The Budget BMW

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The Dark Side of Will
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Re: The Budget BMW

Post by The Dark Side of Will »

If you're getting spark, your crank sensor is good.
At least the Germans make fuel pumps easy to replace.
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Re: The Budget BMW

Post by The Dark Side of Will »

CincinnatiFiero wrote:Time for a V12 E34??
That was what I was thinking!
I'll take a look at my finances once I start drawing paychecks again and see when I can snag it :good:
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Re: The Budget BMW

Post by CincinnatiFiero »

I had the feed and return fuel hoses backwards. I got frustrated and posted on bimmerforums, first reply was that people often flip them since they are the same diameter. Sure enough he was right. Swapped them and it started right up.

Now begins the process of getting the cooling system bled, and someone was so kind as to round off the bleed screw on the thermostat housing.
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Re: The Budget BMW

Post by ericjon262 »

CincinnatiFiero wrote:I had the feed and return fuel hoses backwards. I got frustrated and posted on bimmerforums, first reply was that people often flip them since they are the same diameter. Sure enough he was right. Swapped them and it started right up.

Now begins the process of getting the cooling system bled, and someone was so kind as to round off the bleed screw on the thermostat housing.

I can't tell you how long it took me to find one that wasn't rounded off for my 3500 swap... you would think more people would realize it's a little brass fitting, and that you don't have to put the fear of god into it for it to seal...
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Re: The Budget BMW

Post by The Dark Side of Will »

Crappy mechanics do everything half-assed except tighten bolts.
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Aaron
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Re: The Budget BMW

Post by Aaron »

Have fun bleeding it, even the Fiero coolant system is easy after owning an E34 lol.
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Re: The Budget BMW

Post by CincinnatiFiero »

ericjon262 wrote: I can't tell you how long it took me to find one that wasn't rounded off for my 3500 swap... you would think more people would realize it's a little brass fitting, and that you don't have to put the fear of god into it for it to seal...
Worst case they are $40 brand new online, I just don't want to wait another week for something like getting the cooling system bled.
Aaron wrote:Have fun bleeding it, even the Fiero coolant system is easy after owning an E34 lol.
BMW cooling systems suck, I've done an E34, a handful of E30s, and then my E46.

I can get vice grips on the plug, I put penetrating oil on it last night, and I am going to try some heat tonight and see if I can get it to move.
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Re: The Budget BMW

Post by Series8217 »

My only significant BMW experience is with the E46 but I've never had a problem filling it. Bleeder screw out, fill the reservoir until fluid comes out of the bleeder hole, reinstall bleeder screw, fill the reservoir until the float indicates full, close the lid and go on a road trip.
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Re: The Budget BMW

Post by The Dark Side of Will »

Series8217 wrote:My only significant BMW experience is with the E46 but I've never had a problem filling it. Bleeder screw out, fill the reservoir until fluid comes out of the bleeder hole, reinstall bleeder screw, fill the reservoir until the float indicates full, close the lid and go on a road trip.
My experience has been similar with my E34 and E30's. I like to have a heat cycle before a road trip, though...
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Re: The Budget BMW

Post by CincinnatiFiero »

A little heat got the bleeder screw out. A few minutes of opening, topping off, then opening again and its bled and working. I'll put the interior in tomorrow. Need to hit the junkyard. I've got a broken door handle too.
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Re: The Budget BMW

Post by CincinnatiFiero »

Well, $225 cars are generally the gifts that keep giving. Pulled it into the garage, put it in park, and the car kept going forwards. The automatic trans shift cable snapped. And conveniently its 535 and 735 specific. So I can't get one at the junkyard.


In other news I picked up factory Hella Projector headlights off of a 1992 740i for $24 at the yard when we went looking for some other stuff.
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Re: The Budget BMW

Post by CincinnatiFiero »

Shift cable was $39 from the dealer, two days to get it. Aftermarket on eBay was around $30 with shipping and unknown shipping time. I went with the former. The question is why did it break, but BMW parts guy said at 180k like my car, they just break from use. So we will see.
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Re: The Budget BMW

Post by CincinnatiFiero »

Spent $92.80 at pick and pull on two front seats and a rear seat back. Both my front seats were in bad shape, and the rear, the seams at the top were splitting. Well worth the money I think. Spent $15.50 on two new roundels for the car.

So, we are are $624.10, and I think it is about done. I didn't put the elipsoid lights on, I may just eBay them. I also sold the old torn up seats on craigslist for $30 which cancels out the cost of the oil change.

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I have been driving it a bit, I like it. But its time to float it on, I bought Budget Bimmer Part 2 last night.

I put it on CL for $2,000 because its tax season, realistically I think it's probably a $1,500 car.
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Re: The Budget BMW

Post by CincinnatiFiero »

Maybe it is more of a $1,500 car than I had hoped. Only gotten one person to come look at it, had two other callers who never showed up when they scheduled.

Dropped the price on CL to $1,850. I would think some baller on a budget with a tax refund would be all about it, but I guess not. The only person who showed up had an E30 and and an E39 and was into BMWs, he really liked it but decided he didn't have the money.
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Re: The Budget BMW

Post by CincinnatiFiero »

Had someone call and ask a million questions, which is fine, then tried to negotiate over the phone, which I hate, because you have no idea what you are negotiating for. I agree to $1,500. He calls later and asks for the VIN, Carfaxes it (he was taken aback when I said I had never carfaxed it), turns out, it was leased, when it came off lease someone bought it in 94, drove it until I bought it. Clean carfax. Neat.

Shows up last night, drives it, really likes it. Then reopens negotiations. I said no thanks.

Calls me later, says the car needs an O2 sensor that's why it runs rough (I don't think it runs rough, it vibrates a little which I attribute to original motor mounts), I ask him how much an O2 is, he says around $50. I said I'll take $1,450 for the car and I'm done. Then he asks if I will take it to the BMW dealer for a "free used car inspection" I remind him they are more like $140. He has to sleep on it, and will call me today.

A 182,000 mile 1991, I'm sure BMW could fill a binder with things they'd like to replace on the car.

Very nice guy, and I believe he has the $1,500. But sweet jesus, this is a lot of effort for a $1,500 car.
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Re: The Budget BMW

Post by The Dark Side of Will »

As if he expects it to run *another* 100k miles for $1500.
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Re: The Budget BMW

Post by CincinnatiFiero »

Its sold, to that guy.
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