MyE28.com

vandiesel wrote:Picked up mine from getting C-quartz detail done. The car is a freaking mirror.

Wow. Took me a minute looking at that first pic to even tell what it was. The reflection of the framing above was so clear I thought I was looking at rebar for some sort of concrete pour. I kind of focused on the roof and not what was around it. Impressive.

Picked up 4 mint black door cards and armrests for it at Pick n Pull today. There's a white '88 528e at the Fairfield location if anyone is interested, has decent cardinal seats, missing glovebox, some other stuff. ALSO a blue 1985 735i! never see those in the yards anymore. Too bad, looked like it could have been saved. ALSO unfortunately saw one of my old cars, a '98 Nissan 200sx. Still had my sweet paint job on it and everything. RIP, you were good to me. sorry your next owners screwed you.

My 535 sat for 5+ years because it failed CA Smog and the PO didn’t want to deal with it. I’m happy to report that today it passed and it’s back in action (as soon as the sticker comes..)

Reinstalled the back window after removing it to repair a small rip in the headliner.

Ordered some headliner dye from Leatherique to address the C-pillar discoloration. I had done a partial treatment using their standard grey color but it wasn't a good color match. This time I've sent them a swatch of my headliner fabric to do a custom match with.

Ibmotoren wrote:I’m happy to report that today it passed and it’s back in action (as soon as the sticker comes..)

Congrats! What did you do to get it to pass?

HayekFan wrote:

Ibmotoren wrote:I’m happy to report that today it passed and it’s back in action (as soon as the sticker comes..)

Congrats! What did you do to get it to pass?

Thank you! In October of 2014 it had to go to a State of CA referee for a modified cat, O2 sensor location, and “other emission related components”. The PO told me he took care of the “other” issues, but never dealt with the Cat. However he provided a new cat, which I installed. I also put in a new O2 sensor, changed the plugs and wires, cleaned the AFM, replaced a cracked intake tube, replaced the fuel lines at the expansion tank, new gas cap, replaced broken exhaust hangers, and fixed the brake lights so there was no “check” to explain.
Also wanted to clean up the engine bay before inspection so I replaced all leaking power steering lines(I think), and replaced the nasty hood insulation. Next up is new tires and brakes, once the sticker comes in. The list is long, but I enjoy the work, and love the car.

Ibmotoren wrote:Thank you! In October of 2014 it had to go to a State of CA referee for a modified cat, O2 sensor location, and “other emission related components”. The PO told me he took care of the “other” issues, but never dealt with the Cat. However he provided a new cat, which I installed. I also put in a new O2 sensor, changed the plugs and wires, cleaned the AFM, replaced a cracked intake tube, replaced the fuel lines at the expansion tank, new gas cap, replaced broken exhaust hangers, and fixed the brake lights so there was no “check” to explain.
Also wanted to clean up the engine bay before inspection so I replaced all leaking power steering lines(I think), and replaced the nasty hood insulation. Next up is new tires and brakes, once the sticker comes in. The list is long, but I enjoy the work, and love the car.

Sounds like the cat probably got it but the other items couldn't have hurt.

The hood insulation is an ordeal but boy does it transform the engine compartment. It's one of those things that really improves the car's overall vibe.

Understood RE loving the car. This afternoon I was at the grocery store and as I was pushing my cart out the door, one of the small handful of E28s in my town happened to be pulling out of the parking lot. I couldn't help but think man what a cool car. Totally distinct from everything else in the parking lot. There's just something right about that boxy in a good way styling and the tall glass.

Got around to doing this! OMG! This is way better than fooling around with the freaking plug-in type usb adapter in the cigarette lighter port. It was a pain in the butt taking everything apart but I was able to do some clean-up work while under the dash. Vacuuming/cleaning out the blower motor was a chore. It had 35+ years of dust accumulation. Way gross.
USB PORT2 by rochareels, on Flickr
USB PORT by rochareels, on Flickr

rochareels wrote:Got around to doing this! OMG! This is way better than fooling around with the freaking plug-in type usb adapter in the cigarette lighter port. It was a pain in the butt taking everything apart but I was able to do some clean-up work while under the dash. Vacuuming/cleaning out the blower motor was a chore. It had 35+ years of dust accumulation. Way gross.
USB PORT2 by rochareels, on Flickr
USB PORT by rochareels, on Flickr

Fantastic! Will look for that same option.

Bought a new battery and installed, as well as a disconnect switch. Should be able to store a bit easier.

Got a speeding ticket in it.

Replaced the original Bosch voltage regulator with a $19 Chinese-made Hella unit from Amazon. My brushes were shot and this fixed random ABS warning lamp coming on and flickering battery light. Nice to see so many choices remain for this common replacement part. Might have to order a spare.

amagansa wrote:Got a speeding ticket in it.

How fast were you allegedly traveling in order to receive a state-issued Fantastic Driving Award?

e28Sean wrote:

amagansa wrote:Got a speeding ticket in it.

