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rhanley 635csi89
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New member to the forum.

Post by rhanley 635csi89 »

Hi, I'm new to this forum. I picked up this classic in October 2014. It is a 1989 L6 635CSi Alpine White/Natur 218/0 code, production date 11/88, vin WBAEC8413K3268571. Automatic, Sun Roof. I'm the 4th owner. The car has been sitting for the last 2 years. PO claims he clocked about 1K miles, as he became ill and could no longer drive. Mileage approx 130K based on analyzing the records from Auto Check, car had stayed in the Atlanta Ga area since new. There is no rust on or under the car. One small crack in dash board. I'm 68 years young and wrapping up a 1 1/2 year non auto related project.

I have always enjoyed the lines of the classic 633 & 635 coupe and I now have a winter project. I've owned a 87 735i and a 96 328ic, I'm a tinker not a mechanic. I lack an auto vocabulary. I'm going to need support and help. My intent is to have a reliable cruiser to drive in the mountains of NC and an occasional trip to the BMW outings held in Greer SC., 1 hr ride away.

When I picked up the car I brought a battery pack, car would not turn over, power was at the starter, went to my 1960's know how of cars and hit the starter with a hammer and car turned over and started right up. Car has started fine for the last two months, however, I'll always be suspect of the starter. What did the hammer punch do to make it turn over? Solenoid stuck? What would the experts do?

I've enjoyed reading various posts in this forum and the knowledge contained is invaluable. Banjo Bolts? Not having a maintenance history on the car (3rd owner replaced radiator and transmission line) I knew where I had to start, car was running rough. Oil was filthy.
Installed new Bosch battery, spark plugs, ignition set, distributor cap, rotor, crank position sensor, air filter, oil change, repaired PS hose leak, replaced missing/damaged vacuum hoses, still more replacements required as I intend to replace all of them. AT filter, gasket replaced, cleaned screen and magnet. ATF was clean as it must have been replaced during the radiator replacement, new ATF added. Filter and magnet were relatively clean, however, I have no prior knowledge of what it could/should be. Replaced missing muffler hangers.


Read about banjo bolts on the forum and since I had a small valve gasket leak decided to change the gasket now, to check banjo bolts and adjust valves, valves required minimum adjustment. One of the banjo bolts was completely out, the other was loose. Thank you forum for that knowledge.

Car is running great, a little rough cold start, intend to replace O2 sensor, fuel filter.

Car requires some, I hope minor, body work, front spoiler, damage to let front bumper, damage to RR bottom panel, a poor Bondo repair to be fixed left rear panel. Car will receive a respray after repairs are made by the professionals.

Additional repairs to be performed:
Oil sun roof, blow out drains.
SLS still intact and working, minor leak at RR shock.
Front lower control arm bushings.
Front lower ball joints.
U joints.
Motor mounts.
Replace all bushings.
Heat shield, can these be repaired in lieu of replaced? see photo
A/C inoperable, condenser does not turn on.
Antenna shaft, motor is working.
Window washer, motor working however no spray.
Odometer and cluster repair (not looking forward to this).
All windows regulators to be lubed.
Door seals.
RR window does not work, no motor noise.
One position of the passenger side seat doesn't work.
Leather repairs.
Water pump, hoses and belts. PS hoses are weeping.
Fog lights do not work.
Mufflers are starting to show age, can this be repaired (patched) or something done to slow the deterioration? See photo.
Upgrade brake/running lights by Andy of MisterFixIt
Fuel gauge does not indicate full, drops to 1/2 full does not move in increments, is this controlled by the Sending Unit Assembly? Replace or repair item?
Check all electric and ground connection, remove oxidation and protect with dielectric grease.
Interior and exterior cosmetic repairs.

Wind shield has a white halo at the bottom along the dash, I tried conventional cleaners no results, has any one seen this before, can it be clean, or is a new wind shield the answer? See photo.

Front and rear windows need to be removed to complete the tint removable . Will also re-tint at that time.

Need to install the correct rear spoiler for this car, currently has BMW #1879597 for a Euro 633 or 635 installed. Need new spoiler for this car. Does someone have the correct part #?

Other components need replacement:

Does someone have the part number for the front ash tray? Currently have BMW part ???????? doesn't fit properly.
Need a new lens for the light under the hood?
Need a braided grounding strap from the front panel to the under side of the hood? See photo.
Need battery hold down, I have the rod and wing nut or other options.
Need wing nut for spare tire hold down.

