MyE28.com

We have start!!!

To recap, had spark and fuel pressure but injectors not firing.

Spencer who has been helping me with some replacement parts (tank, door,...) grabbed me a trunk lid at a pick and pull and dropped it off last night. While it was here he wanted to get my car going, cool by me as he has far more experience with the motronic then I do (none) so off we go.

First thing he found was the TPS was not correctly adjusted and fixed that. Still no start.

Progressing through some other tests and not surprisingly we got to the ECU. Spencer grabbed his out his car and plugged it in to mine and the beast started up. Now either I need to convince Programa to warranty a long out of warranty unit or open it up myself and search for cracked solders or anything that looks crispy, or reflow everything. Have a known good backup is sounding like a good idea too.

So a big Thank you to Spencer!!!

Beej

Tip of the hat- you are tenacious!
Congrats!

Dude. Don't laugh... but.... mine would not start for some time, and would start and die. Cleaned the shit out of the ICV. Swapped some relays. Bought new relays. Tried starter fluid (ugh, sorry). Guess what. Goddamn plug had fallen out of the AFM..... plugged it in good and the rest was history. In any event I'm glad you got things going I look forward to checking it out after next week when I'm back in Seattle.

I've seen the reflow done 2x to 1.0 ECUs . It isn't rocket surgery. I was awed by how something that expensive could be fixed so easily. Used ECUs should be available.

a wrote:I've seen the reflow done 2x to 1.0 ECUs . It isn't rocket surgery. I was awed by how something that expensive could be fixed so easily. Used ECUs should be available.

Good to know, thanks. Reflowing for clusters and ECU seems to be the first order fix. Having a ECU with diagnostics system built in sounds like a future project but first is getting the car right is what needs to be done.

Thank to everyone who has shared their experiences and congratulations.

Still have a bunch to do -
- Find a good FL fender.
- Prep trunk lid, door, fender for preliminary spray.
- Fix drivers seat pads and seat base leather.
- Gather missing bits for the trunk.
- Install Stereo system.
- New side window scrapper rubber.
- Sort inop on door windows and Hazards.
- Sort (lube and/or clean?) sunroof so it opens all the way.
- Get driving to shake loose those issues to fix.
...

It is turning out to be a bigger project then getting any '02 or e3 back on the road has been. Well maybe not bigger just new unfamiliar problems.

Beej

Fixed the ECU. At least the car starts now and seems to run correctly. I will have to take it for a drive soon, I will have to clear a path.

The fix involved reflowing a single solder. Sorry I do not have a super close up picture but the black arrow points to the solder I redid.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... 72a3b73910

I bought a soldering kit and jeweler/electronics lighted magnifying glasses set, about $30 total.

I tried to clean up the board but the old flux is like varnish. Anyway I went over the boards looking for anything that did not look right and found only the one soldered wire where the was a tiny ring between the solder and the wire in the center where they looked like they no longer touched (well there was a second solder on one of the chips that had come off but it had no connection and did not need to be soldered in the first place). Still after having examined all sides multiple times it was the only thing that looked questionable. I should have tested it with the multimeter to be sure before turning to the soldering iron but I did not think of it until I did my first attempt at a fix, it failed according to the multimeter. Redid the solder and the 'meter indicated it was good (this is very easy as you simply check continuity at the other end of the board's leads).

Put the ECU back together though I did not fold down the tabs on the top and took it out to the car to try it out. The battery was a little flat so I put charger on it and went to have dinner while I waited. After dinner I went back out and the car started turning over and then caught and ran seemingly normally.

Still would like to have a backup ECU as they are an excellent item to have if you have a problem and you want to eliminate the ECU as an issue as well as good emergency item.

Beej

Beej wrote:Fixed the ECU. At least the car starts now and seems to run correctly. I will have to take it for a drive soon, I will have to clear a path.

The fix involved reflowing a single solder. Sorry I do not have a super close up picture but the black arrow points to the solder I redid.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... 72a3b73910

I bought a soldering kit and jeweler/electronics lighted magnifying glasses set, about $30 total.

I tried to clean up the board but the old flux is like varnish. Anyway I went over the boards looking for anything that did not look right and found only the one soldered wire where the was a tiny ring between the solder and the wire in the center where they looked like they no longer touched. Still have to examining all sides multiple times it was the only thing that looked questionable. I should have tested it with the multimeter to be sure but I did not think of it until I did my first attempt at a fix, it failed according to the multimeter. Redid the solder and the 'meter indicated it was good.

