1984 633CSi Rises again!

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songzunhuang
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by songzunhuang »

ron wrote: Tue Dec 10, 2019 4:18 pm The only way is to drill it out at the head of the stud (you will see the head turning inside the plastic).Then using Araldite or similar, glue a stainless 6mm. bolt back in.

I've done this quite a few times with no problems.
Thanks for the information. I tried once again to figure out how to get this part without destroying g the screw and I just can’t see a way.

When I drill it out, I’m assuming that I’ll be taking off the amber lens and drilling from the front of the assembly correct? There’s just no way to get to anything from the backside. It too tight in there with so many things in the way.
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Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
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Hella H4s and a permanent Exhaust Hangar?

Post by songzunhuang »

A few updates have happened to the car. First, when I was replacing my headlights, I saw many reviews of Hella H4's as brighter alternatives. OK, I could use a brighter more focused light. So I replaced both my lights with some H4's. They are definitely a much more substantial headlight with a removable bulb. There's also quite a protective rubber surround to prevent moisture and dirt I suppose.
New H4s on left. Normal halogen on right.
New H4s on left. Normal halogen on right.
HellaH4.png (1.31 MiB) Viewed 15695 times
After I installed the driver side (right in the picture), I took this shot. In the daylight the difference isn't so obvious. I will say at night there is a difference. It's more focused and appears brighter to me after several commutes.
New H4 is on the right in the picture.
New H4 is on the right in the picture.
HellaH4 install.png (1.19 MiB) Viewed 15695 times
I also noticed a small leak of power steering fluid. It's very small, but I purchase a rebuild kit just for the heck of it. I was also checking my rear brakes when I noticed that my exhaust hangar had broken again. These things seems to break a lot. I've replaced 3 sets during my 5 years of ownership.
A very broken exhaust hangar.
A very broken exhaust hangar.
BrokenHangar.png (1.43 MiB) Viewed 15695 times
I started thinking that there had to be a better solution. I grabbed some galvanized pipe strap and created a super re-enforced version of the exhaust hanger. I'm not sure if this will take away some of the resilience and flexibility of the rubber and if that'll have any affect. Once again, I'll report back once I have tried this for several weeks.
The strongest exhaust hanger and maybe the last I'll ever need.
The strongest exhaust hanger and maybe the last I'll ever need.
HangarFix.png (1.05 MiB) Viewed 15695 times
Incidentally, if anyone wants to purchase standard Halogen low-beam bulbs for cheap, let me know. One is only a week old. The other a few years.
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Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by ron »

songzunhuang wrote: Sun Dec 22, 2019 9:22 pm
ron wrote: Tue Dec 10, 2019 4:18 pm The only way is to drill it out at the head of the stud (you will see the head turning inside the plastic).Then using Araldite or similar, glue a stainless 6mm. bolt back in.

I've done this quite a few times with no problems.
Thanks for the information. I tried once again to figure out how to get this part without destroying g the screw and I just can’t see a way.

When I drill it out, I’m assuming that I’ll be taking off the amber lens and drilling from the front of the assembly correct?


Yes. Drill from the front. If you get someone to turn the rusted nut, you should be able to see where the head of the stud is.
They are ALWAYS rustier than you thought!!!!!!
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Replacing Rubber bits - exhaust hangers and air intake

Post by songzunhuang »

So I am really beginning to adopt the practice of only ordering OEM parts when possible. I have had very poor luck with aftermarket stuff. Even things that seem inconsequential seem to be a big deal. Case in point. About 3 years ago, I replace the air intake with an aftermarket unit. This weekend, I replaced it with a OEM BMW part as the aftermarket one was cracking. Take a look.
Aftermarket parts are very questionable.
Aftermarket parts are very questionable.
AirIntake.png (1.82 MiB) Viewed 15629 times
Then there was the saga of the exhaust hangers. I've replaced 2 sets in as many years. That's ridiculous. I finally ordered OEM BMW units, but I went ahead and utilized my little pipe strap trick. These should last a long time. Here's the new BMW hangar next to the less than 2 year old aftermarket unit. Also , there's that galvanized strap.
The OEM hanger is so much better quality.
The OEM hanger is so much better quality.
Exhaust Hangers.png (1.44 MiB) Viewed 15629 times
Finally, here's the exhaust hanger installed with the strap re-enforcement in place. I hope to never have to deal with these again.
New hangars with re-enforcement.
New hangars with re-enforcement.
EHangersInstalled.png (998.69 KiB) Viewed 15629 times
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Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
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New Half-Shaft Boot and CV joint repack

