The Landshark is afraid of water

Specifically rainwater.  It's raining heavily.  I was a little too correct with my choice of "The Landshark" for a name.  It does not like the water and conked out in the rain.  I hoped I had just blown a relay or fuse in the wet. Sadly no. Something has affected the alternator and the battery is dead.  If only the battery had died in a parking lot.  Unfortunatley it died while driving.  This is an interesting experience.  The headlights get dimmer and dimmer, the wipers slow down and then, the engine stops firing correctly coughs and sputters to a halt.  

By the time this had occured, I was still doing 30 trying to spot the sholder through a rain soaked windshield no longer serviced by my wipers.  I thought about it, switched relays and gave the key a turn.  Sadly nothing happened.  I gave the engine some time to dry out.  Still nothing.  At this point, I called Roadside Assistance, thankfully I had one flashing bar of battery left on my phone making the automated phone menu of my insurance especially enjoyable.  The battery held out, the tow truck arrived and the Landshark is now parked in front of the house.  

Hopefully the rain will stop and the electrical problem will have dried out by morning.  I still think I'll be riding the bike to work.

Out of Commission

Not the car, just me.  I sneezed yesterday and blew out my back.  Hopefully it's not too serious.  I wasn't planning on doing much this weekend anyway.  Happy Thanksgiving.  

At least I can still eat turkey!!!

Cold weekend; little accomplished

So it was chilly this weekend.  My one repair project met with minimal success.  The exhaust has some small holes, I thought I could patch them with some muffler tape...No such luck.  After curing overnight, the test drive today burned right through the patch.  The LandShark will just be loud until I order a muffler.  On the plus side, I created a long and seemingly daunting list of things to do.  http://jacknsundrop.tadalist.com/lists/1156806/public.  Hopefully, I can roll through them pretty quickly.  The only real excitement, other than how much fun the LandShark is to drive, is when my hood latch let go somewhere past 85 mph.  Fortunately these old BMW hoods are hinged in the front, so it did not fly up and block my view.  The speedometer only goes up to 85 as well, so it's hard to say how fast I was going.  The long drive did wonders for my clutch and transmission.  Shifting was much smoother on the return trip.  I should have taken a picture.

Success!!!

Who knew that an engine could be so sensitive.  I left the snorkel off the air filter case while working on the engine.  It's in the way, and when making adjustments, I am constantly taking the air filter case in and out of the car anyway.  With the snorkel off, too much air was getting into the engine at idle, snuffing out the combustion.  The snorkel is part 4 in the diagram below.  

I know, that's a lot of parts to hold an air filter.  Until I had made these adjustments, the snorkel didn't really make a difference whether the car ran or not.  It was actually harder to start with the snorkel on before I cleaned and tuned up the engine.  Now it fires right up.  The throttle was unresponsive too before I made all the adjsutments and cleaned/checked/replaced various fuel injection components.  Now it runs as much like a scaleded dog as a car with only a little over 100hp can.  Now I just need to start my search for a passenger seat and center console. 

I have a suspicion that my heater vents are all blocked.  Possibly with dirt dobber nests. Thankfully I have a warm coat and a short drive to work.

Still sitting in the carport

Now that it is very cold working on the car is less exciting.  Riding the bike to work will be even less exciting next week if I don't figure it out tomorrow.  The Landshark will run, he just won't idle.  It's hard to hold down three pedals at a stop sign with only two feet.  I've gone through everything, but may have overlooked something simple.  I have an idea to try tomorrow.  We'll see what happens.

I should have left well enough alone...

I'm back to the bicycle for a day or two.  

By trying to fix my hard cold-starting problem, I've created another.  I hooked everything back up and the Landshark wouldn't start.  I think with these cars, "if it ain't broke enough, you can wait to fix it".  Running, with a long warm-up time was ok, compared to not running.  Maybe, just maybe though, I'm only out of gas.  I was heading toward a 1/4 tank on Friday, which is empty for the Landshark.  

Sadly, I only thought of this possibility after sunset, thanks to the end of Daylight Savings.  At least it will be bright and sunny for my ride into work tomorrow.

