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

Document your Sixer project here.

Moderators: GRNSHRK, ron, bfons

DesktopDave

Post by DesktopDave »

Well, it's not the dodgy plug wires. Swapped some good, freshly tested ones, same result. Also noted that the connectors on suspect cylinders have a good signal from the DME. I couldn't hear any injectors ticking with the old screwdriver test, so much for my mad shade-tree skillz.

Next installment will be testing injectors, and perhaps compression testing (should I find the right attachment).

I did manage to fix the hazard light (here's hoping it keeps working). The little metal finger inside was both bent and loose. I had a heck of a time getting that back together, and it works about 80% of the time. Who would design a hazard switch that fails closed? I don't like that design one bit. I'm suspecting my broken defrogger light has the same bent detent issue.
DesktopDave

Post by DesktopDave »

Today's fun is mostly just braving the weather. It's a crisp 23degF...taking the wind into consideration (and I most certainly do) it's ~9degF.

Regardless, I'm determined to swap out the fuel rail. I suspect it's another part of my starting troubles.

To recap...the original motor (a Motronic B32) seized up and was replaced. However, the original manifold was bolted back on as it had the brake booster vac nipple. Thus, the newer motor (a B34?) now has the wrong injectors...the smaller 150 201's (230cc/[email protected]).

So...taking periodic short breaks to permit my fingers to thaw...I've swapped the correct rail back into the car. This one has the larger 150 200 injectors (300cc@3bar) and the bolt-on-style FP regulator.

I'm sure I'll be revisiting this fix, once it runs right. Cracking fuel lines, split wire insulation, and some nasty deposits in the intake...black burned-on oil residue.

Once it runs...

...and it doesn't. It's not even running on the three cylinders it did before...I'm waiting for the weather to break before I take another look.
User avatar
Brucey
6 Series Guru
6 Series Guru
Posts: 10077
Joined: Fri Apr 09, 2004 7:17 am
Location: Cambridge, UK

Post by Brucey »

if you are using the original 633 motronic and AFM you will probably be better off sticking with the original #201 injectors. You new motor is about 7% bigger capacity, that is all. And the AFM and ECU will fuel correctly in low and mid throttle, the only time you need more fuel is at WOT when +7% would be about right. WOT settings are 'dumb' because the O2 sensor and AFM are ignored; its basically just the ECU, injectors and fuel pressure (with a little coolant temperature compensation I think) that determine the fuelling.

I think:

Using #201 with the 3bar regulator nets +10% more fuel.
Using #200 with the 3bar regulator nets +25% more fuel.

There is more than one way to skin a cat but you may be in danger of drowning this one in fuel.

One solution might be to use an adjustable FPR to give 2.85 bar (~+7% fuel) then tweak the AFM (or fit a different AFM) to give good part-throttle fuelling.

cheers
~~~~~~~~~~~~Brucey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DesktopDave

Post by DesktopDave »

I'll likely just swap the old rail back on, but thanks for the detail. That will help me down the road, no doubt.

The new injectors didn't make much difference in any case...I have to dig a bit more. As it's about -7degC here it might be a while.
User avatar
Brucey
6 Series Guru
6 Series Guru
Posts: 10077
Joined: Fri Apr 09, 2004 7:17 am
Location: Cambridge, UK

Post by Brucey »

DesktopDave wrote:The new injectors didn't make much difference in any case...I have to dig a bit more. As it's about -7degC here it might be a while.
unless faulty, I didn't think they would TBH. But you have to try this stuff....

'cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey' I reckon...


cheers
~~~~~~~~~~~~Brucey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DesktopDave

Post by DesktopDave »

Since the weather has improved so much, I spent some more time on the project. She's actually running a bit now, feels more like five cylinders since this morning. I finally found a fuel pump relay that worked as well.

Once I get the hydraulics back I'll be able to move her 'round the driveway!
DesktopDave

Post by DesktopDave »

Hrm. Back to three cylinders. I see a noid light in my future, along with maybe a leakdown test.

I looped the heater core hose as well since that rotary valve is dripping. Looks like it's been leaking for a while too. The rug and foam pad underneath are saturated with coolant. That's all coming out later too. Hopefully the carpet is salvageable. That foam/rubber insulation pad is surprisingly heavy!
DesktopDave

Post by DesktopDave »

I finally have some good news to update. After teaching myself how to test and (sorta) overhaul injectors, she's running on all six cylinders!

