Messages

1

Get Togethers / PNW E30 Picnic, 10th Anniversary - June 25-26th

« on: March 18, 2011, 10:19:33 AM »

Time to start planning to come out to the LeMay Museum for the 10th Anniversary E30 Picnic this June 25-26.

The Official E30 Picnic Site

The organizer is looking for photos of E30-themed license plates for use in the poster design, see this thread for details.

It's a great show, and getting 200 E30's on the lawn in one place is really something to see.

2

Suspension / Opinions on control arms kit

« on: May 12, 2008, 06:45:43 PM »

There is no difference between M3 and regular E30 control arms per se. There are aluminum and steel E30 control arms (the M3 came with the aluminum parts, the rest used steel). If you get aluminum, there is a much shorter replacement schedule than with steel. At a heavy premium in cost. Substantial unsprung weight difference, but if it's a DD and not a dedicated track car, the lifespan of alum. arms makes the cost/benefit ratio awful. (The consensus in the M3 crowd was to replace the alum. arms every 2 years or so on a dedicated track car. 3 on a DD. Or use steel for an extra year on track, or twice the interval for street.)

3

Engine + Driveline / M42 Power & Performance upgrades

« on: May 01, 2008, 03:00:24 PM »

also i have done some research on getting a 32.5I Alliy Clutch and Flywheel..... is this going to make a big diffrence in pwoer and persormance?

i have read up on Jim Conforti Super chips does anyone knwo if these are any good?

Chip is good, made a noticeable difference in general behavior, but forces you to run high-octane at the pump.

Lightweight flywheel does two things:
1) Makes it a requirement to know how to control the throttle and clutch together.
2) Improves acceleration once the engine "ramps up"

The reason for number 1: there's a lot of energy in a heavy flywheel, which makes up for the low torque of the motor when starting from a stop. Once this mass is reduced, it's easier to stall, but the engine can spin up faster (and slow down faster), so overall performance is increased. No gain in actual HP numbers,  just increased performance from weight reduction. May cause the tranny input shaft to "chatter" when sitting in neutral. No harm, just noise due to harmonics.

4

Engine + Driveline / Whine from the rear

« on: April 28, 2008, 04:53:59 PM »

Sounds like a possible center support bearing on the driveline - back under the rear seat, but not as far back as the diff.

5

Exterior / New Custom Oregon Plates!

« on: April 17, 2008, 04:13:55 PM »

Try it this way... removing the spaces from the "
[/code]

6

General Topics / Considering an S2K engine swap

« on: April 17, 2008, 04:08:25 PM »

i would chose the S14 it would be cheaper around that kind of power with few mods, and it'd keep the bmw pedigree..

While I too would chose the S14 motor, it would NOT be cheaper... S14 long blocks sell for $4k+, and you'd still need the harness, and all other ancillaries. It also would still not idle as smoothly, but there are 800hp S14's out there (turbo'd to h#ll...)

[sniff] I miss my E30 M3... [/sniff]

7

Exterior / Post your SINGLE best pic!

« on: April 17, 2008, 10:53:33 AM »

NICE WHEELS!  Those are the 16's right?

Yes, 16" RX's with 10mm spacers. I couldn't bring myself to stuff 17" under there, looked funny to me. Not a big fan of rubber-band thick tires... no offense intended, just not my thing.

8

Engine management / Are DME failures common in the E30 M42's?

« on: April 17, 2008, 10:50:29 AM »

There are DME failures in E30's in general due to age and vibration - sometimes the solder joints crack, and need to be re-flowed by someone good at small electronics.

However - most issues are not the fault of the DME. Idle issues can be caused by:

• vacuum hose leaks
• intake hose leaks
• MAF Sensor issues
• coil failures
• bad plug wires
• bad plugs
• intake manifold gasket leaks
• O2 Sensor failure

And probably more...

9

Photoshop, Media, & Artwork / 80's 6-series

« on: April 17, 2008, 10:27:26 AM »

Google "red shark racing"...

10

Exterior / Post your SINGLE best pic!

« on: April 16, 2008, 03:07:26 PM »

11

How-To's / HELP removing front valence

« on: April 15, 2008, 02:43:51 PM »

Looking at this picture, it appears that there are loops of material that go over the bumper mounts...

I realize that's not what you wanted to hear...

12

Engine management / Megasquirters...Questions for You!

« on: April 14, 2008, 07:02:48 PM »

Another option for spark control... MegaJolt Lite Jr. - DIY piggy back system.

http://www.autosportlabs.net/Main_Page

13

Engine management / Fix one thing and something else goes

« on: April 14, 2008, 04:02:52 PM »

The canister under the car on the drivers side (US) is the fuel filter. The main fuel pump is mounted in the fuel tank, accessible by removing the back seat, and then removing the cover plate underneath the seat cushion. From under the car it would not surprise me if you could hear the pump running. You should usually be able to hear it kick on from inside when you turn the key (before starting).

Sorry, but I've no experience with the injector noise issue.

14

General Topics / M42 Oil Filter - discussions/questions - STP S7073 vs MAHLE

« on: April 14, 2008, 03:45:47 PM »

Do any of the other (not Mahle) filters come with teh replacement o-rings and washers for the filter housing & bolt?

15

Member Profiles / e30Andym42

« on: April 10, 2008, 11:27:34 PM »

With the M42 it's all about the revs. Keep the RPM over 4500 and it'll go just fine, it's just getting to that point that seems sluggish. Don't shift 'till it reaches 6500-6800 rpm, and and you'll be able to keep it in the sweet spot. But, the M42 is definitely not a drag car motor, but a canyon carver.