What did you do to your other car(s) today?

[Mike W.]

My Honda had the same problem and it would do the no-start thing at the most inconvenient times, plus I was tired of having to reprogram the radio.

Put one of these on and no more problem.

I could say that's what you get for driving a Honda...

Cheaper than a new battery cable but more than the sheet metal screw I've seen some guys use.

[Karl Grau]

I could say that's what you get for driving a Honda...

Say what you want, but in 8 years it has cost me $0.00 in repairs. Oh wait, I take that back, I spent 97 cents for two battery post shims.

[dsmith]

I sold my non e28 today. 1999 Yukon. No more tow vehicle.

Down to 3 e28s and the wife's car that doesn't count.

[Mike W.]

I could say that's what you get for driving a Honda...

Say what you want, but in 8 years it has cost me $0.00 in repairs. Oh wait, I take that back, I spent 97 cents for two battery post shims.

While shocked, I still have to wonder if that means it's been worth it or not?

Wait a minute, you've got an M5, a euro 323i, had a 911 and you've been driving a Honda for 8 years?

[cddallara]

Dropped the squirrelwagon off at a friend's shop for a refresh.

Stumbled on my friend's one of one e34 540iT for sale and bought it.

Sleepless nights have followed.

Don't need/can't afford two cars that don't get driven.

May punt the 540 when the squirrel is done. I can't seem to come to terms with selling it.

[w0014170]

Polished the Hooptie, replaced the cooling system, picked up head gaskets for next weeks fun and frivolity, ordered the shuttle valve assembly for banishment of the 3 amigos.
Striped off the "bling" running boards, painted the center console to match the center switch and stereo cluster, shampooed the carpets and polished the pig.
It's still just a pig, but it is a mountain goat pig, I'm fighting the urge to install 3"spring & shock kit from Australia and a warn winch, I broke down and ordered the headers and universal mandrel bent dual exhaust kit from Summit Racing, need 2 hi flow cats and It will be time for some off-road Michelins. I was going to yank the motor for the MGB but it has to wait, so much time, so many broken Land Rovers, that's a target rich environment!

[Karl Grau]

Wait a minute, you've got an M5, a euro 323i, had a 911 and you've been driving a Honda for 8 years?

Well I've been putting less than 3K miles a year on the Honda so I'm not driving it that much.
The take-home 'company car' racks up 15K plus miles a year though.

[Rob_K]

Fetched the 750iL from up yonder and brought it down next to the garage so I could charge the battery. I'm getting it ready to start the 6 speed swap. Finally.

[wkohler]

Wow, that sounds interesting. E32 or E38?

I wasted an hour or so cleaning and relubing the sunroof tracks on my E34. Everything works great if I open the rear panel first. If I open the front first, I hear some metal on metal sliding/grinding sound and there is one spot where it will hang up if using the one-touch operation. Using the rear, it works great. I hope I don't have to take it all apart. It's orders of magnitude better than before, but I'm annoyed. Of course what difference does it make with the lifter tick, lightweight flywheel marbles and squeaky brakes?

[Rob_K]

E32. Should definitely be fun. I've been looking for a trans for about 10 years. Now I accidentally two of them.

[davintosh]

Fetched the 750iL from up yonder and brought it down next to the garage so I could charge the battery. I'm getting it ready to start the 6 speed swap. Finally.

E32. Should definitely be fun. I've been looking for a trans for about 10 years. Now I accidentally two of them.

Way cool. There's a guy on BimmerBoard who did a manual conversion on a 740i a couple of years ago. Do you have all the 3rd pedal bits to make it work?

Coincidentally, I finally got around to going all the way replacing the clutch master cylinder on my e32 today. Done. Well, at least the hard parts are done. I'll finish it up tomorrow. It's a factory 5-speed, and the MC has been weeping a bit since I bought it in 2009. Procrastination is about as much of a beech as getting at the hydraulic fittings on that thing. My son & I were joking a bit about how much more difficult that job would be with a V12; it was plenty bad enough with the M30.

