Messages

1

WTB/WTT / WTB E30 318IS - NH (willing to travel anywhere in the northeast or ship)

« on: April 12, 2013, 05:38:42 PM »

Looking for a 5 speed with decent body -- I figure I will have to get out of the northeast to find one with little/no rust, but if there's one anywhere in the northeast I am willing to travel

+ Clean title
+ No accidents
+ Not looking for a convertible
+ Prefer stock--definitely want an M42 in there
+ No white exterior

It doesn't have to be perfect, I am not afraid to put some work into it, but I'd like it to be drivable if at all possible.  I only have about $3500 to spend, though I could probably stretch that a little for the right car.

I know that's not a lot of money on hand, but I am hoping there is one out there for me.  I sold my 318is two and a half years ago, and I have regretted that decision every single day since then.

If any of the good people here can help me, it would mean a lot!

Thanks.

2

General Topics / Gas Mileage

« on: June 03, 2010, 01:23:23 PM »

Aren't you supposed to use 91+ with a Dinan chip?  I don't have one, but I've been putting 93 in mine for as long as I've had it.

A full tank gets me between 335 and 365 miles.  I reset the trip when the light comes on, and I've gone over 70 miles with the light on.  Never ran out of gas, but didn't want to press my luck.  I tried to figure out the mathematical stuff, but it made my head hurt.  When I checked the 318is' specs online, it said 16.4 gallon tank, but I'm pretty sure that's a lie.  Somehow those numbers don't add up.

I used to have a 325 eta, which is supposed to have the same fuel economy as the 318is.  I put regular in it, and a full tank got me about 275 miles.  Same amount went in at fill up.  When I had to get that car to pass emissions, I used 93 for a month, and my miles per gallon improved significantly  As far as I can tell, paying an extra $2 for almost 90 more miles to the tank is the economical way to go, which is one of the reasons I use 93.

This is not scientific.  Just my own anecdotal evidence.

3

General Topics / Project in the north east, anyone want to help?

« on: June 03, 2010, 01:02:53 PM »

Hi guys.  I got a second car to beat up, so I can finally retire my E30 M42 from daily driver status.  I want to completely restore it to like-new condition, on step at a time, and I want to do as much of it myself as possible.  My problem is that I don't have the experience, specialized tools, garage space, or connections to good shops.

I know it's kind of a long shot, but I wondered if anyone in the northeast who has done this sort of thing before would like to work with me on the car, sort of as a mentor.  (I'd bring beer.)  I'm in Providence, RI Monday through Thursday, but I'll drive 5 hours in any direction on the weekend.  I'm often in northern New Jersey and southern New Hampshire.

If you're in the area and you want to help out a mechanical n00b, please let me know.  If you aren't interested or don't have time, but know someone who might, or if you know of reputable shops around Providence, north Jersey, or NH, any leads you can give me would be appreciated as well.

Thanks all.  

4

Electrical / What did I do to my car?

« on: December 18, 2009, 10:06:24 AM »

Thanks for the reply. The CD player, well, perhaps the lousy install, was definitely the cause of my trouble.  I reexamined all the connections and tested again, the drain was gone.  If it reappears, at least I know where the problem is now.

5

Electrical / What did I do to my car?

« on: December 08, 2009, 07:53:13 AM »

Hi all, I've been lurking since May, but now I'm hoping someone can help me out:

Always been an E30 man, but I bought my first M42 in April.  I love her and she hasn't given me much trouble except when the battery stopped charging in July.  I checked the brushes (they were pretty worn) and ended up swapping out the voltage regulator.  The system seemed to be working fine after that, but I figured it would only be a matter of time before the brushes would be toast.

Had an oil change in October and shortly after that the original cassette player died.  I kept it, but manually installed a new CD player a month later.  Looking back I wonder if I damaged something when I did this.

Three days later once again the battery is not being charged.  I live pretty close to the Euro Depot, and they didn't have an M42 alternator in stock, but I brought them my alternator and they swapped the brushes with ones from another Valeo unit for $50.  I put it back in and everything seems fine, the alternator is definitely working.

Apparently I didn't tighten the cable going to the battery enough when I put the alternator back because it came loose at some point and I ended up stuck in Boston the same night.  But I tightened it up and once again everything seemed fine.  And then two days later I go to leave and my battery is dead.  So I think, OK, my battery is 5 years old and it's from Walmart.  It's been repeatedly discharged in the past week or so, maybe it's dead nowl?  So I get a jump from a neighbor and drive down the street to the auto parts store to test the battery, maybe get a new one.  But when I get there, on a whim I turn off the car.  Then I turn it back on.  It starts right up.

So my limited experience tells me (1) the alternator is functioning.  I can unplug the battery after the car is started and drive around like that all day.  (2) The battery is not completely dead...it is possible that (a) the battery is not holding a charge, or (b) something is draining the battery when the car is off.

Well since then I've been unplugging the battery when I park, and it hasn't died yet, so my guess is (b), something is draining the battery.

A test light confirmed that the culprit is quite power hungry as well.  So I started pulling out fuses in an attempt to determine where this drain is coming from--nowhere.  So I guess it has to be something that bypasses the fuse box.  I don't have a diagram, so maybe this is where someone can step in and make suggestions.

I've begun to notice that there is some sparking when I try to start my car and a burning smell near the positive terminal.  What could this mean?

Since I never had any problems before, I have to assume I did something wrong either when I put in the CD player or when I removed/replaced the alternator.  It was probably something simple and stupid too.  If you have any ideas what I might have done wrong, please let me know.