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Thread: KFJs "God's Chariot" e30

  1. #31
    3,000 rpm - starting to feel the power Thumper13's Avatar
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    I'm not big on aesthetics,but your car looks like "amazing" in the works. Can't wait to see the finished product.

  2. #32
    Ninja Messiah kung fu jesus's Avatar
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    Thanks for the kind words, everyone!

    Yellow - It seems like a lot of work all at once, but I am constantly thinking about what I can do while waiting for other stuff (like the paint to dry between coats). I was sort of surprised how much I accomplished over the weekend too. We had nice weather , so it was easy to keep moving and stay outside. I started Sunday around maybe 9:30 or 10am, wrapped up and cleaned up the mess by 5pm and made it to a BBQ. Although as soon as I ate, relaxed, I realized how exhausted I was and fell asleep on a lounger by the pool.

    I send the PO pictures of the updates, he loves it, too.

    It's great, though, because there is a LOT of documentation for fixes and DIYs on this car. If I get stuck, I know there is an excellent chance of finding the answer pretty quickly. Parts are still easy to find, new and used, so that helps too. I don't think parts are that expensive either, similar to the Miata. I am lucky to have landed on this car that was well-maintained and documented. Being able to email and talk to the PO (my friend) who owned 4 years before me also helps.

  3. #33
    Ninja Messiah kung fu jesus's Avatar
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    So, this is a project of small victories and defeats. I was expecting this from previous BMW ownership. I am doing projects/upgrades that are 'free' in the sense that I already have the tools and knowledge to repair something without having to replace it. They are fun, small jobs that are somewhat intricate or involve carefully detail work. One of these projects is tackling the fuel gauge and the OBD panel.

    The OBD panel (I referred to it as the OCD panel above) is a small panel below the rearview mirror that tells you when something isn't working correctly. This is usually a monitor brake lights, coolant level, washer fluid level, etc. They don't always tell you you fixed it as the eletronics are wired in an interesting logic. Something like using the wrong wattage of brake light bulbs can trigger the light even though they work fine. It can also tell you if a sensor monitoring something has stopped working. It's 'OCD' to me because I don't like seeing warning lights when I start the car. My '95 M3 LOVED to tell me something was wrong and the electronics were far more aggravating than the this car. A lot of people might say "meh." and ignore them, but I guess I'm someone who can't. I am not the kind of person who needs all the soup cans in the pantry with the labels all facing the same way, but when it comes to machinery, I like my stuff wired tight.

    I had three consistant lights on start that illuminated on the OBD panel; brake lights, coolant level, washer fluid. Fixed the washer fluid leak, light off. The brakes light illumination is common, but found a workaround...the light turns off now when I step on the brakes the first time after starting, light off. The coolant level sensor was dead. $12 for a new one, light off. Yay! Victory is mine!

    IMG_0663.jpg

    The other issue I was aware of before buying the car was the funky fuel gauge. It dances and reads inaccurately, or doesn't read at all. Similar to this:



    My model has two fuel sending units, wired in series. The gauge monitors the average resistance between the two, so when one goes bad, it does the funky chicken. Also, because the car is 25 years old, the electronics on the dashboash may need cleaning or the solder points on the board may have broken. I decided to tackle the later because it was free and I have the tools and a *little* bit of knowledge about this stuff. So, I pulled the instrument cluster, cleaned it, re-touched all the connection points with a soldering iron, changed the bulbs and reset the needles for the fuel and coolant gauges:

    IMG_0650.jpgIMG_0651.jpgIMG_0653.jpgIMG_0654.jpgIMG_0655.jpgIMG_0657.jpgIMG_0658.jpgIMG_0660.jpg

    I treated this equipment like it was a bomb. It's 25 y.o and could be brittle. I took my time and a couple hours in the evening was a small time expense paid. I put it together and everything worked! Then I went on a test drive and as soon as I took the picture of the illuminated dash, the fuel gauge did the funky chicken. Defeat.

    So, I consulted with the P.O. who has been extremely gracious answering my questions. I have been reciprocating this by helping him with his questions as he refurbs the NA he just bought. Anyways, he told me he replaced the one sending unit two years ago. Thankfully, it is the more difficult of the two, and the more expensive one. It is also the one that triggers the low fuel light. Despite the fuel gauge not working, I know that when the fuel light comes on, I have 1.5 gallons left. This left the obvious choice to the problem to be the OTHER sending unit. I ordered one last night to be ere before the long holiday weekend. Hopefully, the next time I post, I will have another victory under my belt.

