1984 633CSi Rises again!

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songzunhuang
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by songzunhuang »

GRNSHRK wrote: Wed Sep 26, 2018 5:01 pm Song, can you mask the entire panel good enough so that you can reshoot the whole thing :-k

Appears that you can sand and polish that area for ever, but it's never gonna appear like the rest of the panel [-X

Sheesh, repainting metallic, what a bitch :(
You know, I did think of that but I fear that I do not have enough paint! Recall I started all this with the idea of repainting the roof. I got plenty of paint for that. But then as luck would have it, the front spoiler showed up. So I painted that first and then I painted the roof. Since I had paint left over, I then did the driver side fender. After all that, I have a few tablespoons of color paint left. It's good enough for small touchups, but probably not for the sunroof panel.

The color paint and the clear coat are the issue. I seem to have plenty of primer left over.
One day if it bugs me enough, I may just stomach an additional $300 and get another helping of the paint and clearcoat. I definitely could figure out how to mask and paint just the panel. Also I need time. The setup, cleanup and wait times between coats and such burns a day.

- 2 to 3 coats of primer (5-15 minute flash time between coats
- cleanup
- Sanding of primer.
- 2 color coats (15-30 minute flash between coats)
- cleanup
- 2 coats of clear (5-10 minutes between coats)
- cleanup
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Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
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Exhaust and paint Issues

Post by songzunhuang »

So my exhaust has been rattling for months. I thought it was a loose heat shield or something else minor. Well this weekend I went under the car to get a better look and realized that the joint where exhaust pipe goes into the muffler had separate. I could literally see a gap between the pipe and muffler as I shook it. So I made an appointment at a muffler shop to have it welded. I thought it was going to be easy. Ha!

Well, as soon as we got the car on the lift, a firm yank on the pipe and my muffler literally fell down and separated from the pipes.
The joint had completely rusted through.
Nothing was holding the pipe and muffler.
Nothing was holding the pipe and muffler.
BadPipe.png (1.46 MiB) Viewed 14725 times
Using a pair of pliers, the service guy pulled out 2 baffles from within the muffler. If I understand correctly, these baffles are supposed to create pressure waves to cancel out some of the exhaust sounds. Well, they hadn't been doing anything as they were not even connected. Maybe that/s what explained the low rumbling sound I've been hearing?
These baffles had seen better days - 34 years ago.
These baffles had seen better days - 34 years ago.
Baffles.png (1.77 MiB) Viewed 14725 times
There's nothing we can do with those rusted pieces and I didn't have another muffler. So I asked if he could just weld on the pipe ends to the empty muffler. So that's what we did.
Putting together what we have to work with.
Putting together what we have to work with.
Welder.png (1.77 MiB) Viewed 14725 times
Amazingly that worked pretty well. It ended up being a lot quieter! For the $50 charged, it was a pretty good fix. 3 days later and it still sounds pretty quiet. I'm happy for now.

On another front, I couldn't stand how bad my sunroof panel patch repair looked, I wet sanded it with 400, 800, 1500 and 3000 paper and got off as much of the recently applied paint as possible. What you see here is the totally smoothed and polished hi-fill primer. In an upcoming weekend I'll give this a 3rd try. It will be better!
Only the scratches with hi-fill primer. It'll be better one day.
Only the scratches with hi-fill primer. It'll be better one day.
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Song Huang
1984 633CSi
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Paint and failed Foglight Installation

Post by songzunhuang »

This weekend the roof paint went for round 3. This time I tried to airbrush just at the scratch points. I didn't bother to try and blend with the surrounding paint. I gotta say, it turned out ok.
They say the third times a charm. Done.
They say the third times a charm. Done.
RoofPaint3.png (982.88 KiB) Viewed 14654 times

The next thing I've been meaning to fix up was the flaking paint on my air cleaner cover.
Used low gloss engine paint to refinish the cover.
Used low gloss engine paint to refinish the cover.
AirCleaner.png (1.24 MiB) Viewed 14654 times