Regarding electrical connections, I started to clean connectors, upon removing the first wire the plastic boot crumbled, I've stopped this part of the project as they appear they will all crumble. I've searched for replacement boots, have not found any for angle connectors. Are they available? Or do you use heat shrink tubing? See photo.

Under the radio there are two lights one green (does not light up) the other is broken off, I assuming it's blue. I've checked the owners manual , but no other reference to the lights. Manual was obtained from the forum published, 8/1988, is this the latest manual? Also look into the ETM 6210-2, Green light is for the fog lamps and the blue is high beam indicator? See photo. If correct does someone know the part number?

When I first start the car the check "Brake Light" comes one. I tap the brake pedal and the light goes out. All brake lights are good. ETM 6216-1, Is it a sticky brake light switch MW Part 613183360420? What else might it be? Poor electric contacts, were should I start?

Car has door edge trim. I read on the forum that BMW offered this as an option. If this is true I would like to leave them on. Does someone know? True or False? They fit the doors perfectly. See photo. When the car is re-sprayed I plan to
re-install them.

I've started my library of web site, manuals and tech articles from various forums. I will dig deep for information and look forward to any guidance and help from the forum you're willing to give.

Does anyone recognize this car? Any information would be appreciate.

BTW, it appears Super Coop has the twin, 161 S/N apart. Same paint and trim colors.

I apologize for the numerous questions and the length of my introduction, this is basically my to do list.

http://s1255.photobucket.com/user/roger ... deshow/BMW

Regards,
Roger
[email protected]
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Ralph in Socal
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Post by Ralph in Socal »

Welcome to the board and let me be the first to console your significant other. You are now stricken with shark fever. It will never go away and there is no known cure. You will not get better but you could easily get worse. Have fun!! They are a blast to drive.

Starter solenoid was probably stuck from sitting. Replace the starter if it continues to be an issue. You already have the smaller b35 starter so no easy upgrade available.

"Check" light is normal - it always comes on when first started. You either tap the brake pedal or push the check button to turn it off.

Odometer repair is easy after you've done it once. Unfortunately the first time sucks. You will need a small fine flat tip screwdriver to pop off the connectors and their retaining system clips. Go slowly and DO NOT FORCE anything.

Rough cold start could be injectors needing a cleaning. You do not have a separate Cold Start Valve.

Front spoiler is easily reparable and your best course of action as they are difficult to find. If you do find one - it will likely be in the condition (or worse) of the one you have.

Do not blow out sunroof drains as you could blow and jam debris into the drains. Use a vacuum cleaner and a long extension to get at the drains. Pop the rear of the sunroof up to get at the rear drains. Make sure the drain tubes exit the trunk in the corners. They have been known to shrink and the drain into the trunk.

Check fuses and relays for non-working systems. A fuse may look good and work for one item but may not pass enough juice for another item. Perfect example is your RR window. I had the same issue and thought the fuse was OK since the other windows were working. Switched out the window switches (thought it was a switch problem) and still had the issue. Replaced the fuse and window functioned well after that.


Ralph
There is a very fine line between "Hobby" and Mental Illness.

85 635csi Zinno Auto
84 528i Euro
83 635 Euro Arktik
81 528i Kastanien 5-speed
88 528e Bronzit (Granpa Car)
86 535i Auto (For Sale)
81 633 csi (retired)
Chris Wright

Post by Chris Wright »

Welcome aboard!

Check out the "Goodie Page" for links to Factory WorkShop Manuals, Wiring Diagrams (ETM's), Factory Parts Catalogs, parts Suppliers etc.:
viewtopic.php?t=10410
bookmark it, but It is actually in the "Tech Articles" Section, "Stickied" at the top as "E24 Shop Manual" if you need to find it later.
_______

BCG bigcoupegroupe Tech Library
http://web.archive.org/web/201308210452 ... s.net/bcg/
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Post by Super Coop »

