E30 from Ukraine - "Shadow of Intelligence"

[The_Glory]

Thank you.

All EBAs are available here
http://www.ow.no/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=34

Yes, I know about this catalog. But I have four CDs with EBA catalogs. And there are a few more instructions there. At least those that concern the E30.

[Vincenze]

Thank you.

All EBAs are available here

http://www.ow.no/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=34

[The_Glory]

You have extensive knowledge.

Do you have documentation or electric diagrams for the automatic climate control and automatic air conditioner?

It was installed in European E30s.

The file sizes are too large to upload here. Send me your email address and I'll send them to you if needed.

[The_Glory]

You have extensive knowledge.

Do you have documentation or electric diagrams for the automatic climate control and automatic air conditioner?

It was installed in European E30s.

Air conditioning with climate control is a rather rare option. My friend installed one on his E30 Touring. So far, I have only installed a blue-red temperature control scale with temperature numbers from him :) If I manage to find such a kit, I will install it.
But I have the factory EBA instructions for installing this air conditioner.
There is also an EBA instruction for a regular air conditioner.
And for the early version with an additional fan in the cabin (including the wiring diagram).
I will try to post them here if necessary.

Unfortunately, I only have the wiring diagrams from ETM for a regular air conditioner.

[Vincenze]

You have extensive knowledge.

Do you have documentation or electric diagrams for the automatic climate control and automatic air conditioner?

It was installed in European E30s.

[The_Glory]

It seems automatic transmissions were rare in Europe, and people pay good money for them in good conditions. I even saw rebuild packs for them on European part websites.
But it's super heavy to ship.

That's exactly what it is - in Europe, automatic transmissions for the E30 are a rarity. And even more so in Ukraine.

[The_Glory]

People throw away automatic ZF transmissions after manual swaps. The lady would like one.

I think I had the last one I pulled listed for $50 over a year before someone finally bought it, to cut the bellhousing for a conversion project.

I've already thought about it ) But it's not so easy and cheap to find an automatic transmission for the E30. And even more so, a complete one in working condition. But I wouldn't really like to install an automatic transmission... She'll have to get used to the mechanics too! )

[Northern]

If you do trash the transmission, keep the bellhousing and list it in some Discovery 1/2 groups for an M5x swap.

[Vincenze]

I think I had the last one I pulled listed for $50 over a year before someone finally bought it, to cut the bellhousing for a conversion project.

It seems automatic transmissions were rare in Europe, and people pay good money for them in good conditions. I even saw rebuild packs for them on European part websites.
But it's super heavy to ship.

[varg]

People throw away automatic ZF transmissions after manual swaps. The lady would like one.

I think I had the last one I pulled listed for $50 over a year before someone finally bought it, to cut the bellhousing for a conversion project.

[Vincenze]

People throw away automatic ZF transmissions after manual swaps. The lady would like one.

[The_Glory]

First visit to the service station

I ride a little on the weekends ) Well, the new owner finally tried to drive it on her own for the first time! )


What can I say... she does much better on the "automatic"! )) She didn't really make friends with the "mechanics" the first time... )) Well, it's okay, I think she'll get used to it over time! ;)

But after a few trips, the brakes got worse again... I didn't start pumping them myself again, but decided to go to a specialized BMW service station to have the brakes pumped under pressure there.
After driving on a gravel road, the car was covered in dust, so I washed it first. And of course, I took a picture, while it was still clean! ))










When recording, over the phone, judging by the voice and intonation, the manager was not very happy when he heard that it was about "E30"... He even asked if it was an "F30" )) But he still replied that "if everything turns out well there, then come..." ))
I came.