The worst part was the fittings; I don't think they had been cracked open since the thing rolled out of the factory in '88. I ended up pulling the far end of the hard line that was attached to the MC & pulled the whole works inside the footwell to get it separated, but by that time I had mucked up the fittings enough that I didn't want to put them back on. Thankfully I had a couple of hard lines on hand that I had bought for the e32 rear trailing arms, but didn't actually need for that job. They were a bit longer than was needed for the clutch circuit, but at that point I really didn't care; I just wanted it back together.

[Rob_K]

I've done 6 speed swaps on M60s before (5 and 7). MUCH easier since the parts are far more plentiful. In my case, my upper oil pan gasket is long gone (literally no gasket remains), and I have a hydraulic leak to the rear SLS somewhere down under the master cylinder. I'm just dropping the entire front subframe with the motor and trans so I can reseal the whole motor again and replumb the SLS stuff. Access for the clutch hydraulics should be cake at that point. I'm using an E34 pedal cluster for the 3rd pedal. The only thing I'm not 100% certain of is where the E31 shifter will end up. I'll be really surprised if it ends up in the correct location. One thing I know definitely will need attention is the driveshaft. It'll need to be shortened a bit. I'm really excited to finally get this project off center.

[rmiddendorf]

I've done 6 speed swaps on M60s before (5 and 7). MUCH easier since the parts are far more plentiful. In my case, my upper oil pan gasket is long gone (literally no gasket remains), and I have a hydraulic leak to the rear SLS somewhere down under the master cylinder. I'm just dropping the entire front subframe with the motor and trans so I can reseal the whole motor again and replumb the SLS stuff. Access for the clutch hydraulics should be cake at that point. I'm using an E34 pedal cluster for the 3rd pedal. The only thing I'm not 100% certain of is where the E31 shifter will end up. I'll be really surprised if it ends up in the correct location. One thing I know definitely will need attention is the driveshaft. It'll need to be shortened a bit. I'm really excited to finally get this project off center.

Is there a build thread on this anywhere asks the owner of a 92 750iL?

[Rob_K]

I've done 6 speed swaps on M60s before (5 and 7). MUCH easier since the parts are far more plentiful. In my case, my upper oil pan gasket is long gone (literally no gasket remains), and I have a hydraulic leak to the rear SLS somewhere down under the master cylinder. I'm just dropping the entire front subframe with the motor and trans so I can reseal the whole motor again and replumb the SLS stuff. Access for the clutch hydraulics should be cake at that point. I'm using an E34 pedal cluster for the 3rd pedal. The only thing I'm not 100% certain of is where the E31 shifter will end up. I'll be really surprised if it ends up in the correct location. One thing I know definitely will need attention is the driveshaft. It'll need to be shortened a bit. I'm really excited to finally get this project off center.

Is there a build thread on this anywhere asks the owner of a 92 750iL?

Nope. Well, not yet anyway. I usually get in a zone when I'm working on these sorts of things forgetting to take photos and notes along the way. The fact that I work by myself probably doesn't help either. I'll try to document the process best I can. I've literally been planning this for the better part of the last 10 years. I've spend countless hours/days online trying to determine if anyone has actually successfully done it in an E32. Theoretically it has, but I have yet to find confirmation of it anywhere. I know Rob Levinson did an E38, but that's all I've found to this point. The number one hurdle to achieving this is locating a trans. They simply don't exist unless you're willing to pay brand new dealer prices.

[rmiddendorf]

[about the 6-speed transmission for the M70]They simply don't exist unless you're willing to pay brand new dealer prices.

I didn't even know that was an option. Truth be told my E32, although condition worthy of collecting, is actually a work truck and probably will need to stay an auto. Nothing can replace my M5 in the hobby car slot so unless I win the lotto an MT in the E32 is a pipe dream for me.

