1984 633i: Saved from the barn

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Doctorbeer
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1984 633i: Saved from the barn

Post by Doctorbeer »

Hello everyone!

I recently bought a 1984 633i back in September. I always wanted a classic BMW. Something I can drive daily and work on.

I figured i would document my work and maybe someone may find out something new. (Most likely will be me!)

She has sat almost 18 years. With random registrations and logs on the car history throughout its 37 years. The car had almost everything original when I first got it with the exception of the previous owner poking around the wiring. It still started and to this day runs fine. It means there is another shark on the road now.

I'll be updating some of the more interesting work I've done so far and the work I am currently doing.

Last 7 of VIN 6996547
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1984 633i Auto
songzunhuang
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Re: 1984 633i: Saved from the barn

Post by songzunhuang »

I got the same car! Best of luck and hop on over to my Project thread to see the long list of things I've done to make (and keep) mine a daily driver.
In the past 5 years I've clocked just over 45,597 miles on the car.

https://bigcoupe.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=25858

An adventure awaits!
-----
Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
Doctorbeer
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Re: 1984 633i: Saved from the barn

Post by Doctorbeer »

songzunhuang wrote: Mon Jan 27, 2020 7:22 pm I got the same car! Best of luck and hop on over to my Project thread to see the long list of things I've done to make (and keep) mine a daily driver.
In the past 5 years I've clocked just over 45,597 miles on the car.

https://bigcoupe.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=25858

An adventure awaits!
Yes, I've seen your thread before. :) In fact, I was looking through it the other day because I am going through electrical and ignition maintenance and found the mysterious unmarked silver relay. I was also researching this ignition upgrade that was done on BMW's from this era. I am pretty much on the same path as you are. Though I am lucky that the on board computer and dash gauges all work, with the exception of the fuel gauge being slow. It's already been an adventure!

I am putting about 240 miles on it a week now. After a few hi-cups, and fixes, I haven't had any major breakdowns. Though my longest challenge was finding and fixing all vacuum leaks. The previous owner actually opened up the AFM and messed with the gear in order to mask the leaks, along with jury rigging wiring in order to bypass relays. I didn't find the fact out about the AFM until I decided to take apart the AFM and clean it since the door flap was very rough and felt like it was sticking a little.

It's been a very interesting 5 months... more than anything, I am amazed it still ran. After driving for awhile, things started coming back to life! It felt like it was someone's beginner project and they did a half ass job and gave up. The car only had 91k on it when I got it.

Anyway, the long list of things I have done so far:
  • Oil change twice in the last 3 k miles. I used a flush before the first, and a second recently to clean out any crap that may have became loose since I have no idea how much maintenance the engine has had.
  • Air Filter
  • FPR and Fuel Lines all changed. There was some no name 'made in the USA' FPR there. All fuel lines were original 1983 BMW lines. All replaced, and the old ones fell apart. I did change the Cold Start Valve hose, I also learned many swear words in many different languages and learned yoga changing this line. :-({|=
    This doesn't look German
    This doesn't look German
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  • Brakes, Rotors, and a Fluid Flush: I honestly believe that the rotors on there were the original, and it scares me to think they were, I could pick it up with my finger nail there was so much wear. The brakes themselves came apart layer by layer when taking the old ones out. I had to get a heavy hammer and beat the crap out of them to get the rotor to pop off, they were completely rust welded. The brake fluid was black, now it's normal looking.
    Capture.PNG
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  • Headlights upgraded, I ordered from Classic Garage. Nice set, cheap, it works. I had to upgrade the fuses for the headlights to 10 amp.
  • Spark plugs, Bosch W9 silvers. Gapped to .032 The last owner threw in some unnamed generic plugs.
  • Radio fixed, someone unscrewed the anntena wire
  • Idle Control Module repaired. I bought a spare one ($15!), but the current one just needed a little love from cracked solder joints. The thin metal wires that connect the two boards were so old they basically snapped when I opened the two. I ended up using some wire and re-soldering the two boards back together.
    3.PNG
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  • Fuel Pump was loud as hell. The Filter was clogged. I changed both. The inner tank pump wasn't touched, I plan to do that later this spring.(I am betting it doesn't work) The sound of a screeching animal in the back is gone though.
  • Power Steering Fluid flushed, it was brown, like chocolate milk. It is now red like it should be. The filter was changed as well.
    Mmmm chocolate milk
    Mmmm chocolate milk
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  • Cabin Sensor plastic tube replaced, it was hard and broken.
  • Radiator flushed, thermostat changed. Someone added Dexcool, left it in there. It was beginning to turn to a sludge, There was so much build up. I went around and tighten up leaks. New T connector bought, but I will only replace if the leaks continue in that area, so far they stopped, but the current connector looks brown and ancient.
  • Any rubber hose needing to be replaced, was replaced
That's just the start, I have more detailed on some of my other repairs More to be listed.
Last edited by Doctorbeer on Tue Jan 28, 2020 4:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
1984 633i Auto
Doctorbeer
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Re: 1984 633i: Saved from the barn

