Auzeras

I'm lucky, my flat in Wellington has no garage space (parking on the street SUCKS) but my mum's place is close, double garage with no cars in it and plenty of driveway space. I don't have a lot of tools more than screwdrivers, sockets, ring spanners and assorted other "toolbox tools" but as you go you slowly build up a pretty decent collection of stuff. If anyone ever wants to spend a day or so stripping things off a bimmer and making emergency runs to the nearest parts store for unexpected bits, let me know. I've got a list of "to do's" a mile long for my car, any extra people make it more fun to work with. Also very lucky to have access to a mate's fully kitted workshop (he races so, well laid out shop) they usually have a car or three in every saturday. Haven't been in a while but it's good to hang out and talk with the lads. @Miss BM - Understand what you're saying, It was hard for me starting out as young bloke at work on the ship, because I was young no one thought I was capable. I figure things out pretty fast once I have been pointed out in the right direction. Everyone's sweet now they know what I can do, but I imagine being in a similar situation plus being a female would have been difficult. My uncle still tells me to take the car to a shop, no way I could afford that! Plus it's much more rewarding to spend hours under a grime covered engine wrestling with a power steering pump than to have a nice cuppa whilst someone else does it. Pretty sure he dies a little inside when I tell him about the next thing I intend to fix

I can understand that, part of the problem is when no one else takes responsibility to help out the new kids so to speak, also harder with the limited cars here, there's likely to be only one or two "experts" for each model so you end up with the same stuff all the time. On the E32 page on the bimmerforums site I can quite happily give tips about stuff I have previously dealt with meaning the likes of our resident experts shogun, e32fan, gert and tim don't have to, of course they usually give their 2c which is invaluable at times. Also there are quite a few really well put together sites for the E32 compiled by E32 owners so finding a wealth of incredibly detailed information is dead easy. Being cynical is half the point of the internet. It wouldn't be forum without being worried about pissing of the forum grumpy guts

To be honest I put it down to a decline in people willing to work on their cars. The [insert ricer suburb near you] lot are all on facebook complaining about cops harassing them in their hondas, and the rest of the car inclined people get their mechanic to do it or do it themselves. Basically there's not many people left doing decent projects in the driveway, they're either good enough to do it themselves with little help or wanna be jap street racers (glad they're not here) of course it's made more extreme by the fact this is New Zealand and then add to that the small portion of BMW owners and from the BMW owners, those who actually want to do their own car work. That basically leaves us. Social media will never replace a forum, when I search "E32 IHKA" I get a bunch of forums serviced by highly knowledgeable groups of people, not one social media account. I have asked things on Facebook and got nothing but idiotic replies. Forums are easy to navigate records, and they keep good historical data. Ever tried to find an old post in facebook? It's a nightmare. Overall though there appears to be a global decline in willingness to work on your own car, even the big international forums are getting quiet with the "old timers" keeping the likes of me around by being able to instantly diagnose a poorly described rattle from the AC unit as a loose blower motor mount and linking me to a 5 year old forum post on how to fix it. That sort of glorious knowledge is why I love a good forum. Sadly it seems that people are scared to even look at an engine. For me, once you know the working principals you can fix it. Of course there are the finer points of how a specific system goes together and how to handle it but in general, if you research things you can do it yourself. I find the NZ forums to be very helpful, the Americans and Euro guys are pretty much "buy the part that fits" type people, whereas us kiwi's tend to reply with "well, the fitting costs $150 but with a bit of brass, a tap & die kit from repco and a few beersies you can make on for $12" - That sort of workaround, do it from anything is what I love about most NZ forums and that's not just cars - metalworking, fabrication, RC you name it, there's a Kiwi saying "bog it together" and an American saying "just buy a $50 part, spend $75 in shipping and wait for a week"

I seem to recall seeing a "tools for hire" thread or sub forum on here once, I just tried to find it again because there's a guy who has an ADS interface that I would definitely like to use in order to try find out why the trusty money drain isn't playing nice at the moment. Problem is it either gone or I'm extra blind today. If the thread has gone, anyone have an ADS interface I can borrow? Need to read an '89 E32 Side note, anyone have a 735i around Wellington want to drive mine or take me for a spin in theirs? I feel like mine is severely lacking in power, it doesn't use excess fuel and cruises fine at 100 but I've seen mopeds accelerate faster. Not sure if it's slow due to the fact some plonker never maintained the engine and everything electrical is broken or if it's just a heavy, luxury car with a smooth & gliding trans & soft torque converter that makes accelerating as much fun as doing the dishes. Was thinking it might be good to see what a properly functioning one ran like so I can tell if things are broken or just old/comfy. Cheers

