What did you do to your E28 today?

[1st 5er]

The iS got a new to it brake booster and master cylinder.
Brakes no longer drag you to a stop with your foot off the pedal.

[srini]

Washed, clay bar then a cut and buff.

[topher800]

Removed the alternator and took it to a shop for rebuild/refurbishment. Original alternator, 204,xxx miles. Rear bearings were just about seized and the brushes worn to nubbins. Looks new now.

Are there options for the L shaped rubber caps that cover the wires at the nuts? Not sure what they are called.

[jimoreno]

This past Saturday I finished remaking the connecting pipes between the Stahl long tube headers and the Ireland Engineering sport exhaust. The ones made by the "fabricator" were wrong in many ways (too short, missing the angle to match the headers outlet connection, gage 20 exhaust "flanges", 90 degrees elbows instead of 45 as discussed and shown with pictures). Had to learn how to MIG weld and upgrade my welder to one of the new generation smaller ones that are sold in Amazon. Has worked great so far.
Obviously the new one is at the front.

[HayekFan]

Changed the oil today. Might be able to squeeze in an A/C refrigerant recharge if the weather holds...

[e28Sean]

Cleaned and lubed window tracks.

[stuartinmn]

I don't remember if I got them from the Parts Pimp or somewhere else, but years and years ago I bought a pair of e34 lower control arms for spares (they're aluminum so they're lighter, but are a bolt on to an e28.) They may have been on sale at the time but I don't remember exactly. Anyway, I figured I'd use them sooner or later, and they've been sitting in the box on the shelf ever since. The bushings on the control arms on the car have finally worn out, so now it's time to put them to use. The invoice shows I only paid $60/each for them, so they were probably a good investment.

[Mike W.]

The invoice shows I only paid $60/each for them, so they were probably a good investment.

Does that include inflation and interest?

[HayekFan]

Partially removed and then reinstalled the locking strip around the windshield in order to cover some slight gaps that had formed in the upper corners. Had to force it into the corners with a fair amount of pressure but it did cover them. Hopefully it doesn't relax back to how it was.

[e28Sean]

I was in the garage having a bit of a rummage through all the fiddly bits and bobs that one typically accumulates, when I came across something I had bought for a since-abandoned project. A humble panel mount 12v socket.

I suddenly remembered that the 12v socket in the e28 was all broken and floppy and loose.

Hmm.... I wonder ...

I shall let the photos speak for themselves:









Before you ask:
- Yes, it fits without any modification of the console.
- Yes, it's plugged into the factory wiring, with the factory connector.
- Yes, I did have to shave down one of the contacts on the plug socket just a wee bit.
- And yes, there was a lot of swearing whilst I was screwing the lock ring down by reaching my fingers through where the ash tray goes.

[1st 5er]

Noice!!!

[e28Sean]

Noice!!!

Thanks! I'm well pleased with the results, especially for the low low price of "free". (okay, not really free, but that's what I am calling it.)

[Ibmotoren]

After parking in the garage I looked back and noticed a trail of fluid stains had followed me in. Uh oh. I looked underneath and there was basically a waterfall of fluid coming down. Brake fluid. A quick search here pointed me to the fluid reservoir grommets. Sure enough, the front one had completely separated into 2 pieces.
While waiting for the grommets to come in, I cleaned up the MC with Simple Green and a toothbrush. WelI I just barely touched the speed sensor connection that’s attached to the MC and of course it crumbled like a cookie. After looking into that I just finished off the crumbling process, connected the pins together, shrink wrapped them separately and then shrink wrapped them together as one. Seems to be fine, no warning lights.
The fluid reservoir was filthy. So I decided to see how clean I could get it. It turned into a challenge I had to win. Somehow there was crud on the inside in the side channel that can’t be reached. I decided to pour in some coarse salt and Simple Green, to make a nice abrasive slurry. Shook it like crazy for awhile and it worked perfect. Rinsed it out thoroughly, installed the grommets and reservoir, filled up the fluid, bled the system, and she’s back in action. Just in time for the biennial SMOG.

