Uwbuurman: 1986 e30 325iA cabrio

[uwbuurman]

New ABS sensors on the front legs.



New and old plug.



Next is a little present for myself. A couple of new speakers for the rear. These Pioneers sound so much better.







What a pleasure. I don’t have the radio on very often, but now I have normal sounds! The exhaust had a little hole, which I repaired with gungum a few years ago. Now it’s of, I repaired it better.







A new exhaust is better, but this repair buys me about 5 years extra, with my use of the car.

[uwbuurman]

[uwbuurman]

Then back tot hat damn rear axle. The right swingarm turned out to be bend. Wouldn’t fit any more.



This is the difference between the two:



I think they previous owners drove through a hole of something. Doesn’t look bend, but it is. Same evening I found this out, I got another swingarm. Also e30 325i with ABS.



Since now everything had to come apart, I also could paint the dustplate, But the bearing will go to hell, pulling it. It was already 3000 kilometers and 11 months old &&#%%@!!!



So I ordered a new bearing, and guess what, it wouldn’t fit… At first I started swearing at the supplier. After that, I counted to ten, and tried it on the old swingarm. Perfect fit. So, the new arm is from a 4 cilinder, just 5 mm smaller. Stripped and painted that thing for nothing…

So that was nr 2. What to do on Saturday? So I called around and found a breaker 325i touring from 1990. It took me over two hours to get it of. Damn, that thing was stuck! Hurried back, blasted i tand painted it the first time.


Still 1 detail was different, the position and shape of the brakeline holder. The new one was better, but I wanted tob e original. So I fixed that.



Donor without:



The part from the new arm:

[uwbuurman]

[uwbuurman]

Some layers of black epoxy, after which I could put it together again.









Left with a pile of scrap metal.

[uwbuurman]

[uwbuurman]

Fed up wit that rear axle, I took on a job that was on the shelf for over a year. The oiltemperature gauge.
These are the parts for my e21 and e30. The larger box is for the e21 and holds 3 gauges, de smaller one is for the e30 and just holds the oil temperature gauge. Two sandwich plates, one per car, go between the oilfilter and block.



The sandwichplate in place



And the display, build into an old switch. Put in the stop where the radio fader used tob e, that one has moved to the spot for the airco, which I don’t have in the e30.



Happy with this job done!

The next job was quite easy. I installed two of these.



They go here.



Like this.



Those holes are for my hardtop, but I never use it, never did in the 5 years since I own the car. Now this looks a lot better!

[uwbuurman]

[uwbuurman]

Than, in the last week of februari 2016 I finally gathered all my courage and started again on that rear axle, along with my friend Jan and a kilo of vaseline….

That vaseline was of course for the rubbers to go in. In the axle…





Assembled the axle.



And in place.



Jan assembled the rear shocks, with new topbearings:



And I put the driveshaft in its place with the new zincplated heatshield.



And also in the rear new ABS sensors.



And then, all was in place! We sat the car down on it’s wheels and it sits a little higher than before on it’s old and worn shocks.

[uwbuurman]

[uwbuurman]

And the last part of this winter of ‘15/’16 saga.

After the long day with Jan, to get everything ready, I did a FAT test before taking it for a drive. Result: no good. The steering rack is mistreated sometime long ago. The highpressure line on the rack was tightend to much and ripped out the treath.

So I went out to get another rack. It seems that a lot of e30’s get a e36 steeringrack, because it turns faster, but it is not original and I don’t do trackdays, so I wanted the original.

The old one is in front.



The old one is made out of aluminium, the replacement is made out of steel. The plan is to have the original refunbished and place a helicoil, so I can put it back.

The highpressure lines on the replacement are much stronger than on the old one, so I guess the problem occured more often.



Worn threath:



From ZF for BMW…

[uwbuurman]

[uwbuurman]

By the time the steeringrack was in, the evening was gone. But still i took her for a little spin. It felt very solid, very firm. But the steering was heavy, very heavy… No freaking power on the steering $%^#&*!!!!

Back in my shop I wondered if the pump was working, it sounded like it was not. So I smacked it with a hammer and there it went! So I went for another spin, everything ok! But in the second corner, again no powersteering. So I backed it up in the shop and went home. Cranky as hell.
My analyses: new oil, flushed system, ok pump, new filter, so the only new thing is the steeringrack. It must be the component that caused this crap. I reconed it contained some dirt or so. So i flushed the system again. Mind you, this oil is 1 day and 7 kilometers old…



And that did the trick. The car drove like a wonder since that. Everything seems to work like it should. I drove for about 20 kilometers and put her back in the shop. Now to find time tob ring her home and give her a proper wash.

What was planed this winter?
- undercarriage complete,
- All rubbers
- new Bilsteins
- Eibach anti roll kit
- 1 piecestrut
- top bearings
- new swingarms in front
- new steering rods
- flush the powersteering system and change the filter
- strengthen the subframe

What came up along the way:
- repair petroltank
- new hoses for all fuel lines
- replace driveshaft bearing
- replace swingarm rear right
- new ABS sensors
- new steeringrack
- new speaker in the rear
- installed oil temperature gauge
- repair exhaust
- new rubbermount for diff
- replace bearings and gaskest in diff

In the end the list is pretty long. The investment was substantial. The car is in much better state than before. So for now I hope to be able to drive without major costs, so I will be able to work on the e21. In a year or 2 I want to replace the bearings on the crancshaft. But if I find a proper gearbox before that time, I will get that and do it earlier. Only time will tell.

[uwbuurman]

[uwbuurman]

So in May 2016 I pecked up two doors for a e30 cabriolet. No plans for the near future, but when I need them in a couple of years, I assure you that I can’t find them. The where priced very cheap and the eat nothing, so I collected them.



And a nice pic of the car, how she looks today.