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I believe I have your E30
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polyrhythmic



Joined: 01 Sep 2006
Posts: 60

PostPosted: Wed Aug 25, 2010 7:46 pm    Post subject: Updates Reply with quote

I've still got my blue baby! Here are some updates over the last few years:

Rear crossmember replaced
Heater unit replaced and leak fixed
New distributor
Many vacuum hoses replaced
A/C compressor deleted
Power window switches refurbished
New sunroof handle
New hood release handle & wiring
Replaced driver's window regulator with a refurb
Front speakers and aux in added to stereo
Glovebox replaced (hinge was rusted out)
Black leather OEM sport seats swapped in
Drivers door buzzer deleted
Custom push-button ignition
Timing and tune-up by Precision Motorworks
...and probably more misc I forgot...

Based on the carfax and rough math (the ODO says ~197K now), she's up to about 300,000 miles Cool

I've done all the work myself, except for the crossmember, and the timing and once-over by Precision (great service there btw!) I'm tuning her up a bit more and dug up some photos of her while I'm at it:











Now I'm rebuilding the front calipers, swapping the antenna for a stubby, and finally cleaning up the engine bay. Love my E30! My next car will definitely be a Bimmer, I've been hooked since the day I drove it! Mr. Green
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Charles
1984 318i 5spd 3.91 LSD
Original UnofficialBMW BMW (Unofficially)
Pushing 300,000 and going strong Smile


Last edited by polyrhythmic on Wed Aug 31, 2011 11:36 am; edited 3 times in total
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dale



Joined: 22 Aug 1999
Posts: 3087
Location: Seattle, WA USA

PostPosted: Thu Aug 26, 2010 1:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

After I traded in the 318i, the sales guy told me they sold it to a guy that does body work, he must have fixed the couple of dents it had and painted it.


Here are links to some of the stuff I did to the car
http://www.unofficialbmw.com/84_318i/84_e30.html
http://www.unofficialbmw.com/84_318i/repairs.318.txt

Does it still have the H4/H1 Hella headlights?

I'm out of town this Thursday through Sunday, but I'd like to meet up next week to look over your 318i.
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87 325 5spd eta
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polyrhythmic



Joined: 01 Sep 2006
Posts: 60

PostPosted: Fri Aug 27, 2010 3:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I thought that paint looked too good to be original. Assuming all goes well with the caliper rebuild this weekend, sometime over the next week sounds good.

As far as the headlights... I can see the outer lenses and bulbs say H4, the inner lenses say E1 with a number 14464R8, don't see a marking on the inner bulbs. They look like they have a half-cover over the top of the bulb(?). I've never needed to replace the bulbs so this is actually the closest I've looked at them!
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Charles
1984 318i 5spd 3.91 LSD
Original UnofficialBMW BMW (Unofficially)
Pushing 300,000 and going strong Smile
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polyrhythmic



Joined: 01 Sep 2006
Posts: 60

PostPosted: Tue Aug 31, 2010 10:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ok, I refurbished the front calipers and did a light refurb on the rear drums and replaced the shoes (and then bled all the lines of course). I couldn't find any good online writeups of the rear shoe/drum work so I took a bunch of photos and will post a DIY soon -- I have a couple tips and changes that make it easier than the Bentley directions.

Can't wait to test out the new brakes but it is dark and wet! I'll wait for tomorrow.

We do have some friends coming into town for an extended weekend, but I have more time next week as well. Cool
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Charles
1984 318i 5spd 3.91 LSD
Original UnofficialBMW BMW (Unofficially)
Pushing 300,000 and going strong Smile
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polyrhythmic



Joined: 01 Sep 2006
Posts: 60

PostPosted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 8:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Brakes are working great! Put in a new battery too. She just has an exhaust rattle that I'd like to fix, but I have no idea where to start. It sounds like it's coming from the downpipe? I think I might take her down to Precision since I doubt I'll be able to fix it without putting it on a lift.
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Charles
1984 318i 5spd 3.91 LSD
Original UnofficialBMW BMW (Unofficially)
Pushing 300,000 and going strong Smile
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polyrhythmic



Joined: 01 Sep 2006
Posts: 60

PostPosted: Wed Aug 24, 2011 2:02 pm    Post subject: Update August 2011 Reply with quote

Now for an August update! Weather has been fantastic (finally) here in Seattle so I've been getting a lot of work done. The better I get to know her, the more I see to do when I look at her -- so now she's running better than ever!

