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Maintenance tips, comments and links about
performing various types of maintenance.
(click this link to go to this update
location)
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Getting Trans Fluid into your Manual Trans with the StaLube pump and a Listerine bottle is a
simple task. The Listerine bottle is short enough to allow pump operation with a moderate vehicle height and the tube
is long enough to go into the transmission filler opening, by feeding the tube up over the exhaust pipe next to the filler
plug. Have a friend available to add fluid to the bottle, as it will take about 1-1/2 bottles to fill the transmission up.
Removing a frozen or damaged disc rotor mounting screw
These
are a problem on a lot of brake jobs, as they are usually incorrectly installed (too much torque, no anti-seize compound, worn hex head wrench,
etc.) and may have to be drilled and extracted, inorder to get the disc rotor off.
First, if the metric head (5mm) of the rotor screw is not badily
damaged or rounded out, you may be able to get it out with good condition 5mm 3/8-inch drive hex head wrench and an impact
ratchet tool.
If the impact ratchet doesn't do the trick, get a Number 3 Extractor (Sears has them) and a very high quality 5/32-inch
drill bit. Very carefully drill out the center of the hex head mounting screw to about 1/2-inch. Be careful not to drill at
an angle and go through the side of the screw and into the threads in the rotor hub, creating another problem for yourself.
  Remember, the Extractor works backwards... you start
it into the screw in a counter clockwise direction, since once it catches you will be backing it out. You can see that while
this screw had anti-seize on it, the problem was that it had a damaged head, with the hex slot totally rounded out! Never reuse these screws!
Replace the rotor screw with a new one and make sure you
use a good quality anti-seize compound on it. Most important, DO NOT tighten this screw down too much! Its job is to simply
hold the disc rotor on the hub, when the wheel mounting bolts have been removed. Bently doesn't give a torque amount for this
screw, but I'd never put more than 5 ft. lbs. on it, if even that much. Next time, you, or whoever works on the brakes will
be able to remove this screw easily, because you put it back together correctly.
Temporary Hydraulic Plugs/Caps
Next
time you renew your brake line hoses, keep several of the old ones to modify so that they can be used in the caliper and at
the metal brake line end fitting to keep the hydraulic fluid from leaking out. I simply cut mine about an inch from the brass
fitting, soaked them in paint thinner to clean them out and filled them with 100% Silicone caulking, capping the end with
the protective end caps that come on the new hoses. They work great.
 Click to convert torque specs like Nm, KG-CM, etc., to inch-pound, foot pound, etc.
Click to convert fuel mileage mpg to litres per 100 km and other measurments.
Update Apr. 19, 2007 -
Summary of Emission Test Results
In my location in Virginia, emissions testing started in 1999, with
each year tightening the specs of the emission levels.
Emissions Test 1 - 3/18/99 117,310
miles, stock "007" ECU/DME
15 mph 25 mph
Limit Reading Limit Reading
HC ppm 173
3 168 11
CO%
0.98 0.01 1.08 0.01
NO ppm 1323
126 1208 194
RPM
1512 2352
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Emissions Test 2 - 3/8/2001 120,005
miles, stock "007" ECU/DME
15 mph 25 mph
Limit Reading Limit Reading
HC ppm 167 12
162 23
CO% 0.94 0.02
1.04 0.08
NO ppm 1273 223 1163
220
RPM 2456
2409
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No test required in 2003. DMV error?
Emissions Test 3 - 3/31/05 123,952
miles, D'Sylva ETA chip in 1987 325e "027" ECU/DME
15 mph 25 mph
Limit Reading Limit Reading
HC ppm 125 25
121 58
CO% 0.70 0.05
0.75 0.21
NO ppm 972 258
885 346
RPM
2361 2281
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Emissions Test 4 - 4/17/007 129,188
miles, D'Sylva ETA chip in 1987 325e "027" ECU/DME (note changes in limits 2005-2007 which actually increased.
Also, 93 octane gas is now used which has no Oxy additives.)