Post by songzunhuang »

While under my car, I noticed that the rubber CV joint boot was completely torn. Well, time to learn another task! I ordered the parts from Pelican parts since they could get it to me in a day and while I waited, I did a bunch of research on the task at hand. I realized that special tools would be needed so, the first order of business was to grab an 8mm socket and then a special C-clip ring plier. I found these at O-Reilly for only $20 for both!
Also the CV Boot replacement kit was very well equipped including the packet of grease and they even give you a pack of Locktite in the deal. This kit was $24.25.
Tools and a very complete kit.
Tools and a very complete kit.
CV Parts.png (1.29 MiB) Viewed 15629 times
I had read nightmare stories about getting the 8mm bolts off and I was prepared for the worst. I spent lots of time cleaning and digging out the dirt from the bolts to make sure that I would maximize my chances of success. Also, I had a breaker bar ready. Much to my surprise, I was able to get the bolts off with just a normal 3/8" socket wrench and the 8mm socket. I also used my parking brake to help secure the wheel hub part, rotating the bolts to the bottom for easiest access. The only trick was to be sure that the socket was fully seated before turning. Also, after I removed all the bolts, there was enough play in the CV joint that I removed the half shaft without much trouble. I was actually surprised that it went so smoothly. Also with the C-clip plier, removing the clip and tapping out the splined shaft with a hammer was pretty easy as well. BTW - the picture below was after much cleaning of the CV joint. It was a greasy nasty mess in there.
Sequence to remove the shaft and joint.
Sequence to remove the shaft and joint.
Work part 1.png (1.86 MiB) Viewed 15629 times
The CV joint itself is a beautiful sight to behold. Getting the steel balls out was just a matter of angling the joint parts correctly and pushing out the balls. After disassembly, I cleaned all the parts and reassembled it, then packed the new grease into the joint. What a messy job that was! In order to get the caps back on, I used a few bolts as a guide and then my very wide vise grips to press on the caps. This part of the process went rather smoothly.
Cleaning and packing the cv joint.
Cleaning and packing the cv joint.
Work Part 2.png (1.59 MiB) Viewed 15629 times
Finally, after much cleaning and putting the Locktite into the holes, I reassembled the entire half-shaft with the new boot. In total, this was about a 2.5 hour job - including a run to the store to get the tools.
New CV boot and CV joint cleaned and repacked.
New CV boot and CV joint cleaned and repacked.
New CV Boot.png (1.26 MiB) Viewed 15629 times
Overall this job wasn't as terrible as I was expecting. Things went rather smoothly and also, I cannot recommend enough a YouTube video I watched of someone re-packing a CV joint. It was a 3-series BMW, but the half-shaft was exactly like our e24. Here's a link to the video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ck6iw2ygfXc&t=626s

If you ever need a new boot, this could save you a few hundred bucks!
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Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
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Part to rebuild a Brake Booster

Post by songzunhuang »

I added to a thread in another part of the forum to address a power steering leak. It was tracked down to the brake booster and I am beginning to gather the parts to rebuild it. Jay has a rebuild kit with all the bits needed, but I was informed that a potentially brittle plastic part could be replaced with a nice machined aluminum unit. I’m a sucker for nicely reproduced machined aluminum parts! So I ordered it and was not disappointed. Here’s a shot of what you get for $60.
AlumBooster
AlumBooster
2227C42D-F124-42C0-8DC1-F10D3B887B44.jpeg (269.1 KiB) Viewed 15545 times
This removes the need for one of the custom tools needed to pull the existing seal, and it also eliminates worries of damaging the potentially brittle 35 year old plastic part that required modification. Now when I get the rest of the bits from Jay, I’ll be all ready to do the rebuild. Incidentally, I’m planning to do the power steering pump as well for good measure. More pics when the deed is done!

