84 633csi 5 spd

[songzunhuang]

Chin up! Before you know it it'll handle the way a premium German car should handle. After all my suspension work, the car feels sooooo much better. I need to find some time to detail observations since the rear suspension last weekend.

In any case, once you get all the slop and weird noises taken care of, the car is a lot more fun to drive. I find myself taking curves a little faster and turing in a little later just to test the suspension. The car is much more sure footed now, especially for a big coupe!

[captain awesome]

I got a few hours time to put some parts on.

Master cylinder reservoir seals
Intake elbow
Idle air rubber tubes
Rear sway bar bushings and links
Rear dog bones

Haven't got a minute to test the difference in handling yet but the dog bones were shot. I'm thinking it will feel a bit more planted. Still got a few more parts I need to install but I've got a trip to Florida next week to see some flat track and the Daytona 200. Hopefully I can get the bomb swapped out shortly after that.

[captain awesome]

Drove the car in to work today for the first time since the diff mount crapped out on me. Handling seemed a bit odd the whole way in. I usually roll in about 30-40 minutes early so I can avoid all the annoying stop go traffic which gave me some time to vacuum the interior. I feel terrible even typing this out, but I have yet to vacuum it. Ever. I've barely even began to detail the car just due to time restriction. Anyway, I'm getting off track now. When I rolled the shop vac around to the passenger side I found the rear tire was basically flat. I don't see any punctures from screws or nails, but clearly that's not going to help in the handling department. A quick trip to the gas station across the street and it's filled back up still holding air.

Here's the deal. I think the car is punishing me. Monday of last week I posted the car on Craigslist in hopes to drum up cash to cover some of my garage build. I don't have to sell it, but it's barely driven at this point, and my passion for the car dwindles each time I run across an issue. So far I've had some trade offers but none have really rolled into a solid deal. As of right now though it looks like I will need to keep it a bit longer anyway. I'm loaning the current daily driver to my Mother temporarily so hopefully the little issues can hold off a few more weeks. The BMW will take on official daily status after this week, and for how long I am not sure. Maybe this is what I need to do to work out the kinks and allow me to enjoy the fruits of my labor.

Creature comforts are next on the list:

Radio
Climate control switches and lubing cables
Swapping seat bases possibly from driver side to passenger(this thing needs some help in the support dept.)
Greasing seat tracks for smoother operation
Cleaning switch contacts
Bypass SI board and get odometer gears ordered
Officially track down parasitic draw, currently I have just removed the offending fuse

[Ralph in Socal]

Best thing you can do is drive it to know what needs to be addressed. Keep your chin up as it can be a rollerocaster type of ride. The car is very enjoyable when you're behind the wheel and then it could have a hiccup that will just swamp you with regret. Always keep spare fuses and relays with you as that can help get you moving again without having to call for a tow. I printed the relay jumper page Brucey put up so that I can jump relays easily when on the road without having to guess what I'm doing. My memory is that bad.

Anyway, resend your wants list and I will work on getting them to you shortly. I'm tight on space so I need to get them out of here. PM inbound.


Ralph

[captain awesome]

Thanks Ralph. Message sent.

I'll dig up the relay stuff and print a copy out as well. I'm going to start dragging some common tools and stuff around with me until things get sorted.

I think my lack of confidence in the car mainly is compounded by my wife's patience or lack there of. Usually she is pretty understanding about me driving older vehicles. The Montero was crazy reliable for 5 years, and here I am having issues every time I putt a few blocks down the road. Granted once they are all addressed things will balance out real nice hopefully, but my wallet usually doesn't have to empty so quickly.

[captain awesome]

Got the aftermarket head unit pulled from the dash on my lunch. Parasitic draw is gone, so something in the wiring was wrong, or the radio was faulty? Either way, it's not as terrible a mess as I expected when I pulled the unit out. I don't think I have a factory amp, but need to confirm. I'll probably just be ordering a digital media player as Cd's aren't really a thing anymore and I usually just stream Pandora.

[Ralph in Socal]

Factory amp is in the trunk on the driver side.

The wires on the car side of those connectors:

White - +12 to your power antenna and the +12 should come from the radio. The previous installer put the +12 for the power to the radio together with the white wire for the antenna.

