jom

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....

How full & how empty does it show? To extremes? If so- would mean completely open circuit & short circuit. Have you traced the wiring? Hard to imagine a wiring issue causing extremes though

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...

Those things are stupid, i have used one and it just added discomfort, not to mention frayed the sh*t out of the seatbelt within 4-5 uses.

a proper seat with fitted bolsters is all that is needed.

Also if you crash only the chest part goes tight, not flash on you ribs and neck to take all the impact.

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.

Hey guys. Scored a set of Bilsteins & matched Eibachs off one of our members a few months ago, finally got to put them in the car about a month back. While it looks tits I have noticed that I scrape the standard non - Motorsport front bumper on basically everything thats taller than 40mm off FGL.

Before

DSCF2684.JPG

After

IMG_0551.2.jpg

Was told the springs were "Lows", and as much as I love the ride height and quality (REALLY comfortable springs!) I'm more than a little worried I'm gonna nail the radiator into something immobile fairly soon. The Bilsteins are definitely not shortened, measurements were the same from stock to new units.

Does the second photo seem a typical ride height for low springs? As can be seen there was a significant drop in height from the standard coils. Is it possible they're a bit lower than 'low'? Or am I just getting too old? Not keen on replacing them if I can help it, but living in a semi - rural area with typical poo quality roads the chance of doing something terminal is fairly high. Will dig up some part numbers off the new springs if they'll be of any use. No known tyre rub, 225/45 on style 159 17 x 8", ET34.

As always, TIA

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.

So the one one that looks like a bolt is the drain plug and the other one is the fill plug? So this one is filled from the bottom up?

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.

Just called them, they reckon 45buck per meter plus gst. And I would need 2.5 meter. Plus postage to Auckland

So approx $150 for material plus p&p, then another 90 or so on glue hmmmmm

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

I didn't realize it was socially unacceptable to have your fog lights on, I never use my rear fogs unless ofcourse it's foggy, I have been guilty of putting them on when I had a car so far up my trumpet I couldn't even see his lights. I dislike tailgaters.

I never have the front fogs on if it's pure daylight, but nearing dark I'm guilty of using them, or when visibility is poor.

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....

Agreed Allan hence why I said it was weird, the engine physically revs 600rpm higher now before the rev limiter is cutting in. I can only assume its due to the smaller manifolds choke higher in the rev range.

Lighten up Ron. I understand many people are so concerned with numbers, power figures and so on but in my opinion my car is now better to drive, how does that make me delusional?

Just because someone doesnt agree with you doesnt mean you need to be an ass about it

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.

ive been checking the net and it seems some cars play up and others dont, in saying that some people might not just notice or be fussy...problem is ill notice and im fussy. also i dont seem to be having much finding manual ecu's on the net as a back up if it doesnt work how i would like it to as reading peoples posts they seem to have problems that come and go...???

Good to know thanks what percentage is the VAT set at?.

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...

Yeah, thought so. Was having issues trying to read the centre caps on the wheels, they do look pretty tacky for Alpina. Judging by the sellers command of English it did seem possible he didn't know what he's selling. Still, 6k for what looks to be quite a tidy 328 manual isn't a bad deal

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

Haha something is up with that one too. Two different titles - "BMW 320i (E46) 2003" and "1999 328 M-Sport", both wrong.

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

Update !

Still haven't removed the number plate bracket as the bolts do not line up, as you guys were talking about.

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.

Very nice purchase! Looks genuine too?

I actually find the stock A/C front fan on full is sufficient to cool my setup, but the main fan is a hydraulic one that runs off the engine.

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.

I thought taking it to be repaired would be better too. Unfortunately the reputable place I chose did an average job and I would say that looking at it now it's beyond repair.

I too had a bad experience with trimmers and the door card inserts - getting the cloth replaced. Can anyone recommend a trimmer in Wellington? Failing that, a black cloth that is stretchy enough to fit the inserts?

The problem is that she's not that happy from a cold start. in particular the car just feels sluggish until it's warmed up and idles pretty roughly until the temp gauge gets well above the blue.

How long does it take to get up to temperature? My 328 shows normal after about 2km, but took much longer to warm up before I replaced the thermostat.

I've reset the adaptions before... Didn't make a great deal of difference TBH.

I had the same experience until I reset the box before 20 laps of Manfield - and that really did make a difference. Also the "Italian tune-up" factor would have come into play too.

Neither require big gains, nor want to spend a lot of money! Long headers and diff ratio seem best bet and affordable (in the new year!).

Or - just get the gearbox software zeroed, put it in sport mode and drive it like you stole it for a while. That should improve the shift - it's adaptive and responds your driving style.