====< Update - Wednesday, January 15, 2020 >====
I received the rest of the o-rings from Jay today. I'll be all set to attack this leak this weekend. I'm looking forward to having no stains on the driveway again!
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Power Steering Pump Rebuild

Post by songzunhuang »

Today I finally addressed my screeching power steering pump. I also rebuilt my brake booster, but that'll be the next post. I learned a few things along the way and I thought I'd document and share them here.

First, here are all the bits that I endeavored to install this weekend. This would reseal all my power steering bits and eliminate squeals and leaks.
This weekend's goal. Seal up everything!
This weekend's goal. Seal up everything!
Kit Pieces.png (848.48 KiB) Viewed 15460 times
After draining the fluid reservoir, I was pondering how to remove the power steering pump,I realized a few things.
1. Loosen the 3 bolts holding the pulley first. Having the belt tension makes it easy to turn with a 13mm socket.
2. Take the tension off the belt and then remove the pulley.
3. Loosed or remove the two fluid lines connecting to the pump.

The pump can be removed quite easily without messing with taking off all the brackets. Here's a picture below. The pump just drops out after you remove these and there's only one bolt (lower right) holding the pump together at that point, making it easy to crack open.
Easy way to remove pump.
Easy way to remove pump.
Powersteeering pump removl.png (1.17 MiB) Viewed 15460 times
Then came the cleanup and rebuild of the pump. Here's the commentary to go along with the sections in the picture below:

1. I used 2 flat blade screw drivers to pry up the case around the pump vanes.
2. Here are all the bits scattered on a rag. The seals only go in one way so are pretty hard to mess up.
3. Using the old seal and a mallet to press in the new seal. Hardest thing was replacing the front seal. Easiest way to the old seal out is to put the front aluminum part of the pump in a vise and then use a large screwdriver to lever out the old seal. One big whack it it just popped out.
4. Of course I had to make it pretty. I cleaned up and painted the pulley.
5. Here's the new ceramic filter before installation.
Collage of steps to rebuild.
Collage of steps to rebuild.
Several Steps.png (1.68 MiB) Viewed 15460 times
I started this at about 11am in the morning and was done around 3:30pm. So it wasn't hard, but time consuming. Also, I did lots of cleaning up along the way. Whenever I have things apart, I like to clean up since I have access to many parts of the car that are normally impossible to reach. Just for kicks , here's what the underside of the car looked like.
While I'm here, why not get a picture?
While I'm here, why not get a picture?
Underside.png (2 MiB) Viewed 15460 times
Now, notice I didn't mention the filling of the fluid and test? Well, that's because I still have to tackle the brake booster rebuild! I started that at about 4pm but only had 1.5 hours before it got dark. I decided to finish the job the next day. Read on to the next post!
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Song Huang
1984 633CSi
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Brake Booster Rebuild - Trials and Tribulations

Post by songzunhuang »

So, picking up from the same day, I actually removed my brake booster in the afternoon, but by the time I had it rebuilt, it was dark. So I spent about 2 hours the next morning to install the booster, fill the fluids and then test it all. Spoiler alert - everything worked out wonderfully! But, let's get through the steps.

Removing the Brake Booster wasn't so difficult. I found ways to access all the bolts with the various tools I had. Also, I discovered that I could move the master brake cylinder back and get enough clearance to take out the brake booster. I didn't have to remove the brake master cylinder, thus saving me the hassle of bleeding all the brakes. Then metal brake lines are actually pretty flexible. When removing the brake booster, the trick was to angle it down to remove it. There's plenty of room going downwards.

I created a tool for containing the spring pressure using a few bolts and a wire protection plate, normally used to protect electrical wires as they pass through 2 x 4 wooden studs in homebuilding. That plate was only $0.99. All the parts for this tool totaled less than $8.
Removing the brake booster.
Removing the brake booster.
Step 1.png (1.22 MiB) Viewed 15460 times
After I got the booster apart, replacing all of the o-rings and seals was pretty easy. This was especially made simple because I used the upgraded aluminum piece, which already had the seal installed. I didn't want to mess with dremeling the old plastic piece and creating another tool to remove that seal. Incidentally, I have a spare plastic piece for the brake booster if anyone needs it.

