What did you do to your other car(s) today?

[gadget73]

Made a set of sleeves to fit the wrong rack bushings in my car. The correct ones require lifting the engine up enough to get the rack to move enough to fit them in, and thats not a guarantee. Later models used a 2 piece which fits without messing with the engine, but the later K frame had metal guide sleeves that the early one does not have. 16mm bolt, 18mm hole in the bushings. Used some electrical conduit to make up the difference. Had to slightly bore the ID to clear a 16mm bolt but it seems to work. A better fix would be to install the late style sleeves, but it would involve drilling out the hole in the K frame and I don't think I can get a drill in there straight to get it done. The early design had a metal bushing with a serrated face that simply digs into the frame to keep the rack from moving, the later design is effectively a dowel that can't move.

[Mike W.]

The E39 touring was down on the RR bump stop the other day. Pumped up, but apparently the airbag, AKA air spring, was not up to the task of holding air under pressure anymore. Both bags were just under $300, not great, but not awful. I was shocked, replacing both of them, putting tools away, a brief test drive and drinking a beer admiring my work was 3 hours. I was braced for a fight but it was an easy job.

[gadget73]

My Mark VII dropped to the bump stops on all 4 corners last weekend too. Turned out to be a bad O ring between the compressor outlet and the drier. Pump was running but the leak was bad enough that the springs were just venting back through the gap. Baked out the desiccant in the drier while I had it apart and replaced the 4 O rings on the lines with the quad seal type that work better. I had a bag of those but lost them so I had to buy another bag. All better now. 4 wheel air suspension on that one so a leak in the wrong spot will drop the whole car. Of course it did this while I was about 10 miles from home, and that made for an absolutely miserable trip home.

[vinceg101]

Similar work project with my E39: Front Passenger Window Regulator replacement.
The window had been making some noise for a while now (rattling when open, etc.) and last week the glass decided to jump ship and slipped off the clamps (the rubber sleeves deteriorated and broke off) . I was driving around with it partially open for the about a week before a replacement was shipped and I was able to get some shop time this weekend.
All in all, it was about 4 hours start to finish with cleaning in the middle. Plenty of YouTube videos on the procedure so even going in cold having never done this before, it wasn't terrible.
The hardest/most PITA part was dealing with the butyl weatherstripping behind the inner door foam panel. I decided to do the task without removing the side air bag on the door (I was feeling lazy) which meant dancing around that foam panel. Removing the old butyl is an awful job involving scrapers, gloves, 3M Special Adhesive Remover, and lots of elbow grease. But if you don't want your doors to leak, you have to do it (at least to the bottom edge).

Nothing like working on one long-term car project with pending deadlines and having the other car throw an emergency repair at you.

[John in VA]

Similar work project with my E39: Front Passenger Window Regulator replacement. The window had been making some noise for a while now (rattling when open, etc.)

The driver's window of my '03 530i has rattled if down a tad when closing the door since I bought it. It doesn't appear to be missing anything at the top of the door or door card. I guess I need to take a look at things when the door panel is off for speaker upgrade.

[RossDinan6]

My 633 got a new battery today. The battery has survived since early 2014 in the Florida heat. Can't complain about that, Go Deka!

[vinceg101]

Similar work project with my E39: Front Passenger Window Regulator replacement. The window had been making some noise for a while now (rattling when open, etc.)

The driver's window of my '03 530i has rattled if down a tad when closing the door since I bought it. It doesn't appear to be missing anything at the top of the door or door card. I guess I need to take a look at things when the door panel is off for speaker upgrade.

You can't tell anything until you take the door panel apart to view the condition of the regulator and glass clamps.
You could be lucky in that the screws on the clamps that hold the glass secure have come loose and it doesn't mean a whole new regulator; but with the track record of this generation of regulators, you're almost better off replacing it on spec. The Uro Premium replacement has a pretty good track record and is a fraction of the BMW price.
Had I been thinking smartly, I would have added a drop or two of Lock-tite to those fasteners before I buttoned up the door panel. Oh well.
Don't forget to lubricate all the guides, rubber seals and gaskets also as they cite friction of the glass against these parts as a major factor in the death of the regulator.

