My 1987 528e

General conversations about BMW E28s and the people who own them.
Sparkos
Posts: 8
Joined: Aug 29, 2018 3:35 PM
Location: Eastern Canada

Re: My 1987 528e

Post by Sparkos »

I agree, making her reliable before getting too involved in bodywork/bodymods is probably a good idea. (Unless it's a rustbucket, then you might want to know what you're dealing with before you start working on the mechanics/electricals.)

If you can source a euro bumper/valance and more importantly, afford it :roll: I'd definitely go for it. However, US specs parts are plentiful and relatively cheap so it's a pretty viable option if you don't feel ready to spend that kind of bread.
UltraSheen
Posts: 144
Joined: Jun 02, 2017 5:57 PM
Location: Huntsville, AL

Re: My 1987 528e

Post by UltraSheen »

That may indeed be the easier path. More reasonable too. The most important thing is the gigantic bumpers. They have to go.
UltraSheen
Posts: 144
Joined: Jun 02, 2017 5:57 PM
Location: Huntsville, AL

Re: My 1987 528e

Post by UltraSheen »

The Euro light conversion is nice. The bulbs I bought match the connectors already in the car and I decided to leave them when I installed them originally. Today, I decided I wanted to rewire and use the original parts.

Spoiler alert: I did not. That's a lot of work.

I dug out the rubber boots, the plastic covers, and the securing rings. The covers adapted a connector I didn't have to light bulbs I don't own. It appeared rotated 90 degrees. The one connector I would need was empty on the plastic cover; it looked like I was going to have to remove the slot and glue in one of the spade connectors in the empty spot. I figured there must be another way; that way seemed more complicated than it needed to be for the reward it returned.

I ended up removing the center of the plastic covers with my Dremel (well, the Harbor Freight version that now only has 1 operating speed out of its original 4).

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The original US connectors were just small enough to fit into the hole left by those center connectors. (Yes, I did clean up the edges. That Dremel made it look like it was attacked my rabid mice.)

I installed the plastic cover and the retaining ring.

Next, I split the rubber boots down the seam and slid the wires of the unmolested connectors into the exit tube of the boot. Although clearly it's not waterproof or dustproof, I still think it's an improvement over the way I had it. I connected the plugs to the light and wiggled the boots into place.

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I had to go to Ace Hardware to get longer zip ties. The 8-inch zip ties I had were just short. As usual, they were not cheap (~$7 for 10) but they were wider and more than long enough. I saved the slack for plastic welding needs. Those are made of nice strong plastic. I used that strength to cinch them up enough that the boots would not turn. as mounted, the tube opening of the boots faced downward; that was my intent but also required as the wiring on the existing connectors does not have much slack. I think it's going to help keep out grit and grime - not as good as it did originally, but good enough.

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I did misplace the white securing connector on the cover behind the lights on the passenger side. I dug through my stack of parts from the 528e I parted out and found the connector I needed. I marched right into the bedroom and declared to my wife, "Hey, I was missing this part and guess what! That drive last summer to Michigan to tow back the car! It paid off! Here's the proof!!!" She just groaned.

As I dejectedly left the bedroom, I mumbled something about genius not being recognized, and I'm pretty sure I heard her roll her eyes.

Oh well. I had the part.
UltraSheen
Posts: 144
Joined: Jun 02, 2017 5:57 PM
Location: Huntsville, AL

Re: My 1987 528e

Post by UltraSheen »

I posted a question about applying color or oil to the seats first in the tech section which never got an answer. I went ahead and applied oil first, because I was concerned the color may create a barrier that would prevent the dry leather underneath from soaking in any oil I applied later.

When I applied it, I didn't get the look I was hoping for. The light brown cracks and wear areas are completely black. The directions on the oil did say it would be completely set in 7 to 10 days, so I'm hopeful it will 'settle' as expected.

I was also disassembling the seats I got out of the white non-running car. The leather looked good; it had been stained before.

