My 1989 750il thread - AKA A Fool's Errand

[biasvoltage]

I just wrapped up restoring the SLS rear suspension on my 91 M5 -- new bushings, mounts, pitman arms, SLS shocks rebuilt by Nagengast in Poland. And by just wrapped up I mean earlier today -- and it's great! 5 minutes into my first drive with it, the phone rings and its a guy from Craigslist, calling me back -- the buyer he had lined up on his 89 750il backed out, was I still interested?

Sigh. Yeah. I am. But why? I don't know. I have a 236k mile S38B36, that occupies all of my wrench time. Am I a masochist? Or just a glutton for punishment? When I was a kid I would feed stray cats in the neighborhood, and wound up with many of them becoming part of the family. Maybe this is an extension of that. A poor, neglected black on black 1989 BMW 750il with 101k miles that just needs a loving owner. That's me. I'm a sucker. A sucker who is now $750 poorer.

I'm having it towed to my house tomorrow. It doesn't run. It sat, for 5 years, and now it doesn't run. The (now previous) owner got it to run and idle with some carb cleaner sprayed in one of the throttle bodies. Curiously, I was unable to initiate the stomp test. The cluster self test proved that the vin matches, so the miles are legit. SO: My faint hope is that the no-start is due to a tank full of old gas and fuel filters that are now plugged up. So I'll start with siphoning out the tank, pulling the pumps to get a look at the condition of the pickup screen, and changing the filters. Once (or should I say if) I get it running I'll do the standard fluids/filters/plugs stuff, but I'm not putting money into maintenance parts until I can more fully determine the condition of the engine and transmission.

Wish me luck.

[shogun]

Good mileage. If it sat for 5 years, the fuel pumps are clogged from the old fuel, maybe also the rest inside the tank is corroded. Even had a case where the fuel injectors were gummed up on an M70.
Stomp test should work on a 1989, maybe it is just a matter to find the right timing for pushing the brake pedal

[XAlt]

You're not a masochist, you're a philanthropist)))


Just pretend it's an E34 with a V12, and you'll be fine. Drain all the major fluids\change major filters, clean the tank up, and once the car gets running properly change out that 30 year old Dexron.

[biasvoltage]

Thanks for the words of encouragement!

The eagle has landed, in my driveway. I didn't have much time to play with it before it got dark but here is what I found so far:

Jumping pins 30 and 87 for the fuel pump relays does nothing. Pin 30 definitely has voltage, but when I jump to pin 87 nothing happens at the pump. I checked, there is no voltage showing up an any of the pins on the fuel pump connector (with the relay jumpered). Tomorrow I'll pull out my continuity tester and see if I can figure this out.

The stomp test is not functioning. Car vin is DC74740, which shows up having a production date of 4/89, so it should work. Perhaps the EWS potentiometer under the dash is bad? Also, from what I've read around here, the EML light on the dash should light up when I turn the key to position 2. That isn't happening. I ran the cluster test (verified the vin), all of the lights on the cluster lit up at the end just fine ... except for the EML light.

I got lucky this morning at the Pick-your-Part. A 1994 750il had shown up in inventory on Saturday, but we've been having a lot of rain which has kept people away so it wasn't too torn apart yet (although someone had done a very clean job of removing the engine). The intake plenums were in the trunk so I snagged both throttle bodies, the dual fuel pump assembly with the level sending unit, a nearly perfect set of black door panels that have the window shades built in (and yes I got all the trim and clips from around the window to go with them!).

I tried to remove the EWS potentiometer unit under the dash but couldn't figure out how - it seems to be held in a plastic clip by two 10mm bolts and nuts, but I cant figure out how to get a wrench on the back nut. It may have had something to do with kneeling in a muddy junkyard after spending the whole morning pulling all the door panels and other things off, my cognitive ability diminishes rapidly when I'm twisted up under a dashboard. Do any of you have any suggestions for getting that gizmo out of there? Also, would it be helpful for me to get the gauge cluster from the junkyard car (not sure about compatibility from 89 to 94)?

You're not a masochist, you're a philanthropist)))


Just pretend it's an E34 with a V12, and you'll be fine. Drain all the major fluids\change major filters, clean the tank up, and once the car gets running properly change out that 30 year old Dexron.

I love my E34, and the other E34s I've had before, but you can see where the money gets spent when you jump to the E32. Just the quality of construction of the door panels and other interior parts is vastly superior on the E32. I'm really looking forward to actually driving it for the first time.

