Still weird. I got home early enough to try it in daylight. It rained pretty hard while I was gone, just as predicted, and the %$^& car wouldn't start, at least not right away. Here are the details: I tried to start it and it cranked and cranked, but wouldn't start. It hit a couple of times but wouldn't keep going. The next thing that happened was that I accidentally l
Forum: Technical Forum

I had some fun with my E30 lately that I'll tell you all about so that maybe in the future, if (when) it happens to somebody else they might see this and find a little help from it. I've driven this car ('87 325) almost daily for over nine years and never had any problems with it starting and running - an amazing stretch. About a month ago, I went out of town for the weekend. I
Forum: Technical Forum

QuoteJose Pinto I hope our friends from the East of the US are doing ok with all the snow... Hey, I live in the eastern US and it was sunny and 60 degrees F here today. Of course, that's the south eastern US, not the north eastern. John
Forum: Community Forum

D'oh! I guess I didn't pay enough attention to the original post. It was only ten years. In that case a load of E30s would be the right choice. John
Forum: Car Talk

Mine just held her breath while I considered that pretty red one in the Temptation thread. She was relieved when I decided not to buy it, at least for now. She was much more outspoken about the $1,000 bicycle wheels I was looking at. I'm not getting those for a while either. To the original question: I would buy every 1967 and earlier VW Microbus I could get my hands on. Thos suckers
Forum: Car Talk

QuoteArcheo-peteriX I can't run out and check it but I thought the bulb was accessible from the trunk. If the bulb is the only problem with the brake light warning on the diagnostic panel then the warning light should go out when the bulb is replaced. While you're in there; check the wiring to the light because there was an issue with the two torsion rods that hold the trunk open
Forum: Technical Forum

QuoteMichiel 318iS Just out of curiousity, what's does a house cost where you're at? Just like most places, a house can be bought for a wide range all the way from cheap to millions of dollars. It all depends on your tolerance for drive time to work and willingness to fix an older house. I live in a rental dump in a neighborhood of older houses with a 15 minute drive to work. An ol
Forum: Car Talk

Good news. I decided I couldn't afford to buy the car and the seller decided he wanted to keep it a while longer, so I'm first on the list if/when he decides to sell it. I see him about twice a week on bike rides once the weather gets warm, so I'll be able to keep an eye on it. If the new job holds up I should be in a lot better shape financially in just a few months. I think th
Forum: Car Talk

I haven't posted anything about it here, but for the past year and a half my job (and therefore my income) has been up and down - with a lot of down. Just a couple of weeks ago I started a new job that has work lined up for months. My plan was to save money from this new job and get back on track with my plans to buy a house, so naturally one of my cycling buddies had to throw some temptatio
Forum: Car Talk

Yes indeed, Belgian beer is good stuff. I'm a big fan. Lots of breweries in North America are doing a good job producing good examples of them (including the one in my backyard ). Brewery Omegang in NY state was bought by a Belgian brewery a couple of years ago (Duvel) and they didn't even change any of the recipies. Westvleteren is pretty hard to get in the US. They did a special
Forum: Community Forum

Yes! Happy Holidaze to you all. The little beer guy seems to be enjoying his dark beer as much as I am the IPA I'm having right now. I hope you all have a few of your favorite beverages over the next few days too - in a safe and sane way, of course. John
Forum: Community Forum

I enjoyed Senna too. It's a great movie. I haven't seen the others, but they look like they would be good. John
Forum: Community Forum

QuoteMichiel 318iS Steel? Painted I assume. Or is it stainless? They seem to be painted. It looks like a really tough paint. They might actually be cast iron of some sort. They have "Fe" cast in them, which could mean they're iron, or it could just be a reference to the fact that steel is a ferrous metal.
Forum: Community Forum

QuoteMichiel 318iS 27.50 to have two tyres balanced? If I could get that much money, I'd get me a 2nd hand balancing machine and do it after hours. What have they balanced it with? Some silver alloy? Are you guys still using lead for balancing weights or have environmental reasons forced you to switch to something else (zinc on this side of the pond)? I got a used balancer for free l
Forum: Community Forum

QuoteArcheo-peteriX well not real ones but why is it so quiet here? A little storm on the North East coast shouldn't have stopped the E30s from getting around Seriously though, there is a bit of an echo in here lately. Have we all just retired the E30s like Cab or are they all running perfectly so that there are no problems to report or ask about...F10 fuses aside I drive mine ever
Forum: Community Forum

