curryinahurry

Well... its not too difficult to work out.

For your E46, assuming you have the torqiest (is there such a word?!) - you have the following:

     400 NM of engine torque, Gearbox reduction ratio of 4, Final drive ratio of 3.5, 80% drive train efficiency

You'll be putting out 4480 Nm at the wheels.

Assuming you have standard sized wheels (0.63m diameter), this equates to 14.2kN.

Your bolt will fail in shear rather than in tension.  Typically, the bolts will fail at 60% of its UTS.  

So assuming you only use 1 bolt to attached your tow bar, your bolt needs to withstand 14.2kN of shear force or 23.7kN of tensile force.

I don't know what diameter your bolt holes are... so if we go backwards and assume  you want to use the cheaper grade 8.8 bolts we can do the following calculation :

23.7 k / (800 * 0.8) = 37 mm^2

This equates to a bolt diameter of 6.9 mm

This calculation is very similar for braking... assuming you have standard brakes and your 100 kph stopping distance is 40 m.  Applying the kinematic equation of Vf = Vi + 2ad, you'll find that a = 10 ms-2.  Approx weight of an e46 is 1500kg.  F = ma, your braking force is 15kN (which is less than our approx best case acceleration force).

Apply your own safety factor... and you can decide what you need.

1 hour ago, 325_driver said:

https://www.bmwgm5.com/FZV_Antenna_Amp.htm

not sure if e92 have a similar setup to e46 (mine was in the rear left c pillar)

CHeers for that. This is quite a common problem on E91 / E61's where leaks from the tail gate will cause water ingress on the antenna module.

Unfortunately for mine, the PCB looks perfect and my FM / AM radio is working well (which are generally tell tale signs) for antenna issues. 

but you can never tell for sure without swapping for a new one...

26 minutes ago, Gabe79 said:

Got VIN? Remotes have frequencies. Your VIN tells me the frequency of your antenna. I have a frequency checker at home and would be happy to send you a remote of the correct frequency for you to test. 

Much appreciated Gabe.

The car is NZ new, with the 434 Mhz frequency.  Unfortunately we've had my own key and the new key tested already and they're both fine

2 hours ago, Gabe79 said:

Just so I understand this right. 

 

The remote works on another car but not your car. 

 

A different remote works on your car perfectly?

The newly programmed key at Express Keys didn't work on my car, then they programmed it to a different car and that worked fine so it shows theres nothing wrong with the key itself.

No remotes work for my car at all

I spent some more time trying to get my remote key going, but no luck

Went to express keys and got a new key programmed, but still no luck with the remote.  The key definitely works as they sync'd it to a different car and worked perfectly.

I've pulled apart the diversity antenna module.  The PCB is in mint condition and all connections are good.

I've visually inspected the antenna grid on the rear windscreen and everything looks in order.

I really would like to get this working as its a major inconvenience having to pull out the backup key to lock / unlock all the time - so if you've got anything suggestions I'm all ears!!

Thanks  

Epic build!  Can't believe I've only just seen this thread.

Great job so far, and looking forward to seeing more progress!

Assuming that its the coloured M stripes that are faded, its possible to keep you old badge and stick some new stripes on.  that way you'll keep you badge at the correct location.  Just make sure you get good quality decal.

14 hours ago, allan said:

Brilliant save, boy the cash register would have been ringing on that if it went the other way. By chance where those deposits dry or oily?. Even under city driving thought you would have gotten better economy than 8.7 plus the ruc would make as bad if not worse than petrol. Still be interesting to see what you get on a long trip. Best of luck have a safe holiday.

Yeah, I was very fortunate, i think if it went the other way it'd be a write off.  The deposits definitely wasn't bone dry, but not quite dripping with oil either.  What are your thoughts?

So I've recently picked up a E46 330d to drive around the country over the summer.

The car has a thorough service history from BMW, so I really wasn't expecting to do much - but the service book doesn't mention whether its had the swirl flaps removed.  So I thought I better check by removing the manifold.

Couple of hours later - heres what I've found : 

The swirl flaps are still there - 1 barely!!!

The shaft had snapped, but the flap itself is still lodged in there - Very lucky!!!

Given its only 1 more week til xmas, I really needed to get this sorted.  So I spent the next day making swirl flap blanks.

While I was at it, I gave the EGR a clean too!