If it was an M30 I'd be worried, I suffered the loss of a cam shaft due the banjo bolt falling out of the oil spray bar starving the cam of lube. Don't think the M20's have that issue. Regardless of maintenance I always like to follow up on anything I feel is a bit off - despite being serviced at a reputable euro place they happily told the PO that the valve tick was nothing to worry about. Damn near f'ed the engine.

This is a nice write up http://www.enduringautomotive.com/tps/ - None of this info covers a 5 or 6 pin TPS... don't have any info on them

Just in case it's not a TPS here's a quick "symptoms check" -http://www.bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/1081877 Note the value given in resistance are NOT indicating that there should be a linear or exponential scale between them, just at those positions those approximate resistances may be read. Anything drastically out may signal a problem. All good with the M50, that was run until early '96? Similar systems I think in terms of TPS technology. Things haven't changed a hell of a lot since then. Here's what I got from a few pages: With the IGN ON - Test for +5v on the TPS harness from the engine, if it's not getting a good 5v there is another electrical problem causing the TPS to give out wrong data. Not sure which pin it is, but just take the + lead and probe each one to see what ya get. Get the other pin on a good ground. If you get an out of spec reading then try the - lead on another ground as it might be that that's causing the bad reading. Pays to be sure. With IGN OFF check resistance between the TPS harness +5v pin and the DME/ECM (again you'll have to check your schematic for this) resistance should be less than 5ohms. Repeat for the common or ground wire on the TPS, if your TPS uses the chassis to ground itself then make sure it's seated cleanly. IGN ON again - Reconnect TPS to the harness and some how work out how to probe the TPS signal wire with the sensor connected. This can be tricky, might be best to run some jumper wires from the harness to each pin of the TPS minus the signal pin which you'll probe + lead to signal wire, - lead to good ground. That last one can be done off the car or disconnected if you have a good 5v source. You'll need to work out which pins are +5v and Ground/common and which one is the signal wire. Anyway hook it up and see if you get a nice reading of between 0.5v to 4.5v IF the voltages are correct then there is a problem elsewhere. Most likely to be with DME/ECM but could be elsewhere. Never assume with these damn expensive computers! Hope this helps & the info is accurate!

Yeah, I can't remember the specifics but a TPS isn't a potentiometer or simple variable resistor so simply ready the resistance won't product a nice smooth curve. I think (as 4th gear suggests) you're supposed to test it under working voltage and measure the received current. If I recall correctly that's not exactly perfect either and a "proper" test involves graphing the resistance and return voltage against each other. I'm pretty sure an 88 E30 uses a similar TPS to an 89 E32 - I'll try find the documents on TPS testing and link them, they are for the E32 I think but should be a similar process.

Forgot to mention - Cleaned ICV & replaced throttle body gasket. Have got the manifold gaskets. Will do them too after media blasting and a paint job.

My M30 powered 735i runs ok but I feel like it lacks a bit of power and even if it's a cold or hot start it always idles at ~600RPM which is a touch low for hot and damn low for cold. It's got a million missed maintenance items from the PO which I'm working through, one of which is fixing up the fuel system. Already Done: I've already tried to fix a problem with the sender and made sure the pump fuel lines were on good in the tank, tank gasket was fresh and there was hardly any sediment in the tank, got the magnetic bits out with a neodymium magnet a few tiny bits remain, nothing to worry about. Filter screen on pump was in good shape. Fuel Filter - Replaced What want to check/do: Fuel pump - Pressure & Flow Injectors - Clean & rebuild (O-Rings, Filters) Fuel Hose - Replace all flexible lines Fuel Pressure Regulator - I think it's original since it's covered wit the same yellow flaky spray crud they coated the engine bay with before export. Doesn't seem to smell of fuel in the vacuum line but is there some sort of definitive test to make sure it's functioning? Is it likely to be good after 26 years or should I replace it? $150 I'd rather not spend if it is good. Anyone else have anything to add to that? I'll need to borrow a fuel pressure gauge (if anyone has one I could borrow that would be great) and I have no idea how to work out if the fuel pump is delivering good flow, is there a way to check that or should I not worry about that if the pressure is right and it's not loosing power at high RPMs? Injector rebuild - Will be building a rig to pressurise the injectors and pulse them to properly clean them. If anyone wants to rebuild their injectors at the same time let me know. Would be good to combine shipping or do a bulk order of parts & make the rig a bit more of a worthwhile build than for just one run of 6 injectors. Would also be happy to loan it out at the cost of shipping for those outside of Welly. I come up to Auckland regularly too so can drop it off up there. Only thing is if the fuel pump IS bad with low pressure etc, what are my options other than an OEM part? I've got access to 3D printers, lathes, milling machine, CNC router etc so I can easily fabricate a new pump holder. Will any aftermarket pump with better specs than the OE part drop in or does the flow & pressure have to be pretty carefully matched to provide good spray at the injectors? Cheers for any info/suggestions.