Hey Roger, I think at the very least we are cousins: lol: one end of the country to the other. I think our cars are about identical, and from the sound of it our repairs are too...
I've had mine for about 9 or 10 years now, I added a picture of when I 1st got it, note the spoiler lol. Mine had about 115,000 4 owner miles, bought the bugger in February and decided to fly down south and pick it up, it was an adventure driving home with half bald summer tires in the dead of winter...
My spoiler was busted up pretty bad, new ones are available but at $700.00 plus paint I decided to repair mine, I tried a couple different combinations of pliable material but finally ended up just using fiberglass a couple years ago, it’s held together the best, I just need to be very careful with curbs.
I think one of the 1st things I did was swap out the suspension, the previous owner had pulled the SLS off of mine and the suspension was pretty week, I went with H&R springs “loweredâ€
Attachments
Bimmer1.JPG
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SprCpe

1989 635csi # 3268410

Ostatecznym maszyny jazdy BMW
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Super Coop
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Post by Super Coop »

[quote="Super Coop"]Hey Roger, I think at the very least we are cousins: lol: one end of the country to the other. I think our cars are about identical, and from the sound of it our repairs are too...
I've had mine for about 9 or 10 years now, I added a picture of when I 1st got it, note the spoiler lol. Mine had about 115,000 4 owner miles, bought the bugger in February and decided to fly down south and pick it up, it was an adventure driving home with half bald summer tires in the dead of winter...
My spoiler was busted up pretty bad, new ones are available but at $700.00 plus paint I decided to repair mine, I tried a couple different combinations of pliable material but finally ended up just using fiberglass a couple years ago, it’s held together the best, I just need to be very careful with curbs.
I think one of the 1st things I did was swap out the suspension, the previous owner had pulled the SLS off of mine and the suspension was pretty week, I went with H&R springs “loweredâ€
Attachments
Last run of this year, in storage for the winter now :-(
Last run of this year, in storage for the winter now :-(
Alabama 2010 122.jpg (72.4 KiB) Viewed 13981 times
SprCpe

1989 635csi # 3268410

Ostatecznym maszyny jazdy BMW
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Post by tschultz »

The late models have a certain appeal to them when in as nice of condition as yours. Good work!
http://www.Drive4Corners.com
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'79 635CSi Revival
'80 635CSi
'83 633CSi Callaway Turbo continued as 1988 535is Turbo
SOLD: '81 635CSi/A
rhanley 635csi89
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Respray Project Lizzy

Post by rhanley 635csi89 »

Hi all,

I've had my car (1989 635 Csi auto) 3 1/2 years and she (Lizzy) will now be getting a respray. Over the years a lot of mechanical work has been done and she rides great. This past weekend, at night and in rain, she went over 300 miles and no issues.

I'll be documenting the project with many photos as work commences.

This forum has been a tremendous help and I want to thank you all, I've enjoyed the journey and the knowledge if gain.

I'll be reaching out for guidance, advise, opinions, help etc.

Hoping for Lizzy to have her debut at the SESF and Vintage shows this spring.

Future use of the car will be a weekend driver.

The following are two items I'm struggling with:

Clear coat or not? Car is single stage AlpineWeiss II and will be resprayed the same color. I've read the pro/cons. I'm leaning toward single stag no clear coat ( I would have it waxed once a year) as this is how the car was shipped from the factory. Thoughts? Car will be garaged. She is mostly original!

The rear license plate area of the car is currently black (see photo). In reviewing various photos of white cars and others I've noticed some cars have this area painted the color of the car. Therefore, should this area be white or black, if black what is the paint code?
I was also thinking of painting it white and then vinyl wrap the area black if necessary.

Roger


Before respray photos below:

http://s1255.photobucket.com/user/roger ... deshow/BMW
Attachments
IMG_2411.JPG
IMG_2411.JPG (1.68 MiB) Viewed 12253 times
Last edited by rhanley 635csi89 on Wed Feb 21, 2018 12:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
89 635CSiA (11/88 build)
AlpineWeiss II (218)/Natur(0200)
87 L6 635CSI Sold
87 MB 560SL Sold
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86_6series
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Post by 86_6series »

Clear coat hands down!
86-635CSi
96-MB C220 SOLD
98-740i
71-Continental MK3
rhanley 635csi89
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Lizzy's drop off for respray

Post by rhanley 635csi89 »

It was a beautiful evening the day the car was dropped off for the respray. A few photos were taken, they turned out great. After reviewing the photos I had to ask myself "why the respray" when the car looked this nice. This has been a 3 1/2 year journey, how time flies.
I then remembered the left rear panel damage. I purchased the car with the known damage and was always concern what was behind this poor/old repair.