2 Yellow wires - speakers + and - Not sure which side
2 Blue wires - speakers + and - Other side from above

Brown - Ground wire

Blue connector with Blue and Yellow wire is not for the radio

Connector with cut wire that is feeding the +12V to radio is the stock radio power wire - Not sure if it is the constant +12V or the switched +12V. You can test for that.

Purple and WHite wire (tied to white wire for Antenna Power) appears to be +12V for the radio as well. Remember that modern radios have 2 +12V feeds. One is switched by the ignition switch, the other is constant +12V to maintain radio memory functions. I think the stock radio also has the 2 +12V feeds so this may be the switched feed. Same as above that you can test to see which is which.

Good luck


Ralph

[songzunhuang]

Factory amp?
My car had the original radio cassette player and there was no factory amp that I could find, and believe me, I've been through this car. It must have been a factory upgrade.

Derrick, definitely go with the media player. They are nice and short giving you plenty of room to install and neatly bundle up the wiring. I've had mine for 6 months now and it's awesome. I've never once wished for a CD player or anything else. I got a Kenwood unit and it does great with my iPhone.

I wish there was enough room for a stereo with Apple play. I'd be onthat in a second.

Hang in there. It took me several months (and lots of abuse from the wife who had zero sympathy) to get my car to daily driver status. It's so much nicer now.

[captain awesome]

I don't see any amp in the trunk, but when reading about the stereo system it was mentioned a few times. Figured it was worth the trouble to check.

My wife is still thinking that the car will be sold, so I am hoping that after a couple weeks of trouble free driving that she won't feel so strongly about that. I haven't really got many hits on the listing anyway, and I'm okay with that. The biggest worry for her is hauling the kids around in a not so reliable car. I can't fault her for that.

[captain awesome]

Been looking at a bunch of different media players, and I think the Clarion FZ105 looks and fits the car best.

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_020FZ105/C ... ml?tp=5684

[songzunhuang]

Been looking at a bunch of different media players, and I think the Clarion FZ105 looks and fits the car best.

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_020FZ105/C ... ml?tp=5684

Go back in my thread and find the Kenwood unit I got from Crutchfield. It's got Handsfree Bluetooth for calls during my commute and also Pandora and I Heart radio. Th USB port will charge my iPhone which I use constantly for GPS functions. Also the display is changeable for color. I got a perfect match with orange/red or a deep red if I want to match the OBC LED display. It's not a whole ton more money either.

Oh, did you get speakers? I got Blaupunkt (German to match) and they fit into the kickpanels as well as the rear deck. I just got the standard sized co-axials. Not the best in the world, but fine enough for my commute and handsfree phone calling purpose.

[captain awesome]

Been looking at a bunch of different media players, and I think the Clarion FZ105 looks and fits the car best.

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_020FZ105/C ... ml?tp=5684

Go back in my thread and find the Kenwood unit I got from Crutchfield. It's got Handsfree Bluetooth for calls during my commute and also Pandora and I Heart radio. Th USB port will charge my iPhone which I use constantly for GPS functions. Also the display is changeable for color. I got a perfect match with orange/red or a deep red if I want to match the OBC LED display. It's not a whole ton more money either.

Oh, did you get speakers? I got Blaupunkt (German to match) and they fit into the kickpanels as well as the rear deck. I just got the standard sized co-axials. Not the best in the world, but fine enough for my commute and handsfree phone calling purpose.

Haven't ordered anything yet. I'm going to piece it all together one thing at a time. As of right now I've got to be careful with spending on a car that is "for sale" and I really like the simplicity of the fz105. With this unit I can run the phone audio through the aux cable like all my other cars and it seems to do well for me for a hands free setup. As much as I like the idea of bluetooth, I hate it in practice. Battery drain is the biggest issue, but also because using an aux cable really isn't that big of a deal to me. I like to hop in the car, swipe up Pandora, hit the play button and scoot on down the road.

For the past 10 years I've been buying the inexpensive Sony Xplod units and have gotten used to their layout. There is a Sony version that would be comparable to the fz105. The Sony DSX-A40UI. It has a weird flap covering the usb and aux cable that I think would bother me as I often leave the aux connected to the head unit. The Clarion is similar enough that the switch shouldn't be too polarizing. I'll have to look into the speakers a bit, haven't even priced any yet.

[dwcains]

I've got this one, but haven't installed it, yet due to some eye surgery. It has just about every feature I wanted in a single-DIN unit:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0186T ... 1_2&sr=8-2

Still have to work on the speaker pods and sub box, too.

