DIY Ignition Lock Assembly Replacement
The ignition lock is a useful anti-theft device that we all take for granted, when it works. When your steering wheel locks while you’re still driving, it’s a little like being in that nightmare in...
View ArticleDIY Cooling System Troubleshooting: BMW E36
Mechanical husbandry is not glamorous. The other day I saw a guy walking along the side of the freeway towards a dilapidated flat-bed truck that was broken down on the shoulder. He was carrying an...
View ArticleDIY BMW Transmission Fix
EPROM software update chip for BMW 325is A guy named Tim put a new wheel bearing in my car the other day. Tim is a sprightly dude in his 40s who works at a shop called FAME in Redmond, and I’d met him...
View ArticleThat’s Not Cool
Reading George Orwell’s diary, I’m always impressed by the scope of his interests: bird watching, and ridiculing fascism. Turnip planting, and colonial history. I’m always the most impressed when he...
View ArticleGasping For Breath: Cleaning a Dinan Air Filter
When the 325 sputtered and nearly died on the way to work on Friday, I lifted up the hood and tried to make some sense of the complex mess of sensors, tubes and wiring in there. The engine would...
View ArticleBMW E36, the Talking Car
It’s easy to see why this didn’t last, but for a period of time in the late 80s and early 90s, BMW designed an on-board diagnostic system that let a driver ask his car, “Are you feeling alright today,...
View ArticleDIY Mass Air Flow and Oxygen Sensor Replacement
Woke up very self assured that I had solved the riddle of my sputtering BMW this morning, and read a few Al Jazeera articles before heading down to Autozone. The Rainier Beach Autozone loans tools for...
View Article
More Pages to Explore .....