15 minutes ago, 3pedals said:

Paul - Read my  original response which was " its pretty hard to keep butane in --- " I didn't say it is 'not possible'   nor did I dispute the written literature.

The reason for this is the volatility of Butane which you also comment on and I provided specifics on;  MTBE  is far less volatile therefore much easier and why it is far more common.

From my understanding Gull add ethanol

Pretty clear cut what you said, especially in your second rebuttal.

Quote

Butane boils  at -1 degree C  ( that's minus 1) where as MTBE  boils  at about 55 degress C so it will stay in a petrol fuel stock in a fuel tank at atmospheric pressure  - Butane won't it 'vapourises'

The word "won't" as far as I understand it is a pretty strong way of saying "it is not possible". Again, I could be wrong, I am no Literary expert.

You could just say "Oh, I didn't realise that was the case, I apologise, I was incorrect in this matter." and be happy to have learnt something today.

Quote

"Gaseous elements and compounds will dissolve in liquids dependent on the interaction of their bonds with the liquid solvent."

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissolution_(chemistry)#Gases 

Being as Petrol is a rather strong solvent, it is not only possible, but it's actually not even hard to dissolve butane into petrol. If it was they wouldn't have been doing it for so long!

Gull do use ethanol to boost octane in their higher octane mixes, but they are also known for using large amounts of butane just to get their 91 octane up to scratch, hence my reluctance to ever touch the crap. I would much rather buy from ANY other service station.

Also, I wasn't aware that Mobil 95 didn't have ethanol in it, thanks for opening up another option to me. Having grown up in Porirua, my local Mobil only had the 98 ethanol blend, and I had always (wrongly) assumed the rest of the country used ethanol blends as well.

10 hours ago, 3pedals said:

The most common octane enhancing additive is MTBE ( the B is for Butyl)  not Butane,   full name is Methyl tertiary-butyl ether.

Butane boils  at -1 degree C  ( that's minus 1) where as MTBE  boils  at about 55 degress C so it will stay in a petrol fuel stock in a fuel tank at atmospheric pressure  - Butane won't it 'vapourises'  

 

Oh I'm sorry, you are right and the writer of the several books and multiple websites about adding gaseous alkylates such as butane to petrol in order to raise octane must be wrong.

Yeah no sh*t it's not the most common additive, due to the increase in volatility it causes, but it is the cheapest way to raise octane, hence why companies such as gull use it!

Before rubbishing a claim as not possible, do some research yourself for once. I'm sorry Ron, you know a lot, but you are absolutely not always right.

11 minutes ago, 3pedals said:

Butane is a gas at atmospheric pressure, pretty hard to keep in a liquid fuel that is not under pressure.

Close. Butane is a gas at atmospheric pressure, however it does also dissolve into liquid petrol.

Refer to :

Petroleum: An Energy Profile, 1999 - https://books.google.co.nz/books?id=m4NKLOHBvHQC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

If you want more details, but I can assure you it has been used to boost octane ratings for a long time.

Edit: Also re the effects of adding butane, it increases octane rating, meaning decreases flame propogation, but at the same time increases fuel volatility, which can cause the fuel to vaporise completely before it can burn, reducing energy released.

3 hours ago, zero said:

Thanks Glenn, could you expand on that?

Why is Gull or blended fuels bad?

They are known for adding butane to their fuels to boost octane rating. I don't know enough about petrol to know what effect this has, but I'd rather just avoid it anyway.

Just now, KwS said:

Whats the fuss? BP and Z both do 95Oct.

98 is the way to go anyway, bugger putting that 91 swill into anything.

And Caltex! Agreed on the 91, even my ride-on gets 95 (admittedly only so that I always have a jerry can of 95 at home in case I need it).

Also for what its worth, I've never run my 316ti on 91, but on 95 it has always been primo, and it's not enough more expensive to even consider running 91, but i fully believe Miss M's 318i will go well on the 95 as well. (700+kms to a tank in my 1.6!)

9 hours ago, _ethrty-Andy_ said:

link not working for me, is it working for others? maybe its because i am on my MacBook.

Yup, works fine on android.

1 hour ago, gjm said:

If I ever have to sit through any of that again, it'll be too soon!

Literally suffering through right now as my girlfriend is watching it. Need to find something good on youtube quick!

5 hours ago, Olaf said:

I think I used an offset ring spanner, and an allen socket on a 1/4" extension.  Years ago (for my VW Golf GTi) I had an engineering shop in Mexico weld a large nut onto the top of a spark plug socket to acheive the same thing.  Still got the socket.

