1984 633CSi Rises again!

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captain awesome
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by captain awesome »

Mine are the same way. I've read that white is the best and brightest for the job but that looks like it should work out great.
84 633csi 5 spd

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songzunhuang
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Annoying Coolant leak fixed!

Post by songzunhuang »

So another one of the small annoying things that I have not been able to figure out until now, was a small coolant leak that would leave moisture on the engine block on the driver side. I had a feeling that is was coming from the T-junction where the coolant line, expansion tank and heater hose come together. I replaced the hoses, but still it leaked. About once every few months, I would have to add coolant. Not fatal, but annoying.

Finally I decided to try and change out the T-junction itself. The old part, though discolored, didn't look like it was bad. I mean, how much can go wrong with a thick plastic part. As it turns out, quite a bit. There must have been a crack in it or something because several weeks after I replaced the T-junction, I have not had any moisture on the engine block. I think it's fixed!
New part - old part.
New part - old part.
Screen Shot 2017-01-15 at 6.37.43 PM.png (858.62 KiB) Viewed 9203 times
Here's the part installed. You can make out the steering box in the picture. The front of the car is to the left as this is the driver's side. This seems to have fixed my leak.
Here's the part installed to give you an idea of what I am referring to.
Here's the part installed to give you an idea of what I am referring to.
Screen Shot 2017-01-15 at 6.38.39 PM.png (654.7 KiB) Viewed 9203 times
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Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
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Parallel Flow condenser in the house

Post by songzunhuang »

Today I received my ridiculous deal of a condenser. Unlike the natural aluminum condenser in the picture on eBay, mine was dark colored. I inspected it and it appears to be of good quality. It's funny that the company is called American Radiator, but it's clearly made in China. LOL.
Names can be deceiving. I just hope it works well.
Names can be deceiving. I just hope it works well.
IMG_0781.JPG (93.52 KiB) Viewed 9170 times
This is a 16" x 19" condenser. This was $58. A very similar one with a few custom attachments for our sharks was about $300 shipped. I'm thinking this will be a good deal at the end of the day.
The quality looks really good.
The quality looks really good.
IMG_0782.JPG (110.91 KiB) Viewed 9170 times
This summer I'll find out if works as good as it looks.
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Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
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The cast Aluminum bracket

Post by songzunhuang »

Thanks to "dwcains" for sending me the cast bracket that I will need to install the new Sanden compressor to my car. Now I have all the pieces for installing the compressor on the car.
A nice cast piece for installing the new compressor.
A nice cast piece for installing the new compressor.
Screen Shot 2017-01-26 at 10.33.51 PM.png (817.95 KiB) Viewed 9147 times
Next I'll need custom hoses and I'll need to fabricate the bracket necessary to install the new condenser and the auxiliary fan onto the car. Things are looking good and I've got several months to go before summer. When I attack the job, I'll be sure and put all the details on this forum.
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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,
Glad you are a few steps ahead of me. Basic questions: How do you remove the old condenser? Do you need to remove the hood for proper access? Are you going with a new condenser fan? There are several threads (Jose I think) did a nice wiring job.
I've still got 4 weeks of winter and a several weeks of wet spring to get through before I start working in the driveway.
--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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dwcains
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by dwcains »

You can get the condensor out the bottom without too much difficulty. Best way to access the fan, wiring, hoses, and the four mounting bolts is to pull the grilles and the headlight assemblies. You might be able to get at everything without doing that, but it doesn't take much effort, and the rest of the job will be so much easier.

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Dean
Lutz, FL

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

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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by sansouci »

Dean,
Thanks for the guidance. After I posted the question, I looked at the online manual and it had the same process. But knowing BMW, I wasn't sure it was really the best way..now I know..
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 dwcains »

WIth the grilles off it's also a an opportunity to clean out all the dirt that's accumulated in that area over the years and check all the wiring for deterioration. I replaced/upgraded all the wiring to the lights, fan, and the horns, and also installed new Hella horns.
Dean
Lutz, FL

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

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songzunhuang
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by songzunhuang »

dwcains wrote:WIth the grilles off it's also a an opportunity to clean out all the dirt that's accumulated in that area over the years and check all the wiring for deterioration. I replaced/upgraded all the wiring to the lights, fan, and the horns, and also installed new Hella horns.
The grilles off... Sounds easy right? Well, I recall last year when I was replacing my headlights that I couldn't get the grille's off because a nut for the side marker lights has corroded so bad that when I tried to remove them, the screw just spun in the plastic housing of the side marker.

