Messages

1

For Sale / Sport Seats, Bumpers, Fenders, M44, 5 speed swap, ANY PART YOU WANT!!!!

« on: February 28, 2010, 11:40:33 PM »

Fantastic! Please PM me with a price to 53121

2

For Sale / Sport Seats, Bumpers, Fenders, M44, 5 speed swap, ANY PART YOU WANT!!!!

« on: February 28, 2010, 11:22:03 PM »

Would you have a complete A/C compressor??

3

Engine + Driveline / Squeeeeeeeeeeal

« on: February 13, 2010, 09:17:35 AM »

Sounds like the WP/Alt belt. Just went thru this. The 9.5mm wide belt isn't wide enough for this application. Get a new OE belt, check to be sure your fan clutch isn't seized up, and that water pump & alternator turn freely. Clean all pulleys with carb or brake cleaner, to remove oil, and tighten the belt, it will need to be tighter than you'd think it should be. Belts from many auto parts stores, like NAPA, are way too long for this application, and you can't get enough tension on them. Also check that the alternator rubber mountings aren't allowing the alternator to flop around. Pelican Parts has the correct belt, and the rubber bushings.

4

Engine + Driveline / New to the forum, seized water pump

« on: August 25, 2008, 10:07:54 PM »

Well, finished mine today. I estimate that I had about 7 hours in it. For me, what worked was to rotate the pump back & forth with a pipe wrench. After it moved fairly easily, I started using a long pry bar behind the pulley hub, while rocking it back & forth. The bearing was totally shot, yet it didn't leak, or make any noise. The impeller was ground down to almost nothing as well, yet there was no overheating. I'm a bit smarter now.......

5

Engine + Driveline / Water pump?

« on: August 20, 2008, 05:15:39 PM »

I did whack it all around with a mallet, before trying to screw down the 2 bolts. However, the pump's been on there for near to 20 years, and the 2 ears broke off much more easily than I expected, I suppose the old pump was brittle from all the heat/cool cycles. I'm a retired mechanic, and I've got a huge box full of tools, but I'm in process of moving, and the toolbox is currently at the old house, 40mi away. My big rubber mallets, and huge water pump pliers, are all there. So, I'm trying PB Blaster, and time, to see if that will help loosen things up. I'd use the rope & post trick, as I have a telephone pole right in front of the car. However, I also have a fully-charged A/C system, and I'll lose the charge if I have to remove the condenser. So, I'll soak, and wait, for a day, or 2.......

6

Engine + Driveline / Water pump?

« on: August 19, 2008, 06:36:56 PM »

Yup, I'm doing mine as we speak. It's stuck solid in the front cover. There are 2 tapped holes in the pump flange, designed to be used to break the pump loose from the timing cover, by screwing in the bolts that mount the pump. I've just broken off both ears of the pump, and it hasn't moved a bit. Tomorrow's another day. I'm out-of-patience right now. It looked like such a simple job..........

BTW, mine failed without any warning. No leakage, or noise. Coming home late one night, a belt started howling. I was only a few blocks from home, and kept the revs low. The bearing's so loose, I can't believe it didn't leak.

7

Exterior / Cleaning basketweave wheels...

« on: June 13, 2007, 11:57:17 AM »

Not that I'm a lazy bum or anything, but spending 2hrs cleaning wheels isn't going to work for me. I like the looks, so getting rid of them isn't happening, either. They were spotless when I got the car, and I can't quite get them back to that point. Bought a bottle of P21s, the liquid, not the gel, and am unimpressed with the results. I'm now using Simple Green, diluted 50/50, and it seems to work better. I'm not against a good scrubbing now & then, but they are black every 2 weeks, and they make the car look like no one ever cleans it. I wash it twice/week. Any suggestions about cleaners/brushes/technique would sure be welcomed......

8

Engine + Driveline / Clutch master and slave rebuild time !!!

« on: June 07, 2007, 06:01:02 PM »

All left-hand drive model E 30's I've seen take the clutch fluid off the brake master cylinder reservoir. As this has a few different divided compartments inside, the brake fluid wouldn't get low enough to affect the brakes. The clutch master has a small braided hose that leads to the clutch master cyl. The line comes off the reservoir quite high, so you'd find yourself without clutch long before brakes.......