I like the idea of grinding flats onto a socket.

I struggled to bring myself to do it to my nice stanley socket, but then I remembered work got me a JBS kit so I still have nice sockets and can do what I like with the stanley ones!

Now struggling with the PITA BMW Reverse RDS stereo in the green E36, the Business RDS units are easy to get out, but who knows how this Reverse RDS thing comes out!

Adding to the list, spring compressors to go with my 100a gasless mig and engine crane. - Manawatu

Finally got the bump stops in, after some more number 8 wire tool-making. Ground flats on my 19mm socket so the vice-grips could get a good grip on it, while the 8mm socket and 1/4 extension and flex bar held the shock from turning. Other side had a 17mm and allen key which was much easier!

A lot of effort for a couple of small bits of plastic/foam!

Trying to change bump-stops for vtnz WoF (I know, should not have bothered with them, but this station has been good to me in the past). So far managed to make some tools work for loosening top shock nut, but also broke my ball-joint seperator. Time for a break I think.

Yup there is a form for it, but you need to back it up with evidence. A letter from a BMW dealer would probably suffice. I looked into it for my 3201 but was too much effort just for an i.

Interestingly the 316i compacts were sold as 316i not Ti, for the E36 at least, and badged as such too. Maybe cos they weren't dohc like the 1.8s?

1 hour ago, zero said:

Olaf - what is the difference between the bmw coolant and 'regular' coolant?

Something about specific lubricants for longevity of water pumps and anti-corrosives to stop sh*t corroding. Especially important in E39 upwards models, not really necessary in anything older AFAIK.

Also very well priced from what I've heard.

1 minute ago, Rubix said:

I should probably drive mine a bit more and find out.

Is it manual? It should be much more fun than a Paseo unless the suspension is completely flogged and motor rooted.

1 hour ago, BreakMyWindow said:

Reckon you'll get bored of what's left of the 103kw. If you're planning on doing a manual conversion with your 260 box wouldn't it be better to find a decent 6cyl auto e36? Like a 328i ? 

Whats left? Probably 102kw. Takes some major engine issues with most BMW motors for a substantial drop in power, my M20 was making within 5kw of factory numbers at 25yrs old! And thats a dinosaur motor!

G220 conversions pop up frequently and often cheap anyway, worst case grab one of them.

1 hour ago, eliongater said:

I've been too busy working and haven't had time to spend money and time on cars

Fair enough, I know that feeling! Well the money part, not the time part. I have loads of that currently!

So it's not driveable yet? Come on man, get a move on!

All I can add is that I might be vaguely interested in the kings if you do decide to ditch them. Lots of people are running H&Rs and I've only ever heard good things about them though, and thats from people running them in road cars not racecars.

I never had any squat in my racecar either, but again that was with no weight in the back. Had some in my old 320i as well, but can't comment much as I had to remove them because they weren't captive with my standard shocks.

A public company forming part of the Euro Stoxx 50 stock market index would be an Aktiengesellschaft would it not?

Like say BMW AG?

Unless it is BMW Gmbh you are thinking of? I.e pre 1918? Long before my birth thats for sure!

New windscreen in the E30. Awesomely clear, and now it's incredibly noticeable how old and worn all the other glass in the car is!

Seats and belts are covered on motorsports authority card, and if you are getting them because you need them for events then ticking up 2 motorsports nz approved events every year to keep authority card won't be hard.

You don't need a half cage, you can either get a harness bar or attach the shoulder straps to the sturdy headrest attachment on the parcel tray but it would be up to the scrutineer whether this was strong enough. The angle would be correct though.

If you get ahalf cage then build it to motorsports nz specs and get it homologated. 

Also I believe you will have to remove your standard belts, bit that might just be if you are running a full cage.

First point of call:
https://vtnz.co.nz/contact-us/make-a-complaint/

After that you can also complain to NZTA I believe.

Straightened the front bumper on the track car, and then removed the wiper assembly so I can replace it (eventually). What a PITA that was, even with a relatively straight forward guide. Big hands are not actually as good as people make out.

Finally got around to replacing the rear shock mounts. The left hand one had collapsed completely. Both shocks are pretty pathetic too, but that's not in the budget just yet.

6 minutes ago, M3AN said:

I fundamentally disagree but that's okay. Auto-pilot, like cruise control, is not a substitute for poor skills.

Perhaps a Yaw damper is a better example then. They are always working hard in aviation to ensure poor skills don't cause accidents, and why not do the same for Automotive engineering too?