1984 633CSi Rises again!

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songzunhuang
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Miscellaneous updates to recent activities

Post by songzunhuang »

I post these items because they serve as a diary for me to remember what was done and how. I hope that they help those who may be messing with the same issues as I. So here goes a few random things.

Extractor Tool for Security Bolts.
During my recent ignition switch replacement, I had to go get a tool to extract the security bolts. The operation was much like removing a broken bolt so I used the following tool It was only $4.79 at the hardware store. You can also see in the picture the replacement stainless steel screws I purchased.
Broken screw extractor.
Broken screw extractor.
Extractor.jpg (163.85 KiB) Viewed 13958 times
Cracked Ignition Switch.
What was causing my intermittent no crank issue was a bad ignition switch. You can see the crack in this picture. It's not severe, but bad enough to cause unpredictable problems. You can also see that the tab for the grub screw was broken. This fell into a slot that prevented the new switch from seating correctly. When you replace yours, make sure that darn piece of plastic is removed!
Various problems with the old switch.
Various problems with the old switch.
CrackedSwitch.jpg (77.44 KiB) Viewed 13958 times
A/C Upgrade
I am happy to report that my A/C replacement has gone very well. On a recent commute home, I saw a steady 42-44 degrees coming from the vent all the way home. This was even better than my previous static tests. I use my A/C whenever I can now!
Nice and chilly! As someone in this forum once said, blowing snowballs.
Nice and chilly! As someone in this forum once said, blowing snowballs.
42Degrees.jpg (97.88 KiB) Viewed 13958 times
Finally, one of the sniggling little details that bothered me was that when I replaced the hardlines with hoses, the hoses passed through a few areas that could cause wear on the hose over time due to vibrations and such. I decided to split a vacumn hose and put them over the edges of the metal openings where the hoses pass. Here's a sample of the main area from the receiver drier. This is directly under the plastic cover for the rear of the headlights. Now I don't have to worry about the hoses getting damaged.
Padding for the  A/C hoses where they pass through the holes int he metal.
Padding for the A/C hoses where they pass through the holes int he metal.
Holepadding.jpg (118.85 KiB) Viewed 13958 times
Allright, that's all for now.
-----
Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by sansouci »

Hi Song,
Do you have some pics on how to remove the console and drop the HVAC unit that holds the evaporator?

HF has a security bit set for about $10 that might have saved you the pain of drilling out those bolts: Item 62657


BTW, another solution to avoid chafing is to cover the hose with a larger, sacrificial hose.

--Ken
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)
65 396 Chevelle 4-speed, Marina Blue/Black (stolen)
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by songzunhuang »

sansouci wrote: Sun Aug 27, 2017 2:37 pm Hi Song,
Do you have some pics on how to remove the console and drop the HVAC unit that holds the evaporator?

HF has a security bit set for about $10 that might have saved you the pain of drilling out those bolts: Item 62657


BTW, another solution to avoid chafing is to cover the hose with a larger, sacrificial hose.

--Ken
Ken, I didn't take a lot of pics because it wasn't so tricky to me. Here's what I do recall.

Trickiest thing was the hidden screw on the parking brake cover that you had to find through the horsehair. Here's a picture of where that was.
Screw accessed through horsehair brushes.
Screw accessed through horsehair brushes.
Screen Shot 2017-08-27 at 4.47.10 PM.png (353.37 KiB) Viewed 13911 times
Then I had to pop off the plastic covers to access the screws to get the rest of the covers off.
Pop these off to get to screws.
Pop these off to get to screws.
Screen Shot 2017-08-27 at 4.48.30 PM.png (862.62 KiB) Viewed 13911 times
After that you have to disconnect all the seat switches and then the other screws were not so hard to find.

Next step for me was to remove the assembly around the shifter. This may be different for an auto than a manual. For me, the right side popped off and then you could see the screws for the rest of it.