The previous owner of my car must've been this guy:

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... because the arm rest was in terrible condition. I replaced it with the one from the white car off the seat I was disassembling, and it looks great. Here's a comparison:

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My original one is on the left. Nasty. Now I'm pleased with the replacement, and I hope it gives me years of service. Getting the armrests off and on were made trivially simple by this thread: http://www.mye28.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=146299

There are practically no questions about these cars that are not answered on this site.
UltraSheen
Posts: 144
Joined: Jun 02, 2017 5:57 PM
Location: Huntsville, AL

Re: My 1987 528e

Post by UltraSheen »

Today, I decided to look at why my fan doesn't work in low-speed mode.

Jumping the wires doesn't work at the low temp sensor, but jumping the other wires to the high temp sensor brings the fan to life. Still not resistor, though, since I already replaced it.

The aux fan resistor is good. The next step up is the low-speed fan relay. I had my step-daughter help by pushing the A/C button on and off and I was feeling for a click that never happened. After having to disconnect the cruise control unit from the inner fender - bad design - I removed the relay. I checked it with a meter in continuity mode and a 9v battery. Clicked just fine. I jumped the two pins in the relay socket, and lo - the fan was alive! I checked the source voltage when the blue A/C button was off - near 0V. Good. I checked the source voltage when the blue A/C button was on - near 0V. Bad.

At this point the rain was really coming down and it was completely dark. I decided to call it quits. But I have a new starting point further up the circuit. Now I just have to find what's happening from that point. Why am I not getting any voltage to the low-speed fan relay when the A/C is on?

The search continues. I'm looking at you, A/C diode... Now if I can just figure out where you actually are...
UltraSheen
Posts: 144
Joined: Jun 02, 2017 5:57 PM
Location: Huntsville, AL

Re: My 1987 528e

Post by UltraSheen »

I replaced the wheels with the wheels from the E39 referenced here: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=153234

The tires are larger, at 215/60R15 and though I haven't driven them hard, I didn't feel any issues. I had to buy 72.5mm-to-74mm hub spacers, but I haven't made any other changes. I 'll have to replace these tires soon because they are old and cracked and a couple are completely bald. I don't know if I'll stick with the same size as the E39 or not. I found some Cooper tires (made in the US!) that fit the bill for less than $60 each. For as few miles as I put on this car, they'll probably be just fine. We'll see.

The old wheels (original when I bought it, but apparently off an E34):
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The new wheels:
Image
Foonfer
Posts: 702
Joined: Mar 18, 2015 11:33 PM
Location: New York, NY

Re: My 1987 528e

Post by Foonfer »

First of all, I'm not sure I had seen this thread at all, and wanted to congratulate you on all the efforts. It's clear you've taken this as a labor of love - mad respect for this attitude.

Second, and the thing that makes this whole thread read like an international espionage thriller - did you end up changing the timing belt? This should have happened on Day 1 of ownership. Hope you did change it.

Third - Kudos on the Style 29 wheels. Most people here are probably sick of reading me sing praises to this wheel design on E28s, but it just WORKS so well. Now that you have larger wheels, one of the most basic and worthwhile swaps is adding a "big brake kit", off of an E32, or an E34 540i, or several other alternatives - here's the thread: http://m535i.org/officers/ra/articles.html#brakes
UltraSheen
Posts: 144
Joined: Jun 02, 2017 5:57 PM
Location: Huntsville, AL

Re: My 1987 528e

Post by UltraSheen »

I have not yet changed the timing belt. And there are two reasons. #1 It was changed in 2015 according to the sticker on the radiator. #2 if it does fail, I get to upgrade. I mean, I can't get my wife to just let me upgrade, but if the engine is toast, she has to let me!

The plan is once I start getting the bumper replacements and tidying up the front, I will pull the front end off as part of that work and do the timing belt and water pump, etc.
Foonfer
Posts: 702
Joined: Mar 18, 2015 11:33 PM
Location: New York, NY

Re: My 1987 528e

Post by Foonfer »

I have to say I am in awe of your logic skills (seriously, not being sarcastic or anything). That said, I'm not a fan of killing an otherwise good M20 just because - OTOH, I've never driven a manual eta.