Put the ECU back together though I did not fold down the tabs on the top and took it out to the car to try it out. The batter was a little flat so I put charger on it and went to have dinner while I waited. After dinner I went back out and the car started turning over and then caught and ran seemingly normally.

Still would like to have a backup ECU as they are an excellent item to have if you have a problem and you want to eliminate the ECU as an issue as well as good emergency item.

Beej

I call that a win for the home team! You are going to know that car like the back of your hand. Pleased for you and hoping I don't have to dig that deep to resolve an issue...

I call that a win for the home team! You are going to know that car like the back of your hand. Pleased for you and hoping I don't have to dig that deep to resolve an issue...

Well it saves a chunk of change, I get to see the inside of the ECU, I get to take a shot a fixing it, and even if I didn't manage to fix it all it cost was a little time a and the price of a couple of tools. 'Still don't now my way around the engine management system of this vintage BMW but it is a start.

Thanks,
Beej

Quick question, what is the best way to get the rubber adhesive off of the body? I am slowly getting the cement off around my trunk lid using a soft scraper and Goof Off but it is turning out to be a pretty slow process and it still leaves a fair bit behind. The goal is to get it really clean so it can metal treated where needed then primed and painted with a protective paint.

Thanks,
Beej

I like this stuff, 3M general adhesive remover. Searching around on the site will yield lots of opinions about like products.

https://www.amazon.com/3M-08984-General ... ve+remover

Glad you were able to fix it. A failed solder joint that is intermittent will have a black line from arcing. That is what Peter Florrance showed us 15 yrs ago. It was an awesome demonstration.

PS a crappy fuse will have the same black ring on the tips.

sail_or_drive wrote:I like this stuff, 3M general adhesive remover. Searching around on the site will yield lots of opinions about like products.

https://www.amazon.com/3M-08984-General ... ve+remover

+1

Making slow progress but making progress. Did get the rubber cement (thanks for the tip Sail_or_Drive & Bonsaibacker) off the trunk finally And started in on a replacement trunk lid.

Before - https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... bef46a14ed
After - https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... 15bf17a032

Now it is time to go back to the trunk and remove all the rust around the lip and treat the metal so that it will never rust again.

Thanks,
Beej

Making more progress. Not fast progress but progress.

The replacement lid is fitted, surface rust and imperfections treated.

The new gasket is not glued in place as eventually the car will need proper paint, I just wanted to make sure that the rain would stay outside the trunk.

Ordered new Lic. plate lights.

Made a cover for the spare tire well. Cut to fit and urathaned, sorry no picture.

There is more surface rust in the trunk but it can wait. They have been treated with rust inhibitor and do not let water in.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... 9ac351da68
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... ceb7715dfa
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... 034ed7955b

Now onto the driver door.

Thanks,
Beej

The weather is changing and putting some time on the 535i again.

Took it for its first drive in years, actually it's longest drive since my friend Peter left it in my driveway. First stop was the car wash which was a half mile round trip, got all the grime off. No new problems and the brakes and etc. seemed to be OK. Now that it is clean it is much easier to see where the paint has gotten too thin. Took a second quick drive with the daughter to the grocery store during which the Alt/fan belt started to squeal about 1000 rpm.

Same day fixed the sunroof, just cleaning and lubricating was needed to get it working correctly. Windows your turn will come too.

Changed the oil now that it had a chance to slop around (20w-50).

Installed new license plate light units w/ stainless screws/nylocks and nylon washers.

Topped off the hydraulic fluid but have not changed it yet as I am still thinking of doing bigger brakes.

Replace that too large Belt (12.5x1055). Just for the record current belt sizes and seem to be correctly fitting (snug but still fit and flush with the top of the pulley) are:
AC: 13x810
PS: 10x900
Fan/WP/Alt: 13x1042

I need to go after the Temp gage. It was working before I pulled of the cover panel under the dash of the driver side. I also need to go after a the 25A Heater Blower/AC circuit as it keeps blowing the fuse. If anyone has any suggestions on what to look for with either of these let me know.

Thanks,
Beej

Did a little more driving.

Definitely have a hydraulic leak. looks like it may be coming from the reservoir itself but have not actually found the leak.

Pushed it a little harder this Drive. Seems to be cooling fine but I do not like have a working temp gage. Chucked it around lightly and am thinking it has potential. Took the wife for a ride and warmed her a little to this car.

Bigger brakes to go with the bigger rubber seems like a good idea.

Kids think it needs a name. So far Sleepy is in the lead but then bigger power will be in order.

After changing the oil the Service Indicator would not reset, add the SI board to the todo list.

The dealer claims BMW does not have the key codes anymore. This just has to be nonsense.

