will

Donno Sam, have family here from o/seas. Will give you a yell. But you could always come up and experience all this northern class...!!!! Will

Likewise, I had quite a few, some really close, mostly when driving my big black MPV. Have driven with mine on for years now and had no further problems. If the cops put their lights on, it will make it far more difficult to see their light bar behind the glare. Makes me my detector all the more....

far north rangi rulez... again..! looks really good, Graham's (Bravo) is the same spec but his is now manual.

Removing the non-p/s rack from the car…. The first thing you need to do is jack the car up in the front and put it on stands with both wheels removed. Refer first pic below.. Now loosten off the nylock nut on the outer balljoints but don’t take the nuts right off. (17mm spanner) Leave them on for now but make sure the nylock bit is clear of the threads so it will come loose by hand. The reason for this is to protect the threads in case you miss-swing with your hammer.. quite easy to do as you are working in a confined space. The nut to be loostened/removed is arrowed orange in the first pic below. Once you have backed the nut off, use a heavish hammer and hit the steering arm bit on the side where the ball joint goes through. I have arrowed the point where you should hit in yellow. DO NOT HIT THE BALL JOINT ON THE TOP WHERE THE NUT GOES ON!!!!! After a few sharp cracks the joint should free and then you can remove the nut and drop the tie rod free. Repeat for the other side. If the joint does not free itself, get someone to put some downward force on the steering arm using a bar of sorts, this will help encourage it to free itself. (and for you picky people out there, yes, the pic is not of an E30 front end, but of my 328, just too lazy to jack up an E30…) The fronts are very similar anyway.. Now refer to the second pic. Remove the 2 bolts arrowed that hold the rack onto the subframe. These have nuts on the top so you will need two 17mm spanners. (also pic of 328 but similar to E30). Now refer to pic 3. (E30) Remove the two bolts/nuts arrowed from the steering linkage. Squirt a bit of oil into the slot to ease removal from the splines. (this pic is of a powered rack, the steering linkage is longer on the non-assisted rack). You can now pull the rack forward, and, with a bit of jiggling and fiddling and possible tapping with a hammer, you will eventually free the rack from the steering arm. Remove the steering arm and the rack now. You may encounter clearance problems removing the rack because it hits the sump. In this case, loosten off the engine mounts and jack the engine up a bit but put a plank under the sump to prevent cracking it. BE CAREFUL HERE IF YOU HAVE TO JACK THE MOTOR UP!!! Now to remove the powered one, follow all the steps above but you will have to also remove the alternator and the reservoir bottle and hoses. Leave the rack in place for now and first follow the steps below. See pic 4 The bolts mounting the alternator are arrowed (yellow). Also you will need to remove the 2 wires from the rear of the alternator to get it out. MAKE SURE YOU DISCONNECT THE BATTERY BEFORE REMOVING THESE WIRES!!! With the alternator out of the way, slacken off the bolt/nut (red arrow) and remove the belt. Put a container under the pump and remove the two pipes from the pump by undoing the 2 nuts that secure them to the pump, one on the top and one on the side. Be careful not to lose the copper washers that seal these connections. Wait for the oil to drain. Refer pic 5. remove the bolt arrowed to free the reservoir bottle. Twist the bottle to free it from the slotted mounting on the side of the turret. Refer pic 6. Now remove the pipe from under the reservoir bottle that goes to the rack. It is normally connected to the underside of the bottle with a hose clamp, not one of those crimp-type clamps. (arrowed) Remove the bottle. Swing the pump away from the block and remove the mounting bolts that attach the mounting bracket to the block. There is one on the front (green arrow) and a few on the side. Remove the pump. (You will need to swap the pump/alternator mounting brackets over as the non-assisted one will not have the mountings for the pump. So you will have to remove the alternator from your car and get its bracket off and replace it with the one that has the pump mountings.) Once the pump/pipes etc are removed, you can attempt to remove the powered rack from the car. This powered rack is far more difficult to get out with the hydraulic pipes on it but it can be done if you raise the motor and fiddle it around. If you don’t want this hassle, remove the 2 pipes from the steering rack just below the steering coupling. (when you are removing the powered rack from the car, you are bound to spill oil as it is impossible to get it all out..!!! Be warned…. Put some sort of cover down to catch it..) Assembly is the reverse of removal. Once you have the power rack installed and have checked all clamps on the hoses are tight, fill the bottle with auto trans fluid and start the car and let idle. Top up the bottle, swing the steering from side to side to remove all air bubbles. You will have to have the wheel alignment redone on the car/s ASAP afterwards..!!!! Don’t forget this!!! If you are not sure about anything, drop me a line.. Will EDIT>>>> sorry, the pics do not display in the order I uploaded them, sure you can sort the order out...

