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I've got a 3.0 L Z3 with both 916 development vehicle and 991 pre series management in the VIN decode. Anyone know what these codes mean?

Guess it depends on the model of BMW you are working on. The E36 slave cylinder has a bleed nipple that will not bleed all the air out of the cylinder with it installed. You need to take it off the car, turn it around so the nipple is facing up, open the nipple and push the push rod against the bell housing to force the air out. The official BMW bleed tool compresses the push rod and holds it in while you do a 2 person bleed.

Hi Looking to borrow/hire a set of cam timing tools for the M57 diesel engine. Based in Timaru. Regards Murray

Could it be that sensors 1 and 5 are pre-cat and 2 and 6 are post -cat?

Cool cars, The black one with the S54 engine is very rare.

https://www.trademe.co.nz/a.aspx?id=1802815321&tm=email&et=45&mt=2A1A6709-5791-44E1-AFDB-C46190AEDD43 E30 with 330 manual conversion, built as father son project that got away on spec and cost. Sounds like a fun car but it would be almost dangerous in the wet if you weren't a skilled driver.

Its a nice car, shame about being LHD. Get it complied and remove one of the larger risks of purchasing an expensive car.

All Shifter rod bushings, yellow washers and plastic cup where replaced when the clutch was done, so all wear slop has been removed and there is a direct feel to the shifter.

Slave cylinder and clutch are good. Both replaced less than 20,000 km ago along with fitting a stainless steal braided clutch line.

Hi The Getrag 220 manual in my Z3 is getting notchy when changing gear. Car has 170,000 km on the clock and running Redline D4 ATF in the transmission. Is there a better fluid to put in it to reduce the problem? Do the Getrag transmissions have detent problems that can be easily fixed? Regards Murray

Welcome to the forum, always good to see another Z on here.

You'll need to get the transmission computer (EGS) codes read to find out what's going on. Your normal bluetooth/WiFi to phone type scanner will not do the job as it only talks to the engine computer (DME). Find someone local with INPA set up on a computer or set it up on your own windows computer with it. Link to INPA below https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?2184573-The-Z3-Diagnostics-Thread-Instructions-Experiences-Discussions-Experimentation Alternatively, its off to the BMW dealer or independant service center that knows about BMW's.

Yes your drums to rotors mod will need to be certified. See https://www.lvvta.org.nz/documents/suplementary_information/LVVTA_LVV_Cert_Threshold.pdf Which says that any brake conversion/modification needs to be certified unless listed.

I'ld love to add a Z1 to my Zed collection. Maybe one of the other 2 Z1's in N.Z. will be cheaper.

In the E36/7 and E36/8 world (uses same 6 cylinder engines as the 728), its common to remove the mechanical fan and clutch to avoid radiator and bonnet/hood damage when they fail with age. These cars have a 2 stage electric pusher fan on the front of the radiator to provide the fan function. Maybe yours was removed for the same reason?

Hi Keith I have not had to take out the seat belt tensioners that are located by the roll hoops yet. What is the problem you are trying to fix? The usual problem of the belts not retracting is caused by dirt in the belt. Pull the belt all the way out and give is a good wash with soapy water, let it dry then give it a go. Yes the head unit needs to come out in order to remove the center console. You use the head unit opining to access: - two screw (sideways) that holds the heater controls in place so that it stays behind with the console removed - two screw (up) that hold the console to the dash. Have you considered buying a service manual for the Z3? The Bentley manual is what I use and it is very good. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Bentley-Repair-Manual-BMW-Z3-96-thru-02/222919850248?hash=item33e70ef908%3Ag%3A2BUAAOSwOvRbZbLg&_sacat=6028&_nkw=bentley+Z3&_from=R40&rt=nc&_trksid=m570.l1313 Hope this helps Murray

Hi Keith I've fitted 3 Emiata rear screens now, they take about an 1-2 hours to do. The kits have everything you need to do the job. The plastic is stronger than the OE windows, so it will last longer. Good value for money. Regards Murray

Welcome Keith Nice looking Z3, the 2.8's really get along. Regards Murray

I purchased a Meyle unit from MillAnd in Dunedin. Unit has been working great for 18 months so far. You need to know the part number when ordering via Email. www.milland.co.nz

Hi Thank you for the replies. The car is a Z4 M coupe. Looks like the only items to be aware of (different to owning a M54 BMW) are: - VANOS as the engine gets older - Shimming the lifters when they get noisy - Big end bearings, I was thinking that the age of the engine took it out of the big end bearing problem of the M3? Regards Murray

Hi A mate and I have been discussing purchasing a car with a S54B32 engine. While we are familar with the maintenance costs of the M54 engines, we don't know what added maintenance costs there are involved with the S54. We plan to do the oil services ourselves. Are there any other maintenance costs we should factor in? Regards Murray

Do you need to get the modified steering knuckle LVVTA certified as a modification?

The Z4 is a good robust car. The only weak point on the E85's is the location of the soft top motor. The drain hole gets blocked and the motor rusts and dies in a puddle of water. It can be relocated to avoid the problem.

You want a scanner that can talk to all the computers in the car, not just the engine DME, so the bluetooth> iOS ones will likely not be your best choice. Some people use the Foxwell 520 scanner. https://www.foxwelltech.com/product/item-340.html I use INPA on a windows 10 surface pro. Its cheap to set up and can talk to all computers https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?2184573-The-Z3-Diagnostics-Thread-Instructions-Experiences-Discussions-Experimentation Others will likely chime in with there preferred scanners

Not a bad family resemblance.