Over the past year, I've done:
Fuel filter
Driver and passenger door moisture barriers
Engine degreasing and engine bay cleanup
FPR Damper deleted
New clutch stop
Seafoam Hot Soak + Oil Change (what a difference!)
New downpipe/cat/exhaust and oxygen sensor installed by Ballard Muffler and Auto
Wired in the stereo harness for my new Clarion FZ501
Replacement passenger side window (matching good condition, ebay)
New BMW Roundels front and back (impressive xmas present from my gf)
Disassembled and refurbished headlight switch (corrosion was preventing right front parking lights from coming on with headlights)

Sidenote: my poor baby got broken into by some morons while I was on vacation this spring Evil or Very Mad, so I got to replace the passenger side window. Of course, I had just done the moisture barriers a month before! They took the hard way in, and wedged (what I assume was) a crowbar between the window trim and window and shattered the window, in the middle of the day in my parking spot in Greenlake. All they took was my half-broken 10-year old CD player... any of my E30 parts have much greater value, they even left the tools in the glovebox! Rolling Eyes On the plus side I had been trying to nail down a slow battery drain for a while now... turns out it was that stereo, so good riddance! Twisted Evil

Now on order:
New oil cap just for the seal (I had no idea there should be an oil filler cap seal until I ran across this and this thread)
Intake boot that goes to the IVC (cracked)
ALARM SYSTEM (planning on the inexpensive K9 install shown here)
New brake master cylinder + O-ring + grommets

And I also need due to the breakin: the dash trim around the stereo/clock and the passenger door window exterior trim piece "Covering right" part #51321888174. I am emailing some people locally who are parting out E30s.

Here's a couple recent pics I took when I installed the roundels:



She'll be parked until I install the new brake master cylinder & alarm next week, but I'll take some more pics of her then!
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Charles
1984 318i 5spd 3.91 LSD
Original UnofficialBMW BMW (Unofficially)
Pushing 300,000 and going strong Smile
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85-325e



Joined: 30 Jun 2002
Posts: 4712
Location: Southampton, NY

PostPosted: Wed Aug 24, 2011 2:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The car still looks great Charles. Good luck with the brake work...

When I had my 2002, I parked it on Madison Avenue at 82nd street for an hour or so, and the stereo was removed from the car as were a few other things, in broad daylight, on a very busy corner in Manhattan!

Hopefully, you'll find the trim easily but you can still get new pieces...
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Cosmo - 1985 BMW 325e, Single Owner, 265,000+ ORIGINAL miles and still going strong! But now on the East Coast and the salt air corrosion is eating my beautiful car alive... Sad

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dale



Joined: 22 Aug 1999
Posts: 3087
Location: Seattle, WA USA

PostPosted: Wed Aug 24, 2011 2:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Charles,
I'm glad to see you still have my old 318i. I learned so much about owning and repairing E30s in the 2 years that I owned her.

Quote:
And I also need due to the breakin: the dash trim around the stereo/clock and the passenger door window exterior trim piece "Covering right" part #51321888174. I am emailing some people locally who are parting out E30s.


I likely have these parts if you'd like to come by and take a look at my stash.
Email me, dale at unofficialbmw dot com to setup a time, almost anytime this week works.
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87 325 5spd eta
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polyrhythmic



Joined: 01 Sep 2006
Posts: 60

PostPosted: Wed Aug 24, 2011 4:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks Dale, that'd be great! Ideally I would like to drive over the 318i so you can see it, my parts haven't shipped yet so late next week would be best for me. I'll email you about the details. It would be good to have your advice on how she's doing, I'm sure you'll see things I haven't!
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Charles
1984 318i 5spd 3.91 LSD
Original UnofficialBMW BMW (Unofficially)
Pushing 300,000 and going strong Smile
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polyrhythmic



Joined: 01 Sep 2006
Posts: 60

PostPosted: Thu Aug 25, 2011 12:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The parts I ordered from Partsgeek and Autohaus shipped in less than 6 hours and are already out for delivery Shocked. Not sure how that's possible, but I'm stoked! Should have her back up by the weekend!

Sidenote: Looks like AutohausAZ isn't carrying Mann OEM oil filters anymore, I tried to stock up -- they shipped only 2 and this message:
Quote:
We have checked with our direct importers and they reported that this part is now on backorder with no expected delivery date for more.


Next project (Short shifter!) links for reference:
Urethane Shifter Mounts
Rear Transmission Seal
Shifter Upgrades
Dale's 84-85 short shifter reference
Best short shifter for the money
$5 Weighted Selector Rod
Diagnosing shifter looseness
z3 1.9 + 325is parts example
85-325e's transmission leak fix details
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Charles
1984 318i 5spd 3.91 LSD
Original UnofficialBMW BMW (Unofficially)
Pushing 300,000 and going strong Smile
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polyrhythmic



Joined: 01 Sep 2006
Posts: 60

PostPosted: Wed Aug 31, 2011 11:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, like any good project things are taking a bit longer than expected. The master cylinder replacement went very well -- PBR replacement fit perfectly with the (now thoroughly cleaned) ATE reservoir tank, found no fluid in the brake booster, clutch slave bled easily, back brakes bled... but when it came to bleed the front brakes I found that both bleeder screws had seized. I gave it some PB Blaster and hammer taps, but they both sheared off at the caliper. I tried the EZ-out reverse-bit screw extraction and more PB Blaster, but nothing worked. I read across the forums that seized bleeder screws are almost never successfully extracted and THEY ARE RIGHT. I had just rebuilt the calipers last year and I still couldn't budge them!