Post by Doctorbeer »

So about a few weeks ago, I've been tackling a high idle issue. Basically going through anything that may be the cause of the idle issues. One area were the coolant switches. There are two that were found to be bad, the temp switch, and the ECM switch. For this post I'll be going over the basic Coolant Switch.

Mine was completely corroded out. No good.
No good!
No good!
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Looking online, they aren't cheap either. A new replacement would cost me around 45 dollars plus shipping. I like doing electronics as a hobby, and I have all sorts of things laying around for circuits. After finding more out about this complicated German technology. I found it really was just a simple switch that clicks close when it hits 45c. The update was 0c, but for this, I didn't find out about this 'update' BMW did until after I did this little project. So I'll stick with 45 c.

So the first thing I did, was buy some 45 c switches normally open, and closes at 45 c. I only had normally open switches in my stock! Gah!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PG ... =UTF8&th=1

Second, take a dremel tool and flathead screw driver, gut the old brass fitting, clean it out really well. I had to dermel the center hole a bit wider to fit the switch.
Nice and shiny, no more rust inside!
Nice and shiny, no more rust inside!
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Third, stick the switch in there. I glued it in using thermal paste adhesive. The kind normally for computer components. You don't need a lot, just enough to glue it down and give the switch better contact to the brass.

Forth, get some JB Weld putty, and go crazy packing it in! I used the steel type putty. For the connectors I just used some spade crimp connectors. Whatever works is okay!
It doesn't look pretty, but it works!
It doesn't look pretty, but it works!
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Fifth, take your meter, set it to continuity mode. Grab your heatgun and heat it up until it clicks. If it does, you're good to go!

Last, throw it onto the car and use the money saved to buy beer!
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\:D/
1984 633i Auto
Doctorbeer
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Re: 1984 633i: Saved from the barn

Post by Doctorbeer »

The next few things I did was adjust the throttle body and set the TPS. Boy was this plate dirty and it was set all the way closed. I used a .015 gague since it was able to be bent to the curve of the housing easier, then just opened it a bit more to estimate that .020 spec needed.

AFM cleaning time!

It had a sticky arm flapper! So I took the task to open it all up, clean and oil it well, and also check and see if it has had the wire update done to it.
Easy opening!
Easy opening!
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So all you need to do is take a box cutter and a small electronic flathead and work your way around the lid. Then lift with the flat head.
Very dirty!
Very dirty!
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After cleaning it very well, oiling the flapper door. No more sticky door. I then went on to the circuit board. Same tools, go around the lid, pry open.

It ended up already having the wire update, but what I noticed not only from the sloppy amount of silicone around the lid, but the a/f gear was messed with. There were what looked like marks on the teeth. Well this turned into a interesting event.

