325 oil service reset

As I am working through things on the 325 I came across the oil service gauge on the cluster. I changed the oil on Sunday night (it really needed it), but the gauge still showed that it was bad. There is a tool that cost about $70 that will reset it, or you can go to a shop and they'll do it for $25 or more. Or as I found on one website you can easily reset it yourself in a few minutes. Actually seconds. Tools required - a paper clip or piece of wire. I have copper wire laying around from having to run wiring in the 02 so I took a small piece, striped the ends of it and went out to the car. The procedure is this, put the ignition into position II (just before start) so that the dash lights come on. Pop the hood and go to the front of the car, open hood. Look to the passenger side of the engine bay and right behind the left strut tower there is a circle thing. Unscrew the cap and look for pin 7 and 19. They are labeled. Stick one end of the wire or metal piece in 7 and then the other end in 19. Hold it there for about 4 to 5 seconds. It took me a couple of times. Don't go too long though. Once the time as elapsed pull out the wire. Now go check the dash, you should see all green on the oil indicator.

Not done yet

I'll be picking up the 325 tonight, just in time for some really hot weather to come in. Since I'll be able to drive and work on it at the same time I'll be able to dig into somethings the 02 needs. I saw the comments from other posts and thank you for the advice. I'll be pulling the transmission off to check the main rear seal and the clutch. The transmission also needs the selector shaft seal replaced and some linkage issues fixed. I'll also replace the guibo at that time.

I took the 02 in last week to get an inspection. In Missouri you need a safety inspection every time you renew the license plates. Well, it failed. I have to replace brake pads on the front left, probably both. The brake lines were custom jobs and I forgot the brackets for them. I have to redo that and hopefully get it bled right too. The back brake lines need fixing also which mean I need to run longer metal lines so they can go through the control arm. Also the center linkage needs replacing and they recommended the tierods also get replaced. Since I'll need that done I might as well replace the idler arm bushing at the same time since I already have them and it will be apart. The good thing is there is no hurry. But this will give me experience for the next time I get it an 02. I think I need a countdown clock.

I'll be inventorying my parts too so I know what I have. Right now I plan on selling the 02 and all parts for around $3000.

Good-bye 02, hello 325

A couple of weeks ago it became apparent that we needed a new car that had A/C and seats 5. Because of my involvement with Boy Scouts (Scout Master) I from time to time need to take our Trailblazer on camp outs to tow the scout trailer. When I do this, my wife needs a car to be able to take the kids places and run to the store if she has too. She would not be able to do this in the 02 since it a manual and has a slipping clutch and no A/C. Plus the 02 can't be driven long distances. So I made the decision that the 02 needed to be replaced. So the search began and this week I found the replacement car. A 1995 BMW 325i black on black leather with sport package. It does need new brake pads all round and new rear disc and front outer ball joints. But for only $3500 it is a good deal. The best part is it is an automatic which will make it easier for my wife to drive. I pick it up tomorrow evening. For now here is a picture from Tuesday.

More troubleshooting

Well, I finally got some new plug wires and I think this should help. I found that the ones on the car had corroded  to the point that the wire wasn't making connections on all of them. I also think the fuel pump isn't doing enough at the higher RPMs, so I'm going to rehook up the electrical one in the trunk to give it just a bit more.

Gas filter

So I think I finally got it. I removed my trunk filter that I put on when I first got the car running so that anything in the tank wouldn't go into the electric fuel pump. After removing the pump I left it there. I replaced the one in the engine compartment and after getting a mouth full of gas from a hose that I tucked next to the carb and came loose flinging gas into my mouth. Anyway the filter had bits of stuff in it and was nasty. After getting the new one on there and it taking forever for it to start, I finally got it going and took it out for a quick spin. It rev'd to 4000 with no problem. Clutch still slipped of course, but it feels more powerful now.

Which reminds me, on Thursday evening I finally took it on the highway at 65 mph for a 10 minute trip. The driveshaft held and it ran okay. It should do better now.

Another thing I did the on Thursday was to replace the brake booster hose that goes from the valve thing to the manifold. The one was dirty and too short. When I got it off I also noticed a small hole. With the new one on there the brakes are much more responsive.

what to do?

So, I'm still tweaking it. After getting the #2 plug cleaned up and adjusting the valves it wouldn't want to go over 3000 without missing, or maybe it was knocking. I ran some seafoam into the vacuum line and it seemed to help a tad, I think the carbon built up in there causing it to burn the fuel at the wrong time. On Friday I adjusted it so that the idle mixture screw is way in and readjusted the timing by ear. It is still off, but it runs. But the clutch is getting worse I think and don't have the time or money to do anything about it right now. Of course I do have a spare clutch and pressure plate, problem is I need the car to get to work and my wife needs the Trailblazer. The summer is already busy enough. Not only does the clutch plate need replaced, but so does the shifter linkage, the seal for the shifter and possibly the main rear seal.

Sometimes I wish I had a new car that didn't have problems and I didn't have to worry about this. AC would be nice too. But, I don't and it will be at least 3 years before we buy another one. So the 02 will have to make it and I'll have to find the time to tear it apart again.

Tuning Update

Over last weekend I tore into the car a bit. I was tired of the rough running, wobbly engine and the sucky 19 mpg that I had been getting. First step was to see if I could get the car to start easier and take care of the surging problem when I know the timing is right. So off comes the top of the carb (Weber 32/36 DGAV) and I get down to the float, apparently this thing can cause all sorts of issues if it isn't set right. Well, mine was set around 30mm, should be 41mm. So I got that set correctly. Just had to bend the floats down a bit. I put the top piece back in place and then went for the choke. I'm pretty sure it had never worked properly. I started by lining up the marks on the choke and the carb and then tweaking it to where it actually closed the flaps at the right spot. Then I adjusted the screw to stop the linkage at the right spot for high idle, it was backed out to where it wasn't even touching before.

The next day after letting the engine cool over night I pulled the plugs and the valve cover. #2 plug was fouled, that explained the rough running miss firing engine. But why? I put the car in fifth gear and starting rolling it to adjust each of the valves to .006. When I got to #2 intake, there was no gap, when I loosened the nut it actually came up some. I think it was too tight, not letting it close all the way. With all of them set, I cleaned up the plugs, put them back in and went for the timing.

First I put the carb to the proper setting than got the timing set to the "dot" on the flywheel. My car is one of those that doesn't have the marks on the pulley. Then I set the carb to where it was running smooth and sounded good. Took it out for a drive and was very pleased by how much smoother it was. Lacked power though.

On Monday I tweaked the timing a little to bring the power up and haven't touch anything sense. It has been great. My biggest issue with it now is getting the high idle to set when it is cold.

The next thing I need to work on is the transmission. It still leaks, hopefully a seal for the shifter will fix that. Also the clutch is slipping, luckily I have a new one, just need the time to tear it apart. Also the right front brake is squeaking. Probably need better pads up there.