zroadster.net

therealdb1

Unfortunately the Z3 is now at an age where the price depends on the condition rather than age, engine size, toys although as Del says unloved 4 pots are plentiful and cheap. Had a quick look on Autotrader and Pistonheads and there are lots of 2.2's for sale ranging from less than £3000 to £8000 so ...

therealdb1

Don't start me on rants! The problem is that they are de-skilling Post Office staff. We had a really good Post Office in the village and the couple that ran it knew exactly what they were doing for all of the services they offered. The "Post Office" has now moved to an ordinary counter in ...

therealdb1

Hi Patty, The knock sensor codes are possibly red herrings and a symptom of the poor running you have experienced rather than the cause. This is the downside to fault codes as they can often lead you to suspect parts that are not faulty at all. A knock sensor, despite its title, is not fitted to det...

therealdb1

I would check for air leaks on the induction. Rubber hoses can continue to perish and eventually split even when the car is laid up in the garage as I discovered a couple of years ago. If the car was running fine when parked and there is no obvious wetness to cause electrical issues an air leak woul...

therealdb1

Yes there are definitely at least two types of washer bottle since I have one of each! If it is the type at the rear of the engine compartment what can happen is the mounting bracket comes away from the main reservoir body leaving a hole in the back of the reservoir. It is quite near the top so the ...

therealdb1

Hi Richard, Looks like a nice clean example but be aware that since October 1st in the UK it stopped being possible to transfer the tax disc with the car. You have to claim any unused tax and the buyer has to purchase their own. Daft system I know but they are the rules. If I were you I'd reclaim th...

therealdb1

Hi Boosh, If you have the round 20 pin pac-man connector under the bonnet you will probably need to connect to that to read the airbag module. Normally all that is available on the OBD 2 connector inside the car under the steering wheel is the engine management DME module. Most likely cause of your ...

therealdb1

How times change! £8k for a 4 pot although I suspect the OP has been there and done that by now as the Z's generally appear to change hands several times in 10 years!

therealdb1

It's a bit difficult to tell from the photos what warrants £10k of damage. My experience of these repairers is that the first question they ask is whether or not it is an insurance job. Answer "yes" and the quote shall be so ridiculous it will write off virtually any car. Get a couple of q...

therealdb1

Hi Sasker I endorse what the others have said; do not be put off by mileage. Mine has 120k. Look around as it is the right time of year now the rainy season has arrived and you have a reasonable budget certainly for a Z3. Mechanically the cars are not difficult to work on and the knowledgebase on he...

therealdb1

Unfortunately as well as a battery you should budget for a trickle charger otherwise with the limited use that your car appears to get you will be replacing batteries regularly. Modern car batteries do not seem to tolerate the deep discharge that they get with the alarm system draining them continuo...

therealdb1

The question is why? I had a simple Nokia that was a personal phone. Got a new job which came with an iPhone 4S. Ok it had a few features that were useful. After a year the company insisted on "upgrading" to an iPhone 5S. By this time my 4S was sorted and reliable so I said no thanks but t...

therealdb1

Hi guys, I couldn't help being pedantic but that is not a volume meter but a Mass Air Flow meter or MAF as they are commonly called.
Search using the word 'mass' rather than 'volume' and you may find further alternatives at more sensible prices than 400 Euros.

therealdb1

Hi Shirley, silly questions but..... Have you driven the car since you replaced the ABS sensors? Sometimes the wheels need to turn to get the module back into gear so to speak. Did you clean the toothed wheels that the sensors read? Often these get clogged with magnetic material and the sensors cann...

therealdb1

Hi Mark,
Read it again as that price is plus VAT and the price list is dated January 2011.
I'm not saying that you shouldn't enquire but expect to pay more than £190.

therealdb1

It depends what you mean by "low".
AFAIK all Z3's have low profile tyres it's just that some are lower than others. These cars do seem to be quite sensitive to tyre choice.
What car do you have and what rubber are you running at present?

therealdb1

Generally a thicker front ARB will increase the 'push' i.e. give you more understeer. This can be beneficial under certain circumstances like flowing fast bends since it gives more confidence that the car will not swap ends and reverse into a lamp-post or hedge. Most road cars are set up with unders...

