Potential 1989 B11 Alpina

[KwS 2425]

Still looks cool ?

[balancerider 758]

very nice! 

will be even better with some multi spoke alpina rims and getting rid of the rear jap plate mount so the license plate sits flat

[Mad_Max 231]

31 minutes ago, KwS said:

Still looks cool ?

Thanks man, yeah it's definitely grown on me!

15 minutes ago, balancerider said:

very nice! 

will be even better with some multi spoke alpina rims and getting rid of the rear jap plate mount so the license plate sits flat

Yes rims are definitely in the grand plan of things. And good call on the plate mount, I didn't really think that far ahead.

[Mad_Max 231]

A bit of good news before the bad. Put another 20l of fresh fuel in it, and, since being driven Saturday, it seems like the misfire at idle is getting better, so I'm thinking that's just a combination of stale fuel, and an engine that's sat for ages, so could probably benefit from plugs, and at the least checking the dizzy cap, leads, rotor, cleaning the throttle body etc. as a minimum.

Now a couple of issues have developed that need looked at before I go on any decent trip. Aircon doesn't seem to work at all - not a big deal in the grand scheme of things at the moment and way down the priority list.

Battery was flat today when I went to start it, alternator is only charging at 13.5v, oddly enough it stays the same even with the headlights on. It jump started fine so I think the battery is all good, just not charging. So will swap the alternator out with the 525i one and hope that fixes that issue. This could also be causing the misfire at idle if the ignition system isn't quite getting the right voltage.

However, the motor seems to be getting way too hot. Ran it through town and back tonight, and left it parked up idling away for 5 while moving some other sh*t out of the way. Popped it into it's place, then went back half an hour later to see if it would start. First thing I noticed is the temp gauge went up over halfway, first time it's done that. Coolant level is good (and looks fresh). And the really odd thing is that the heater seems like it's perpetually stuck on high - not so cool in summer.

Will try draining the coolant, flushing the radiator and bleeding the system first and see if that fixes the issue, though am completely open to any other suggestions - this thing was parked up for 12 months or so, so it could be any of a number of things causing an air lock - thermostat, heater tap, blockage etc etc. If anyone has any other ideas, or items to check/test, throw them at me.

[BM WORLD 1283]

i would look at replacing the thermostat 

but check the fan viscous clutch is working properly.

does it heat it when driving or sitting idling after a drive ?

[Mad_Max 231]

5 hours ago, BM WORLD said:

i would look at replacing the thermostat 

but check the fan viscous clutch is working properly.

does it heat it when driving or sitting idling after a drive ?

Yeah, hopefully I have time Friday, I want to drain the cooling system and flush it, and check the thermostat, water pump, heater tap, fan, hoses etc while I'm at it. Did also check and the belt is a little loose, so there may be a few things working together to create this problem - it doesn't appear to be a major issue which is good.

It was driven around, temp gauge sat on halfway. I pulled up and let it idle for about 5 minutes, when I got in to move it again the temp gauge was still halfway. Gauge only went over halfway after it had been sitting with the engine shut off for about half an hour. I kinda also suspect there may be air trapped in the system too.

[Mad_Max 231]

Finally got around to checking the thermostat, it's working fine, so not the cause of the heat issue. So will check water pump and flush the radiator next, to eliminate them. Have also found the IHKA is playing up (apparently a common problem), where I can't turn the heater off on the passenger side, so will need to look at that at some stage too.

Tightened the fan belt as well, as that was way too loose. Alternator charging at a steady 13.8-13.9V even with headlights on, less than perfect but should survive for now. However, the battery is still going dead flat overnight. Took it for a run yesterday afternoon, where I stopped and started it a few times while ducking in and out of places, and it started fine. This morning, not even an attempt to turn over. So I've got my spare battery on charge, will throw that in as that battery may not be holding charge.

And to top it all off, I can't remove the radio to fit a band expander, seeing as how some muppet has tried to drill the security screws out - not sure if I'll get the radio out without damaging it now ????

Starting to get frustrating - fix one thing, and another 3 turn up - and all I wanna do right now is a Christmas Day cruise - after that, it can take me the whole year to fix the rest of the niggly things, that won't worry me ?

[Mad_Max 231]

Stripped the cooling system today. Water pump looks like it was replaced recently, thermostat has been checked and works. Flushed the radiator out, ran it to temp and now there's not a problem - seems like a lot more water went in than what came out of it originally. So hopefully, just a huge air lock in the system.

