zroadster.net

Mike Fishwick

'Strip the front end?' - you are dealing with an old design, so all it takes is to remove the air box and then follow your nose - and easy job. If you have a newer design like the Z4 then things are more involved, and a VW Golf handbook states that 'It is no longer possible to replace the headlamp b...

Mike Fishwick

Just use a piece of wire to reset the Service Indicator lights - the procedure is in the Knowledge base.

Mike Fishwick

If you want bulbs which are in the top league by the best from either Osram or Philips. Other brands seem to have caught up with them (they probably re-badge Osram or Philips products) but charge more. I bet PIAA are in this category, as they do not make bulbs, and used to be notorious for producing...

Mike Fishwick

You could try making some pieces of 100 mm sewer pipe to fit intothe spaces on each side of the bush - this can make a surprising difference. Also make sure that the crossmember is not touching the body or the stiffening backet.

Mike Fishwick

Condition is more important than goodies - particularly the underside, which really tells potential buyers how the car has been looked after. What do you mean by Factory Aerodynamic Kit? All the UK-market 3 litre cars had the 'Sports' equipment, which included a small spoiler lip befow the front apr...

Mike Fishwick

If you have space, keep it - a Z3 will never be worth less than it is now.

Mike Fishwick

Yes - it could be caused by lots of things, but the most common causes are air leaks due to torn inlet bellows, and problems with the crankcase breather system hoses around the cyclone oil/air seperator. Try the simple things first.

Mike Fishwick

I really cannot understand the reasoning for removing the spare - it does no harm, and can do a lot of good when it is needed. Even if your driving is local, you can still get a puncture. OK - the 'dead' wheel has to be carried in its plastic bag on the passenger's knees, but that is at least better...

Mike Fishwick

When the day of judement arrives you will be grateful for the skinny spare! A tin of goo is not a long-lasting answer in comparison. I once had a rear tyre comprehensively wrecked just outside Boulogne on a Saturday morning. Trying to quickly get hold of a 245-40 X 17 tyre in France is not easy, and...

Mike Fishwick

Remember that in France everything closes from Saturday lunchtime to Monday lunchtime! Mobile phone coverage can be very patchy in the countryside. It is worth carrying a good footpump in case of slow punctures, making sure that your tyres have lots of tread depth, and perhaps having the tytres trea...

Mike Fishwick

The short answer is 'Yes,' as UK-market cars were fitted with an LSD. Get a printout of your cars's build spec and see if it states 'Sperredifferential 25%.' This blanket description is actually meaningless, as from September 1998 (at least) the diff was of the Torsen type (TORque SENsing) which doe...

Mike Fishwick

Hydrogen Sulphide (rotten eggs smell) is a sign of catalytic converter trouble, which in turn can be due to air leaks in the inlet system, or Lamda probe problems. Take the car to a decent specialist aqnd see what they find. Most dealers do not have a clue about older cars, and are only proficient a...

Mike Fishwick

For a reliable and safe means of supporting the car, why not use the ends of the cross-member, below its rubber mounts?

Mike Fishwick

Yes - I have heard about American farmers being more interested in producing ethanol rather than food, as is promoted by oil companies in third-world countries which have a starvation problem! An identical situation concerns the US overproduction of corn, which rather than donate it free to starving...

Mike Fishwick

Assuming that you can get to France this summer, you will often find a bewildering array of pump fuel available. These days we are all used to unleaded petrol in 98 octane, as well as 95 and 95 e10 varieties. Remember that ‘e10’ fuels should not be used in BMW engines built before 1986, or poor fuel...

Mike Fishwick

Yes - you CAN place the jack under the diff, but it is pretty poor practice! Just because some nameless person has placed something on the internet does not mean that it is automatically the best option - it is just like believing all the garbage written about the Z3 which you can read in the media ...

Mike Fishwick

Do not become confused with silicone brake fluid and silicone grease! They are different compounds with different properties, and it is not wise to mix them. I always lubricate the caliper piston/seal area with brake fuid, which is entirely safe. Contrary to popular wisdom, the grease often provided...