[John in VA]

You can't tell anything until you take the door panel apart to view the condition of the regulator and glass clamps.
You could be lucky in that the screws on the clamps that hold the glass secure have come loose and it doesn't mean a whole new regulator; but with the track record of this generation of regulators, you're almost better off replacing it on spec. The Uro Premium replacement has a pretty good track record and is a fraction of the BMW price.
Had I been thinking smartly, I would have added a drop or two of Lock-tite to those fasteners before I buttoned up the door panel. Oh well.
Don't forget to lubricate all the guides, rubber seals and gaskets also as they cite friction of the glass against these parts as a major factor in the death of the regulator.

Thanks for your notes. I have not replaced a regulator on the E39, but have plenty of E46 regulator experience!

[Mike W.]

More E39 Love. And I use that term loosely. Did the coolant pipes on the 525ita. I've done them before, I know it's no joy, but this time was worse. Including radiator and a pair of P/S hoses I was in 15-20 hours. I've had less time than that before removing, doing a minor rebuild, and reinstalling an engine. It's crazy. Oh well, they tell me my wrists will heal up in a couple of weeks.

[BillW in StL]

I want to take my 87 635 to Eureka Springs in 2 weeks. May not make it. I have owned the car 6 years and driven it less than 100 miles since the 5-speed swap. Runs great, but tomorrow I will reattach the front swaybar, fix the gas leak on top of the tank, and call around regarding the AC.

As a fallback I may go to Eurofest in my 85 528e. Girlfriend likes it, low miles, presentable, and it should be an adventure.

[Mike W.]

I didn't realize the front shocks were bad until I saw signs of oil leakage. They weren't bad, they were completely shot. New Bilsteins for just over $200 shipped, the cheap ones, not the good yellow ones. Wow. What a difference. I'd done the rears some time ago with a cheap brand, Gabriels IIRC and they still seem ok so I left them for now.

Shocks weren't bad to do, but I had a bad ABS sensor to replace, along with the broken mounting bolt for it. Lots of fun, breaking a drill bit, breaking a tap, but eventually succeeded. But the ABS still doesn't work.

[Martin in BellevueWA]

I replaced the leaking shift selector seal on the 6 speed getrag, '95 540i the other day.
Replaced the power steering lines and oil filter lines sometime during covid. This car has no leaks and still has both under trays.
Recently put on new Bilsteins (black, not hd/sport), front 4 control arms, & 1" akg bump steer correction plates.


The bump steer plates don't allow the 16" e38 style 4 wheels to bolt up without spacers.


The 16' e38 style 15 basketweaves and the 17" throwing stars fit.

[gadget73]

replaced the overhead console with the compass and outside temp displays. It went in jibberish mode. Tried re-capping it since they were obviously blown and leaking goo but it didn't fix it. Had spare guts so in they went, I'll fool with the broken one later.

[a]

hEH HEH On my trip to cardiac rehab the low TPMS fired off. There was a frost last night. Used the card on a new inflater, so much for the old time service station. This is about the average level of attention the Camry requires. I'm fine with that, It is the "soulless appliance" thing that gets me.

[Mike W.]

hEH HEH On my trip to cardiac rehab the low TPMS fired off. There was a frost last night. Used the card on a new inflater, so much for the old time service station.

The one and only time I tried those things I was 0 for 2 in getting it to operate, although at least I didn't get charged. So I broke out the little 12V one that runs off the lighter socket. Took a while to get the 245/65-17s up to pressure so I camped out under the canopy of one of the gas stations where their machine didn't work, since it was Mesquite Nevada and bloody hot in the sun.

[Mike W.]

Not MY other car, but the neighbors. Long backstory I'll not bore you with right now.

Isuzu Rodeo, exact vintage unknown, but early. Would look right at home at Pick and Pull, defines beater. Anyway, they couldn't get the hood open to check the oil and water and get her to rehab, so after my wife volunteered for taxi service I set out on the POS. Turns out the hood relies on a pair of cheap, once rubber bumpers now closer to ceramic, to aid in releasing the latch. Kludged that once I got it open. Oil. Great, a black oxide colored dipstick. Not easy to see black oil that probably hasn't been changed since Obama's first term, on a black dipstick. A brick to the head to whomever spec'd that one. I took the back side to the grinder to expose some shinny, silver colored metal so I could actually read it. It's high. Battery was so dead it pegged my little 2/10 chargers' 15A meter, on the 2 amp setting. Playing an assortment of games, including using some little hook up cables as current limiting resistors I was able to get it started charging at a reasonable rate. 24Ga wire won't pass a whole lot of current but will get hot.

But after all that, who the F spec's black for a diptick?

