Miss M's E36 318i 5-speed

[gjm 3258]

As Miss M hasn't yet started her thread, I'll kick it off.

Here's how it was when it came home.

Wheels too big - wrong offset - meant the arches have been rolled, stretched and deformed. So we fitted some smaller 17x7 et47 Style 73s:

Comparatively, they look a little lost! Much nicer to drive though. There's a set of ACS 17x7 et38 that we might use.

We'll have a look at reshaping the arches in due course.

Usual 'bought a used car' servicing completed.

Thermostat replaced - temp gauge wasn't getting out of cold while travelling at normal speeds. Sorted.

It's been fitted with red (colour) superlow springs. We've swapped the rears for some from an Eibach Pro-Kit which has lifted the rear ride height a little, and feels nicer on the road. Once the weather stops being so miserable we'll sort the front end, too.

The rear shocks probably need replacing. They'll pass a WoF, but that just means they're not leaking. Front struts look to be fairly recent Monroes, so they'll stay.

Other stuff... Front windscreen has a coupe of good-sized cracks so it'll be replaced. Paintwork is a bit shabby, but there's not much that can economically be done about that, so we'll tidy it but nothing more. For instance, we'll clean the rest of the clear coat (lacquer) from the sun roof panel, polish the paint and apply a clear wrap.

There's a little dent in one door. Looks like it should push out.

Interior is pretty tidy. One door card is a bit shabby, but again it's not critical and will wait. Seats are all in good condition.

The a/c controls are now illuminated since I replaced the bulb. The headlight switch is imprecise and not illuminated - that'll be sorted, too.

Don't think fog lights were fitted originally and there's no switch to use them, but the blanks are missing from the front. Plan to try fitting fog lights and fit the switch when sorting the headlight knob. We get a fair bit of fog here so they may actually be useful.

In daily use, it's pretty economical and uses under 7.5 litres of fuel per 100km.

No plans for endless modification. Might fit rear discs (the 318i came with drums), and explore making it stop and handle as well as practical, much as we were going to with the E30 plans.

[_ethrty-Andy_ 2136]

very good! are the schnitzers in your first picture 16s or 17s?

[gjm 3258]

very good! are the schnitzers in your first picture 16s or 17s?

17x8.5 et13. Popular on E36s, apparently, even if they don't fit properly without significant modifications.

Better on an E34.

[eliongater 718]

Nice! I love the colour.

17x8.5 et13. Popular on E36s, apparently, even if they don't fit properly without significant modifications.

Better on an E34.

And e28

[aja540i 1906]

Good progress so far, I may be able to help with some fog lights, was going to put them in my e36 but threw in a set of DRLs instead. Let me know if youre interested. I also have the switch for them.

[gjm 3258]

17x8.5 et13. Popular on E36s, apparently, even if they don't fit properly without significant modifications.

Better on an E34.

Nice! I love the colour.

And e28

It's Cordoba Rot. Like most reds, it seems to suffr from lacquer peel. Still, we can make it look pretty nice with some work.

Good progress so far, I may be able to help with some fog lights, was going to put them in my e36 but threw in a set of DRLs instead. Let me know if youre interested. I also have the switch for them.

I have asked another well-known forum member about fog lights (no prizes for guessing who!), and he's having a look for us, but thanks for the offer - I'll let you know how we get on.

[gjm 3258]

Interesting (if you like that sort of thing) little problem with locking the car.

Separate to the ignition key, there is a remote alarm fob, with a single button, on the keyring. One push - one siren blip and light flash - and the alarm is activated. there is also an immobiliser component to this. However, the doors do not lock.

A second push - two siren blips and two light flashes - and the alarm is off. If you're fairly quick, you can get in and start the car. Take a little too long, and once you have turned the key to position 2 you need to press the alarm fob button again to release the immobiliser.

Locking the car is another conundrum. I have yet to successfully lock the driver's door. Using the key in the driver's door lock will sometimes lock the other three doors, the boot and the filler cap. You can however still open the driver's door. This activity does not set the alarm, but may set the immobiliser. The driver's door lock action doesn't feel 'correct' and is certainly not as precise as the lock on the passenger side.

