A question for those in the know: could it possibly be the clutch not disengaging properly? There would probably be other symptons, right? Just putting the thought out there just in case. Good luck, bushhog. And welcome!by nomis3613 - Technical Forum
I was digging around r3vlimited.com forums today and wow there's a lot of angst over there. Almost every thread had flaming of some sort, those boys need to take a chill pill and just enjoy their E30s! It made me thankful about how level-headed, considerate, helpful, friendly, patient etc everyone is here. Newbie and common questions are politely answered and it's all in good humour.by nomis3613 - Community Forum
Hi, Yes like wodcutr says if it is wired to the stereo it'll only raise when the radio is turned on. And some head units are smart enough to lower the antenna when in CD/iPod mode, if you're ever looking to replace your stereo. But don't buy a Sony! They need a custom tool to install/remove and their customer service is terrible IMHO (sorry, just had to get that off my chestby nomis3613 - Technical Forum
Hi All, Thanks heaps for the tips. I haven't decided yet, but the flywheel resurfacing thing is tipping it towards just paying to get it done professionally. My friend's place (where we'd do the job) is a fair way outta town, so it would really suck if we couldn't get it done in 1 day, or if we got stuck halfway through! No-one's heard of Luk clutches? Then I'lby nomis3613 - Technical Forum
Hi folks, It's time I stopped ignoring the smell of burning clutch after any spirited driving and replaced it (luckily it's not slipping yet, though). I'd like some help please deciding whether to try it myself with a friend who has a trolley jack etc, or just pay someone who knows what they're doing. - overall do you think it is a difficult job in my 325i for someone wby nomis3613 - Technical Forum
Quoterkj If I have to see another gas or oil thread I'm going to run for the hills Hope that works, if not just paste in the bar thingy Sorry Rick, I'm guilty as charged for the petrol grade thread! It's just that you guys are the most knowledgable on the planet and since the old BEN got nuked we newbies need to hassle you oracles again for the Truth of Our Cars. PSby nomis3613 - Community Forum
Thanks folks. (it's taken me this long to reply because I go through a tank of fuel so slowly!) The fuel pump and filter were replaced recently so I don't think that's it. (the new siemens-VDO pump has a much louder hum than the old Bosch one did even when it was dying). In seemingly unrelated news, my battery was dying so I got it replaced. With the new battery, the low fuelby nomis3613 - Technical Forum
Sounds great. Good luck I'd be interested to hear whether you notice a drop in vibration with the new engine mounts.by nomis3613 - Technical Forum
Hi, Thanks for replies. I'll be happy to stick to regular unleaded (equivalent of 89 octane) and save the cash for projects on the car! Simonby nomis3613 - Technical Forum
Hi folks, Stand back because I'm opening a can of worms here on a topic that many are more passionate about than religion! What octane is best for a 1989 (motronic v1.3) 325i? The choices here in Australia are 10% ethanol (no way!!!), standard 91, premium 95 and ultimate 98. I'm that there is perhaps an increase in mileage, power and general engine happiness in going 95 over 91by nomis3613 - Technical Forum
QuoteEarendil And THAT is the reason I stay out of these arguments, because it's quite obviously a word definition that you are all arguing about, and not the actual state of the rotor. Merrian Webster says that the word means "to turn or twist out of or as if out of shape ; especially : to twist or bend out of a plane". So Archeo is referring to a deforming of the materialby nomis3613 - Technical Forum
QuoteBob in Everett I agree with the WD-40 idea. There is likely some lube in there that has oxidized and become too viscous. Some kind of solvent based lube would be good. A silicon spray into the workings where it does not get onto the belt should be helpful. Bob in Everett So I gave it a good dousing with WD-40 the other day. Got the belt retracter spinning freer, but not enough to keeby nomis3613 - Technical Forum
QuoteKellyThis is quite an interesting thread. Does the brake light relay cleaning procedure reduce the blinking yellow "Check" indicator and the overhead display's Brake Lights indicator? I was thinking that it was Beemie's special way of telling me that it had rained recently. ;-) Kelly Yes, another advanced feature of the E30! (if you wanna fix this, I reckon startby nomis3613 - Technical Forum
Hi, Got a bit of a head-scratcher here! My M20 runs badly when there's less than 20L in the tank (no idea what that is in gallons, but it's 1/3 of the tank). When the fuel is this low, starting takes a bit longer, the idle goes really rough and the initial throttle response sucks (I first suspected it was a TPS problem but I refuelled and the problems instantly disappeared). Has anyoneby nomis3613 - Technical Forum
QuoteMichiel 318iS Bosch W8LCR / W8LPR (+) ; NGK ZGR5A .028"- .032" (0.7 - 0.8 mm) Make sure the plugs have the correct gap. IIRC, when I ordered the W8LCR they had the wrong gap and you need a special tool to adjust it. NGKs can be bought with the right gap out of the box, maybe you can also get the Bosch ones with the right gap. Spark plug brands are a matter of religion, so Iby nomis3613 - Technical Forum