I have been fighting against a modified AFM this whole time, trying to get my idle within specs based on this incorrectly set AFM. Well after testing it to confirm the electronics do work. (Thanks to 4diyer video on afm refurbishments. Https://youtu.be/Z-QlPtsjh7g )

I took it outside and readjusted it back to what looks like the original area it is suppose to be set at.
Look at that adjustment done in the past!
Look at that adjustment done in the past!
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After testing this adjustment, the car ran like crap. As if there was a vacuum leak. Cars like to tell us what is wrong. Sure enough, after a half a can of carb cleaner, it turns out the TPS was removed in the past and no oring placed on it! I have a whole box of orings! So a a few minutes later, a 5 cent rubber oring, the TPS was back on!

The car started up and shifted into that lovely low idle. I yanked the oil cap off, the car almost died. It seems the fight was over. My AFM may still not be exactly set, but it runs so much better now. My MPG went from 15-16, to almost 20 MPG! I tested this configuration for the week so my tanks in the past were around here according to the OBC.

I was able to get an 'idle' before this adjustment, but it was lumpy, the car struggled to get much power. Now it feels like a brand new car, you could blind fold someone and they wouldn't be able to guess it was the same car!

It still feels like there is a misfire though, the engine still needs more love, but it's night and day compared to its performance in the past.

The feeling to get somewhere on the car feels great!

There is more however!
1984 633i Auto
Doctorbeer
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Re: 1984 633i: Saved from the barn

Post by Doctorbeer »

So last week my car started having high idle issues again. It was on and off through the week. I knew it couldn't be the AFM, it tested good and nothing was touched. I did open it back up. Right now the cover is held on by zip ties and a thin layer of silicone so I can adjust it if I needed to. Everything was tight and normal. So I tested the TPS, all good. The O2 sensor, all good. The coolant switches, bingo!

The tempature switch to the ECM wasn't working and a closer look, it had corrosion on it. It worked in the past. So for $10, a easy swap!

Well the old one was rust welded into the threads. I ended up stripping the switch corners and breaking the internals! Well a cool trick is to take some penetrating oil, a flathead and a hammer, put the flathead on a corner, and smack it a few times.

New switch in, but still high. In fact it was worst now sitting at 1200 rpm. I investigated the wires now, taking the rubber boot off. I discovered electric tape in a makeshift harness, and corrosion. The wire with the resistor fell a part.
Awful harness job.
Awful harness job.
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It is dead!
It is dead!
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Well it was time to do a little emergency surgery and fix this up since it was midweek and it is my daily. So I got the solder iron, a heat gun, shrinkwrap. Time to repair!
Fun fun!
Fun fun!
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This wasn't hard and didn't take too long. A bit longer because I took the time to heat shrink it very well to prevent corrosion in the future and wrapped it nicely with harness wrap which won't cause it to become a sticky mess in the future if it needs to be touched again.

The resistor value was 280 1/2 watt. I used a 100 and a 180 soldered together since I did not have a 280.
Nice and clean!
Nice and clean!
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Wrapped it up nicely, plugged it in, started her up, and the idle is smooth as butter. \:D/
1984 633i Auto
baders
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Re: 1984 633i: Saved from the barn

Post by baders »

Impressive diagnostic and repair work here. Well done !!
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
Doctorbeer
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Re: 1984 633i: Saved from the barn

Post by Doctorbeer »

baders wrote: Thu Jan 30, 2020 3:38 am Impressive diagnostic and repair work here. Well done !!
Thanks! I went through almost all 30 pages of Song's thread during my free time. I learned a lot, especially for the suspension work he has done.

I haven't done much this week. I put a new spark plug wire set on since #2 wire had a cut in it. Then I started looking over wiring and electronics. My fuse box has been... odd looking. It has definitely had wiring work done for some things to bypass the fuse box.

Instead of 3 relays and that silver relay, I have 4 box relays and the unmarked silver. I couldn't find out much about the silver relay. From unplugging and replugging it, it sounds as if I am unplugging my O2 sensor. The idle rises slowly, and when plugged back in, settles back down. I'll have to follow the wiring to find out for sure. It is a BMW update though from surfing the internet.
It seems I have extra relays.
It seems I have extra relays.
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Hmmm?
Hmmm?
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The two on the left must have something to do with the Purge Valve, nothing happens when pulled. The two on the right shut the car down when pulled. I was swapping in some new relays I bought recently to see if they were fried.