My front seal was also leaking. Replacing it was simple with the picking tool. I made sure and installed it below the white split nylon ring. It all fit together very quickly.
Apart and reassembling.
Apart and reassembling.
Step 2.png (1.52 MiB) Viewed 15460 times
It was about this time that it got dark. It had taken me about 1.5 hours up to this point. I removed the booster, took it apart and replaced all the seals. It'd be the next morning before I finished everything else.

So the next morning, I noticed the tiny filter in the high pressure hole of the booster. I cleaned it out well, although it did not look clogged at all. I also used some self adhesive neoprene to create a gasket to seal where the brake booster would meet the firewall.
Final before install.
Final before install.
Step 3.png (1.47 MiB) Viewed 15460 times
Getting the booster back into the car wasn't difficult. All of the parts lined up well and the only tricky bolt (very tight space) was handled with a simple socket extension and a 13mm socket. In the picture below you can see where the shackle connects to the the brake pedal. In the picture to the right, I am accessing that bolt in very tight quarters.
Final installation.
Final installation.
Step 4.png (1.5 MiB) Viewed 15460 times
Another observation was that the rubber seal that goes between the brake booster and the brake master cylinder should be included in some of the rebuild kits. Since it took me the course of 2 days to do this, the master cylinder seal sat open to the air overnight. It must of swollen of something because the seal expanded to where it no longer fit in the recess when I was trying to reassemble it. I pressed it in the best I could, but ended up crushing bits of the rubber between the brake master cylinder and booster when I tightened it. As far as I can tell, no fluids are in the space between the two parts. It seems like it's ok if it's not perfectly sealed. In the end, I think it's still sealed up, but just the rubber is now deformed. I'm planning on replacing that rubber seal in the not-too-distant future. Since I can do this without much more than removing the two 13mm bolts holding the parts together, this shouldn't be a big deal.

After all this was in place, I filled the reservoir with Liquid Moly fluid and then cranked up the car. It took a few moments for the pump to start moving the fluid, but once it did, I could tell things were much better. There was no screech at all. I also drove the car around and tested the braking, which all worked splendidly.

So in the end, all looks well. In the next days I'll see if any leaks appear, but I am confident that things will be very good. A big shoutout to Jay for his excellent instructions and pictures. Also to the folks on this forum who continue to give me the confidence to do anything to this car!
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Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by jps635 »

Once you know you've got all the air out, make sure you haven't overfilled the reservoir, which you won't know about until you leave the car standing for a week or so, which will leave you scratching your head and ATF everywhere.
Do this by fully discharging the brake bomb with the lid off the reservoir. Fluid level will rise and should settle 10mm below top. Wrap a couple rags around the reservoir to soak up any overflow but you will be able to keep an eye on this easily with LHD
'85 635csi JPS (RA2-66)
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by songzunhuang »

jps635 wrote: Mon Jan 20, 2020 7:04 pm Once you know you've got all the air out, make sure you haven't overfilled the reservoir, which you won't know about until you leave the car standing for a week or so, which will leave you scratching your head and ATF everywhere.
Do this by fully discharging the brake bomb with the lid off the reservoir. Fluid level will rise and should settle 10mm below top. Wrap a couple rags around the reservoir to soak up any overflow but you will be able to keep an eye on this easily with LHD
Thanks for the tip.
I filled the reservoir to the line, ran the car for a while cranking the steering left and right. Then I shut off the car and pumped the brake pedal about 30 times to be sure and discharge the bomb. I ended up having to put about a cup more fluid to get it to the line. I drove to work and back today (about 84 miles round trip) and everything is working very well. There's not even a slight screeching sound. The steering and brakes all seem to work well. My commute is over a mountain road so I get to test the steering and brakes a lot.

I'll keep an eye out for any leaks and I'll keep checking the reservoir level.
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Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by rhanley 635csi89 »

Song,
Well done, add insurance to the finished product by adding a magnet inside the ATF Reservoir to collect the microscopic metal particles.
Magnets may also be fitted to the oil filter.
Search the forum there are a number of write ups, here's one of them.
Roger

http://bigcoupe.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.ph ... 084#149084
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by songzunhuang »

rhanley 635csi89 wrote: Tue Jan 21, 2020 2:19 pm Song,
Well done, add insurance to the finished product by adding a magnet inside the ATF Reservoir to collect the microscopic metal particles.
Magnets may also be fitted to the oil filter.
Search the forum there are a number of write ups, here's one of them.
Roger

http://bigcoupe.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.ph ... 084#149084
Ooh, I have lots of these strong magnets that came off name tags and such from work. I guess I could just drop one or two of those in there, assuming that they are not so small as to plug up the holes.