I work in a very similar manner- alone- and I like your approach. And despite the fact that people pay me a whole lot of money to tell visual stories- film, video, photo, etc. I never document my work either unless its a factual shot needed for re=assembly.

Have you considered lightening the car? If I were going to go this route I'd get rid of the power seats for one and I'd consider dumping the SLS due to complexity and weight but I never discovered a suitable solution as a replacement at the time.

My E32 is the best DD car I've ever owned. These things are amazing.

[Rob_K]

[about the 6-speed transmission for the M70]They simply don't exist unless you're willing to pay brand new dealer prices.

I didn't even know that was an option. Truth be told my E32, although condition worthy of collecting, is actually a work truck and probably will need to stay an auto. Nothing can replace my M5 in the hobby car slot so unless I win the lotto an MT in the E32 is a pipe dream for me.

I work in a very similar manner- alone- and I like your approach. And despite the fact that people pay me a whole lot of money to tell visual stories- film, video, photo, etc. I never document my work either unless its a factual shot needed for re=assembly.

Have you considered lightening the car? If I were going to go this route I'd get rid of the power seats for one and I'd consider dumping the SLS due to complexity and weight but I never discovered a suitable solution as a replacement at the time.

My E32 is the best DD car I've ever owned. These things are amazing.

My goal with every project like this is to make it seem as if it was built at the factory. I go to great pains to modify existing wire harnesses, bracketry, etc. in such a way that it's not immediately obvious that it's even been modified. I like to keep everything functional. I generally end up restoring the cars as I modify them. I don't have particularly high expectations that the car is suddenly going to be a rocket, but I expect it will be more engaging. I know I'll be better able to keep the revs where I want them and use more of the motor's range. Of course, going against everything I've noted above, I've also contemplated how cool a twin or quad turbo M70 would be. The reality, however, is that it's not the best motor for radical modifications. Once you touch the block you're going to be into really big bucks for sleaving, etc. I'm blessed to have lots of cars at my disposal. Some would argue that I more or less have a car for every purpose. When I want to go tearing up the roads, I hop into my blown Mustang. The 750 has always been my "spirited cruiser". :-)

[rmiddendorf]

I more or less have a car for every purpose.

You and I seem to be cut from the same cloth but my anti-hoarding minimalist attitude prevents me from having more than four cars for the family. My all around dream car is the '88 ///M5, the E32 is my favorite cruiser/DD/work truck and my E90 is my DD/beater when I don't want to get 13 mpg and need to haul the kid. I'm lucky enough to own what I feel is the highest and best in the two key categories- sporty and cruiser.

My goal with every project like this is to make it seem as if it was built at the factory.

Again, I agree 100%.

[rmiddendorf]

[about the 6-speed transmission for the M70]They simply don't exist unless you're willing to pay brand new dealer prices.

I didn't even know that was an option. Truth be told my E32, although condition worthy of collecting, is actually a work truck and probably will need to stay an auto. Nothing can replace my M5 in the hobby car slot so unless I win the lotto an MT in the E32 is a pipe dream for me.

I work in a very similar manner- alone- and I like your approach. And despite the fact that people pay me a whole lot of money to tell visual stories- film, video, photo, etc. I never document my work either unless its a factual shot needed for re=assembly.

Have you considered lightening the car? If I were going to go this route I'd get rid of the power seats for one and I'd consider dumping the SLS due to complexity and weight but I never discovered a suitable solution as a replacement at the time.

My E32 is the best DD car I've ever owned. These things are amazing.