Mike Fishwick

My air con belt tensioner got quite noisey at about 130,000 miles too. Replacement of both tensioners would seem to be a good idea at this kind of mileage.

Mike Fishwick

I doubt if you would notice any difference, as the alternator - like most Z3 bits - is a standard type, used on many E36 models.

Are you sure that the noise is due to the alternator bearings? The belt tensioner bearings usually become noisey first.

Mike Fishwick

Why bother? The pre-facelit wings look better anyway, unless you fit wider wheels and tyres, which may not improve the handling as much as people may tell you. The 1.9 is probably the best-handling of all Z3s, with 50 pounds less engine weight than the sixes, and everything behind the axle line You ...

Mike Fishwick

Buying from Ebay is fraught with risk! Try your local German & Swedish - their prices are not much different from Ebay, and you will not be stung for postage.

Mike Fishwick

I used exchange Girling calipers from a local motor factor - I cannot recall the price now, but they were not expensive, and of course had been cleaned and replated, with all new seals etc. With a few coats of bronze Hammerite and stainless nipples they looked great, and still do.

Mike Fishwick

That's the price of so-called 'Progress!' Faults on old DSC systems are certainly not unknown, and are always expensive - just more over-complex junk which you do not need. Could you remove the entire DSC system and still pass an MoT? As DSC was not mandatory when the car was built, I would have tho...

Mike Fishwick

Yes - here in France we have had E10 available for several years, but we also have E5 95 octane, mainly at auroroute serviuce areas, as an addition to E5 95 voctane fuel. More importantly, We also have really good 98 octane widely available - I find that on a steady speed autoroute journey, using ou...

Mike Fishwick

According to BMW all car manufactured since 1986 are compatable. This was about the time that E10 type fuel became the norm in the US, so compatability was required. I have heard of older BMW cars which had to be recovered to the UK with a strange failure to start, which was quickly traced to the us...

Mike Fishwick

Another factor in spring life is the growth of potholes in UK roads! I forgot to mention that, as the French do decent surfacing, which does not melt in summer, or fall to pieces in winter - with extreme temperatures of minus 10 to plus 40 in my area.

Mike Fishwick

I would avoid 'Longlife' oils, as they are invariably very thin at the cold end of their viscosity range - such as the popular 0W - 30 SAE type. In an old engine, or a badly-run in engine they can produce high oil consumption (such as the BMW 3 litre engine) and only have a benefit for those who lac...

Mike Fishwick

The current rate of spring fractures is probably due to the use of poor-quality and badly heat treated material, and the craze in the UK for speed bumps. Many springs which are supplied with dampers are of really poor quality, and will split along the coil for 2 to 3 inches, broken springs now being...

Mike Fishwick

Yes, the compressors are a tight fit, and will only do the job if fitted in the correct positions, but it is preferable to straining the inner CV joint by using lots of force on a crowbar, which is really butchery! I supported the trailing arm at it maximum drop angle to avoid strain on the CV joint...

Mike Fishwick

I have used spring compressors, which make the job a lot easier than forcing things with a crowbar, but even then you must get the compressors into the correct position.

Mike Fishwick

Perhaps a torch WAS supplied for certain markets, but not for the Z3 in the UK. An example of this selective specification is the case of a LSD, which was fitted for some markets (ie the UK) but not for others, such as Japan. If you get a copy of the build/equipment spec - from any dealer, free, if ...

Mike Fishwick

I have never seen a torch supplied with a Z3, although other models such as the E39 Five Series of the same period were.

Mike Fishwick

Like most BMW cars, the Z3 is not particular about its fluids, but some work better than others. Remember that the current infatuation with 0-30 engine oils is intended for those who insist on driving hard with a cold engine, but their use can often result in high oil consumption, particuarly in the...

Mike Fishwick

Try lifting the bonnet . . .