Thanks,
Beej

Nice. Subbed.

Found the brake fluid leak. Hooked up the pressure bleeder and fluid squirted out a hole in the hose going to the clutch master.

Went to local dealer for the reservoir to clutch master hose, it was the right size and about what others were wanting for the hose (part # 1 163 714). They told me one price over the phone and another price when I got there so not so cool on that front. The hose itself is the correct ID, the OD has changed so they are about 10mm instead of the old 13.5mm. Most important was to get the correct ID (7.5mm), the old plastic is too brittle put any extra stress on with a near size hose.

BMW sent 44" of hose, used 15" and even then it could have been a little shorter. Fed the hose throw from inside the car (flange faces to the front) and connected to the reservoir with a needle nose pliers. Snipped off the hose on the inside about an inch longer then needed and because the needle nose now couldn't quite do it used some forceps to put the hose onto the master cylinder.

I did not bleed the clutch, what I did burped the hose (the advantage of a thinner walled hose) to force all the air to bubble up then pumped the peddle for good measure. I will get around to bleeding the whole system soon enough, just waiting to figure out what I am doing with the brakes.

Oh, one last thing. This dealer sent an email to try to get the key codes and were told that BMW will not longer do that for vehicle older then '92 or so. Also that the only lock with a stamped code will be the ignition.

Thanks,
Beej

The Drivers door pocket had some damage on the bottom corner go ahold of a good used replacement and started in on that yesterday.

Staples hold a lot more of it together then you would expect. Since I need to replace the color portion I carefully pulled staples and slid them out. The on the original most of the staple were in in bad shape, someone had remove the plastic film that goes on the sheetmetal. Basically the only part of the door card that is the original is the color section as the replacements components are all in better shape. Still need to get some correctly sized staples to do final assembly but that should not be a problem.

While I had the door open it seemed like a good chance to try to figure out what is wrong with the window and lock. Lubed what I could and checked for current at the window motor, nothing. Hooked up current directly and nothing. Took apart the motor cleaned it up a little and lubed it better and put it back together and it started working with current applied directly. It still has slow spots and even after lubing the mechanicals as much as possible it looks like the window channels need some kind of lubrication, any suggestions anyone.

Thanks,
Beej

Still trying to sort the drivers window. Still need to get the correct staples to put the door card back together properly.

After using some silicon spray on the window channels the window was still binding up and shuttering. Greased up the regulator channels, gears, rollers, and still no change. Took the motor apart again and did a more intensive cleaning and again no change.

Since all the windows need to be sorted the goal is to try to do this with the most targeted work. The felt channels look OK, they could be the problem and replacing them will probably need to happen sometime anyway but even after lubricating there was no difference so not confident that replacement is needed yet. The regulator rails can use a real cleaning but look good too. The only thing that looks a bit off is the window alignment, the window appears to lean to the front slightly with maybe causing the binding, further testing is needed, however if this is the case is this adjustable?

Thanks,
Beej

Driver's door card:
Got a big enough staple gun to put the door card assembly pieces back together. First was a prefit so the things that hold the card and surround on the sheet metal were going to be in the correct place and carefully put a staple in each of the top corners to hold things just right. The plastic cradles on the back of the plastic surround are weak, they are definitely not meant to be structural in any way so get those staples in properly, a small hammer is useful to make sure they are set well. When stapling I also made sure each corner and each side was well secured. I haven's been able to shop for the super short staples used on the backside pad so it is only stapled around the edges where the staples would only go into the surround piece. The pad sagging is a concern use a couple of strips of painters tape to hold the top center until some ridiculously short staples are sourced.

Driver's door window repair:
Pulled the switch and found it had no power. A little bit of searching turned up that there is a circuit breaker/window lockout in the kick panel that I had taken out, with the breaker back in the switch lit up (the only one) but no window action. Testing the switch it was clear it needed some TLC. Took the switch apart and it had plenty of surface corrosion on the inside even if the tabs on the outside were clean. Soaked the metal bits in some vinegar then cleaned them with q-tips (old tooth bush would work too). After drying a quick test showed excellent conductivity so a light coat of Fluid film to protect and lubricate the switch was reassembled. In the car the window now goes up and down properly with the switch though the glass is still binding up a bit. Just need to do three more windows and five more switches, and of course to align the drivers window so if does not bind.

Catch you later.
Beej

Well now it is closer to 20ish years... Not really I did get things right enough to drive around on the occasional Sunday so to speak. Recently it has started to run hot, one of the rear calipers was sticking, the power steering was leaking from a not apparent location.