  4. #34
    Ninja Messiah kung fu jesus's Avatar
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    More pics coming!

    The fuel sender came! It was easy to install, 10 minutes maybe. No pics of that because I didn't think it was prident to snap pictures while the fuel tank was open. . I now have a fully functional fuel gauge! Woot! :fistbump:

    I also took to cleaning the wheels. Tried some strong chemicals, but the dust is layered on thick. The paint is trashed, but I just wanted to brighten them, EZ Off took the dust cake right off! I painted a pair with VHT wheel paint, Argent Silver. A little too dark.

    image.jpgimage.jpgimage.jpgimage.jpg

    I decided to try some bright silver aluminum paint next, a little bright, but it pulls out the polished accents along the drip rails and grille. TSingson wants to buy them, but If he doesn't, I might have them professionally refurbed and powdercoated.

    image.jpgimage.jpgimage.jpg

    trying to track down a bit of play in the steering. I thought it was tierods, but the PO assured me they were fairly new. Ordered them anyways. Holy crap! Parts are cheap for this car! I bought new Moog (German made) inners and outers wth the locking plates for $90 shipped...both sides!

    Further inspection and a bit of consultatalion from the local community says I probably just need an alignment. The PO thought this as well when I bought it. I will look at that this next week or two.
    Last edited by kung fu jesus; 09-02-2013 at 06:44 PM.

  5. #35
    Super Moderator tsingson's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kung fu jesus View Post
    TSingson wants to buy them, but If he doesn't, I might have them professionally refurbed and powdercoated.
    Tsingson is just waiting for you to make them available.

  6. #36
    3,000 rpm - starting to feel the power JLBMX5's Avatar
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    I finally got to see this thing when Steven came to help me with my motor swap. If I was not so damn dirty I would of asked for a quick ride. Maybe next time I can get a ride and see how it feels.

  7. #37
    Ninja Messiah kung fu jesus's Avatar
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    Stereo install coming soon!

  8. #38
    Super Moderator atank's Avatar
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    Looking Good KFG!

  9. #39
    Ninja Messiah kung fu jesus's Avatar
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    Started prep on the installation for sound equipment. The PO before my buddy owned it had some funky ideas about what passes for suitable stereo hardware. I had to take a lot of time to go through the car to 'reset' a lot of the factory wiring. I found a lot of wiring land mines and interesting use of materials that person used on the sound system. One of my favorite solutions? Phone wire to bypass the OE speaker wires to the rear.

    IMG_0694.jpg

    This car came with factory 'premium sound', which by 1988 standards is pretty good. It has a tiny factory amp in the trunk, but today's CEA-compliant headunits produce more wattage per channel. It also had '80 tech cellular phone cabling. It was mostly removed, but I dug out more as I delved into this. I removed the amp and prepped it's input/output for the new system.

    IMG_0692.jpg

    IMG_0691.jpg

    Fortunately, I was able to find the OE speaker wires mostly intact, I just had to find them and re-splice some of them back together. BMW uses interesting electronic logic and their factory sound equipment is no different. The speakers are all grounded to a common ground on a fader control on the dash. Most aftermarket equipment doesn't play well with this configuration, and the PO created a lot more work for himself running odd cabling through the car. The best and simplest solution was to split apart the common ground and wire them as pairs, like most systems. That's what I did.

    I also saw the headunit has been changed at least twice, so I also had to go through the patch harness and reconnect the OE wiring and split grounds to that.

    IMG_0686.jpgIMG_0690.jpg

    Dealing with more of the PO's mess, I fit the rear speakers in (Infinity Reference 5032cf) without much fuss. I put the fronts in, but the space is tight. The rears are Infinity 509 CS components and I like them very much! I may try to get another set of these for the rear instead of the 5032s. The tweeters *just* fit in the factory locations, too.

    IMG_0689.jpgIMG_0688.jpgIMG_0687.jpg

    I am seriously thinking of adding an 8" sub in the trunk made especially for this car. I prepped the trunk, by knocking out the ski passthrough in the rear bulk head.

    IMG_0693.jpg

    Finally, I prepped the amp for installation.

    IMG_0695.jpg

    I will test the system after wiring in the amp. The stereo arrives Monday and I am going to lay in the RCA cables too.

  10. #40
    Ninja Messiah kung fu jesus's Avatar
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    OK! The radio, amp and speakers are installed. Sound great! I may replace the rears because I am not liking the fitment.