Got it all back together this afternoon and took it for spin.  All is good

Currently I'm getting around 8.7 L / 100 km, its quite a bit higher than my mates tuned 320d - he gets 900+ km in a tank.  Does anyone know whether mines running normal?  It sits in traffic most of the time...

Andrew

Happened to my e30 a few years back.  I ended up upgrading to an E36 rack.  They're abundant, cheap and significantly faster. 

You should definitely reconsider as it does offer a very significant improvement to the driving experience.

Real sad to hear that! You've undoubtedly been the most helpful person on this forum.  I'm not sure if the moderators see the same, but I definitely think they've dropped the ball on this one.

I think i have one - will check for you when I get home.  PM me if you don't hear from me.

PM'd

Welcome aboard Guy.

Great choice of car - I've been eyeing up that one on trademe for a while.  Just couldn't justify buying it as I've got too many cars already.

Looked to be well maintained and well priced.  

Hello Team,

The remote key on my E92 recently stopped working and I was wondering if anyone have any ideas what might be the cause.

The key is still able to start the car, but it would no longer lock / unlock the doors by remote.  Its a non comfort access key.

Here are the facts:

* The lock / unlock button in the car works.

* I lost all my radio channels when the key stopped working, but I was able to save them again and it continues to work.

* The remote function came back once... but stopped working shortly after

* I've cut open the key to replace the battery and the internals looked to be in good condition

* The key is emitting the correct frequency (tested by express keys), but uncertain whether the signal is correct

* Express keys currently don't have stock of my key (434 Mhz NZ new).

* I've only got 1 key at the moment

Would be awesome if anyone could suggest something for me to try / test as using the physical key to lock / unlock the car sucks!

Thanks,

Andrew

Funnily enough, I just purchased some mintex pads and brembo vented rotors for my E30.  $150 incl Gst for both fronts.

I know we're comparing an 80's car to something from the 00's - but pads and rotors are pretty much the same across the board.

So I'd say your new pricing sounds about right!

Thanks for the pointers guys! The one I'm replacing had already been replaced by the last owner (evident by the markings present on the strut). 

It's hard to tell what I'm getting when I'm buying second hand. Does anyone refurbish these or have good aftermarket ones with factory performance.?

On 05/12/2016 at 1:38 PM, *Glenn* said:

The shocks are inserts and not handed... only the struts are handed. I would also suggest changing both fronts if only one is faulty. There are also 2 sizes 45mm & 51mm. Most 325ms had 51mm

Hello,

I'm looking for a front left shock absorber for my FL 325i.

Let me know if you have anything in Auckland.

Cheers,

Andrew

Hello,

I think I've got an issue with one of my front shock absorbers on my E30 325i - just wanted to check with the pros here to see if I've got this right.

Basically, when I go over a small bump it feels like I'm going over a large bump.  By this I mean the car jolts a lot more than it should and even a small bump on the road would feel and sound like I've driven up a curb.

There seems to be no issues when the shock needs to extend (e.g driving down a curb), but when I drive up something (when the shock is compressed) this one side feels very stiff.  This doesn't happen when the is going very slow.

I've tried pushing on two front corners of the car to compare, and the "stiff" side definitely feels a bit stiffer.

I got my WOF inspector to have a look at it while its on the hoist but he didn't notice anything.

Any ideas??

Thanks,

Andrew

Appreciate the input Brent & Navin - will look into these two items this weekend! Thanks

Hi Everyone,

I've been having some issues with my 89 325i randomly cutting out.

The car would drive fine and all of a sudden the gas pedal stops responding and the engine gradually slows down to a stall.  Sometimes the engine would start right up again and drive as if nothings happened, other times it won't start (it cranks fine) and you'll have to wait for 5-10 minutes before it'll start up again.

I've now replaced the spark plugs, distributor cap and petrol filter but the problem hasn't gone away.

I'm now suspecting maybe the crank sensor is failing? but I'm not confident because the tachometer still reads accurately as the engine cuts off.

Would appreciate any thoughts or suggestions!

Cheers,

Andrew

Still looking!

I'm looking for roof racks to go on my E30 sedan.

Please let me know if you have any for sale.

Pref in Auckland.

Thanks,

Andrew

Oh wow, thats too nice to throw out! I'd love to have it but I won't be able to pick it up for a couple of weeks

Looking for E36 steering rack in good condition.

Rack only, no ends needed.

Price must be $80 or less - happy to pickup.

Cheers,

Andrew