If you then unlock the car from the driver's door (bearing in mind the door wasn't locked anyway) it may or may not unlock the other doors. And if you try to start the car it may or may not start, even following deactivating the immobiliser as described above.

In this situation, take the keys out of the car, go to the passenger side front door, unlock the car, come back to the driver's side and the car will generally start (after deactivating the immobiliser).

However... We have found ourselves in the situation where the driver's side rear door does not unlock, and the locking pin is ineffective. You can lift it, but it is as though it is completely disconnected - it has no effect and flops down again when released - and it is not possible to open the door.

It may be coincidental but the driver's door handle has to be lifted to the very top of it's travel to open the door, which means lifting the handle, pressing the locking button on the inside of the door, and slamming it closed with the handle up is pretty difficult.

Someone has had the driver's side rear door card off at some point.

We've worked around this so far but I obviously want to sort it. Aside from being a bit pedantic about having my cars 'right', I guess it's a kinda sorta security issue...

I've had a read of the Bentley manual and I think we are dealing with the EWS II - I've had the key apart and aside from the CR2025 battery which is dead so the LED doesn't light up, there's a chip in there.

The alarm fob is from autoWATCH, a Kiwi company based in Auckland with other agencies across the country. Someone with more disposable income than I seem to have would probably visit them and ask them to sort things out!

Any suggestions? I've provided as much info as I can remember, but questions may jog my memory. Or I can find out more.

[huff3r 347]

I would look at fixing the wiring so the disarm also activates the central locking, and not worry too much about the drivers lock being stuffed, as long as it will still lock and unlock with the remote.

The rear door it sounds like you will need to get into the doorcard again, and possibly loose wires or something jammed with the central locking, again fiddle with it til it works, get the remote locking working and hopefully it'll be sweet

Someone else will have better details on what exactly to wire the alarm into to make it work.

[gjm 3258]

The rear door it sounds like you will need to get into the doorcard again, and possibly loose wires or something jammed with the central locking, again fiddle with it til it works, get the remote locking working and hopefully it'll be sweet

The rear door is the one that has me kinda stumped. Conceptually, at least - I've not gone poking around to look at it.

When locked, the locking pin is down as you'd expect. And (assuming the sequence of alarm fob/key/correct door lock) is found, the rear door unlocks and the pic rises. It's just that it doesn't seem possible to unlock the rear door once it has been locked via the central locking.

Something I have just remembered: sometimes,when the doors have been locked, you can hop in the driver's seat, insert the key into the ignition, press the button on the alarm fob and then all the doors will unlock. I had wondered if autoWATCH system was designed to work in conjunction with the EWS II in the car, but that doesn't make much sense if you have to be inside the car and the key in the ignition for it to function.

[WYZEUP 283]

What did you do with the original wheels the cat came on?

[gjm 3258]

48 minutes ago, WYZEUP said:

What did you do with the original wheels the cat came on?

http://bimmersport.co.nz/topic/56139-sold-17x85-et13-acs-type-2-reps/

[Ahmedsinc 414]

On 25 July 2016 at 0:01 PM, gjm said:

Interesting (if you like that sort of thing) little problem with locking the car.

Separate to the ignition key, there is a remote alarm fob, with a single button, on the keyring. One push - one siren blip and light flash - and the alarm is activated. there is also an immobiliser component to this. However, the doors do not lock.

A second push - two siren blips and two light flashes - and the alarm is off. If you're fairly quick, you can get in and start the car. Take a little too long, and once you have turned the key to position 2 you need to press the alarm fob button again to release the immobiliser.

Locking the car is another conundrum. I have yet to successfully lock the driver's door. Using the key in the driver's door lock will sometimes lock the other three doors, the boot and the filler cap. You can however still open the driver's door. This activity does not set the alarm, but may set the immobiliser. The driver's door lock action doesn't feel 'correct' and is certainly not as precise as the lock on the passenger side.