15 mph 25 mph
Limit Reading Limit Reading
HC ppm 102
4 185 20
CO%
0.41 0.00 0.59 0.10
NO ppm 1333
231 1296 501
RPM 1689
2789
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 April 2005 -
124k miles maintenance items, including "Preventive
Maintenance" items such as radiator, expansion tank, water pump and thermostat.
- New Behr radiator, as current radiator is original 22+ year old
unit. General concensus is that it should be changed simply due to age, as these radiators have a history of breaking at the
hose connection, with their "plastic" end tank material, not brass.
- New radiator expansion tank, to replace original plastic tank,
now 22+ years old, discolored and brittle filler cap neck.
- New radiator hoses and all engine bay fuel and vacuum hoses.
(4 years old)
- New fuel filter and new hoses for filter and fuel pump. (4 years
old)
- New timing belt, as it is due according to age (4 years old),
but mileage is only 29k.
- New water pump to replace existing unit, also 4 years old
with 29k miles on it.
- New water pump, alternator and AC compressor drive belts, now
4 years old.
- New cam front seals, as that area is now showing some oil seepage,
running down the face of the head and block.
- New Oxygen sensor to replace existing unit due for replacement
at 120k miles.
- New thermostat and O-Ring seal.
- Remove and paint valve cover gloss black, with raised/molded
trim areas left aluminum color. Simple dress-up change for engine.
- New valve cover gasket and new valve cover blind plugs, after
valve lash check and adjustment. Valve lash adjusted annually, in spite of low annual mileage use.
UPDATE March 24, 2009
Non BMW Hose clamps -
When changing the hoses, make sure you replace any non BMW type hose clamps with the proper
clamp, and get rid of any cheap yankee (a term used by the M-B guys) hose clamps. A fellow E28 owner I recently
assisted, complained of hard starting and a smell of gasoline! Turned out to be a yankee clamp that had a stainless band and
housing, but a cheap rusted away screw that allowed the band to open and gas to leak from the fuel pump hose connection! Get
rid of these things! Get proper replacement clamps from your supplier or from Wurth ZEBRA (NOTE-this is now a 20+MB PDF 90 page catalog file, no longer the single page
view of the BMW type hose clamp made by Wurth!) as of 10/8/2008. Caution - they keep moving this document around and changing
its date as it is modified, so this link may not work as expected, as they don't even provide a link to its revised locations.
I've complained when you've advised me my link is no good, but they never respond. Wurth webmaster wastes a lot
of peoples time, with this bad link nonsense!
And where are those timing reference marks?
This is "Top Dead Center", as indicated by the line on the damper
(bottom arrow) and the raised marker (top arrow) in the face of the belt cover housing, just above the top edge of the damper,
lined up with each other. I've included it here since quite a few people aren't sure what to look for, as manual photos
are not clear enough.
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| Cam gear and cylinder head timing marks. |
A white grease pencil was used to highlight the cam gear embossed
arrow and the edge of the cam gear tooth directly in line with it. Yes, the belt is one tooth
off... thanks to BMW dealer service! You have to get down on your knees with your chin right on the top of
the front grille, in order to site these marks properly. Otherwise, you will not see what the actual alignment is.
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| Crankshaft and housing reference marks for the timing belt alignment. |
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| New Valve Cover Blind Plugs. |
Don't forget to replace the Valve Cover Blind Plugs, for the rocker
arm shaft ends. Too often overlooked and a big trouble maker for the timing belt if the front plugs start leaking... and they
will if they are old and dried up and will ruin the belt way before its time! Leaky plugs will also create idle mixture problems
since they'll be leaking air. A difficult problem to find! Keep extra's on hand, they are less than a buck a piece!
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| Ready for new timing belt, tensioner, water pump, drive belts, thermostat and radiator. |
Before you start putting everything back together (except for the
cam front seals) take some time to clean up the area, including "chasing" any threads that may need to be cleaned up
due to corrosion, dirt, etc., and the same for the bolts going back on the engine. A clean engine makes it much easier to
see future potential trouble spots and it's well worth the effort. Additional info and pictures are available at Pelican Parts, dealing with a belt change on an E30, but still the M20 engine.