[shogun]

Jumping pins 30 and 87 for the fuel pump relays does nothing. Pin 30 definitely has voltage, but when I jump to pin 87 nothing happens at the pump. I checked, there is no voltage showing up an any of the pins on the fuel pump connector (with the relay jumpered). Tomorrow I'll pull out my continuity tester and see if I can figure this out.
To directly check each fuel pump on my 11/88 750 I use a wire, ignition off, open the fuse box and remove the black plastic cap of the B+ pole. One end of the wire on the plus pole and the other end touches the fuse 23 or 24, then you test the fuel pumps directly. Just a short time of 1-2 seconds and then you should even hear the fuel pressure regulators open and the fuel will be pushed back into the fuel pump. That is the easiest to test the pumps. Then squeeze the fuel hoses coming up from the left fender below the B+pole. But as the car was that long time stored, I assume from my own experience that the pumps are frozen.

The stomp test is not functioning. Car vin is DC74740, which shows up having a production date of 4/89, so it should work. Perhaps the EWS potentiometer under the dash is bad? Also, from what I've read around here, the EML light on the dash should light up when I turn the key to position 2. That isn't happening. I ran the cluster test (verified the vin), all of the lights on the cluster lit up at the end just fine ... except for the EML light.

Car is a US spec one, so the stomp test should work.
VIN WBAGC8319KDC74740
Type code GC83
Type 750IL (USA)
E series E32 (2)
Series 7
Type LIM
Steering LL
Doors 4
Engine M70
Displacement 5.00
Power 220
Drive HECK
Transmission AUT
Colour SCHWARZ (086)
Upholstery (0232)
Prod.date 1989-04-17

Vehicle options

S240 Leather steering wheel
S439 Interior trim finishers, matt chrome
S488 Lumbar support, driver and passenger
S494 Seat heating driver/passenger
S640 Preparation f tel.installation universal
S694 Provisions for BMW 6 CD changer
S925 Dummy-SALAPA

Try again with the stomp test, maybe the rythm to push has to be found.
EML light MUST work. Get the cluster from the other car, that is easiest. Or repair it, DIY is known here.
As for EWS I have no idea what is installed on US cars, someone has to chime in here for a 1989 model.

A 1994 750il had shown up in inventory on Saturday, The intake plenums were in the trunk so I snagged both throttle bodies, the dual fuel pump assembly with the level sending unit, a nearly perfect set of black door panels that have the window shades built in (and yes I got all the trim and clips from around the window to go with them!).

1994 750 has a Motronic and EML M1.7 with end number 352, that has 30 pins more than your old M1.2 -156 DME. Cannot be swopped. Most of the other parts can be used, pull as much as possible like relays, modules, CCM, LKM, GM, RM, the cluster etc.
Cluster:
There are three versions of the instrument cluster all with their own code plug. You can't interchange the code plug in between the different versions, but you can swap the entire cluster. Do be advised when you take the old cluster you need the code plug that's mounted inside the brown plug.
Application date.... Back plate colour... Code plug type.... Size............ Extra information
start ->02/89 Grey HML 075 2048 bytes No self test or diagnosis via Modic. Stops at 299960. code plug is non-standard
02/89 -> 09/90 White PIC 93C46 1024 bytes Self test + diagnosis via Modic. Code plug is standard EPROM
09/90 -> end Blue PIC 93C56 2048 bytes Self test + diagnosis via Modic. Code plug is standard EPROM

so the 1994 has a blue cluster, you can use it with the blue cluster code plug installed in the back. Of course you then have all the data of the donor cluster shown. You can repair the white one later, first get the car running.
EML light repair http://bmwe32.masscom.net/johan/eml_bulb/eml_bulb.html

[biasvoltage]

Shogun, thank you so much for your generosity and willingness to share your knowledge. Please know that by doing so you are helping me to save a beautiful, rust-free California car that the previous owner was otherwise going to part out and crush. I'm heading back out to the salvage yard this morning and will pull the cluster, as many modules as are still in the car, and will report back tonight with my progress. Thanks again!