Next bit that's been bugging me is my scratched and rusty exhaust tips. I simply wire brushed them off and shot them with some exhaust paint. I ended up painting some of the muffler as well for good measure.
A nice silver makes this look nicer.
A nice silver makes this look nicer.
Tailpipes.png (826.67 KiB) Viewed 14654 times

The last thing was installing my foglight switch. I was worried about finding the right wires, but I seemed to locate the right ones in the bundle behind the instrument cluster. The backlight for the switch worked fine after I placed a bulb, but I never got the foglight to work after installing the switch. I checked the switch for continuity and it was fine. This was at the end of a long day and I didn't have it in me to figure this out. I wasn't getting power at the foglight plugs. I also checked the fusebox at 29 and 30 and there's no power there either. I'm going to need some help figuring this out. Any ideas?
I think I got the right wires, why doesn't it work?
I think I got the right wires, why doesn't it work?
FoglightSwitch.png (856.96 KiB) Viewed 14654 times
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Song Huang
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by rhanley 635csi89 »

Hi Song, I had a similar issue with my fog lights on my 89 635 USA, spent a half day solving it. In my car the headlight have to be on for the fogs to come on (it's designed this way), I'm not sure if this is applicable to your situation. Roger
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by GRNSHRK »

Roger, this is true, and actually a very good point =D>

For the USofA cars, indeed the headlights need to be on, in order for the fog lamps to work :-k

In addition, if you turn on the high beams while the fogs are on, they will turn off ](*,)

Silly DOT, surely some of this can be bypassed, but Song, you need to probably have the headlights on, while troubleshooting [-o<
:mrgreen:
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by rhanley 635csi89 »

I've only driven 2 or 3 times in dense fog (not in the 635), max speed 5mph. You can see much further with fog or even parking lights. If you turn on the headlamps, its a wall of fog in front of you, you can't even see the road. I looked quickly in the 635 OM and can't find any reference to the fog lamp operation.
Song, hope it's as simple as turning you low beams on.

Roger
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by songzunhuang »

rhanley 635csi89 wrote: Mon Oct 15, 2018 1:35 pm Hi Song, I had a similar issue with my fog lights on my 89 635 USA, spent a half day solving it. In my car the headlight have to be on for the fogs to come on (it's designed this way), I'm not sure if this is applicable to your situation. Roger
Thanks for the feedback. Starting simple, do those two wires look like the right ones?
Here's a picture as they appeared when I discovered them in the wiring bundle. The ones for the foglight appear to be brown/red and grey/red.
Foglight and bulb connectors?
Foglight and bulb connectors?
Screen Shot 2018-10-15 at 5.22.02 PM.png (856.07 KiB) Viewed 14628 times
I've got some ideas after some research and will slowly go about solving the mystery.

===< Update 3 days later >===
For anyone following along here, these connectors were in fact the right ones for the foglight.
Turns out that everything worked as designed, it was just tricky to understand the design. Read further down this thread for a complete picture.
Last edited by songzunhuang on Thu Oct 18, 2018 12:45 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by songzunhuang »

rhanley 635csi89 wrote: Mon Oct 15, 2018 1:35 pm Hi Song, I had a similar issue with my fog lights on my 89 635 USA, spent a half day solving it. In my car the headlight have to be on for the fogs to come on (it's designed this way), I'm not sure if this is applicable to your situation. Roger
I have this on my ToDo list to check out the next time I get a chance. So far I think I have to have the low beams on, the ignition switch in the #2 position and then the fog light switch on. With all that, I should have power to pins 85 and 30 in the Foglight relay K8. There should also be continuity to ground at pin 86. That's where I'm starting. I'll let everyone know how it goes from there.
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Haha, I feel stupid in a good way - Foglights

Post by songzunhuang »

It's so important to get educated in how something is supposed to work. Today was the first time I have driven my car in the evening since I installed the Foglights. I was lamenting about how it didn't work and many people were kind enough to chime in and give me advice on how it's supposed to work.