New month, New projects...

The trip to homecoming went really well.  I stayed in the right lane and pretty much kept my foot on the floor.  It's very easy to drive like that.  

Thankfully, my friends are lazy and out of shape.  They attempted to return to their college glory days by picking up and moving my car inside the fraternity house.  While the Landshark did get off the ground, they compromised at carrying it 5 feet.  I was still not amused.

I'm missing some power and throttle somewhere.  My goal this month is to find them.  I'll be adjusting the throttle to make sure it is set properly and getting its full range of motion.  These cars have mechanical fuel injection, so I'll be adjusting that a little.  The car still takes many tries to start and stay running when cold.  Before I fry my starter, I'll be adjusting what the books call the "warm-up regulator".  It gives added fuel when the engine is cold and helps regulate the fuel pressure to the engine throughout the driving cycle.  The last project for the month is to slap a patch on my exhaust pipe so that people stop asking, "So, is it a diesel?"  It's a little loud.  I'll also be keeping my eye out for a passenger seat, and a center console so I can put the interior back together.  

Driving this car out on the road was a pleasure.  While it didn't respond to the gas pedal, the handling is fantastic.  The car responds to little movements of the wheel, it is not unconnected to the road like cars today.  Power steering is nice, especially on larger cars, but on a small car like this, it would just get in the way.

The Landshark goes to school!

Or rather, takes me back to college for homecoming.  

That's right, The Landshark is going to Sewanee for the weekend.  Google has it at 109 miles.  Most of it interstate.  I've been testing and tuning the last two weeks to get the car in shape.  This weekend's the big test, and my 10 year reunion.  I'm looking forward to the drive.  The reunion should be fun too.  

What's the big deal though? People drive that far every day to work.  This car though, this piece of German engineering, steel and glass wasn't running in July.  In August, it would start and run fitfully, barely reving.  In September, it ran and took me to work a few times, but blew hoses, overheated, and required replacement of virtually everything rubber in and around the engine. October came and with the cool weather an end to the overheating, two weeks of reliable trips to work, with only minor coolant loss from incorrectly tightened hoses.  

Now, with new front tires, a tank of 89 octane gas for comparison, and a well, running engine, this car is going out on the road.   I'll have an update after the weekend. Or I may try and twitter the trip.

http://twitter.com/JacknSundrop

Busy, painful weekend.

I spent almost all day Sunday working on the car.  Really just on one thing.  

The air intake boot.  It is a piece that sits on top of the air and fuel regulator and underneath the intake manifold.  This is a very small cramped space that is difficult to work in.  The old boot was petrified rubber.  I had to cut it out after loosening the clips that hold it in place.  The manuals are not helpful with this piece.  

"Detach the boot from the mixture regulator and air intake, and slide the boot out, installation is the reverse of removal".  

There was no mention of the jungle of fuel lines, vacuum hoses and supports that are in the way.  Not to mention that it is covered on one side by the intakes, the fuel distrubutor in the front and the throttle in the back.  I'd rather ride into the Valley of Death with the Light Brigade than replace this piece again. My arms were black with grease to my elbows when I was done, they're now black with bruises.  

For anyone doing the same thing, my only piece of advice is to take the clips out completely before trying to put the boot back in.  You can unscrew them all the way and then feed the loose end in and around each lip of the boot once it is in place.  

For all the trouble, it fixed my final vacuum leak, as the new boot has no holes, and as I loosened most of the vacuum hoses to get it in and out, I was able to inspect and test them as well.  

I also reattached the exhaust to the muffler and now have a somewhat quieter car.  This has allowed me some quiet time to contemplate the new sound coming from the left rear of the car.  I think I have a drum brake that is binding.  

I'll find out this weekend.  I needed to bleed the brake lines anyway.

The car is almost road-ready.

I've been on test drives, and am reliably making it back and forth to work, except for Monday night, when I learned that 1/4 a tank really means empty.  Apparently these German gauges are notrious for their precision, but not their accuracy.  