What kind of upgrade do you have in mind? It is my own observation that the e-to-i conversion has largely fallen out of grace (too many opinions on how to do it ESPECIALLY on SuperEtas, and too much effort for too modest gains, plus M30s can be had for a song), and my gut tells me that M20 to M30 swaps in E28s will soon follow a similar path.
UltraSheen
Posts: 144
Joined: Jun 02, 2017 5:57 PM
Location: Huntsville, AL

Re: My 1987 528e

Post by UltraSheen »

I plan to do the belt :)

I'm still looking at the easiest way to get, maybe, 225 RWHP. I don't know if I'll replace the engine. I'm taking my time, so I can make sure I do things right.
UltraSheen
Posts: 144
Joined: Jun 02, 2017 5:57 PM
Location: Huntsville, AL

Re: My 1987 528e

Post by UltraSheen »

With the rims off the E39, time was of the essence on the tires. They were old and bald and dry-rotted. Just like me. I'd been looking around for the right tire. Performance was not high on the list, but I did want something that would last a while.

I found Cooper CS5 Grand Touring tires for $58 each on eBay. That included shipping. I emailed Discount Tire and they said they'd price-match. I went ahead and ordered 5 tires for a grand total (installation included) $380. Not bad for 5 80000-mile American-made tires. The Michelins that were originally on the rims were 225/60/R15 and these are a little smaller at 215/60/R15, but I really like the look. They're not aggressive, but they suit the car from my perspective.

Image

PS: forgive all the paint pen circles. So many hail dents to work on...
UltraSheen
Posts: 144
Joined: Jun 02, 2017 5:57 PM
Location: Huntsville, AL

Re: My 1987 528e

Post by UltraSheen »

Last night, I was trying to trace down my slight miss, and I think I've narrowed it down to the 3rd cylinder.

I replaced the plugs and nothing changed, but they needed changing because they were in rough shape. I pulled each plug wire off while running to see if there was a change, and when I pulled off the third one, I saw no difference. That's it!

I put an old plug in the wire end and laid it across the valve cover and when the car ran it had a strong spark. This leads me to think it's the fuel injector for that cylinder.

Anything else I should look at?
Sparkos
Posts: 8
Joined: Aug 29, 2018 3:35 PM
Location: Eastern Canada

Re: My 1987 528e

Post by Sparkos »

A compression check might be a good idea to make sure it's nothing wrong with the engine (which I'm pretty sure it isn't) Another thing you could do is test if power gets to the injector to make sure the injector is really the issue and not a bad wire/connector. One thing, though. A regular test light might overload the circuit and fry something so a noid light is necessary which runs about $10 on Amazon.

Probably not worth all the extra work but if you don't have access to test tools you could swap two of the injectors and see if the miss moves to the other cylinder confirming that the injector is indeed bad.

Hope this helps!
UltraSheen
Posts: 144
Joined: Jun 02, 2017 5:57 PM
Location: Huntsville, AL

Re: My 1987 528e

Post by UltraSheen »

I still have the miss, so I wanted to eliminate the fuel supply from the pumps from the equation. I also wanted known good parts in general, so I ordered a new in-tank fuel pump. I got the Spectra Premium Gasoline Fuel Pump D5100H Part # D5100H SKU # 562447 from Autozone.

I installed it. I was very careful to avoid dropping any of the nuts or bolts into the gas tank, so of course that's exactly what I did. I'm glad I had a magnetic pick up tool (good $9 splurge -- https://amzn.to/2Uj7IeL). I tidied up the area with a little rattle can goodness after I installed it. There was no change with the engine miss, but the paint helped me, at least philosophically. The date code on the removed item was 10/86. Been there a minute...