On the one photo there are two wires with 30a fuses from the positive, one I guess is for the updated radio installed as it heads in that direction, the other goes goes to that 014112 relay. From the relay one wire goes to a bolt connected to the power steering reservoir (to act as a ground?), and the other wire leads to the front of the radiator and it heads that way zip tied to the small coolant hose (pressure relief hose?).

I honestly don't think it is hooked up at all, but I will find where it is heading to this weekend.

I used the electrical schematics to study the situation, but I have to go in a bit blind in terms of figuring out WHY the wiring was done this way, what broke that caused the last owner to jury rig a random relay? :-k

I also ordered new injectors. I found some old new stock cater injectors. (Open box) FiveO has their Lucas D1540BA injector as a replacement for the Bosch 201 & Carter 150-159, which after researching even more, Bosch made them for the Carter brand... $20 each. We'll see when they come in, but they are low z, and the specs from Stan Weiss is almost spot on to what I have now.

My current injectors are original and rusty, with the exception of the injector under the rubber intake. After seeing the tons of dirt and crud coming from the fuel filter I changed when I first got the car... I can't imagine the injector filters are in better shape...

If the new injectors work out, I will have the current ones serviced in the future and keep them as back up.
1984 633i Auto
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sansouci
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Re: 1984 633i: Saved from the barn

Post by sansouci »

Mine is 6997510, Bronzit Beige with the pearl beige interior.
Welcome to the fun!
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)
Doctorbeer
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Re: 1984 633i: Saved from the barn

Post by Doctorbeer »

Thank you!

I had a cold all weekend (and still have one.) So despite the nice weather. I couldn't do anything on the car, but I did do some planning!

I need to adjust the AFM a tad. The car when going into park has its idle spikes before settling down. (To around 1 k rpm) This happens when both cold and hot and isn't the same characteristics as the vacuum high idle issues. My theory is the AFM idle screw isn't set high enough and there is too much pull on the flapper. It's set to the 3 turns out bmw factory specs. I think a quarter turn more should work.
The AFM has been an enigma.

Exhaust
Exhaust
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Glass pack?
Glass pack?
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The second thing I thought about was my exhaust system. The car right now needs more important things than a expensive shiny exhaust system. (Derusting and paint is top of the list)

I do however want to quiet it down as cheap as possible.
It looks like whoever did the work changed it to a single pipe, through a resonator, and then to a straight through or glass pack. The resonator just has USA stamped in it, the rear muffler has nothing on it...

The sound is way too loud.

I was looking at a Walker or Thrush muffler that looks similar to the stock rear BMW one. Cutting out that rear and just clamping it in. I also want to add some supports for it because it hangs so low... idk what the last owner was thinking... #-o

I don't need anything perfect, I just need something temporary until I get into the process of ordering a whole new exhaust system in the future. It will earn that shiny exhaust system in the future that's for sure.
1984 633i Auto
Doctorbeer
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Re: 1984 633i: Saved from the barn

Post by Doctorbeer »

So after recovering from the flu, I decided to tackle a few things.
The injectors I ordered, turned out that the listing was incorrect and what I received were different. I'll have to figure out that later, but I did decide to take my current injectors out and clean the area up and change the injector filters and orings.
Easy!
Easy!
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Taking the rail out was easy, taking me only about 20 minutes. I never did this before, the rail popped right out. The harness old and brittle, the zip ties shattered apart. The connectors all looked good except #2 which needs to reharnessed.
37 years of crusty goodness
37 years of crusty goodness
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The injectors were original 201's and very crusty. The green plastic pintle cap were black. I only could tell they use to be green from the inside when they were popped off.

