your hands...

Gearhead:

The ES has treated me very, very well.  While nothing like my '89 M3, or even the 318 in terms of chirpy, high-end fun, Bessie was good out of the gate and very, very quiet at 90.  Averaged 36 highway mpg to boot, so it is a sad goodbye.

- Andrew

5

Engine management / Lower air intake boot was the problem - thanks

« on: September 16, 2007, 07:06:32 PM »

Well I don't know if you touched the intake rubber boot while working but check the small hose that's under the big intake boot. This sounds an aweful lot like when I had disconnected it by mistake while changing the air filter.

Silver:

Well, you are a deserved advanced member.  This was the problem, precisely.  The boot is very worn and I checked the filter yesterday, so it must have jostled loose.  Thanks for keeping me from falling down a rabbit hole and making my wife  (landscape gardener) drive the M3 to work tomorrow...

- Andrew

6

Engine management / Faulty O2 sensor?

« on: September 16, 2007, 02:03:09 PM »

Hey all,

I've been slowly refurbishing a neglected 4 door 318i, purchased in May.  Most recently, yesterday, put in a new timing chain tensioner which, at first, stalled the car.  Then, slight ticking disappeared and engine sounded great.  

Next, I disconnected the battery, removed old, very nasty looking o2 sensor.  I replaced this with a brand new Bosch unit.   Then reconnected battery.  Car choked and died on start up.  Tried to drive off, but coming to a stop a few blocks from my house, disengaging the clutch (with accompanying drop in RPMs), caused engine to stall and Check Engine Light (CEN) to come on.  Car not happy.  At all.

Today, idled car to get up to operating temperature (car has new thermostat), put in 91 Chevron, and drove 30 minutes on highway, at high RPMs, thinking I could get the system happy.  No luck.  I've checked the connections and everything looks fine.  

Do I have a faulty, brand new o2 sensor?  Can a new o2 sensor throw something else out of whack???

- Andrew

Oh, if anyone in the Bay Area wants a '86 325es that runs great, but was tagged last year, let me know.  DMV took my money for registration and then told me I need to pay for salvage title and lights testing.  Mechanically, very, very sound.  Another 100k on the driveline would be my guess.  If you want to pick it up, let me know.