Finally, the console itself was held in place by 4 screws. There are 2 fastening it to the dash and then there's 2 towards the rear on the left and right sides. These are on a little speed fastener clipped to a L-shaped bracket. After removing all these, you basically pull out the console. It was a bit tricky with my auto, since I had to shift it into low gear to get enough clearance to pull it out. It was a bit of a struggle, but not anything tricky, just have to work it out. Here's a picture with some arrows pointing to the locations.
Location of the 4 screws securing the console.
Location of the 4 screws securing the console.
Screen Shot 2017-08-27 at 4.57.20 PM.png (746.49 KiB) Viewed 13909 times
As for the A/C unit itself, it was pretty easy. There's one L-bracking front and center holding the assembly. It's hard to miss. Then there's screws in the rear left and right. That's it. The rest of it is being held in place by the A/C lines (high and low pressure) going to the evaporator core. Here's picture with all the points circled in yellow.
All the attachment points for the AC unit.
All the attachment points for the AC unit.
Screen Shot 2017-08-27 at 5.02.50 PM.png (867.04 KiB) Viewed 13909 times
So this is the best recollection I have. It may not be perfect, but it should get you where you need to be. Best of luck!
-----
Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by sansouci »

WOWWWWWEEEE,
Thanks for the pics. I've got an autobox too...
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)
65 396 Chevelle 4-speed, Marina Blue/Black (stolen)
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New turn signal in the house

Post by songzunhuang »

Ever since I broke that dumb little plastic tab that auto-cancels the turn signal, it's been bugging me. So, I finally bit the bullet and ordered a new unit. Here's a few pics of the swap. It's all good now.

First, this stupid little tab was the cause of all this mess. Big safety tip. When you remove and install the steering wheel, make sure the turn signal is the in the middle position. In other words, the left or right signal is not activated so the tab is not extended. That's how I broke it. Just to help things out for this unit, I smeared some silicon grease on it to make it operate with less friction. Maybe it'll extend the life? We will see.
This tab can mess with your head. It's what makes the turn signal automatically cancel after the turn.
This tab can mess with your head. It's what makes the turn signal automatically cancel after the turn.
TheTab.jpg (101.43 KiB) Viewed 13870 times
Here's the disassembly process to get to the harness. Remove the steering wheel, steering column bottom cover and the lower dash cover. Then all the guts are exposed. The swap is pretty straightforward.
Bottom of the steering column open for the operation.
Bottom of the steering column open for the operation.
Column.jpg (149.56 KiB) Viewed 13870 times
Here's the new signal switch in place. The awesome thing I didn't initially think of is how nice the new markings look! Of course it's brand new so why wouldn't it! I got this for a total of $103 from a guy on eBay. His name was "coupeking". If you need one of these, he says that he has a few more new "old-stock". Anyhow, it all works wonderfully now.
Everything in place with nice new graphics.
Everything in place with nice new graphics.
NewSignal.jpg (133.39 KiB) Viewed 13870 times
Last edited by songzunhuang on Thu Aug 31, 2017 4:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
-----
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by hornhospital »

Just centering the signal level won't assure you won't break the tab. You need to unlock the column with the key. The steering wheel being locked in place and the attempt to remove it causes the hub to move sideways to 'escape' the lock. That puts the hub towards the turn signal switch, and when you pull up....snap! The canceling nub is gone.
Ken Kanne
'84 633CSi "Sylvia"; '85 635CSi "Katja";'85 325e "Hazel Ann"; '95 M3 "Ashlyn"
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by songzunhuang »

hornhospital wrote: Thu Aug 31, 2017 7:35 am Just centering the signal level won't assure you won't break the tab. You need to unlock the column with the key. The steering wheel being locked in place and the attempt to remove it causes the hub to move sideways to 'escape' the lock. That puts the hub towards the turn signal switch, and when you pull up....snap! The canceling nub is gone.
Oh, wasn't aware of that. What do you mean about the hub? I'm not sure I see that on my car. Not sure I can see how the wheel could "move" sideways.

Also, my steering column lock seems off to me. Basically have to turn my wheel over 90 degrees off center before the lock engages. Is that normal?
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by hornhospital »

You have to move the wheel (with the hub) sideways to get it past the lock, and that will hook and break the cancel nub just about every time.

My wheel on the 633 is the same way about where it locks. It won't lock with the wheel straight ahead. Turning 90° either left or right and it 'finds' a locking position. By contrast, my E30 with an Msport wheel locks about every 15°! I've never compared the hubs (the area where the lock pin engages) to see how they differ.
Ken Kanne
'84 633CSi "Sylvia"; '85 635CSi "Katja";'85 325e "Hazel Ann"; '95 M3 "Ashlyn"
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It's Stupid Hot!