I tested them all, all 2.5 ohms. They all clicked when 9 volts applied to them. I pulled the filters out, rings, etc off and ran cleaner through them for a few minutes. Nothing professional, just to check to make sure I didn't have a leaky injector or something. All good!
Now time to sand!
What a difference!
What a difference!
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I wanted to paint them to help prevent more rust in the future. Not a massive deal as injectors are very tough, but prevention can save lots of headaches. I taped them off and sprayed a few coats of high temp paint. I picked white to match the car, and it was a few dollars cheaper than black! :D
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Last edited by Doctorbeer on Tue Feb 11, 2020 10:00 pm, edited 2 times in total.
1984 633i Auto
Doctorbeer
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Re: 1984 633i: Saved from the barn

Post by Doctorbeer »

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Looks much better! I cleaned out the holes with a rotor tool to get all the carbon off, put the rail back, hooked everything up, and she started right up.

I also did a new afm adjustmemt. I placed the gear one tooth to the left(looser) and readjusted the idle screw. I am sure I am in the sweet spot, but I need to adjust, drive, and readjust. I am in an area where the pinging stopped and the idle issues while cold stopped.

This week I plan to yank the distributor rotor and look at it. I want to do this if ignition upgrade. Not because it is needed, but the newer distributor caps and rotors are cheaper and more availible. Should be a easy enough job.
1984 633i Auto
songzunhuang
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Re: 1984 633i: Saved from the barn

Post by songzunhuang »

Nicely done! I did an injector overhaul on my e24 as well, but I didn't paint the injector bodies. I painted the rail instead. I tried to have the gold tone galvanizing treatment, but it just ended up looking like gold. Oh well.

I did get a sonic cleaner device and soaked the injectors for a few hours under heat and vibrations. Afterwards I realized that this was probably a futile exercise as the injectors are pretty sealed up.

Looking at your result, I should have painted my injector bodies. Maybe when I run out of things to do - which is never.
-----
Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
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Re: 1984 633i: Saved from the barn

Post by Doctorbeer »

songzunhuang wrote: Tue Feb 11, 2020 10:54 pm Nicely done! I did an injector overhaul on my e24 as well, but I didn't paint the injector bodies. I painted the rail instead. I tried to have the gold tone galvanizing treatment, but it just ended up looking like gold. Oh well.

I did get a sonic cleaner device and soaked the injectors for a few hours under heat and vibrations. Afterwards I realized that this was probably a futile exercise as the injectors are pretty sealed up.

Looking at your result, I should have painted my injector bodies. Maybe when I run out of things to do - which is never.
Thanks! I didn't bother with an intense cleaning, I just used a tire valve and brake cleaner and checked to see if I had any leaks, and ran a little through each one. No leaks!

The paint does have imperfections, I am no professional, but at least they aren't rusted and are protected now with fresh orings! I thought of painting the rail, but it had no rust outside or inside it. I just took a scrub sponge and soap, and used the rotor tool to knock off the build up.

I didn't think I'd like them painted, but it looks nicer. If you do get the chance, go for it!

There is a bit of bucking while at a stop. My thought was there could be a bad oring causing a small vacuum leak before I did the injectors. Some suggested testing the speed and reference sensor as when failing can cause all sorts of issues. If they are original sensors, that may be the case.
It could also be I need to fine tune the AFM slightly. I found a thread to test them and they used a 60g object to get to a starting point before fine tuning. I may try this and see if I have improvements.

The good news, I bought a e46 heater valve and will retrofit this onto the car as my heater valve failed and i refuse to pay money for the crappy 3rd party or almost 200 for an original. It's a valve, nothing fancy. The guy who did this on the e28 forums said it worked well for him. I plan on making a bracket for it. If it works out for me I'll post pictures on how I made it.
There seems to be a lot more room than the e28s in the e24.
The bad news, it's not going to get done this week and tomorrow and Friday is getting down to -13 c. Hopefully the car will survive. :lol:
1984 633i Auto
Doctorbeer
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Re: 1984 633i: Saved from the barn

Post by Doctorbeer »

No one ever wants to admit their mistakes, but I goofed. The moral of the story is, check your hoses before working on the car. Even if you're 110% sure everything is good, sweep your hand under that manifold and feel for any missing hoses. It will save you headaches. :oops:

The cabin temperature hose was missing, it must have popped out last week. Which might explain the sudden high idle and bucking. ](*,)
Some cheap hose fixed the issue and it's tighter than the last one.


