Messages

1

Electrical / HID bulb replacement?

« on: August 25, 2012, 03:50:46 PM »

HID headlights were working fine this morning; at some point the front right cut out.  Checked the fuse, looked toast so I replaced it.  Still no dice.  I'm wondering if the HID bulb is out.  Was put in by the prior owner, wiring looks all ok, and haven't had any electrical/lighting issues so my guess is the bulb.

Took it apart, but there's a rubber "button" (like, a four-holed button) with space for the leads to go through but the holes are just wide enough for either + or - lead from the bulb, not the connector.  I don't mind cutting through the button (not sure what it's doing other than keeping them separated/neat), but from the pics I've seen online, the bulb should come with the two leads as part of the entire bulb replacement.

Anyone know what I'm talking about?  Just seems like the whole thing needs to come off the ballast box, but that seems silly (unless HIDs don't go out generally?).

2

General Topics / accelerator cable and friends

« on: November 24, 2011, 11:41:56 AM »

The little clip was a fix by BMW.  The crimp separates from the collar & lets the cable pop out.  I couldn't find a part number, but if you call a BMW dealer it's part of a recall campaign.  They should be able to find the PN based on that.

***edit***
Found it here, though it's for an entirely different car...not that it matters.  The M10, M20 & M30 have the old-fashioned cables (that don't break).  The M4x M5x, M6x all have the newer cables (that break).

Good huntin' chief!  Ok, I think I'm good to go for ordering.  Thanks guys.

3

General Topics / accelerator cable and friends

« on: November 24, 2011, 09:01:49 AM »

http://bmwfans.info/parts/catalog/E30/2-doors/USA/318is-M42/LHD/M/1991/april/browse/fuel_preparation_system/throttle_housing_assembly/
#9

Wow, that site is awesome.  I thought realoem.com was good, but this is much clearer and I like how it links the diagrams.

No what I meant was up by the throttle assembly, on the cable, there's this stainless steel paper-clip looking thing that I have no idea what it does (and doesn't show up on any parts list) so perhaps it's just part of the cable assembly.

4

General Topics / accelerator cable and friends

« on: November 23, 2011, 08:58:15 PM »

Just bought one. The cable comes with the grommet.  The grommet actually cost over $6 now.
Probably a good idea to buy the clip.

Is that the thing that looks kind of like a paperclip near the bracket?

5

General Topics / accelerator cable and friends

« on: November 23, 2011, 04:34:03 PM »

I need to replace the entire cable from the pedal assembly (that itself seems tight and fine) to the throttle body.  Worst part is the grommet is missing on the throttle body side so it's just the threaded bit that's too large to fit through that's actually providing the resistance for the pedal to open the throttle.  

Pretty crappy throttle control as you can imagine.

Since the cable and bits seem cheap, what exactly do I need?
http://realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=AF93&mospid=47305&btnr=35_0123&hg=35&fg=10

I'm thinking just:

4   ACCELERATOR BOWDEN CABLE   L=685   1   35411158724
15   Grommet      1         35411152744   $3.48   

And 1 through 13 *seems* ok, but not sure if there's a wear/problem item at that end that I might be missing.

Also, the parts site I'm looking at has a guide clip that the RealOEM site doesn't show (13 54 1 747 519).

Basically I don't want to disassemble it all and find out that I'm missing something (this is my daily).

Thanks fellas.

6

Engine + Driveline / Worn belt pulleys?

« on: November 22, 2011, 09:10:29 PM »

IMHO your belts are too tight.  I usually just press the belt in on the longest span.  If it deflects about 3cm (1inch) it's usually OK.  New belts are always overtightened, as they tend to stretch.

Is the belt visibly bulging?  The belt's outer surface should be flat, not sinking into the v-groove and wearing along the outside surfaces.

Could very well be a bent mount.  My P/S pump was definitely twisted when I removed it. A few degrees of mis-alignment will cause squealing no matter how tight the belt is.  Also could be the pivot bushings, especially on the alternator mount.  They're not too expensive.  My alternator belt is also slightly long, I've never bothered to fix it as it makes no noise.

I tried out the Dayco ribbed belts this time, they've been working very well.  My pulleys are glazed but the belts ride in them correctly.  On other cars I've used "belt dressing" as a quick & cheap fix.

There's Daycos on there now.  He did say that he thinks that the pulleys are misaligned.  I have noticed that, when it's not squealing, the idle seems to improve: car never stalls, but when the clutch is disengaged at a stop sign or whatever, it tends to bog a bit as it drops below 800 rpm and climbs back up again.  Not sure if that's something else (vacuum leak, etc.), but I could swear that the idle improves when the belts are a bit happier.

7

Engine + Driveline / Worn belt pulleys?

« on: November 22, 2011, 06:44:35 AM »

So I got lazy and had a shop a few units down from my office replace my belts last July (power steering and alternator belt; AC was "new").

Fixed the squeal, idle smoothed out (not entirely, but was better).

Squeals back, bring it back, guy says he'll adjust them as he thinks they're too loose; I pushed down on them fairly hard and would barely budge an inch.

So he tightens them (I mean the rack tensioner is at the very last tooth) and the squeal is gone, but the alternator belt looks glazed and seems to be sitting pretty deep into the groove.  He suggests that the pulleys are likely worn and should be replaced.

Searching around, I don't see any instances where people have replaced their pulleys; I have high mileage (640k KMs), but just doesn't seem like a wear item to me.

Also, how tight should these belts be?  Can't find a good rule of thumb or a method to test the tightness anywhere.

Seeing that tightening up almost new belts (probably put 1000 KM on it since July) leads me to believe that perhaps they're the wrong belts?  Or maybe it really is the pulley?

