Ged

Hi..I'm in good old Sunny but cold CChurch....

Guys Posted a while ago and eventually took the car to the stealers. She is a 1994 325i vert that cost me dearly. There is a screech on startup - mainly when cold. Had the car at the steelers and they indicated I need 2 new tensioners for the drive belts. They also tried to flash the firmware on the car to check ignition settings etc but their laptop couldn't communicate with the black box in the car...Suggested it could be buggered connection, wrong software etc. They also checked all the hoses, pipes and pressures.. Total cost of over $700. 6 weeks later. Problems : 1) Screech is still there...Now noticed the car takes a bit longer to start i.e it turns over for an extra second or two when cold..There is a screech, bit of a shake in the body and the revs shoot upto about 3000/4000 before dropping back to normal tickover. Very audible rev noise accompanies this... 2) When cold and I put the auto box into R. VERY audible grumbling noise, revs drop significantly and a noise that sounds like the main fan behind the radiator hitting something. Upon opening bonnet and looking down this noise 'appears' to be coming from the area directly around the front of the engine i.e somewhere between the radiator and the rubber belts although I can't be sure. Requests : Could the screech be caused by a sticking idle control valve? Given the revs etc? or is it more likely still connected to the drive belts Any clues on the noise whilst in reverse when cold Thanks for your time and help before I prop up the dealership with another lump of cash. Cheers Ged

Guys 325 1994. Car is garaged overnight. Gets cold but not as cold as outside I guess. Appears absolutely fine when running. About 3 weeks ago, noticed a very short 'squeak' on the odd startup. Also noticed when it squeaked the engine revved a lot more at startup for a split second.. Has become a little worse over the last week and noticed one day the oil light flickered on and off then everything was fine. This morning, turned the ignition over, engine fired, short squeak followed by a very shuddery engine - almost struggling to turn over, oil light flickered on and off, several more ' squeaks' then after about 20 secs of sitting she picked up fine. Drove into work with no problems... Have to wait 4 days before I can book it in as BMW are chocca...Any thoughts on what it is? No warning lights on dash apart from the oil light, no fault codes appear to register... I don't want to goose the motor.. Cheers Ged

Guys 1994 E36 vert. Had it for around 15 months now.. I have 2 window questions perhaps someone can help with. Both the problems below have been evident since I bought the motor. 1) The rear back right window takes about 1.5 secs/2 sec longer to shut...i.e the three windows have reached the top, stopped whilst it has about 2 inches to go...Anyway I can speed it up or is the motor just tired? 2) The drivers window when going down or up - about halfway through the motion there is a very audbile bang/thud, the window jerks/wobbles a bit then carries on...I would almost say the noise is like a dull crack. Any ideas what this is? Mechanism shot or can it be fixed? Thanks for any pointers... Ged

Hi Ron Have pm you. Cheers Ged

Thanks guys...Now trying to work out wether a 2001 cab and an additional $20K less is worth it... Cheers Ged

Guys Currently have a 94 cabriolet and am looking at updating to a newer versions. Saw a lovely 2003 330 Cab in CChurch BMW for $65,000 give or take - no doubt a little movement on the price but still bloody hefty! Hopefully someone can answer the following bits and bobs.. How fast do these depreciate i.e at what point ( age of car) does the depreciation curve start to tail off ? How much markup does the stealer make on this level of car? Any ideas how much I could get this for if I was happy to wait and import it myself...I can find out opening bids at the auction houses but can't find final sales prices. Thanks a bundle Ged

Car is going into garage tomorrow..Will let u all know what they say Thanks Ged :beer:

hello again. Driving an E36 1994 convertible. Since about 5 days ago I've noticed a thud ( feel it rather than hear it) when I apply the brakes to slow down. Not all the time but increasing enough to notice it around 70 to 80% now. The car has the usual squeaks and rattles and bilstein shocks ( originals). Cruising along, start to apply the brakes and I get this short but audible thud through the car body. I wouldn't say it was unique to the brake pedal as I feel it through my left leg that is resting on the side of the transmission tunnel and also through my backside. Its closest in feeling to someone shifting their seat backwards/forwards - that type of thud you feel through the body as your passenger clicks back a notch or two. It lasts for a split second but is audible and you can feel it happening a lot more. If the pressure on the pedal is very gentle then it often doesn't happen. A little more pressure ( as in coming up behind a car stopped at lights) and then it 'thuds'. I have also noticed it ( not often) pulling away from a standstill. It might be in relation to how the body of the car is sitting...as in I notice it more when braking a little more firmly as the car dips slightly forwards. Car appears to be tracking fine and no odd signs of wear on the tyres. It also appears to be braking okay. Does this sound like suspension as in shocks, wear on joints, something wrong with the brakes..Any clues as to where I start looking or at least give the garage something to work on? Cheers for any advice. Ged