After that, the AFM adjustment went well. We'll see how it does now that there are no hoses missing.
1984 633i Auto
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Re: 1984 633i: Saved from the barn

Post by Shipper 01 »

I tested my injectors post an engine rebuild. 3 were stuck open and 3 fired intermittently. Make sure they are tested and working properly.
Doctorbeer
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Re: 1984 633i: Saved from the barn

Post by Doctorbeer »

Shipper 01 wrote: Thu Feb 13, 2020 4:29 am I tested my injectors post an engine rebuild. 3 were stuck open and 3 fired intermittently. Make sure they are tested and working properly.
Indeed, they tested fine on the meter. (All 2.5 ohm) I plan to send them in for professional cleaning and flow testing.

It's on the list of things to do. I have a place about 20 minutes from me who has a ~1 day turn around for injectors.

I'll see about doing it this spring. I want to reharness the wiring and replace rubber boots. This would be a perfect chance to do so without freezing to death. :lol:
1984 633i Auto
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Re: 1984 633i: Saved from the barn

Post by Doctorbeer »

This weekend has been pretty easy. Mostly just inspecting things to do in the spring. Muffler first, paint and removing rust second.

I had to resolder the wire in the AFM. Easy job. I also picked up a spare AFM from a 533i. It works, but the car runs too high in it's idle with it. So I am not sure an adjustment is needed. 50 dollars... not bad just to have a spare of a hard to find item.

I'll investigate later why the idle was high though, I could have sworn I read somewhere they didn't need an adjustment other than the fine tune from the idle mixture screw. I could be mistaken though. I am not too concerned since the current is working fine and my mpg is good.

This weekend if it doesn't rain, the long awaited valve adjustment!

The heater valve from the e46 will be installed too. I sat on it and thought of a better way to install it! (I hope! :lol:) I'll post lots of pictures!
1984 633i Auto
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Re: 1984 633i: Saved from the barn

Post by Doctorbeer »

So today was very productive. The E46 heater valve went in easily. It's a 25 minute job and my method to make the job even simpler worked!

The tutorial I used as referenced for this job: http://www.mye28.com/viewtopic.php?f=3& ... 422b178316

The issue I found was that he was making it way overly complicated with 90 degree elbow fittings, clamps every which way, u hoses, etc. I am not 100% sure if the layout on the e28 is much different from the e24. From what I've seen, it's exactly the same...
Don't get me wrong, his method does work... but it's overly complicated for e24's.

What you'll need!
  • A Gates curved hose. Found on Amazon HERE. Part # 18937. There may be better hoses out there, but this one worked perfect!
  • A 5/8 to 3/4 ID barb. Found here.
  • Clamps if you need them. I dropped and lost one, so I needed to buy some.
  • Zip ties until you decide to fashion a bracket like I am later on.
That is all you'll need! So next the steps to install it!

For those wondering, the E46 valve is reverse. You must follow the arrow on it. The bottom barb is the entry, the top is the exit.
  • First pull the heater valve out. If you can't figure this out, then you shouldn't be tinkering with the car. [-X There will be some coolant leaking out, no big deal. Either take the time to catch it in a pan or let it drip. Tuck the hose from the engine upward to get it out of the way.
  • Second, put together the hoses! Very easy!
    how it should start
    how it should start
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  • Third, slip the bottom barb into the original bottom hose. Tighten the clamps. Don't worry about straightening the heater valve out, you'll do that last.
    Curved hose to bottom original hose
    Curved hose to bottom original hose
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  • Forth, Straighten the heater valve out, take your hose from the engine and slip it over the barb directly onto the valve, tighten down the clamp!
  • You're done! Seriously, that's it. You'll have to cut the old connector and put a updated one for the new heater valve, but that is simple.
    Done!
    Done!
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Things to take away from this. I only needed 1 barb, I bought two thinking the engine hose to the heater valve wouldn't be long enough. That was not the case.