[captain awesome]

I ended up pulling the trigger on the Clarion but found that they have a bluetooth model fz105bt. I spent the extra few bucks as I think it's a good option to have around. I may never use it, but people seem to like it.

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_020FZ105BT ... t&skipvs=T

[captain awesome]

Drove the car for the first time with my girls to their normal drop off today as I will officially be commuting without my normal daily driver. All went well. The rear passenger tire that went flat last week must have a bad valve stem. I've been monitoring pressure and it drops a good 10+ psi a day. I looked for nails or screws but just don't see any.

One thing that came in today was my new radio. I finally have sound, sort of. The front speakers are currently the only ones hooked up as the rears look damaged at the spade. Possibly from me moving them around the last time I pulled them out? I'll order some in the next few days if I have the funds. Also parasitic draw with the fuse back in shows very minimal which I believe is normal with any radio.



Edit:

Just ordered some 4x6 for the kicker panels and a 6 1/2 component setup to replace the aftermarket setup someone previously installed.

[songzunhuang]

Looking good! It's so nice when it all comes together.
I wish I had room for bigger speakers in back. Alas, I just kept it all stock. Sounds good enough for phone calls and for music during the commute.

BTW - I was struggling with a no start problem the past few days. I've got it licked now. It was a speed sensor that had gone bad. I would of found and replaced it earlier except it's been raining the past days and I just didn't want to crawl under the car when it was all wet. In any case, we are both good for a bit with our old rides.

[Ralph in Socal]

Hey Derrick. I just realized I should send you a couple as well. The box was sealed but that's easy to fix. I'll get some other extras in there but no go on the door pulls. I need those in blue myself so you're next in line. Out tomorrow and Roger is next.

Ralph

[captain awesome]

Hey Derrick. I just realized I should send you a couple as well. The box was sealed but that's easy to fix. I'll get some other extras in there but no go on the door pulls. I need those in blue myself so you're next in line. Out tomorrow and Roger is next.

Ralph

Thanks Ralph. Shoot me a total and I'll get you some money. Also did I get you my shipping address?

Looking good! It's so nice when it all comes together.
I wish I had room for bigger speakers in back. Alas, I just kept it all stock. Sounds good enough for phone calls and for music during the commute.

BTW - I was struggling with a no start problem the past few days. I've got it licked now. It was a speed sensor that had gone bad. I would of found and replaced it earlier except it's been raining the past days and I just didn't want to crawl under the car when it was all wet. In any case, we are both good for a bit with our old rides.

I'm just glad to have sound at all. After this morning, I think it really has made a huge difference in my "want" to drive the car, which I think is pretty important. Hopefully once I get the new speakers in it will make it even more enjoyable.

One thing to mention is about the same time I bought this car, they shut down my favorite morning route to re-build a bridge. As of last week it is back open to public, and it's made a world of difference in the stop/go category. Lots of nice curves and mountain views that really give this car a purpose. No stop signs or lights for miles, it's a peaceful cruise up until the last 5-10 minutes of the drive which is Interstate. I'm a happy guy.

[Ralph in Socal]

Please resend your ship to addy so I don't have to search for it. Thanks.


Ralph

[captain awesome]

So this afternoon I decided to put the underhood bulb, trunk bulb, and getting the interior DOOR position on the light to work. I get a buzz when the door is open, but nothing on the light side. The ON position for the switch works, and when moved from one spade to the next the power moves with it. I decided to start at the switch and work my way up.

Starting in the kick panel and into the dash I found a few things that I need to look into.

This plug just hanging out:



Then this crispy wired plug hanging out behind the test light panel thingy:



Speaking of the test light panel thingy, someone removed the light bulb for the o2 sensor. I'll swap the seat belt one to see if it's illuminated all the time causing said removal of the bulb.



Another crispy plug behind the cluster and it oddly fits in the other crispy wire plug thingy posted above. It doesn't look like they are really "supposed" to go together but what do I know?



Oh, and another plug that was just hanging out:



While I had the cluster out I figured getting some proper light illumination going as only one bulb has ever worked. I happened to have two bulbs that fit, and light beamed from both. Adjustment worked good at the knob. Then for whatever weird reason I no longer have illumination in the cluster, climate panel, OBC, etc. Basically everything else works at the light switch but illumination. Did I fry the switch, or at least the illumination part? The fuses are good under the hood. I don't think the bulbs were a perfect match as far as number so I grabbed some at the parts store, but haven't got a chance to swap them out yet. I'll swap them tomorrow and hopefully see if that makes a difference.

