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jeffbebe

Jooles' E31 project log

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No problems fortunately thanks to the angled entry... As long as I go slow!

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Bought some capacitors and pulled the GM. Opened it up and thought about having a go myself... Decided my shite soldering iron and sausage fingers are not up to the task!

Luckily Josh (hybrid) has the gear and skillz (and generosity) to do it right!!

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Josh went and had a baby, fortunately another mate stepped in and the GM now has new capacitors and should be good for a few years. Still can't scan. Will have to start pulling modules until I find the culprit.

Edited by jeffbebe

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Started dealing to the faded trim. Tried some Dulon sponge on trim paint for the roof trim but it was terrible. The original paint had bubbled on the side I butchered with the Dulon so took the opportunity to sand back to bare metal. Then etch primered and painted a gloss black enamel. Although I removed to sand it turned out to be far easier to mask off the rubber edges when in place.

Also tackled the rubber-coated body trim with some SEM trim paint. Painted in place as these are hard to remove without bending and/or breaking and not easy to replace. What a difference! Will do window trim next weekend.

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Before

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After

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Edited by jeffbebe
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24077445829_c3c54dc8db_c.jpg

Since I'm waiting on a new AC compressor ex-US and it's too hot to drive the 8er without AC, I've embarked on a few long overdue jobs...

  • Trans service and solenoid filter clean (to fix clunking gear changes)
  • Sort rear springs (I went a shade too low)
  • Clean/paint calipers
  • Detail undercarriage ('detail' might be an exaggeration for a bit of cleaning)
  • Paint window trim
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Thats unlike you to stick Colin Craig to the side of your car! thought you would have skipped that sheet of paper lol

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^^^^ Ha was just thinking the same myself!

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A quick story about the lows and high (prices) of owning an 850i. As you may know the a/c compressor breathed its last breath just before Xmas on my 8er. A quick price check for a new one at BMW NZ led me quickly overseas and I picked up the correct listed part from Rockauto in the US for just US$159 (compared to over $1k in NZ!!). I thought I'd scored the deal of the year until the new compressor turned up a week ago. A quick test fit revealed that the new compressor alone was not going to work. What I'd fail to realise, and BMW did not tell me, is that the new compressor doesn't have an RPM sensor so it also requires a retro fit kit (effectively a little relay that overrides the overengineered rpm sensor lock down). I have since discovered the relay is twice the price of the freakin' compressor. WTF?

Anyway, looks like I'm going to have to try and repair the old compressor which is likely to cost at least $500. B*gger.

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Oh bugger.

Theres nothing worse than opening a long awaited package and discovering the part inside is not what you wanted. High to low in 0 secs.

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It was the right part... I just didn't know you also need a small relay that costs twice the price as the frickin' compressor!

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Bugger, what makes it so special apart from being a bmw part <_<

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cant salvage the rpm relay from the old compressor?

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Bugger, what makes it so special apart from being a bmw part <_>

Nothing. Just a crappy relay that probably costs less than $5 to manufacture.

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looks like the rpm sensor can be bypassed? http://www.bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/885452/

I saw that but just couldn't find enough info to convince me it would work properly and since the compressor will also shut down the water pump if it thinks something's wrong, I didn't want to chance it.

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What problem would it be to simply replace it with a common type relay?.

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...and since the compressor will also shut down the water pump...

Say wut? Doesn't seem very BMW.

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What problem would it be to simply replace it with a common type relay?.

No idea. I'm not very electronically minded so don't know exactly what it needs to do. As I understand it, the relay thingy is meant to bypass the lock sensor - which compares the compressor RPM to the engine RPM and disengages the compressor if they're out of kilter to prevent a seized compressor stopping the water pump. The new compressor doesn't have an RPM sensor, so without the little relay/control unit thingy, the compressor won't engage.

Kind of all moot now as I've just paid to have the old compressor repaired instead... Anyone want to a buy a brand new Behr A/C compressor w/o RPM sensor!

Say wut? Doesn't seem very BMW.

To over engineer something and then create a very costly retrofit solution in later years? Seems totally BMW to me. Or were you being facetious... Can't tell without sarcasm emojis.

Seems very "euro" though...

Aye

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To over engineer something and then create a very costly retrofit solution in later years? Seems totally BMW to me. Or were you being facetious... Can't tell without sarcasm emojis.

Maybe I misunderstood. I thought you were saying that if the air-con compressor failed it shut down the main water pump (for the engine coolant). That would be more than stupid, especially since I assume the compressor is clutched which would make it not only stupid but also entirely unnecessary.

Shutting down an essential component because a non-essential one had failed is not very German. No sarcasm, not emoji required. :)

Please tell me I misunderstood!

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Yep, I think I phrased badly in the earlier post. It's designed to disengage the compressor if the RPM is more than 20% out from engine to stop it f***ing the engine if the compressor seizes (and therefore stops the water pump working).

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