Well, this evening as I was driving home, I noticed my nice new glowing foglight indicator by the newly installed switch. Just for grins, I was at a stop light and I decided to pull the foglight switch. To my great surprise, a light came on in the lower left of my instrument cluster showing that a circuit had been activated.
The indicator light is on when the switch is pulled.
The indicator light is on when the switch is pulled.
Foglights.png (348.79 KiB) Viewed 14620 times
Well, that seemed to be a good sign. At least something is working as expected. But, was the foglight actually working? Well, you can imagine my impatience as I drove another 35 minutes home all the while wondering what was going on. I switch the foglight switch on and off a few more times to see if it was consistently turning on the dash indicator. Yes, it was.

Well, I pulled into my driveway, pulled the switch and quickly hopped out of the car to see what was up. Here's what I saw.
My new foglights are working!
My new foglights are working!
FogsOn.png (1.11 MiB) Viewed 14620 times
Man did I feel stupid, but also very happy.
So everything was fine, but I just didn't know what conditions would make the lights come on.
Just for completeness, the low beams definitely need to be on and the ignition switch turned to position 2. Then all is cool when you pull the foglight switch.

I didn't have to check anything in the foglight circuit this evening. It just all worked. Sometimes, Lady Luck just casts a nice glance your way.
Thanks to everyone who chimed in. I appreciate the support.
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by rhanley 635csi89 »

Song, glad it was a OE for the foglight issue. Another light that comes on is the hood (bonnet) light when the headlight switch is on and the hood is open. The logic, you don't need the hood light unless it's dark out and the headlight/parking lights being on adds a safety factor. Roger
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by songzunhuang »

rhanley 635csi89 wrote: Tue Oct 16, 2018 1:45 pm Song, glad it was a OE for the foglight issue. Another light that comes on is the hood (bonnet) light when the headlight switch is on and the hood is open. The logic, you don't need the hood light unless it's dark out and the headlight/parking lights being on adds a safety factor. Roger
I knew about the hood light. What’s odd is that with all this fancy dependent wiring, the trunk light always comes on for me. Doesn’t matter if anything else is switched on. Did the engineers get lazy? Run out of wire? Lol.

I’ll take OE any day over days of frustration trying to track stuff down and swapping parts.
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Climate Control Backlight tips

Post by songzunhuang »

Does anyone know what may cause the climate control level backlighting to change as I slide them left to right? It seems that when the levers are in the central position, the backlight goes out. At the far left and right, the light is on. What would cause that?

Here's a picture to illustrate.
Climate Lever backlight weirdness.
Climate Lever backlight weirdness.
Screen Shot 2018-10-28 at 10.06.37 PM.png (476.59 KiB) Viewed 14424 times
I searched the forum and couldn't find anything about this.
Does anyone have a picture of what's behind the levers? Where's the light coming from? I'd like to know before I dig into it.
Thanks in advance for any tips.
Last edited by songzunhuang on Mon Oct 29, 2018 5:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by Ralph in Socal »

The slider light bulbs are small leds and powered by an electrical track within each slider assembly. I sent you a pic of the track and hopefully you post it here.

The track gets greasy and dirty so contact is lost along the way. Use contact cleaner spary to try and clean up the track.

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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by songzunhuang »

Ralph in Socal wrote: Sun Oct 28, 2018 5:56 pm The slider light bulbs are small leds and powered by an electrical track within each slider assembly. I sent you a pic of the track and hopefully you post it here.

The track gets greasy and dirty so contact is lost along the way. Use contact cleaner spary to try and clean up the track.

Ralph
Ralph was kind enough to send me a few pictures of the climate lever assembly. I tried spraying the electronics cleaner in the slot, but I couldn't get much of an improvement. However, I wanted to share the pictures that Ralph sent so people have an idea of what they are dealing with. I think you have to take this apart to really clean it. If someone has been able to clean the contact slider without disassembly, please let us know how you did it.
Climate lever sliding assembly.
Climate lever sliding assembly.
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Special Tools Needed - Idler Bushing

Post by songzunhuang »

This weekend I attempted something that kicked my butt. I finally had to throw in the towel and wait until I can get my car to a shop or acquire more special tools. What am I talking about? There was a bit of a groaning sound when my car is stationary and I turned the steering wheel to the right or left. It's not there all the time, but comes and goes. Looking at all the steering bits, I decided that it might be the idler arm bushing. I ordered the part and decided to put in the pushing this weekend. It's secured by a 17mm bolt on the frame and it's connected to the main steering rod. It looked accessible.