I'm going to do it myself this weekend and replace all 3 belts again, but I'd like to take my time and inspect the pulleys (I guess make sure they still have a "V" shape and are not rounded/dished?) and get the belt tension perfect.

8

Off-topic discussion / e46 question

« on: November 18, 2011, 08:23:25 AM »

The e46 apparently has a crap cooling system period -- plastic impeller on the OEM water pump, exploding expansion tank; there was a recall on the aux fan as it could overheat the circuitry and fail.  The overhaul kit is $350 and well worth it from what I've heard, so yeah, I'm ok with putting a bit of money into improvements, but if the head gasket failed/is failing, or the head's warped, then no.

So a compression test should show good, consistent numbers across all cylinders.  Anything else I can look for while I'm there inspecting the car?

9

Off-topic discussion / e46 question

« on: November 17, 2011, 08:52:20 PM »

Posted this at e46fanatics, figured you grizzly veterans can chime in here too.

Looking to add something newer to the stable; need something a little more modern when visiting clients (my boss says I look like a Jamaican drug dealer in my 318iS) and to give me an option when the e30 is under the knife.  Anyways...

Looking at purchasing an '01 325i manual that's currently experiencing overheating at idle, but "runs perfectly" on the highway (quotes from seller).

Car has 200k miles on it.

Seller has no service records -- calling the dealer and doing a VIN lookup shows that it was last serviced by an authorized BMW dealer in 2003.

Price is a bit less than bluebook value, and I'm confident I could talk him down a grand or so -- coupled with an ECS Tuning Cooling System II overhaul, I think I could have a really nice car on my hands for cheap.

Problem is, I'm not sure the extent of the overheating damage -- was the car shut off in time? Head gasket failure? Warped heads?

Keep in mind, I'm a novice mechanic at best (I've changed plugs, oil, and wheels, that's about it), so I'm looking for a sure-fire way of identifying whether there's been any permanent/expensive damage at all or whether it's a thermostat, faulty fan, relay/fuse, etc. Basically anything below head gasket failure I'm going to pull the trigger on the car; anything more than that, I walk away.

Also, I don't mind spending a bit on getting an inspection so if you think that this would best be left to a pro with proper tools, lift, etc. please let me know what kind of test I should be asking for (I've heard "block test" being tossed around in the forums).

10

Electrical / Right turn signal buzzing

« on: August 13, 2011, 07:08:53 AM »

So I've replaced all the bulbs (PO put wrong bulbs in the rear; contact on bulb had a groove melted in it) and keep blowing fuse #4 (tried pulling fuse #25 too as read that hazard switch can be a cause of this).  Left works ok, right signal makes an awful "eeeeeeeeeeee" sound coming from the dash or steering column.  Never heard anything like it before.

Any ideas?

11

Exterior / Front spoiler replacement?

« on: July 07, 2011, 09:24:15 PM »

Volvo 740 or a VW Jetta are the usual donors.  Aren't the iS lips still available OEM for like $200?

Does the Volvo 740 or VW Jetta spoilers a perfect fit or is there significant jiggery-pokery required?

And yup, I see one online for 154.  Need to make sure it's the right one.

Really pains me to spend money on something that was fine a week ago... so many other things I could be putting 150 bucks towards on this car.

12

Exterior / Front spoiler replacement?

« on: July 07, 2011, 06:13:17 PM »

Lent my car to a friend for the week while I was away, front spoiler is mysteriously missing.  Anyways, obviously it looks like $#%&@! without it and brand-new (if I could find it) would be really expensive.  Any other cars front spoiler fit?  It's the piece right below the foglights; the clips look all intact so I wouldn't be surprised if it was stolen (or it caught a parking tie and pulled it clean off).

13

Electrical / Right turn signal buzzing

« on: May 24, 2011, 11:10:29 PM »

Hit a bit of a bump, right turn signal immediately stopped working and is now omitting a wretched "eeeeeeee" buzz sound when on.  Left works fine.  Relay?  Fuse?

14

General Topics / Noob Alert: squealing belt

« on: May 04, 2011, 07:34:26 PM »

It's probably the alternator belt.  When you rev the engine it heats the belt up enough to grab the pulley.  Then you get enough power to spin the fan motor at it's proper speed.  I test the belt tension with my thumb.  When I press hard in the middle of the longest span, it should deflect the belt less than a half-inch (~2cm).  Not much at all, in other words.

If the belt is loose, find the alternator support bracket.  It has a gear pattern stamped into it.  The alternator is bolted to it.  Loosen the nut on the rear of the alternator (13mm) and the bolts at the base (also 13mm).  Then get a 17mm wrench & turn the large nut.  It will tighten the belt.  Don't overtighten that, it's easy to srip the gears on the bracket.  If they're already stripped, use a prybar or large screwdriver to pry the alternator out instead.  Then tighten everything up & test the tension again.  If you run out of space and the belt is still loose, replace it.  They can stretch over their life, and cheap parts are usually not sized correctly.

My e30 only has one belt left...the water pump/alt belt.  I've pulled the other two!

Thanks (as always) for your detailed response, Dave.  I'll give this a go.

15

General Topics / Noob Alert: squealing belt

« on: May 04, 2011, 05:46:17 PM »

Hello all,

Belt's been squealing loudly pretty much all winter long, but decreases/stops once the car's warmed up or when I'm up around 2k RPM.  I'm thinking it's the accessory belt as when it's squealing, there's a noticeable decrease in the air flow from the vent: once it stops squealing (if I gun it a couple of times, it'll "catch") the air flow increases.

I looked at the belt, it doesn't look too cracked/worn out or anything (but I might not be inspecting it correctly), could it be a pulley/guide?  Is there a way to adjust the belt tension?