The good news is the new valve sits right on the original bracket. Which means fashioning a hand made bracket for it will be simple for those who have the tools and skills. It can easily be done with a sheet of metal and some hand tools. I plan to do this in the future when I get the time. For now, zip ties hold it on.

While I used 5/8 hoses, 3/4 will work on the heater valve. I actually found this out when I did the job. I didn't think the BMW 3/4 ID hoses would fit snug on the heater valve. They do and tighten down nicely. So if you have random hoses laying around in 3/4, then it can work. You'll still need a fitting coupler to connect the bottom hoses together still.
1984 633i Auto
Doctorbeer
Posts: 38
Joined: Wed Oct 16, 2019 2:57 pm
Location: Ohio

Re: 1984 633i: Saved from the barn

Post by Doctorbeer »

Quick update on the heat valve. No leaks, it's just working fine.

I did my valve adjustment last weekend. The only hard part about doing this job would be turning the engine by hand. I used the alternator to turn it.
Looks good to me
Looks good to me
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All valves were within spec except cylinder 2 and 6. I know a lot say to put the valves to .014, but I went with .012 to keep the factory settings and the other valves were already there. If in the future I feel like playing around I'll put them all to .014 and see if it helps me in any way.

The only issue was my front banjo bolt was finger loose.
Loose banjo bolt
Loose banjo bolt
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I just did what was recommended and cleaned them both up, added thread locker and put them back on. I'll check again in the near future to be sure the bolts are staying in place.

New gasket, everything out back on, car started up and purred along nicely.
1984 633i Auto
Jerry635CSI
Posts: 17
Joined: Thu Dec 12, 2019 5:13 pm
Location: Ljubljana/Slovenia/Europe

Re: 1984 633i: Saved from the barn

Post by Jerry635CSI »

Nice car, it looks very original and unmolested to me. Do you have some interior pictures? O:)
songzunhuang
Platinum Member
Platinum Member
Posts: 1224
Joined: Fri Aug 14, 2015 10:04 am
Location: Silicon Valley, CA
Contact:

Extra relay - me too!

Post by songzunhuang »

I recently came across the extra rectangular unmarked relay mounted on the outside of my fuse box. I have the same year car as you, so maybe they are similar. If you look at my thread, I removed a sensor linked to the AFM on the advice of my mechanic. So far things seem ok, except my car idles a bit higher than I recall. It used to idle around 750-800 rpm. Now it’s consistently 1,000 when it’s not in gear. It drops to 900 when in gear.

My bits of additional green wires had a diode attached. Actually maybe 2 diodes as one similar looking one is nestled deep and I didn’t dig it up. I also disconnected the mystery rectangular unmarked relay and it didn’t seem to affect anything with regards to how the engine ran. Anyway, I’ll watch your progress if you mess with that relay anymore. Maybe if I get really bored, I’ll dig in more. Right now everything works, so I’m not so annoyed by it.
-----
Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
Doctorbeer
Posts: 38
Joined: Wed Oct 16, 2019 2:57 pm
Location: Ohio

Re: 1984 633i: Saved from the barn

Post by Doctorbeer »

songzunhuang wrote: Sun Mar 29, 2020 8:26 pm I recently came across the extra rectangular unmarked relay mounted on the outside of my fuse box. I have the same year car as you, so maybe they are similar. If you look at my thread, I removed a sensor linked to the AFM on the advice of my mechanic. So far things seem ok, except my car idles a bit higher than I recall. It used to idle around 750-800 rpm. Now it’s consistently 1,000 when it’s not in gear. It drops to 900 when in gear.

My bits of additional green wires had a diode attached. Actually maybe 2 diodes as one similar looking one is nestled deep and I didn’t dig it up. I also disconnected the mystery rectangular unmarked relay and it didn’t seem to affect anything with regards to how the engine ran. Anyway, I’ll watch your progress if you mess with that relay anymore. Maybe if I get really bored, I’ll dig in more. Right now everything works, so I’m not so annoyed by it.
Well the only thing I found out about it is it was a fix done by BMW to solve idle issues. That's pretty much all I know and could find out online. From all the ones I've seen they are completely unmarked, not even a BMW logo on it.