Interesting tip to try. Thanks.
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Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
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Off to the Independent Mechanic

Post by songzunhuang »

The shark got some external TLC last week. I was going to the grocery store and on the way back home, the idle got really bad and the car even died. I've been chasing a bad idle for quite a while and since I expected to be at home for a while, I decided to just let the shop have at it.

So they smoke tested for vacuum leaks. Nothing.
They checked all my plugs. They were fine.
They adjusted my valves ($187) and they were not too far off spec.
The IPS and flapper valve was checked. No issues.
Ignition bits, rotor, wires, cap. All good.
Finally, they by-passed a sensor coming off of the Air Flow Meter. I don't really understand this, but captured in a post in another part of the forum.
https://bigcoupe.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=31511

While it was in the shop, I noticed my alternator bushings were shot so I had them replace that ($150) along with the belts and then also did an oil change for good measure ($45).

They kept the car for 2 days and started it up at different times of the day. They could not reproduce the issue I described. Ahh! So annoying.
After all the labor and parts, I was in for $541. :shock:

So I have the car home now. It's "Shelter at Home" time due to COVID-19 so I haven't driven at all. Who knows if this is fixed. The saga continues. I just wanted to capture this update since this thread is my "record of service" for this car.
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A Very Pricey Piece of Wire

Post by songzunhuang »

So during the last weeks when I was tending to my car, I noticed that the wire that goes from the alternator to the engine block was very old. In fact, it seemed that most of the insulation had cracked off.
Very old ground strap.
Very old ground strap.
BadWire.png (1.2 MiB) Viewed 14572 times
Now, theoretically, this is a ground wire. As long as the material is conductive, it should be fine. I guess the insulation is to prevent shock if anything or anyone comes close to it when it's got significant current going through it. It's only an 8-inch piece of wire.

How much could that be? In my quest to fix things immediately and only get OEM parts (I guess I could have made an exception with a wire?), I ordered a BMW alternator grounding strap. Feast your eyes on this 8 inch wonder.
New OEM BMW Wire.
New OEM BMW Wire.
Goodwire.png (1.03 MiB) Viewed 14572 times
This, my friends, set me back $41.37.
It's a piece of wire.
Sheesh, OEM German parts...
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1984 633CSi
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by hornhospital »

If you must have genuine BMW parts, it can be eye-wateringly expensive. Of course, you can get the same wire minus the BMW logo for about $8. Just sayin...

:-"
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Re: A Very Pricey Piece of Wire

Post by MrE »

songzunhuang wrote: Fri Mar 27, 2020 3:00 am Feast your eyes on this 8 inch wonder.

Image

This, my friends, set me back $41.37.
It's a piece of wire.
Sheesh, OEM German parts...
Lols.

But I'm with you Song, it's a superior car. 8)
Image
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by songzunhuang »

hornhospital wrote: Fri Mar 27, 2020 7:34 am If you must have genuine BMW parts, it can be eye-wateringly expensive. Of course, you can get the same wire minus the BMW logo for about $8. Just sayin...

:-"
Ken I have inspected this wire very closely, It is very well made. The solder joints are solid and the insulation intact. But there is not a BMW logo to be found anywhere. You'd think I could at least have that! There is a logo that looks like an electric bolt going through a circle. Lol.
The logo on  the pricey piece of wire.
The logo on the pricey piece of wire.
WireLogo.png (574.72 KiB) Viewed 14542 times
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1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by GRNSHRK »

You could have made your own for a fraction of that cost, of course, but then it wouldn't be "genuine" :-?

