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TomH84

Hey all, Thought I'd post a couple of "Zed pics" from my recent two-week trip to France. We covered 2200 miles averaging 33mpg: visiting Rouen, the Loire, Brittany, and Normandy. Great trip! Driving in France is such a breeze. The roof was down for two weeks :squeeze: I was surprised at ju...

TomH84

It's not a sport and there's also no mention of any LSD option when you check the VIN, so it must be non-LSD and thus 75/90w. Part of me is still tempted to go with 75/140w, if only because it's specified as non-LSD safe too. Insurance policy too. Hmm.

Thanks!

TomH84

Thanks guys!

I've entered my VIN online and there's no mention of a LSD in the print out (I assume it would be listed as an optional extra?).
Does this mean I'm non-LSD - therefore need the 75/90w?

Cheers,

Tom

TomH84

Just back from 2 weeks in France - great driving (pics to follow). The little Zed drove perfectly and racked up 2200 miles with ease. The only little 'niggle' I had was with the diff. It was a little whiny at times - nothing dramatic, but I think it's time for a fluid change. Don't think it's been d...

TomH84

Cheers!

Am looking forward to it. Just trying to plan the route down from Liverpool to Dover - the worst bit. M25 Anticlockwise at 9.30 / 10am - arghh...

I'll post some 'zed abroad' pics when I'm back.

TomH84

Cheers! Nice and easy

Have a great trip yourself!

TomH84

Hey guys, Off to France in the Zed for 2 weeks next Wednesday. Yeah!! Really excited about the first road trip in the car. Pics to follow! I bought headlight converters (and breathalysers, high viz vest etc...) to avoid trouble with the French police. They are the standard self-adhestive converters....

TomH84

Don't think there's anything to worry about here, especially if the wear on both sides is broadly consistent. Others will no doubt correct me here. The rear suspension on the Z3 is set up by BMW to wear the inner tyres more than the middle /outer sections. I can't recall if it's 'toe' or 'cam' that'...

TomH84

Hey all, I took the car over to Wales yesterday for the first time. Great day, with lots of fun driving in the Zed. Hopefully, the start of a long summer with the roof down 8-) I set out out from Liverpool mid morning yesterday and headed first for Conwy. Visited the castle there and had a stroll ab...

TomH84

Very true!! I was out for a fun blast in the car today - roof down (mostly!). Fun times.

I just get annoyed when things don't work… The car doesn't seem to drive like it's down 7.2 mpg. I'm guessing it would be as rough as hell at that rate!

TomH84

No all Zeds have them. The "computer" (as things were in the 90s) is fitting in place of the clock on most later models I think. Nothing special. I think you can still get an MPG reading without one. You can get the dash display to read the mpg where the odometer reading is. There's a tric...

TomH84

My on board computer MPG reading has started reading 7.2 MPG all the time. I've reset it (pressing the button on the indicator stalk), but after working for 10mins or so it always returns to 7.2 MPG. This can't be right. Any ideas what to check? All the other functions read correctly. Can I get a fa...

TomH84

The hose was completely torn. Rips in the joint on the small hose that's part of the lower boot attaching to the throttle. It's a very common failure. Pin sized holes are unlikely to through a code I think. The ECU can deal with 10% lean or rich conditions. More than that and you get the check light...

TomH84

Just replaced the lower intake hose/boot. The computer was throwing unmetered air codes. Wow, what a difference!! Much more punch, especially down in the revs :) :) Best £12 I've spent in a while. The old boot/hose had completely perished. Not too difficult to replace though. I also took the chance ...

TomH84

Afternoon all! My brake fluid idiot light started flashing very very faintly a couple of months back (when engine running and/or just ignition on). Initially, it only flashed faintly it now and again. Now it's pretty much all the time. It's really annoying! I've kept a close eye on the fluid level (...

TomH84

Think I've located the problem. There's a large (1 inch) cut in the rubber intake boot (throttle body to maf). A problem that side of the engine would probably explain why both banks 1 and 2 levels are out. It's pretty big cut in the rubber. I'm surprised it's not affecting performance more. Tom

TomH84

I think the codes were cleared back in December (with a different reader), but I agree that it's a good idea to do it again. As you say, no point chasing a dud fault code.

