New '90 E30 Owners - Lots of Questions!

[BeaLongoria]

Hey, all!

So, I'm hoping to completely leech off of ya'll knowledge of this car lol.

1) My lights are fluctuating from dim to bright and back every couple of seconds. This happens with the interior and exterior lights. I saw a thread here and it was suggested that perhaps the alternator was going bad for that person. My check breaklight light just came on, also. So... Mainly, I was wondering what is going on?

2) My car idles oddly... like in waves. If I'm sitting in neutral, I can feel like a huge shudder of vibration go through it once ever few seconds. Again, what's causing this?

3) My seats are in damn good condition and I'd like to keep them that way in this harsh vegas sun, any suggestions on awesome seat covers that are pretty cheap? >< I'm a poor college student looking to keep my car looking nice lol.

4) When I bought the car, the owner had reuppolstered the rear seat b/c it was splitting. Now, though, the seat belt latches are missing. >< I'm thinking they got stuck under the seat & was wondering how to remove the bottom part of a 1990 325i convertible's rear seat? If they aren't there, do you know anywhere to buy them?
Well, seems they were just stuck under the seats. Silly uppolstry people. >< Least now I can legally carry 3 other people in my car lol.

5) My paint is chipped in a few parts and since the car lived in CA for most of its life, it has some rust. It doesn't seem to be deep rust, and I wondering what to do about it.

6) Holy crap, 6 questions ><. Anyway, my convertible roof is in good condition, but the window is fogged to all hell. The only way I can drive the car is with the top down so I can see behind me. I was wondering if you know of any good way to clear up the rear window? The previous owner tried Plast-X & it worked, but then it just spitefully clouded up again, they said.

Thanks for all your help, everyone. ^^ These are my major car concerns so I look forward to hearing from ya'll!

---Bea

[kronus]

Hey, all!

So, I'm hoping to completely leech off of ya'll knowledge of this car lol.

1) My lights are fluctuating from dim to bright and back every couple of seconds. This happens with the interior and exterior lights. I saw a thread here and it was suggested that perhaps the alternator was going bad for that person. My check breaklight light just came on, also. So... Mainly, I was wondering what is going on?

2) My car idles oddly... like in waves. If I'm sitting in neutral, I can feel like a huge shudder of vibration go through it once ever few seconds. Again, what's causing this?

3) My seats are in damn good condition and I'd like to keep them that way in this harsh vegas sun, any suggestions on awesome seat covers that are pretty cheap? >< I'm a poor college student looking to keep my car looking nice lol.

4) When I bought the car, the owner had reuppolstered the rear seat b/c it was splitting. Now, though, the seat belt latches are missing. >< I'm thinking they got stuck under the seat & was wondering how to remove the bottom part of a 1990 325i convertible's rear seat? If they aren't there, do you know anywhere to buy them?

5) My paint is chipped in a few parts and since the car lived in CA for most of its life, it has some rust. It doesn't seem to be deep rust, and I wondering what to do about it.

6) Holy crap, 6 questions ><. Anyway, my convertible roof is in good condition, but the window is fogged to all hell. The only way I can drive the car is with the top down so I can see behind me. I was wondering if you know of any good way to clear up the rear window? The previous owner tried Plast-X & it worked, but then it just spitefully clouded up again, they said.

Thanks for all your help, everyone. ^^ These are my major car concerns so I look forward to hearing from ya'll!

---Bea

1) check if the alternator's ground cable is intact. If it is, check if the brushes on the voltage controller (plastic bit that is screwed into the back of the alt) are broken, damaged, or very short. (They should be at least a centimeter or so long)

2) probably related to your voltage issue. Fluctuating voltage will freak the ECU out.

3) if they're leather, skip the covers and pick up a leather treatment like Leatherique

4) I'm not sure if it's different on verts, but on all other e30s, you simply pull up on the rear seat from its front edge. It's attached by two friction-fit clips.

5) no idea.. wondering about it myself, but mine is to the point where those small bits of rust probably need everything around them sanded, primed, and repainted.

6) afaik, no way besides an outright replacement of the plastic window.

[BeaLongoria]

1) check if the alternator's ground cable is intact. If it is, check if the brushes on the voltage controller (plastic bit that is screwed into the back of the alt) are broken, damaged, or very short. (They should be at least a centimeter or so long)

2) probably related to your voltage issue. Fluctuating voltage will freak the ECU out.

3) if they're leather, skip the covers and pick up a leather treatment like Leatherique

4) I'm not sure if it's different on verts, but on all other e30s, you simply pull up on the rear seat from its front edge. It's attached by two friction-fit clips.

5) no idea.. wondering about it myself, but mine is to the point where those small bits of rust probably need everything around them sanded, primed, and repainted.

6) afaik, no way besides an outright replacement of the plastic window.

>< tbh, I have no clue where my alternator is. I looked at the wires leading from the battery, though, and they looks a lil worn on that side of it, if that means anything. Thanks for your response on all my questions, the seat one really helped. I'd tried pulling up on them before, but no luck. My husband has to come help me and of course when I had an audience they just popped right out. >.> stupid seats.

[wodcutr]

It sounds as if you might need to invest in the bible of E30 repair for dummies. It's called the Bentley manual and is a great read for all those pesky things that come with ownership. It even has a fair amount of pictures too. I would bet you would be able to find the alternator after browsing through its pages. Also I offer a warning to all new uneducated E30 owners...Change the timing belt now, especially if you do not know when it was last changed. It will let you sleep at night!

[BeaLongoria]

It sounds as if you might need to invest in the bible of E30 repair for dummies. It's called the Bentley manual and is a great read for all those pesky things that come with ownership. It even has a fair amount of pictures too. I would bet you would be able to find the alternator after browsing through its pages. Also I offer a warning to all new uneducated E30 owners...Change the timing belt now, especially if you do not know when it was last changed. It will let you sleep at night!

Ha ha >< on the drive back from CA with the car, I was thinking about the timing belt and figured I should replace it as soon as possible. My last car (daewoo) had the timing belt go bad and a piece of the plastic around that area got lodged in my engine. =O was a HUGE repair ordeal, since only one guy in Vegas even works on Daewoos and whatnot.

And the manual is my next purchase. ^^

[Quadrajet]

If the alternator on an I is in the same spot as an E. It should be under your Airfilter box attached to the engine. It will have some wires attached to the back, as well as the voltage regulator. You want to disconnect the negative at the Battery before you play with it. Easiest way to access it is to remove the AFM/airfilter box. Also down there is your ground strap from the chassis to the oil pan. You should unbolt it and clean the ends with a wire brush while your there.