Mike Fishwick

Have you had a look in the Z3 Knowledgebase? It holds lots of maintenance information. I agree that the TIS disc is the best, but it assumes a certain level of background. The Bentley manual is a waste of money, being based on the pre-September 1998 models, which were superceded by the M54TU engine ...

Mike Fishwick

Isn't it nice being able to buy down to component level?

Mike Fishwick

In the case of cars made by mass-market companies such as BMW 'rare' means that they could not sell many! It does not make them better cars than those which people would actually buy - quite the opposite. Another reason for rarety is that they were rust boxes - look at the 6 and 3 series BMW from th...

Mike Fishwick

A lot of vendors try to make out that their car is something special - I have seen people claiming that their facelifted car has superior aerodynamics than the older type! As soon as you see the word 'Rare' you know that someone is trying to 'talk up' the value of their car.

Mike Fishwick

You have not mentioned replacing the thermostat - are you confusing it with the thermo switch for the electric fan? Even if the electric fan (assuming that you have air conditioning) is not operating, the viscous-coupled fan is capable to keeping the engine at a decent temperature. I would look for ...

Mike Fishwick

If you have an originality fetish, and wish to replace the rear silencer, BMW sell a seperate silencer and an suitable sleeve with suitable clamps to attach it. It would probably be cheaper to have a stainless cat-back system made up, unless you think that the droning exhaust note is worth listening...

Mike Fishwick

Yes - the 2 litre used the same exhaust system as the September 1998-on 2.8. The system is in one welded piece from the three-bolt flanges near the engine, without a central joint, so perhaps your system is not the original. The earlier 2.8 used a single cat with a joint after it, but this was not u...

Mike Fishwick

The Z3 boot is small enough to eliminate the risk of having anything lost within its confines! I took the bulb out of my boot light for this very reason about twenty years ago, and have never missed it! Alternatively, you could leave a window slightly lowered, and connect the charger via the cigar l...

Mike Fishwick

Try cleaning the sensor of any ferrous particles stuck to the magnet side before spending money! These sensors act like magnetic drain plugs, and attract any small particles worn from the timing chain and sprockets. My old 2.8 has a cable throttle, and I used to have the problem of stalling in rever...

Mike Fishwick

Why don't you simply have a full geometry check at a good tyre dealer? That will show up any problems such as bent trailing arms or rear cross member, not to mention distortion of the front cross member, chassis rails, or wishbone mountings.

Mike Fishwick

Take the light cluster off and use your powers of deduction! I think you will find that the lens is glued to the body, so look for an area showing signs of algie etc. Perhaps you will be able to dribble a bit of Araldite onto the back of the faulty area through the bulb hole.

Mike Fishwick

The sensor operates by heating a small amount of oil around its body, and then reading the incerease in temperature further up the sensor body. Your problem may therefore be as simple as an accumulation of sludge on the sensor body, acting as a heat insulator, so it is worth removing the sensor and ...

Mike Fishwick

I have just replaced the second battery on my twenty-year-old 2.8 Z3. The original American battery lasted twelve years, and the replacement Varta Silver eight years - what kind of life do others experience? Like our other vehicles - cars, motorcycles and lawnmower - the batteries have always been c...

Mike Fishwick

I'm puzzled - why do you think your 'slipring' is grating and the replacement needs to be lubricated? The horn push and airbag are connected by a flexible connection strip similar to a watchspring. It therefore does not need lubrication, and cannot make a 'grating' noise. I would bet that the noise ...

Mike Fishwick

At least the French do not view ordinary speeding as being a baby killer etc etc. If the speed limit is more than 50 kph, and you are not breaking it by more than 20 kph, the fine is 65 euros (reduced to 45 for payment within a fortnight) and one point off your licence, which is returned after a yea...

Mike Fishwick

I guess I am a bit of a recluse, as I do not watch French TV - it is ghastly - or read newspapers - not even the English-language ones! I think I had better start taking more notice of what is going on! They (and most other EU states) can still fine you at home via DVLA, and the French can take away...

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