Thanks for the replies guys. Regarding the ' damage to radiator and cooling system '...The damage to my car did appear cosmetic and stopped about 4 inches short of the fan / radiator but even after checking for leaks etc I was still convinced I had overheated the car and goobered the engine...I could see a large bill and my mechanical warranty being inserted up my backside. It was a huge relief when he said it was the alternator not charging due to the instrument cluster being removed but then the doubts started about this being a cover up as they couldn't determine the fault. Apparently they ARE a BMW specialist but upon speaking to this one mechanic I would argue the case. :banghead: Cheers...No doubt something will fall off next week :beer:

Me again. I'm beginning to feel the car ( or me is jinxed) Garage( BMW specialist who at this time will remain nameless) removed instrument display to send it off for cleaning & lube - sticky speedo needle. Didn't get done on the day so's I pick up car minus instrument display. Mechanics words " Don't worry...It just means you won't know your speed". The car will drive fine 10 minutes later I rear end somebody at a junction - small bump...But that's another story! Drive home. . Everything fine apart from caved in grill...Drive into work next morning....Edge of CChurch..Rush hour and front speakers go off, then my JVC head unit says " SEE YOU " and switches off, then the car feels like it's accelerating through treacle.. Pull in..Switch off. Try ignition..Click..nothing...Wait 10 minutes and everything back to normal but the digital clock is now asking me to input the time...Start heading towards Garage and car once again feels like its pulling through treacle..Pull in and switch off. Car won't restart... Get towed to said garage and 4 hours later they call me and tell me the car is ready. They have ' tested ' it and recharged the battery.. Garage owner says " The alternator appears not to be charging the battery with the instrument panel removed "..." It should be fine now" Now I'm wondering...Is this bullshit or does removing the instrument cluster affect the charging circuit...Do alternators exhibit faliure signs then work fine again?? Any advice as usual greatfully received please :drunk: Ged

Well I think we got it sorted out. Having had my wife sitting in the back seat, outside the car, nearly strapped her underneath the dam thing she swore blind it was coming from beneath the back seat somewhere. The car was into Kevin Burt Motors in the Church for about 90 minutes when they called back. I was all set up for the dreaded news when he informed me the whine was coming from the rear right hand side tweeter To his credit he was extremely professional but I'm sure I could see a wry smile on his face as he explained the noise wasn't mechanically related and the car was fine! Now I need to take it back to the place I got the ICE install from and get them to fix it. I presume it's coming from the alternator. Should you now wish to throw rocks or indeed insults for overlooking such a basic thing I will stand up and take them :rambo: Thanks again for your inputs and advice. Ged

Update: It's now doing it in park as well so does that rule out the gearbox.? I don't hear it with roof down due to road noise. I've had the bonnet up and revved it a few times and the noise doesn't appear to be coming from the engine. When sitting in the drivers sear it still sounds like its coming from back end i,e above middle of the rear seat. Absolutely linked to the accelerator pedal and revs..So in park when I rev there is the normal ' roar' of the engine accompanied by a whine that increases in pitch as the accelerator pedal goes further down. It obviously decreases in tone as the revs fall and the pressure on the accelerator comes off. Does the driveshaft rotate in Park? Car is booked in next week so will also get them to check.