[davintosh]

My youngest son had been driving an e34 535i since we got back from Germany. It was kind of a basket case, but he and I (mostly me) have been keeping it running pretty well. At least until last month anyway. He called me one night saying he needed a jump start, so I came to his aid and got him going again. While wrapping up the cables I thought the engine sounded a little funny, but I didn't give it much thought, and my son said something about a lot of steam coming from the tailpipe, but I chalked it up to a cool & humid evening, and we both started for home. My phone rang as I was pulling in the driveway; "Dad, I think I'm gonna need a tow; my car's overheating."

Then it dawned on me. Head gasket.

So we flat-towed it the mile or so home. The next day I pulled the dipstick, and milkshake.

It's repairable, but given the car's other problems (did I mention it was a basket case?) we decided to cut our losses. My oldest son took the car and is stealing some parts off of it for his e28 project.

The next weekend we test drove an e39 530i, and brought it home.



It wasn't without problems, but we're working through them. First on the list was massive vacuum leaks, so we replaced both intake boots. The ones that came out may well have been the originals; pretty hard, and large cracks in the bellows. Removing the DISA valve was part of the process of replacing the intake boots, but we ran into a snag with that when I found I couldn't get the valve out of the intake. Normally, you remove two screws and the wiring connector and it slides out, but this one moved out about 1/4" and stopped. Knowing what I do about that valve, I figured that the vane had separated from the body of the valve and was holding things up. I ended up using a thin allen wrench held by a Vise Grip to move the vane enough that the valve came out without further breakage. The biggest danger in the valve failing like that is the likelihood that the steel pin that holds the vane in place gets sucked into a cylinder, but thankfully the pin was sitting just inside the hole in the intake manifold.

The local dealer didn't have a replacement DISA on hand (they're kinda worthless that way), so I stuck the broken valve body in the intake just so it wouldn't have a gaping hole in the side of the intake manifold. I ordered a repair/upgrade kit from German Auto Solutions, and the following weekend we got that installed. Very nicely engineered piece; uses aluminum in place of the original's plastic parts, and makes it far less prone to failure than the original.

I think there's still a bit of a vacuum leak somewhere; throttle response is a little weird when it's cold, but it runs very smoothly after it warms up a little. We got no service history with the car, and it's got around 180,000 miles on it, so we're starting to gather parts to do redo the cooling system. Getting at some of those parts is easier with the intake manifold off, so while we're in there we'll also replace the CCV system and any vacuum lines that are under the intake manifold. Also planning to replace the oil canister gasket, which is where the occasional drop of oil comes from under the car.

All in all it's a solid car, but just needs some maintenance catch-up done. I can't get over how nicely the thing drives, especially on the highway.

[amagansa]

Bought a very mint 1983 Volvo 244 in blue about 2 months ago and have been been pretty happy with it so far. As a daily driver it has been great and even gets better gas mileage than my e28. Automagic, but for a commute I don't mind. I camp in the slow lane, take the long way home and enjoy the views. The fuel pump quit on me today. Naturally, I ordered a new pump, sway bar links, some mudflaps, and tie rod ends with boot kits.

Also off topic but picked up some Epsilon wheels for the E28!

[Mike W.]

I was recently named the neighborhood husband. Akin to a work husband, for my mechanical skills, not romantic ones.

So... Replaced the battery cable terminals on an Isuzu Trooper earlier this week, which may be too rough for Pick and Pull when it goes. After telling the woman, whose car it isn't, but she's allowed to use it by the owner who is her roommate/landlord, anyway, after telling her the new generic cables she'd bought weren't going to work. One of the terminals was bad, cracked, but unfortunately it didn't fix the real problem, which is a bad starter. Which I'll probably decline to do anything about, it looks like an absolute bitch of a job.

Then today, the other roommate/landlord from the house next door had this awful noise coming from her once pristine low mileage used car, until she got rear ended, '97 Buick LeSabre. Noises are rarely good, and this gnashing, mechanical sound wasn't a good one. Turned out it was a quart and a half low on ATF. Not holding my breath for longevity, but good for now. This one had just been in a shop, with a fairly good reputation, for a new radiator. And supposedly they checked all the fluids. Obviously not, but that seems to be a recurring theme for shop work. It's also got a coolant leak, not from the radiator, but I can't tell exactly where. I forgot to mention, in trying to be helpful, and there have been a rash of catalytic converter thefts lately in the general area, she asked if it might be the Cadillac Converter. She's a sweet old lady and a character who typically seems 20 years younger than her 75 years, but on occasion...

