vanossa

does the engine come up to temp quickly?? like half gauge within say 5min??

is it running rough ( rough idle) or missing running on 5cylinders etc??

any black smoke from the exhaust .

when was the air flilter changed , whats teh condition of the spark plugs etc . is there fule in the vaccuum line that contects to the fuel pressure reg ,

yes also check for fuel leaks.

air flow meter falure??

engine temp sensor falure??

what sort of millage are you getting on a full tank??

Hi. Thanks for the reply. In answer to your questions. 1: No the engine temp does not come up to half gauge unless I am driving below 60 or 50kph. I drive straight off at 80 to 100kph (highway commute 45kms oneway) every morning after a short 1km journey to highway, and it never reaches much above the blue (I have recently done a basic service....Oil, Filter, Coolant flush. 2: It is not running rough on idle or at all. 3: No black smoke from exhaust. 4: Not adept at checking spark plug condition or checking fuel in the vacuum line. 5: No fuel leaks detected from fuel tank. 6: Have not checked for fault codes. 7: Normally getting (until recently) around 8.6L/100km. (or you can check this on Fuelly.com link). Cheers.

Make sure it isn't the local station isn't set ( Might be toggled via sa button on right hand side)

Note , you can default all the settings to factory by putting a paper clip end into the reset hole. If you do this then the unit will drop back to factory settings. You will need your remote control to re-activate the head unit after with a squence of buttons (PM me if you need this info)

Otherwise these units do have tuner module failures (Sony CDX II tuner, my one failed, but Sony NZ replaced the tuner module under warranty) I think the part was a few hunderd dollars retail

Cheers. I have not had anymore problems since fiddling with a few functions on the head unit e.g. SA button etc.... However I do not know how it 'reset' itself. I would like to PM you if the original problem re-surfaces. All good in the meantime though, and again, cheers. Techdork

1993' e36 325i Coupe (UK import) 230000Km. Hi. I track my fuel regularly and have noticed over the last two tanks it has increased by about 40% for no known reason. I commute on the open road daily and it is not usual for me to drive outside of this routine. Where I live the outside temperature drops below zero on some mornings when I am driving to work, but I still would'nt think this is the source of the 'over-consumption'. Would anyone have any suggestions or prior experience on this? T.I.A.

^in that case i recommend your local bmw or euro specialised workshop, they will be able to scan the computer and find any faults that may exist with any engine sensors, a cost for a scan will be minimal but if there is something wrong then they will be able to give you an idea of the cost to fix.

I think that sounds good. Thanks Oli.

It can be as expensive as you want...

By "tune up" i assume you mean a good thorough service? ie, oil, filter, air filter, fuel filter, spark plugs, check coils, gearbox and diff oil change, coolant and brake fluid change etc...

For the above i would estimate around $600 depending on where you went and what needed to be done.

If you want it done right, drive into the city to some well known trustworthy mechanic, not your local back yarder.

Thanks. Not after a thorough service, but more to do with idling etc.. Yes I am not keen on my local back yarder....

Hi. I have not previously sought a tune-up on any car I've owned, but now (even though she has no known out of tune symptoms) I would like to with my - 93' E36 Coupe (auto). The question is what to expect and what to ask for from a mechanic....i.e. Special equipment or tools etc...?? I have recently notice an increase in fuel consumption and think this could only be a good thing to do regardless? T.I.A. PS... I live in the country near Queenstown.

There will be a white wire somewhere, would have been in original plug. This is a 12v out when radio is on & feeds the aerial amplifier in the C pillar. Check for voltage present at each end.

Thanks everyone for all suggestions......Since my last post on this subject I have been managing to 'limp' through the reception boundaries by activating a couple of buttons on my head unit e.g....the AF (Alternate Frequency) button, which seems to work ok. I am now pretty sure it is the head unit (Sony CDX-M600R). So no problems with the BMW Antenna it would seem after all. I must study the sony manual to see if I can 'reset' the radio functions to stay tuned automatically like they were.

Cool. I'll try and check all this out over the weekend. Thanks guys, I'll report the outcome.