Cheers,

Tom

TomH84

So, my C110 code reader arrived this morning. Great little thing. Good quality too. Plugged the thing in and got these codes (which had triggered the CEL): - E3 Fuel trim bank 1 permissible range exceeded - 64 Control unit self test - E4 Fuel trim bank 2 permissible range exceeded Car runs fine, but...

TomH84

x3 on the 'professional' range. My full set (think it might be the 200 price, £150 one) has seen some decent use and is all still in great shape. I picked mine up half price during one of their promotions. They run them nearly every other month now it seems. Got a good few bits and pieces from Machi...

TomH84

And I only popped out for a pint of milk. LOL

TomH84

Great stuff, that what it's all about :) I did 60 miles with the roof down yesterday. A round trip from the centre of Edinburgh, over the Forth Bridge, up along the Fife coast along the twisties, and back. Bright and sunny - and toasty warm in the cabin with the heater blowing and the heated seat on...

TomH84

Turns out it is the petrol cap (again). The one I bought from eurocarparts has only lasted 2 months. The rubber is not sealing properly. You can see petrol all around the rubber ring. Ordered a new BMW cap from the local dealer. Inevitably, I stole a look at the new BMWs. The current Z4 is pretty ug...

TomH84

Cheers, good to know!

I watched the marketing blurb from PEAKE and it seems (at least from their spiel) that their reader is able to diagnose/locate faults more specifically than the generic code reader; e.g. it will throw up a code that translates into something like 'broken cyl. 1-3 02 sensor' etc.

TomH84

Hey guys, Just driven 250 miles up to Edinburgh. First run in the car this week. Great fun. Got the roof down too between the rain showers :) After a stop at the services, the CEL came on again. Grr. Last time this happened, I bought a new fuel cap and this solved the problem. However, I know that I...

TomH84

Just changed the shocks. Nice easy job. My old shocks were absolutely dead. They don't rebound at all when you compress them! Yikes I'm looking forward to the test drive tomorrow am :) :squeeze: :) I'm now planning to do the front struts. Sure these will be dead too. Slowly getting the Zed back to f...

TomH84

Personally, I'd want exact replacement for stock parts, but others with much more knowledge will advise on this. ..,If you can't find the exact match on the eBay site, I suggest you call eurocarparts. You can usually negotiate a discount if you order multiple bits over the phone. Their sales team wo...

TomH84

Eurocarparts are even cheaper through their ebay site. Search for carpartssaver under sellers. Free delivery too.

Just got a set of Sachs rear shocks for £66 ish

Tom

TomH84

Cheers. Shocks and drop links ordered. I hope I can get the links on without taking the bar off the car.

I've found some helpful info on previous posts too.

Thanks!

TomH84

Thanks Del, I only hear the rattle with the roof down at low speeds (0-25mph). Cornering doesn't have an impact. Only had the car a couple of months. I'm now working my way through the to-do list. Service items done so far... Filters, coolant, belts, water lump, new bulbs etc. Time to deal with the ...

TomH84

I've been investigating a rattle at the back end. I noticed that I've still got the original shocks at 83k. I checked the mounts - initial suspects for the rattle. These are in great shape too. Is it time to replace the shocks / mounts as preventive maintenance? I've read that shocks loose their pun...

TomH84

Well, I tried the 'topping off' idea, but no luck :bawl: The red idiot lights still flashes for the first couple of miles, pausing for a rest occasionally. After that, it goes out and stays out. I don't think it's a warm up issue as the same thing happens when you start with a hot engine. I disconne...

TomH84

Hi, I've got the same car (02 plate too). Changed the water pump etc last month. Just for info: my original pump had a metal impeller. It was also in A1 condition (82k). I'd already bought a replacement, so changed it, but could have left it. You might want to remove the old one before buying a new ...