My goal with every project like this is to make it seem as if it was built at the factory. I go to great pains to modify existing wire harnesses, bracketry, etc. in such a way that it's not immediately obvious that it's even been modified. I like to keep everything functional. I generally end up restoring the cars as I modify them. I don't have particularly high expectations that the car is suddenly going to be a rocket, but I expect it will be more engaging. I know I'll be better able to keep the revs where I want them and use more of the motor's range. Of course, going against everything I've noted above, I've also contemplated how cool a twin or quad turbo M70 would be. The reality, however, is that it's not the best motor for radical modifications. Once you touch the block you're going to be into really big bucks for sleaving, etc. I'm blessed to have lots of cars at my disposal. Some would argue that I more or less have a car for every purpose. When I want to go tearing up the roads, I hop into my blown Mustang. The 750 has always been my "spirited cruiser". :-)

One more thing- have you tried the Wokke chip for the M70 yet? I drove another forum member's E31 6-Speed with the Wokke chip and that does make a difference. And yes, with the 6-speed I like the additional control of the power band. Despite the massive amount of torque I wish for a gear between 2-3 on the AT.

[Rob_K]

I more or less have a car for every purpose.

You and I seem to be cut from the same cloth but my anti-hoarding minimalist attitude prevents me from having more than four cars for the family. My all around dream car is the '88 ///M5, the E32 is my favorite cruiser/DD/work truck and my E90 is my DD/beater when I don't want to get 13 mpg and need to haul the kid. I'm lucky enough to own what I feel is the highest and best in the two key categories- sporty and cruiser.

My goal with every project like this is to make it seem as if it was built at the factory.

Again, I agree 100%.

I'm still nurturing the "anti-hoarding minimalist attitude". My problem is that while I was shrewd enough to jump whenever an opportunity presented itself, I have been a bit slower than prudent to finish one project before moving to another. I currently have 14 (15?) cars and trucks. Many of them are projects, and I've been accumulating parts for all of them simultaneously. I'm busting at the seams with parts and I'm not freeing up as much time as I'd like to make progress on ANY of them. I've finally resigned myself to this fact and am selectively thinning the herd and accumulation of spares so I can focus on the ones I hold nearest and dearest.

[Rob_K]

[about the 6-speed transmission for the M70]They simply don't exist unless you're willing to pay brand new dealer prices.

I didn't even know that was an option. Truth be told my E32, although condition worthy of collecting, is actually a work truck and probably will need to stay an auto. Nothing can replace my M5 in the hobby car slot so unless I win the lotto an MT in the E32 is a pipe dream for me.

I work in a very similar manner- alone- and I like your approach. And despite the fact that people pay me a whole lot of money to tell visual stories- film, video, photo, etc. I never document my work either unless its a factual shot needed for re=assembly.

Have you considered lightening the car? If I were going to go this route I'd get rid of the power seats for one and I'd consider dumping the SLS due to complexity and weight but I never discovered a suitable solution as a replacement at the time.

My E32 is the best DD car I've ever owned. These things are amazing.

It's on the list! I've heard nothing but good things about them. No personal experience yet, but I appreciate the feedback.

My goal with every project like this is to make it seem as if it was built at the factory. I go to great pains to modify existing wire harnesses, bracketry, etc. in such a way that it's not immediately obvious that it's even been modified. I like to keep everything functional. I generally end up restoring the cars as I modify them. I don't have particularly high expectations that the car is suddenly going to be a rocket, but I expect it will be more engaging. I know I'll be better able to keep the revs where I want them and use more of the motor's range. Of course, going against everything I've noted above, I've also contemplated how cool a twin or quad turbo M70 would be. The reality, however, is that it's not the best motor for radical modifications. Once you touch the block you're going to be into really big bucks for sleaving, etc. I'm blessed to have lots of cars at my disposal. Some would argue that I more or less have a car for every purpose. When I want to go tearing up the roads, I hop into my blown Mustang. The 750 has always been my "spirited cruiser". :-)

One more thing- have you tried the Wokke chip for the M70 yet? I drove another forum member's E31 6-Speed with the Wokke chip and that does make a difference. And yes, with the 6-speed I like the additional control of the power band. Despite the massive amount of torque I wish for a gear between 2-3 on the AT.

