Quotealanrw That's great news. A bad fan is much easier than a warped or cracked head. Had the exact same problem in my wife's PT Cruiser. alan That's for sure Alan Of course the fan assy is around 400 bucks and you have to pull half the front end off to get at it but hey, little by little we'll get there... Cheers, Rickby rkj - Car Talk
QuoteMichiel 318iS Hi Rick, have you found yet what was causing this behaviour? Yes, Michiel, thanks for asking. It turned out to be a faulty electric fan in front of the condenser. Just like Peters Honda! Of course in the E39 it has it's own computer (with inputs from all over the place) that controlls the dam thing. So now it's just a matter of sitting down and figuring it out Tby rkj - Car Talk
QuoteEmre (OO=[][]=OO) Someone mentioned the 318ti. Personally, I'm not a fan. I just can't get over the awkward styling; the proportions don't look right at all. I would go for the E36 318is coupe or 1.9L Z3 instead. A few years ago my younger daughter and I bought a 97 318ti/5 and we both fell in love with it. That car covered all the bases and still gave great mileage. A deby rkj - Car Talk
QuoteJose Pinto Very well said, Rick! Investing in art is safe and very pleasant, cause you get to enjoy the collection while you own it! The most important automobile museum over here started from a private collection: http://www.museu-caramulo.net/uk/index.shtml , That museum looks like quite a place Joseby rkj - Car Talk
QuoteEric Gomolka Hey Rick. Long time, no see. I had no luck finding the group shortly after the original BEN dissolved. After a while (few months maybe) of searching the net I gave up hope. I don't know what triggered me to recently have another go. Maybe it's my disdain for the majority of the posters over at places like bimmerfest. There are a few good people over there, but ovby rkj - Car Talk
QuoteBob in Everett Oops, I had forgotten there is some kind of E-30 besides a cabrio....I actually may have one of the inside the rear window type lights in a box of parts. Might be able to figure out how it is retained if I can find it. Thanks Guys, Mines in there a little cocked to one side so I guess someone has tried to get in there and didn't get it just right Still looking for anyby rkj - Technical Forum
QuoteBob in Everett I hope you are right Peter. That is why I have two of them. I drive one like there is no tomorrow and save the other one in the garage in case there is a tomorrow. I just saw a 96 M3 engine with not too many miles I wish I had in my daily driver but I have no where to work on it without pushing some other antique iron out into the rain. I am sure that if I did the conversiby rkj - Car Talk
QuoteBob in Everett There are screws underneath. hidden by the foam above the tools. I think there are 4 of them. Probably want some silicone sealant to put on the screws when you put them back so water will not drip into the tools. Might have to remove the tool carrier to see two of the screws. I think you're talking about the cabrio's third brake light on the trunk, Bob. I'mby rkj - Technical Forum
QuoteArcheo-peteriX I recently saw a post on a forum that asked; 'What would you buy if you could go back ten years?'. My first inclination was to respond that I would go back with the winning lottery numbers to a couple of big prize pots. That would be fun and would take care of finances for then and now but...it wouldn't bring back the 'iX'. So; given the focus oby rkj - Car Talk
I've forgotten how to pull the cover off to get at the bulb. I'm working on my 1988 325is coupe. Thanks, Rickby rkj - Technical Forum
Quotealanrw To the best bunch of guys on the web, a happy and healthy 2013!!! alan Same to you Alan looks like it could be a good one I hope.by rkj - Community Forum
QuoteMichiel 318iS Gusty winds and lots of rain here today. I just looked up your postal code and noticed the south side shoreline to be so straight. Is that a natural coincidence or has humanity a hand in this? I think it's natural. The beaches have taken a beating lately though we'll see how it recovers.by rkj - Community Forum
QuoteMichiel 318iS Have you replaced the thermostat at some point? If yes, are you sure it is in the right way (in case it has a hole, is it on top)? It did get a new thermostat right before I took the car but I'm sure it was not drilled first, and I have no idea what the temp the stat is. I think I might have found the real source of the problem though; the aux fan in front of the radiatby rkj - Car Talk