I have a feeling I am going to have to deal with this with the a/c job. New side marker light housings are stupid expensive. Oh well, another thing to deal with. Every project always leads to others. It's the way of the world for old car restoration.
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1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by songzunhuang »

sansouci wrote:Song,
Glad you are a few steps ahead of me. Basic questions: How do you remove the old condenser? Do you need to remove the hood for proper access? Are you going with a new condenser fan? There are several threads (Jose I think) did a nice wiring job.
I've still got 4 weeks of winter and a several weeks of wet spring to get through before I start working in the driveway.
--Ken
Don't need to remove the hood. Everything I've read says to go at it from below. The condenser is installed by 4 screws. If I jack up the front of the car, it should just drop out.

I wasn't going to replace the condenser fan. Mine seems to be running strong. It'll be a bit of a trick to mount the fan on the Universal condenser though. I'll be doing a bit of fabrication for that.

Since I'm changing out everything, I don't have to be too careful with the old stuff. I stare at the hose routing every once in a while (it's raining a lot here) and ponder it often. The new compressor has very different hose attachment locations than the Bosch compressor that's on there now.
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Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
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Random nice picture of the car...

Post by songzunhuang »

Every once in a while I snap a photo of my car as I leave it in the parking lot of the train station on my commute. It's one way of recalling where I parked it. On this day, the lighting was just really nice. Although a bit dark, I liked the picture and how it accentuates the lines.
Just a random picture with nice lighting.
Just a random picture with nice lighting.
633csiParked.JPG (139.28 KiB) Viewed 9061 times
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Song Huang
1984 633CSi
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dwcains
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by dwcains »

songzunhuang wrote:
dwcains wrote:WIth the grilles off it's also a an opportunity to clean out all the dirt that's accumulated in that area over the years and check all the wiring for deterioration. I replaced/upgraded all the wiring to the lights, fan, and the horns, and also installed new Hella horns.
The grilles off... Sounds easy right? Well, I recall last year when I was replacing my headlights that I couldn't get the grille's off because a nut for the side marker lights has corroded so bad that when I tried to remove them, the screw just spun in the plastic housing of the side marker.

I have a feeling I am going to have to deal with this with the a/c job. New side marker light housings are stupid expensive. Oh well, another thing to deal with. Every project always leads to others. It's the way of the world for old car restoration.
Maybe you can pop the studs out with a punch from the front with the lenses removed, and make a repair later with some JB Weld?
Dean
Lutz, FL

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

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Compressor part picture for Ken

Post by songzunhuang »

I'm posting a picture of the number that is cast into my AC compressor since I got asked about this.
This is what is cast into the compressor I purchased. Perhaps it'll help those who are trying to replace their compressor too.
This is what is cast into the compressor I purchased. Perhaps it'll help those who are trying to replace their compressor too.
Screen Shot 2017-02-06 at 8.38.38 PM.png (756.81 KiB) Viewed 9038 times
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Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
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e24 smaller than a Civic?

Post by songzunhuang »

I occasionally take a picture of where I park my car at the train station so I can remember where I left it. Looking at a recent picture, I am amazed that the e24 looks so small an svelte next to a Honda Civic! I mean, this is the smallest Honda. Is our beloved car really smaller? I wouldn't have guessed it.
Next to a Civic, the e24 is smaller? No way!
Next to a Civic, the e24 is smaller? No way!
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Song Huang
1984 633CSi
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hornhospital
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by hornhospital »

It's called "model bloat", and all cars have trended bigger through the years. The 3ers are the size the 5ers used to be. The 5ers are like 7ers from a few years ago, and the 7ers have become huge boats.
Ken Kanne
'84 633CSi "Sylvia"; '85 635CSi "Katja";'85 325e "Hazel Ann"; '95 M3 "Ashlyn"
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captain awesome
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by captain awesome »

Ditto on the bloat. My 81 320i is tiny compared to the 633. Oddly enough though the 320i feels way roomier in the cabin. I test drove a 330ci the other day and it's about the same as a 633.
84 633csi 5 spd

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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by dwcains »

When I went to purchase my 635 I hadn't been close to one on maybe 20 years or so. First impression was how low the car was, but it is a Euro and has the BavAuto lowering springs. It even looks low parked next to my 350Z, and especially next to my wife's Acura TL-S. It's just such a beautifully-designed car, and even at 30+ years old, sometimes I just sit in the garage and look at it.
Dean
Lutz, FL

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

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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

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Some say Cali is "God's country" what with drought, floods, fires, etc. I am just waiting for reports of locusts and frogs.....