What I didn't realize is that this bushing is pressed in there and it's damn tight. It must have been done with a hydraulic press of some kind. I tried all kinds of things and only succeeded in bashing my thumb and getting a blood blister. I thought that if I could get the idle arm free, I could figure a way to hammer that bushing out. I tried all my ball joint separation tools and none of them would work. I could not get them in to place to free the idle arm. I did succeed in pressing the old idler bushing about 1.5 inches and destroying some hard old rubber around it, but it wasn't going any further and I had spent a few hours on this seemly simple job.
The idler arm assembly I not going anywhere.
The idler arm assembly I not going anywhere.
Idler.png (1.31 MiB) Viewed 14366 times
In the end, I decided to put it all back together, even if the idle bushing was 1.5 inches out if place. It was so tight that I'm not worried about it moving anywhere. Seriously, I placed a hydraulic jack on the arm and lifted the whole car trying to push the bushing out. It wouldn't budge. I'm going to need to take this to a proper suspension shop to get all this done. Crazy $30 part that is impossible to install.

So I decided to do something more therapeutic. I washed the car and got all the nooks and crannies clean. Heck, I super cleaned the gas filler cap area. It was all nasty before. Now it's spotless. Hey, you gotta give yourself a win after a day like this.
Gas cap filler area has never been so clean!
Gas cap filler area has never been so clean!
Gas.png (1.24 MiB) Viewed 14366 times
Then did a quick wax and stood back and admired my work in the evening light.
OK, that idler arm bushing being 1.5 inches out of place is still bugging me...and it will continue until I have it replaced.
Nice evening lighting on a newly washed car.
Nice evening lighting on a newly washed car.
e24 All Clean.png (1.71 MiB) Viewed 14366 times
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by baders »

Song. Very carefully apply some heat from a map gas or similar on that pesky joint.
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by 86_6series »

86-635CSi
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by songzunhuang »

86_6series wrote: Mon Nov 05, 2018 12:16 pm One of these should do it.

https://www.google.com/search?q=univers ... e&ie=UTF-8
I have one of those universal tools that you shared in your Google link. It did not work as I couldn't get it into the tight quarters of the steering linkage. Here's the one I am talking about.
May not work in tight quarters.
May not work in tight quarters.
JointTool.png (84.23 KiB) Viewed 14161 times
I found a picture of the special tool in the BMW service manual. Searching online, I came across this separator which looked very similar to the tool in the manual and the description of this tool says it's for BMW. Why not give it a go?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XI ... UTF8&psc=1

So I ordered it and will try again once it arrives. I talked to my neighbor, who rebuilds vintage motorcycles, and he has a hydraulic press! So, this part only kicked my butt for 1 day. This weekend, we will try again!
Last edited by songzunhuang on Sun Nov 18, 2018 3:29 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Idler Arm Bushing - Done!

Post by songzunhuang »

Ok, round 2 with the idler arm bushing was a success. I received the new ball joint separator tool and it worked, but not without incident. Luckily my neighbor had all sort of tools to help me complete this task. First things first.

