gjm

Any suggestions for how I identify the 5-speed manual gearbox in the white 318i coupe? The car was oroginally an automatic and was converted. I'd not be surprised to find it is a Getrag 240, but are there any visible identifying marks, as viewed when the gearbox is in the car?

Not today. But very soon. Probably next weekend (10th).

Bought some more RUCs. 5 units. 5000kms, about 3100 miles. Should last a few weeks. Over $300.

I had a quick look at the Cobb website and it does appear that they may have withdrawn the V3 from the products offered for the 335. The Accessport V2 to V3 trade-in is still there, though. Unusual situation. However, if Cobb say it doesn't work then that may be your answer. To that aspect of what to do, at least.

FTFY.

I've been hunting for details on the 5-stud conversion. It has to be one of the most popular changes people make to an E30, and it's been done many times. The problem I've found is that there are so many 'guides' and 'how-tos' that finding a single, truly definitive guide encapsulating the benefits, procedures and parts needed is more difficult than I'd anticipated. I'll dig deeper/better when I have time.

Don't trust hearsay and conjecture. Talk to Cobb.

If I do a suspension upgrade (which is probable), it'll likely be to something other than stock E30 parts. I've no qualms about making arrangements for the struts to accept a M3-style anti-roll bar. The question is brakes. I don't need an 'ultimate' set up - pretty much no-one does unless they are really racing. E30s have good brakes from the factory. I do have an E30 rear disc set up to fit to a 318i (which came with drums as stock). Am I going to unduly compromise my brake options by staying with a 4-stud hub? (Albeit probably with a spacer/adapter...) I was considering the WMS setup from the UK, but have access to some lightweight 4-pots and can manufacture mounting brackets. The issue may be discs... Almost all problems can be got around using bells and rotors, but again there is a cost implication. I think there are some bearing differences too, between the 4-stud and 5-stud hubs, but don't recall what they are.

I've read the benefits of a 5-stud/bolt conversion are the wider range of rims available, and the ability to run bigger brakes. On the rim front, it'd be cheaper to take your chosen rims, have them professionally welded and redrilled, so perhaps that's less of a reason. Brakes may be another matter. Let's assume (yeah - OK - I have an idea) you could fit your chosen larger rims anyway, and could get adapter plates manufactured for suitable larger calipers. Would this negate the second reason for a 5-stud conversion? Or is there something inherent on a 4-stud hub that prevents the use of (say) 330mm vented discs? I appreciate there are cert requirements to be met. I have an opportunity to go either way, and with the front is a possibly new way. It's now a cost/benefits/usability exercise.

The US team tried to copy the success of the UK show, and failed. And realised they'd failed, so they did it their own way which worked much better (for them). I wonder if we are going to see a similar situation here? Chris Evans is trying to run Top Gear the way he thinks it should be run, with him front and centre. I hope he's big enough to realise that doesn't work as well as he'd like, and that he'll step back a bit.

I've been looking at dehumidifiers for the car. The usual house ones are a little impractical at 10L capacity - they're just too big. Bunnings list a 'baby' dehumidifer at 2L - http://www.bunnings.co.nz/arlec-dehumidifier-2l_p00222078 The dessicant based systems would be nice but they are also quite large and at upwards of $350 they're aren't cheap.

It is nearly 3 litres...

I mentioned earlier in the thread that Evans was trying to secure artistic and production authority. Judging from his OTT performance, he may have succeeded - I can see why producers despaired of working with him. They may have more idea of what would work than he does.

TM# 1096280178? Very nice car for motorway miles. Mileage is up a bit for the price (or price is up for the mileage) but so long as it has been maintained, it'll run more or less forever. It's NZ new so there is a chance of checking the history with a little work (assuming it's not readily available). Edit: Apologies - I forgot the 'not silver' bit!

Sold - subject to payment etc. Just - sold.

Get rid of Chris Evans... That would improve it. He's there because he likes cars, and the BBC wanted a 'name' to front the program.

I have a similar problem with our Mercedes - sunroof drains blocked, perhaps, or something like that. Got most of the water out, And have lifted the carpet in the rear as much as possible. Then using a hair dryer on a low setting for a few hours, pointing under the carpet. Biggest issue is the foam backing to the carpet. Great for noise deadening, even better for soaking up and holding large quantities of water.

Radiator and expansion tank already checked. Rad looks all-but new. Water pump... Not sure. No sign of any issues though - no noises or leaks. That will be my next stop if replacing the thermostat doesn't sort the low temperature issue.

Brilliant - thanks.

Hmm. No. The flange - p/n 11531247122 found towards the front of the engine has been replaced, and I have a new thermostat. If I'm going to drain the cooling system I may as well do it just once. Can you point me in the right direction for part numbers?

You're a bad man. A very, very bad man. But I like you.

Brakes are a bit softer than I'd like, but I'm fussy. They work. I think I said before, a bleed and new fluid may make a difference, maybe some new flexible hoses. Pads and shoes look fine. Driving is, on the journeys we're doing, uneventful. The engine thrums along nicely with no unexpected noises. Once warm, tickover takes a while to settle to something around 850rpm (I've not checked what it should be) - it's fine when cold, but coming to a halt after 40-50km of SH1 sees idle at 1100rpm, very slowly settling to something under 1k. I can see why short shifter kits are popular. Changing gear involves moving to the next town! OK, so not that bad, but it does seem to have a long throw. The Style 73s really seem to suit the car. They look good, and drive very nicely. I must get the alignment done as the steering wheel is about 30 degrees off from where it should be. I would like to get some different mirrors for the wing mirrors. The E46 has a 'wide angle' piece at the outer edge of the mirrors - is something similar available for the E36? I'll probably replace the (thought to be) Jamex springs at some point. I can get an Eibach Pro-kit (-30mm, front and rear) reasonably economically. There are some cosmetic bits and pieces that would be nice to deal with. The peeling lacquer (aka clearcoat) is not something I'm going to worry about unduly, but there are some seals and suchlike that would certainly benefit from being replaced. I have a feeling that the rear screen has been replaced at somepoint, and it's quite an untidy job. Of course, it may just have been resealed and I overlooked it. The plastic piece that runs the width of the car under the front windscreen has been thoroughly chewed up at some point. A faff to replace, but it'll look much nicer if it's done. Other than that - it's a nice car to drive. Feels nimble. No idea at present about the economy but hopefully it'll be pretty good. The economy gauge sits at between 4 and 6 litres per 100km under a light foot on SH1. So far - happy.

Probably best, just for the moment. Keep your powder dry!

I don't know the details, but I got the impression James was relocating the hosting of the forum. There's several reasons for not transferring all the data involved, from hosting costs to time. The time to transfer isn't the whole story either - the database holding the information could need to be re-indexed, too and depending on the hosting model, that could also cost more money. The forum was down and had to be sorted ASAP. It's back... It may be possible to investigate other issues in due course.

Nope - not having any issues at present. Jon - could your problems be related to the change of external IP address? (I don't know if that has happened yet or not.)