[shogun]

Do no forget the modules under driver side rear seat, GM, RM etc.
Also: heater sword and the climate control module behins the sword, IHKA control panel, seat and memory control module under driver seat. Rear seats are single seats, so take a electric helper with you, here posted from Avec https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...highlight=tool
taillights, headlights, LAD shocks, switches and you name it, electric rear sunshade if available, tools from the toolbox, maybe you even find a glovebox flaslight and an owners manual. Go thru the ETM, at the end there are component location views and that shows you where all the parts can be found
http://shark.armchair.mb.ca/~dave/BMW/e32/
And if you then still have time, throttle valves, MAF's, the DMEs and the EML module you can sell, the transmission control unit is pass side front above the speaker in the footwell, see ETM
Rear seat removal http://www.e38.org/e32/
Above the speaker footwell driver side behind the speaker are also modules, servotronic module and some more. See ETM
http://bmwe32.masscom.net/johan/elec...footwells.html
http://www.bmw7resource.co.uk/forum/...hp?topic=254.0

[biasvoltage]

I was incorrect when I spoke of the "ews potentiometer", what I meant to say was the EML potentiometer, or the accelerator pedal potentiometer. I think, looking at the parts diagram on RealOEM, that the most expeditious way of getting to the mounting points for it is to unbolt the pedal assembly frame and gain a little access there. While I'm at it I'll snag the brake light switch.

Some people would spend a day off at the golf course, others at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Me? I'm going to be schlepping through a muddy junkyard in Long Beach.

[shogun]

EML potentiometer fails very, very seldom. But if you can get it out, take it. The workshop manual is also good to learn how to remove parts https://www.bmwtechinfo.com/repair/main/

[SergeBMW]

I had no success and still have no success with the "stomp test" on my 89' 750iL either. I have done it previously on my 735i so not sure what was going on. Made me think I had to replace the EML potentiometer and almost spent good money on that. So I don't think that you have a faulty pot just by that. You can check its function by checking its resistance as you move the pedal.

I had a similar issue, ended up being the EML Module itself. Was not putting out the 5v to the DKs that they required. Read through:

5 months later and I did away with taking it to the stealership and thought to try and troubleshoot more.

Ive checked everything I could think of.

12V at Fuse 20 (Always On) to x16 on the back of the cluster
12V at at both EML lights
12V at x502 on both pins
12V under the dash connection
12V at X20 both pins 17 and 18 (Oddly enough, the online ETM says it should be X21 but my bentley and personal findings show X20.
0.4V at EML Harness plug pin 15 with X20 disconnected from Fuse 20
12V from Main Relay into EML Module on all related pins
0.45V at 11 and 12 on EML Module to DKs
Continuity checks out ok from EML to X20 and to DKs and throughout circuit.


Only thing I could find was that I am not getting an output of 5.0Vdc at pins 11 and 12 that go to the DKs. I am only getting 0.45V on the EML module itself and not getting 12V sent to the cluster from pin 15 on the EML either.
The 12V at the cluster is only from the fuse block (always on) connection
I checked this with the key to ON

Could the module itself be causing all my issues? No EML light whatsoever (Did the bulb fix) and no start unless DKs are pushed open?

Also I cannot do stomp test in this car, CEL stays lit. I cant test pedal as I do not have a helper around to push the pedal.
EML Does come on when I ground the 12V coming from the x20 connector. From my understanding, the EML sends out 12V and the Fuse block always sends out 12V to the EML Lamps.

Last edited by SergeBMW; 05-03-2015 at 06:02 PM.

I'd like to add... Those pins were on the EML Module itself when I spoke about 5v at pins 11 and 12

[SergeBMW]

Here is a test you can do to the pedal EML potentiometer, you measure for voltage not resistance, my mistake:

http://www.bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/679043

I used that when diagnosing mine. You can even check on the connector itself, easy to insert probes while still connected.

[shogun]

That was written by one of my wrenching buddies, hairywithit, he is also the admin for my DIY site on his own company server.

[biasvoltage]

Maybe there just is no stomp test for the 89. I know some people have problems initiating it on early E34s. I have no problem getting it to work on my M5.

Thanks for the potentiometer troubleshooting information - I am flummoxed by how to remove it; even with the service manual info, no amount of rotating and pulling was able to extract the one from the car in the junkyard, so there it remains. If the car is still there next time I go, I'll try again. It is shocking how quickly a car deteriorates in the salvage yard; after I left yesterday, an unskilled and very violent person destroyed the two front seats, broke the dash trim, and threw the rear seat bottoms into 6" of standing muddy water. All of the modules and relays were gone. I was still able to get a few goodies, like the Servotronic module, a spare turn signal switch, and an unblemished rear bumper.

