Da Mean Green Sewing Machine

[Raja_Mongkut]

Greetings to all fellow E30, I would be the latest member of this board, having acquired a fine specimen of this German engineering wonder just two days ago on Sunday.It is an '84 E30 4 Door with M20B20 in immaculate condition. Color has yet to be identified but I have nailed it down to a few colors, namely Laguna Green or British Racing Green. If anyone has any idea what color this is, your help is greatly appreciated.However this being a 28 year-old automobile, it does have its shortcomings; which i intend to address in due time.This thread shall serve as my worklog and reference for other fellow E30 owners to comment and exchange ideas.List of things to be fixed:1. Sounds like a bloody sewing machine! Idles at 1.5k, drops to 1k with air-conditioning on. Possible causes: faulty air slide valve, dirty afm, vacuum leak and out of tune valve lifters.2. Blower Motor squeaking when going over bumps or when steering to the left. Will try lubing the bearing to prolong the lifespan and if all else fails replace the blower.3. Various electronic defects - 1 power window and 1 central locking gun doesnt work, 1 cabin light(being addressed as we speak)4. Fuel efficiency - I know these motors aren't petrol sippers but i believe with proper tuning could be better. CO tuning to be performedCosmetic mods / Mods that can wait:1. Replace door panels to all black to match the seats.2. Reinstall ICE over from previous ride.3. Gold Basketweave wheels4. Rectify couple o dings and faded bodywork.5. Autolock Alarm systemThat should be it, i'd love to share some pics but unfortunately she's 200Km away from me as i type and i'll only be seeing her tomoro. Will definitely update with pics when i get back!Repairs Done:1. Rear Passenger Central Lock (24/8/12) - RM502. Child Lock Power Window Switch (22/8/12)3. Cabin Light (23/8/12)Repairs Pending:1. Air Slide Valve (11531287304)2. Alternator & Air Cond Belt3. Rust on Left Wheel Well4. Fuse Box Cover5. Blower Motor Sound (Intermittent but its been good for the last 2 days)6. Glovebox Light Trigger switch (61311386316)7. Odometer that doesn't reset8. Gearbox Leak (Suspect Oil Seal)9. Adjust Valve Clearance10. Rear Driver Side Window Motor11. Spark Plugs12. Odometer GearsAnd I expect much more to be added...

 

[pussy]

the sewing machine issue is a small matter... there is a cure for it...


the rest, blower motor if yours is original one, best of luck. if the hanging type, i have a spare which u can have, i m clearing my store soon...

 

[Raja_Mongkut]

w00t! Harrowing day indeed! An unexpected event occured!

Drove down to Melaka on Monday in my 1st gen Mazda 6, night time felt a sudden shudder in my ATX tranny and realised car lost power. Several fumblings later and thanks to uncle Google, found out that my car had enter Safe Mode (Yes, like good ol windows XP) apparently fault with ECU or tranny. Long story short, had to tow the Six all the way back thru a 3 hr jam to KL to my trusty workshop. The car will be attended to 2moro.

Anyway, hopped into ol' Greenie to the revitalising aroma of continental goodness and i'm back in business! However after some spirited driving, realised that my footwell started getting hot... Hmm weird, ripped off gear console and realised that the entire area had become alarmingly hot! Googled it up and concluded that my tranny tunnel heat insulation was bust. Will jack up the car 2moro and see what lies beneath. Problems galore. Not that I mind, at least for now! Go easy on me, o' Greenie...

Thanks Pussy, am gonna need all the help i can get! Will be in touch when i rip that blower out...

Edit: And i Just realised my turn signal tabs don't cancel and 2nd gear's abit hard to engage. Time for tranny fluid change perhaps?

 

[pussy]

signal tabs cancel is due to worn signal mechanism or the 'tongue' at the steering wheel missing.

2nd gear is due to a worn clutch or housing, could be a due oil change.

 

[Raja_Mongkut]

Thanks Pussy, will look into those! Today was still a holiday for me. Started the afternoon paying a visit to ol' 6 in the workshop, then got right back immediately to attend to Greenie.

Started by attempting to rectify the door gun of the rear passenger. Took off door card following the instructions online and finally after some grunting and swearing, the door card was off. Carefully peeled off the rain guard to expose the internals. Good door. No accidents or rust on this un. What's that I see? Sound insulation that's falling apart! Tore everything off with the help of a screwdriver, and cleaned the area with a soaked sponge, rags and vacuum cleaner.

This is the aftermath:
View attachment 26024

Putting that aside, I shift my attention back to the door gun. Hooking up a multimeter to the wires confirms that a signal is being sent but gun seems to be jammed. Tough luck. Any help for a used/cheap E30 door gun?
View attachment 26032

Tried out the power window just in case, and i was to be rewarded as it wasn't working. Hmmm weird coz i definitely remember it working when the seller demo'ed it to me. Tried the switch from the gearbox console and it whirred down! So it works from the front but not the back, which led me to the faulty safety/childlock switch for the rear windows. Removed the switch and dissected it.
View attachment 26033

Seems that the problem was it was in a depressed state for a pretty long time, and being brass and highly malleable, the contacts had deformed after spending too much time together and decided to separate. No worries, time for some soldering action. I filed the contacts a lil so that the solder had something to grip onto.
View attachment 26034

A bob of solder on each contact and I'm done. Hello Pinocchio!
View attachment 26035

Power to rear switches has been restored!
View attachment 26036

Prior to this I mentioned something about my erratic idle and how the air slide valve might be the culprit, so i peep under the bonnet and find out what's going on.

