jom

Thanks guys, ill look at changing trans oil and filter next weekend. Dextron 3 right? Do you think there would there be any benefit going synthetic with the old auto? Cheers

I put synthetic in a replacement (trademe $300) Jatco box and it's brilliant - however as it was out I got to change all the fluid. Don't think the torque converter drains fully with the box in the car.

The fill procedure for the E36 is tricky - you need a u shaped tube and a pump, as the filler is a vertical tube in the bottom of the sump. Level needs to be set with the car in the air, the box at operating temp and a set speed - with the rear wheels turning...

If it's a Jatco box it's nearly identical to Nissan, so get the filter and gasket from your friendly auto specialist, not the dealer.

About 11l/100km crawling into Wellington, 9.5 on a run - it's an auto.

And 60l/100km around Manfield.

Jo

Cool cheers will try that, the car is due for a service in about a month or so. I do change the oil regularly but have no service history from the previous owners.

A bit off topic, but changing the primary cam chain tensioner spring is a 10 minute $12 job and works wonders to reduce the thrashiness.

Mine is a German built import (according to the vin number and carjam)

Seems to still do it (although not always as neck breaking, just uncomfortable) when warm. Odd.

Thought I'd get some ideas on it, just don't want any shock loading damage or anything nasty like that later on down the track..

300k not bad!

Cheers for the input.

The easiest way to find out if it's built for Japan is to look at the speedo - it has JPN in the centre. All Japanese E36s were built in Germany, but the ones for the Japanese market had some Japanese content - in this case the Jatco auto box.

I think the main difference is in the sump - the Jatco box has a pressed steel sump, painted black, the ZF is cast (I think)

my Jatco box failed at 175k. Made a sound like a raspy exhaust (torque converter?) and eventually blew the front seal. I'm now on a scrapper that had done 140k. Completely replaced the fluid with synthetic and it runs like a dream...so far....(25ks further on)

Well under. You'll be allowed 1.6 max unless you have an authority card.

OP, do what huff3r suggests.

According to my last alignment, the max figure for an E36 rear camber is +2°15". how can an arbitrary figure of 1.6 (what?) be set by NZTA?

Drove one a lot in 1976 - a CSA. Awesome car, my GF didn't even remark on 120 mph on country lanes around Silverstone....

Sadly it swallowed a carb jet and was banished to the land of Arthur Daley. Replaced by a V#@x%all Carlton that wasn't.

Well, it just... wasn't.

How much was it?

Just replaced my Bridgestone RE001s with PS3s, they were about $200 per set more expensive. First impressions are that the ride is substantially improved, and they seem quieter.

Anybody else tried them?

Have you tried MillAnd.co.nz?

Turner motorsport in the US have a deal....FULL set Bilstein Sports Shocks with H & R springs NZ$1130 delivered to ur door.

They are very well known & reliable.

PS Billys are way better than the brands u mention & are oem on ur car

PPS NZ $425 for front shocks only

I bought Koni sports shocks and springs for an E36 a couple of years ago from Demon Tweeks in the UK. About NZ$1250 to the door. It was cheaper than buying just the shocks in NZ. The exchange rate is even better now, too.

hi recently became a first time owner of a bmw, e39 1998 525i. But sadly making hissing noises, sounds like shaking loose change noises on small bumps on the road.

Bought from dealer who, changed front brake rotors, caliper and pads OEM as part of the sale.

From experiences, does this sound like a suspension issue, or could something be loose...? I also have low profile tires, could that be my issue?

Any trusted garages in wellington who could help assess?

Cheers

You could also try Porirua City European, in Raiha St., Porirua

you are flooring it more , also let it sit around and idling while increase the fuel usage,

better to test it over a week or 2 of driving normally

also double check all your plugs and hoses are conected back in place etc

Fuel consumption on an auto 328 can vary a lot depending on how you drive it.

For example a day at Manfield for the sprints uses a tankful, more or less.

It's 150km to Manfield for me, it uses about 1/4 tank. That's 10l/100km for 100kph road driving.

1/4 tank on the way back as well (tank is 65l) means it's using 30l to do 20 laps - at 2.5km/lap that's 50km... consumption is up to 60l/100km or so. Now that is foot either on the throttle, hard down, or on the brake, but you can see the difference.

Even I didn't believe this while I was typing it. Man that's a lot of fuel....

...but it equates to 4.71 mpg, which is better than I remember a G1 Camaro doing.

Jo

Change it annually. It's still full of crap after a year. I thought it was on Inspection 1?

Jo

i wouldnt bother to ever skim BMW rotors. they are surprisingly cheap for OEM ones from the dealer

+1

Rotors are about $150 each front.

Complete set of OEM rotors and pads is less than $1k. The quality is better than similarly priced aftermarket stuff too.

any one did a m50 mainfold mod into a m52 engine?do they help get more power ?it is for 528I auto.

Yes you do get more power, but at the expense of torque. Personally I think it suits an auto, the power goes all the way to about 6,200rpm instead of tailing off at 5,600rpm or so. In sport mode the change point is at about 6,200, so for overtaking etc. it works well. The drop in torque at about 2,500 isn't that noticable in a 3 series, the extra weight of the 5 may make it seem worse though.