therealdb1

That's not good news, Marty. I've been through it myself, twice! It doesn't do much for the self-esteem. What is your line of work? Maybe someone on here can offer you something or point you in the direction of a new opportunity. Use every available line of networking open to you and this is communi...

therealdb1

I often see a Z3 in Norfolk but usually from the inside unless I'm looking out of the kitchen window! In fact there are 2 or 3 regularly lurking around the Hopton area. I'm not sure where they are based but if the owners are members of this forum I'd be interested to know. Incidentally, 'Nelson' wou...

therealdb1

Don't forget to tell your insurance company that you have non-standard discs fitted. It probably will not increase your premium but will certainly give them an excuse not to pay up if you claim and they were not aware of the modification.

therealdb1

I've never had a problem fitting the tonneau cover but I am surprised that it stays attached with those tiny little press studs. It seems to be much heavier than necessary. I find myself driving along with one eye on the tonneau cover in the mirrors in case it becomes detached and surprises the foll...

therealdb1

My supercharged Jag used to struggle to reach 14mpg on a run! Cyclists saving the planet pretended to choke on the fumes as it wafted past. It was a very fast motor car by any standards but unfortunately Jaguar forgot to fit any brakes! The consensus is correct on working out mpg though. The more mi...

therealdb1

Cheers Del. I'll look into those for starters. Pedro, when I was checking my electric fan it started up with the ignition on but the engine wasn't even running so no the air con doesn't need to be on. If you are going to remove the viscous coupled fan I suggest that you do check that the electric on...

therealdb1

Just an update. My car did indeed have a BMW branded fan clutch so it could well be the original fitment especially since to remove it I destroyed my first water pump locking bar and had to make a new one from much more solid steel. Yes I did remember that the fan has a left hand thread but the nut ...

therealdb1

Hi, when I brought my black Porsche many moons ago the vendor recommended Zymol Carbon wax applied with bare fingers. It was like rubbing melting coconut butter onto the bodywork but having used it on that car and gone through the usual Mer, Autoglym, Meguires etc. I can thoroughly recommend it. How...

therealdb1

Thanks to everyone who has replied. I've eliminated the electric fan by disconnecting the switch as Mike suggested. Once I've procured a 32mm spanner I'll whip off the viscous coupling and give it a try just to confirm although with 120,000 miles on the clock with what looks to be an original part i...

therealdb1

Hi all, I have a 2000 2 litre and intermittently it started to make a racket like a jet engine when hot. Now it does it all of the time I've decided I need to do something about it. The symptoms are that with a cold engine everything is fine but once the engine is up to temperature it sounds like a ...

therealdb1

Hi Andy, thanks for the update and I am glad that you are sorted. It is threads like this one that make the forum such a useful resource. I don't know what the weather is like where you are but we have had 3 weeks of fog in Norfolk so my Z is not out of hibernation yet! As for the wife, well it's he...

therealdb1

Welcome Jordy, You really need to stop there and get the codes read. It is a needle in a haystack otherwise and you will spend a fortune on replacement parts that you don't need. Buying your own code reader is not expensive these days, considerably less than a cam or lambda sensor anyway, and it wil...

therealdb1

Hi Andy, Unfortunately those are the sort of prices for OEM MAF's. I have to admit I did go down the road of the breakers yard since the car doesn't get used much. The guy who sold it knew the history and mileage of the car it came from and offered a guarantee. Just give the seller the part number f...

therealdb1

Hi Andy,

Did you ever get your car sorted?

It is useful to post a conclusion on here to assist others in the future.

