87' 325 and 85' 318-what parts are compatible?

[MitchFong]

i just bought a 1987 325e and obviously it needs work. i purchased it for 650 bucks and it runs fine but needs a boost to start as the battery will not hold a charge.
Anyways the major problem is all the wiring and electrical. wipers do not turn off,tachometer does not work, miles per gallon does not work, engine temp gauge is not working, and it has a ford ranger radiator in it for some reason and the a/c does not work as the line that goes from the ac to the rad is cut off.
As for the body it is in great shape with minor rust and it is original paint, with all power windows and power sunrooof. My main question is would it be worth buying an 85' 318 with the floor rusted out of it for parts? I mainly want all the electrical in it and the radiator but im wondering if it will be compatible with me 325e. i know the motor(which is running) and transmission etc. will be of no use.
Anyways thanks for your time and any information you have to offer as i have little knowledge of this cars.

-Mitch

[AdamF 88iS]

You need the SI board to fix all the gauges. You need either a wiper swtich or wiper relay to fix the wipers.

The radiator is different on the 4cyl and won't work.

The AC hose may work.

[Julien]

You need the SI board to fix all the gauges. You need either a wiper swtich or wiper relay to fix the wipers.

The radiator is different on the 4cyl and won't work.

The AC hose may work.

or fuse #10

[MitchFong]

si board? not exactly sure what that is. I have very little knowledge of these cars.
any idea if i can use the wiring from the 318?
either was would it be worth buying the 318 for 100 bucks?

[Digitalwave]

Early model 318i's are probably the least desirable parts car there is, there isn't many parts worth any money on them. And I do not believe the wiring is compatible but wiring isn't going to be the problem with your 325e.

The SI batteries are 2 AA batteries mounted on the circuit board of the gauge cluster.

http://www.bmwe30.net/cgi-bin/datacgi/database.cgi?file=articles&report=articles&Section=02

Look down the list and towards the bottom there are articles on replacing them.

[MitchFong]

well i was thinking there might be a short circuit of some sort because i charged the battery for 4 hours and it barely turned the lights on in the car let alone turn the engine over. works fine after a boost tho.

Thanks for the help guys.
-mitch

[Digitalwave]

Test your alternator and if it checks out, then replace your battery.

[MitchFong]

thats an excellent idea, thats very much for the help. Is that something i can do by myself or would a garage have to take a look at the alternator for me?

[Digitalwave]

You can do it yourself or there are places like Autozone, Advanced Autoparts and Batteries Plus that will test it for free at their stores for you. do you have a repair manual for your car? It will outline the steps of testing the alternator yourself.

[MitchFong]

i have the manual for the car but not a reair manual. Im trying to find a place to purchase something like a snells manual for the e30 bmws but i can find it anywhere.

[M3 Ryan]

You can get a Bently manual, although I think it is junk everyone else seems to think its gold.
I would venture to say your battery is dead, probably has a shorted cell. Just replace it and then go from there, either way its going to need a new battery so might as well have it fresh for all your other diagnosis needs. Check all the fuses as this can cause the systems you speak of to not function correctly.
If the SI board batteries burst inside the cluster, chances are the board is no good as the battery acid eats away the circuits and causes opens/shorts. Clusters can be had fairly cheap and it will fix your problems there.
Don't go trying to replace the wiring as its a total nightmare and will probably not work anyhow. It is much easier to find the problem and fix it instead of replacing everything.

[Digitalwave]

I have 2 or 3 Haynes manuals at home, you can buy them at Advanced Auto, they are cheap. It's a good manual, its never let me down.

Ryan, the reason I suggested checking the alternator first is because if he replaces the battery, even if he DID need a new one, you wouldn't want to drain it by driving on a dead alternator before replacing the alternator.

[MitchFong]

i was looking at the fuse box and a 3 or 4 are taken out along with the 5th one i took out because the wipers will not turn off. im trying to find something that will show me how to check all the fuses and the manual has them listed 1-30 but i dont know which one is 1 and which one is 30.
as for the battery, im pretty sure it is shot but im gunna leave it on the charger overnight and see what happens, and i will definately need to get a service manual.
thanks for your time
-mitch