If you then unlock the car from the driver's door (bearing in mind the door wasn't locked anyway) it may or may not unlock the other doors. And if you try to start the car it may or may not start, even following deactivating the immobiliser as described above.

In this situation, take the keys out of the car, go to the passenger side front door, unlock the car, come back to the driver's side and the car will generally start (after deactivating the immobiliser).

However... We have found ourselves in the situation where the driver's side rear door does not unlock, and the locking pin is ineffective. You can lift it, but it is as though it is completely disconnected - it has no effect and flops down again when released - and it is not possible to open the door.

It may be coincidental but the driver's door handle has to be lifted to the very top of it's travel to open the door, which means lifting the handle, pressing the locking button on the inside of the door, and slamming it closed with the handle up is pretty difficult.

Someone has had the driver's side rear door card off at some point.

We've worked around this so far but I obviously want to sort it. Aside from being a bit pedantic about having my cars 'right', I guess it's a kinda sorta security issue...

I've had a read of the Bentley manual and I think we are dealing with the EWS II - I've had the key apart and aside from the CR2025 battery which is dead so the LED doesn't light up, there's a chip in there.

The alarm fob is from autoWATCH, a Kiwi company based in Auckland with other agencies across the country. Someone with more disposable income than I seem to have would probably visit them and ask them to sort things out!

Any suggestions? I've provided as much info as I can remember, but questions may jog my memory. Or I can find out more.

Had a similar issue with my E36 a few years back - intermittent locking, some doors / fuel flap / boot not locking, rarely the same door consecutively etc..

 

Replace the body control (ZKE / GMIV)module in the centre console underneath the blower controls. Brent sussed me out with a replacement module fairly cheaply. Will also lead to power window issues sooner or later, dry / cracked solder joints apparently are the culprits.

[gjm 3258]

There's a problem with the lock in the drivers door too... Probably due to wear. I can lock it, sometimes, and sometimes it'll lock the other doors too.

But when you get behind the wheel you sometimes find the immobiliser hasn't deactivated!

It's just 'character', right?

[gjm 3258]

Changed the diff oil this morning. Damn, those plugs were tight!

Used Castrol Syntrax 75W90. The BMW-supplied product is SAF-XO Synthetic Oil, which is 75W90. Sweet.

The oil that came out actually looked a lot cleaner than I expected, and there was about the right amount. It did seem thinner than I'd expected, certainly thinner than the 75W90 I put in. And there was a small gravel chipping that came out too.  

The capacity is 1.1L which is so close to 'fill it 'til it comes out of the fill hole' as to be insignificant.

[gjm 3258]

While under there, I noticed the rear 'box on the exhaust is starting show signs of old age, especially at the input to the 'box. Is it worth taking it off, cleaning down and repainting, or is it likely to fail even if I do that?

Edited July 30, 2016 by gjm

[gjm 3258]

7.12 l / 100km

[zero 1162]

On 7/30/2016 at 8:14 PM, gjm said:

While under there, I noticed the rear 'box on the exhaust is starting show signs of old age, especially at the input to the 'box. Is it worth taking it off, cleaning down and repainting, or is it likely to fail even if I do that?

Personally i don't think its worth the money or effort.

 

Better to get a replacement tail section from zebra or pickapart for $25-$40.

[gjm 3258]

Had someone run into the back of us today.   Picked Miss M up from school, was waiting at a junction for a gap in the traffic when there's a bang and the car lurches forward a bit. The other driver admitted responsibility, and even described how she'd been trying to see around another SUV to see what traffic was approaching. I did politely suggest that watching the car in front was a better idea...

I know it's not the best-presented car around, bu there's really no need for that sort of thing.  

The good news - the bumper impact absorber appears to have done its job, compressing and extending, saving the bumper from serious damage. Not sure if the bumper supports on the leading edge, near the wheel arch, have survived or not.
The bad news? The other driver was in a SUV so while she hit the rear bumper, she also rode above it and dented the compound curved piece of metal work under the tail light, in two places. This damage extends to the side where the paint has split, so some remediation is required regardless of whether or not we want to make an insurance claim.