Jo

Good point re linking to the fire wall, I have always thought they should, just seems logical for added rigidity.

Does the cross brace (part 16 in the above picture) replace the non-motorsport basic brace bar (part 7 above)?

Yes it does replace the stock part - but there are other non-BMW braces out there that don't cross over the sump (not sure how deep your's is) . I think Turner do one? Might also mount separately.

bbs - the mounting holes are in the front x-member, but you will need to fit the rivnuts youself. Not a big deal, it just needs a long bolt, a thick washer, an extra nut and a couple of spanners. Details are on the net.

Jo

Just wondering what others on here are using for strut braces on their E36s?

From what I have seen the E36 318i 4 cylinder strut braces sit the highest and the 6 cylinder ones sit a bit lower?

I'm needing one thats a bit higher so it clear the manifold on the V8 so have been thinking the 318i versions might be the way to go... like the ones Turner Motorsports have advertised http://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-3557-rac...e36-318iti.aspx

Post up pictures if you can just so I can see what the options are.

Start with the crossbrace under the sump - it's a standard part on the E36 convertible. If you want to use a strut brace, the only way to get it properly stiff is to tie it back to the firewall - otherwise it's a waste of space.

Part no. is 51718410212 - no.16 on the diagram

Jo

The wifes RS200 came in on coilovers, was cheaper to get certified than find complete OE shocks/springs.

Not sure if the rules around compliance have changed since then however, it was 7yrs ago...

RS200s had coilovers as standard, yes? Would compliance actually know what was on a limited run group B car?

Just a thought....

If it was the struts/tophats/shock mounts/whatever they are called, wouldn't it be more of a 'rattle' rather than a knock? You would think that being suspension it would be more susceptible to every undulation in the road rather than just up hills?

It's usually a random clonk. The mounts don't have to look torn to have failed, either.

Jo

havent a ton of experience with E46, but just having a look over a mates car and found something possibly?

On my E30, if you tighten up the bolt on the top of the shock, you can get it tight and the top mount does not move. Same as my Volvo.

However on the E46 i just looked at, the mount twists over a certain torque, and springs back to its original poistion. The tophats look new, but this just sounds a bit wierd? The top half of the shock twists with it, the bottom stays fixed in place.

Does this on both sides. Doesnt sound right to me? would have thought the thing should be solid save for the minute flex given its rubber?

Cheers

E46 mounts seem to be weaker than E30 and E36. I knocked out a set of E46 M3 mounts in less than a year on an E36.

The mount is the same size - if you want to go stiffer E30 convertible mounts seem to be favourite for E36 or E46.

However, on a stock 318 they may be intentionally soft for NVH reasons. If they are shot you'll hear a knock going over bumps.

Jo

Cheers, that's what I was thinking.

Likewise, have tried Ferodo DS2000 for racing, gone back to OEM.

Jo

I was hoping somone would know....

From the Police website, at https://www.police.govt.nz/resources/2007/s...forcement-guide

"All speed measuring devices are to be operated in an overt manner. Hidden or camouflaged deployment is not to be used unless there is a specific operation targeting offending consisting of:

Sustained loss of traction; or

Engaging in an unauthorised street or drag race; or

Dangerous or reckless driving.

The operation cannot effectively or safely be conducted using overt means."

However, this Speed enforcement guide expired in 2009. Have there been new guidelines published?

PS: I took the photo from about 50 metres away. There is no way that you can see that van until you are passing it.

+1, it's for traffic going northbound.

Very visible, and my radar detector would pick it up way off anyway.

It's ticketing southbound. Got a ticket for 106k at Easter....

Seen on SHI south of Mana roundabout - spot the camera van.....

So is this legal? Isn't there a requirement that camera vans are supposed to be a visible deterrent?

done that.

Still not too much noise from the front speakers (but at least some), so I took a look at the amp in the boot. It's not pretty....

Any ideas why it's like this? What should it look like?

Cheers

Jo

So...when i bought the car it had a very flakey BMW cassette player in it, which I got the dealer to replace. Subsequently I replaced that (green graphics, it was horrible) with a BMW fitted VDO head unit, and I had some front speakers sound with that.

What I think happened is that the car came in from Japan with a quality stereo and amp. Somewhere between compliance and the dealer it got removed and the BMW amp wasn't reconnected - the wires were bullet connected to mimic a crossover circuit.

A lot of bullet connectors and cable (and new amp) from Jon and Keren, and I now have sound in 8 speakers, not 2!

PS

If I ever find out who did the compliance... I know it was 5 years ago, but I'lll strangle whoever fitted the Indian made brake pads. White painted with "Gur" marked on the back. They wore the disc more than the pad, and were so bad that the ABS didn't even work in the wet.

I would disconnect the h/u electric aerial wire. Just in case there's an issue feeding 12v into that wire when playing sources other than the radio.

done that.

Still not too much noise from the front speakers (but at least some), so I took a look at the amp in the boot. It's not pretty....

Any ideas why it's like this? What should it look like?

Cheers

Jo