Dumb Question Thread - No Flaming Allowed

[IamFODI]

Funny – I actually just watched part of an M539 Restorations video where Sreten talks about this. Relevant discussion starts around the 10-minute mark: https://youtu.be/XsV0h-9z86c?si=Ul0vhSBIFx9k0tOA&t=606

He favors the finger smear method. OTOH, every factory assembly video I've seen just had a bead.

Either way, the most important point is what Slideways said: only fill the gaps.

Be conservative. If you use too little and it leaks later, that's annoying – but you use too much and the excess sealant ends up inside your engine, that could be a bad day.

[Slideways]

When applying sealant like Drei Bond, do I use a finger to smear it evenly or just bead it on and place the gasket and let it do the work?

Either works and a little goes a long way. The goal is to only fill/seal the gap between two mated parts, like the VANOS unit and cylinder head where the VCG cannot completely seal.

[sbay]

When applying sealant like Drei Bond, do I use a finger to smear it evenly or just bead it on and place the gasket and let it do the work?

[sbay]

Is it possible to obtain to a re-print of sorts, of the original window sticker? And I'm talking, the original size, paper, etc. The real deal, reproduction if you will.

http://www.stuttgartstudios.com

A bit pricey but here’s a video that shows the quality:

https://youtu.be/x3WywepoSkc?si=HOUBl8BD9XEc4feu

[bagger]

I have 14x E46s here and not a single one has the guide on the passenger arm. Keep us posted on what you find.

Well I for sure would take your word for it based on that! Right now the shipping costs more than the part recommended. Next time I need some stuff I have it in my list and will snag one if still there (part is listed as clearance on their site).

[PSUEng]

Is it possible to obtain to a re-print of sorts, of the original window sticker? And I'm talking, the original size, paper, etc. The real deal, reproduction if you will.

[George Hill]

For fun I asked FCP Euro customer service. Here's what the dude said: "I have confirmed the passenger side is part number 61618263676"

It's clearance and $5 - I'll give it a shot and see what happens, heh.

I have 14x E46s here and not a single one has the guide on the passenger arm. Keep us posted on what you find.

[bagger]

I don't believe there should be one on the passenger side.

With that said you are supposed to remove it if you put the new euro stlye blade wipers on the car.

For fun I asked FCP Euro customer service. Here's what the dude said: "I have confirmed the passenger side is part number 61618263676"

It's clearance and $5 - I'll give it a shot and see what happens, heh.

[Nate047]

Do it as Heinz mentioned and it should be a one person job.

Yup I misread that earlier. Car is currently sitting as described.

[IamFODI]

Yeah this order of operations is the important bit.
Can also be slightly modified for convenience in your case Nate047 . Park in gear, get out to chock the wheel and then get back in the car to press and release the clutch.

Right! Thanks for the correction/addition.

[Slideways]

Do it as Heinz mentioned and it should be a one person job.

[Nate047]

Interesting, yea I will try it that way. Makes it a two person op since the car will roll if I get out of it to try and place the chocks.

I will get the e-brakes back on the car soon, but unfortunately my other car is giving me the middle finger right now, so I kind of need to fix that short/medium list of issues first before jumping back into the, honestly, still quite long list of problems with my e46. I only have enough room to service one car at a time in the garage, so I have to play musical parking spaces with the others when one is under the knife.

[heinzboehmer]

When parking, engage the e-brake (or place the chocks) with the car in neutral, release the main brakes, and then put the car in gear (or park if it's auto) and shut down. If you've done that, you're good.

Yeah this order of operations is the important bit.
Can also be slightly modified for convenience in your case Nate047 . Park in gear, get out to chock the wheel and then get back in the car to press and release the clutch. This makes it so there's no stress on the transmission/engine.

[IamFODI]

When parking a manual car in gear without anything else holding the car in place, the resistance comes from vacuum in the engine. That's why the OM has the warning that Slideways posted. It's also why you should park in 1st when pointing downhill and in reverse when pointing uphill, so that if the car rolls, the engine won't spin backwards. I'd imagine parking like that on an incline would overcome the engine's resistance and allow the car to roll long before the load was high enough to hurt the trans. But IDK.

Either way, if something else is keeping the car stopped – e-brake, chocks, or whatever – there's no issue. When parking, engage the e-brake (or place the chocks) with the car in neutral, release the main brakes, and then put the car in gear (or park if it's auto) and shut down. If you've done that, you're good.

[Slideways]

Okay very dumb question. But is it bad to park in gear on a minor to moderate incline with no parking brake for extended periods of time? My car does not have the parking brakes installed at the moment and my driveway is at an angle. I have wheel chocks in place but yea. Just wondering if I’m fucking up or if it’s fine.

IMO, I'd rather have the car, whether auto or manual, resting on the parking brake or a set of wheel chocks and to leave it in gear or park as a backup. Should reduce wear and tear on the transmission, which is more costly than a set of parking brake cables or shoes.

Quoting owner's manual - "Always engage the parking brake when parking on downhill roads. Engaging a gear may not provide adequate resistance to rolling."