Just waiting for it to cool so I can drain and refill with coolant and bleed the system again. Next is bleeding the brakes, then take it for a run. Decent temp down here today so a good check for the system, if it all passes Christmas Day cruise will be on ????. I'll hopefully be leaving Invercargill around 9 - 9:30am, bound for Dunedin's North East Valley, so if anyone sees me along the way and wants to have a quick look, feel free to grab my attention.

[NZ BMW 368]

Lovely drive between Dunedin and Invercargill. Did it in autum about 10 years ago. Good roads and not too much traffic, what will it be like on Christmas Eve?

[Mad_Max 231]

Yeah I'm doing that trip 3 times a fortnight atm on average. Roads getting a bit average in places but better in others. Be better once the Edendale bypass is finished. I'm going Christmas Day so not expecting too much traffic, should be a nice cruise.

Currently sitting at the beach, so far the needle has moved about 1mm either side of halfway so I'd say she's better now. Alternator is charging at 13.8v which is just on the bottom end of the service manuals limits. And I think I've found the power drain causing the flat batteries too ?.

Think that might be enough for one day though, time for a beer in the sun before heading home.

[kiwi535 538]

the misfire at start up or idle.?Does it misfire at start up them its fine?That was my first symptom of a blown headgasket.The heat on one side but not the other is the heater valves in the engine bay.Well known M30 problem

[Mad_Max 231]

1 hour ago, kiwi535 said:

the misfire at start up or idle.?Does it misfire at start up them its fine?That was my first symptom of a blown headgasket.The heat on one side but not the other is the heater valves in the engine bay.Well known M30 problem

Na the misfire is only at idle. It was far worse when I first got it running, so I'm picking it's old plugs, dirty injectors, stale fuel or just cause the ICV has been sitting, don't think it's anything that serious. It's also got a flat spot/delay when going from idle to accelerating, which I'd also say is buildup in the intake system from being parked up for a year.

I'm thinking it's actually the IHKA, one side not sending a signal. Even with both sides turned to hot I can only get voltage on one terminal of the heater valve connection, not two. I know the plug at the valve is toast, pretty much fell apart when I breathed on it...... so may even be a broken wire.

I'll start with the valve, will pull that after Christmas and disassemble and check it to confirm it's working. Luckily got a 525i here with the same valve, so fingers crossed one of the two is good. Then work my way back to the IHKA to check it's sending a signal out. It needs work anyway, I need to replace the passenger side vent control switch so, once everything else has been eliminated, I'll just have to spend more time resoldering and checking everything.

Thanks for the info though, gives me something to watch out for with the misfire ?

[Olaf 3317]

15 hours ago, NZ BMW said:

Lovely drive between Dunedin and Invercargill. Did it in autum about 10 years ago. Good roads and not too much traffic, what will it be like on Christmas Eve?

yes, I did it in spring 2 years ago (Dunedin to Invercargill), nice touring roads and stunning scenery with new spring lambs in the fields, and cherry blossoms in bloom.

Edited December 23, 2018 by Olaf

[swapsndeals 108]

Went for a ride tonight & misfire feels like it could be as simple as valve adjustment or plug gap, was barely noticable. Its an awesome car & drives the way a low milage 7 series should.  Looks sweet & has the BMW new car smell to.  Well done on the buy Mad_Max. 

[swapsndeals 108]

Oh & thanks for all the e39 bits to. New valve cover will be awesome 

[Mad_Max 231]

10 hours ago, swapsndeals said:

Went for a ride tonight & misfire feels like it could be as simple as valve adjustment or plug gap, was barely noticable. Its an awesome car & drives the way a low milage 7 series should.  Looks sweet & has the BMW new car smell to.  Well done on the buy Mad_Max. 

Thanks man, yeah I'm not worried about the misfire, it's a lot better than when it first started so I don't think it's hard to fix.

9 hours ago, swapsndeals said:

Oh & thanks for all the e39 bits to. New valve cover will be awesome 

No worries, flick me a list of everything else you need and want and I'll sort you out.

[swapsndeals 108]

On 12/28/2018 at 9:08 AM, Mad_Max said:

Thanks man, yeah I'm not worried about the misfire, it's a lot better than when it first started so I don't think it's hard to fix.

No worries, flick me a list of everything else you need and want and I'll sort you out.

Cool thanks

[rarerimresource 6]

That red label in the engine bay is an Alpina ECU label, but it's the part number for the Alpina Motronic 1.3 ECU which ran the M20 in the C2 2.7.