QuoteBob in Everett Might want to check that wire that goes to the switch to the trans mission controlling the backup lights. That can get frayed insulation along it and short to ground. I think this is the first place you should look. If the wire to the backup light switch isn't properly restrained it can swing around and once in a while it will touch the driveshaft. After that happens a
Forum: Technical Forum

QuoteArcheo-peteriX QuoteJohn Yust That settles it. I'm wearing sandals every time I drive from now on! No sneaky leaks for rme. I'm also going to continue to have a beer before every time I post on this forum. I hope you all enjoy the results. John I hope you have the open beer to pour on your scalded foot! That leak can cook meat!!! That would be a terrible waste of beer.
Forum: Technical Forum

That settles it. I'm wearing sandals every time I drive from now on! No sneaky leaks for rme. I'm also going to continue to have a beer before every time I post on this forum. I hope you all enjoy the results. John
Forum: Technical Forum

That's really a terrible thing to have happen. I hope you called the police. John
Forum: Car Talk

Quotealanrw Thanks for the input John. I think I can get new hoses made up here. I don't think BMW has anything left for the E30. I will have to do an internet search. Is it not the case that the only hoses are at the compressor and everything else is hard tube lines? alan Bavarian Autosport had the hoses back when I did mine (8 years ago) for about $75.00 each, but the ones I got made
Forum: Technical Forum

Quotealanrw Is the expansion valve right by the acumulator which is right behind the passenger headlight? alan No, unfortunately it's under the dash right beside the evaporator. You get to it by removing all the stuff beside the glove box (on LHD cars). It's not too bad to get to, but it is crammed in there where it's hard to get a wrench on the fittings. They're nice and
Forum: Technical Forum

One more thing I meant to mention: If your car hasn't been converted to R-134a yet and you decide to do it, don't put the adapter for the high side fitting on the R-12 fitting by the hood hinge. The adapter will stick out and interfere with the hinge. Use the high side fitting on the dryer instead. I was lucky enough to see this mistake on a car before I did mine, so I didn't have
Forum: Technical Forum

Yes, the electric fan should come on on the low speed setting when you turn on the AC. It should come on as soon as you push the AC button with the ignition switch on. The engine doesn't have to be running. Yes, there is a low pressure cut-off switch. If the system charge is low, the clutch on the compressor won't engage. That doesn't affect the fan. That should come on no matte
Forum: Technical Forum

QuoteArcheo-peteriX QuoteJose Pinto I thought vintage VW air engines could take any oil, making sure to refill the level often... Yes, and it doesn't matter what brand of anti-freeze you use in the radiator either See what I mean? Two true statements in a row. Most car forums can't match that. John
Forum: Car Talk

If this forum is anything like the vintage VW bus list I am on, you have just opened a huge can of worms. (For the record I would like to say that the mechanical advice seems more reliable here) I use synthetic oil for 10,000 miles. I use Royal Purple, but I think any of them are good enough for that mileage. I think you're on the right track. John
Forum: Car Talk

All of our meetings at work start with a safety topic and this was used as one recently. I didn't act on it right away, but just in the last couple of weeks I set my mirrors like this. I like it so far. It's different not having a little of my car in the mirror as a reference point to the other things I'm seeing, but I think I do see what's beside me better. John
Forum: Car Talk

You really got a deal. Nice car! John
Forum: Car Talk

Quotealanrw Rick, did it come with a silk ascot? congrats, enjoy it. alan - ascot, that's funny. Looks like you really scored, Rick. John
Forum: Car Talk

Quoterkj [ That must have been a nice one. I think a 5 series is the most I can go; we are 2002/3 series people! The 5 feels like a real luxo wagon I have two to look at tomorrow.... Rick I feel the same way about that E34 I bought a couple of months ago. It's more of a luxury car than I ever thought I would own, especially with the automatic transmission, but it sure is nice on road
Forum: Car Talk

I agree - that looks fixable. You might even come out better off. It looks like there's some body filler in the hood and fender. If you can get a good straight hood and fender out of the boneyard and repaint them to match the car, you'll be better off. The inner fender can be straightened so you can bolt the outer parts on. John
Forum: Technical Forum