9

Engine + Driveline / How to spend $1,000 on a timing chain tensioner

« on: May 29, 2007, 11:52:00 AM »

I'm glad this worked for you. Timing chains can cause all sorts of noise. When they get loose, no matter what the cause, something is going to get broken by the whipping chain. As the chain whips, it breaks the guides & rails, and it stretches as it does this, worsening the problem. Sooner, or later, something crucial breaks.

10

Engine + Driveline / Engine dies on hot starts

« on: May 23, 2007, 11:31:25 AM »

I'm sure we could all benefit from a complete fuel & vacuum hose replacement. None of our cars are even near new, right? BMW used a rather poor, in my opinion, grade of fuel hose, and I replaced miles of it in the late 80's-early 90's. It would look fine, but it would "sweat" gasoline. Customers complained of a fuel smell after turning off the engine. Some 750's burned because of this. Vacuum hose wasn't any better. I used to replace all these with Mercedes hose, the stuff with the cloth braiding on the outside, then M-B started using exactly the same junk hose as did BMW.

In the same light, the ECU is a very dependable part. The problem usually does not lie there. Temp senders can go bad over time, and there's a good place to start. Check it cold & hot, as it can fail on either end of the range. Still, my $$$$ are on injector leakdown, or leaky fuel hoses, and the latter will be obvious by the smell and the gas stains in the area of the fuel rails. The air flow meter has a potentiometer under the black cover that can wear out, and cause driveability problems of all sorts. This usually worsens over time.

Lucky me, my iS runs like a champ. starts fine, hot & cold. I'm counting my lucky stars......

11

Engine + Driveline / Engine dies on hot starts

« on: May 22, 2007, 04:59:14 PM »

It boils down to finding if it's rich, or lean during a hot restart. One or more leaky injectors would cause a rich condition hot, but would make a great start when cold, due to a bit of xtra fuel. I've seen fuel pressure regulators that start leaking into the intake thru the tiny vacuum line. These could really mess with your mind.......I'm wondering if this just developed, or if it has been ongoing.

12

Engine + Driveline / Engine cutting out... ideas?

« on: May 21, 2007, 08:47:28 PM »

The fuel econ meter is electronic, not vacuum operated. If memory serves, this combination of symptoms indicated a worn-out air flow meter, an expensive part. Best way to figure this one is to install a known good AFM. There is a way to check the unit with a multimeter set to the ohms scale, but I'd have to look in the ETM to find which terminals to test. BTW, bad SI board batteries can cause various instrument malfunctions, including an erratic econ meter, temp gauge, or tach.

13

Engine + Driveline / Engine dies on hot starts

« on: May 21, 2007, 08:28:51 PM »

I'm going to take a stab in the dark. Are you using premium fuel? You should be. If not, start doing so. It's not the octane, the Motronic will compensate, it's the additives in a good grade of premium fuel that helps to keep the injectors & valves clean, and free of carbon deposits. A bottle of Chevron Techron in a full tank of gas will help. Also, I'd replace the fuel filter, unless it's recent, and check the fuel pressure, the pumps failed on these now & then. Let us know.....I was going to buy your car, but you changed your mind, damn...I wanted a RED one, lol.

14

Engine + Driveline / M42 Heater thermostat, when was it added?

« on: May 21, 2007, 08:09:48 PM »

Yes, it is an overpressure valve designed to protect the heater core. These were installed during a recall around 1993-4, I recall. They suck to install when the engine is in the car. I recall that only the E30 M42 got these. I never had to do one, as we only had a few M42 cars out there......Come to think of it, I'm not sure mine has one. I can't comment on whether you really need this, or not.

15

Engine + Driveline / Burning oil??

« on: May 14, 2007, 09:10:49 PM »

Good pics! The sides of the pistons look scuffed, and that concerns me, but the rod bearing looks like a "dry" start. Bearing need a smear, just a dab of Lubriplate when assembling, enough to lube for 30 seconds, and then wash out. You can tell I'm from the old school......Perhaps the failed torque wrench has something to do with this. Not enough/too much torque can upset things. I'm wondering how the piston pins went in, anything unusual? Did you have a bit of piston slap on a cold start, and did it go away in less than a minute?