So I went ahead and ordered remanufactured Girling calipers and new Centric rotors while I'm at it. In the meantime I've installed a new intake to ICV boot, repaired the trunk light, replaced the clock light, and am finishing up the Scytek G20 keyless/alarm install today.

Also on the way is a Z3 antenna assembly I found at Morrow Motors through the VinesAuto.com parts search. For $35 shipped I will definitely be using that search in the future.

I'm stuck with a bit more waiting... but I'm sure it will be worth it!
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Charles
1984 318i 5spd 3.91 LSD
Original UnofficialBMW BMW (Unofficially)
Pushing 300,000 and going strong Smile
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85-325e



Joined: 30 Jun 2002
Posts: 4712
Location: Southampton, NY

PostPosted: Wed Aug 31, 2011 1:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

polyrhythmic wrote:
Well, like any good project things are taking a bit longer than expected.

I read across the forums that seized bleeder screws are almost never successfully extracted and THEY ARE RIGHT. I had just rebuilt the calipers last year and I still couldn't budge them!

I'm stuck with a bit more waiting... but I'm sure it will be worth it!


Yes, these things somehow always take longer than any of us expect they'll take. Sounds like you're making great headway. Ain't it a pain in the butt when something so small can turn an easy project into a nightmare?

I ordered some parts from Pelican, all OEM, and they expected the parts would get to me on the 9th of September. Instead, they'll be here on Friday as they've already shipped Priority Mail, so perhaps even tomorrow they'll arrive. The car will be up on stands this weekend, but not for long, and then I hope Cosmo's feet stay on the ground for a good long time Wink!

Hang in there... You're definitely making progress!
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Cosmo - 1985 BMW 325e, Single Owner, 265,000+ ORIGINAL miles and still going strong! But now on the East Coast and the salt air corrosion is eating my beautiful car alive... Sad

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polyrhythmic



Joined: 01 Sep 2006
Posts: 60

PostPosted: Fri Sep 02, 2011 8:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the encouragement! In the meantime, I'm writing up an E30 aftermarket alarm installation guide over at R3vlimited. I'm pretty sure I've found a way to do remote trunk release as well as keeping the radio and windows working until the door opens after key off.

Here's the diagram so far:


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Charles
1984 318i 5spd 3.91 LSD
Original UnofficialBMW BMW (Unofficially)
Pushing 300,000 and going strong Smile
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85-325e



Joined: 30 Jun 2002
Posts: 4712
Location: Southampton, NY

PostPosted: Sat Sep 03, 2011 12:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm not very good at electrical diagrams Charles! Still I understand what's happening.

What items do you have to add to the circuits to make all fo this work? Do you have to add the diodes and stuff?

Looks interesting for sure. But I'm a purist lol... everything in my car is stock.

And now, I even got my fuel pump cover... I'm stoked! It hasn't been in the car for at least 19 or 20 years. And the thing is SO friggin cool... I din't expect it to be so neat... it's REALLY heavy rubber, 3 pieces, and perfectly fits around every appendage of the pump, sealing it from the elements and making it MUCH more quiet I'm sure.

The funny thing is when I figured out that it was missing, and remembered back to the time when the pump was changed 19 or so years ago, I remember that the pump seemed louder. That's cause there was NO cover lol!

I'll put the car back up on stands Sunday, take down the fuel pump again, refresh everything in there and put on the cover, then pop that puppy back up, change the thermostat and I'm pretty much done. I have a used window motor and regulator for the passenger side that I need to put in... have only had that for 6 or so years sitting in the garage! And I think I have to change the fuel guage, or adjust it if possible, because it's not showing as high as it should, and then I'm ready to drive the 5K miles to and from NY in October.
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Cosmo - 1985 BMW 325e, Single Owner, 265,000+ ORIGINAL miles and still going strong! But now on the East Coast and the salt air corrosion is eating my beautiful car alive... Sad

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polyrhythmic



Joined: 01 Sep 2006
Posts: 60

PostPosted: Sun Sep 04, 2011 10:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I understand being a purist, there is something really nice about knowing that everything is in its place as designed. That's why I've tried to keep the stock look of my 318 (no body kits, extra gauges, etc) and just keep her really clean.

The next big thing she really needs is an OEM Balticblau paint job... I'm just wary of the cost especially as the exhaust and brakes turned out to be a bit more than I had hoped. I think the color is really pretty though and may even be unique to the '84s.

In the alarm circuit the relays and diodes have to be added -- e30 door locks need 1.2 Amps and most inexpensive car alarms can only pull 500mA current. Also, older German cars like ours have two parking light circuits, the diodes isolate them so that when the alarm flashes the lights the power doesn't bleed from one circuit into another.

For the remote trunk release the trigger wire has to be run from the driver's kickpanel to the trunk lock area. There I am wiring a relay to drive a new lock actuator (DEI 524N) that will push the little nub on the trunk lock up, opening it from inside. This way I get the stock look but with today's modern conveniences Smile.
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Charles
1984 318i 5spd 3.91 LSD
Original UnofficialBMW BMW (Unofficially)
Pushing 300,000 and going strong Smile
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