jom

That's the US large airbag wheel that was fitted to Japan spec cars - mine has one too.

Looks OK to me - I'd prefer half leather seats though. Door cards go at this age. Retrimming is cheaper if you sand off all the old glue from the inserts yourself. The coolant level sensors can last anything from 6 months to 6 years, and are not expensive. Drive it, check the rest of the electronics, check oil consumption (should be zero for those Kms) It's a manual. What's not to like?

I heard that the E36 body jig was out by 6mm, which drops the RHS. This is certainly borne out by the 3 or 4 I've measured. The floorpans are the same between E36 and E46 so this error could have carried through to the new jig. All irrelevant though, yours drops the other side.... The spring platform rubbers are available in different thicknesses - up to about 10mm difference - but this still doesnt account for the height variation. Have you tried measuring vertically from the sill to the top of the wheelarch, to check if the body is the same both sides?

Yes, standard story for gearboxes and diffs is "sealed for life". The life is just shortened by not changing the oil. Case in point - the E36 Auto Japan import has a Jatco box. It's sealed for life if it's in a BMW, it's not if the same box is in a Nissan.

Re accuracy. The meter is allowed to read up to 5% under, and the older the old style meter, the slower it goes. The new meters are electronic and generally will only read to 0.5% under - forever. So your power bill could actually have gone up by 5%, solely because you are now not being undercharged. Communication in urban areas is no longer by mobile phone - most companies are using a radio net or similar to collect the data.

Try bunnings. I've gat a jackaroo like that - lasted 5 years but the burner supports at the back have rusted through, so I'm looking for a replacement. How much was 1/2 price? Would rather have a totally s/s one, but nobody makes them under $2k. This one has cooked well....

Very nearly full, and off the scale empty. I get that empty = short circuit, but I'm mystified by the reading that's fuller than the tank really is - which indicates more resistance. Btw, the drivers side sender (the expensive one with the fuel pump) is only 6 years old.

My fuel gauge starts off showing the correct level, then will suddenly jump to empty and occasionally then to full. It also returns to the correct level for a bit, before showing empty again. I thought it would be the usual suspect - drivers side fuel sensor - but I've taken that out, looked for broken and cracked wires, checked the resistor surface, run the float over it's operating range and checked the resistance -all OK. Then I did the same checks on the passenger side - also OK. The next step was to replace the instrument cluster (I needed one anyway) and the problem is still there. Any ideas? Jo

There is no substitute for actual experience. Someone once argued with me on usenet about the British GP in 1976 (made famous but glossed over in "Rush"). He argued that he had never seen what I was describing about it written down anywhere. I said that I was there, and witnessed it. Apparently that wasn't good enough. The internet is not necessarily an improvement....

I still think it works with the auto box, as it matches peak power to the gearchange point...

OK, I was just offering the cheap option. How about a removable harness? https://www.schrothracing.com/tuning/quick-fit/qf-bmw

Get one of these http://www.cg-lock.com/index.html You'll stop trying to hang on to the steering wheel and find out what the car is really doing.

Measure the height from the bottom of the rim to the topmost point of the wheelarch. With 17" rims, the standard motorsport suspension measures 578mm (+/- 3, the drivers side always seems to be 6mm lower than the other). I've run springs 20mm lower than this and the car grounds over speedbumps, the motorsport spoiler hits kerbs, gets destroyed by the bolts in parking stops etc. In my view the motorsport height is about as low as you want to go for normal road use. I've winced enough over traffic calming devices. Went back to standard.

Yes, you'll need a filler pump with a pipe and a soft ubend on the end. There's a tube that runs up into the box, and the top of it defines the fluid level (it runs back out down your arm when it's full). Level is determined hot and running in gear at a set speed, so you might want to take it to someone with a lift... Don't bother buying a BMW filter, it's the same as a Nissan so any auto specialist will have them (and the gasket) in stock.

And don't forget the 2 days sanding off all the old foam and glue.

From the NZ Police FAQ: Q: What are the rules about driving with fog lights? Answer: Fog lamps should only be used when visibility is severely reduced, eg by snow or fog. It is against the law to use fog lamps in clear conditions (day or night) as they can dazzle other road users. Fog is usually defined as visibility less than 1km, but I can't find a specific NZ definition. Snow is white stuff that falls from the sky....

M52 328 + M50 Manifold = 1.28.5 at Manfield. I put it in, won't take it out until (maybe) I go manual. As I've said before, it suits the auto box better. It is still noticably quicker than a manual 325. (or 328 on a good day...) Main problem with the auto is the short shift due to G loading exiting Higgins.

[quote name='KwS' date='May 21 2013, 10:49 AM' post='486480' Doors 4 Only got 2 doors now.

OBD I or OBD II? 2.5s were both in 1996, you can re-programme I but not II

20%

Watch which port you use to import the car to. Wellington still fumigate with Methyl Bromide (if they think it needs it) and this is not a smell that you'll get rid of easily. Make sure the car is squeaky clean (steam clean, full vac) because if thers a sign of a bug (spiders web etc.) it will be fumigated...

Doesn't even look like a Motorsport. No side sills, wrong rear bumper, narrow door rubbing strips...

It's got an M badge. that bit's M-sport.....

The number plate holder is easy to fix - it's aluminium. Separate it from the plate, cut off the top 20mm and the bottom tabs with a hacksaw (so it's invisible behind the plate) and bolt it back on. No drilling, no new holes. Also while it's off stick a bit of foam to the back of it at the bottom to stop it going Clang! every time you shut the boot.

Have you replaced the plastic impellered water pump? That would be the first thing to do with overheating issues. Then get the viscous coupling checked on the engine fan. They do wear out and the fan doesn't spin as fast as it should.