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Lacey, the Lachssilber 325iS - oem+ 5spd. swap daily driver build

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    #31
    Originally posted by vtechnik View Post
    I have a small problem which I don't think is easily fixable but I'm going to ask anyway. When I first start my car and the radio deck is cold, the volume knob is super sensitive. If I touch it to turn the music down or up I get a static that is blisteringly loud. Once the deck is warmed up the knob is normal and all static disappears. I assume its just the volume contacts breaking connection due to the connections being cold. Then when the deck warms up the connections expand and reach full contact? I guess my question is, has anyone had a similar problem and a simple fix? If I have to disassemble the radio and resolder the volume connections I'll put it on the bottom of the to do list but if something as simple as a washer can fix it then I'd like to know. Thanks
    I had the same issue with one of my first cars. I was told that move the volume around would help clean the connection and brush. from my understanding there are a few ways to rectify this. However, you might want to read through the research yourself. I threw this into Google and got a few good videos and some articles: "how does an old radio volume knob work"
    Paynemw
    1986 Toyota 4Runner SR5 - Sold!
    the ebb and flow of 325is ownership - In RVA
    1988 BMW 535is - RIP but my dream BMW

    Comment


      #32
      Originally posted by paynemw View Post
      I had the same issue with one of my first cars. I was told that move the volume around would help clean the connection and brush. from my understanding there are a few ways to rectify this. However, you might want to read through the research yourself. I threw this into Google and got a few good videos and some articles: "how does an old radio volume knob work"
      Ahhh I would've never thought to move the volume knob around to clean the contacts, I'll have to try that next time I park my car. Thank You!

      1988 ~ Lacey ~ 325iS

      Comment


        #33
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kU-Yx47gXAs

        I'm going to try this tomorrow, seems like it would work pretty well.

        1988 ~ Lacey ~ 325iS

        Comment


          #34


          For future reference / alignment nerds

          -3.97 total toe, yikes.

          1988 ~ Lacey ~ 325iS

          Comment


            #35
            Alright, time for the package update. This post is kinda long, so I've been putting it off. This is basically a bunch of engine maintenance that I should've done within the first week of ownership.

            Note: I know 90% of r3v knows how to do the tbelt but like I said in my original post I regret not documenting so posting this stuff may seem basic for some (including me) but it may also help me a few months from now if I forget what I did.

            Things I did this week and last weekend:
            - Timing Belt
            - Waterpump
            - Tensioner
            - Thermostat
            - Cam Seal
            - Rocker Shaft Seals
            - Valve Cover Gasket
            - Painted Valve Cover
            - Adjusted Valves
            - Fuel Filter
            - Antenna Seal
            - Hood Strut
            - Alternator Belt
            - A/C belt
            - Topped off ATF
            - Excessively flushed coolant
            - Cleaned ICV

            On the immediate horizon, hopefully tomorrow:
            - fix radio knob
            - change oil using Rotella t5 << Opinions? It's 15w40, and its roughly 35-60F here right now
            - car wash
            - vacuum out trunk full of water
            - hopefully cruise some back roads and post pics

            This weekend:
            - buff & wax paint
            - oil pan gasket?

            Most all these pics were taken on my phone so bare with me..

            The hood strut was blown up until this point so a shovel was my hood prop


            Off with the hood... the canvas


            Out with the radiator


            Fan Clutch out along with some hoses, huuuge s/o to rob for letting me borrow his genuine bmw specialty tools and snap on tools. My bicycle wrench no longer does tbelts like it used to lol


            Took out the rest of the stuff covering the belt. Some how didn't break the 8mm bolt that holds the cover on, that one always gives me trouble.


            Belt close up, never really know how to judge these things but given that the middle has some sort of wear mark and the Continental markings were near rubbed off I'd assume it was on the last half of its life


            At this point the FCP box showed up, impeccable timing as usual


            They even sent a perfect sized package to cover my workstation as I quit for the day


            Next day I spent adjusting the valves and installing new seals. It's pretty grimmey in there which is why I opted for Rotella. I hear they have really good cleaning agents and high zinc content which is good for these engines? I'm no oil expert so feel free to educate me.


            After that and the cam seal was done I slipped the new belt on along with the pump and tensioner


            From there it was just reverse but I used new accessory belts besides the power steering belt. I also replaced the thermostat which is undocumented but the old thermostat rusted in half basically, which caused my overcooling problems. My leaky waterpump seal compensated by trying to overheat the engine. Both are fixed now which is nice not having an eye glued to the temp gauge

            QUESTION: Anybody know the factory position of this clamp? It's on the water pump hose. this was the easiest way to access it when the radiator was out but I feared it was gonna hit the belt. Later on it bit me in the butt cause there was a leak on that hose and it was difficult to reach with everything in place. I rotated it towards the exhaust which made it uncomfortable to get to. It still leaked so I double clamped it and really cranked it down. Last night it was causing enough problems for me to throw a wrench across my driveway. Anyway I woke up this morning and it seems like it decided to seal because there were no leaks under the car and when I drove to oreillys to get more coolant and clamps the car didn't leak when cold or at full temp. Weird. I'll watch my coolant levels hopefully it fixed itself... probably not though.