I was also able to pull the gauge cluster, it has "94 740il" written on the back in Sharpie, so it came from a junkyard and was installed in this car prior the car itself winding up in the yard. The circle of life continues. The weekend is family time, so I won't have any wrench time until Monday or Tuesday, at which point I'm going to siphon the tank, replace the pumps and filters, swap out the gauge cluster and hopefully report back with good news!

[shogun]

Stomp test should work on a 1989, I have read of some trouble on early 1988 built E32. Timing of the stomps is tricky. If you do it too fast it won't work. Seems you have to hold the pedal both down and up for about 1/3 of a second.
(Models 1989-94)
All 1989-94 BMW vehicles are equipped with a self diagnostic system for the detection of injection faults. When a fault is detected by the system the Electronic Control Unit (ECU) records the code corresponding to the defect in the ECU's memory until either: 1) The vehicle battery or the ECU is disconnected. 2) The engine is started 60 times with no recurrence of the fault.

http://www.e38.org/e32/bmw%20code%20defaut.pdf

But you could get a Peake fault code reader, that is basically the same as stomp test. But on a 1989 the Peake tool is also limited. Once I counted the possible fault codes in the Peake owners manual for my 1989 model, about 20-25 fault codes per cylinder bank. For my 1998 E36 M3 with a much newer Motronic I can read much more fault codes. You can read & reset the engine codes with the peake tool, but it won't touch the other modules like EML. On the M70 you have to stomp for 1 bank 5 times and for the other 6 times.

[phishy]

750$?? can't go TOO wrong for that..

[biasvoltage]

750$?? can't go TOO wrong for that..

The smart thing to do would be to take differential and rear muffler out and put them in my M5, recycle the cats, sell off the E31 wheels and the M70 and scrap the rest. But I am not a smart man.

[biasvoltage]

I swapped out the fuel pumps today, and replaced all of the 8mm rubber fuel hoses between the pumps, filters and the hard lines. Haven't fired up yet, waiting on the new filters to arrive. One of the fuel pump outlet lines had fuel under pressure and the other did not. The return line was an OEM molded hose with a gentle 90 degree bend in it; but a regular piece of fuel line was able to take its place without kinking.

Here are some images - showing the comparison of the pump I pulled out of the '94 at the junkyard and the one that came out of my tank; there are a couple of design differences: The '89 fuel sender float had separated from the metal support rod, and the resistance wires were dangling unattached. The new(er) pump doesn't have a metal support rod but the plastic tubes seem more robust. The inside of the tank has a thin layer of varnish in the bottom, but isn't rusty or corroded. If I can get this car running well, I'll take the tank to a place in town that can boil it out for me. Also, discovered the spare tire is an absolutely unused Style 3 with 1989 vintage Pirelli on it. fuel pump comparison.jpge32 gas tank.jpgstyle 3 spare.jpg

[shogun]

That is not rust, have seen that before in long time stored tanks. I would not boil it out, see the plastic bracket inside the tank for the fuel tank, I assume you cannot remove that, at least I have not tried hard enough. Maybe you can wash it out with some chemicals. That is gum like stuff from the old fuel.

[biasvoltage]

IT'S ALIVE!!!

The replacement fuel pumps and new fuel filters are in place, and I swapped the clusters - still no EML lights. So I swapped out the EML computer itself, having pulled one from the junkyard car for $27. That did the trick! It fired up immediately, and settled into a rough idle that smoothed out as it warmed up (DK throttle bodies syncing, I presume). I was able to drive it around the block - it runs, drives and stops. The A/C even works - on the passenger side. Driver's side only blows heat, so a miserable day standing on my head under the dashboard replacing stepper motors is in my future.

There was some moisture in the exhaust - but not billowing clouds of white "i'm a blown headgasket!" steam, and the oil and coolant show no signs of intrusion of one into the other. I assume this is moisture absorbed into the old gas that was still in the bottom of the tank (I couldn't siphon it all out), and maybe just 5 years of neglect in the exhaust system burning off. I'll keep my eye on the oil and coolant. A 12 cylinder compression and leakdown check isn't my idea of a good time but I should probably do it if the moisture persists.

