Philes' Forum by Vic Lucariello

Hello, Bimmerphiles! The first part of this month's column is a reprint of my M ay, 1990 column.

I met two couples new to our Chapter at the April Lime Rock Driver School.

The S miths and the Joneses have both recently transferred to NJ from another CCA chap ter. At separate times during that day, both couples asked me what kind of peop le we had in the NJ Chapter. Before answering, I asked them to describe the peo ple they had met in their former chapters.

The Smiths replied, "They were petty, political, self important, cliquish; and w e couldn't wait to get away from them!"

I said, "Well, you'll find we're the same here."

The Joneses replied, "They were wonderful friends; and we couldn't bear to leave them!"

I said, "Well, you'll find we're the same here."

Driver school operation can stress a vehicle far more than street driving. As y ou become a more accomplished driver, you can routinely run your car at its maxi mum capability for an entire track session (about 20 minutes). Any marginal com ponent or system will tend to fail under these conditions, so it's important tha t your car be thoroughly inspected and prepared prior to your bringing it to a d river school. Our Chapter's Pre-Event Technical Inspection Form, which all NJ C hapter Drivers' School participants receive prior to the event, is intended to s erve as a guide in inspecting and preparing a vehicle for the event. Moreover, the form requires that each participant document the vehicle's inspection and as sume responsibility for its safe condition. The participant does this by submit ting the completed form to NJ Chapter Personnel on the day of the event.

You may be thinking, "So what if something fails. No big deal; I'll just fix it ." Unfortunately, it's not that simple. A mechanical failure on the race track can result in you or another participant being injured. Something as simple as a low radiator level can cause your car to overheat and discharge slippery cool ant onto the track surface. I'm sure you'll agree that it's grossly unfair for anyone to compromise the safety of our event in this manner.

You may also be thinking, "The gearheads at the track will pick up any problems with my car at the event-day technical inspection." Again, it's not that simple . Our trackside spot-check (Please note that we don't even consider it to be an inspection.) is intended to catch only obvious problems such as loose batteries , frayed fan belts, missing seat belts, non-functioning stop lamps, etc., which were somehow missed during the pre-event technical inspection. It would be virt ually impossible for us to properly inspect the approximately 100 participant ve hicles that show up at Lime Rock, even if we spent all day doing it!

The botttom line is that YOU are responsible for the condition of the car you br ing to a driver school!

Incidentally, anyone wishing to receive a sample copy of our tech inspection for m (I think it's a good guide for preventative maintenance inspections) may do so by sending me a business-sized (i.e. 9x4 inch) SASE. My address appears in the masthead. [The 1997 version of the form is 8 1/2 x 11, so I can fax it to you if you wish.]

Returning to the present, Rich Dondes asked via e-mail how often he should chang e the microfilter in his 328i's heating/air conditioning [HVAC] system. My resp onse is, unfortunately, " It depends".

Late-model Bimmers are equipped with this filter, which filters all the air ente ring the passenger compartment via the HVAC system. If you use your car in dust y areas, the filter will do its job and plug up prematurely, resulting in a redu ced flow of air from the HVAC.

According to Bimmerphile Bill Wiedmuller, who is a BMW NA-certified technician, BMW recommends microfilter changes at Inspection I and Inspection II intervals, or approximately every 20k miles. However, Bill routinely sees filters which pl ug up after 15 k mi if the car is used in dusty areas.

My advice is to go with BMW's recommendation unless you notice reduced air flow from your HVAC with the blower on maximum speed. If you experience reduced air flow, change the filter, which is accessed by removing the glovebox.

Bill, thanks for consulting with me on this one!

Long time driver school participant and M5 pilot Richmond Schreve sent in this p roduct evaluation via e-mail:

"I saw an ad in the Roundel for a simple pressure bleeder. It's called Eeziblee d and is $35 delivered. To use it you drop the pressure in a tire to 20 psi and use it as an air source. The Eezibleed kit is a bottle fitted with plastic tub es for air in and fluid out. It comes with a screw cap that fits the BMW master cylinder, and an assortment of other caps intended to fit other vehicles.

"I like the Eezibleed. The whole system can be bled on one filling of the the E ezibleed and one doesn't need a helper to bump the brake. The source is: Auto E xpert Products, 2574 NW 29th Drive, Boca Raton, FL 33434 [1 800 795 6958].

"It does overfill the reservoir, so you need to have some means of removing the excess [brake fluid], or you need to gravity drain it through one of the bleeder s. Also, the air hose is a bit short, so I rest the spare tire on the radiator. These are minor shortcomings in view of the convenience and price."

Thanks, Richmond! To solve the overfilled reservoir problem, bleed the left fro nt caliper last [you do this anyway, right?!] and watch the reservoir level as t he last of the fluid leaves the Eezibleed. When the reservoir level gets down t o the 'Max' point, shut the caliper bleeder and disconnect and remove the Eezibl eed.

A couple of caveats on the Eezibleed are:

1. I don't recomment using it with DOT 5 [Silicone] brake fluid. DOT 5 fluid is easily aerated, and the 20 psi pressure of the Eezibleed will exacerbate the pr oblem.
2. Be sure to reduce the pressure of the tire you use as an air source to the 20 psi recommended by Eezibleed. I personally prefer 15 psi.

Anyone wishing to contribute to Philes' Forum should contact me via the info on the masthead. I'm interested in tech tips, repair/maintenance questions and/or tips, dealer horror stories, product evaluations, etc. Please call before 8 PM , and if you leave a message, PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR WORK PHONE NUMBER. Also, plea se be patient, I try to return every phone call, but it sometimes takes awhile. The best way to contact me is via e-mail.

Copyright 1997 - V. M. Lucariello, PE