Post by songzunhuang »

I can't believe that in the past 3 days in Northern California it has been well over 100 degrees each day. Yesterday, it reached 111 where I live. Even in San Francisco, it went over 100. What the heck is going on?

Boy am I glad that I fixed my A/C in the e24. I've had occassion to use it each day and the vent temp has always been 40-50 degrees below the ambient. For example when it was 103 outside, the vent was blowing around 56!

The only issue now is that sometimes the compressor seems to go into a fast cycle. It turns on and off over and over quite quickly. Now, most indicators are that this is an overcharge and it's shutting down due to high pressure, but I only put about 2.25lbs in the system and the pressures checked out last time I measured it. I think I'll do it again in the 100 degree weather just to be sure.

Oh, although hot, it is a good time to get pictures. Here's a picture right after a quick wash and rinse. It wasn't over 100 yet.
Looks really nice when it's reasonable clean.
Looks really nice when it's reasonable clean.
Beemer.jpg (128.94 KiB) Viewed 13818 times
This picture is when I was picking up the car from the train station at an indicated 103 degrees. The picture and color of the sun is an accurate representation of the heat. On the way home, the vent blew as cold as 48 degrees. Ahhh...
The color accurately depict the 103 degree temp.
The color accurately depict the 103 degree temp.
HotBMW.JPG (138.82 KiB) Viewed 13818 times
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Song Huang
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by 88m6 »

Was at the game yesterday n 108 at the park. By middle innings they were moving people out if the sun to shade side,even free water in later innings. People were toasted. Temp at my house in paso Robles in pic. Had the e39 so it was very pleasant inside the car :D
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by dwcains »

I don't have the bookmark handy, but there's a guy on myE28 who has a similar dot-matrix panel for our E24/28's. It replaces the SI indicator, signal indicators, as well as the water temp and fuel gauges.
Dean
Lutz, FL

'85 635 CSi Euro #9402254
'87 Spider Veloce
'92 Spider Veloce
'08 350Z

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Seat Control Graphics Restored!

Post by songzunhuang »

Today restored the graphics on my power seat buttons using the kit offered by Mofraz. https://www.mofaraz.com/products/power-seat-decal
It was fairly easy to install and the results are outstanding. I only have to protect the graphics with some urethane which I still need to order.

Here's a little pictorial of my efforts. OK, ok. Everyone wants to see the before and after. Here it is.
Before and after restoration. View from passenger seat.
Before and after restoration. View from passenger seat.
Screen Shot 2017-09-10 at 7.45.58 PM.png (733.6 KiB) Viewed 13712 times
So what about the process? I used a combination of lacquer thinner and acetone to remove the old seat markings. It takes a while, but it does work.
Here's the first set of controls after the acetone. I didn't use the lacquer thinner until the second set. As it turns out, it works better!
Old graphics removed with acetone.
Old graphics removed with acetone.
Screen Shot 2017-09-10 at 7.47.53 PM.png (942.72 KiB) Viewed 13712 times
Here you can see the application process for the lower set of buttons. The sheets have markings on them to make it easy to locate the graphics in just the right place. You take off the backing, position it and then rub it with a pencil. Then you can lift it right off. You can see that I used scotch tape to make sure nothing moves while I am applying the graphic.
Lower passenger graphic being applied.
Lower passenger graphic being applied.
Applying.png (921.02 KiB) Viewed 13712 times
After it's all done, it somehow helps to brighten up the interior and make the car look newer still!
Ah, the interior is looking sharp with those nice graphics on the buttons.
Ah, the interior is looking sharp with those nice graphics on the buttons.
Screen Shot 2017-09-10 at 7.53.14 PM.png (848.44 KiB) Viewed 13712 times
OK, now I need to protect those graphics and I'm trying to decide between urethane or polyurethane. The urethane stuff I found is actually for electronic PC boards and it's $15 for a tiny bottle. I think I may look for a bit less expensive polyurethane. Also, I did this all in place. Their instructions tell you to remove the switches for the work but I didn't. It worked just fine. In any case, I love how it all looks. So, if you need button graphics, $18 to MoFaraz and you are set!
-----
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Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by rhanley 635csi89 »

Song,

Great documentation as always, you now have to decide which sheen of a top coat you'll apply, gloss, satin or flat. I've received/installed the graphics as well, however, have not applied the top coat. I purchased a "varnish" "UV protected" in a "gloss finish" from a art supply store 2.5oz for $11.00 and a very fine bristle brush.

