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car woes (Read 1624 times)
Aug 9th, 2007 at 5:51pm

Craig.   Offline
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Birmingham

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Well, it seems my cars having a few hiccups. theres a hole in my exhaust in the join between the last box before the final exhaust pipe and the pipe itself, and theres now also a rather quiet but noticeable squealing sound from the rear, I think this is the same problem as before with the bolt holding the backplate of the brakes to the car itself being worn. There is also a simmilar sound from up front but I think it could just be partly down to my exhaust going.  Hopefully not too expensive to fix it all. Undecided
 
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Reply #1 - Aug 9th, 2007 at 6:07pm

ozzy72   Offline
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Okay Craig well the exhaust hole being so far back from the manifold and downpipes can probably be fixed temporarily with a fiberglass kit from Halfords that'll last a while. I'd think the brake squeaking is probably brake dust from the pads. If you jack the car up and take the wheels off and clean the brakes down properly with a soft brush (or if you're lazy a hose) the squeaking should vanish Wink
 

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Reply #2 - Aug 9th, 2007 at 6:33pm

Craig.   Offline
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Thanks Mark, doing a quick check, its the join between the tail pipe and the silencer, at least its not the cat.
The noise from the brakes, I'll give it a look but I am almost certain its the same problem because it's almost the same sound just a bit quieter, plus I was warned it would likely go again. I must admit to being rather stupid recently by rallying it on a gravel road, which might have contributed to the hole in the exhaust. Was fun though.
 
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Reply #3 - Aug 9th, 2007 at 6:43pm

ozzy72   Offline
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If you've holed the box then you'll have 2 choices realistically, either a new box or weld the hole. I'd rent a Mig welder from your local tool hire place and make a patch... oh and in future make extensions to the boxes so they don't get holed (if you don't know how any half-way decent rallying book will show you) Wink
 

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There are two types of aeroplane, Spitfires and everything else that wishes it was a Spitfire!
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Reply #4 - Aug 9th, 2007 at 6:59pm

Craig.   Offline
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I'm not planning any more off road escapades with it. It's too important to my day to day life to be p*ssing around with it. Not sure yet whether to replace the whole lot, I dont know its history or when it was last replaced, so at least like the brakes, I can put a timeline on the parts.
 
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Reply #5 - Aug 12th, 2007 at 9:40am

4_Series_Scania   Offline
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Hi Craig.

Think yourself lucky you did'nt hole your fuel tank mate! - I've recently managed this feat without rallying my BMW !

The exhaust could well just have gone, they are a consumable item and will fail over time, rallying won't help - not for nothing do rally cars have plates welded to their exhausts.  Wink

As for the squeak, I'd put £10 on its either a very loud mouse located under the car, or its the same damn brake squeak which plagues my car.

It goes away if you do a full stop from 100+ mph, but its back before you know it  Roll Eyes

The harder you use the brakes, the less they squeak, use them gently and it just gets worse. In a nutshell, its dust build up. A good blast of the brakes with a high pressure / steam washer certainly helps, take it from me though, saturated brakes don't stop you!  Embarrassed Grin

I've recently had my MOT test, the tester commented on the "sodding BMW squeky brakes" and told me to "brake harder"  Shocked

I'm assuming, obviously, you still have your BMW mate!  Huh
 

Posting drivel here since Jan 31st, 2002. - That long!
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Reply #6 - Aug 12th, 2007 at 9:53am

Craig.   Offline
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Hi mate, yup I still have it. Serving me well.Smiley
I've taken a proper look today in good light, its actually the first silencer box not the back box, and the holes gotten noticeably bigger. It's going to have to wait till thursday but i'm almost certain now it'll need to be replaced. I'm dreading to think how much it'll cost.
 
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Reply #7 - Aug 12th, 2007 at 6:00pm

4_Series_Scania   Offline
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Craig. wrote on Aug 12th, 2007 at 9:53am:
Hi mate, yup I still have it. Serving me well.Smiley
I've taken a proper look today in good light, its actually the first silencer box not the back box, and the holes gotten noticeably bigger. It's going to have to wait till thursday but i'm almost certain now it'll need to be replaced. I'm dreading to think how much it'll cost.



http://www.gsfcarparts.com/

Or, if your a bit stuck for cash, give these guys a call.