Would agree on frequent oil changes. Some people swear by additives from different brands but for me any oil that meets the API standards will work fine and provide good lubrication. That is of course unless your engine is particularly fussy or has a requirement due to aftermarket parts/design or use eg, racing. That being said, if any of those extra requirements apply you'll probably know. Oil is of great debate, you'll rarely hear a definitive answer. Filters on the other hand are pretty testable so a lot of people will definitely vouch for certain brands and discuss pros/cons. I tend to stick OEM if I am unsure but if I hear of benefits of going after-market I'll swap over pretty fast. OEM will always work as expected, After-market ones are fine, as long as they don't fall apart (some people reckon the Ryco ones do that) or have any other defects. The good thing with the oil filter on the E30 is you can actually visually inspect it if you want, whereas the "can" style ones you can't. Change the oil & filter regularly I would expect no problems. Especially with the daily cruiser. The K&N ones are good but they are designed to benefit in performance, I doubt you'll really see much of a benefit over a OEM/Ryco filter on the daily driver.

I too would be interested to hear recommendations, if not for my M30B35 then for any future jobs! Considered setting up the mill at Massey to do my head but thought it would be a bit too much of an expensive mistake if I goofed it! Might see if I can find a scrap engine to practice on, always worth knowing how to do it. A few machine shops are still nice enough to let you come in and use their equipment if your bring your own tools & clean the workshop afterwards. Knowing the right people also helps!

$500 to push the pedal faster.. that's a joke right!? Is there any actual legitimate use for this?

If it's black I'd be right concerned! I assume you just mean old & dirty!

Once you do the trans fluid, filter and seal then assuming no trans failure that job is pretty much set for life. Would certainly recommend it for an older 2nd hand vehicle, especially if there's not much else that needs money spent. It's certainly one I'd put off if you've got more major issues though, if it shifts ok now it's not going to cause massive damage in the same way old oil will. You'll not get all the fluid out but unless you've got exceptionally dirty/burnt fluid or lumps of clutch material floating in it I would think a flush or removal of the torque converter to drain the system is a waste of time. If you want to "flush" it without a machine you can empty and refill what you can from the sump a few times with 2000km intervals but to be honest I don't think it's worth it unless you're changing to some incompatible special fluid or the old stuff was really bad. Some transmissions have a mesh filter screens and others have one similar to an oil filter. If it's a mesh one you don't need to change it unless the seal is bad or its damaged. If it's a filter type one change it out. My ZF4HP22 has the mesh type, replaced it because the seal kit came with a new one.

My M30 was leaking a bit & the gasket is pretty rotten (I have a hunch it's the original 26 year old one!) but I've slowed the leak to mild seepage by tightening down all the bolts properly. Not sure about your engine (M54?) but the M30's have something like 20 bolts on them, several were pretty loose. Oil pans can be neglected a bit, especially when covered with road grime and oil so it's not uncommon through expansion & vibration to have the bolts back off a little. Certainly worth tightening them up a bit as opposed to replacing the whole pan gasket! In a lot of loose bolt + bad gasket cases sometimes you can get away with tightening them up and dealing with the seepage for a few years until you get such a time when other under body components need to come off you you can make a big job of it all. With my M30 I have to raise the engine, unbolt the exhaust, disconnect power steering, remove coolant expansion tank pull out 20 something bolts drop the pan a bit, rotate engine so pan clears the crank counterweights, move it forward, rotate engine, move it forwards... then reverse with a clean pan and gasket. I hope yours is easier!