Mo, great product, wonderful graphics. I realize your working on additional graphics, please consider graphics for the window switches as there are six per car, the two front switches become very worn, I've switched mine from front to rear for appearance sake. The window switch buttons are concave and convex, the arrows are the same as the seat arrows, but are smaller. I'll be glad to send you a switch, just let me know.

Roger
89 635CSiA (11/88 build)
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87 L6 635CSI Sold
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by songzunhuang »

rhanley 635csi89 wrote: Mon Sep 11, 2017 1:35 pm Song,

Great documentation as always, you now have to decide which sheen of a top coat you'll apply, gloss, satin or flat. I've received/installed the graphics as well, however, have not applied the top coat. I purchased a "varnish" "UV protected" in a "gloss finish" from a art supply store 2.5oz for $11.00 and a very fine bristle brush.

Mo, great product, wonderful graphics. I realize your working on additional graphics, please consider graphics for the window switches as there are six per car, the two front switches become very worn, I've switched mine from front to rear for appearance sake. The window switch buttons are concave and convex, the arrows are the same as the seat arrows, but are smaller. I'll be glad to send you a switch, just let me know.

Roger
Roger, I just got lighted buttons for my car. You don't have to worry about it wearing off as it's a different colored plastic. Also, I'm quite surprised how reasonable the cost is. I think I got mine for less than $10 each on eBay. I can't imagine a decal for a curved button would work better.
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Protect the power seat graphics

Post by songzunhuang »

So I haven't been able to shop around for urethane paint to protect the graphics I installed almost a week ago. I got paranoid that they would get damaged and I found a can of clear Duplicolor car finish in the garage. So, I made the best of it.

Before work one morning, I taped up the buttons, put some towels and paper towels to protect from overspray and went for it.
Clear car finish to protect power seat graphics.
Clear car finish to protect power seat graphics.
IMG_3900.JPG (160.67 KiB) Viewed 13598 times
It worked very well and after fumigating myself on the drive to work :-# , it set quite well over the course of the week. Now I am all set with these button graphics. TIme to move on to something else.
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by tschultz »

Great work and photos!!
http://www.Drive4Corners.com
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Re: Seat Control Graphics Restored!

Post by JCS »

songzunhuang wrote: Mon Sep 11, 2017 2:59 am Today restored the graphics on my power seat buttons using the kit offered by Mofraz. https://www.mofaraz.com/products/power-seat-decal
It was fairly easy to install and the results are outstanding. I only have to protect the graphics with some urethane which I still need to order.

Here's a little pictorial of my efforts. OK, ok. Everyone wants to see the before and after. Here it is.
Screen Shot 2017-09-10 at 7.45.58 PM.png

So what about the process? I used a combination of lacquer thinner and acetone to remove the old seat markings. It takes a while, but it does work.
Here's the first set of controls after the acetone. I didn't use the lacquer thinner until the second set. As it turns out, it works better!
Screen Shot 2017-09-10 at 7.47.53 PM.png

Here you can see the application process for the lower set of buttons. The sheets have markings on them to make it easy to locate the graphics in just the right place. You take off the backing, position it and then rub it with a pencil. Then you can lift it right off. You can see that I used scotch tape to make sure nothing moves while I am applying the graphic.
Applying.png

After it's all done, it somehow helps to brighten up the interior and make the car look newer still!
Screen Shot 2017-09-10 at 7.53.14 PM.png

OK, now I need to protect those graphics and I'm trying to decide between urethane or polyurethane. The urethane stuff I found is actually for electronic PC boards and it's $15 for a tiny bottle. I think I may look for a bit less expensive polyurethane. Also, I did this all in place. Their instructions tell you to remove the switches for the work but I didn't. It worked just fine. In any case, I love how it all looks. So, if you need button graphics, $18 to MoFaraz and you are set!
Song,

Now all you need is new Horsehair Brushes for both your consoles.
link: http://www.bigcoupe.com/phpBB2/viewtopi ... 24&t=28245 See #11

P8250010.JPG
P8250010.JPG (1.53 MiB) Viewed 13587 times
Jay
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My NEW Website https://www.jaysbmwparts.com/
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Re: Seat Control Graphics Restored!

