It started out as an occasional zero speed indication when driving. Then it worked reliably for a while. Now it is more inoperative than operative. I have put some dielectric grease on the terminals in the connector on the differential and that seemed to help for a while. Any other suggestions of where to look for the problem. One other thing, when the speedo is working, the cruise control
Forum: Car Talk

I have driven the sedan there already and will trailer the low mileage cabrio sometime in the next couple of weeks. The high mileage cabrio will be stored here until the E-30 picnic in June and I will return to enjoy one more time at the world's largest gathering of them. Then I will likely take it on a road trip to Montana, Idaho, Nevada then to Arizona. I was also toying with another t
Forum: Community Forum

Nice. Have you had it long? I have three 325i E-30 and love the drive.
Forum: Registry

This month I am relocating to Arizona with my E-30 collection. There are not as many of them there. I hope they do not get lonely there. I just could not give them up and decided to take them with me.
Forum: Community Forum

I too have had similar faux pas but not so much that I have not saved a lot of money by doing my own work. Have had "professionals" do the same once in a while too.
Forum: Technical Forum

Glad you are back on the road. It is a good feeling to have solved a problem and implemented the solution successfully.
Forum: Technical Forum

There is a rectifier diode set inside the alternator and one of them could be the culprit. I think those are soldered in place though. Not sure it is a replaceable item at home. The result of it is that it will indicate full voltage under low load because only half of the rectifier is working. The volt meter averages the pulsating DC voltage to give a reading. Under load, the voltage will dr
Forum: Technical Forum

Great to have a problem solved...and stay solved. I had to change an alternator last week as the bearings are making noise. I had a spare from a part out. It is working fine. The challenge now is to figure out how to change that bearing.
Forum: Technical Forum

I think you have correctly deduced that there is a voltage drop affecting the engine. Another component that may be involved is the power to the fuel pump. One way to confirm this might be to put a volt meter on the cigarette lighter to see that the system voltage varies as you suspect while you vary the loads and driving. The first thing to check is the alternator belt tension. It may be s
Forum: Technical Forum

Here in the state of Washington, the number of antique car licenses has increased from about 8000 to 11,000 in ten years but many cars that could qualify are being driven regularly with annual registration. I have two of each myself and two daily drivers. Insurance is the other expense that inhibits owning so many cars one can put on the road at any time.
Forum: Community Forum

The same here in the States but in Europe having the space to store a car one does not use for several years is a rarity.
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I was playing tourist for a couple of days in Munich at the beginning of August. One of the Viking tours. Really nice and included a short stop at the BMW Welt. Wish I could have spent a whole day or more at the BMW museum and restoration center. I wonder if Germans are "importing" antique cars from other countries since most of theirs do not survive the high taxes on medium
Forum: Community Forum

The local BMW club sponsored a track day today and allowed some non-race cars to take three "parade laps" during lunch. It was very fun to take my E-30 around the track and take the corners with some nice Michelin low profile tires. If I had a few more tries, might be able to get them to slide a bit but did not notice any even though I was pushing pretty hard.
Forum: Car Talk

That is quite a few. I am sure all who were there enjoyed seeing other cars like theirs. I enjoy seeing all those at the E-30 picnic locally. We had 225 cars in attendance this Summer. Bob
Forum: Community Forum

Ove, I am having trouble getting the video to play. How many E-30 were in attendance? I was recently in Munich and Vienna and saw three E-30 convertibles. Did not see any coupes or sedans.
Forum: Community Forum

Thanks for the thoughts. I finally had to disconnect the heater valve as it had stuck closed while the AC was on. I got it opened by tapping it with wrench so now it works. After a lot of work on the dash getting it checked out and put back together it was at least good to have found the issue but changing it out is saved for another day.
Forum: Technical Forum

I am pretty happy with my Koni shocks as they can be set at the stiffness you want. I have Michelin tires myself. I tried some Pirelli on my wife's car but they did not seem to last very long and had a noisier ride than the Michelin. I would not recommend the polyurethane bushings as they will make the ride harsh. The steering knuckle may not be the issue. If the steering wheel appears
Forum: Technical Forum

I seem to have caused a mystery. I had the fascia of the heater controls to replace the clock and it all looked good but later had occasion to use the heater while driving. All that would come out the heater vents was cold air. Disassembled the controls again looking for something amiss but cannot seem to identify any excuse for it not working. The cable to the heater valve appears to be wor
Forum: Technical Forum

I assume that someone checked the oil level in the steering reservoir. Also that there is not any unusual noise from the pump. The steering rack may already be past its warranty so will be expensive to replace again. I had a rebuilt one do that from the beginning being difficult to turn one way and easy to turn the other. Had to claim warranty and get a different one.
Forum: Technical Forum

I can comment on the oil level warning. The sensor is a float with a magnetic switch submerged in the motor oil After many years, the deposits of dirt from the oil cause the float to become sticky and it will not go up and down with the oil level. It is unreliable as a sensor. One could remove it from the engine and try to clean it but it is enclosed in a sleeve with very small openings top an
Forum: Technical Forum

Wow, That is a great project narrative. I wish I had a LSD to get to work on. The wear debris from the clutches must make frequent oil changes necessary.
Forum: Technical Forum

Glad you are here. Not a large group but BMW enthusiasts mostly.
Forum: Registry

Ferdinand, Glad you were successful. It is really gratifying to have the old car doing what it is supposed to do.
Forum: Technical Forum

It is pretty easy since these cars handle well to begin with. If your previous owner has replaced the front suspension control arms and shocks you are well on the way as that is most difficult part. I have not done this to my convertible but many will lower the car an inch or so with new springs. If you do replace the front springs then the Koni or Bilstein shocks will be easily installed.
Forum: Technical Forum

Drive belt replacement. The new belt is about 1.5 mm shorter than the old one. See attached picture. 1. lift the two prongs off the motor mounting casting and rotate the clip out of the away. 2. Remove the two large phillips screws and lift out the motor mount leaving the motor attached to the wires. 3. Remove the two smaller phillips screws holding the motor to the cast mounting. 4.
Forum: Technical Forum

Got your message.
Forum: Technical Forum

Now I have to find the PM.
Forum: Technical Forum

Ferdinand, I would be happy to mail you one for $7 postage included. The list price online is $4 but with the minimum order size charge and shipping I have almost $6 in each. I have installed one so far but the new belt appears to be about one millimeter shorter than the old belt and I had to elongate the mounting holes for the motor to put it on with out excessive tension. Does work thou
Forum: Technical Forum

Suffering from the failed antenna drive so found one from salvage, it too had the same problem. Motor runs but no motion. Disassembled and found broken belts in both. So I went online and eventually found what appears to be a source for replacement. Unfortunately the belts are not expensive but the minimum order value and minimum shipping cost drive the cost way up. So, I ordered several so
Forum: Technical Forum

The low speed power steering assist is likely normal for E-30. I just had a new steering rack put on one and it too is a bit heavy at low speed. My other E-30 is a bit better and I do not know what the difference is between the two racks. Welcome to the adventure of having one of the "Chariots of the Gods" to ride. These little cars are so much fun that I have three of them.
Forum: Technical Forum