            Went through a lot of coolant. The one on the left is full from buying it this morning.


            And for those about to ask why you didn't just reuse the coolant
            1. I unintentionally spilled a lot the first time trying to drain it
            2. The coolant I did manage to catch ended up in buckets that had a little water, a little atf, and a little oil in it. Still not sure how I'm going to dispose of the two buckets in an ecofriendly way.


            I also broke my A/C bracket bolt trying to retension the belt.. so yeah that was fun.


            Also replaced the original hood strut, ready for car shows now :)




            And of course after all that work I had to give the engine bay a little more bling, VHT wrinkle and regular old clearcoat. I used VHT clear coat before and it melted the VHT wrinkle off somehow. Annoyed and confused I redid it this way and it turned out really nice imo


            Then the best part of the whole timing belt job.. adding the oem sticker belt sticker
            Last edited by vtechnik; 01-18-2018, 10:17 AM.

            1988 ~ Lacey ~ 325iS

            Comment


              #36
              So now we're on to today.

              Today I installed a new antenna grommet which was possibly more satisfying than the whole tbelt job lol





              YESSSS


              No more leaks!!! I'm gonna vacuum it out tomorrow and assess the damage.


              Adding mental note to polish up tool kit and find missing components


              Were there only one trunk lights on some cars? I don't see any plug ins in the hole so I assume so?


              Then I went ahead and swapped out the fuel filter for a proper Bosch one instead of the Chinese one that was in there.


              I cut the ends of the hoses off so the clamp had something pliable to squeeze


              Then I cleaned out the ICV, no pics, but the car idles pretty steady when warmed up. vacuum lines will be done before the picnic hopefully

              After that it was getting late so I finished some errands I had to run

              On the way I cleaned the engine bay, pretty satisfying. I'll get in there with a brush and detergent once car show season has arrived













              I don't really mind the cosmoline on the strut towers. Fun side story, when I bought the car it was at night and I thought the car was bronzit because of the strut towers. Needless to say when I woke up in the morning I was pleasantly surprised and knew I had to keep her. I however do mind the cosmoline on the intake manifold. If I find the time this weekend I'm definitely taking a heat gun, paint stripper and a scraper to the manifold. Definitely makes the engine bay look dirty'd up.

              Then after that pit stop on the way to my sister's house I took a picture at the BMW dealership, I didn't take one when I reset the radio there and regretted it so I went back. Terrible lighting and I'm no good at shooting photos anyway. While I was stopped there a minty black E36 M3 pulled in and left their car there for service. Made the stop definitely worth it.

              Last edited by vtechnik; 01-20-2018, 02:45 PM.

              1988 ~ Lacey ~ 325iS

              Comment


                #37
                Alright so I didn't get much work done as I had hoped to yesterday. After school I did my oil change, my dad's Jeep oil change, and cleaned up shop a little.

                Soo first I dumped a little under a third of the seafoam into the engine and ran it for about 2-3 mins at idle. Then I drained it all out and used the Rotella T5, half of the MMO and the rest of some Castrol I had lying around. The engine idles a lot smoother when its fully warmed up from what I can tell. I hardly get any vibration through the steering wheel now too. It may be a placebo effect but I think it feels a lot better now and it sure is a lot quieter. Ill post before and after pics of the valvetrain after that MMO has been in there for a month or so. As of now I will be using Rotella in the future especially since its only $15.27 shipped using Amazon prime, plus I bought my OE filter off FCP so as of now my oil changes are only $16, plus some oil I have lying around. Castrol gtx 20w-50 is only $17.47 on amazon prime too. I still go to auto part stores and buy a lot from them but it's hard to justify spending $30 oil and $7 for a non-OE filter from them when you can get them both for less than half on amazon / fcp.



                Anyway, then I cleaned up shop a little because it was an absolute mess after the timing belt job.





                My plans for the weekend are:
                - buff / wax
                - clean air filter
                - vacuum trunk / clean it out
                - clean interior / reapply leather conditioner to dash
                - hopefully bring the trim back to life
                - adjust window

                Pretty excited to buff Lacey, if my reputation precedes me it should turn out mirror-like hopefully

                low res pic






                Not trying to say the Jetta was all that cool but it was fun getting that paint to really shine

                *CAUTION* more Honda pics ahead, viewer discretion is advised:



                The paint was realllyy bad when I got le hoonda but once I finished buffing, the civic was pretty presentable





                Annnd my plans for next week:


                1988 ~ Lacey ~ 325iS

                Comment


                  #38
                  So today I got around to buffing Lacey :)

                  First I washed her off





                  Obligatory JKU pic



                  My resources



                  turn signals were not used in buffing process...

                  Started with the clay bar, then I used an aggressive pad on the roof, trunk, and hood. Then for the sides where there's not so much wear I used a lighter pad. I'm pretty satisfied with the results. I'll be back at it again tomorrow to wax but this was a great start.