Post by songzunhuang »

JCS wrote: Sat Sep 16, 2017 7:56 pm

Song,

Now all you need is new Horsehair Brushes for both your consoles.
link: http://www.bigcoupe.com/phpBB2/viewtopi ... 24&t=28245 See #11


P8250010.JPG
OK, I need to update the brushes. Did you create your own or order them from somewhere?
-----
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by JCS »

Song,

I buy straight brushes, and cut and shape them to fit, then I need to install them.
Please view the website, then you will see.

Best,
Jay
'88 M6, Red/Tan
My NEW Website https://www.jaysbmwparts.com/
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Stuttering Wipers Fixed

Post by songzunhuang »

Well it turns out that 34 years of coagulating grease can cause havoc with the wipers. After reading a post about how easy it was to clean out the hardened grease from the wiper gearbox, I thought I would try and see if it would fix my issues. So this is this is super quick "How To". Of course I thought of this late in the day and ended up doing all this work at night.

First take off the bracket at the front of the assembly. It's fastened by 4 nuts. Then take off the 10mm nut that fastens the wiper lever to the motor. Pop it off (it's tight), and then take off the three screws that hold the assembly in place.
Wiper motor assembly - working at night.
Wiper motor assembly - working at night.
Screen Shot 2017-09-17 at 10.09.05 PM.png (712.03 KiB) Viewed 13549 times
After removing the motor, we pop off the back cover by pulling back 4 plastic clips. That reveals all this old grease. I had to remove it with a screwdriver to scrape it off, followed by electronics cleaner and scrubbing with a brass brush. So that left it much cleaner. Here's the before and after.
The gearbox after serious cleanup.
The gearbox after serious cleanup.
Screen Shot 2017-09-17 at 10.17.38 PM.png (800 KiB) Viewed 13549 times
The bad grease was causing the stuttering as the brass contacts sweeping the disc would momentarily lose contact. which caused the stutter. So instead of using more gear grease that could get all thick and hard again, I used white lithium grease. This was the picture before I smoothed it out and pressed the grease into the gears. I also removed any trace of grease from where the contact sweep around the circle.
Using Lithium grease for lubrication.
Using Lithium grease for lubrication.
Screen Shot 2017-09-17 at 10.21.36 PM.png (731.45 KiB) Viewed 13549 times
After assembly, it all tested out well. The wipers are super smooth now. Now I hope I need wipers tomorrow morning.
-----
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1984 633CSi
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Rough Idle = Vacuum Leak! And a lot of other problems.

Post by songzunhuang »

I stopped driving the e24 last week because a plethora of issues had cropped up and I didn't want to risk anything until they were fixed. Here's the big "to do" list that I completed this Sunday. All in all, it took close to 5 hours to complete!

1. Very rough idle
2. Losing about 1 cup of coolant every 25 miles or so
3. Fuel line from pressure regulator was hard
4. Instrument light burnt out.
5. Check spark plugs as it's been 2 years since last changed