The running hot I suspected the thermostat but feared it might be the radiator, it did not seem like a fan clutch or water pump as they passed their checks. However, because the hoses were old and the parts relatively cheap I got the basic hoses, new cap (it was cracked and not sealing but did not effect the overheating), water pump, thermostat, fan clutch, cooling system cleaner, and quality gaskets figuring may as well as it will be pain to have to keep fixing things. Anyway all went well and the car is running nice a cool again, it was probably the thermostat not opening fully but really it looked good too.

Cooling system done it was time to go after the brakes, I had gotten some e34 530i calipers, rotors, backing plates bits and bobs used during the pandemic so now seemed like the time to do the upgrade. Rebuild the calipers with a good cleaning and new rubber bits. Cleaned up the rotors as were in very good shape. Got some braded brake lines and new ceramic pads to go in.

Foolishly I figured needed the e34 backing plates to go with the bigger brakes so I cleaned and painted those only to realize when installing that the rears were exactly the same part. Why BMW has the same plates for different sized brakes I don't get but it made it easier if I had noticed right away, or would have my son not mashed the threads on one of the holes that bolts the anchor post thingy for the parking brake in preparation to take off the old plates. he thought was a good idea to use a socket to take out the bolts only the get the rachet stuck behind the wheel hub.

Oh yes, got new shoes for the parking brake as the drum diameter is a little larger on the e34.

Any way, the bolt would not catch a thread, I could see the damage was very shallow (1-2 mm). I had extra bolts so I ground down the threads on tip of one hoping to get in deep enough to catch but no luck. The next step was to try to re-tap it, a rethreading tap looked short enough to get behind the wheel hub but was skeptical that it would catch properly. A regular plug tap was too long and also looked like it would also probably not catch properly and I certainly did not want to mess this up any worse then it already was. Got a taper tap, it was still to long but looked like my best shot to clean up the threads in the hole. Using the Dremel about a quarter inch off the base and shaved the sides to have square that the 7mm would be able to turn. Using aforementioned son to spot so that I kept the tap perfectly aligned I was able to catch the threads deeper in with some feeling around and restore the holes thread.

Well, after that everything went back reasonably easily. The fronts the backing plates are different but the e28 plates fit brakes just fine like in the back. Did not get the full system bleeding yet, probably Friday I will have some time to do that and take a test drive.

Well that's all, just had to share some of my self inflicted and son inflicted pain with my latest bit of progress. Oh, and the son in question did spot the location of the power steering leak, the low pressure hose was not clamped tightly enough at the bottom where it attaches to the pump.

Thanks, Beej

The brakes saga continues:

The front right caliper would start to bind after it warmed up. First thought is air somehow got into the system some how, and the clutch pedal was biting higher then it should which also sounded like air in the system. However, the symptoms when I looked them up pointed to the brake master cylinder as the brake issue. Also after some intense testing some strange air whooshing sounds seemed to be coming from the master cylinder. And of course brake warning lights are going on.

Ordered a replacement brake master. Oddly enough the Haynes manual says to bench bleed the master before installing while the Bentley omits that. Decided to pressure bleed to play it safe however after the struggle to get brake master back in it is doubtful there was much if any benefit to the bench bleeding. Did a pressure bleed of all the brakes with DOT 5.1 again and jacked the back end of up as high as possible and checked the slope direction of the slave cylinder with a level to make sure all air was out. After getting everything back together only the brake warning light is still on but for no apparent reason. A test run showed impeccably normal behavior from the brakes, ABS, and clutch.

Traced the brake light to the high pressure switch for the brake booster staying open. A new switch is on the way and in the absence of any brake problems suspect it is in fact the switch that is broken.


Barrowed use of a lift:

Found a small hole in the resonator to go with the one in the muffler. Yeah, the sound right now is aggressive without being super loud I would like to find a near stock exhaust or quiet one that is worth the money.

The engine mounts need replacing one front and one transmission mount have failed.

Both the tie rods and front wishbones (go figure) have cracked boots but as of yet no play or signs of failure so will need replacement but not urgently.


Barrowed a gas analyzer:
The engine is running lean but passes emission. At 2500 rpm it reads an air fuel ratio of about 19:1, at idle it is a whopping 29:1. The holes in the exhaust are probably be a part of it but I am betting most of it is dirty injectors and a good cleaning will make a huge improvement.


Oh and also refreshed to cooling system. It had a started to warm up at low speed and freeway speeds but did all right at around town speeds. Most of the hoses were replaced, the thermostat and the water pump, and then did a system flush before filling the new coolant. Everything good on that front now.


That's the latest, catch you later,
Beej