Didn't cost me a small fortune either. I bought a cheap EBay overhaul kit and built a little test rig. The injectors responded very well to a hot ultrasonic vinegar bath.

I'm especially proud of the tester...it's just an old 9vdc wall wart, momentary on/off button (salvaged from a dead toy) and a spare injector plug (from an '87 325e IIRC). I should have ganged two injector plugs together, but it worked well enough. Didn't even use any resistors...I figured the 9vdc@350mA wouldn't be enough current to cook injectors.

So, despite her leaking a few fluids of differing colors, I am refreshed. Morale is very high 'round here tonight!

I'd previously installed some fresh NGK BPR5ES (PN #7734) resistor plugs. Don't trust everything you read, the first set of plugs I bought had an unfamiliar part number (ending in "EY"). Turns out Y means a non-removable terminal. #-o Quite the "wait just one second..." moment there. So don't trust AdvanceAuto's web site, if that info is still there. They also gave me the wrong receipt, so I can't claim my $20 rebate on the $20 NextGen oil I picked up. I still did get a 15% discount though...so the plugs ended up far cheaper than EBay even before shipping.

If I get some time tomorrow it'll be nailing down the spongy clutch and flushing what's left of the old brake fluid out. I even splurged on a 7mm wrench, hopefully preventing a bleeder screw strip-fest. Is it just me, or are 7mm flare wrenches not produced? I've been using a deep well 7mm socket, but the 6-er clutch slave is near-impossible to attack that way...
DesktopDave

Post by DesktopDave »

Too cold to work here...if the sun stays out I might do a bit later. Lost my spare bulb box, have to dig that up. Seems like more bulbs are burned out on that car than still work.

Anyone know a cheap place to get that 4-pin radiator sensor? I'm guessing it has two internal switches to control the dual-speed aux fan. Mine has lost the contacts due to corrosion and it seems to be yet another overpriced part. I have the older model brass radiator, the switch in question sits on the lower right side. There isn't a mod for this, is there? The newer style three-pin switch looks to be a different size, and might require a bit of creative rewiring.
DesktopDave

Post by DesktopDave »

I figured out what motor I have in the car as well. The block casting (VIN) is 9221511, which BMWFans reports as a 7/84 533iA. The casting date on the head corresponds (it's a 473 casting from 4/84).

So they're basically identical M30B32's, unless there are any detail changes between 11/81 and 7/84.

I'm assuming this e28 donor was fitted with a hydraulic brake servo, as the intake manifold has no provision for a vac booster servo. Things are making more sense now.

Does the e12 chassis have provision for the low oil light? I don't recall it being in the early-style information center in the lower left dash. The sensor is there though, and I have the donor's wiring harness to match.
DesktopDave

Post by DesktopDave »

More updates...all the windows now go up and down (those switches drive me crazy). I also dismantled the hazard and defrogger switches & bent the detents on both. Both now work more or less as intended.

I'm not looking forward to the HVAC system repairs. I pulled the panel out of the dash and had a look into a wiring nightmare. Worst of all, it's OEM! What the heck...what is that?!?! Thirty individual spade connectors? Not only that, parts are broken. I'm assuming the A/C actuator is the bit that's sorta flopping around loose in there. Hopefully a bit of epoxy will sort that out.

I pulled the wiper motor and transmission out as well. Turns out the right side was seized. I drove the wiper stud out with an old screwdriver/drift without too much scarring. I found the lower brass sleeve corroded solidly to the wiper stud. I removed both sleeve and corrosion...lubed it up with a lot of white lithium...and found it works well enough. I'll source a used one somewhere along the way, that fix can't last forever. Many mounting parts are missing, and the unit I have doesn't seem to match RealOEM nor BMWFans for some reason. Still, the bits like cowl seals, washers, nuts, etc. all seem to be shared similar-era cars like the e30. That old 325e parts car comes to the rescue once again! There are getting to be a lot of e30 parts on this car now...