NOTE - AC Compressor belt remove/replace
On my eta engine, the compressor is mounted via a plate that is
secured at the top by four cap screws (see picture above), two in holes next to the block, two in adjustment slots toward
the fender well, with a single large pivot bolt at the bottom. Because the clearances are so tight, the only way I've been
able to replace this belt is by removing the top four cap screws (you can see in the picture above, that the plate has been
moved off its mounting points) and the bottom pivot bolt. Then the compressor can be moved close enough to the block, including
the ability to angle the front of the compressor toward the crankshaft, to allow belt removal. I've also changed the belt
from a 818mm length to a 825mm, which gives needed additional length to allow belt installation. Still not an easy task, but
it can be accomplished by yourself, without assistance from a friend, a pry bar, or the starter motor!
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| Work nearly completed and then out on the road for testing. |
A used M20 rocker arm cover was purchased and painted, to replace
the original rocker arm cover. Watch out if you buy the same thing. I bought one that had been "sand blasted" to prep it for
painting, but the inside where the crankcase ventilation takes place was full of junk. Looked like the M20 engine it came
off of never had the oil changed. This had to be dip cleaned before painting, of course.
The above picture was taken before the strut brace was installed
and the vacuum line running across the top of the rocker arm cover has since been re-routed to run along the top of the
cover, so as not to be in the way during cover removal for valve lash adjustment.
Intermittent/random engine power loss during
full throttle
I was experiencing some random engine power reductions, where the
engine runs strong, then fades moderately at random times, often only for several minutes, with engine power coming back.
Not a major engine power loss, but the kind that you know something is wrong, as she isn't pulling as strong as she usually
does at full throttle.
Since this was occuring during my ECU chip testing, I attributed
it to a troublesome ECU or a bad connection, due to the ECU cable swapping. I would find it once it got worse or lasted longer
and I knew which of three ECU's was the culpert. At the same time, I was doing the 124k miles maintenance and decided I'd
test the fuel pressure regulator since I was replacing its vacuum and fuel hoses.
Well, the fuel pressure regulator (original 1982 unit), was measuring
too low at 29.5psi (2.03 bar). Supposed to be 33.4psi MINIMUM. Further tests showed the fuel pump was okay. The new regulator
measures 37.8psi (2.61 bar) and the engine now has considerably more power all the time... with the intermittent power reduction
now gone. So, the old original fuel pressure regulator was at fault, letting fuel go back to the fuel tank when it wasn't
supposed to. A leaky or worn valve. Not sure how long it would have taken me to find this, if I hadn't done the pressure test
while replacing hoses. I'd probably still be trying to find an ECU problem!
Blown/Broken Hard Disk Drive - Don't Throw it Away!
If you have a hard disk failure, or simply upgrade an old disk drive,
take the unused drive apart and remove the two magnets inside, as they are very, very strong and can be used for many things.
Below is a picture of a drive that had a massive failure, showing where the magnets are located.
This is a typical magnet assembly, some have two small magnets that
are side by side. The magnets are cemented to their mounting plates. You may be able to break the bond and get them off, but
often this breaks the magnet. I leave them on their mounting plate which makes them easier to handle.
One good use of these magnets, besides using them to magnitize screwdrivers,
is to use them for holding things while working on your vehicle. Below you can see how they are used to hold a lightweight
cloth lined vinyl fender protector to keep it from moving. There are many uses for these very strong magnets... just keep
them away from friends with metal plates in their head!
AC vents a mess?
Unfortunately, a lot of really nice E28's have filthy AC vents staring
you in the face. They are easy to clean. I use a slim pair of needle nose plyers and grasp the vent at the center of the side,
where the plastic pivot pin fits in the open ended C shaped pivot hole. It's a compression fit, so a moderate amount of pull
is necessary. You can see how it is retained in the photo below.
Once removed, I've found that cleaning them in hot soapy dish water
works best. Use a Q-Tip to get into the vent blades. Blow it dry and touch-up any spots with another Q-Tip. Replace the vent
by installing one side of it first on its pin, then snap it on to the other pin. Don't forget to wash the vent housing and
the flapper valve. Once complete, they look great.
If your blower fans are squeeking or slowing down,
get some turbine oil, like Sid Harvey's and lubricate the fan and motor bearings.
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