Hi Folks, My rear seatbelts are not retracting fully, so they are living perilously close to being slammed in the door. Can they be cleaned or maintained somehow to give them their pull back? I've seen a few sites like this talking about cleaning the belts. I gave it a go using woolwash, but it didn't help. Is there any way to lubricate the mechanism etc, or is it just that I needby nomis3613 - Technical Forum
QuoteFerdinand The coolant level sensor is a small reed switch held closed by a magnet in the float when the coolant level is high enough. If the coolant level drops too low, the float sinks, and the reed switch opens triggering the overhead warning light. Unplugging the connector causes the same open-circuit, triggering the warning light. Apologies for taking this a bit off-topic (and lightby nomis3613 - Technical Forum
QuoteEarendil Of Note, I did NOT need to remove my steering wheel to get the Instrument cluster out of my '89 325i. I won't pretend to be an expert on minute differences in international cars, but I would guess this is true for most if not all E30's. It make look impossible, and it is very much like a puzzle. But it is very possible to get the entire cluster out as one piece, wiby nomis3613 - Technical Forum
Thanks for the link Tyler. Now that I think about it, the Service Indicator is more like a random number generator so yeah it's probably the batteries. And thanks for the tip about the connector! Simonby nomis3613 - Technical Forum
QuoteArcheo-peteriX Simon, Contact the odometergear.com folks directly about the gears. The other problem sounds like SI battery failure or a problem with the cluster printed circuit board. If the SI batteries have never been changed, it's a good place to start. Thanks Peter. Going by my experiences with the rest of the car, it is highly likely that it has circa 1989 batteries! Cby nomis3613 - Technical Forum
Hi, I'd like to fix a couple of gremlins lurking behind the dashboard and I was hoping you could help me out with what I should expect when I pull it. The odometer takes a lot more than 100m for the dial to go from 0.6 to 0.7 so I think the gears are busted. I'm planning on buying new ones from odometergears.com. Does anyone know what size gears I need so I can order beforehand? Myby nomis3613 - Technical Forum
Hi all, Just wanna share the joy I experienced when I got my 325i back from the mechanic a couple of days ago. I've had a long-running saga where it wouldn't idle smoothly (sometimes the whole car would shake) and there was a delay in throttle response. Kept bugging me for over a year, and because it was intermittent, no-one could find the problem. So the mechanic went over it withby nomis3613 - Community Forum
I ask because when I googled "bmw e30 network", this thread was the 2nd result (behind the UFO thing of course). If someone could post a message with the New New address this could help people re-find us. I was a bit surprised that BENN only appeared as the 10th result. It's been a couple of months now, surely we should be in the first few results by now?by nomis3613 - Community Forum
QuoteArcheo-peteriX Leaky plug wires can be tested in two simple ways; there is the touch test which will hurt if they are leaking and the night time test where you open the hood in the dark and look for arcing while the engine is running. A resistance measurement can also sometimes tell if the wires are bad...anything over 6000ohms is suspect. I recall from the old forum that there is also aby nomis3613 - Technical Forum
Quoterkj QuoteArcheo-peteriX When you buy the new switch just ask the parts guy how it installs. Once you see this, you will know how to take it out. It's still a hassle so just rip it out with a pair of pliers; it's already broken Thats what I did! Thanks for the tips! After inspecting the new one, I actually got the old one out without destroying it. Thought I'd share the sby nomis3613 - Technical Forum
Hi, My car has taken revenge for me driving down a nasty, rutted country road by refusing to operate the brake lights! They come on when the switch on the pedal is bridged, so it appears that the switch is broken. But I can't get the old one out. How do you get it out? Are there tabs that need to be pushed in? Are they on the top/bottom or sides? I really need my car in 3 days time, sby nomis3613 - Technical Forum
QuoteMichiel 318iSSo, evaporation is probably a larger variable than your consumption before/after the swap. Yeah, my fuel "consumption" is probably even more temperature dependent than Bob's!by nomis3613 - Technical Forum
Thanks for your help guys. The windows are now running smooth as silk and the brake check light isn't stuck on any more. For the windows, the guy at the parts shop recommended a CRC Dry Glide spray for the channels. This also helped. rkj, if you could post a Window Regulator Cable Cleaning guide sometime, I'll rip the door apart one more time and attack the cables. It's annoyingby nomis3613 - Technical Forum
Hi All, One of my rear windows was stuck in the up position. The other day, I had a poke around inside the door, and the window worked fine once I had taken the weather seals off it. So all the motors etc are working fine, there was just too much resistance for it to overcome. Put it all back together and the window is working fine for now, but I'd like to lubricate it to free it up a bitby nomis3613 - Technical Forum
This is probably not a very useful post, but I just wanted BENN people to rest assured that my 325i got its fair share of Christmas presents. New rear muffler fixed the nasty rattle that was especially bad in my underground carpark. Resonator reduced the 1800rpm drone so now rear passengers can join in the conversation. New injectors...well I unplugged the ECU so they're still "runniby nomis3613 - Technical Forum