Here's the balljoint separator tool that I used. It did the trick but was tricky to keep centered while I cranked on the 17mm bolt. Although I got the balljoint apart, there was a bit of damage to the thread of the bolt side and I had to re-thread with a 10mm, 1mm fine thread die.
Balljoint tool ready for action.
Balljoint tool ready for action.
BallJointTool.png (1.12 MiB) Viewed 14162 times
After I got the idler arm out, I noticed that the old bushing was damaged to the point that I wouldn't be able to push it through easily. I went over to my neighbor's house since he had an hydraulic press. He also had a nice cut off tool to remove the damaged portion before we pressed it out.
Here's the balljoint tool and the damaged old bushing.
Here's the balljoint tool and the damaged old bushing.
Tools.png (996.1 KiB) Viewed 14162 times
Finally after cutting off the old bent bushing, we used the hydraulic press to push out the old bushing and insert the new one. Incidentally, a 17mm socket works perfectly to pushing out the bushing. Now we are getting some where.
Old one cut and pushed out. New one in.
Old one cut and pushed out. New one in.
NewBushing.png (1017.73 KiB) Viewed 14162 times
Of course every project seems to have collateral damage. I had to restore the threads on the main tie rod that were damaged when using the ball joint separator tool. Once again, my neighbor to the rescue with the proper die to restore the thread. I had to use a vise grip to keep the ball joint from turning while I refreshed the threads with the die tool.
Restoring the threads so I can get the nut on.
Restoring the threads so I can get the nut on.
ReThread.png (1020.98 KiB) Viewed 14162 times
Finally, after a little over an hour, I was able to complete this job that I started last weekend. I took the car out for a drive and to get gas. So far things feel just fine. I just hope this was the actual cause of the groaning sound. Done for now. Lesson is that special tools are worth every penny. The ball joint separator was $36 shipped but I could have saved hours last weekend if I had it. As for the hydraulic press? I'll just keep in mind that my neighbor has one. :D
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Re: Idler Arm Bushing - Done!

Post by ron »

songzunhuang wrote: Sun Nov 18, 2018 3:17 am Although I got the balljoint apart, there was a bit of damage to the thread of the bolt side.
Leave the nut on wound to the top (so that there is no thread showing) and then use the splitter.
They are ALWAYS rustier than you thought!!!!!!
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Re: Idler Arm Bushing - Done!

Post by songzunhuang »

ron wrote: Sun Nov 18, 2018 8:17 am
songzunhuang wrote: Sun Nov 18, 2018 3:17 am Although I got the balljoint apart, there was a bit of damage to the thread of the bolt side.
Leave the nut on wound to the top (so that there is no thread showing) and then use the splitter.
Why didn't I think of that?! Great tip.
This would of saved me some grief and also added a bit to the safety since when the joint releases, it won't sent the tie rod rocketing off. Well, in reality it didn't really rocket off, but you get the idea.
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by sansouci »

From my experience, the groaning could be a wheel bearing. Let us hear if you've solved the problem with the new bushing.
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by songzunhuang »

sansouci wrote: Sun Nov 18, 2018 10:55 pm From my experience, the groaning could be a wheel bearing. Let us hear if you've solved the problem with the new bushing.
Hello, it's been a long time since I replaced the bushing. The groaning sound is definitely gone.
I've turned my attention to my rough idle issue. Ralph sent me a new idle ECU and it's been installed for several weeks now.

Here's the one I had (Blue Programa from what looks like Q2 2002) and the one I replaced it with (Green VDO).
It looks like I had an aftermarket idle ECU. Replaced with original VDO.
It looks like I had an aftermarket idle ECU. Replaced with original VDO.
Idle ECU.png (1.08 MiB) Viewed 13864 times
My car has never died since the swap, but the idle is still a little rough. It's maddening.
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Front Brakes and Oil Change

Post by songzunhuang »

My car has been running very well. The main thing that bothered me was a vibration from the front end at certain speeds. The vibration would get worse under light braking, only to go away under heavy braking. These are sure signs of brake disc or pad problems. I decided to change both.