                  BEFORE


                  AFTER












                  BEFORE


                  AFTER used an aggressive pad on a high speed w/ pretty slow passes. paint got pretty warm. the results are a huge improvement.
                  [/url]



                  Lighting is terrible but I couldn't resist going out and seeing what it looked like tonight. Hard to say without seeing it in direct sunlight but so far I like what I see :D





                  Time for a new hood emblem :/


                  Then after test driving the car I realized my front passenger tire is reaallly low. I just filled it up to 40 psi yesterday so it has a hole somewhere. The logical thing is to pull the wheel and to fix the hole. Admittedly I'm not thinking logically lol. My mind is more set on this idea?





                  I got this set a while ago for cheap and I've been trying to flip them since but no one's interested on offerup or cl it seems like. Personally, I love the look of them held up against Lacey. As soon as I propped them up there I sat down and stared in awe for a good 5 mins straight lolol. One concern I have is the cost. I need to find a place that cheaply fills and redrills wheels because these are 4x114.3. My other concern is the fitment I'm going to be able to get with these. These enkei's are 15x7 et19. I don't want to roll fender at all. I want my look to be like this car but a little lower? Is this car stock height? I like the OEM+ look of it but I think my car is a little lower, if I can achieve this stance with Lacey I'd be one happy camper

                  https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=77844

                  I don't know what tires I should be running to get a good OEM+ stance. I asked Eurospec and he said those tires were 225/50/15. I'm not sure I can fit a 225/50 with H&R's without rolling fender? I need to do more research definitely and I'd really like to hear your guys' thoughts on the matter. I'm still not entirely convinced to go this path yet though, I want to stick to my original plan that I had but it's so hard to do that when I look at that picture^^ lolol. Stay tuned for waxed e30 pics and updates on wheels. Let me know if anyone knows a cheap fill and redrill shop in Seattle-Tacoma area. Or if you have a tire suggestion let me know. Or if you just like the idea of the wheels let me know. Thanks.
                  Last edited by vtechnik; 01-23-2018, 01:11 AM.

                  1988 ~ Lacey ~ 325iS

                  Comment


                    #39
                    I like those vintage enkeis a lot. I think you're gonna have to get them filled and redrilled in order to get a true oem+ stance though. I think a 225/50 will fit with your h&r races without rubbing, but I'd do a little more research first.

                    90 M3 brilliantrot/schwarz
                    90 M5 brilliantrot/schwarz
                    87 325 alpinweiss/houndstooth (building)
                    90 735i/5 islandgrün-metallic/schwarz (daily)
                    87 Foxbody Notch 5.0 5spd SSP (other daily)
                    71 F-250 4x4 390 4spd

                    Comment


                      #40
                      Yeah they're sweet but they'll definitely poke to much with adapters. Looks like it might be a while before i get them mounted, i need to find a place that redrills cheeeap.

                      1988 ~ Lacey ~ 325iS

                      Comment


                        #41
                        Great progress! Nice work on that paint correction. Cool seeing the car come to life. What happened to the other set of wheels you got for it?
                        1988 325 Lachs Sedan SOLD

                        1989 325i Bronzit Beige 2 Door
                        SOLD

                        2018 Volkswagen Alltrack SE DSG
                        Past:1988 325iS Lachs 5 Speed

                        Comment


                          #42
                          Thanks!! I plan to post an update showing the waxed results tomorrow, along with my skid plate installation. I sold them to a guy up north to pay for tuition. He ended up putting them on a roundie he's restoring so they went to a good home. I liked their design, but they were heavy as hell. I'm much happier with the enkei's being my future goal.

                          1988 ~ Lacey ~ 325iS

                          Comment


                            #43
                            what the hey, I guess I'll just post my skid plate update tonight given that I have all the pics ready to go.

                            All cleaned up. My 87 put this plate to work a while back so the front was more or less cleaning for pics

                            Thanks Red46 for sending the new hardware quickly! I used more locktite than any reasonable person would've used. I've seen steering rack bolts come loose with skid plates so I'll be checking in a couple weeks to make sure they're still tight.



                            Last edited by vtechnik; 01-23-2018, 02:38 AM.

                            1988 ~ Lacey ~ 325iS

                            Comment


                              #44
                              Originally posted by vtechnik View Post
                              I sold them to a guy up north to pay for tuition. He ended up putting them on a roundie he's restoring so they went to a good home. I liked their design, but they were heavy as hell. I'm much happier with the enkei's being my future goal.
                              I was curious if they were these off this parts car:



                              Looking forward to the cruise later this Spring! You should come out to one of the Tuesday Dick's Burgers Meet sometime
                              1988 325 Lachs Sedan SOLD

                              1989 325i Bronzit Beige 2 Door
                              SOLD

                              2018 Volkswagen Alltrack SE DSG
                              Past:1988 325iS Lachs 5 Speed

                              Comment


                                #45
                                The funny thing is my friend and I were trying to get those wheels too a while back. We believe those are Sieg Fin wheels. They look pretty baller but I think I've wanted RS style wheels on an e30 as long as I've wanted an e30.

                                Yeah me too! Looks like the event is bringing in more support than I thought it would. Yea I've been eyeballing those events for a while, I think I'm roughly 40mins away so not bad at all considering. Thanks again for the feedback TFJR

                                1988 ~ Lacey ~ 325iS

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