Well, in the name of accuracy, I should say that I've found out that this is just a mistake on a magazine report, and that BMW's still using "Ultimate driving machine".

I think it started long before that. I loved my e39 5 series, but thought the electric height adjusting seat belts were a bit much...
Ahmet

8/9/2006 2:44:09 AM

-"yeah, hi, pepboyz? i need a new electric seat belt adjuster for BMW 540i."
-"hello?"
-"hello?"

[Edited on August 9, 2006 at 2:56 AM. Reason : /]

8/9/2006 2:56:06 AM

its just a cable that runs down the pillar to the track under the seat, when the seat moves the cable moves and then the seatbelt moves

8/9/2006 3:00:23 AM

OK fine (still unnecessary IMO, but fine), how do you explain power headrests? Pimp? Absolutely, but c'mon it's unnecessary. In it's defense, I weighed it @Roebling Road and it came to 3400 (fully laden, half tank of gas), which really isn't that bad. Chaulk it up to all the aluminum that's under the car. It's still one of my all time favorite cars, but a few things seemed a bit over done. I'm not going to lie, I did like the power tilt and telescoping AND heated wheel. The ride is amazing for the handling too...
Ahmet

8/9/2006 11:17:43 AM

took out my ASC throttle plate. ahh what a relief it is to not have to worry about pushing a button or seeing a damn yellow light in my face all the time. seriously, its made me a happier person.

8/9/2006 11:20:14 AM

Are you being serious? I need to drive your car asap.
Ahmet

8/9/2006 11:29:59 AM

jes. i can do it to yours, too for $100 and 3 minutes.

and i looked into the system, there is no brake or stability action involved w/ ASC.. its simply the wheel speed sensors and the throttle body

8/9/2006 12:55:23 PM

Quote :

"and i looked into the system, there is no brake or stability action involved w/ ASC.. its simply the wheel speed sensors and the throttle body"

That is not correct to the best of my knowledge. The ASC (active stability control) works by altering ignition timing, applying individual braking force, or closing the throttle. It gets it's inputs from the wheel speed sensors, but it's acting abilities are not limited to the secondary throttle body. My idea in removing the throttle plate out of the 2nd throttle body was to allow the system to still reduce engine output by means of ignition timing (guessing less than 10%), and allow it to maintain it's braking ability on the rear wheels as well (again, I imagine not too significant a reduction in output). This way the system would be far less intrusive, though it may not save you from as much when you're in way over your head. It seems like this could come in handy at higher speed situations, especially in the wet but as it was stock, certainly didn't make sense to leave it on as it just killed all the fun, and if you forgot that it was on, it could really get you in trouble, if you drive like I do...
Ahmet

8/9/2006 2:17:13 PM

none of those problems in '95

8/9/2006 3:53:44 PM

^^i thought that was ASC-T or something? i dunno i'm busy at work, but maybe you can dig up the differences between ASC and ASC T and which cars have what.

I can light em up though now as is. but i guess thats not testing stability per say. The R32 had a 'hand of god' stability management that was really noticable in that it could just rotate the ca as needed to stay on line (steering target). I've never felt anything but cut power w/ the M3.

8/9/2006 4:07:16 PM

http://users.cybercity.dk/~bbo2530/Private/traction.htm

So yeh, ASC+T does use braking and according to this '97+ cars have it. So what you say is true.

NEAT!

8/9/2006 4:28:19 PM

ah here we go. this is what i was talking about:

http://www.mz3.net/articles/115.html

So yeh, it uses the brakes, but ASC still has no yaw controll. its not *stability* control, just anti slip control.

DSC is the newer, more advanced stability control that uses braking to rotate the car.

8/9/2006 4:36:53 PM

jew

8/10/2006 1:40:24 AM

Well yes and no. The BMW system is not 'traction' control only. I've felt it come in off power (on trailing throttle as well) several times on track. It's actually almost gotten me in trouble (off camber turn @ Road Atlanta, when I wanted to stabilize/rotate the car in 3rd gear, it would close the throttle). A "traction control" system in the traditional sense would NOT apply the brakes when power is not being applied, instead it would be completely inactive.