I finally bit the bullet and ordered a bunch of new parts. Tranny mount, missing wiper bits, various fasteners. BMW of Atlanta was very good about questions and reasonable about prices on OEM parts. I opted to have them wait on parts from BMW so shipping won't be quick. Can't blame them for that though.

I'm getting pretty close to having this ready for the road. I can't wait! She still needs new tires, clutch slave needs sorted, tranny mount installed and a full tank of gas. All the rest of it is little stuff.
DesktopDave

Post by DesktopDave »

Today was fun. Finally sourced the correct 265 subframe...bolted that up. Then I attempted to bleed the e30 clutch slave I swapped in (out of clear desperation, pretty much). It's working well enough to move her around the driveway!

I'm very pleased with myself. :D

Next, it'll be the wiper armature and I'll reinstall the HVAC panel. That panel was a mess...I took a few days and managed to "JB-weld" it back into something like OEM.
DesktopDave

Post by DesktopDave »

I fixed the power mirror switch today too. I'm getting to really like parts that can be taken apart and repaired, instead of the usual self-destructing components I find in many newer cars.

Here I was expecting all kinds of pulling door panel and continuity testing troubles. Turns out all that was wrong is the switch's rear panel being a bit loose. Cleaned the circuit board & terminals, lubed with a bit of dielectric grease, reassembled the case properly, plugged it back in. Now the mirrors grind up and down...more or less as intended. Sounds like a few dabs of white grease on the mirror armatures will finish up the job nicely.
DesktopDave

Post by DesktopDave »

Finally muscled that wiper armature back into place...it seemed to be about 1/4" too long. With a bit of WD40 and some persuasion it all works now. Unfortunately, I mashed the right wiper stud a bit. Once I clean those threads up it'll be fully functional again.
DesktopDave

Post by DesktopDave »

Today was a sad day. My 633CSi went to a new owner. The good news is that he's very enthusiastic about the car. I've told him about this site, and he said he'd be sure check us out.

Why, you ask? Well, I'd sorted out a lot of the cheap/easy fixes; the remaining chores were looking to be far more expensive in terms of time & money. I'm not terribly sentimental when it comes to cars, but that old 633CSi is certainly one of the most memorable ones.

So if you see any cheap, ratty or unfortunate 6-ers that need some love, send them my way! I'll be keeping my eyes open for a later model with a 5 speed. Unless I find a nice early E12, that is. Love those little taillights and the hood bulge.

Thanks again for all the help along the way; the car is running better than ever. My last drive went without a hitch, I miss the old gal already.
User avatar
DesktopDave
Posts: 66
Joined: Tue Sep 30, 2014 12:36 pm
Location: Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Contact:

Post by DesktopDave »

I tried, but failed...just couldn't stay away from an E24! So a new project is on the way...'86 635CSi, Zinnoberrot over Llama.

The car has many more options than my old one did. Leather sport seats with power & memory, OBC II, rear sun shade, F&R spoilers, cracked TRX tires on OEM rims. There's a few upgrades as well...aftermarket Momo steering wheel, Sony head unit, R134 conversion. Chassis is very clean, no rust that I could find. Paint is faded (guess I'll be learning how to buff that out). Otherwise, all it needs is a motor, tranny, diff & wheels, LOL.

PO bought it in Florida, drove it for a while, spun a bearing & parked it. He's keeping the S38 and the other M5 parts, I'm getting a rolling chassis.

Teasers:
Image Image Image

I'm looking for a dirty M30 to toss in there. More updates to follow!
GRNSHRK
Platinum Member
Platinum Member
Posts: 3710
Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2004 3:24 pm
Location: Gilroy (SF Bay Area) CA

He's back!!!

Post by GRNSHRK »

Man, you're a glutton for punishment :wink:

Best of luck with your new project :shock:

Should be a hoot, since it needs a motor #-o

:mrgreen:
:mrgreen:
Bobbo
1980 633 CSi Cypress Green/Pearl Beige
2017 X5 M Sport Xdrive 35i Carbon Black/Ivory White
2005 330 Ci ZHP Cabrio Imola Red/Bone/Black
Image
User avatar
DesktopDave
Posts: 66
Joined: Tue Sep 30, 2014 12:36 pm
Location: Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Contact:

Re: He's back!!!

