Author Topic: newb with mystery parts (Read 4297 times)

PartsCar · « **on:** March 27, 2008, 08:44:33 AM »

Hi,

just picked up this e30 318is parts car (i like to call it that) as my daily driver.

working on the car the other day and i found these things kinda odd...

mystery 1

*i found this hanging below my intake boot.

mystery 2

*is the second piping supposed to not have hose connected to it? what is this canister? this is located below the power steering reservoir and behind the alternator, btw.

mystery 3

*this was hanging out near the headlights.

Cobra Jet · « **Reply #1 on:** March 27, 2008, 08:53:38 AM »

Quote from: avus3;45616

mystery 3

*this was hanging out near the headlights.

If I'm not mistaken, THAT is a brake pad wear sensor. What I have found out by reading this forum and many others, it seems most folks do not reuse the brake pad wear sensors when replacing front & rear pads w/ aftermarket pads. That would normally hang down and be connected to the pad/caliper area. Do you have a light on in the dash cluster?

All of the brake pad wear sensors on my 318ic are disconnected (seems to be the norm as stated above), they were like this when the car was purchased prior to the last seller of the vehicle.

hoevesruperd · « **Reply #2 on:** March 27, 2008, 08:56:51 AM »

mistery 2 looks like a fuel filter... dont know why it'd be there though!!!

tjts1 · « **Reply #3 on:** March 27, 2008, 09:00:14 AM »

Mystery 2 is the charcoal vapor canister. There needs to be a second hose attached to it and mystery 1 is also part of that vacuum circuit. I bet your CEL light is on.

monty23psk · « **Reply #4 on:** March 27, 2008, 10:29:41 AM »

like Justin said,
there is a molded hose that goes from the charcoal canister(mystery 2) over to one end of sensor (mystery 1). then there is another hose that goes from sensor (mystery 1) to the left side on the throttle body.

Mystery 3 does look like the brake pad sensor.

PartsCar · « **Reply #5 on:** March 27, 2008, 10:44:54 AM »

sweet. so i need to get a hose to connect the charcoal canister to one end of mystery1 and another hose out the other end of mystery1 out to the left side of the throttle body. is this correct? also, which end of the sensor(mystery1) goes to the throttle body or the charcoal canister?

tjts1: surprisingly the CEL is not on. it has never lit up while i had the car. hrmph.

lol @ the brake pad sensor. it looks like it was coming from the fire wall and just hanging out in the engine bay. didnt recognize it as a brake pad sensor as i am used to the one on my old e36 M3. the brake lining light is on, but it looks like i need to replace the pads anyhow, so i never concluded that it could be the brake pad sensor.

monty23psk · « **Reply #6 on:** March 27, 2008, 01:00:04 PM »

that is correct. I see that you are in Miami Beach. I am also in Miami. I believe the oem hoses are shaped. Maybe a regular hose would would as this is for vapor, not liquid. Also I dont know which side the hoses go. Check realeom.com for a layout, might help. If not, let me know and I can check my car.

Just replaced the fuel lines under the intake so was looking at this area yesterday as I had to unplug the one going into the throttle.

gearheadE30 · « **Reply #7 on:** March 27, 2008, 04:25:46 PM »

+1 for tjts

If your CEL is not on, I would pull the cluster. Same if the brake lining light isn't on. It is possible that the previous owner had no idea what he was doing and just pulled the bulbs out of the back of the cluster.

PartsCar · « **Reply #8 on:** March 27, 2008, 06:06:36 PM »

Quote from: gearheadE30;45645

+1 for tjts

If your CEL is not on, I would pull the cluster. Same if the brake lining light isn't on. It is possible that the previous owner had no idea what he was doing and just pulled the bulbs out of the back of the cluster.

hrm... well to be completely honest, i have seen the CEL go off, but it never came on again. but that was before my alt. belt snapped. The brake lining light was on until i connected the brake pad sensor together, now that i think about it.

im going to parts store now, as i have a new wonderful problem to fix: possible clogged fuel filter.

josephb983 · « **Reply #9 on:** March 27, 2008, 10:22:07 PM »

gotta love cars full of mystery. I'm glad my car wasn't messed with. I had another car that had had a swap (not a bmw).... cut wires everywhere. who knows what they were for. lol.

by the way, you can fix your brake pad warning light very quickly if you want. just go to your rear wheel and cut the brake pad warning wires and short them. that's how they were on my car when I got it.