This is also where the e39 shines in comparison, I left stability control on several times @Roebling Road, and the blinking light was about the only indication to slight wheel slip (you could tell if you overdrove the car however), and it was interesting to see where it would "correct" for me, turn 10 stands out (where I witnessed a C5 slam into the wall infront of me @around 110mph). I was only a second or so faster with it off, where as w/the M3 the difference was much closer to 3 seconds. I realize these are different tracks, but the large difference in the response of the systems remain.
Ahmet

8/10/2006 2:38:02 AM

yeah at first in the 540 i was playing with the asc a lot, but now i leave it on all the time. you can still drive the hell out of the car. honestly the car tends to want to spin at the top of first gear a lot in the rain or around a corner with some sand or gravel so it helps.

8/10/2006 8:18:27 AM

the traction control system in late 90s bmws sucks. Just an extra throttle body.

no brakes are used. Hence why it sucks.

[Edited on August 10, 2006 at 11:08 AM. Reason : no brakes]

8/10/2006 11:07:10 AM

anybody has a source for dead cheapest metal and/or composite water pump?

8/10/2006 12:04:32 PM

understeer.com. you want the composite

8/10/2006 12:23:43 PM

they only have one kind and it's $85. has no mention that it is a composite. bimmerworld.com and bimmerparts.com mention it is an upgraded pump and both offer for ~$55?

[Edited on August 10, 2006 at 12:31 PM. Reason : no part number listed either so no way to check unless i call :-/]

8/10/2006 12:31:19 PM

hrm well understeer's is for sure the composite. also try the dealer, they should be selling the composite one now. its the latest BMW pump

8/10/2006 12:45:07 PM

bw's 50 $ pump is the oem metal impeller one. in fact, I just ordered one this week.

8/10/2006 12:45:35 PM

"Composite" (cast aluminum) is the latest design.

I have an all metal one laying around in the shop. It was in my estroil M3 for less than 6 months. You can have it for... cheap.
Ahmet

8/10/2006 2:19:19 PM

composite isnt aluminum, it looks like black plastic

8/10/2006 2:24:08 PM

That's why I had it in quotes. Unless there's a part avail. that's even newer than the cast aluminum piece (that I picked up at the dealer less than 6 months ago), the cast alu. is the latest design. Or are you telling me that BMW's updated/replaced this part 4 times (plastic->metal->cast aluminum->composite)? I doubt it, but have seen weirder stuff...
Ahmet

8/10/2006 2:37:04 PM

my understand is:

1: orange plastic
2: metal looking metal
3: black plastic looking composite

8/10/2006 4:39:42 PM

No sir.
Ahmet

8/10/2006 4:59:33 PM

search around. w/o a doubt the newest waterpump is NOT metal.

http://www.understeer.com/onlinestore-engine.shtml Thats it in the pic there. looks like black plastic.

8/10/2006 6:15:42 PM

it looks like black painted metal to me

which is my way of saying "looks like" is not good enough to rely upon


the shitty OE pumps that were so notorious for failing had impellers that were not metal. color does not matter, i have changed probably 20 of them and some were black, some were yellow, some were brown, blah blah blah.

if you have to replace a water pump on a bmw, use one with a metal impeller. anything else isnt a good idea.

i have noticed bmw made a lot of parts in a fashion that made them easy to recycle. i dont know how strict the enviromental guidelines are in europe for auto manufacturers, but i hear this is the reason for the shitty waterpumps, radiators, etc on bmws and the piss poor wiring insulation that mercedes used to use, etc etc.

8/10/2006 6:30:20 PM

got my intake on, yo.

it goes GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

pretty cool.

8/12/2006 2:00:39 PM

new water pump is composite, I got a new one from the dealer.

actually some of the metal ones suck, they get leaky and become off balance. I would only go with the new bmw composite one. Which is black, and NOT metal.

[Edited on August 12, 2006 at 4:32 PM. Reason : more]

8/12/2006 4:30:37 PM

So which of the metal ones are the ones to avoid, stamped steel or cast aluminum?
Ahmet

PS: I suppose this confirms there's 4 different pumps out.

8/12/2006 9:35:56 PM

that tip worked Ahmet. thanks

8/13/2006 2:06:54 AM

Welcome. Nice car, and you SHOULD catch a ride in mine. Picked up the exhaust today.
Ahmet

8/13/2006 5:04:14 AM

^^^^ mmmmm hmm *head bob finger snap*

^which exhaust?