I bought a Bosch 69414 fuel pump off eBay. It was made in the Czech Republic. I then bought a Bosch fuel filter off eBay. Bosch part number is 0450905030. It was made in Hungary.

It's been incredibly hot and humid here, as it is every year. I only have Harbor Freight jack stands. When I pulled off the wheel, I realized I probably couldn't squeeze my fat self under there well enough to do a good job, so I remounted the wheel and took the filter and pump to a local tire shop. They mounted them for $90. I hate spending money, but I hate getting killed by Harbor Freight jack stands or heart attack even more, so $90 was worth it to me.

I picked up the car and drove it home. The A/C refrigerant must be completely gone because there is no cooling at all. I'm still trying to find the resistor that supposedly turns on the aux fan when the A/C is on to the A/C is effective while moving at low speeds. (I've described it previously in this thread.) Now it doesn't matter. The A/C wouldn't cool me now if I were travelling light speed.

And speaking of moving, the engine miss is still there.
UltraSheen
Posts: 144
Joined: Jun 02, 2017 5:57 PM
Location: Huntsville, AL

Re: My 1987 528e

Post by UltraSheen »

The Bosch 69414 pump is $134 on Autozone's website. I paid $78.98 on eBay.

The Bosch filter was unavailable on Autozone's website. They had a Duralast for $17.99 and a Fram filter for $29.99. I paid $14.81 for the Bosch filter on eBay.

But not all is well in eBay-land. Not looking around cost me. Turns out I bought a gallon of Bondo for a total of $25.76. One day, there was a dude in a personally-owned vehicle delivering a plastic bag to my door. I looked at my wife and she looked back at me with an equally unknowing expression. I asked the guy as he was driving away (we had just parked), "Hey, you need something?" He said, "No just Walmart delivery! Have a nice day!" I said "You too!" But I hadn't ordered from eBay.

Turns out the Bondo was from Walmart. They have a service called Walmart+ and the guy on eBay had the Bondo 'drop-shipped' to my address through his Walmart+ account.

At Walmart, the Bondo would've cost me $16.47. That's slightly less than a $9 profit for the seller on eBay. You won't get rich unless you can scale up, but not bad for what's almost a free way of making money with no real work on your part (except getting the shipping address right when you make the order at Walmart).

My point is, next time I may check the price of general purpose stuff. Walmart's just a mile or two down the road. And I already have Walmart+ myself! :roll:
UltraSheen
Posts: 144
Joined: Jun 02, 2017 5:57 PM
Location: Huntsville, AL

Re: My 1987 528e

Post by UltraSheen »

Broke down and took it to a shop. Compression test is a pass.
UltraSheen
Posts: 144
Joined: Jun 02, 2017 5:57 PM
Location: Huntsville, AL

Re: My 1987 528e

Post by UltraSheen »

This process was a long one at the shop. One step forward. Then I had to order a part. Then the next step until a stopping point. New part ordered... Ad infinitum. Longer than I wanted, but they did their work at a fair price.

New pipes, fuel rail, etc. Timing belt done. Thermostat done. Fuel injectors done. The miss is gone, and the car finally runs pretty well.

Now time to figure out the cosmetics. She's ugly. But she's mine.

On the list in no particular order:
· paint
· replace/recover dash
· bumpers

I have some rust on the corners of the front and rear glass. So I want to get the glass removed ($150 was an estimate), repair the rust damage, take care of dash, then replace the glass that was removed. New seals and surrounds are on order.

I need a new under-hood heat shield (or whatever that-thing-that-turned-to-dust-when-I-touched-it is called).

One step at a time.
Panici
Posts: 217
Joined: Aug 07, 2014 2:04 AM
Location: Canada

Re: My 1987 528e

Post by Panici »

UltraSheen wrote: Jan 07, 2023 8:16 PM The miss is gone, and the car finally runs pretty well.
Now time to figure out the cosmetics. She's ugly. But she's mine.

One step at a time.
Glad it's running right. Drive the thing and enjoy it.
Cosmetics can be done slow-and-steady.
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