Bugger! I located the antenna on the L/H C-Pillar but could not see anything out of the ordinary. All wires were secure and the areas clean. I also looked at what was at the R/H C-Pillar and same there. Could not see any single little white wire at back of Head Unit although all the wires including white ones were connected properly there too. Might be a trip to Auto-Sparkie after all... but any other ideas would be appreciated of course....Cheers.

also check the skinny white wire behind the stereo has power going to it from the blue ant power wire .

Cool. I'll try and check all this out over the weekend. Thanks guys, I'll report the outcome.

1993 E36 Coupe 325i (UK build)

Hi. I recently lost (or as good as) reception to an otherwise perfect signal through my radio. It is a Sony head unit. Has anybody had a similar experience and found the solution? Any wee tricks to try? The CD and Ipod work fine, Its just the Radio reception. Very much appreciate any help. Cheese.

Thank you, and I should definitely be able to do that myself.

1993 E36 Coupe 325i (UK build)

Hi. I recently lost (or as good as) reception to an otherwise perfect signal through my radio. It is a Sony head unit. Has anybody had a similar experience and found the solution? Any wee tricks to try? The CD and Ipod work fine, Its just the Radio reception. Very much appreciate any help. Cheese.

Gidday. I noticed some other members have found this site too. I joined recently and added some old receipts I had to start me off. To me it is very helpful to keep an eye on my fuel consumption, plus you can compare with others too. Very interesting I say. www.fuelly.com - Check it out?

I would certainly change what fuel you use! Pretty sure someone will back me up on this, but you should be using a MINIMUM of 95 octane for that vehicle.

I have wrongly accounted for my fuel usage and have recently adjusted my figures as seen on www.fuelly.com Now It makes a bit more sense. Luckily I found a pile of old receipts to log in. I find this site to be very easy to keep tabs on mine as well as others fuel economies - whether BMW or not. Very interesting. Hope this helps some others to monitor consumption.

Hey guys iam looking at upgrading my suspension on my e30 318i, i dont want anything fancy like coilovers, ive seen few monroe shocks are they any good? anyone got experience with it? also wanting something stiffer any comments or suggestions would be great.

Thanks

Oz

Have had no problem with the Monroes for my e36. I replaced both front struts and it's handling fine. I was not looking for racing performance etc... I just needed something in my budget and they seemed a good choice. I recommend for these reasons. I think I paid around $450.00 for the pair (un-fitted).

Thanks Jon, for supplying me with a washer tank, after my unsuccessful attempts with another company.

I have just emailed my address off to info@synthe.co.nz and hope this will sort it out. I was sure I had already but I apologize now incase I didn't. I am now waiting for an email back. Busy is good - right?

8.3 litres / 100kms on the open road

and I was not taking it easy either, neither was my friend who I shared the driving with lol, she seemed to rather enjoy thrashing my car haha

Tested after a 606km weekly commute traveling between 80-100kph = 11.38Ltrs/100kms over 90% open road. For my, automatic 93' e36 325i coupe - I consider this not too bad. Ps....I love to commute!

Thanks guys. I am pretty busy myself, but would be able to honour any business transaction while being 'busy' so this is not good enough for me????

I do not want to make a mountain out of this - but be glad to get over it soon.

RESPECT!....great or small ($16.50).... to all in the meantime...Phone:021.471.606

Hi. 323e30. I still have not received the washer tank or any info on its where abouts... Please contact me ASAP. It is important for me to know it is coming as I am due for my WOF soon. Kind Regards Vanossa (in the deep South).

Ps. I have tried to email you through this site as well, but have not had a reply.

Cheers dude. I sent you an email. Still may be getting brand new ones though?

Hi. I need 2 Front Struts to stop an annoying shake. I live in Kingston, Otago. Thanks in advance for all replies.

where is zqn? I possibly have what you want

Hi. Further to my 'shudder' problems - it seems to be the struts/inserts that need replacing. Can anybody help with how to find these parts for a 93' 325i E36 Coupe.

Thanks in advance.

Thanks guys. I am due to replace the wheel bearings on that side of the car. This will be before Xmas, so will report back again after that. Still waiting on some other replacement parts I have ordered and then once all the tractors are going again in town, my mechanic can get it. If new bearings don't solve it, I will explore the other possibilities put forward on this thread. The process can be painfully slow in this rural (one mechanic town) setting, what with all those tractors getting priority.. but.....it will happen.............IT WILL !! Cheers.