Thought I'd introduce myself...and my '82 633CSi

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DesktopDave
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Re: Thought I'd introduce myself...and my '82 633CSi

Post by DesktopDave »

I've had some hurdles to clear with this one, that's for sure. Here's the pilot bearing:
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By pilot bearing, I mean one single ball bearing. The rest had abandoned their races & gone off on their own.

But the project is still creeping along. The rescued Euro B34, with a resurfaced single-mass flywheel, new LUK clutch, B35 harness, is now sitting in the car:
Image Image Image Image

This is more or less as it sits now. I took this picture just before installing the transmission. You can see it sitting on the ground:
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For comparison, here's the 'before' picture:
Image
'86 635CSi, currently running a B32 with Motronic 1.3
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DesktopDave
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Re: Thought I'd introduce myself...and my '82 633CSi

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I learn new stuff every day with this car. I'm currently stuck on a bunch of small issues. I'm nailing them down one by one.

Whilst installing the B35 loom onto the Euro B34, I've tardily discovered that the distributor and plug wires are different in more ways than one. I already knew that the cam drive was different between my 2/82 motor and the 9/90 dist cap & harness (helpfully detailed by Brucey here). So I installed an early-style bolt-on rotor & cap (parts schematic here). I didn't know that the spark plug wires actually have narrower boots on the early cars; I was starting to question my sanity attempting to mix & match incompatible parts. To be totally honest, I was a bit shocked that Beru would make something that sloppy. The obvious-in-hindsight answer is that the early dist caps have smaller-diameter nipples that are grouped into a tighter cluster. I'm assuming that the wider spacing is to provide more insulation for the later high-potential (?) ignition system. ](*,) I'm laughing about this now, since it's such a dumb n00b mistake. Just figured I'd share, if it saves anyone from therapy it's well worth my time. :lol:

I was hoping to use the later system, but I suspect that won't be possible. Anyone have a recommendation for a DIY wire kit for the early Motronic engines to suit the smaller dist plugs? My searches have thus far been fruitless...other than a tidbit about skipping the red BavAuto wire sets. And what's the difference between the tall skinny early-model coil and the shorter fatter late-model coil?
'86 635CSi, currently running a B32 with Motronic 1.3
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slofut
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Re: Thought I'd introduce myself...and my '82 633CSi

Post by slofut »

Watching this one... :-k
'87 635csi, 5sp man, dk blu on pearl beige
'88 635csi, auto, black on grey
'63 BMW Isetta
'75 XJ6C, 2dr, warm 350
'86 XJ6, th700r4
'75TR6
'64 Olds 88 conv
"68 T120 Bonneville
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DesktopDave
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Re: Thought I'd introduce myself...and my '82 633CSi

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This week's fun activity was installing the exhaust. It's missing a few parts, and has a few holes, but it'll do until I can get the car ready to roll. I had to drop the front anti-roll bar along with the chassis reinforcing bar, but it bolted up perfectly to the stock Euro cast iron exhaust headers. It looks slightly skinnier, but it's better than nothing. You know the old saying...don't look a gift horse in the mouth...and it was a freebie! Allow me to explain (& brag just a little :-" ):

As I've mentioned, this car came to me as part of a package deal. It had a dismantled S38B35, G280, 3.91 Typ 210 LSD and some other E28 ///M5 goodies. If I sold off all the Motorsport parts on behalf of the PO, I could more or less have the chassis for free. So I pulled & sold the OEM M5 exhaust about a year ago:
Image

New exhausts are pretty expensive...I was thinking OEM...but that's a last-ditch solution. I'm a patient guy; I knew something useful would come along eventually. I got lucky when a cheap Schwarz '85 635CSiA basically fell into my lap. It had been in a fender bender and wouldn't run. My BMW Master Tech buddy and I split the car up. In exchange for towing it to me, he kept the body & interior. He's planning an M60 swap (if he ever gets to it I'll post the build thread). I wanted the wheels, exhaust, spare parts and any little parts I needed. The exhaust ended up being a bit too loud for me. It was a hacked up OEM setup with some cheap blown-out muffler. He called me about a month later, asked if I'd pulled that exhaust yet (I hadn't). He'd just pulled a complete E28 535i exhaust, including the catalyst. Did I want it? I was there ASAP! It's well used - needs new hardware, gaskets and a new rear muffler; I'll probably attempt to fit some Magnaflow generic muffler. It almost looks like CF motorcycle pipes would fit too, if I can find a pair that flows enough CFM.
'86 635CSi, currently running a B32 with Motronic 1.3
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DesktopDave
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Re: Thought I'd introduce myself...and my '82 633CSi

Post by DesktopDave »

Not much to report this week on the E24. I was busy with a moving project. We have new neighbors next door. They hated their shed & asked me if I knew anyone that would take it away it. I was immediately interested, asked them if I could move it instead, and they were happy to oblige. It's fairly decrepit 8'x8' box, but I couldn't argue with the price.