You should really pay us as we bring class with us...

Will do one tonight when I get home.

Probably the first thing is to determine how the timing chain tensioner works before you loosten the chain so you don't end up with bits in the sump. I don't know the motor so can't help much. The rest should be relatively straight foward. I have done the chain on a M5 motor and, apart from needing a couple of special tools, was quite simple. As Gus implies, it is just another motor. I have never been scared of diving into the unknown without manuals. If it were a much later motor with all the fancy EVT etc I might hesitate a bit but this is still a basic (but potent) little motor. So go for it !! My 5c worth anyway.... Will

Cliff Powersteering is easy to fit. You will need to replace the rack and steering shaft as the non-powered one is longer than the powered one. The pump just bolts onto the side of the block and the reservoir bolle fits onto the side of the strut tower. The monting points for all the bits are there already, you won't have to fabricate any mountings. I can do a write up if you think you need one. Aircon is quite difficult unless you can do wiring. If you are lucky your car may have some of the wiring already. Is your car manual or auto? There is a difference in wiring for manual and auto aircons. The biggest job is removing the dash to replace the non-aircon unit with an aircon one. Fitting the pipes is relatively straightfoward. You will need to remove the radiator to fit the evaporator and electric fan. Also you will need to replace all seals with R134a compatible ones and drain the oil from the compressor and replace the oil with R134a compatible oil unless you can find someone with the old R12 gas (or the substitute drop-in gas). You will also need a new dryer bottle. It is difficult to do a write-up on installing an aircon as there are so many differences in wiring looms in the e30's but I can try if you give me enough details of what loom your car has. I have a few complete powersteering systems here but am in Kerikeri so prob easier to get from someone down where you are. Can't help with complete aircon system though as I threw them all away. Will

Gareth, sounds like you are about to pwn yourself again... do NOT hit the balljoint nut with a hammer!!! But I suppose it is too late now.. Hit the strut mounting point on the side where the ball joint goes through like Gus says. If you can get someone to put downward pressure on the lower control arm at the same time with a long lever it will help free it. Give me a call if you want me to explain it to you. Will PS Methinks you need a name change to Ipwnme...

Thanks, thought as much. But good to have confirmation. Will

A question to you alarm gurus out there. I have fitted a M60B Mongoose alarm to one of my cars. E30 325i Pin 4 is listed as "ground when armed". What is this for? (no hints in the booklet with the alarm) I have not connected it to ground and the alarm is functional. I suspect it is used for some ancillary equipment?? What should I do with it...??? Leave it disconnected from ground as I have done?? Will

Mike, you know how much I like my 'verts, but I would rather drive my toyota diesel stationwagon. ..!!!!

The tranny will leak if overfilled but you would have had to put a lot of extra fluid in it to do so. (normally) There is a vent at the tail of the box just above the rear yoke. You need to try to determine where the fluid is coming from.. ie the front of the box out of the torque converter area or the rear out of the breather on top of the box or from the rear seal where the yoke goes in or even around where the dipstick pipe bolts the sump pan of the box. Check the oil cooler pipes that go to the radiator are not fractured in any way or loose at the gearbox or radiator. If it is coming from the breather then drain all the fluid from the box and start again and get the correct amount in the box. If it is coming from somewhere else, it could be a big job depending from where. So get under the car and look carefully. Maybe you will have to clean off the oil as best you can and take it for a short run so there is not such a mess to see where it is coming from. Maybe take it and get it steam cleaned and put it on a hoist after a short run..?? And if this fails, call 0800 Gus... (check his sticky under for sale..)