Nice to see that you're back at it, Song, guess since you're stuck at home :roll:

BTW, moved to Gilroy a few weeks ago, still unpacking and getting things sorted :-"

I've been spending much of my time in the garage, naturally, while the missus has been concentrating on the interior =D>

Keep in touch [-o<
:mrgreen:
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by songzunhuang »

GRNSHRK wrote: Fri Mar 27, 2020 4:15 pm You could have made your own for a fraction of that cost, of course, but then it wouldn't be "genuine" :-?

Nice to see that you're back at it, Song, guess since you're stuck at home :roll:

BTW, moved to Gilroy a few weeks ago, still unpacking and getting things sorted :-"

I've been spending much of my time in the garage, naturally, while the missus has been concentrating on the interior =D>

Keep in touch [-o<
Yes, at home the past weeks resulting in about an extra 3-4 hours each day since I don't have to deal with commutes and such.

You escaped the Bay area hotspot for Covid-19 right in time! I can't believe the number of cases popping up in central Santa Clara/San Jose area with 542 cases as of this morning. I've been checking this near real-time map. https://www.santacruzsentinel.com/2020/ ... alifornia/. I guess Gilroy is still considered Santa Clara county, but it must be a less dense than San Jose proper.

I'l be tending to any and all the little sniggly things that have been bothering me, although there's not too much these days. As you can see, I'm down to swapping out old wires with crumbly insulation.
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by GRNSHRK »

Yes, Gilroy is still in Santa Clara county, but close to Monterrey county.

I'll have to check out that linky, but I don't recall hearing about any cases here, at least not yet...

Good to see that you are now only dealing with little bits that have been bugging you but not stopping you from running!

Sadly the green beast is just sitting, way too busy with the move and the weather isn't exactly cooperating either...

I do have to get the cabrio up to the dealer for the "final" recall on the airbag fiasco ](*,)
:mrgreen:
Bobbo
1980 633 CSi Cypress Green/Pearl Beige
2017 X5 M Sport Xdrive 35i Carbon Black/Ivory White
2005 330 Ci ZHP Cabrio Imola Red/Bone/Black
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songzunhuang
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Adding and Removing Wires

Post by songzunhuang »

So it's time to install my pricey wire and then also time to take out the excess wire that my mechanic has told me is unnecessary. I'm hoping that someone can educate me on the function of the harness and maybe I can remove even more than I did.

Pricey Alternator Strap:
First, let's add my pricey alternator strap. As it turns out, it's not super simple although the wire is open for all to see! I couldn't get my 13mm wrench onto the bolt holding the wire to the engine block. I had to loosen the alternator, remove the belt and crank the alternator as far forward as possible to open up space to fit my socket. After figuring out that trick, it was easy to remove the 13mm bolt. The 10mm on the alternator itself was simplicity. Here's the part in place along with the very beat up, but probably still serviceable original grounding strap.
New alternator ground strap.
New alternator ground strap.
GS1.png (1 MiB) Viewed 14515 times
Removing the excess wire harness:
In the picture below, you can see the beginning and end points of the wire harness. The plugs begin near the fuel rail where it tapped into the line to the Air-Flow Meter. It ran under the manifold and had zip ties securing it at the oil dipstick and then near the ATF brake reservoir mount.
Begin and end of wire harness.
Begin and end of wire harness.
WiretoRemove.png (951.3 KiB) Viewed 14515 times
Now, at the fusebox, you can get a better idea of how it wires into the relay. There were 3 wires in this harness. A brown ground that is also tied to the ground of the other wire. This ground is interesting as it's weaved around the outside of the insulated wire at the core of the harness. Both these ground goes to one leg of the mystery rectangular relay.

All the other mess of wires had components installed in-line and also wen from another harness coming up from below and then to two other relays. I am not sure what those do, so I left them alone.

I did decide to cut the main harness wire (with the 2 grounds) and did it while my car was running to see if anything happened. So I started up the car then removed the relay. Nothing. So I cut the wires. Once again, nothing. So I pulled out the wire from the plug end of the harness (the plugs will not go through the space threading under the manifold because the plug ends are too big).
Wires to cut.
Wires to cut.
CutIt.png (813.5 KiB) Viewed 14515 times
So clearly the relay was not needed, at least not at idle; however, I have no idea what all the other wires are for. In this picture below, I labeled the diode that is installed inline. There's another electronic component that I can't make out, but it is sheathed in the same way as the diode. As the car was running (I revved it a few time after idling for 5 minutes) and everything seemed fine. So I just wrapped the cut ends and zip tied the smaller mass of green wires.