Quotealanrw Wonder what they do at the factory or dealership, they can't keep having the car back to bleed the air. And what was that deal with drilling a hole in the thermostat to allow air to escape, why isn't the hole there in the first place? I wonder if they apply a vacuum to the cooling system as they fill it in order to pull the air out of the system as it is being filled?by rkj - Car Talk
QuoteArcheo-peteriX Quotealanrw What is interesting here is when you turn on the heater, the temp drops. When you bled it a second time, was there more air in the system? Possible head gasket issue? But you said it does hold pressure over time, right? You can get the coolant tested for combustion product presence. alan This leads us back to the clogged radiator theory. All that the heater dby rkj - Car Talk
Quoterkj QuoteMichiel 318iS Quickly googled, you might have seen this earlier, could be it's no use for you either... Air lock at thermostat: How to read true coolant temp: Wow, low cluster. Never heard of this, thank you so much Michiel The air-lock piece is golden too. Thanks again Michiel I'll have to print that out.by rkj - Car Talk
QuoteMichiel 318iS Quickly googled, you might have seen this earlier, could be it's no use for you either... Air lock at thermostat: How to read true coolant temp: Wow, low cluster. Never heard of this, thank you so much Michielby rkj - Car Talk
QuoteArcheo-peteriX Back at ya Rick! And a good one to all who wander these dusty halls Yeah, Peter. We really have to dig up some bussiness around hereby rkj - Community Forum
It snowed here last night for 5 minutes (11930) it's a white Christmas, I'm calling it! Otherwise it rains alot Merry Christmasby rkj - Community Forum
QuoteBob in Everett One problem with the temp gages is that they are not telling you what the temp really is. It tells you that it is in that normal range. When the overheat occurs, the gage will go from normal range to hot very quickly. If the thermostat is computer controlled like the E38 is it could be malfunctioning. The infrared temp sensor type instrument would be a big help to tell wby rkj - Car Talk
Alan, I've been over this car 20 ways from Sunday, everything checks out. It does act like a temp gauge, or it's sensor, going south or a pocket of air (around the sensor) making the gauge run hot. The car is my 1998 528 and it has never given me a true sign of overheating but has, twice now, gone right over to hot (the needle) and turned on that nasty little red lamp on the right of thby rkj - Car Talk
QuoteFerdinand Best of the Season to you all. A red Bmw for Christmas, perfectby rkj - Community Forum
Now, if we could only find a few others I used to love to talk to here.... I'll have to think of their names though..... Vlad?by rkj - Community Forum
Quotealanrw Don't go soft on me Rick, you are one of my heros!!!! alan I'm flattered Alan, but how come I'm going soft?by rkj - Car Talk
I don't know Jose, I've always thought the inside of a car was a perfect place for good sound if you could place the speakers in the right spot, so they weren't canceling each-other/themselves out. Peter, I know what you mean, I've had a few great amps (tube type) through the years I'd love to have back. They make a rich (although distorted somewhat) golden type of soby rkj - Car Talk
Hey Guys (and Kelly), but this is more for the guys. I'm having a few issues with the 5er and the cooling system. I've never used one of these tools but I hear they're pretty good at finding where problems might be. Has anybody used these things, and know of a good brand or model to get. I don't mind spending real money for good tools but I'm finding cheap ones that miby rkj - Car Talk
For all the great people here (and everywhere), have a safe and happy holidays and the best of luck for the new year. Peace, Love and Best Regards, Rickby rkj - Community Forum
QuoteJose Pinto The Book of Disquiet sounds interestingby rkj - Community Forum
QuoteDave_G Quoterkj Are these older air bags something one wants to be in front of, seems like a libabilty to me. People always worry about old air bags exploding in their faces prematurely, but I challenge anyone to document a case of this ever happening. It seems to me that if this were a real threat, we'd have heard about it by now. Instead all we hear about are people afraid of it. Oby rkj - Technical Forum
Quotealanrw Hmmm, I guess you could swap out the computer to see if that makes a difference but is it really worth the effort for one led? None of the other dash lights are on with the key out? alan No, That's the only thing that stays on. If Ferd can live with it so can I, no biggy.... I just thought it might be a programable error, like when you set the engine kill switch/alarm codes.by rkj - Technical Forum