Pentosin is only used with cars that have the LAD, for the 735 the LAD was an option and wasn't included by default. It should say on the cap it it's ATF or Pentosin. I'd be willing to bet yours is just ordinary ATF. Still doesn't answer why it's pushing fluid out of the cap. Perhaps the seal has rotted away?

Damn that's tidy! Makes me rather jealous!

Yeah, wasn't expecting it to be a deal but $6 was a little sharp. Probably wouldn't have bought it for $10. I don't usually deal with NZ stores for this exact reason, been ripped off before with shops & retailers taking advantage of the fact I'm not up to date with what parts can cost from various suppliers (caught a shop out who tried to flog me a oil pan gasket for well over $70). Overseas the competition is much tighter and reputations are upheld. I currently shop with FCP Euro in the states which have given me better prices than a few NZ stores even factoring in the shipping costs. Even replaced parts that I couldn't ship back on my word that they were faulty. Not the best, I'd prefer to buy from NZ suppliers but finding a store with most of the parts, the same level of service and decent prices has proved a little fruitless for me. Looking at the overseas price and comparing it to NZ isn't fair in my opinion when judging NZ stores since there's all sorts of extras like taxes and higher overheads due to less demand. It's tough as a one man DIY guy who's by no means professional to price out and buy parts from stockists who are mostly wholesalers or dealers. You burn you learn rest in peace $6

One injector O ring picked up from Tidy Car in Wellington. Nice guys there if anyone randomly needs O rings! Ended up paying $6 for it, apparently the RRP is about $9, seemed a bit steep to me but I was buying 1 ring off a guy in a workshop, not from a store and I needed it fast. I've seen prices for injector rings range from $1- $12 each (Amazon - OEM from dealer) so it seemed ok to me.

Sweet, I had a funny feeling that O ring was the same but I couldn't find a part number on RealOEM, I'll try get a whole bunch since I want to pull the injectors and see how they're going at some point, eventually rebuild if need be. I'll give Gavin a ring too, If I can get that ring I'll put off the FPR until I need more parts and do another big order/work on car weekend. Thanks guys!

Normally I order my parts well in advance from FPC Euro but I went to start the car today and was greeted by a geyser of petrol. The O ring on my fuel pressure regulator has bit the bullet but I'm looking to replace the whole thing since it's looking pretty old and it has a faint smell of fuel in the vac lines, although If I can get hold of an O ring Ill be cheap and pass off spending $100+ on the whole FPR Problem is I have no clue where to buy an FPR for an E32 at short notice, it's certainly not likely to be stocked at most places and because I don't usually buy in NZ I don't even know where any decent euro parts stores are. Anyone able to pass a few names of who might stock one, or where one would get a fuel safe O ring from should I choose to be cheap? I'm Wellington based but If I have to I'll overnight from Auckland, P/N 0280160249 Cheers

Ah I thought I read somewhere it was 14. 210k kms

Atf is cheap, just not when filling this trans, if I remember correctly dry fill is 14 litres and a change is 9 Valve body is possible to DIY there's a few good write ups by various European and American owners. Not a cake walk but do able. I've posted the same info to the forum in which they often rebuild stuff like this and I'll see what they say about a rebuild. Obviously a fluid change is easier so I'd prefer it unless a rebuild is unavoidable. Already have a filter kit with new seals etc so might as well install it. As you said, rarely go bad but if I've got it, it's going in. After 25 years who knows if it's still intact haha

I've got a new filter and plan to change the trans fluid, although not all of it, just top off what comes out with the filter as part of maintenance and to try fix an annoying hesitation issue. Car will hesitate when moving from a start, hill starts also give it a tendency to almost stall out. I'm hoping filter is clogged somewhat and the fluid is old (level is correct by the way) but I thought I'd check before committing new fluid and time to see what the more experienced thought. Does this sound like an old fluid/filter induced issue or more of a mechanical trans issue? Should I really commit a weekend to rebuilding the valve body instead of just an hour or so for the filter? Current fluid colour is a reddish brown which I interpret to be simply old. Doesn't have much of a smell, neither burnt or sweet. Thanks for any input.