Beiträge von Paul_M

It's a large case diff, so probably much the same internals as the standard CSi diff. The M3 Evo was the only E36 to get this diff (even the 3.0 E36 M3 had the medium case diff). I doubt it'll have any problems handling the torque of the CSi.

Interesting aside - the 6-speed box used in the 840Ci (and 850CSi) has been shown to handle over 500 lb ft torque over a prolonged period. Bearing in mind that the 840 produces what 300 lb/ft? So it shows that, at least in this era, many components were very over-engineered.

For those of us not lucky enough to own a CSi, fitting a LSD is a definite improvement over stock. The only reason BMW fit an open diff is cost. There's a reason why all M-cars, plus a few select older non-M BMWs (850 CSi, E36 328i Sport, E34 535i Sport, etc) are fitted with an LSD from the factory.

Some will say that ASC+T does the job of an LSD, but quite frankly it can only be considered to be doing a very poor job of it. I always switch ASC off when I drive my 840, as it's nothing more than a nuisance. I'm then faced with the classic "one wheel drive" that all powerful open-diff cars suffer on anything other than perfect surfaces. I'm aware of the "secret" mode of the ASC+T, but it's not really that helpful in my experience.

My E36 3-series daily driver is fitted with an LSD (aftermarket upgrade by myself to improve traction on the limit), and it's been a godsend in the snow. At my work just about every BMW was getting stuck in the car park, thanks to RWD and the one-wheel drive effect of an open diff. Mine didn't get stuck or need pushed once. My 840 hasn't turned a wheel since we've had snow, as I know it'll be hopeless with the wide tyres and open diff.

Don't think for a second that what BMW sends out the factory gate can't be improved upon. I'm an advocate for mostly-original cars, with no silly aftermarket wheels and other bling mods. But as stated by other posters, there are always compromises (especially when it comes to cost, even on a £64,000+ car) meaning there are definite improvements to be had.

Personally I would. Mine has the 2.93 diff as standard, and I've always found it to be overgeared for the characteristics of the engine. As far as I know, the ratios in all the 6-speeds are the same (840Ci/850i/850CSi) so my overall gearing should be the same as a stock CSi. I dread to think what the automatics are like with a 2.93 diff, as the gear ratios are far higher than the manuals.

Saying that, the V12 is less revvy and more torquey than the V8, so maybe the CSi suits higher gearing than the 840Ci. Still, 6th gear is pointless at anything less than motorway speeeds, and the ability to top out at 175+ MPH equally pointless in the UK.

As for fitting the diff unit -- you can transfer the internals, in which case you can probably keep the oil cooler. However doing so requires swapping in the pinion gear into your case, which needs to be properly tensioned, otherwise it will fail after some time. The rest of the diff unit is easy to install into your case. I fitted an M3 Evo diff into my mate's E34 540i (with 6-speed manual, same as the 840Ci), and I just swapped his existing crown wheel gear onto the diff unit as he wasn't fussed about changing ratio. In this case I didn't need to touch the pinion wheel gear, so the swap was pretty straightforward. I did a similar swap into my 3-series that I use as a daily hack and track car.

Zitat von Fatandre;70892

I dont even know how it is to have the traction controle because it doesnt work. Something with the abs sensors and stuff

Lucky you... saves you having to press the button every time you start the engine! I wish they had designed it so it can be permanently switched off, I find it really annoying when I forget to disable it and it decides to cut power just when I need it most

Wow, phenomenal attention to detail! I presume you're a bit of a perfectionist?

Interesting! Presumably the plan is to modify the slip ring so that it can be mounted to the steering column, as is the case with the E46?

I've seen an E46 steering wheel modified to accept an earlier version of the slip ring which is physically the same as ours, but with extra wires for the multifunction buttons (used in early E39s for example). However I've always been wary of such a modification, so I think this way is preferable.

Now sold pending collection/delivery.

Hi guys

I have a spare rear "armrest", i.e. the bit that goes between the rear seat backrests that contains the first aid kit. I bought it with the intention of installing a subwoofer inside it and mounting a grille in the front for the sound to come out, but never got round to it. It's been sitting around in my house for some time now!

It's in good condition, as shown by the pics below. I'll be happy to get £30 for it, I won't even speculate what BMW would charge for one

Zitat von reinhard;69320

Following Martins approach one can use an (early) E46 wheel where "normally" a 2 stage bag was installed but fortunately older 1 stage bags exist of the same shape. Still it is a severe restriction in taste to only be able to use pre ´99 wheels.

Cheers
Reinhard

I bought one of those with a view to doing just that: it uses the same shape and mounting as my existing airbag, so I planned to swap mine onto the wheel (which had multifunction buttons which mine doesn't have).

However, I decided not to bother in the end, as the back of the steering wheel would need to be modified to take the old style slip ring, and I'd also need to source a slip ring with the extra wires for the multifunction part. In the end, when I considered that the steering wheel was no smaller, and the rim no thicker than my existing steering wheel, it wasn't worth the effort.