I understand that they expected to see an average, killed E30... it was all the more interesting to watch the reaction! ))


And I'll tell you that my "thirty" did cause a "WOW effect"! )) When it pulled into the garage, probably all the mechanics from the service station came together to look at the "wonderful thing"! ))) Then there was the second "wave" when they opened the hood, and the third when they lifted it on a lift ))


Then there was a short "briefing", and answers to all sorts of questions. )
Well, it's very nice that the car attracts attention and arouses interest in people on the streets, on the road, and at the service station! )))

But I came here to bleed the brakes! )
They pumped under a pressure of 2 bar - there was air, but not as much as I expected. Mainly on the rear circuit. After bleeding the brakes started working normally again, the ABS also started working. After several trips, the brakes did not get worse. I hope the problem is solved... But if not, then I will definitely have to change the master brake cylinder to E32/E34, because I haven't found repair kits for the E30 325ix cylinder anywhere... I don't know why German engineers made it individual, and didn't just install the same E32/E34 cylinder... The vacuum booster is the same in them, fortunately )

I also wanted to check the suspension geometry on the 3D stand and adjust the front wheel toe-in, but the mechanic was on vacation, so I couldn't... Maybe next time...

[The_Glory]

Wheels

I've been collecting rims like a fool is collecting candy wrappers! )) Four sets. In principle, I like them all, and I don't know what to do with them - I don't want to sell them, and you can only drive on one set at a time! ) Maybe I'll change them in turn... Although, I can put all four wheels different )))

1. Borbet A multi-width rims with flat caps 7.5J16 ET20 PCD 4x100 DIA57.1 185/55R16, 9J16 ET15 PCD 4x100 DIA57.1 215/45R16 summer.

This is the basic set. In my opinion, these are some of the best rims for the E30. They look great and are without any spacers and rings. There are chips and scratches on the rim, so for a complete beautiful look, they need to be painted. The tires are already old, the front ones are completely worn out, - you need to buy a new set. But for now I installed these wheels as they are.

2. OZ wheels (ALPINA look, King) 7J15 ET13 PCD 4x100 DIA57.1 195/60R15 winter.









This was my winter set. That's why they're in pretty bad shape. Winter reagents and road salt have really damaged the paint. By the way, they're not painted exactly the same as they were in the original. They're silver with a graphite center from the factory. Mine is only silver on the front surface, and not only the middle, but also the side surfaces of all the "spoke wheels" are painted graphite. I bought another such disk separately for the spare wheel. It is all silver. I need to paint all five of them the same. I haven't decided yet - whether it's factory or the way I had it. It looked good. The tires are winter, the rear ones look almost like new - I drove them for two or three winters, but they are already old. And I don't need winter tires anymore - the car won't be driven in the winter. So, I need a new set of tires.

3. MIM 1900 7J15 ET13 PCD 4x100 DIA57.1 205/55R15 wheels








I got these wheels by chance, and almost for free - it was a sin to refuse! ) Their condition, comparatively, is not bad, although one of them needs to be leveled. These are wheels specifically for the BMW E30, although they were once installed on an Alfa Romeo 75. Even though they have a PCD of 4x98. The tires are very old. I don't know if they should be painted, but the tires need to be installed new. Maybe I'll keep them as a "sports" set... :) Someday this war will end, and then we'll be able to ride in some slalom or sprint at a club fest ;) And they look good on the E30.

4. Alloy wheels 365x150 TD ET35 with TD 220/55VR365 (Michelin TRX)














Original stock "bottle cap" rims. A teammate gave these rims to me a long time ago because he was going to scrap them! ) He bought them by mistake, thinking that they were regular stock 14" rims. In fact, they are original "metric" rims, which have a diameter of 365 mm, i.e. 14.4". This was some kind of joint "experiment" between BMW and MICHELIN in the 80s. Although, similar wheels were also on Mercedes and Ford of those times. Perhaps it was some kind of "prototype" of "runflat", because the rubber is quite hard. Why did they make "metric" diameters 340mm (13.4"), 365mm (14.4"), 390mm (15.4"), 415mm (16.4") - I don't really understand. But this is indicated on both the wheels and the rubber. Accordingly, ordinary "inch" tires do not fit on these wheels - they are either too big or too small, and do not fit on the wheel. Therefore, when buying stock wheels, you need to pay attention to this. Tires for them were produced by MICHELIN. I don't know if this is true, but I read somewhere that they were produced only until 2009. My set is completely new, but it was manufactured in 2009. I bought it by chance at a tire store, as "not liquid" ;) Although, usually, the prices for such tires are much higher than for new regular "inch" tires of the same size. I immediately put one tire on the rim to make sure that the dimensions match.