The disc definitely had a pronounced ridge along the edge. It had started to cut into the brake pad sensor, but it hadn't cut the sensor wire. Here's a shot of the new vs. old disc. I always look for Zimmerman discs on my cars now. They have been consistently great.
Old vs. New Discs
Old vs. New Discs
Brakes.png (1.25 MiB) Viewed 13464 times
Here's a shot of the brake pads. Yes, it was time for an update.
It's been 4 years. Time for new pads.
It's been 4 years. Time for new pads.
Pads.png (1.45 MiB) Viewed 13464 times
Finally, I did an oil service.
Always feels good to get new oil.
Always feels good to get new oil.
OilChange.png (1.52 MiB) Viewed 13464 times
After all of this, I broke in the brakes with repeated hard brakings from 30-40 mph. I did this about 15 times and smelled the tell tale smell of very hot pads. That should be enough. A week has gone by now and I am loving how smooth my car is now!

Here's the working are for all this in my driveway.
Nice sunny day finally for the brake work.
Nice sunny day finally for the brake work.
WorkingArea.png (1.9 MiB) Viewed 13451 times
Of course, something else had to crop up. My power steering pump is making noises when cold. It goes away after warmup, but in the morning is sounds horrid. I think I know what my next service will be. My car turned 179,000 miles this week. Except for the still persistent slightly rough idle, it's somehow running better than ever during my commute.
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Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
songzunhuang
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Location: Silicon Valley, CA
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Power Steering Hoses - time to replace them!

Post by songzunhuang »

Well, it's been a long time since I've posted. This is because the car has been doing very well. Everything is working and I'm daily driving the e24. The sniggling thing that has been bothering me is my power steering would groan in the morning. It's more pronounced when it's cold outside. I have been reading up on this and some say that it could be air getting in the system causing cavitation and noise. OK, the power steering hoses is another of the things I haven't updated since I got the car! It's been close to 38K miles now as my car just turned 180K! It's been super reliable the past year. OK, down to action.

First thing, why is it that so many weekends that I get to work on my car, it's raining? I had to pull the front half of the car into my garage (moving the other cars) in order to do the work.
It's raining again. At least I have a covered place to work.
It's raining again. At least I have a covered place to work.
Always Raining.png (1.52 MiB) Viewed 13014 times
First inspection of my fluid reservoir does show a lot of tiny bubbles. I suctioned out the fluid and was left with a bit of grimy gunk. I removed the filter and all the bits and gave it all a good cleaning. Here's what I was staring into.
The fluid definitely looks aerated.
The fluid definitely looks aerated.
TinyBubbles.png (1.07 MiB) Viewed 13014 times
Here's a quick overview of the hoses that were replaced. There are 3 of them that I ordered. I realized that I really needed a 4th, but I didn't have it available so that'll have to wait for another day. In the picture below, I've traced the hoses and labeled them in orange. Two of the original hoses are encased in cloth, which means they are as grim as can be with all the trapped dirt and oil.
These are the hoses I replaced.
These are the hoses I replaced.
Hose locations.png (1.21 MiB) Viewed 13014 times
I ordered all BMW OEM hoses as I no longer trust aftermarket hoses on this car. The set cost me $110, however; I discovered that that they supplied easily twice the length of hoses needed. So I have an extra set if anyone needs to refresh their hoses as well. Here's the overview of what I have. Anyone need a set? I'd part with them for less than 1/2 of what I paid. PM me if you have interest.
Replaced hoses and spares for sale!
Replaced hoses and spares for sale!
3 Hoses for Sale.png (908.67 KiB) Viewed 13014 times
There's one more hose that goes from the reservoir into the top of the steering box that I still have to replace, I'll get to that another day. The good news is that the noise is greatly reduced and things feel great. I also noticed the braking feels a bit more solid as well. Maybe another side affect off less air in the system? Anyhow, that's what I have done to my car recently.

OK (about 1.5 hours later)- after studying diagram a bit more, the #18 hose my not be the one I replaced. There are 2 hoses coming out the side of the reservoir. The are stacked one on top of the other. The one I replaced was the top one that led to the hydraulic unit at the very top near the firewall. It's marked correctly in my photograph. I realized in the diagram from REALOEM, it looks like #18 is the bottom outlet on the reservoir. In any case, you can't get them messed up as they are different sizes. The top hose is smaller than the bottom. I just thought I'd add that update.

PM me if you need a BMW OEM steering hose set.
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Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
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