8/13/2006 10:30:58 AM

^^btw, when you were leaving you had a bit of white smoke coming out of the exhuast. i hope you're not having problems with head gasket? maybe because of the leak...

once i get everything done, ill hit you up

[Edited on August 13, 2006 at 12:34 PM. Reason : adf]

8/13/2006 12:33:00 PM

I would imagine condensation, but I guess I'll find out.

I'm putting a stock exhaust on (currently have aftermarket cats/mid pipe).
Ahmet

8/13/2006 2:15:31 PM

It's not getting great milage (17mpg), and using a fair bit of oil (better than 1quart/1000 miles), but no coolant and nobody's told me they're seeing white smoke other than you. I typically get terrible gas milege, and a lot of oil consumptionw whenever I have a "fun" car though, so I don't know how much of it is my driving. It doesn't leak a drop.

Besides that, it's quite fast (has gotten faster with "new" stock exhaust +plugs), so I don't think it's got a blown headgasket or any other internal issue. I do think it's running a bit rich though (and reports of black smoke when @full throttle), I guess I'll find out what it is.

Anyway, suspension should be coming together, and I'm contemplating forced induction. Got the strut tower brace, looking for an X brace, etc. I like this thing, a lot.
Ahmet

8/15/2006 2:44:26 AM

black smoke can be oil, thats what mine did when the rings were bad. It builds up in the cats.

8/15/2006 5:06:37 PM

i gotta compression tester if you want to play w/ it at callahan's for part II of the party

8/15/2006 5:36:31 PM

does anyone have a flywheel lock?

8/15/2006 5:47:23 PM

Quote :

"black smoke can be oil, thats what mine did when the rings were bad. It builds up in the cats."

That was with two high flow cats only (a full stock exhaust w/4 cats is on now), and it didn't smell like oil either. My gut feeling is valve stem seals are somewhat worn, but that it's mostly running rich. Anyway, I'd be OK with 1 quart/500 miles or so, the way I drive. I'm certainly not going to tear into a motor due to less consumption than that, especially w/out other symptoms.

Quote :

"i gotta compression tester if you want to play w/ it at callahan's for part II of the party"

I mean, I own a compression tester (2 actually) and this sort of thing would be easier for me to just do one day after work at one of the shops (where I could also do a leakdown)... Unless I'm @Callahans already and messing around. Thanks for the offer though. I'm... really not that concerned w/it.
Ahmet

8/15/2006 7:45:47 PM

jesus man, a quart every 500 miles? thats a fucking lot of blowby. at least in my world it is.

8/15/2006 8:45:19 PM

-Posting from Callahan's account;

quart/500 is NOT what my M3 is using, but it is quite acceptable to me (and to the factory, according to the owners manual). Cars consume a lot of oil under my use, they all do, all of them. Ahmet

8/15/2006 8:54:01 PM

yeah i read what you wrote, and i thought you would understand i wasnt trying to take it out of context.

did the 540 burn much oil when you tracked it. or when you were just driving it for that matter? i havent noticed it burning any on me but i am running 5w50

8/15/2006 8:57:57 PM

500 is only acceptable because bmw didnt want to replace faulty engines. I would say anything under 1k is pretty serious.

I have a factory flywheel lock.

8/16/2006 2:25:54 PM

I believe the 540 used around a quart total in the time I had it, including about half of that during the weekend of time trials.

Different manufacturers may have different reasons for labeling a certain amount 'acceptable', but on turbocharged Porsches not only is the allowed consumption higher (than even quart/500miles), but it tells you to check the oil at every fill up in the owners manual, as well as on the fuel fill neck.

Everybody has their own preferences but oil consumption certainly varies with usage, it is far lower if the car's kept at a reasonable rpm and part throttle. I have yet to see an engine that hasn't used at least a half quart of oil through ~500 track miles. I drive a lot harder than most of you may think. I also expect consumption to go down on my M3 when switching from 5w/30 dino to 15/50 synthetic.
Ahmet

8/16/2006 10:46:25 PM

i saw a 1980 something 318 with a m3 sticker right beside it. what a fag.

8/16/2006 10:48:57 PM

drove a 4cyl z3 today, definitely a chick car. easy to work on though.

8/17/2006 6:24:57 PM

Ahmet

8/17/2006 7:24:32 PM

haha good stuff

8/17/2006 8:13:23 PM