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Coupes & Convertibles BMW M/M3/M6 BMW M3 Maintenance and Repair
228 messages, Last post on Nov 05, 2009 at 9:24 PM
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Replying to: frankmeister (May 28, 2007 6:42 pm) They are correct. Hard to believe when my 85 Toyota had it. What say ye? Any thoughts. I've owned a couple of e36 3ers and I never gave the three speed wipers a second thought. From my perspective, the only thing that can ruin an E36 M3 is an automatic transmission  The E46 3ers do have variable intermittent wipers, so you could always trade up. OTOH, I'm sure you can find more than a few 1985 Toyota owners who would be eager to swap you even for your M3 
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I have a 95 M3 (white-the finest color). I have owned it for 9 of it's 12 years, and I am still excited every spring when I take it out of storage. It has not had much maintenance, other than oil changes. It was carefully checked by a good(but not BMW) mechanic, who found it to be still excellent at 83,000 miles. I just had the transmission fluid changed. What maintenance should it be getting beyond oil changes? Somebody mentioned coolant, and brake fluid.
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Replying to: whitem3 (Jun 06, 2007 1:31 pm) Change brake fluid every two years using a quality DOT4 such as ATE Super Blue Racing. Flush it every year if you track it. Manual gearbox and final drive should get changed at  60,000 mile intervals(every second Inspection II). I'd suggest a quality synthetic Dexron II ATF for the gearbox, and a good synthetic 75W-140 GL-5 gear oil for the final drive. I use Royal Purple, but Amsoil, Mobil 1, Redline, and Valvoline make suitable equivalents. Again, I'd halve the frequency if I used the car at HPDEs.
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Replying to: roadburner (Jun 06, 2007 2:34 pm)
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Replying to: whitem3 (Jun 06, 2007 6:29 pm) The plugs get changed at the Inspection II. If the belts have never been changed I'd do it now. Also check the belt idler and tensioner pulleys. If any of them are noisy or wobbly they need to be replaced. Would you replace the water pump at this point? In my experience the lifespan of BMW six cylinder water pumps is 60000-100000 miles. It couldn't hurt to change it, it's a fairly simple procedure. Some vendors are selling a replacement pump which is supposedly much more efficient and durable, but the long-term data isn't in yet. It's expensive- around $195 as compared with $70-$80 for an OEM pump. I'd also think about replacing the radiator; the OEM units have a bad habit of failing at the most inconvenient times. If you plan on keeping the car I'd recommend installing Zionsville Autosport's Alloy Radiator with Hi-Po Kit.
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Replying to: roadburner (Jun 06, 2007 8:28 pm)
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Replying to: whitem3 (Jun 07, 2007 5:46 am) Ask away, I'm happy to help. What plugs do you recommend? The BMW ETK(parts CD) calls for either a Bosch F7 LDCR or a NGK BKR 6 EK. Anything else you can think of? You might want to pick up the E36 Bentley service manual- on either paper or CD. You should also check out this E36 DIY page. |
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| You have given me a wealth of valuable advice. I am struggling a little with replacing the radiator, but everything else sounds like reasonable insurance that my car will not suddenly have a disaster while traveling. | |
95 M3-83,000 miles. Should the timing chains be replaced at some point? How about a 92 degree thermostat? When replacing the belts, should the pulleys and tensioners be replaced? Thank you very much-whitem3 (Steve)
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Replying to: whitem3 (Jun 11, 2007 10:35 am) Probably not for at least 150K more miles. When replacing the belts, should the pulleys and tensioners be replaced? It wouldn't hurt to replace the tensioner/idler pulleys; they usually begin to fail in the 100K-130K range. If one does let go it can be a real pain- ask me how I know... |
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