With some luck I will spend some time flat on my back this summer under my E24 and E32 communing with the God of Repair...."Oh God, please don't strip this rusty bolt!" "Oh God, no more NLA" "Oh God, why does one problem lead to another?"

Just an aside....
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:Some say Cali is "God's country" what with drought, floods, fires, etc. I am just waiting for reports of locusts and frogs.....

With some luck I will spend some time flat on my back this summer under my E24 and E32 communing with the God of Repair...."Oh God, please don't strip this rusty bolt!" "Oh God, no more NLA" "Oh God, why does one problem lead to another?"

Just an aside....
LOL, builds character! I've realized there is nothing I cannot fix. It's a matter of time and desire.
-----
Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
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spartaans
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by spartaans »

Wow ... it's incredible, I admire your passion, you did by yourself a lot of things to your car, I would like to have the time and the weather for doing the same thing. =D>
2004 Ford Mondeo Ghia 2.0 TDci {Silver Machine}
2002 Opel Astra G Coupe 2.2 16v {Carbon Schwarz}
1985 BMW E24 635Csi {Dolphin grey | Delphin | #184}
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Today's Sniggly Bits

Post by songzunhuang »

We finally had a sunny day in California where I didn't have previous commitments. So, I've had a collection of things that have been bugging me that I had to fix.

1. Heater Fan Died again.
This is a common problem. My fan would only work on High. Any other speed did nothing. Suspect is the transistor that is acting as a voltage regulator. I replaced it and everything worked. Annoying that I had just replaced it early in my car ownership. It's been less than a year and it burned out again. Anyone know of a way to make these last longer? I guess the good news is that it was only $2.40 at the electronics store.
Replaced the transistor again in less than a year!
Replaced the transistor again in less than a year!
Transistor.png (932.82 KiB) Viewed 8821 times
Although you really can't tell the speed from this picture, I am in fact running the fan at about 1/2 speed.
At half speed, the transistor fixed it.
At half speed, the transistor fixed it.
Cages spinning.png (1.59 MiB) Viewed 8821 times
2. Antenna grommet
With all the rain in California, I was noticing water in my trunk. As it turns out, the grommet for the antenna was cracked and I suspected that it was leading to water leaks. So I got an OEM BMW grommet for $12 and took care of that problem.
Got water in the trunk, probably this cracked thing.
Got water in the trunk, probably this cracked thing.
Grommet.png (1.01 MiB) Viewed 8821 times
3. Wheel Logo
OK, this is an esoteric one, but hey we need to keep our cars looking nice. The BMW logo for one of my wheels was looking all janky with clear flaking off. I got a new logo ($9) which was just a thin aluminum piece. I thought it was self adhesive, but it didn't appear that way. I ended up using some kind of spoiler cement to fasten it on.
Nice new logo for my wheel center cap.
Nice new logo for my wheel center cap.
Wheel logo.png (784.67 KiB) Viewed 8821 times
Now I am going to go mess with my tie rods. The steering wheel isn't straight when I am going straight. that bugs me.
-----
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by hornhospital »

Put an additional heat sink on that transistor to get more life out of it. You can get a ring with fins that fits on the round portion of the transistor.

This isn't exactly what I meant, but it would serve the same function.
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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 sansouci »

There is also heat transfer paste that you put between the transistor and the heat sink. But hey, I like those fins!

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Super-Lube-3 ... /202932736

Also go with new bolts as the iron oxide (rust) isn't really a good heat conductor
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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dwcains
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Re: Today's Sniggly Bits

Post by dwcains »

songzunhuang wrote: 3. Wheel Logo
OK, this is an esoteric one, but hey we need to keep our cars looking nice. The BMW logo for one of my wheels was looking all janky with clear flaking off. I got a new logo ($9) which was just a thin aluminum piece. I thought it was self adhesive, but it didn't appear that way. I ended up using some kind of spoiler cement to fasten it on.
Wheel logo.png
I found some roundels from BMW that are self-adhesive, and used them on my Ronal's. 70mm is about 2 or 3mm too small, so there's a small black border visible, but that's as close as I could come.

Image
Dean
Lutz, FL

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

Image
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dwcains
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by dwcains »

hornhospital wrote:Put an additional heat sink on that transistor to get more life out of it. You can get a ring with fins that fits on the round portion of the transistor.

This isn't exactly what I meant, but it would serve the same function.
Great idea, along with the heat paste.
Dean
Lutz, FL

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

Image
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