1991 318i sedan project - Saving a sedan!

[s_ribs]

Curtly - still have it, and started working on the car again. Had fun tearing the seats down to the frames, then beating/welding them back into shape (they were amazingly fu'kd). Need new recline mechanisms but otherwise vastly improved. Can't wait to get it back on the road!

BBQ & brews would be awesome! Ah how times have changed... cars are fun, but would especially love for the little ones to meet. They are awesome and lil' h is a riot.

[Van Westervelt]

I miss Seth. Random bump from pulling up the alpine deck and pg6s. Hope we can have a brew n BBQ again soon my friend!

[firefirefire90]

gotta bump this. Our cars both had similar accidents. Great thread!!!

[Van Westervelt]

Going to be fs soon actually so I hear.

[Butler]

bump.

[s_ribs]

Generous offer - thanks!! I'll be sure to put it to good use. :) Out of curiosity, what model controller is it?

I'm thinking 20 credits and only possibly working part time is nuts. I have no idea how you do 16+ and work full time (and still have time for cars and a girlfriend).

[SiGmA_X]

Seth, I'll do you one better than buying a Flex-A-Lite or making one. PM me your address and I'll ship you one! I have one that I used when I was on a stock DME, but now that my ViPEC can do everything possible, its sitting unused.

And I totally feel you on both the lack of garage space, and lack of time. This fall is going to be interesting, working full time + 16cr = zero free time... Lets hope I can get the e36 done before classes start.

The fuel mileage I totally believe. My Eta gets ~280-300mi/tank in the city with minor freeway driving, and with almost all freeway driving I managed 413mi last year.

[s_ribs]

It's official. I am going into withdrawal's from not being able to work on my car! Even if I find a space to work on it, my school term is not looking very friendly this fall with 20 credits on the schedule...

I've just started researching electrical components to see if it's possible to construct the fan controller rather than buy it. The flex-a-lite unit I want is a little too spendy for my budget. Average daytime temps are about 30 degrees higher than when I left Portland. At least a temp activated unit would be ideal for the time being. Two times I forgot that I need to keep a closer eye on engine temp and realized that I was a touch past 1/2. At least I know that this fan does provide enough air flow to drop temps promptly.

The only update really is that the car has seen a long trip almost every weekend since moving (which it never did before) and it loves them. Not having a/c has made them a bit noisy as the windows need to be open. That gets old quick with the 65mph freeway speeds here (and ends up more like 75mph).

An interesting item is how much better gas mileage is on the freeway. Around town I end up around 300 miles per tank. With just freeway driving I'm close to 400 miles per tank.

[s_ribs]

Thats not quite how I had it worked out in my head the other day. Dangit, why didnt I just write it down! lol

I'm rather curious now, cause that's what I thought you were saying. Round 2 phone convo!

[s_ribs]

Hey Seth, in my head, you should be able to wire the LED to pins 85 and 87 and be done with it. And with the wipers, I know there are plenty of cars (at least some Chevy's) that had the washer nozzles attached to the wiper arm itself. Gave great coverage and you shouldn't have to drill any holes in the hood, just figure out how to run the tubes.

Dude, quit tellin my ideas!! Figured that out way to fast! Somewhere in North Dakota (or was it Montana, it's all a blur) I remember looking at the wipers on the Uhaul and noticed their placement. Pretty slick I think.

[SiGmA_X]

What were you going to use to show if the fan was functional or not?

[Van Westervelt]

Thats not quite how I had it worked out in my head the other day. Dangit, why didnt I just write it down! lol

[SiGmA_X]

Uh Seth, you said you want to have the LED indicate if the fan is dead or not? That won't do it. I'd do 85-87 as well. That will even show if the relay is dead. I can't think of a simple way to show that the fan is dead or not tho...

[hoseklamp]

Hey Seth, in my head, you should be able to wire the LED to pins 85 and 87 and be done with it. And with the wipers, I know there are plenty of cars (at least some Chevy's) that had the washer nozzles attached to the wiper arm itself. Gave great coverage and you shouldn't have to drill any holes in the hood, just figure out how to run the tubes.

[s_ribs]

Had a little phone convo with Curt and think we figured out a solution for the LED indicator. Initially I thought about moving the power source to tap in after the fan fuse - but that will only tell me if the fuse is blown, not if the fuse if good and the fan is dead.

Here's Curt's idea:


His thought that with the diode (only allows current to flow in one direction) will keep it from pulling ground unless the fan is on. I'm feeling a bit lost on technical knowledge and working through the logic of it, so I will just try in and see what happens!

During the drive East, we came up with a cool idea for a windshield washer system! It will stay clean looking and won't require drilling holes in the hood again. Stay tuned...