[HayekFan]

Received an MWrench/The Studio power steering bracket repair kit which I ordered from Angry Ass:

https://angry-ass.com/product-organizer ... nforcement

Now trying to find a local shop to install it.

[HayekFan]

Had the power steering bracket repair done by a local shop. They also replaced the upper and lower control arms while they were in there. The uppers got urethane bushings. Everything feels nice and positive and I am definitely looking forward to no trace of 50 mph shimmy and not having to think about the UCAs for a good long time.

[1st 5er]

... also replaced the upper and lower control arms while they were in there. The uppers got urethane bushings. Everything feels nice and positive and I am definitely looking forward to no trace of 50 mph shimmy and not having to think about the UCAs for a good long time.

Poly bushings wear too.
I'm reminded of Cousin Billy's car with Grunt ploys that disintegrated on an RTT run bunches of years ago.
But you should be OK for a good long time.

[EuroShark]

Been working on replacing the trunk seal. It seems to stay put really well on its own but I feel like it probably needs to be glued down, at least near the corners. What are you guys using for this? I have some of that really goopy 3M Weatherstrip Adhesive that I was avoiding because it's so messy, but if that's the best way to go then that's how I'll do it.

[John in VA]

What are you guys using for this? I have some of that really goopy 3M Weatherstrip Adhesive that I was avoiding because it's so messy, but if that's the best way to go then that's how I'll do it.

I like DAP Weldwood® Gel Formula Contact Cement.

[HayekFan]

Poly bushings wear too.
I'm reminded of Cousin Billy's car with Grunt ploys that disintegrated on an RTT run bunches of years ago.
But you should be OK for a good long time.

I wonder what typical lifespan of poly UCA bushings is in these cars?

[Mike W.]

Poly bushings wear too.
I'm reminded of Cousin Billy's car with Grunt ploys that disintegrated on an RTT run bunches of years ago.
But you should be OK for a good long time.

I wonder what typical lifespan of poly UCA bushings is in these cars?

I ran about 10K on mine, Grunts Bushes, before I changed the arms and they looked like new. They didn't fix my shimmie, but new arms did.

[HayekFan]

This will be my fourth set of UCAs and for me it's been the bushings that cause the shimmy. I've tried stock bushings and the 750 style and they all wear out. The bushings in the UCA's I just replaced (which were either Meyle or Lemforder, I can't remember) had splits in the rubber. Based on what I've read the Powerflex bushings have better materials and a better design than the Grunts. It'll be interesting to see how they hold up.

[Mike W.]

I seemed to have much worse shimmy problems than most. I had maybe, maaaaaaybe 1/16" play in the UCA ball joint, only detectable when chucked in a vice, my 16" channellocks didn't seem to budge it, but brand new UCAs with perhaps Meyle or 750 bushings in it made it the best it ever was. YMMV.

[HayekFan]

Yep, the pattern for me is they start off perfect with no shimmy and then stay that way for probably two or three years. Then one day I'll be braking on an off ramp and will get a touch of the shimmy and I'll think, oh boy, this again. Then it will get worse over the span of a year or two, and then finally I'll replace them. The arms I just replaced stayed on the car longer than previous sets because of complications related to a move, and as a result they were in terrible shape -- well beyond just the shimmy and into lurching behavior when braking. These Powerflex bushings are in the perfection phase for now but we'll see how it goes. I think it will come down to the resilience the material and specifically how well it resists having that central bore loosen up, along the lines of what you mentioned.

Edit: I just realized the slight play you mentioned was in the ball joint, not the bushing. That's another bit that's interesting about these new arms. They're Delphi brand which have gotten good initial reviews but are still a bit of an unknown in the balljoint department.

[jimoreno]

I've had the Powerflex UCA bushings for several years now and they still are in great shape. Not more than 4K miles per year though.

[HayekFan]

Well that's good to hear. Lots of people seem to have them and I see lots of positive comments in the archives. I've only seen one report of an early failure (6k miles). I've seen speculation that the design doesn't articulate as well as rubber or spherical bushings when dealing with off-axis forces but I haven't seen confirmation that it's a real problem. BTW, Powerflex now offers their softer street compound in a charcoal grey color (rather than purple only) so they look stock.