Oh yeah, my stuff. Put a diaper under the leaking P/S rack hoping to limp it for a bit without leaving it's mark on the pavement until I get a replacement or rebuild it. The local P and P had a couple, but they were both leakers. Not nearly as bad as mine, but still, leakers.

[krhodes1]

I broke my Volvo.

Replacing the fuel injectors on my '04 V70 with the n/a I5 - "The Swedish Couch". Didn't think about old heat-brittled plastic on a chilly-for-Florida morning. 4 of 5 of the plastic clips that hold the injector harness connectors to the injectors broke right off removing the harness. Now held on by zip ties. Sigh. And I have a CEL. Was too discouraged to break out my VIDA/DICE setup to see what it's complaining about. Christmas morning tasks. Running fine though.

I had the fuel rail off last winter to do the PCV service, but it was a MUCH warmer day (80F vs. 50F). I theory Volvo sells replacement shells for the wiring harness, But getting the pin sockets out and swapped would not be fun, so I think it will be doubled-up zip ties for ever more on the soon to be 18yo beast.

Most annoying part is that the new injectors did not actually fix the problem I was hoping they would - so much for listening to forum folks, LOL.

[gadget73]

re-keyed an ignition cylinder to get my key situation proper on the Mark VII. Original cyl had been replaced so it had an extra key. Found the proper cylinder and correct pins to get me back to 2 keys like it should be.

'97 Buick LeSabre. ... It's also got a coolant leak, not from the radiator, but I can't tell exactly where.

If its a 3.8 car, GM was doing this dumb thing around that time where they used a plastic elbow to connect coolant from the water pump through the alternator bracket for the heater core. Those plastic elbows fail pretty often. Aluminum ones exist. Might be worth a look down in that area.

[stuartinmn]

The heater blower motor in my e30 325iX decided to quit yesterday - the bearings in the motor seized up. Temps are in the single digits today, so it was not a great time for this to happen. I pulled it out and freed it up a little with some penetrating oil. It will now run, but only on full speed, and I can smell the motor windings starting to get hot if it runs too long so I have to cycle it on and off. When the car is moving there's still some air flow through the system with the blower off so it's not too bad. However, now the air coming out the vents reeks of Kroil. At least accessing the blower motor is relatively easy on these cars.

I called Blunttech to order a new one. It turns out there were two different blower fan assemblies used in e30 cars depending on the year, and the one for mine is NLA...apparently the other one can be used if necessary, so I ordered that one and it should be here in a few days. Hopefully it will fit.

[gadget73]

Rack on the Continental decided to void itself. Dumping out of the rack boot, which according to Ford could be literally any seal so change them all. I've had bad experiences with reman racks of this type before so I'll do it myself. The car drives very well so I'm hesitant to buy a reman rack thats just a worn out POS with fresh seals. Seal kit was 15 bucks. I've got most of the special tools, need to make a couple of seal drivers.

air suspension has also gone leaky, so the catch pan thats keeping my car port clean is also holding up one corner of the car. I think thats just bad O rings on the solenoid since it only leaks when its really cold, but the air spring might be done. No clue how old it is.

[Mike W.]

Rack on the Continental decided to void itself. Dumping out of the rack boot, which according to Ford could be literally any seal so change them all. I've had bad experiences with reman racks of this type before so I'll do it myself. The car drives very well so I'm hesitant to buy a reman rack thats just a worn out POS with fresh seals. Seal kit was 15 bucks. I've got most of the special tools, need to make a couple of seal drivers.

I know they may all be different, but how bad a job is doing R and P seals? My Datsun is leaking enough I've got a diaper under it so as not to leave too much on the pavement, Pick and Pull had a couple of weepers the last I looked, far better than mine, but not dry. Debating on so called rebuilt for about 225 or a kit which would be 75 with boots. Mines reasonably tight, but it leaks. A lot.

[Duke]

I drove my 2009 Ford Ranger to work today. My 2020 Aston Martin Vantage is in the garage.

The ranger is a great truck. It has the 2.3L Mazda four banger that just hit 190,000 miles. The AM is just amazing....yes I am back in a turbocharged car. 4.0L twin turbo "hot V" Mercedies AMG V8. Max torque at 2000 rpm, it pulls like a freight train.