The rims need to be painted. I bought stock chrome caps for them, but I need to replace the stickers with the BMW logo on them.


This will probably be a set for "photo shoots" )) Just like a rare old-school option.

5. Raking through my supplies, I found a couple more racing "slicks" - I bought them a long time ago, just to try what they were like - for drag racing )) But somehow I never got my hands on them, and then I completely forgot about them ) I don't know... maybe I'll wear them to MIM someday, - at least for a "photo shoot" )))




So, I cleaned, washed all my wheel supplies and put them in a pile - this is such a mountain of junk! ))


In the end - I need to paint four sets of wheels and buy three sets of new tires. At the moment, this does not fit into my budget, so I just packed them in bags and folded all the wheels - until better times...


That's it.

[The_Glory]

Bottom guard and brake air ducts for BBS (part 2)

To install the bottom guard, you need a lift or a viewing pit. Unfortunately, I don't have either of those in my garage. I didn't want to jack up the car again, so I decided to make an improvised "overpass" on the garage ramp ;)


My assistant is the first to check the convenience of this "know-how"! ))


So, the guard on the front edge needs to be inserted into the slots in the body under the radiator with its three protrusions.
Left


In the center


Right


In my case, these slots were closed for some reason - I had to bend the metal above them first.


We put the shield under the car and insert it into these grooves. On the sides, the shield is screwed onto the side members with two plastic nuts.
Then we screw the lower edge of the BBS apron to the shield (it already had holes for this).




In essence, the shield is installed. I wonder what the rectangular holes on the sides of the BBS apron are for?... Similar holes are also in the factory spoiler. Maybe this is for attaching the original metal protective grille?


By the way, I had to move the holes for the air conditioner a few millimeters to the left and forward so that the power steering pump pulley would not rub against the edge of the shield (I recall that I had to lower the pump a little lower than it was at the factory). I think that this will not affect the operation of the air conditioner in any way. )
The shield still needs to be screwed to the front edges of the wheel arches. But I will do this after installing the bumper so as not to do the same thing twice.

Now I need to fit the M-Technic BMW E34 air ducts in place and secure them.
First, I inserted them close to the hole in the BBS apron, and marked the required length on the edge of the shield in place. I cut off the excess. By the way, the quality of the plastic, as for 3D printing, is excellent. To make the case hold tighter, I glued it around the circumference with sealing tape.


I inserted the duct case all the way under the edge of the hole in the BBS apron, and screwed it to the plastic shield at the back.


I made a 24mm spacer from thick rubber and glued it to the air duct case. Through this spacer, I screwed the lower edge of the BBS apron to the air duct case.


Now the lower edge of the BBS apron will not sag and scoop up rubble from the garage floor every time you leave - the consequences of this are already visible on the end of the apron...
In this way, the air channel is fixed between the plastic shield and the BBS apron, connecting them together.


On the outside, the channel closes almost the entire opening in the BBS apron, and the seal covers the gaps.


Similarly on the right.




Entrance


Exit into the wheel arch.


Maybe not ideal, but, as for me, it looks good, and it holds well. It's like it was there! )
And the main thing is that the direction of the air flow is now really on the brake discs!




The overall appearance is now much better - the lower edge of the BBS apron is even, but does not sag, and the "holes" in the openings for the air ducts do not shine through.










P.S.
I mentioned the regular BBS air channels here. I've never seen them live. But I saved a photo from the Internet - air ducts for another type of BBS apron.






The direction of the air flow is similar.


But their design is somewhat more complicated - they act as both air ducts and protective shields at the same time.