I used my cheap HF alu floor jack to lift the shed up onto jack stands, then put a few 2x4s on the ground as rails. I nailed a few other 2x4s up under the shed as load spreaders. I managed to move it into my yard with four sections of 4" ABS pipe. I was astonished at how easily it rolled - I moved it solo! I had to actually set a few stops to keep it from rolling down slopes. Naturally, I used a few spare BMW wheel chocks. Those are really handy to have sometimes.

My driveway was about a foot higher than their yard so I used my E30 and a tow strap to pull the shed up a pair of ramps. I made them from pairs of 2x4s nailed together. I sunk a few cement block pylons and built up a treated 4x4 frame to level the site. Almost a week from start to finish, but now it's done.
'86 635CSi, currently running a B32 with Motronic 1.3
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DesktopDave
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Re: Thought I'd introduce myself...and my '82 633CSi

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It's been a LOONG time since I updated this, figured I'd share the good news. The E24 is still in great shape. I had it on the road for a month or so until it was sidelined with some rough running troubles. I never did like the feel of the clutch, so that's getting fixed too. Otherwise she's in great shape!

Here's the problem: once the car is warmed up it won't hold an idle. It'll rev freely, and runs fine otherwise. While I was testing stuff, I discovered that the in-tank lift pump wasn't working. It's odd how well the engine ran without it! I temporarily wired up a buzzy generic RockAuto tank pump to fix that problem. I also upgraded my fuel injectors and replaced those o-rings while I was at it. Unfortunately, it still stalls.

I jury-rigged a temporary CEL to discover that Motronic had set a 1222 code; Google tells me it's an O2 sensor out of range. My guess is a bad O2 sensor, but vac leaks can contribute too. While I'm on the topic of CEL, does anyone have insight or pics for installing a bulb behind the mid-model gauges ('83-'87)? I know it's probably pretty easy, but I've never seen a late-model OBDI E24 setup. I'm hoping it's just a separate bulb harness and a different gauge bulb overlay.

The clutch replacement ran into some snags too. I suspect I ordered the wrong master cylinder. It looked the same as the old part out on my bench, but once installed, the clutch pedal won't do the full stroke. It's like the pushrod eyelet is in the wrong location. A longer pushrod would fix the problem, but it won't allow the pedal to come all the way back up to the stop. The stroke of the piston prevents it! Other than the return spring, there is no adjustment on the clutch pedal itself. So I'm a little stumped. I'll toss the old part back in if I get a chance this week.
:-?

I'll run some tests later & report back, maybe build a smoker and a compression check too.

BTW, these new disc-type injectors are really nice! They're so much quieter and slimmer than the old ones. They're the attractive slender types with the yellow plastic jackets. I pulled them from a recent Volvo, mostly any I5 non-turbo should have them. They're high-impedance 200cc/min units, have the proper EV1 square connectors and four injector orifices. They're a bit shorter overall since they have no protruding nozzle, but are an exact fit including length, o-ring sizes and proper clip retaining slots.
'86 635CSi, currently running a B32 with Motronic 1.3
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DesktopDave
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Re: Thought I'd introduce myself...and my '82 633CSi

Post by DesktopDave »

Been three years since my last post, seems like my usual schedule! :D

I've actually done quite a bit to the car over that time period. Here's a short list:
E32 740i brake calipers, running E24 M6 rotors in front, 540i rotors in rear.
Pulled the Euro B34 for a long-overdue rebuild, valve seals were pretty bad.
Swapped all the Motronic 1.3 parts onto a spare B32 I had sitting around, including the newer disc-type Volvo injectors. They work perfectly.
Popped the B32 into the car. After a few misadventures, it's currently running OK.

Updates to follow...might be about three years hence though...
'86 635CSi, currently running a B32 with Motronic 1.3
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DesktopDave
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Re: Thought I'd introduce myself...and my '82 633CSi

Post by DesktopDave »

Image Image Image Image

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'86 635CSi, currently running a B32 with Motronic 1.3
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