How fast were you allegedly traveling in order to receive a state-issued Fantastic Driving Award?

Very good.

I got one in my 155K in the E28, a BS one IMO. I'd just crested a hill on a Sunday, light traffic, clear, dry etc. Radar. 12 over but I was only 5 over before cresting the hill, if that. Now... there were times when my license would have been in jeopardy, if not a free ride to a no star hotel, but that was not one of them.

e28Sean wrote:

amagansa wrote:Got a speeding ticket in it.

How fast were you allegedly traveling in order to receive a state-issued Fantastic Driving Award?

I was allegedly going 85. He supposedly "did me a favor" and wrote 70. I usually know my commute route and where they perch but this moto-cop was in a new spot. I was 1/4 mile from exiting too. Still haven't received the ticket in the mail yet. But hey there's a first for everything and 1 ticket in 7 years isn't bad for me at least my first ticket was in my e28!

Spring Cleaning, of sorts.

A bit of extended Exhaust System Swap that started back in November to prepare for SMOG:




A bit of re-tuning also to swap back in the correct spark plugs (W8DC's).

Ready for St.Paddy's next weekend.

vinceg101 wrote:


Spring Cleaning, of sorts.

A bit of extended Exhaust System Swap that started back in November to prepare for SMOG:




A bit of re-tuning also to swap back in the correct spark plugs (W8DC's).

Ready for St.Paddy's next weekend.

Too clean!!!

That's wrong, just wrong. Waaaaaaaaay to clean. I doubt they were that clean off the ship.

One positive of sheltering in place is knocking down the long list of things to do around the house. Been working on this on and off for a few days, but this morning I finally finished removing the purple tint. The rear glass was much more difficult than the sides. Using a steamer was key. It looks so much better now. I don’t mind tint so much, but when it goes purple, that’s trash. Of course now the faded parcel shelf is staring at me, so put that on the list.

Started the weekend intending to replace the valve-cover gasket on the 535i to fix an oil leak. After the disassembly noticed it was the upper timing case gasket that was leaking. Tore it down to get to the timing cover while waiting for the gaskets and realized the thermostat housing had to come out to do it properly. Got the gaskets this morning, including the crush washer under the rotor adapter bolt and the seal for the front cover around the rotor adapter. Started again and figured taking the radiator out was the best method, since I already had the fan and fan shroud off. Took the bolts out of the T-stat housing cover and . . . one broke off in the main part of the housing. Took the whole housing off and drilled until I had nothing but threads. Ran a tap through all of them and went out to find a replacement bolt. Luckily we have this odd place called Specialty Fasteners where you can't find anything in the packed warehouse, but the owner can. And quickly. Came home, cleaned everything up, used a little Permatex "super 300" gasket sealer on the T-stat gasket since I hadn't ordered that one, and a bit of Dirko where the timing cover meets the head and head-gasket, and put it all back together. Finally got around to the valve-cover gasket, did a valve adjustment, and replaced the Denso plugs from the previous owner with the proper Bosch Silvers and put the fan back on. Bled the cooling system, and went for a drive. Whoops! No temp gauge. Grounded the sensor wire and it pegged, put it back on and it worked fine. Everything else working as it should. Happy to have it back on the road. I'd been driving my wife's old E39 528A for the last couple of days. A comfortable workhorse and it has even more miles than the E28, but just not as much fun.

Next time I'll remember not to start a "simple" job that disables the 535i where it is blocking the E39 530i 5-sp Sport in its garage! It wasn't supposed to take three-days! But good news is the E28 is working even better than before. I was always a believer in the correct plugs on the E28. No other BMW I've owned is that picky, but the E28 was just born to have Bosch Silvers.

I did my yearly oil change and cleaning wheels of brake dust.

Drove the snot out of it today while practicing some safe social distancing (behind a couple thousand pounds of steel & glass ):
Up the Little Tijunga Canyon:

Pushed it from one end of the shop to the other. Been working on my e30 lately. Hope to start back on it at the end of the week...

The day after I completed the above-mentioned upper-timing-case-cover gasket, the clutch "assist" spring broke. Normal point of failure, but the price is probably four-times as much as it was the last time I priced the part. Got one anyway, and did the task today. Still a pain in the ass! But I like the pedal to feel like it should. Still running great and starts on first firing with those Bosch Silver plugs now. I think it just likes the attention.

BMWCCA2 wrote:The day after I completed the above-mentioned upper-timing-case-cover gasket, the clutch "assist" spring broke. Normal point of failure, but the price is probably four-times as much as it was the last time I priced the part. Got one anyway, and did the task today. Still a pain in the ass! But I like the pedal to feel like it should. Still running great and starts on first firing with those Bosch Silver plugs now. I think it just likes the attention.

Phil, you missed the opportunity to install the mother of all over-center springs!
http://www.mye28.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=149057