Andrew a short while ago... Grant today... You and Andrew have the same genes...??????

Firstly, replace the 4 bolts you just removed. Replace the fanbelt and adjust tight. Then use the 2 attachments below. The reason you don't remove the pulley and fanbelt is that it provides resistance when you need to give the 32mm spanner a sharp whack with a hammer (borrow Gus' one, he now uses a torque wrench to remove things and hammer is gathering dust... ). If the belt is not on, the fan will just spin when you whack the spanner and the nut won't loosten. Remember it is a left hand thread !!!! BTW, don't get Gus to do it with his hammer unless you want your fan turned into a kit form one !!

First thing to do MUST be fuel hoses... these things ignite easily, one on tardeme right now with fire damage. Couple of fellas here on the site that have had burnouts... not nice !!! Change ALL the hoses with good hose for fuel injection systems, not cheap sh*t. Don't skimp and only do some of them, not worth risking it for the cost of a few metres of hose. Reaction bushes are tricky if you dont have a press but will only cause tyre wear and not so good handling. Probably easier to get them done unless your skill level is good. Put decent solid ones while at it, they will help your handling. Alternator bushes are those horrible rubber mounting bushes used in earlier Bm's in an attempt to remove vibration... they go all soggy and the alternator ends up misaligned. (he is not referring to the bearings in the alternator here, if those were gone you would have a major noise and probably no charging). Either get some teflon bushes made up (you will need 3) or get a later model alternator which doesn't have these useless bushes. I would get another alternator as getting the bushes made would probably cost more than a secondhand alternator unless you have a buddy to make them for you. Powersteering hose weeping is common, normally one of the hose clamps is loose. Just tighten all the clamps. To flush successfully you need to remove the return hose to the reservoir bottle and add an extension (shove a piece of garden hose into it) and put it in a large container like a 5litre oil can. Get a mate to start the car and let it idle. When the reservoir is empty, add new fluid slowly till the fluid being pumped into the container is nice and clear. Switch off the motor, reconnect the hose and fill with fluid. Start again and check again after all the air bubbles are gone from the reservoir bottle. Running the system without fluid for a short period won't damage it, ther will be enough residual fluid around to continue lubricating the pump but do NOT run the car above idle. If you simply remove a hose and drain the fluid, you will not get rid of the old muck. This will probably require about 4litres of new ATF fluid to perform successfully. To change brake fluid you will need a length of clear hose, buy some from a pet shop, the type that is used for air lines in a fish tank. Start at one of the rear wheels. open the bleed nipple, push the hose over the end and put the other end into a container, pref a clear one. A glass jamjar with a hole punched through the lid works nicely here. A decent length of clear hose will allow you to place the jamjar next to the driver's door where you can observee the fluid coming ito it. Pump the pedal till the fluid in the brake fluid reservoir just disappears. (Don't add fluid to the reservoir until the fluid just empties from it or all you will get is a mix of old and new fluid). Stop and add fluid slowly into the reservoir. (only one of the chambers will empty at a time). Get back in the car and pump again watching the fluid enter into the jamjar. It will be obvious when the fluid coming out is clean, especially if you use a coloured brake fluid. Keep an eye on the reservoir and top up as necessary. Once the fluid is nice and clear coming out of the pipe, close the nipple and remove the pipe and go to the next rear wheel and repeat. (you won't need as much fluid for the second wheel). Repeat for the front wheels. If you can see the jamjar, you will be able to perform the operation yourself, otherwise get a mate to help. Belts are easy to replace, keep the old ones in the boot as spares. I think he is referring to the shift bushes, these get sloppy over time and your gear lever will become like a stirring spoon... replacing them is very tricky, do a search on the forum, I am sure there are details somewhere. If you do it you may as well do a short shifter at the same time. The job involves removing the propshaft, exhaust, heatshield, so is not for the inexperienced. I don't know costs for bushes etc but you will save heaps doing the more basic things. Have fun...!!! Will