    IMG_0697.jpgIMG_0699.jpgIMG_0705.jpg

    I turned my focus towards steering. There is a small amount of play/dead spot in the steering at speed. As normal, I researched the hell out of it, searching numerous forums with the keywords I was able to describe. I narrowed it down to a few possibilities, with the help of the previous owner; control arm bushings, tie rods, steering couple, upper strut mounts. The car has newer control arms and P/U bushings, so I checked those. Good to go. I checked the tie rods and found a *little* play. I already have quality ones on hand (Moog inner/outers, Made in Germany - so you KNOW they're good!). I made a video and reached out to the local e30 group on Facespace:



    I narrowed it down to the steering coupler, BUT I saw cracks forming in the rubber of the upper strut mounts. After talking it over with the PO, he agreed. So, I ordered the steering coupler. I wasn't looking forward to this since all the DIYs I read about it said it is a bear of a job. The PO said it should be relatively easy because one end was off in the last 3 years because of the rack being rebuilt. I was cautious, but hopeful. It arrived quickly and I cleared my weekend schedule to tackle the job.

    IMG_0708.jpg

    Typically, the rubber disc get worn and twists irregularly. Well, my Friday freed up earlier than I expected and I started on it late that afternoon. 90 minutes total. I was shocked, others were shocked. I was told to expect 4-5 hours just because the metals tend to fuse to each other over time. This was the original part, so 25 years of assembly, it was likely EXCEPT this car has spent it's entire life in the South. YEEEUUUUSSSS! The old one was REALLY floppy.

    IMG_0709.jpg

    The U-joints had a bit of play in them. It did take a lot of play out the steering, but I don't like what I saw in the upper strut mounts. I ordered new ones plus camber plates. I have to remove the ball joints to do this, so this is sort of like killing two birds with one stone.

    Now, I'm no stranger to McPherson suspensions and the BMW geometry is a bit unique, but I was at the point where I had to make my first performance decision on the car. Adding camber plates is a no-brainer, but I don't want to make mistakes of the past. I want the advantages of the camber adjustability, but I don't really want to sacrifice comfort. Fortunately, Bimmerworld makes simple camber plates that work with OEM upper mounts.

    E36camber.jpg

    My fear was if I went to solid mounts or P/U mounts, it would translate too much NVH and harshness to the car. Sure, I may not get the full range of adjustment as with other camber plates, but I have to remind myself I will use this on the street far more than on the track. Plus, the plates are ~$125 versus street/track/race versions from Vorschlag, Ground-Control, etc. I have used solids in the past on other cars, and they can make the car feel like it is tear apart from impact over road surface irregularities.

    Now I wait for those part to arrive and I will tackle the tie rods, upper strut mount sna camber plates in one job, then have the front end aligned.
    Last edited by kung fu jesus; 09-17-2013 at 12:47 PM.

  11. #41
    Ninja Messiah kung fu jesus's Avatar
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    Fresh upper strut mounts, camber plates, inner and outer tie rods await installation!

    In the meantime, I did a track day at Atlanta Motorsports park:

    555875_10202166017662132_1207633334_n.jpg

    That's my former NA behind me! She still runs like champ! A true wolf in sheep's clothing dicing it up on the track.

    1380032_1418535328374488_121954770_n.jpg
    10062493336_2e589d013f_c.jpgImageUploadedByTapatalkHD1380592300.712628.jpg

    Also, finding it frustrating to find a decent selection of tires for my needs, I upgraded to 16x8 wheels.

    1380525_10202309183401186_1439431321_n.jpg1380136_10202309183641192_1126588862_n.jpg1379632_10202309183881198_241200287_n.jpg1379655_10202309184121204_1770712176_n.jpg1377086_10202309185281233_1811175130_n.jpg

    Wrapped them in 205/45-16 Continental ExtremeContact DWS all-seasons. Yay!

  12. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to kung fu jesus For This Useful Post:

    Agent☣Orange (10-19-2013),WASABI (10-19-2013)

  13. #42
    Individual-1 ☚ ☻ ☛ Agent☣Orange's Avatar
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    That's really looking good!

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    kung fu jesus (10-19-2013)

  15. #43
    6,000 rpm - mere mortals would shift theothersawyer's Avatar
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    Hey I took one of those pictures from the track day! I didn't know that was you or I would have introduced myself!

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  17. #44
    Ninja Messiah kung fu jesus's Avatar
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    Yah brah! I wasn't sure which NA was yours.

  18. #45
    Individual-1 ☚ ☻ ☛ Agent☣Orange's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by theothersawyer View Post
    Hey I took one of those pictures from the track day! I didn't know that was you or I would have introduced myself!
    Is that him right behind you in the photo?

    10062493336_2e589d013f_c.jpg

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