Cheers

Chris

therealdb1

It is excellent stuff you will not be disappointed.
Go for it!

therealdb1

By the way Andy, Forgot to mention if you do need new hoses call your local BMW Dealer and like me you may be pleasantly surprised to find that genuine BMW hoses are cheaper that the Latvian or equivalent copies sold on ebay. The BMW dealerships do seem to have realised that these are not £30k cars ...

therealdb1

Hi Andy, Many thanks for your praise but I wouldn't consider myself a genius. I just have a long memory of the frustration and number of wild goose chases that the fault codes sent me on to try and cure the exact symptoms that you described. My Z had a Siemens unit and I replaced like for like. If y...

therealdb1

Hi gyro, I had exactly the same problem after a lay up and it took 3 months to find the culprit! Disconnect the MAF plug and see if it will run then. It will not run correctly as it will use a default fuel air mix but you could still drive it if you have to. If it runs with the MAF disconnected a re...

therealdb1

I would have though a dehumidifier is an excellent idea. After all my Zed has air con fitted which ultimately dehumidifies the air inside the car which is why it doesn't mist up. Just keep the leather fed as already mentioned. I use Gliptone. Great stuff and it makes your seats smell like new leathe...

therealdb1

I don't think it's always a case of carelessness. Sometimes you wonder how drivers pass their test and get a license! I've been an advocate for many years for having graded driving licenses although I understand it would be impossible to impose and police. The fact is if you have the money and lack ...

therealdb1

The hex headed ones maybe but I've never known slide bolts to be so tight that they snap. I would have thought that your 7mm allen key would give way first! I don't intend to patronise but you are turning them anti-clockwise? Most cars have similar set ups normally originating from ATE so if you can...

therealdb1

Hi Tony, I posted a lost power on a 2 litre (manual) thread but it was earlier than last week more like a month ago. It took a while to resolve but it seems to be ok now. What are your symptoms? Does it go into limp home with the EML on? Have you had any codes read? Is it an intermittent or permanen...

therealdb1

Ah yes I have that note to myself too.

Lubricate bonnet catches regularly!

And another one:

At the first sign of release lever stiffness do something about it!

therealdb1

See told you you would be surprised how cheap the parts are from BMW!!! I found this out when I needed the rubber bellows from the MAF to the throttle body. I was looking at aftermarket parts on ebay and the like and they were asking £20 to £30 plus postage for a single section. Went to the franchis...

therealdb1

This happened to me recently. There are two cables under there. One from the lever to the offside catch and a second from the offside catch to the nearside catch. What happens is one or both of the catches seize up which is why your lever has been stiff and you carry on getting around to it one day ...

therealdb1

Wish I could snatch your hand off!
Lovely low mileage and colour but my 2 litre did less than 400 miles between MOT's last year so it is difficult to justify another Z!

Strange that it appears to carry a different Reg No front to rear. That could confuse the Big Brother cameras.

therealdb1

Has the exhaust note changed since this problem manifested itself or has it always sounded like that? The four pots certainly sound different to the sixes. What does it do when it "struggles"? Does it mis-fire or is it just flat? If the car runs out of puff it could be the MAF, or possibly...

therealdb1

Car returned today with a year MOT and no advisories.

It seems to cruise better now too but not convinced if this is the replacement MDK or just psychological.

Sorted!!!

therealdb1

Mike & Sandy, I asked this question just before I parted company with my hard earned to see if it was worth the premium over black or silver. The consensus was that the cars are "Individual" and therefore different specs and records were not kept. I couldn't resist the Mora Red metalli...

therealdb1

Robert, I've added the module availability on my car to the appropriate thread as promised. It really substantiates Brian's description of how the OBD is configured on the Z3. With the replacement throttle body and two new rear wheel sensors fitted the car is showing no warning lights at present and...

therealdb1

Robert as promised this is the list of available modules from INPA via OBDII and 20 pin circular connector on my car. BMW Z3 2 litre build date April 2000 I am using a BMCables.Com OBDII to USB converter with an OBDII to 20 pin adaptor and quite a late version of INPA v5.0.6. The E36 is not even lis...

therealdb1

The latest update. I decided that the most likely cause of my problem was either the MDK or the interconnection between this unit and the DME being intermittent. Looking on ebay there were plenty of pre-owned MDK's to choose from so I picked the one that looked the cleanest and once it arrived spent...

therealdb1

Hi Mike, Thanks for your input. My understanding is that the 2 litre engines do have a cable to the throttle body but it is not mechanically connected to the throttle butterfly. It only operates a potentiometer which in turn instructs the control unit to send a signal to the butterfly motor with pos...

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