[oldskool]

MikeW swears I can't turn a wrench, so I set out today to prove him wrong. I know more than you think, I think.
I got an early start around 4-ish and proceeded to drain all 8 qts of Mobil 1 from the Landcruiser, with an intent to also find out why my e30 fog light won't light.
The choice of music was some Doors cassette I've had since 1990, and in between songs I kept hearing a dog panting loudly. I set my beer down an walked all around the garage. We don't have a dog, but I wanted to check just to ease my mind, as I do hear things sometimes now and then since I'm pushing 40. Still chuckling about my panting dog hallucinations, I screw that little thingy back in under the oil pan because I vividly remember a roommate not doing so one afternoon and smoking the 304 in his jeep. Shawn, you are still a dumbass.
I'm still hearing a panting dog in between songs, but now it's some crazy ass EDM CD I found in a Jetta at the pick-n-pull. That's to be expected with all that noise. I do another lap around the garage, break out the new oil to refill, and try to calm my nerves. I've poured oil all over my engine before just because someone slammed a door. (Insert MikeW giggling, and cek recoiled in absolute horror, here. . .)
All 8 quarts of Mobil1 go back in smoothly enough, but as I turned I lost my shit when I stumbled over a golden retriever. That fog light on the e30 is going to have to get sorted out at the dealer.

[geordi]

I gave my wife's X5 a hand job.

[Rob_K]

Today I replaced the plugs and coils in my wife's E61 535xiT. It's still missing. Walnut blasting up next.

[rmiddendorf]

Today I replaced the plugs and coils in my wife's E61 535xiT. It's still missing. Walnut blasting up next.

Do you have codes on it?

[JBort]

Replaced battery in mom's e39.
Previous Interstate only lasted 8-1/2 years!
She called AAA; idiot didn't know where the battery was...
He tried jumping it from underhood terminals.
Battery was too far gone. All good now!

[davintosh]

Today I replaced the plugs and coils in my wife's E61 535xiT. It's still missing. Walnut blasting up next.

Do you have codes on it?

This. My X5 had a pronounced miss at one point, and one of the codes -- P1347 -- pointed to a misfire in one of the cylinders which caused the thing to shut down cylinder 3. Once I cleared the code, it started firing again and the problem didn't come back. Still not sure what caused the code to pop up in the first place, but was happy to have it running smoothly again.

[Rob_K]

Today I replaced the plugs and coils in my wife's E61 535xiT. It's still missing. Walnut blasting up next.

Do you have codes on it?

Cylinder 4 misfire. It's had a miss for a while under load, but not really that bad, it was just there. Recently it started throwing the code for cylinder 4 and shutting it down. A restart would clear it. I took a quick look at the plugs and coils to check condition (car is just under 108k). Plugs were worn and coils were original based on their build dates. I reasoned that it wouldn't be a waste to prophylacticly replace them all. I figured I might get lucky with my code. While I was in there I actually found that one of the ground point screws was very loose. I tightened that as well. It actually runs and idles MUCH better, but it will still throw cylinder 4 if I push it under load between about 2,500 and 3,500 revs.

I haven't checked the revision of the injectors yet which would be the next logical step for a specific cylinder failure. But since I know the car has never had the valves cleaned, I want to do that before I move on to anything else. The car belonged to a friend before I picked it up for my wife last December so I know it's full service history.

[vinceg101]

Sunday 11/23:
Did an oil service to the E39; cleaned up the residue form the leaking oil pan gasket (yuck).
Plugged in the code reader to figure out why the "Service Engine Soon" light is staying on: P0155 and P0141, O2 Sensors. Yay. These would go out right as I need to Smog the car this month. Another Yay.

[Das_Prachtstrasse]

Sold the rally car. Time to focus on more important things.. Like high comp M30's.

[davintosh]

Sold the rally car. Time to focus on more important things.. Like high comp M30's.