TomH84

I highly recommend Bilt Hamber products. Their cavity sprays are unbelievably brilliant. They also do an excellent range of rust converters and anti rust primers. Far superior to rivals. Reasonably priced and UK made. I've used their entire range on my classics for years with great results. http://w...

TomH84

Cheers for that! I'm going for the 914s from event tyres.

Interested to see how the car handles with some new shoes

TomH84

Cheers guys.

True, a list of 'rotters' would be good

There's more than one good option as you say.

As I'm replacing 4 I'll have to pass on the super high end stuff. I don't push the car that much tbh, so a good set of mid range would prob be ok.

TomH84

Thanks! Maybe my vreds are just old

Good to read that you've had a better experience

TomH84

The date codes on my tyres (vredstein sessanta 245/40/R17) don't make for comfortable reading. Fronts are 0803 (2003); rear are 0710 (2010). I've also got bad wear on the inner rear o/s tyre (otherwise is ok). Time to replace the tyres... My impression is that the vredstein tyres are horrible. I kno...

TomH84

I go for the spitfire over the MGB. You'll get more for your cash too - though your budget might be a little on the light side for a decent one. As everyone says, it's all about the bodywork. Everything else is incredible cheap and so easy to fix. Walk away if there's rust. At this age, you really n...

TomH84

Thank guys. I'll double check the fluid level just to be absolutely sure there's no leak in the system. The light is coming on after the dashlight 'check' sequence, which is all working normally when you start up. It's the faint, flickering nature of the fluid warning light (for the first couple of ...

TomH84

Hi all, Had a great weekend up in the Lake District with the car. Shame about the awful weather. Didn't manage to get the hood down, but hey ho. A little niggle has just appeared on my dash. The brake hydraulic warning light flashes red very very faintly for a couple minutes after start up. I've loo...

TomH84

A few things that might help: - give the rubber hood frame and door seals a good clean with rubber restorer. I use Autoglym bumper car (green goo). The seals get really old and give up. 5 mins of attention all round really helps keep the water out. Also, you can try a little petroleum jelly (but onl...

TomH84

Thanks guys!! I think we're all alright now. I carefully expected for leaks this morning. There was a drip from the plastic under tray. I collected some of the liquid - it was the old coolant (non BMW, light pink/red tint), and not the new BMW blue coolant I put in after the flush. Guess all the old...

TomH84

Thanks guys!! I think you might have solved the problem. :) Evaporating spilled coolant would make sense. Old coolant spilled everywhere when I opened the block drain plug on Saturday pm. Coolant also leaked out when I removed the water pump. It's likely that there's still some liquid sitting in the...

TomH84

Hi all, I posted earlier about my water pump, plugs & belt change. I got a new battery this morning - the car now starts fine. However ... When I was bleeding the system, I noticed (what looked like) steam coming from under the left side (driver side in UK) of the engine - after about 3-5 mins r...

TomH84

Ok, thanks. Maybe I should go for a direct replacement just to be sure.

The current battery is a Yuasa 100 (70ah, 650cca). Is that OEM on a 2002?

TomH84

Vent pipe. Ok. Thanks for explaining that!

On batteries, do I need to get the new one coded? I read that somewhere, but might not apply to the Z.

Tom

TomH84

Update: The battery is dead. I had it hooked up to a 2 amp charger overnight and it only raised the voltage to 11.8v. Tried to start this morning - got nothing. n fact, it was worse than before charging. Not even a click. Measured with multimeter after trying: down to 8v. I'll pick up a new battery ...

TomH84

Hope it's just that. It would be a bit annoying if I've bust something. My luck!

I assume the loud click is the starter? It just clicks once per turn of the key.

I'll give it ago later once the battery's back up to normal.

TomH84

You got it right on! I left the book lid open to 'air' for a good 4 hours.

You live, you learn..

Tom

TomH84

Thanks guys. With fresh eyes and after a night's rest, I managed to do it properly: got both plugs out and the system fully drained. Accessing that block plug is something! Thankfully the last person to touch it was pretty gentle tightening it back up :) I've now replaced the water pump (the old one...

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