Post by DesktopDave »

GRNSHRK wrote:Man, you're a glutton for punishment :wink:
Isn't that the truth? Not only the normal punishment of a good E24...but it's a series 2 so I get to learn what changed. Happily, this car has far less rust. Just need to find that donor car to get me started. I found a good dirty M30 candidate a while back.
GRNSHRK wrote:Should be a hoot, since it needs a motor #-o
It goes really well (as long as it's pointed downhill :D). You should see how well this thing handles without all 500# of motor weighing it down! I'll post more pics once it gets to my place.

I honestly can't believe that it's been two years since I traded off my '81. Seems like just a few months. In the meantime I saved an '84 745i and a couple old bikes. The 745i should be heading out soon; just waiting for my buyer to show up & claim his prize. Here's some blog articles it inspired:
Rusty But Trusty
Jalopnik
BFc build thread
User avatar
DesktopDave
Posts: 66
Joined: Tue Sep 30, 2014 12:36 pm
Location: Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Contact:

Post by DesktopDave »

Guess who turned up today?

Image Image
User avatar
DesktopDave
Posts: 66
Joined: Tue Sep 30, 2014 12:36 pm
Location: Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Contact:

Post by DesktopDave »

I'm getting ahead of myself, but I've been looking for some rims. Once I get a little spending money I'm thinking of 16" Style 4 rims or the more common Style 95 I've used in the past. The Style 61 and Style 32 also appeal to my personal tastes. I like the Alpina turbine style rims, but not the Alpina style prices, LOL.

Style 4:
Image

Style 61:
Image

Style 32:
Image

Bonus...a promo shot of the Epsilons I had on my last E24:
Image
User avatar
DesktopDave
Posts: 66
Joined: Tue Sep 30, 2014 12:36 pm
Location: Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Contact:

Post by DesktopDave »

Found my first project...leak into the driver's footwell. Both are a bit wet, but there isn't a plug on the passenger side since I pulled the old wiring harness out.

I'm hoping it's just the big wiring connector in the left cowl, next to the wiper motor. I pulled the kick panel to take a look...found the cruise connector unplugged and the interior temp sensor in two pieces. This little devil here:
Image
They've gotten a little pricey, haven't they? Didn't find any on eBay, RealOEM suggests $155. PelicanParts listed it but they want $223! I'll attempt a repair before paying that sort of money. The internal circuit board is broken from the connector being pulled completely out.
User avatar
DesktopDave
Posts: 66
Joined: Tue Sep 30, 2014 12:36 pm
Location: Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Contact:

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

Post by DesktopDave »

Waking this thread up after two years! I can't believe it's been that long. I should say, I can't believe it's been that long and it's not on the road. Life gets in the way sometimes, I suppose.

Anyhow, here's a status update. I've spent two years looking for reasonably-priced parts to cobble the car back together. I sold off most of the ///M5 stuff on behalf of the previous owner (S38B35 parts, Getrag 280, large-case 3.91 LSD, etc.) to fund the car.

The first victim was an '82 Euro 635CSi 5-speed. It donated a transmission & clutch. The car was trashed but title history indicated only 117K miles. It had been totaled in a flood, bought back from the insurer, then abandoned. No title. Poor car - I wish it was worth bringing back, but the body was rusted far beyond any kind of economical repair. Figuring out what was installed/survived was a lot of fun. VIN history isn't easy to get for pre-'82/gray market cars, but I was sure it had a low-mileage Getrag 265. I offered him what the tranny was worth and we struck a deal. I also hoped that the car had a high-compression dirty M30B34. I wasn't that confident - the motor was locked up with a cracked oil pan. Worst-case scenario, I could sell rare European parts and recoup some of my cost.
Image Image
Note the cracked pan. I let my goodie-two-shoe kids vandalize the car before it was scrapped (I'm such a good Dad 8)).

The next victim was a Z3 2.3. I bought the 'open' 3.46 medium case diff for a very reasonable price...but not many people know that many of the late Z3 6-cyl. cars had a standard geared Torsen LSD unit. They're not a perfect answer, and the ratio is a little bit tall, but I wanted to try one out anyhow. All I needed was an offset-mount E24 rear diff cover and larger output shafts to suit the E24 chassis. I borrowed the output shafts from the '82 Euro - despite the Type 210 "large case" diff, it had a 188mm (medium) 3.07 gearset installed. The E24 output shafts tapped right in to the newer diff!