FAB, the specialist BMW breakers / dismantlers.

http://www.fabdirect.com/ - They currently have  4 1995 318ti m42 compact's in for breaking, one should have a decent system on it.  Wink

Give them a call & ask.
FAB RECYCLING LTD
Broadmoor Road,
Cinderford,
Gloucestershire,
GL14 2YL,
England.

Tel: 01594-827333
Smiley
 

Posting drivel here since Jan 31st, 2002. - That long!
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Reply #8 - Aug 12th, 2007 at 6:19pm

Craig.   Offline
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Thank you for the links. That first one has the rear section i need for £125 which is about £30 cheaper than the cheapest so far. The big problem with that is fitting it. I wouldn't really know how or where to begin. I suppose my haynes manual would be helpful on that one. Roll Eyes Grin

P.S. Couple of sets of alloys in that second link I wouldn't mind, sadly wont have the money this month. Same with the M3 engine. But that would not only bump the insurance through the roof, but also need a rebuild to manual transmission.
 
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Reply #9 - Aug 12th, 2007 at 6:53pm

4_Series_Scania   Offline
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Craig. wrote on Aug 12th, 2007 at 6:19pm:
Thank you for the links. That first one has the rear section i need for £125 which is about £30 cheaper than the cheapest so far. The big problem with that is fitting it. I wouldn't really know how or where to begin. I suppose my haynes manual would be helpful on that one. Roll Eyes Grin

No problem.  Smiley


Buy the item, walk into your nearest exhaust centre, offer one of the fitters "a drink" for fitting it - jobs a good'un.  Wink

Craig. wrote on Aug 12th, 2007 at 6:19pm:
P.S. Couple of sets of alloys in that second link I wouldn't mind, sadly wont have the money this month. Same with the M3 engine. But that would not only bump the insurance through the roof, but also need a rebuild to manual transmission.


Plonking larger or smaller alloys on your car will just mess up the handling and as for adding an M3's engine, you'd also have to consider the suspension, steering,brakes and a few other odds 'n sods!  Wink
 

Posting drivel here since Jan 31st, 2002. - That long!
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Reply #10 - Aug 12th, 2007 at 7:00pm

Craig.   Offline
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I agree on the engine side. I'm still on a quest to replace the alloys I have now, They are just butt ugly in my opinion. I quite like the E36 M3 alloys, but I wouldn't mind the newer style BMW alloys with the 20 odd spokes. only looking to go upto 17's max. Any bigger and it just looks stupid on the small beemers.
 
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Reply #11 - Aug 12th, 2007 at 7:03pm

4_Series_Scania   Offline
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He who laughs last, thinks
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If you do swap the alloys, make sure you get the suspension geometry checked & re-adjusted to suit the new wheels - its well worth the £25 it may cost you.
 

Posting drivel here since Jan 31st, 2002. - That long!
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Reply #12 - Aug 12th, 2007 at 7:11pm

Craig.   Offline
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Will do.
I think after the exhaust, I'm going to get the rear suspension checked over (bushes and such), more for my peace of mind much like the exhaust I dont know when it was last checked and replaced. Buit i'll get my cousin to do that so I dont have to worry about getting conned into buying something I dont need.
 
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Reply #13 - Aug 12th, 2007 at 10:47pm

beaky   Offline
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Oh, boo hoo... I feel so sorry for you... poor baby...  Grin

Gather 'round and hear the tale of a 1000-mile nonstop journey; times two;  in a vehicle that should have never made the trip; a 1996 Geo Tracker, she was, with at least 180, 000 hard miles on 'er,  'though the speedo/odo cable was broken, so no man alive was certain of the actual mileage...

