Just picked up an e30. Need some questions answered.

[kwseattle]

Welcome to E30lyfe. ;)

Hah, I'm not sure I'm prepared. I know quite a few guys that go to the same university that daily drive theirs, so I should be able to handle it.

1. The head unit and OBC do share a fuse, pick up a Bentley shop manual and reference it for the possible culprit. The manual will become a dear friend as time goes on.
3. The coolant sensor failing is pretty common on these cars, but if all those things started happening at once it sounds more like an electric issue. You can check the ground for the rear lights pretty easily though: remove the rear seat bottom by popping the front edge up on each side, then you should see the ground on the driver's side near the door opening. It'll have a couple brown wires heading to it.
4. Rough idle could be a lot of things, but intake vacuum leaks are the most common cause. Have a shop do a smoke test to look for leaks and go from there.

1. Good to know! I'll give my friend a call who has a Bentley manual.
3. Apparently they were both just replaced. PO worked at a Volkswagen dealership in the service department, he never printed his own receipts. I should ask him to. I'll look into the rear lights as well.
4. I'll probably be taking it into a shop (some great BMW shops up here in Bellingham, I've heard) to get a tune up and general inspection soon. Good running engine + less chance of failure = peace of mind.

Thanks again!

[AndrewBird]

Have you tired simply oiling your passenger lock? Sometimes they get grit in them and don't function correctly. Try some 3-In-1 or tri-flow in the lock. Apply some to the key as well and insert and pull it out several times.

[jharrel]

if you are not really mechanically inclined enough to diagnose issues on the car i would recommend taking it to a small mom and pop/ small bmw shop and pay an hour or two labor to have the car checked out. But if you can meet a few people locally that drive these cars and know a bunch about them i would get real good friends with them :) good luck!

[kwseattle]

Have you tired simply oiling your passenger lock? Sometimes they get grit in them and don't function correctly. Try some 3-In-1 or tri-flow in the lock. Apply some to the key as well and insert and pull it out several times.

I'll try this, thanks!

if you are not really mechanically inclined enough to diagnose issues on the car i would recommend taking it to a small mom and pop/ small bmw shop and pay an hour or two labor to have the car checked out. But if you can meet a few people locally that drive these cars and know a bunch about them i would get real good friends with them :) good luck!

I'd like to call myself mechanically inclined but I'm just lacking the proper tools and shop space. I do have trouble narrowing things down to their origin sometimes, however.

I'll be taking it in soon. Nothing better than having a fully operational machine.

Sent from my Nexus 5

[blunttech]

I think your whirring sound...along with random dash lights coming on sounds like alt on the way out.

[bmwstudent]

You mentioned a rough spot while turning the wheel. I hate to tell you this but the past three e30's I've rehabbed have need steering column u-joints. Check them before you find out in a turn that they've decided to lock up on you. Not the easiest job but definitely one you want to do. E30's drive terrible after the've been run into a tree or of the road.

[mkcman17]

Why does everyone seem to think the si board is always the problem?

Change the timing belt, oil, spark plugs and vac lines. m20s don't need much to keep going.

[dnguyen1963]

Why does everyone seem to think the si board is always the problem?

Change the timing belt, oil, spark plugs and vac lines. m20s don't need much to keep going.

After about 7600 posts, how many times have you seen people asking about the SI board? The Si board is a very good indicator of something wrong with the system. It can often point you to the right direction.

[mkcman17]

Quite often, and I have put together many a-cluster.

[kwseattle]

So the tach and radio power was a fuse. I wouldn't be surprised if the alternator was in fact on its way out however.

It has been idling really rough and having trouble starting, it's also stalled a couple times when idling.

Weird thing is, the stomp test gives me a constant flashing, no codes, but the CEL is on.

Sent from my Nexus 5

[kwseattle]

You mentioned a rough spot while turning the wheel. I hate to tell you this but the past three e30's I've rehabbed have need steering column u-joints. Check them before you find out in a turn that they've decided to lock up on you. Not the easiest job but definitely one you want to do. E30's drive terrible after the've been run into a tree or of the road.

About the U joint, can they be refurbished? I actually have a Z3 rack in the mail and I'll have to do the modification to it allow it to fit.

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[bmwstudent]

They are designed to be non-servicable but I'm sure someone somewhere has figured out how to source a proper size joint to fit it. However, I have just been sourcing good used ones.

[kwseattle]

They are designed to be non-servicable but I'm sure someone somewhere has figured out how to source a proper size joint to fit it. However, I have just been sourcing good used ones.

I'll look around. Car is finally in the shop for engine troubles and I asked them to look at the steering as well.

I had trouble diagnosing the problem with my engine because the stomp test didn't return any useful info, just a constant flashing. A poor idle, misfiring, and trouble starting could have so many contributing factors.

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[RagtopE30]

Does the light that is constantly flashing have the word "Check" on it and located in the center of the cluster?

[kwseattle]

Does the light that is constantly flashing have the word "Check" on it and located in the center of the cluster?

No, it's the actual check engine light. After performing a stomp test it will blink, blink again, and then instead of flashing the usual 1XXX Motronic fault code, it just flashes constantly.

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