phenryiv1's 1989 325iC Project - SETA 2.7i Swap Complete and Running!

[irish44j]

niiice.

[phenryiv1]

niiice.

You forgot to take some of those bottlecaps with you.

[irish44j]

argh, dammit :)

[phenryiv1]

http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a28954/european-supertest-german-thundercars/

Cool article

[phenryiv1]

Not much has gone on lately, and unfortunately I have not driven the car other than up and down the street. The fan is still not hooked up (it is in place but not wired) and the oil cooler fitting is (was?) leaking like mad. The power steering line(s) also still leak badly.

I did make some progress this past week and weekend. I had to have knee surgery for a torn meniscus so I have been hobbling around but I managed to get the relay controller for the fan mounted up and I got the wiring started. it is simple wiring but I wanted it to be done in a way that does not look cobbled together.



Also worked on a remedy to the leaking oil cooler. The leak looked like it was coming from the o-ring that mounts to the block (between the adapter and the block) but after replacing that I still had a leak from the oil control valve gasket. I looked at the how-to here and it seemed simple enough, plus the parts were cheap ($14 shipped).

http://e30.bmwdiy.info/oil-leak/

(BMW P/N 11429059338 )



Old parts:



That ring is pretty spent. New parts installed:



I will delete the cooler if this does not work but it seemed like a less messy solution than removing the cooler but in the end I am not sure. Replacing this was a messy PITA but it is done- now I just need to drive it to see if it worked.

[phenryiv1]

I REALLY thought that I had more pictures than this...



That was my temporary wiring for the electric fan controller (which worked, by the way). I must have been too busy working to take more photos.

I did get it out and put about 20 miles on her this weekend. Temp gauge seems to be where I want it to be but I threw a CEL. need to stomp test it to see why but I suspect O2 sensor. The car drives and pulls nicely- very happy with the SETA 2.7i build, and I still need to swap in the proper DME.

Also, my oil cooler leak seems to have been repaired.

I also did a swap of a new PS reservoir to see of that fixes that leak but I don't have high hopes there. If that does not work i do have new lines to install but it was nice out on Friday and I wanted to drive it, not turn wrenches.

I spent most of the weekend working on my e36 trying to get the interior swapped from tan to black.

http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?2236372-My-1997-328iC-New-Acquisition

But I had to end the rainy weekend with a beauty shot as she awaits this week's impending sunshine.

[phenryiv1]

So I got the e30 out and did a few hundred miles over the last week. The 2.7i feels amazing and I am very happy to say that most of my leaks have been resolved!

I had time to work on the e36 328iC this weekend (doing a full interior swap) and I took these shots after putting her back in her place in the driveway:





That project is found here:

http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?2236372-My-1997-328iC-New-Acquisition

As for the e30, the fan is still giving me fits. I don't have a good 12V switched in the passenger headlight area so I have it rigged off of a 12V constant but the connection is not secure. The wire came loose twice last week and I had to run the heater to keep the temps down. I plan to resolve it this week.

[95maxrider]

So I got the e30 out and did a few hundred miles over the last week. The 2.7i feels amazing and I am very happy to say that most of my leaks have been resolved!

Get that chip/ECU installed and it will feel even better!

[phenryiv1]

Not much to report. My only news was that I finally (after 2 months) picked up my spare key for the e30 (as well as one for the e36). The E36 key looked fine but the e30 looked off. I argued with the parts guys but they insisted it was wrong.



Valet key...brilliant move, BMW.

I'll post the info on how to order the correct key but after several calls the replacement key is on the way to the dealership. Now I just have to find time to make the trip to pick it up.

[bradnic]

That is definitely a valet key, not a master key. the "Standard Key" is a valet key.
check out my E30 OEM Key OCD Thread for more info (link in sig)

[phenryiv1]

That is definitely a valet key, not a master key. the "Standard Key" is a valet key.
check out my E30 OEM Key OCD Thread for more info (link in sig)

That is actually what I used to figure out where the dealership went wrong. When dealing with a chassis this old they don't tend to order parts all that often and they make mistakes out of a lack of familiarity. The dealer parts manager called me and apologized for the issues. PITA but they are letting me keep the valet key as an apology.

[phenryiv1]

Need some parts...

Quantity 2 of 35211160422 (brake pedal pad)
Quantity 5 of 61130007445 (cable socket)
Quantity 8 of 61131378417 (8-PLUG TERMINAL HI)

My e30 has a faulty/corroded fog light circuit and I can't pass inspection until I get it repaired. Reached out to Guten for availability.

[phenryiv1]

Not sure why but the car is intermittently heating up. I took it on a long(ish) trip over the last few days and it got really hot a few times. Never in the red but at the 3/4 mark. Running the heat would drop the temps, then they would never rise above 1/2 again.

Intermittent issues drive me nuts.

[phenryiv1]

http://www.rtsauto.com/ground-cable-replace-it-e30-preventative/

Ground strap info.

[bradnic]

Maybe have to bleed the system some more. Try raising the front of the car while bleeding so you're sure h bleed screw is above the rest of the cooling system