by David Ogden (an ASE & BMW Certified Master Technician.)
Sonnenflecke, Mar/Apr 1999
Sunbelt Chapter BMW CCA
Miscellaneous..."to get more from your car, or ... to make your car (and you) happier!"
Corrosion on the base of light bulbs? Apply a little electrical grease to the base. This goes for the prongs of blade fuses as well.
Bad idle or engine dies at stops? Try cleaning the inside of the throttle housing with carb cleaner. How tight should your spark plugs be? Torque them too much, and they may be hard to remove. Not tight enough, and you lose plug compression & power (and maybe the plugs!) Plugs in non-M BMWs should be tightened about 18 ft-lbs., M-cars about 15 ft-lbs. If you don't have a torque wrench, tighten until you feel the washer crush slightly or about 1/4 turn after it contacts. Also, don't apply lube of any kind to the plug threads; too loose is as bad as too tight.
Changing a clutch master cylinder or slave cylinder? Sometimes it's a challenge to get all the air out. Remove the slave cylinder from the transmission and loosen the bleeder screws, hold the back end up until fluid comes out., Then tighten the screw and push the plunger in and out slowly until it feels stiff and smooth, then reinstall the slave cylinder. The bleeder screw should point down, not up as I have seen many times.