[zero 1162]

Say you need a full respray ?

[gjm 3258]

16 hours ago, zero said:

Say you need a full respray ?

Nice idea!   I do want to unroll/unstretch the rear arches, but I suspect that'll be a cut them out and attach new ones job.

Economy. 1155.6km on less than 75 litres of fuel. That's less than 6.5 litres per 100km, making it cheaper to run than the 320d (once RUCs, extra rego and suchlike are taken into account). Doesn't have the same performance, power or torque, of course. All the same, seriously tempted to find an E46 1.8/1.9 (M43) Touring.

[huff3r 347]

7 hours ago, gjm said:

Nice idea!   I do want to unroll/unstretch the rear arches, but I suspect that'll be a cut them out and attach new ones job.

Economy. 1155.6km on less than 75 litres of fuel. That's less than 6.5 litres per 100km, making it cheaper to run than the 320d (once RUCs, extra rego and suchlike are taken into account). Doesn't have the same performance, power or torque, of course. All the same, seriously tempted to find an E46 1.8/1.9 (M43) Touring.

Yup thats about what my 1.6 gets :D. Just did taupo and back and still over a quarter tank left!
M43 isn't terrible really.

[gjm 3258]

I was going to do this a while ago, but life got in the way.

Replacing front springs. No worries getting the assembly off the car. However, everythng I've seen says to use an windy gun to get the nut off the top (once the springs are compressed!) Is this really necessary?

[aja540i 1906]

Not totally necessary, but definately faster!! The issue is usually stopping the spear of the shock from turning with it, not an issue if you are replacing the shock..... (vice grips)

[gjm 3258]

4 minutes ago, aja540i said:

Not totally necessary, but definately faster!! The issue is usually stopping the spear of the shock from turning with it, not an issue if you are replacing the shock..... (vice grips)

Shocks appear to be in good condition. They're Monroes - probably from Repco or similar - but more than good enough for normal everyday driving so I'd like to keep them.
I'll see if I can line access to a compressor and airgun for when I get to that point.

[gjm 3258]

Not a happy bunny.

A previous owner - maybe not the previous owner, has done more of a number on the bodywork than we thought. A really, really shitty 'just do it - I don't care' kind of job. Naïve of me to even consider someone might have done something properly.

Miss M's car is in a bodyshop as the result of a woman in a Captiva very gently tapping the rear nearside corner of the car. The bumper doesn't appear to have split, and the bumper shock absorber did it's job - it compressed, and has fully released. However, the strip of metal under the taillight has been buckled in two places and the paint has split. An insurance assessor has been to have a look and we're waiting for the verdict - repair, or write it off for essentially the tiniest little knock.

To fix it requires the removal of the rear bumper, the taillight, the rear wheel, the arch liner... Metalwork needs sorting (don't know if this would be a panel beating job, or a new piece), priming, painting and re-assembly. Not hard to see where $1k+ might go in that scenario.

I thought "OK - let's get the rear arches sorted at the same time." We knew these had been massaged butchered to fit some wheels that were far too big.
However, it seems that not only were they rolled, pumped, stretched and then stretched some more, but they weren't in any way at all refinished. Rust.
And the front arches are the same.

I could buy another 1995 318i 5-speed manual 4-door, essentially a twin but in a different colour, for about $2.5k.

I'm almost hoping the assessor says 'No' and doesn't want it repaired. I'll have to write-off the work we've done (including a brand new set of Eibach springs ) but should be able to recover the wheels with near-new tyres. Then of course we'll be into the arguments about what it's worth...

What's the deal in NZ with buying back a car? Is it possible/practical? I assume there's an insurance register somewhere, and (I'm guessing) it might need a cert before it's allowed back on the road?

Very sad. Miss M loves her car. It is her first car, after all. And I feel bad because I feel I've let her down.