The odometer is working again.  With some parts from the Pull-a-Part I was able to make one working odometer.  I'm proud to say I've driven 46 miles since Tuesday night.  I also replaced the last radiator hose, before it could blow or disintergrate.  I'm getting new front tires this weekend and plan to replace the rubber air hood between the intake manifold and the air intake.  With that, the last of my vacuum problems will be fixed.  For now.  I will also bolt the exhaust back to the muffle.  This should quiet the engine enoough to do some more fine tuning 

I could walk 20 miles home if I had to. I just wouldn't want to.

Just a short trip today up the road.  About 20 miles.  The Landshark did not like the stop and go traffic in the next town, He let me know by pegging the temp gage when we were under ten miles an hour.  It was a short stretch of stops.  Before and after the traffic we pushed it a little cruising easily at 60.  I'm lacking some power due to some air leaks in the engine, but I'm tracking those down.  New tires are the next item I found out about today.  The fronts do not like 45-55 mph. Above that though, it was smooth with the engine roaring.  Of course it was roaring because the exhaust has come uncoupled from the muffler, but two bolts and a gasket wil quiet it back down.  

The highlight was just barely making it to 70 for a little while.  In todays cars, no one even blinks at 70.  It's the speed limit.  You can't even feel it.  You get passed if you're only going 70.  

70 is fast though.  It takes an older car to make you realize that.   

Finally, an easy repair!

I replaced the fan belt.  The horrible shrieking has left the engine bay, and so far the car does not overheat.  I've still got some fine-tuning to do, but I should be able to drive around town safely.

The basic steps for replacing the fan belt are:

1. Disconnect and remove the battery.
   
2. Loosen both of the nuts circled here.  The one on the left has a nut on the back of the alternator mount that should be held in place w/another wrench.  All the nuts are 1/2 inch.
   
3. Reach down through the battery holder and lift up the alternator.  It should swing freely.
4. Work the belt off the pulleys, then slide it out and around the fan.  
5. Slide the new fan belt around the fan, and loop it over the fan pulley and the crankshaft pulley.  Make sure you are in the right grooves on the pulley.  They are the ones closest to the engine.
6. Lift the alternator and work the belt around the pulley
7. Once the belt is on all the pulleys pull the alternator away from the fan until the belt is tight.  The book says that the belt should press in .2-.4 inches at the midpoint between the fan and alternator pulleys when the belt is tight enough.  This is tough to measure when you can't look at the belt from a level point of view.   Hold the opening of the half inch socket even with the top of the belt.  When you press down on the belt, as long as it doesn't go past the bottom of the socket you should have it about right.  
8. Reconnect the battery and go for a test drive!
9. After a day or two of driving you may have to adjust the tension.

Here's a picture of the old belt and the new belt.  Just as a note the old belt, while not worn, was incorrect for the car.  That's why the two look different.

I've Joined the Legion

This is probably of no interest to anyone who doesn't have an E21.  But if you have found this blog and you do have an E21, join the Legion. 

That's http://www.e21legion.net/

Also, I recommend Bimmerforums, linked at the right.  The resources and members there are fantastic.  I would still be fiddling the headlights and wondering why it wouldn't stay running without the help and advice from everyone there.  In looking at the things that are possible, I realize that my small projects are not impossible.

The Landshark after Dark

The first drive in the dark.  The headlights work great.  High and Low.  My fog lights are burnt out, but, it was a clear evening.  The banshee shrieking under the hood was not power trapped in the engine, but my failing fan belt.  This led to overheating and a nice slow 20mph drive home for the last 3 miles.  I am pleased to say that all my hoses held.  I have a new fan belt already, it's going in this weekend.  I'll be biking to work again tomorrow and Friday.  A mixed effort by the Landshark, but a good result in the end.  I arrived home, all seals and hoses intact, slightly warmer than I would like from running the heater full blast.  He drove well under duress.  I need to keep a gallon of distilled water in the trunk.

Success!

After a full day Sunday, the Landshark is running.  The timing was seriously off causing there not to be fuel in the engine when the spark arrived.  More precisely there was no fuel when the spark reached the cylinder during the compression part of the cycle.  That's enough technical terms for the day.  I spent the remainder of my day enjoying the simple pleasure of figuring out a somewhat complex problem and taking something that was broken; making it work again.  