Ooh what's this? Why's there a U shaped hose connecting 2 nipples on my throttle body?
View attachment 26026

Further investigation leads me to the air slide valve, which i find has 2 empty nipples and looking pretty darn corroded. These 2 nipples would be controlling additional air intake to the throttle if the air slide valve were working.Anyone knows where to find one?
View attachment 26027

Telltale signs of intrusion
View attachment 26030

Some fraying on both belts
View attachment 26031

Finally, why's this connector below the Throttle Body so damned dirty, and what does it do? I'd like to get it cleaned along with the TB. In the pic below u can see it gleaming with oil. TB gasket or is there even such a thing?
View attachment 26025

P.S: If anyone has a rear power window motor, I'd like to buy it. And if anyone's feeling generous or has any broken switches lying around, I'd like to have it as i broke a clip when i yanked too hard. I'm also looking for an air slide valve.

 

[pussy]

the previous owner bypass the throttle heater core hoses, this for cold weather to unstick the butterfly

the air slide does not function well now, the small radiator hoses pass thru, the hotter the valve gets, the lower the rpm drops to a stable idle.

the socket is a 3 pin type for loop circuit on close and open for the 'throttle position ' sensor. very expensive part, RM320.00 a piece, no stock in kl now. it acts for the amount of air which the butterfly opens to give the fuel to the injectors(works in tandem with the AFM)..dun worry about the oil, give it a WD40 washing and a old toothbrush.
Also, this part is important for the overall 'sewing' machine tuning which much need to be in very good working condition.


cheers...

 

[Raja_Mongkut]

My trip to the halfcut shop yielded the following results:
1. Rear central lock gun - RM50
2. Rear RHS Window Regulator + Motor - RM150

Bro Pussy, do you think i should replace the air slide valve, or should my money be prioritized on other repairs?

 

[evilnickwong]

Ooo, good price on the rear window regulator+motor. Did they have any more?

Btw, I have had similar sticking problems with the door actuator/gun and if emergency, I managed to get them unstuck and working again by giving them some really good knocks against a hard surface, then spraying some lube around the actuator area.

 

[ICEMAN 68]

any pictures of the ride ..?

 

[Raja_Mongkut]

Ooo, good price on the rear window regulator+motor. Did they have any more?

Btw, I have had similar sticking problems with the door actuator/gun and if emergency, I managed to get them unstuck and working again by giving them some really good knocks against a hard surface, then spraying some lube around the actuator area.

Yo Nick! When u getting back from S'pore? We can prolly meet up now that we have something in common again. Notice I said 'again', you prolly don't recognise me in this guise huh?

Oh btw the regulator tracks are mangled up beyond use, but what we really need is the motor anyways. I believe they still have 2 of those, for which side I forgot. Any difference between the housing for the front and rear window motors?
View attachment 26072

The door actuator i had was bricked and no amount of knocking or prying could revive it. At least all's good now, central locking to all doors recovered!
View attachment 26071

 

[Raja_Mongkut]

any pictures of the ride ..?

I'm looking to get some presentable pictures of her snapped this weekend... Right now she's in a dusty sorry state with her internals ripped out barely 1 week into her stay.

 

[pussy]

Replace the air slide valve. Possible bite the bullet and get a new one.

 

[Raja_Mongkut]

Replace the air slide valve. Possible bite the bullet and get a new one.

Dang... It's gonna be a RM600 bullet. Kinda hard to fathom... I'll try sourcing from halfcuts...

Reinstalled rear door card today after putting the central locking together...

2moro morning will work on that jammed rear power window motor (and install my front 5.25" speakers as preparation for my HU install)

 

[munk3ong]

Bro..where u had the air slide valve for 600?..I got quoted from BA and inner power for 8++

 

[Raja_Mongkut]

Bro sorry that was just a guesstimate from my research in the parts thread. That was most prolly old price... and now its escalated to 8++ damn..

 

[evilnickwong]

Yo Nick! When u getting back from S'pore? We can prolly meet up now that we have something in common again. Notice I said 'again', you prolly don't recognise me in this guise huh?

Oh btw the regulator tracks are mangled up beyond use, but what we really need is the motor anyways. I believe they still have 2 of those, for which side I forgot. Any difference between the housing for the front and rear window motors?
View attachment 26072

The door actuator i had was bricked and no amount of knocking or prying could revive it. At least all's good now, central locking to all doors recovered!
View attachment 26071

Eh, you're right hahahha, who's this?

Not familiar with your style of window regulator. Mine uses the scissor arm regulators, and front and back motor housings are different. However I believe the actual electrical portion (commutator etc) are the same and can be swapped if needed.

My situation with central locking not so lucky. After my front door actuator stuck, I replaced it with another one (blue cap). Didn't know that was specific for rear boot only. Door can open, but no central locking. After that I replaced back my original actuator which I fixed, and central locking still not working. :-/ No idea why now hahaha. Maybe the wrong actuator screwed with the central locking control module. Not free to fix it now anyway.

 

[Raja_Mongkut]

Haha yeah according to the bentley manual they got different colour coding for front, rear and boot actuators...

I used to frequent LYN forums, into case mods and i met you in a club in KL once. Haha... Ring any bells?

 

[evilnickwong]

Haha yeah according to the bentley manual they got different colour coding for front, rear and boot actuators...

I used to frequent LYN forums, into case mods and i met you in a club in KL once. Haha... Ring any bells?

Check ebay if you need actuators as well, plenty there.

Ermmm,,... drawing a blank here hahahaha.

 

[Raja_Mongkut]

Haha yeap but shipping is gonna KILL me lolz!

Okay... I did a couple of case mods for you before, that was aeons ago so you prolly don't remember lolz!

 

[mizhan]

i am certain not long from now we will be bitching about the air slide valve no longer being in production. by then, RM800 will sound very cheap for a new one as even good condition used ones will be hard to come by. such is life..