Back to the interior light not working in the DOOR position. I didn't find the short or disconnect. So I basically broke more than I fixed. Yay. I don't mind though as I have been driving lots of miles this week and it's putting a smile on my face.

[songzunhuang]

I went through a period of swapping out all the bulbs in the car. I just assumed they were all about to go and changed all of them.
I got super ripped off on the bulb behind the OBC. Parts shop sold me a Mercedes unit for $27. That's for one bulb! I was in a jam that day and said, "screw it" and paid the King's ransom.

The good news is all my bulb switching turned out well. All my lights worked down to the vanity mirror! (that required a bit of tinkering).
Watch out when you change the bulb for the glove compartment. I found that while you pull out the switch, any contact of the switch body to the chassis will blow the fuse.

When swapping out bulbs, I discovered I had front marker lights! Seriously, I didn't know until I opened up the front turn signals and saw the bulbs all black.

I also bought a used cluster and harvested all the bulbs out of it. Then I used some bulbs to repair the "D" indicator for my tranny. Of course I have an automatic.
In any case, bulbs are easy fixes. I look forward to your progress.

[captain awesome]

I went through a period of swapping out all the bulbs in the car. I just assumed they were all about to go and changed all of them.
I got super ripped off on the bulb behind the OBC. Parts shop sold me a Mercedes unit for $27. That's for one bulb! I was in a jam that day and said, "screw it" and paid the King's ransom.

The good news is all my bulb switching turned out well. All my lights worked down to the vanity mirror! (that required a bit of tinkering).
Watch out when you change the bulb for the glove compartment. I found that while you pull out the switch, any contact of the switch body to the chassis will blow the fuse.

When swapping out bulbs, I discovered I had front marker lights! Seriously, I didn't know until I opened up the front turn signals and saw the bulbs all black.

I also bought a used cluster and harvested all the bulbs out of it. Then I used some bulbs to repair the "D" indicator for my tranny. Of course I have an automatic.
In any case, bulbs are easy fixes. I look forward to your progress.

Bulbs are nice to have when it's dark out, and now it's just a blinking warning light. I'm afraid I've burned out the light switch, or at least the part that gives power to the illumination circuits. One thing I did notice though is the cluster is close to being junk. I'm going to bypass the SI board once my Dupont jumper wires show up, but that's just until I find a better one. Someone tried to glue the clear plastic on poorly and unless I find an alternative way to fix that, it's a parts piece.

I just swapped out my glove box light a few minutes ago and somehow still blew out the fuse. It's working now though so that's another WIN. I also picked up new hose for all of the power steering/brake low pressure lines in preparation for the brake bomb. One thing at a time, and I think the wife is feeling less apprehensive about me using this car daily now that things have been going smoothly.

[captain awesome]

So I swapped bulbs for the proper ones, cleaned every moving piece of the headlight switch, and yet no illumination.





I also took apart the cluster and found this neat fireworks show in the SI board. Could this be responsible for the lack of lighting? Everything else on the gauges has remained the same but the illumination.







The batteries don't look too terrible.



Odometer gear is toast.



I took a page out of Song's playbook and taped over my lights until I can get everything functioning properly again.

[captain awesome]

I think the rheostat on the dimmer switch must be burned out. I can't see the break, but I can only assume that's the problem. I think I may have a few minutes tomorrow afternoon to try to jumper and bypass it to see if that is the case.

[songzunhuang]

Haha, not sure copying my "fix" was the finest thing to take away from all my efforts.
Recall that I ended up replacing the SI board with an OEM BMW board. When the service lights still didn't cooperate, that's when I went all DefCon 4 on it and instigated the "Hillbilly fix".

Also noticed that you have the same soldered on board that will make it more difficult to replace your odometer gears. No one said anything about having to de-solder a board to access the gears, but I had to. It looks like you will too. One thing when you buy replacement gears (very cheap on eBay), is that you don't have to drill out the hole in the smaller gear. You need to use pliers to deform the metal collar on the post and remove the collar so that the gear will fit. I didn't know this when I replaced mine and ended up drilling out the gear and installing it in a very difficult way.

Good luck.