GregBest
06-28-2009, 12:08 PM
Hi all! I have some issues that I'm hoping someone will have the answers to. This is a rather expansive forum and I've used the search feature for a few days and have found nothing close to what I'm interested in, so I apologize if my questions have been beat to death here already.
I bought my Father an '89 535i for fathers day as a project for us to restore to it's former glory together. It had been driven intermittently by it's second owner and then placed under a tree and used as junk storage for a year until we rescued it. It cranked right up and purred like a kitten, so I quickly gave the woman the $800 she was asking for it as it was more than a fair price. After another $30 spent on cleaning products and 4 hours washing/shampooing/vaccuming @ the car wash it seems we have a fairly sharp looking Bimmer on our hands.
The body is excellent aside from an obvious do-it-yourself spot of paint on the rear fender. The sunroof works, as do 3 of the 4 power windows. The window is missing a pin and 1 of the 2 sliding pivots is broken. The gas gauge and digital display no longer work and the tachometer goes willy-nilly while you drive. Like a clock running super fast, around and around. The car is slow to take off, but after you reach 15mph it will run like a scolded dog. There is a button beside the automatic shifter that reads "A" on top and "M" on bottom. What's that about? It needs new belts (a/c, fan and power steering) as the ones on it are cracked. Can these be replaced by removing the fan? The hi-beams do not work. The blue indicators turn on, but the lights themselves do not change. Also there is a noise coming from the firewall when you shut the car down. It sounds like a hard drive resetting. I assume that's an issue with the computer? I also just bought a Haynes manual today and I'm attempting to track down an owners manual on ebay.
Any light that can be shed on all of this will be greatly appreciated. Here's to cruising in a bimmer with my Father and not spending a fortune getting there!
Thanks,
-Greg
I bought my Father an '89 535i for fathers day as a project for us to restore to it's former glory together. It had been driven intermittently by it's second owner and then placed under a tree and used as junk storage for a year until we rescued it. It cranked right up and purred like a kitten, so I quickly gave the woman the $800 she was asking for it as it was more than a fair price. After another $30 spent on cleaning products and 4 hours washing/shampooing/vaccuming @ the car wash it seems we have a fairly sharp looking Bimmer on our hands.
The body is excellent aside from an obvious do-it-yourself spot of paint on the rear fender. The sunroof works, as do 3 of the 4 power windows. The window is missing a pin and 1 of the 2 sliding pivots is broken. The gas gauge and digital display no longer work and the tachometer goes willy-nilly while you drive. Like a clock running super fast, around and around. The car is slow to take off, but after you reach 15mph it will run like a scolded dog. There is a button beside the automatic shifter that reads "A" on top and "M" on bottom. What's that about? It needs new belts (a/c, fan and power steering) as the ones on it are cracked. Can these be replaced by removing the fan? The hi-beams do not work. The blue indicators turn on, but the lights themselves do not change. Also there is a noise coming from the firewall when you shut the car down. It sounds like a hard drive resetting. I assume that's an issue with the computer? I also just bought a Haynes manual today and I'm attempting to track down an owners manual on ebay.
Any light that can be shed on all of this will be greatly appreciated. Here's to cruising in a bimmer with my Father and not spending a fortune getting there!
Thanks,
-Greg