So here's the harness out of the car. Now you can clearly see that the ends of the harness was just a tap into the line going to the Air-flow Meter. Also, I tried to make out the part number of that harness. I did a search and found a part number that seems to match, but I can't get a picture of it anywhere or an explanation of what it is for.
The fusebox with the harness out.
The fusebox with the harness out.
HarnessOut.png (841.1 KiB) Viewed 14515 times
This is where the bigger brains of this forum come in. Did I give you enough data or clues to fill in the blanks? Can I remove that mass of green wires and the inline diodes and other components? What do they actually do? I'm all ears.

Meanwhile, I'll report back if I notice anything in the way the car runs. Of course, I can't really go anywhere interesting because of the California "Shelter in Place" order. Maybe a grocery store or an auto parts run if I can think of something else I need.

==< Can I add a 5th picture? >==
I remember a time when this forum would only allow 4 pictures per post. That's why I started creating composite photos. Then, I could have sworn I saw someone place way more photos in one post. So I am going to try and add a 5th. If you see a picture below of my reassembled fusebox with the mystery relay, you'll know it worked. (Nope - looks like I can't add another)

Oh well, how about a link to an externally hosted image then. The mystery relay is the 2nd from right in the photo in the link below.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/D4L9SjQ3P8paocVF6

So why can't we add more than 4 photos to a post? Anyone know?
Last edited by songzunhuang on Sat Mar 28, 2020 11:00 pm, edited 4 times 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,
Is it possible to overhaul the p/s pump without removing the pump body from the car?
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: Sat Mar 28, 2020 10:38 pm Song,
Is it possible to overhaul the p/s pump without removing the pump body from the car?
It would be extremely difficult. One of the things you have to do is to replace the shaft seal. The whole front portion would have to be removed while the rear portion was in place. That shaft is held in place with a c-clip. I can't see how you would access that clip without the rear portion completely removed. I guess you couple remove the front pulley and then slide the front half forward? Some of the bolts that hold the pump body together actually double as the mount fastening points. Also, that impeller with the little steel square vanes would be just about impossible to assemble while vertical.

Here's a few shots of the internals. All of the black rubber seals need replacing. You can see the impeller thing at the far left. At the center of that impeller is the c-clip that releases the shaft that connects to the pulley at the front of the pump.
Guts of the power steering pump.
Guts of the power steering pump.
Steering guts.png (813.38 KiB) Viewed 14505 times
I found that steering pump pretty easy to remove. I put some tips in my post. Removing it also gives you an opportunity to change the fluid and clean out the reservoir. So thinking more about this, I'd say no. You have to remove it.
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Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
baders
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by baders »

Song it's a bit hard to see the pictures aggregated like that, to get enough detail.

The relay switches something, have you traced out the relay contact circuits to see what they switch ? Can you trace it all out and draw an electrical diagram ?

Relays often have what is called a "flyback diode" in the relay coil circuit. This is to prevent damage to other circuit components by the transient voltages generated by a relay coil when turned on and off.
1986 635csi LOCUTUS / Arktis Blau Metallic / Pearl Beige / S38B36/ Close ratio dogleg 5sp
2002 E46 M3 / Topaz Blau Metallic / Black Nappa / 6 speed SMG software tuned / Bilstein PSS10 Coilovers / CMP RACP reinforcement
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by Rondel Fan »

Well I'm thinking my PS pump is more in need of a rebuild than your was!
Image

That said removal and rebuild is very straight forward. This is a popular pump used in many German cars of the period. I've used RENNBAY rebuild kits for about $20 in the past. I'll replace as many of the lines as possible as they seem past their service life as well . Be a great time to use my steam cleaner on the pump to see if I can get it back looking like yours!

For folks who have not done the rebuild before, I'd recommend putting reference marks across one corner of the case so you know which way it properly goes back together. Also when you release the main shaft to replace the shaft seal, make sure you securely palm the bottom of the pump, or cover it with a small piece of cardboard so you don't let all of the vanes drop out of the shaft.
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