timmer

Post E30 picnic update.... Car is up on jack stands, Chinese GSP axles are out. Took some time to tidy up the undercarriage, fix some little things, and add some upgrades. Cleaned and painted the brake calipers, and ordered stop tech pads/rotors all around. Parts should be here when I get back from Canada and she will be back on the road doing Smokey burnouts! Also added a euro front plate to let the other bimmer heads know there is something lurking under the hood... Till next time! -Tim

Fantastic get together! Makes me sad to see a smashed up E30.... I also angered the E30 gods by installing cheap Chinese axles thinking they would last more than 120 miles while sending the old ones off to be rebuilt.... The final hard launch occurred on HWY K/HWY 83 in Washington County when the drivers side upper CV joint bought the farm. I know, I was warned about aftermarket axles... I’ve learned my lesson, new GKN Lobos axels are on the way. In the interim, I’m gonna take some time and clean up the rear undercarriage while everything is apart. She will roll again soon. Great seeing everyone! Wasn’t enough time to get caught up. I love seeing the progress on each car every year. -Tim

This is a nice scenic country drive. A few nice parks along the way through Amish country. https://goo.gl/maps/QQeaTUYWEhx59w5A8 We could meet in the morning, do the drive with a few stops along the way, and end up at the Harbor Bar and do lunch, and a boat cruise around the Chain 'O Lakes. Drive would take 2-3 hours depending on length of stops http://clearwaterharbor.com/.

For sure! I can host something by me sometime. We have some nice scenic roads, and places to stop in the Waupaca area.

Thanks Brian! I’m gonna take my time with this one, try to do most the work myself, and keep it as original as possible. I’ll probably start working on the interior next, freshen up the suspension, and tackle the little things for now. I’ll start saving my pennies since I dumped my savings into the S52 swap for the ‘86, lol.

SHE’S ON THE ROAD AGAIN!! Well, it’s been since 1998, but the old girl is back on the road under her own power. Amazingly, she drives better than I thought! Goes down the road straight, and most things seem to be working as they should. It’s easy to tell the suspension bushings, and tie rod ends are cooked. 20 miles so far, and looking forward to many more.😁 -Tim

SUCCESS!!! The old girl is idling on her own! Still have some adjustments to do... there was a small stone lodged where the mixture screw is, and once I got it out, the screw is too tight for my makeshift extended 3mm Allen wrench to turn. I threw some penetrating oil on it to help loosen it up in the meantime while I go purchase a longer wrench. The O2 sensor was reading about .72 volts when warmed up. I’m confident once the mixture is leaned out she’ll run like a champ! Best part, no fire!!! Time for a Busch Latte... -Tim 59BD0CA0-1FF9-4871-83F2-E3648E170001.mp4

*** UPDATE... Version I need a stiff drink *** Good News! On Wednesday night, I finished installing the new external fuel pump/accumulator/and fuel lines. I disconnected the bajo bolt at the fuel distributor and flushed out the lines, and decided to give her a go. Expert tip: I added pigtail wires to the new fuel pump so I wouldn't have to struggle to hook up the short leads provided by BMW under the car. She wanted to fire up right away, but I assumed the the old gas had to get flushed out of the rest of the system. She eventually ran, but was running extremely rich and I needed to keep my foot on the throttle to keep her running. I hoped the fresh fuel mixed with fuel system cleaner would continue to flush everything out, and I kept her running up to operating temp and shut her down for the night. I noticed the a banjo bolt was weeping fuel at the fuel filter, so I replaced the copper washer. Everything else looked good! I was hoping a little more cleaning, and a mixture adjustment and everything would be good to go. I also bled the brakes and got them working without issue. Now, the bad news... Yesterday I had half the day off , so I thought it would be a good time to work on the car a bit more since I work all weekend. Things started off fine, the car fired up right away, but was still running rich and would not idle. I kept running the car, hoping the new fuel and cleaner would do its job for about 15 minutes. Things did not improve, so I decided to look into things further. I could not find any obvious vacuum leaks, or anything else, so I decided to try to start the car again. The car did not start, and eventually stopped cranking. I assumed the cylinders were hydrolocked with fuel. I turned the ignition to the "on" position and jumped the fuel pump relay to discover the fuel injectors were spraying without the motor running. I pulled the spark plugs, setting the wires to the side, and turned the motor over to clear out the fuel. As fuel began shooting out of each cylinder I head a large "WOOOOOF", and approximately 6 foot flames were now shooting out of the passenger side of the engine bay. Maybe I should have disconnected the coil before dousing the exposed plug wires with fuel? I was extremely lucky. I quickly grabbed a large wool moving blanket and was able to smother out the fire, not before singeing my beard and eye lashes. Luckily the fire only burned the insulation on wires for the ignition coil, and oxygen sensor, which were easily repaired. After taking a little breather, and pouring a glass of Blanton's bourbon; I explained to my wife my foolish ways. Needless to say she was not impressed. I decided to call it a day. I'll troubleshoot the fuel issues at a later time. My thought is the piston in the fuel distributor is stuck in the open position a bit, feeding the injectors. Lessons learned. I need to take my time, have a plan, and always have a fire extinguisher handy. You would think that a firefighter like me would know this? It's easy to become complacent. More updates, without fire, to continue... -Tim IMG_3536.MP4

*** UPDATE...version Winter Storm Wesley *** Im hoping to have her running soon! I’ve tackled the fuel system...what a mess. New key is cut courtesy of Enterprise BMW, and I started cleaning up the interior a bit. What the crap-wooly mammoth-fur stuff did BMW use to cushion the seats with anyway? Years of sitting turned it into a crunchy, rust colored dust. She was diagnosed with two frozen solid fuel pumps, and every fuel line held as much fuel as a cheese grater. Luckily the tank is dry and in good shape; the new in tank pump is in, the external pump is out. Just waiting for the fuel lines, fuel accumulator, and fuel filter to arrive to finish things up. Im confident she’ll fire right up once reassembled. Obligatory first fire up in 20+ years to follow. -Tim

Can’t wait!! Just woke both E30’s up from their winter slumber today!

I’m open to anything at this point.... right now I’m rocking some sweet seat covers! The seats will need a total rebuild; I’ll have to talk with an upholstery guy...

Perfect, I’ll give it a try! Is this something any dealer can do? The closest one is Bergstrom in Appleton for me.... Thanks!

A little progress update as a result of not having keys... Did I mention how fun it is to navigate a non-running car into a garage with the steering locked and the front wheels at a slight angle? A wheeled floor jack under the rear end ultimately saved the day! Got the ignition lock cylinder removed with a little persuading with the drill. Now to see if I can have new keys made to fit, or if I have to get new lock cylinders for the whole car... Meanwhile, the trunk is locked. I’d like to see what surprises are in there!! Anyone know of a way to get in? -Timmer

Looking for front and rear seats in tan if anyone has anything... I’m hoping to save the carpet and door cards, but may need those also. I’ll start a list, lol. Thanks! -Tim

It made it home...