I also split up a damaged '85 635CSiA with a buddy. He got to keep the chassis in exchange for towing, I took the wheels (two sets), exhaust system and whatever trim I needed to finish my car up.
Image

While in Chicago, on business, I bought some E30 parts including a complete set of Hella 'e-code' H1/H4 composite headlights. They look so nice on the E24. :D

The final victim (so far) was a '91 535i with a cracked block. I needed the wiring harness, Motronic 1.3 DME, gear-reduction starter and other goodies. It had not been well maintained, the poor thing. Check out that giubo! I've never seen one that bad - one bolt was bent, another had gone totally AWOL. I'm not sure what held it together, other than sheer luck. I had expected the worst, but there was only a slight amount of damage to the transmission & driveshaft yokes.
Image Image

I'm still trying to get this all together, but it's not that far from complete. I'm struggling with a lot of little problems...but still hoping to get it out on the road before the winter hits.
Last edited by DesktopDave on Wed Nov 09, 2016 1:00 am, edited 3 times in total.
'86 635CSi, currently running a B32 with Motronic 1.3
User avatar
hornhospital
Platinum Member
Platinum Member
Posts: 2929
Joined: Sun Jul 11, 2010 6:46 pm
Location: Silverhill, AL
Contact:

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

Post by hornhospital »

Dave, can you go back and repost the pictures? In the ensuing 2 years, the site changed servers and the pictures were lost.
Ken Kanne
'84 633CSi "Sylvia"; '85 635CSi "Katja";'85 325e "Hazel Ann"; '95 M3 "Ashlyn"
User avatar
DesktopDave
Posts: 66
Joined: Tue Sep 30, 2014 12:36 pm
Location: Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Contact:

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

Post by DesktopDave »

Thanks for the heads-up...I fixed the old picture links by rearranging stuff at Photobucket. I can't edit those old posts directly since my new ID isn't the same as the old one.

Image

That old '82 was a wonderful machine once we got all the running problems sorted out. I say 'we' since this forum was instrumental in bringing her back to life. But to be honest, she had her issues too. There was significant rocker & floor pan rust that needed attention, some torn seams in the upholstery, a low-compression B32, fragile 260/5, open sideloader diff, and the rarer E12-based chassis. Parts are VERY hard to track down for the early versions. When I received a trade offer on a '95 Honda VFR750f I jumped at the chance. It was too good a deal to pass up; I still have the bike. Here are a few pics:
Image Image Image
The last one is my rear-view mirror mod. It's just a cheap Amazon rear-view camera. I've since updated it with a smaller LCD above the binnacle/gauge cluster. It even has moderate night vision!

So I'm in the envious position of having both an E24 and the VFR. Best of worlds, right? I have high hopes for the new '86, given the many improvements in the later E28 chassis.
Last edited by DesktopDave on Mon Nov 07, 2016 4:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
'86 635CSi, currently running a B32 with Motronic 1.3
User avatar
DesktopDave
Posts: 66
Joined: Tue Sep 30, 2014 12:36 pm
Location: Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Contact:

Re: Thought I'd introduce my next project....an '86 635CSi

Post by DesktopDave »

Diff fun! Here's a few pics from my little swap. I had a large case 3.07 from a Euro parts car that didn't fit, so I swapped it for a medium case 3.54 from an '00 Z3 2.3.

Old Euro 635CSi 'hybrid' diff. Note the Type 210 large case ~but~ I suspect that's a Type 188 ring/pinion & carrier:
Image Image

Swapped E30 for the E24 output 'stub' shafts. As frequently noted, the E24 stubs have an identical internal spline but a slightly larger diameter output flange:
Image

All buttoned up! If you try this, be sure to swap over the speed sender as well, it's slightly different than the normal part. You can read all about it here at BFc: Ron Stygar's R&D write-up. Now with torsen LSD:
Image Image
Last edited by DesktopDave on Wed Nov 09, 2016 1:13 am, edited 1 time in total.
'86 635CSi, currently running a B32 with Motronic 1.3
Post Reply