Bound fer Oshkosh, she was, and before leaving port at Newark her skipper changed her oil and finally installed that new heater core, fearing misty conditions on the way through Pennsylvania that would require liberal use of the defroster. a hell of a job it was- days in dry dock with her whole dash torn apart, her master cursing and toiling.
A shakedown cruise to the New Jersey shore (about 150 miles RT) showed no troubles, so on the appointed afternoon he set sail to the West , the Tracker's hold bulging with camping gear, cameras, a bicycle, and a cooler full of Red Bull... with 18-20 hours estimated to his destination.
Near sundown, as they approached the Delaware River, the engine temp needle suddenly jumped towards the upper stop, and the sickly smell of glycol filled the air. The captain deftly maneuvered her to the next exit, and upon pulling over on the shoulder of a local street, opened the hood and discovered that the upper rear hose between the block and the heater core had ruptured . As the sun sank, so did the skipper's heart- that hose is nearly impossible to get at. But he was not one to be stopped by so simple a thing, so after an hour of greasy labor, cursing as his hands were seared by the hot block, he managed to cut off the broken part and somehow clamp the hose back in place. He congratulated himself for having remembered to bring a pair of mini vise-Grips, without which the task would have been impossible.

Wisely staying on the county road, he made it another mile or so, and again the hose parted- seems the cheap factory spring-clamp, being so difficult to move into position, had slipped off the nipple... a proper screw-type hose clamp was needed. With a howl of rage, the capt. realized he had not brought any along... he tramped about a mile to the nearest Wal-Mart and returned with the needed parts. Another two hours or so later, the little Tracker was on its way again, the captain warily- and wearily- eyeing the temp gauge.

Through the night he drove her, along the winding hills of Rt 80 West, and at each rest area, where he tried to steal a few winks at a time, he saw nothing amiss with the engine. But it seemed that the heater core would not grow warm- it was mysterious, as there is no valve, only a flapper that releases the warm air from the core housing. Fortunately, though they passed through fog and rain, the windshield remained clear.
All the way through the endless wastes of Ohio and Indiana they passed, with no apparent trouble. The captain smiled.
But passing through the hellish region known as the Chicago Tollway the next morning, the Tracker began to complain at each toll plaza... she would start to boil and knock and wheeze, and her skipper feared the head gasket was giving way. But no- upon examination, no fault was seen... she would boil over, though, when stopped- spewing steam out of the relief hose from the reservoir. Stopping yet again to put some water in the radiator, he noticed that the spring valve on the radiator cap was broken. A piece to the puzzle, perhaps? Once clear of the evil toll plazas, he could drive her on without care, but he vowed to stop in Fond du Lac to get a new radiator cap.
New radiator cap in place and a fresh piece of hose to replace the jury-rigged one later, the tiny craft arrived at AirVenture, almost overheating in the registration lineup. Some days later, the captain replaced the upper rear hose and  examined the others, but was unable to do a proper flush of the cooling system, due to circumstances.
The Tracker again ran fine at cruise speed, but began to complain and hiss whenever idling. All the way home from the Great Lakes, through a day and a night, the bleary-eyed captain spent each moment fearing the engine would simply explode. Hitting one construction delay after another on Rt 80 East, he nearly went insane as he nursed the feverish engine along.
Home at last 24 hours after departing, he set out, after a rest, to the shore again, to retrieve his first mate Peg, the three-legged Wonder-Rotty, who'd been left back East with friends. The trip was uneventful, even with all the idling at the Turnpike and Parkway
tolls... it seemed the little vessel's troubles were over.
But as they detoured to a McDonald's drive-through not two blocks from home, a mighty blast was heard, like the fart of a dying whale rolling over one last time!! They limped to port, and the next day the capt. beheld: the lower hose, from the radiator to the block, had ruptured, from stem to stern!  Perhaps it had been leaking slightly all along... or was there air trapped in the plumbing?
No matter...  after scouring the parts stores on Manhattan Isle the capt. found the correct hose and installed it, flushing out the air, he hoped, and checking the thermostat and fan clutch.

And now the little Tracker is faring much better... the new heater core works, and she doesn't overheat, but the horn- which hasn't worked since the captain removed the steering wheel to remove the dashboard to change the heater core weeks before the journey- still doesn't work.    Roll Eyes Cheesy

The End



 

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Reply #14 - Aug 13th, 2007 at 8:15am

Craig.   Offline
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Birmingham

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LOL. that really does suck. But at least you could fix it yourself. Thanks to those bloody germans, I'm forced to fly in a guy name franz first class just to change a light bulb it seems. Or at least I'm sure thats how BMW dealers run their business. Roll Eyes Grin
 
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