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e34 Touring


straight6pwr

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2 hours ago, patsbimmer1 said:

This might be worth it in your quest for mounting excellence.

https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-182590-gopro-grab-bag-of-mounts/

thanks, but I have all those and some RAM ball mounts for my fishing setup. nothing that clamps to a bar the size of the headrest post, so that's why I had to get more creative.

2 hours ago, KaiserRolls said:

The amount of money GoPro makes off of Chinese molded plastic parts is unreal. $20 for like 5 things that cost maybe a nickel to manufacture

its true! but alternatives are everywhere so it can be avoided.

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got some work done on the nice spring-ish weekend.  sometime a couple weeks ago on one of our -20 deg days i pulled up to a drive-thru window and hit the down window button. well, the windows were froze to hell, but the one-touch decided to flex its muscles and kept on pullin.  BANG! it sounded like it ripped the bottom of the window off!!  i was expecting the worst, but it turned out not bad. the regular bent itself and ripped the plastic guides out of their track. bent it back and clips in place, done. i also put some silicone in the window tracks and channels to hopefully reduce the chance of this happening again.

fXppxC0.jpg

next problem I've been waiting to fix is a coolant leak/underheating issue.  i was loosing coolant somewhere near the engine fan, because it was being splashed around the engine bay leaving tiny white dots everywhere. shortly after that started, i notice that suddenly my car wasn't hitting operating temp even in idling in traffic. thermostat was stuck open and the housing was leaking, so nice two-fer fix here.

don't forget the wussy torque of the bolts:
9F8ABIL.jpg

easy job on the m60. remove the clutch fan. remove the airbox/elbow. remove the bolt holding the dipstick, then all four bolts are accessible with a 10mm socket + extensions. upgraded to a metal housing from the stock plastic. forgot to order a new lower rad hose at the same time, oh well.  now she's running perfectly again and i have my heat back.
xBAGXVt.jpg

 

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  • 2 months later...

worked on the e34 today. some annoying maintenance stuff, but still.

she blew her rear shock mounts. too much junk in the trunk! but really, e34 tourings are known for this. I hoped to get more than a year out of a pair of mounts, though.  i'm guessing the ice rallies didn't help, but the fun was worth it. 

driver's mount was squawking, which gave away the problem.  rubber everywhere = bad sign.

TTnWiKh.jpg

 

drivers (right) was completely blow out. passenger was 90% torn. glad I got both replacements at once.  note: these are already the meyle HD versions.
KkNJj7E.jpg

 

NEXT!

tailgate issues. both my hatch lock cylinder and the popper handle microswitch have worn out. i'm actually lucky I got the hatch open at all to fix this, as the microswitch only works 1 out of 100 times. for those that don't know, the e34 touring does not have a 'mechanical' handle or button to open the tailgate. design flaw if you ask me.  the tailgate is opened with button that operates a microswitch that trips an actuator to pop the mechanism, or if you turn the the key it mechanically pops the mechanism.

anyways, i haven't had any luck with finding a lock cylinder rebuild for the hatch, so i decided to replace the microswitch first so i wont be locked out anymore.

 

after removing the interior panel (1,000,000 pop rivets, screws, and panel clips) here is the location of the hatch mechanism's microswitch

n5Gf4Y5.jpg

 

there are a few microswitches in the tailgate, and the realoem diagrams aren't super clear, but the the one I ordered (1 383 074) was indeed the correct replacement. (old on left, new on right)
zLwAy69.jpg


i decided to be smart, and added a hot wire to the microswitch so I can add a hatch popper in the cabin! that way when I'm camping in back, I can hit the button to exit/enter the hatch instead of the side doors.  again, not sure why bmw didnt have a hatch popper in the interior in the first place.  12v applied to the white wire of the microswitch activates the actuator.
DtI7EqA.jpg

 

ran the wire along the stock wiring of the tailgate

OXowt0l.jpg

i properly fed it through the oem grommets, down the d pillar, and along the stock wiring to the battery. I still need to find an appropriate 'momentary' button for the interior.

5phiOVS.jpg

 

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33 minutes ago, YoungCR said:

Guessing those rsm's are touring specific and Meyle HD is the best fix still?

 

I'm trying to rack my brain for a switch that would work. I don't remember how the hatches on the e60's work or if the e39's have a switch either.

they are not touring specific. upgraded e34 rsms of any kind don't exist, as far as I could find.  there was a small shop making custom jobs a bit ago, but it appears they don't any more: http://www.mooseheadengineering.com/moosehead-engineering-online-storefront/#!/Rear-Shock-Mounts/p/5697211/category=1512126

 

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12 hours ago, straight6pwr said:

they are not touring specific. upgraded e34 rsms of any kind don't exist, as far as I could find.  there was a small shop making custom jobs a bit ago, but it appears they don't any more: http://www.mooseheadengineering.com/moosehead-engineering-online-storefront/#!/Rear-Shock-Mounts/p/5697211/category=1512126

I'd send Paul a message next time and see if he has any in stock or will be making more, I forgot about those. He's a big E28 guy and a very knowledgeable CCA advisor. 

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10 hours ago, YoungCR said:

I'd send Paul a message next time and see if he has any in stock or will be making more, I forgot about those. He's a big E28 guy and a very knowledgeable CCA advisor. 

well thats awesome of you, thanks! if these don't hold up through next season I'll be wanting to buy something better.

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how would that work?  I can't picture it. 

i've attached a diagram of an e30/e36 rear mount, which is the same principal as the e34. the rubber part of the bushing completely torn all the way around the center metal sleeve (red lines), separating the mount into two pieces. the only thing keeping the shock from separating from the mount completely was the washers on top/bottom that cant pass through the mount (show as red discs)

shock-mount-sectional.jpg

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You could do a few things. Obviously this is a bit of work, and if I was in your shoes I wouldn't do and of this. I would probably just take out all of the soft rubber material, take some measurements, go on energy suspensions website and find a bushing that would match the dimensions. If you don't do that, here is a quick idea of how you could use window weld. The blue tube could be welded around the material, or just used to contain it while you pour the part. I would also suggest drilling through the new mounts allowing the window weld to flow through the existing rubber on the mount.

Strut mount.jpg

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