When I remove mine, my idle goes up. It's almost like unplugging the O2 sensor and TPS. I would love to solve the mystery of that relay and get some more information about it.

I will end up drawing a graph to where those wires do go one day. It won't tell me what exactly the relay is doing still. I guess we won't know unless you have a classic BMW tech who did those fixes and still remembers why after almost 40 years.
Jerry635CSI wrote: Sun Mar 29, 2020 2:21 pm Nice car, it looks very original and unmolested to me. Do you have some interior pictures? O:)
Sure, I'll grab some photos when I am out working on it inside again.

The weather has been too cold still and I haven't had to do any mechanical work on it at all. No leaks, no issues, just jump in and start. I do have a lot of parts sitting around waiting to be put on. I just need it to warm up and be dry. Spring is here soon so I'll have the chance soon.
1984 633i Auto
Doctorbeer
Posts: 38
Joined: Wed Oct 16, 2019 2:57 pm
Location: Ohio

Re: 1984 633i: Saved from the barn

Post by Doctorbeer »

So since the spring is quickly approaching, it is time to finish the heater valve fix. I never bothered to finish because with the valve off, it is fully open and I want full heat for the winter. Spring and summer time, I don't need German hot feet.

This weekend I took the climate control dash out. Very easy though I cracked the bottom corner, a tiny bit of glue will fix it, no big deal. The plastic joint was indeed broken, this was due to old age, and the temperature dial was seized up and someone turned it extra hard in an attempt to 'fix' it. I have a replacement joint, but the potentiometer is seized up. It must be fixed.
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After taking the dash apart, I took the circuit board for the temperature gauge out and attempted to oil it up to get it to free up. No go, so I decided to desolder the potentiometer off and take it apart.

This is very risky as the company doesn't make them anymore, and the only way to get one is to buy a whole new climate panel or circuit board. ($$$$)
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My version, the pot is held together by two copper rivets. Just take a pin punch and a rubber mallet and knock them out slowly. After taking it apart, I threw the metal part that is the section seized up in a bag of penetrating oil and some ballistol mixture. The cherry switch for the fan speed broke and the transistor controlling the speed is dead, so I will let this pot part soak until those parts come in this weekend and I am ready to put everything back together.
IT IS NOT PEE!!! LOL
IT IS NOT PEE!!! LOL
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So far after a day, it is almost finger loose.

I am not going to sit around though! I have transistors for the blower motors to change and I plan to take my heater motor out and clean it up!
1984 633i Auto
Doctorbeer
Posts: 38
Joined: Wed Oct 16, 2019 2:57 pm
Location: Ohio

Re: 1984 633i: Saved from the barn

Post by Doctorbeer »

My how time flies. Well I am still alive and the car is still running. I've just been too busy to really post anything and frankly, I haven't had to do anything to the car. After fixing the high idle, swapping out the ECU with a referb I got a very nice deal on ebay and a bit of wiring repair. Everything has been smooth. It's a dream daily driver.

The theme of summer: Rust!

That's right, the car is getting a bit rusty, which means I need to do some rust repair. Every car up north must face it sooner or later and mine is no exception! The rust is all on the passenger side. It was in an accident in 87', my guess it was T-boned and when it was left to sit for years, the passenger side was the side to be sitting on the sun all day. So the paint is damaged, dried out, and 40 years is not kind.

I'll cut to the short story. I am using spray paint. When I get the last few major things done, such as suspension and a new exhaust system. I may save up to buy the tools to do a more 'professional job' in terms of painting. My goal is just to get rid of the Rust, it won't be pretty, it won't match, but at least the metal is protected for now. I was a bit nervous as a lot of people online say spray can is awful, but I've found it to be pretty easy and very forgiving.

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Last edited by Doctorbeer on Sat Jul 11, 2020 3:36 am, edited 1 time in total.
1984 633i Auto
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