But for some reason I've never seen them, even in photos on the internet...
Unless you look closely at the picture from the BBS brochure, you can see them.


I wonder if there are similar stock air ducts for my type of BBS apron? If anyone has come across them, I would appreciate the information.

[The_Glory]

Bottom guard and brake air ducts for BBS (part 1)

Summer is already ending, and I still haven't installed the air conditioning compressor and started it, so I haven't installed the bottom guard either. Firstly, I still haven't found a place to check the compressor before installation and fill it with R12 freon. Secondly, for financial reasons, the start of the air conditioning, along with the painting of the wheels, is postponed for an indefinite period. Maybe until next season... or maybe the war will finally end sooner, then maybe I'll have some kind of job and salary...
And for now, I decided to finish the bottom plastic guard and install the air ducts for brake air.
Nothing interesting, but the photo turned out a lot )
So I'll just start with a nice photo ))




I've written in the relevant section of ETK for a long time about the lower plastic shields and their differences - early ones before 85, 85-87, and restyling ones after 87.
Previously, I had only the lower shield installed, after 87. I also bought side shields and air ducts for it, but they don't fit my BBS front apron. There was an idea to look for early shields before 85, or M-Technic I shields, but finding them, especially whole, is problematic. And again, they won't really fit my apron. Or "collective farm" something homemade again, like I had before... But here I was a little lucky - by chance in a neighboring village I found the 85-87 shield I needed. Its condition was far from ideal, but I bought it. On the left is a regular 85-87 shield, on the right is a shield for the air conditioner after 87.


It was necessary to make a shield for the air conditioner from a regular shield. That is, to make three rectangular holes for blowing the engine pan. I don't know how this affects the operation of the air conditioner, but it was done that way from the factory.


The condition of the shield was very bad - broken off parts of the fasteners, and many cracks. But there was nothing else. So I decided to repair it.






The plastic resembles fiberglass, so it cannot be soldered. For soldering, I used ordinary plastic ties, melting them with a soldering iron.


These are the "seams" that came out. They seem to be holding up well, but I decided to reinforce them with bodywork polyurethane sealant.


It may not look very aesthetically pleasing, but it's cheap, reliable, and practical! (c) :)




The missing parts of the fasteners were restored using glued overlays made of similar plastic.








In principle, the overall appearance turned out not bad. Especially since it is not visible from below! )




But, nevertheless, for a more aesthetic look, I painted it with black matte paint.




The number remained normal, but the shield is now air-conditioned! ) With holes for blowing.


In the 85-87 version, German engineers for some reason decided to abandon the brake air vents in the front spoiler, and replaced them with these stampings at the bottom of the shield.




Theoretically, they were supposed to somehow direct the air flow towards the brake discs. But, damn it! )) In practice, it doesn't work! That's obvious. This is a "jam" of German engineers, which they fixed after the restyling of 1987, returning normal air ducts for blowing the brakes! But I had to somehow fix this "jam" myself! ) I previously made homemade air ducts from a plastic corrugated interior ventilation pipe from a "Moskvich" )) This time I wanted to do something less "collective farm" and more "aesthetic"! ;)
Apparently there are some ducts from the body kit manufacturer BBS, but I only saw them once in a photo on the Internet, and then for a different type of apron. So it's unlikely to find them. So I started looking through various standard air ducts from different BMW models. And I found a replica of the M-Technic air ducts for the BMW E34 at a flea market, which visually looked similar to what I needed for BBS. The seller gave me the dimensions of their holes - they almost fit! I decided to buy it, although the seller persistently warned me that they would not fit anywhere except on a replica of the M-Technic body kit for the BMW E34! ) But I was more persistent! )) I bought such a set - a 3D-printed replica, M-Technic BMW E34.






The first try-on showed that I was not mistaken - they fit well into the factory stampings on the shield.


On the other hand, it's almost perfect!


So, everything is ready for installation, and I'll deal with the nuances on site!


I'll write about the installation next time.