If it's any help I noticed this morning I can make the pitch go up and down as I am driving by gentle presses up and down on the accelerator. The revs don't change by much as I am blipping the throttle but it definitely makes the tone of the whine go up and back down. I am due the first 5000 km service for the extended warranty I purchased when I got the car. Basically an oil change etc This will be due in a couple of weeks. Will I do damage to the car driving it in this condition. I am also hoping if it is serious then the warranty should cover the gearbox. It will cost me $250 if it does. Ged

Guys 1994 325i convertible. Had it about 3 months Noticed recently that there is a ' loudish' whining noise eminating ( I think ) from behind me somewhere. It sounds like a high pitch jet engine, gaining in tone, until the gearchange takes place ( auto ) at which time it drops several levels, then starts again as I accelerate through the gears. If I sit revving the engine with the car in park then no noise..I am presuming it's the gearbox or something to do with it. Any suggestions and should I start crying!! There is no other noise, vibration or apparent problem Thanks Ged

I've used Elite recently. $120 dollars quoted for a weld. I asked them for a better price. Said they would have to check the wheel out as it had a 1 inch crack on the back of it which would lead them to believe it was out of round. If they simply welded the crack up without ' fixing the problem ' then it would open again at a later stage. Sounded feasible to me..When I picked up the wheel I specifically asked what had been wrong with it. The respose - " We gave it a bit of a poke ". "It's fixed now" Bloody impressive customer service :finger:

Here's a link for the part. http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?mo...150&hg=64&fg=20

The bit that you pull the knobs off to undo the screws. It then unclips to let you at the bulbs... The black plastic front is peeling off mine. Nice guys who installed the new radio also caught the edge..Superglued but not looking mint thanks ged

Thanks for the reply. Definitely a small tap on the plastic front of the instrument panel makes it work. Literally a gentle ping with my finger and the needle moves just fine ( when it appears stuck). Do you reckon this still sounds like the motor or more a loose connection.. Not sure why a loose connection wouldn't manifest itself across all speed ranges though. Its almost like the needle is being restricted in its movements and pinging the plastic cover releases the tension.? Just a thought..Will get it checked out.

Bravo Regarding the Guage test Stick in e36 gauge test into google and there is a whole heap of information that the display cycles through before it does the guage test. Someone suggested if the needle didn't move on the guage test then it was a duff motor but it is definitely ' sluggish ' as opposed to broken :banghead: Cheers Ged

Another ( hopefully minor ) issue. Noticed about 30% to 50% of the time I can pull away from a standstill at junctions and the speedo needle sits at 0. Then it will suddenly ' jump' to the correct roadspeed. If I am crawling along in slow traffic then it sits at zero most of the time i.e no recognition of me moving. Generally if it is sticking at zero then by the time I get to 40 kph it springs upto the correct speed in a split second. Everything works fine from that point on..It just appears at take-off. I have done the guage test ( hold in trip counter and turn key to ignition 1) and watched as all the needles popped over to full lock - apart from the speedo which sat on zero) I noticed that gently tapping the plastic front in front of the speedo helped on the odd occasion and the needle then jumped but I suspect this is co-incidence. Any clues. Is this a dodgy sensor on the diff or a cable or a more costly instrument panel replacement fix.. Thanks Ged

Thanks for the relpy. Regarding the manual. Picked up a new one from Christchurch BMW for about $38. Was a bit gobsmacked when he disappeared through the back and came out with it! Any clues on the roof ???

Guys First post here and delighted to find the forum. Sorry for the long post. Have several questions needing answered.Had several bmw's in the UK and just bought a 325i convertible 1994 here. It's a hong kong import. Everything working fine but one query about the roof. I twist the handle and push it up at the front as as i high as I can and then press the button on the console to lower. Everything is fine and the back of the car opens, the rear of the roof (plastic window ) lifts / folds in preparation to go into the boot but as it does this the front of the roof drops about 4 to 6 inches back towards the car. At this point everything just stops and the roof hangs there. I need to push the front back up to engage the process again. I am presuming something is worn or is there adjustment I can get a garage to make. This is my first convertible but I remember a friends identical 3 series in the UK. Once he pushed up the roof initially then everything worked from that point. I am desperate to find a copy of an owners manual in english or at best push a breakdown of all the lights on the dashboard. There are a few I don't recognise. Any clues as to how I can get one. The heater control cover ( the one you unclip after undoing 2 screws behind the air speed and air direction knobs) has the black plastic on the front coming off. I aim to try and superglue this back in place but am not sure of the success rate. I've searched in vain on the web to try and see what a new one costs but can't locate one anywhere. Where do you guys place orders online for parts? Thanks again Ged