"They are ALWAYS rustier than you thought" The famous phrase coined by Ron holds true.

The first group of photos are the day of the drop off.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... sp=sharing

Second group prep work starts.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4jl9x ... ?usp=shari

Roger
89 635CSiA (11/88 build)
AlpineWeiss II (218)/Natur(0200)
87 L6 635CSI Sold
87 MB 560SL Sold
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Post by sansouci »

I've got some of the white fog at the bottom of the windshield. It is either delamination or deterioration of the inter-glass layer. Unless it spreads or is an impediment to a state inspection, just leave it alone.
--Ken
Sansouci
84 E24 633Csi Auto, Bronzit/PearlBeige 6997510
93 E32 740il M60 Auto, Alpenweis/Ultramarine
60 528i M30 5-speed Green/Beige (crushed)
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In respray for so long

Post by rhanley 635csi89 »

There's hope my car will soon see the open road once again. Repairs and painting are complete, no major rust found, trims etc are being prep for installation. Attached are some teaser photos. A complete album will be developed when the car is completed. A few items to note: window rubber trims purchased from Ric from Sydney, stallation went well. Current wheels are BBS RC090 and will be referbursed by Ehrlich, the photo I post is how they will look. The plastic center cap will be replaced with extruded aluminum in order for the powder coating to ahear. Lips will be polished and have a clear ceramic coating. Seats are comfort Havana Buffalo leather, have pick up rear head rests as well. Working on Buffalo sport seats, $$$$, when do you stop the draining?

https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0s5oqs3qH8y1lu
89 635CSiA (11/88 build)
AlpineWeiss II (218)/Natur(0200)
87 L6 635CSI Sold
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olympia57
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Post by olympia57 »

Superb ...car is looking absolutely great Rodger .
The window trims make such a difference to the finished job.
Keep the updates coming as there are very few project threads on here now .
Don
1981 635 series 1
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Post by sansouci »

We're still thinking about Biscuithead! We're still on Long Island in the midst of a kitchen renovation.
Sansouci
84 E24 633Csi Auto, Bronzit/PearlBeige 6997510
93 E32 740il M60 Auto, Alpenweis/Ultramarine
60 528i M30 5-speed Green/Beige (crushed)
71 240Z 4-speed White/Blue (rusty & sold)
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Side mirrors refinished

Post by rhanley 635csi89 »

Cleaned and refreshed the electronics then resprayed the mirrors, however no new mirrored glass.
Another item off the todo list. Roger
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89 635CSiA (11/88 build)
AlpineWeiss II (218)/Natur(0200)
87 L6 635CSI Sold
87 MB 560SL Sold
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Coming Home

Post by rhanley 635csi89 »

Just received a text, delivery has been moved out to next week. Never ending!!! ](*,)

After being away for a long time I've heard a rumor that she'll be delivered this week end.
There are several items which need to be completed. The big item is the buffalo seats. I'm attaching a few photos to get your interest, more will follow.
Thanks to everyone for the help and strength you've given me to get this completed
Roger


Front-Passenger view.jpeg[/attachment]
Refurbished wheel with new rubber.jpeg
Rear license plate area painted white.jpeg
Attachments
Front-Passenger view.jpeg
Front-Passenger view.jpeg (358.34 KiB) Viewed 7187 times
Refurbished wheel with new rubber.jpeg
Refurbished wheel with new rubber.jpeg (528.43 KiB) Viewed 7187 times
Rear license plate area painted white.jpeg
Rear license plate area painted white.jpeg (324.83 KiB) Viewed 7187 times
Last edited by rhanley 635csi89 on Fri Apr 30, 2021 8:01 pm, edited 3 times in total.
89 635CSiA (11/88 build)
AlpineWeiss II (218)/Natur(0200)
87 L6 635CSI Sold
87 MB 560SL Sold
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Post by 635sharknose »

Looking good Roger! =D>
Paul
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rhanley 635csi89
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Back from restoration

Post by rhanley 635csi89 »

It has been quite a long time!!!  Finally, the car has been delivered.  I'll post additional photos/comments when organized.  The interior still needs to be finished and installed.
I'll be attending the Vintage and hope to meet several members.

Roger
BMW arrival May 25, 2021 copy.jpg
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89 635CSiA (11/88 build)
AlpineWeiss II (218)/Natur(0200)
87 L6 635CSI Sold
87 MB 560SL Sold
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