Anyone in Christchurch willing to perform a service for suitable recompense like Gus does here? I want to try to buy a large item and will need it picked up (if successful in the purchase), and delivered to a suitable freight company (or furniture removers, whatever) for delivery to Kerikeri. PM me if you are interested and I will tell you what it is I hope to purchase and you can decide from there whether you want to do it. The item won't be particularly heavy, just bulky. Will

Gus no longer relies on his b/p hammer, he now has a torque wrench to bash things with..!!!

bump.. alternative is if anyone has a detailed wiring diagram for the touring, or knows where I can source one, that would do. I have searched all over but can't find anything on the touring, even the 5 CD set I have has nothing on the touring. I am specifically looking for wiring info on the headlamp wiper/washer, rear wiper/washer wiring. Will

It is indeed SA. It stands for "Gauteng Province", a new addition to SA after transition. Encompasses much of the old Witwatersrand (your geography lesson for the day..) Unauthorised redistribution of wealth is the favourite pasttime over there!! He was lucky he wasn't in his 323i when they decided they needed it more than he did, or he could be a statistic right now...

this is the way you do it but no guarantees the muffler will survive. and do it outside as, once it gets going, you will probably have the fire dept there... and I'm NOT joking here..!!! Get a gas axe (cutting torch) with a big tip. Light it and set it to have a longish hot flame. Stick it just into the exhaust in the same direction as the normal flow and keep it there till you get it burning inside (you will get REALLY thick white smoke coming out), then turn off the acetelene and hit the oxygen purge and supply the pipe with as much oxygen as it wants. This process takes a while and you may have to reignite the torch from time to time and get it burning again. I used to race 2strokes and we all used this method to keep the pipes perfectly clean as they carbon up even with decent 2stroke oil and running hard on the gas... and carbon= loss of power.. have fun ! Will

does anyone know of one of these being wrecked? Pref 325 version.. I need part of the wiring loom.

This should be a lesson to all, ALWAYS check your new thermostat BEFORE you install it. Gus certainly will in future (I hope..?!?) Will

anybody say German...?

Gus A few things to check... to do this, remove the cowling and the viscous fan, start the car and let it idle until the temp comes up. When the car is hot (normal temp on the gauge, before it overheats), grap both the top and bottom hoses going to the radiator. At this point, the temp should be almost the same in both hoses (at normal operating temp the hoses should still be cool enough for you to grip them for a short while without burning your hands unless you have delicate hands, but be cautious before you grip each pipe!) If there is a marked difference between the temp in the hoses, you have a flow problem. This can be caused by several things... 1. blocked radiator 2. air lock in system 3. faulty water pump 4. faulty thermostat The heater radiator in the car does help the cooling but generally is not critical. The BMW system in the E30 works with a valve that closes the flow through the heater radiator when cabin heating is not required, therefore the system should be able to be removed (blocked off) without causing the car to overheat. (No water will flow through it when the heater is off so it can't be critical to the cooling of the engine). Howeve, I would recommend that, if you remove it, that you join the 2 pipes so that you can get flow through them. Also, these pipes can help with filling the system and bleeding air from it. I have disconnected one in the past when battling to get a system to bleed and jammed a hose down it and forced water into the engine and out of the filler bottle.. A lot of early M40 motors were fitted with waterpumps with plastic impellors. These are very inclined to lose the impellor or wear the impellor fins off to the point that the pump no longer pumps. This would be my first port of call, remove the water pump and , if it has a plastic impellor, replace it with one with a metal impellor. If it has a metal impelloor, check that the impellor is firm on the shaft. I have seen metal impellors that have loostened on the shaft and spin freely. I don't think the thermostat is critical to the flow in the M40 motor, but check your new one to ensure it is functioning properly. I couldn't coun't how many time I have bought a new thermostat and found it faulty. Air locks are the difficult ones to get rid of sometimes. Use the bleed nipples on ther thermostat housing and the radiator, perhaps help it along with the method above using the heater hoses to force water in and also try jacking the car up in the front as high as you can get it to help expell air to the front of the motor and hopefully out. Hope this helps, if not, give me a yell and I will figure something else out for you. Will need more info then... cheers Will