Fuelly Forums - New Guy

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Hi Folks,

I'm new to the group and some of the concepts.
I live in a Detroit suburb and my commute recently increased from ~38 miles round trip to ~90 miles.
My commutermobile is a '97 BMW 328i which I've owned for the past 7+ years. It's in excellent condition with 116k miles on it. The daily drive is actually very smooth and I average between 31 and 33 mpg but am working on incrementally improving that. I recently replaced the upstream O2 sensors and have removed the engine-driven clutched cooling fan for the cold season. I still have a factory 2-speed electric fan that is fully operational. I'll probably be diving into grill blocking next, but not until I've installed an indicator light or two to tell me when the electric fan is running.
Can anyone recommend where to get a simple indicator light? If it's somewhat water-proof, I might be tempted to mount it just under the trailing edge of the hood so that it's visible without cluttering up the dash.
The easiest grill to block is in the valance below the bumper. Any reason to block the nose grill instead?
I'm mostly a lurker by nature but will pop in occasionally if I think I have something to offer.

I don't have answers for your questions, but would like to welcome you to Gassavers :) Make sure you make a garage entry with some pictures!

I can't recommend any light besides a DIY one, but I will say that blocking both grill opening will probably yield the best result, though you'll have to be careful with cooling since that varies from car to car.

css28 -

Welcome to GS!

Maybe a license-plate light would help? :

12-VOLT LICENSE LIGHT WITH LICENSE BRACKET - $10.49
https://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/P...002895/c-10101

ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT STYLE REAR LICENSE PLATE LAMPS - $21.99 and up
https://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/P...002895/c-10101

I would also troll the auto or marine stores to see if there is a waterproof-light option for you.

Would you be willing to run the light into the car? You don't have to make a hole into the dashboard, you could mount it below the dash using a switch mount that you can get at an Autozone/Pep-Boys/Kragen/Napa store.

CarloSW2

css28 -

I just found these :

LED MINI MARKER LIGHTS - 2 for $16.99
https://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/P...014789/c-10111

Quote:

* Easy mounting with pressure-sensitive self-adhesive backing (some drilling may be required)
* Lights add extra styling and take-notice visibility
* Compact size?approximately 1"W x 3/4"H x 2-1/2"L?makes them easy to mount almost anywhere

Use as marker or running lights or auxiliary turn signals. Feature molded plastic housing with clear plastic lens, amber LED and 2 color-coded wire pigtails. Sold in pairs.

If it's an LED, it's voltage drain will be trivial too.

PS - I do NOT work for JCWhitney. I just use it as a search engine for car crap.

CarloSW2