So as you can see, I had my work cut out for me. The first item was the rough idle. As suspected, it was a vacuum leak, but it wasn't an easy one to get to. A lot had to come off. In the end, the hose from the Idle Air Controller to the intake manifold had split. While I was at it, I also cleaned out the inside of all the air passages and squirted the IAC with carb cleaner.
Split hose caused rough idle.
Split hose caused rough idle.
Screen Shot 2017-10-01 at 10.01.49 PM.png (766.07 KiB) Viewed 13411 times
My coolant woes were due to multiple leaks. I trimmed off end of hoses that looked questionable and then reinstalled them. I am going to need to order new hoses in the end. The major culprit was the hose that went from the thermostat neck to the T junction. After all the trimming and tightening, things seem a bit better. Tomorrow's commute will be the real test. I also did the newspaper test on my fan clutch. I think it's time for a new one of those too. I could pretty easily stop the fan using a paper towel tube. :cry:
All thermostat hoses are off!
All thermostat hoses are off!
Screen Shot 2017-10-01 at 10.08.06 PM.png (718.66 KiB) Viewed 13411 times
The next item was the fuel line. I had the original line with the weird circular metal thing in the middle. From what I read, this is not needed anymore so I took out the whole line and replaced it with new BMW fuel hose. Good thing too, the fittings were loose at the metal fuel pipe and hose junction at the bottom of the firewall. As you can see, I also had to take out the instrument cluster to replace the bulbs. Man, what a pain for a bulb. While I was at it, I took off the tape over my SI lights and then also cleaned the inside lens. It was kinda dirty.
Fuel line and Instrument cluster lights.
Fuel line and Instrument cluster lights.
Screen Shot 2017-10-01 at 10.16.10 PM.png (807.65 KiB) Viewed 13411 times
Finally, I check each spark plug one and cleaned them up and re-gapped. They were all too wide. I think I must have set them wrong last time, but everything still seemed to work well. Odd. Here's a picture of each plug.
All the plugs #1 is front of car.
All the plugs #1 is front of car.
Screen Shot 2017-10-01 at 10.24.45 PM.png (1.02 MiB) Viewed 13411 times
Of course the day couldn't have proceeded without issues! I had to rethread one of the bolts that holds the steering column up. For some reason it stripped while I was removing it. That was properly annoying. Also there's a little aluminum thimble thing that holds the lower air-cleaner assembly in place. It had fallen out and I ended up riveting it in place. It looked like there were aluminum spot welds originally.

OK, hopefully this is all I will have to do for a while.

===< Quick Update on 11/2/17 >===
In the picture of the sparkplugs above, you'll see that plug #6 (far left) is cleaner than the others. Well, I now know that this was due to a head gasket issue which allowed coolant to go into the cylinder. That is being remedied and hopefully my coolant leak and my rough idling will both be handled as a result of this. I get the car back on 11/4/17 and will know for sure then.
Last edited by songzunhuang on Thu Nov 02, 2017 11:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
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sansouci
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by sansouci »

Song,
Would that your wishes come true about uneventful motoring.
Ken
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)
65 396 Chevelle 4-speed, Marina Blue/Black (stolen)
songzunhuang
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by songzunhuang »

sansouci wrote: Tue Oct 03, 2017 1:45 am Song,
Would that your wishes come true about uneventful motoring.
Ken
Thank you. May the weather hold up so you can get lots done before the winter weather sets in.

BTW - todays commute of about 50 miles round trip went off without a hitch. The car is back to doing well for a bit. A spot of temporary Nirvana. Fingers crossed that it’ll remain in this state.
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Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
songzunhuang
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New plugs, Idle still rough

Post by songzunhuang »

So I've been trying to track down a rough idle and a slow coolant leak. I've ordered new hoses for the coolant leak and recently decided to try some new plugs. This time I went with Denso plugs gapped to 0.32".
Changed from NGK to Denso plug.
Changed from NGK to Denso plug.
Screen Shot 2017-10-11 at 4.25.58 PM.png (1.45 MiB) Viewed 13320 times
The NGKs have been in the car for about 20K miles and although they didn't look bad, I figured a new set of plugs couldn't hurt. Well, I also discovered that they didn't help. The engine pretty much runs the same. Rough at startup and then it smooths out afterward. One odd thing is that I notice that if I put the car in gear and drive a bit, the idle settles quicker. It doesn't matter if I drive 1 block or 1 mile, it settles in pretty quickly. If I just stay parked, it takes a lot longer to settle in.

Does anyone have ideas? Could it be the ECT (Engine Coolant Temperature) sensor?
Can someone point me to the right part number for this sensor? I looked at the 4 sensors on the thermostat housing and am now a bit confused.
Thanks for any guidance.
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Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
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hornhospital
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by hornhospital »

Have you ever tried a new set of OEM Bosch plugs, the WR-9-LS?

I normally prefer NGKs, but my 633 seems to run better on the Bosch plugs.
Ken Kanne
'84 633CSi "Sylvia"; '85 635CSi "Katja";'85 325e "Hazel Ann"; '95 M3 "Ashlyn"
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