Zitat von klockwerken;69511

Excellent suggestions. Since I will not have access to electricity over the duration of the Winter, I will take the batteries out and then back home, I will hook them up to the trickle charger until May 2010.

If the batteries aren't connected to anything, you don't need to keep them trickle-charged. Make sure they're fully charged before storing them, and they'll very slowly self-discharge. You could fully re-charge them after 3 months or so, but leaving them on constant charge is overkill -- the maintenance charge is only necessary in the car because all the car's electronics that continue to run even with the key off, will discharge the batteries within a month or less.

Zitat von reinhard;69238

EU rules say: DRL must be lit in front only and NOT in the back. Parking lights must be lit in front and back. The kit mentioned above takes care of all this.

How bizarre.... I wonder if the EU commissioned some research (at a cost of several million euro) that revealed how driving with tail lights switched on during the day has the potential under certain circumstances to increase the accident rate by 2.364%

Sounds like "disconnect the batteries for a few minutes" to me

The ECU (both engine and automatic gearbox, if you have one) learns various values as the car is driven -- the ECU one so that it can keep a smooth idle and correct emissions settings even though the tolerances may change (wear, carbon build-up, manufacturance tolerance, etc). The automatic gearbox is probably more about learning how you use the throttle under various conditions, however I have no first-hand experience here never having owned an automatic.

These values are usually stored in memory, which is erased when power is removed. You can also explicitly reset the stored values using a MoDiC/GT1 or similar, without disconnecting the power. Possibly some newer cars will store this information in flash memory, which won't be erased when power is removed, meaning a GT1 will have to be used. Our 8s are way too old school for that though

BTW regarding the exhausts, are you sure they're aftermarket "OE-spec" parts? I've never heard of any aftermarket exhausts for the E31, other than stainless performance types or custom-built ones. There simply isn't a big enough market for most pattern exhaust makers in my experience.

Nice work Tony. I've always fancied the E46 M3 steering wheel, as the one fitted to ours is just too big and the rim too thin. No interest in the paddle shifters (I have a proper gearbox so I don't have to pretend ;)) and I'd happily live without the multifunction stuff. However the airbag wiring was the one that put me off, so it'll be interesting to see if you can sort that out.

Next mod should be to fit the actual SMG gearbox, it's a Getrag 6-speed so in theory it should bolt right up, although electronics is a whole different ball game :O. Still, it has to be worth it to get rid of that torque converter

Ouch, sorry to read that. Thankfully it didn't turn out too bad, sounds quite scary though.

On a similar note, I had an Audi years ago with a weird design of idle controller that actually operated the throttle -- basically a little stepper motor moved the throttle stopper so it could adjust the revs when your foot was off the accelerator. It was idling low at cold when I bought the car, and some investigation uncovered this little motor was unplugged. Plugged it back in, problem solved.

Or so I thought. A few days later on doing a slow manoeuvre, the revs suddenly shoot up and the car lurches forward! Being a manual, I instantly jumped onto the clutch, and the engine continued to sit around 5,000 RPM. Switched off and had a quick look to discover that little motor had decided to spontaneously open the throttle as far as its travel allowed! That'll explain why it was disconnected when I bought the car then... strange stuff.

Is that a photochop? The back window just doesn't look right.

The alarm system has a seperate horn, so you're right that these issues are unrelated. The horns are located underneath the car just behind the front bumper. It's worth checking them, as their location means that they are pretty exposed to the elements and failure isn't uncommon.

Assuming your car is LHD, the control module for the SRS (airbag) is installed in the right hand side of the dash behind the glovebox. It's pretty high up, conveniently difficult to access as always!

Thanks for the interest - this is now sold

Hi guys

I fitted a proper BMW cruise control kit to my 840 about 2 years ago. It's exactly the same kit as the factory fits (they all have a seperate loom, even factory fitted). I'm thinking of putting my car back to standard, which would include removal of the kit.

The kit comprises everything needed to get cruise working, inc control unit, actuator with mounting bracket, wiring loom, control stalk, clutch switch, etc. It's pretty easy to fit, as long as you're happy removing the odd panel here and there to run the wiring loom to the various places where it plugs in. As far as I'm aware, all 840s have the required connections in place, so there's no modification to any wiring required, just "plug and play".

The retrofit kit can no longer be ordered from BMW, and when it was available it cost silly money.

I'd be looking for around £250 for the lot, and I'll offer guidance on fitting it too. If there's any interest get in touch and I'll make my decision from there.

Cheers
Paul

Hi all

I'm looking for the plastic corrugated air intake pipe that goes between the air flow meter and the metal asc throttle body. Mine has a split (long story) and they're silly money from BMW so thought I'd check if anyone has a spare first.

Thanks
Paul

Still available guys...

Photos below. It's a little dirty from being in storage, but a quick clean with some leather cleaner will sort it out nicely. I just need to find my leather cleaner first!