tpg Posted July 21, 2005 Share Posted July 21, 2005 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
endover Posted July 21, 2005 Share Posted July 21, 2005 Can't help you on the BMW thing but I think every biker who's ever upgraded to clipless pedals has gone thru the embarrassing and painful crap that ya just have to endure. My biking history lies in mountain biking and you really have to learn to get out of your pedals often on a mountain bike. I've come close to falling off the side of mountains because I couldn't get my stupid feet out. All that being said, after a month or so of regular riding, you will quickly learn that there's nothing better than clipless pedals. I'd never go back to normal pedals no matter what. They give you more control, and if your a rodie, there's no more efficient way to transfer the energy your exerting into your bike! I don't know what kind of pedals you have but the clip tension is usually adjustable. Make sure that as you start out, make the tension as light as possible to give you the sensation that your clipped in but will allow you to EASILY unclip in an emergency. As you get used to them, you'll definately want to tighten them up. I'm pretty locked in at this point in my biking career and its the best! There's nothing like coming off a jump and having the confidence that your feet aren't going to come off the pedal on when you smack the ground. And most importantly, your crotch will thank you for buying clipless!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travisc Posted July 21, 2005 Share Posted July 21, 2005 On the bmw, does it loose coolant? When you say fuses I think cooling fan. does it have an electrical fan or mechanical? Start the vehicle hold your hands on the inlet and outlethoses to radiator, after about five or ten minutes depending you should feel the thermostat open. Try and feel the radiator it should be getting warm evenly through the whole thing, alot of radiators when bad will only flow through parts of it like the sides and one or two cells(lack of a better term), if it has an electrical fan the fan should kick on before the coolant starts to boil, if it doesnt you have a bad fan motor, relay or temp sending unit which on those cars is either screwed into the radiator, or is an ect, electronic coolant temp sending unit which tells the computer the temperature of the coolant which therein turns the fan on. or ofcourse it could be any wiring therein. If its a flow problem suspect radiator. rear end of jeep has a crush washer and needs certain clearance values and knowledge of to be rebuilt properly will gladly help if so desire. also check bmw grounds on vehicle and body tighten them a little just to be sure. oh ya do all this with radiator cap off, infact replace cap that could be the problem as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IAmtnbikr Posted July 21, 2005 Share Posted July 21, 2005 Lol about the clipless pedals.....you will soon forget they are there and unclipping will be something you do without even thinking about it! I ride mountain and road bikes, and use clipless pedals on both. In fact, for a while I used Time ATAC pedals on not only the mountain bike, but the road bike as well. Then a couple years ago I went to SPD pedals on the road bike to gain a little clearance cornering as well as to shed a bit of weight......you can never have too much carbon fiber or titanium, lol! What kind of bike and equipment does it have? My mountain bike is a 99 Giant XtC DS1 full suspension frame with a RS 99 SID fork, custom built Risse air/oil rear shock, ti stem and bar, ti bb, ti springs and axles in the carbon pedals, carbon fiber seatpost and bar ends, carbon fiber/alum crankarms, King hubs/X317 rims with Formula hydraulic discs, etc. Nice and light, and rides nice. Road bike is a 01 Raleigh aluminum frame with FSA carbon cranks, carbon seatpost, Easton carbon fork, mainly Ultegra stuff with some DA, very light American Classic CR350 wheelset, etc. On our recent trip to Wyoming's Medicine Bow National Forest I only had room to take one bike so I took the Giant. Needless to say my legs were like Jello after riding some forest roads at 9K feet of elevation, lol. I just did a local Hospice Home benefit ride with our 6 yr old, and she toughed it out for 6 miles of a 10 mile route. Not bad on a single speed in 85 degree weather! Usually I do their 40 miler, but passed on it to take her along this year. Our family found out a couple months ago how unbelievably wonderful the Hospice experience really is, as my dad passed away in their care. It makes me happier yet that I have done the benefit ride for them not only this year, but in years past as well. Great cause....and always fun to get out and ride. Enjoy your cycling!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.4knee Posted July 21, 2005 Share Posted July 21, 2005 RE: Clipping out of your pedals. I had this problem with teaching my wife how to clip out. We would come to a stop and I'd here "uh oh here I go", I'd look back and she was on the ground. First set your retaining tension as loose as it will get. Eventually you will want to tighten it some as it will become too easy to clip out and when you start to mash it out you will inadvertently clip out. But for now keep the tension loose. Next try to anticipate stops and make a deliberate habit of clipping out. This over-exaggerated focus on clipping out will ingrain into your brain the need to do so. You will eventually ride them like it is a normal practice. Also try to clip out at the bottom of your pedal stroke, saves wear and tear on the knees and is easier than doing so anywhere else in the pedal stroke. I ride a 2003 Cannondale R2000 SI road bike with Look pedals and a 2000 Specialized Enduro Comp with Time ATAC pedals. I wear Specialized Pro Road and Pro Mountain bike shoes. I will never ride without clipless pedals ever again. One other thing is to make sure the cleats are positioned properly if they are not it can cause you quite a bit of pain and discomfort in you knees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triceratops Posted July 21, 2005 Share Posted July 21, 2005 Get yourself a stationary training stand (eg Cyclo-ops, Elite, Blackburn, or whatever) these come up real cheap at garage sales in the summer. They are handy for getting used to and also setting up and and adjusting your clipless pedals. Use real low tension as mentioned earlier. Practice clipping in and out 6 million times on the training stand. Now read Mark Twain's essay "Taming the Bicycle" you'll get a chuckle out of it when you aren't falling down anymore. Best in horns, Former New Product Editor of the now defunct Bicycle Guide Magazine and road tester of way too many clipless pedals triceratops Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodog Posted July 21, 2005 Share Posted July 21, 2005 ---------------- On 7/21/2005 12:33:33 AM tpg wrote: I've been here off and on for the past few months... I was here a lot for a time and then rarely made any visits for a few weeks. I have mostly given up sitting in front of the computer in favor of getting in better shape... ---------------- Hello TPG, and congrats on choosing cycling as part of your exercise routine. It was part of my diet/exercise change that caused me to shed 100 pounds a year ago. Plus, bicycling is something that you can do for your whole life! I'm so crazy about cycling that I passed on the Jazz Kitchen in Indianapolis so I could ride my bicycle around in 92 degree heat. Call me nuts. You'll get used to the pedals, so don't sweat it. What part of KY are you in? I'm in Bowling Green and ride with a cycling club here 3 - 4 times a week. We do ~30 mile rides in the early evenings during the week and 60+ mile rides on the weekends. You can certainly find a group near you that matches your skill level. I know NOTHING about BMW's. Woo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodog Posted July 21, 2005 Share Posted July 21, 2005 IAmtnbikr, I have a few friends from my cycling club that are riding in the RAGBRAI. Are you doing that ride? just curious, Woo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodog Posted July 21, 2005 Share Posted July 21, 2005 ---------------- On 7/21/2005 12:33:33 AM tpg wrote: Sometimes turning on the heater for even one second will cause it to return to middle. Other times, it does nothing at all. ... ---------------- This sentence got me to thinking. Is it REALLY running hot? Have you checked with a reliable guage when it shows it is hot? It could be that the sensor relay and/or the guage is faulty and not behaving properly. just a thought, Woo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpg Posted July 21, 2005 Author Share Posted July 21, 2005 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpg Posted July 21, 2005 Author Share Posted July 21, 2005 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IAmtnbikr Posted July 21, 2005 Share Posted July 21, 2005 Woodog, I would LOVE to ride RAGBRAI again, but I am the service manager at a pretty busy RV dealership....they would kill me if I were gone for that week, lol. Seriously, I have looked at riding it in the next couple years depending on the route. I live in Waterloo, and the ride has not come through here in a while. It is hard to explain RAGBRAI to someone who has not experienced it firsthand, lol. Some ride for real, others ride just to party. Quite a spectacle for sure.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hwatkins Posted July 21, 2005 Share Posted July 21, 2005 On the BMW - a couple of thoughts: Are you noticing any strangeness with the air conditioning - more specifically, is the air conditioning having trouble staying cool unless you are running above 35 MPH? If so you may have an auxilliary fan failure (this is the fan in front of the radiator). Even so you may have a problem with one of the two speeds of the fan. It would be a cause of sporatic overheating and usually associated with slower or slowing down situations. A simple check would be to start the car with the airconditioning running and look through the front grill and see if the fan is working (it is supposed to always start with the air on) - if it is not working that is your most likely culprit. Unfortunately, if it is working it doesn't talk to the higher speed setting and would take a bit more diagnostic. Also - the fan clutch for the main fan can be causing a problem in that it sporatically doesn't engage. You can check this when it is overheating to be sure it is spinning. The aux fan is a common failure - this is a very low torque fan and you may have something as simple as debris keeping it from working. It's high speed is most important because it switches on when the water temp reaches a certain level. Hope this helps... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpg Posted July 21, 2005 Author Share Posted July 21, 2005 I will check for the aux fan and anything that may be causing it to not work. I am fairly certain that our main fan is fine... we replaced it with a new one a few months ago. Thanks for the suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteelerFan Posted July 21, 2005 Share Posted July 21, 2005 So people do fall until they get used to them? I'm always admiring the new hybrid models at my local dealer and the salespeople never fail to try to tell me clipless pedals are easy to get used to and it's rare for someone to fall. I never believe them. Who wants to buy a brand new bike and fall on it right away? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travisc Posted July 21, 2005 Share Posted July 21, 2005 if coolant is mysteriously disapearing it may very well be the head or gasket. There is a test that a shop can do pretty simply to see if there are combustion gasses being "pushed" into the coolant. shouldnt cost more than twenty bucks or so. That would be a good place to start before throwing anymore parts at it especially a radiator. turning the ac on is a great simple test of the fan, assuming the ac works. If there is no r12 in there than the low pressure switch will have terminated the whole ac circuit and the fan wont work by that method. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilbert Posted July 23, 2005 Share Posted July 23, 2005 ---------------- On 7/21/2005 12:33:33 AM tpg wrote: We've really been wondering about this overheating thing with the BMW. It is a 1992 BMW 735i, with 161k miles on it. I, personally, love that car and want to restore it to its full glory. My dad doesn't share my perspective and wants to get rid of it. Anyway, it has been running hot for some time now, on and off. Over the time, we have: flushed the radiator; changed all hoses, twice in some cases; changed the water pump; changed thermostats twice (including a fail-safe one that will always stick open in case of failure); checked and replaced all fuses; changed coolant resevoirs; installed a filter on the coolant return line to the resevoir; looked for leaks with UV leak detector; and probably some more stuff that I forgot. It will run hot whenever it wants. Sometimes while idling, sometimes while running 35 down the city and even 65 down the interstate. Sometimes turning on the heater for even one second will cause it to return to middle. Other times, it does nothing at all. We've decided it is a flow problem, but cannot seem to locate where exactly it is not flowing. Has anyone had similar experiences? Anyone heard anything? ---------------- Cooling systems are simple. Really, think about it, there's not much to system, except a couple of hoses, a pump, thermostat and radiator. You should not be performing all these repairs blindly by swapping out parts and hoping you'll cure the problem. You either have a leak or you don't, why did you perform a leak test...Are you losing water? If your lossing water and can't see the leak, then you probably have a bad head gasket. If that is the case then it's probably going into the cylinders and out the exhaust in the form a steam. Or worse yet, it could be going into the oil, but I doubt that, you'd a known by now. In my 25yrs. plus experience playing with motors, I have never heard of a Coolant Filter. Get it out, it will only impede the flow of water. Let me see if I can help. I'll assume it's not the thermostat or pump since you mention that you've changed them out....I'll assume you installed the thermostat correctly and that you placed no more than 50/50 mixture of coolant and water (distilled is best). I'll assume there's no leak, but if there is, PM me. But because your car has that many miles, and esspecially because you mentioned that your radiator had been flushed (Prestone or similar aftermarket do-it-yourselfer type flush I assume) AND YOU INSTALLED A COOLANT FILTER and that the problem is intermitent......I'm going to guess that your radiator is getting clogged. This type of problem will first appear as intermitent over-heating. If that is the case, flushes WILL only complicate the problem. What you have not done, and need to do (because of the of number of miles and problems your having) is get your radiator RODDED-OUT. Have it physically removed, and take it to a radiator shop. Have the shop remove BOTH CAPS (some shops only remove one), and have them rod out each individual core. What that means, is that they will take a thin rod and slide it through each core. Physically forcing debri out the bottom. That is the ONLY WAY to have your radiator truely cleaned. Flushes are good, but only if used on a regular basis. If you wait till the car has 100,000 plus miles, all you did was loosen up alot of coolant system build-up and debri, only to have it get wedge up into the radiator cores which already contained bits of build-up from lesser debri. Trust me, after all those miles with no regular periodic flushes, your radiator had plenty of it. That is what I think the problem is. Turning on the heater will always work, because it acts as a back-up mini radiator. I am quite familiar with your motor, my parents had a 635, it is a simple engine to work on. Don't sell the car unless you hate it, because 735's have crappy resale value. They always have. Good luck, and congrat's on the in-shape thing. Keep it up, stay active. Your health IS YOUR LIFE. I can appreciate your dads love for his care. Probably a vintage 396 SS. Those were the only Chevelles worth having IMO. I'm pretty anal about my vehicles, except when it comes to my little girls. ADDED 5min. LATER: ---------------------------------------------- Oh, yea. one final thing to consider is the fan. It's probably still and electic one. Just make sure it kicks on when it's suppose to, and that your thermostatic switch which activates the fan is working properly. This can be tested with an ohm meter, a stove and a pan of water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick Bell Posted July 23, 2005 Share Posted July 23, 2005 My favorite embarrassment when I first got clipless pedals was to pull up to a stop sign and forget I was clipped in. One driver rolled down his window and asked if I were hurt. My response, "Only my pride." You'll get used to the pedals. Just lessen the tension until you get used to them. Actually, if you have a serious crash, you're probablly better off clipped in. At least you won't stick out your foot and get you ankle broken like a friend of mine did while wearing tennis shoes. Enjoy your cycling! Cheers, Mick Bell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnyholiday Posted July 24, 2005 Share Posted July 24, 2005 get a new radiator if the ends are plastic, the plastic tanks will never seal up with the gasket to core seal,or get it rodded out, as above post ,keep your hands away from the electric fans, they are thermo controlled, an can kick on at any given time unless disconnected, do a compression check of the cylinders if you think the head gasket is blown ,or look for steam out the exhaust, or a banana in your tail pipe http://www.bananaguard.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilbert Posted July 24, 2005 Share Posted July 24, 2005 Most all end caps are plastic now. Come to think of it, I have'nt seen a "Stock" radiator with anything else is some time & we're talking early 80's too. Damn I'm getting old. In anyevent, the end caps will have a replaceable o-ring to make for a good seal. No need for an new radiator, unless your looking for more capaicty. ---------------- On 7/24/2005 3:12:35 AM johnyholiday wrote: a banana in your tail pipe---------------- Ouuuch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.