I don't know when I got interested in cars.  As a teenager, I wanted a '65 Mustang, who doesn't?  I ended up with a Triumph TR4A convertible.  It never got to the stage of being street legal, but it was a great project.  Working on cars and enjoying them was something I shared with my father, although vicariously.  We were separated, and he would give me tips and occasionally tools when I would visit, but we never worked together.  He had his own little project a Sunbeam Alpine.  It was great to have this together.  

We both were despondent and angry that the Mazda Miata's were just barely too small for us to fit in.  As I've been working on this car I've thought of him and how he'd enjoy it as I do.  My mother has told me stories of the 1970 something 2002 series BMW they had and what a pleasure it was to drive.  I'd like to think that I'm following generationlly in his footsteps with my little 320i.  

I drove it to work today and am making plans for further repairs this weekend.  New fanbelt, re- gap the spark plugs, possibly repair a small portion of the wiring harness.  It's nice to share this with your son.  I'm looking forward to sharing these skills with mine.

Trying to make connections

What good are disconnected wires?  Do they really need to be hooked up?  I have to say yes.  I was not sure what all the unconnected, mis-connected wires and hoses go to, but I think they are all in the right place now.  

The Landshark still is not starting, but I am closer to a solution.  Right now I think the main problem is that I connected the sparkplug wires for a european version of my car rather than the North American model I own.  The foolish Germans made subtle differences in the models for each contintent, no doubt to strike back at us for our silly emissions laws.   In Europe the distributor turns clockwise, in America, counter-clockwise.  At least on the '83 model.  Time to go rearrange the wires! Again!

A quick timeline

Starting in April I began looking for a new old car.  I came close a few times and saw a lot of bad cars.  Near the end of July, I saw an ad on craigslist for an '83 320i for $300.  Probably a parts car I thought, but I might as well call as it was only 15 minutes away.  After several trips to check it out, I bought it and the previous owner was nice enough to tow it to my house.  Its most redeeming feature, is the fact that it has roughly 76,ooo miles on it.  Original.  The other redeeming features I've only found as I've driven it, briefly.  Once tuned and running I hope to get 30+ MPG.  

In August I went on a parts ordering spree to try and get the things I needed to get it running.

Late August:  It starts and stays running for the first time.  I immediately head to the store in it for more parts.

Now that it's running I start trying to address the other problems.  I make two trips to the pull-a-part over Labor Day Weekend to see what I can find.  I get the trim piece I am missing, a rear seat, a new driver's seat, the sun roof headliner, an interior door panel, various electrical parts and switches and just in case, a fuel pump.  The new electrical pieces restore power to the headlights.  I combine the working headlights and turn signals with registration and plates and it is now street legal.

I manage to drive it a half mile to work, down to the bank, back to work and home at the end of the day, blowing two hoses and losing half my coolant.

I put the rear seats in last week along with new spark plugs, almost every radiator hose and of course more coolant.

It should be pretty road worthy?  Right?  Alas I am having a signifigant power issue, or lack thereof.  Back to the message boards and shop manuals to figure out an answer.

It can't be a real blog without a first post

I like cars.  Todays vehicles have no real soul or personality. They have big engines and handle well, but where are the quirks that defined a car, that caused you to name it? They've been engineered out.  I started looking for an older car with personality.  I wanted something fun to drive, easy to work on and relatively inexpensive.  After some thought, I decided on a BMW from the mid-80's.  There were a few prequalifications that I disregarded when I found my car. 

Running, ac, four doors and a stick shift were the main items.  

I found one with a stick shift.  It now runs after a month, and I plan to re-introduce airconditioning into it by next summer.  It will never have four doors though.  

To say this car was a little rough is an understatment.  The passenger seat was removed, the clear coat is gone and the driver's and rear seats have deteriorated into a mess.  As I said, it also wasn't running.  

This blog will  follow my adventures as I turn a 1983 BMW 320i from a barn find(if only it had been in a barn) wannabe into my daily driver.