So now I need to address the rest of what has deteriorated over 5 years of non-use. Mustard relay needs re-soldering. Fluids, filters, belts, hoses, ignition parts, o2 sensors are all being ordered from Rockauto. A big thing for me with older cars is replacing the rubber brake hoses - this stems from my first project car 20 years ago (a 1965 T-bird), where the rear brake hose crumbled in my hand when I was draining the diff.

The poor 1994 750iL in the junkyard is probably going to the crusher tomorrow, there's not much of it left and they were replenishing the next row over today when I went back for the LAD struts and hydraulics. The cluster came up with 79k miles on it.

[shogun]

Nice.
Heater: check for stuck heater valves, see my website. Stepper motors usually last forever, except the brackets sometimes break. But that is another story for later http://www.bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/779402/
http://www.bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/1106458/ http://www.bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/884367/

Moisture from exhaust is most probably just moisture from long time parking and in winter the 750 is anyway like a fog machine. Takes a long time to get the moisture blasted out from that big exhaust, that comes later when you make the first longer trip.
Good that you took the EML module out of the parts car.

[biasvoltage]

Finally got some more wrench time on the car and changed the brake hoses and pads, had the rotors surfaced and rebuilt the calipers. My modus operandi with any old car is to address the brakes first, because a car that doesn't run is inconvenient but one that doesn't stop is a real problem. The hoses were all very hard and brittle - the rubber parts on this car have suffered from spending most of the last 3 decades in the California desert. I was going to change the oil but it had become rather late in the day, so I took it on a maiden voyage of sorts to bed the brake pads in. Uh oh - what was just wisps of moisture out of the tailpipe at idle became huge plumes of white smoke out on the road. This may be a bigger issue than just burning off what is left of the old gas - as now there are traces of milky white on the oil filler cap (though none on the dipstick, and the coolant in the reservoir is clean).

Best case scenario: tomorrow I change the oil and it doesn't look like a milkshake, and then I'll drain the tank using the drain plug that I found today while working on the brakes and get a tank of fresh gas. What is in there now is about a gallon of very old gas mixed with a gallon and a half of new gas.

Worst case scenario, is a blown headgasket. Which likely means this car will meet its demise at the salvage yard, as I don't have a place to pull the engine out and work on it.

[shogun]

Would not worry too much at this moment. The 750 is known as fog machine, takes a long drive to blast the big exhaust out and dry it. Also the traces of milky white can easily come when the engine is only driven for short distances, that is normal. Wait and see.
Probably just condensation. Combustion makes a lot of water as a by-product and if your engine does o't get warm enough it will get into the oil and stay there until you burn it off. This is a common thing when driving vehicles in cold weather and not allowing them to get up to temperature for extend amount of time.

I would take the car on a long drive when you have fixed it all, or get the engine up to temp, nice and hot, to burn off the condensation and see what happens. If you do, get the engine hot. This might mean driving in second or sports mode with higher RPM a little bit, but if it clears up some, you know condensation was the problem.

[biasvoltage]

Thanks for talking me down from the ledge Shogun. I'll know more tomorrow (or Friday, depending on work) after I can get the oil changed and the tank drained. I'm in a bit of a catch-22 here in California; the car is on a "planned non-operation" registration; I can't legally drive it on the road without getting it properly registered, which requires a smog check. And there's no way it's passing a smog check belching all this white smoke. The best I can do is a temporary "1 day use" permit, so I better get started early on that day (like while it is still dark) to get the moisture burned off!

Another fun fact: the brake lights are permanently on. I reflowed all of the solder joints on the mustard relay but that didn't change anything, so next step is crawling under the dash and testing the switch. Nothing spells "Traffic Stop" like a car with 5 year out of date tags belching huge clouds of smoke with the brake lights continuously on.

[shogun]

Needs probably adjustment of the brake light switch, or try as shown here , E32 Brake Light Circuit Repair http://twrite.org/shogunnew/fixes/brakecalipers.html
If that does not help http://www.nmia.com/~dgnrg/page_25.htm

[biasvoltage]

I was able change the oil, transmission fluid and differential oil over the weekend, and there were no traces of water in the oil!! I took it for a surreptitious 30 minute drive through some hilly territory; somehow during the trip the brake lights fixed themselves. I'm sure that will come back to bite me. The clouds of smoke are definitely decreasing, so I'm more confident that I don't have a bad head gasket. I am losing coolant somewhere though, so I will be looking out for leaks as I take my next steps in getting this car ready for prime time. I also have a "Transmission Prog" error upon turning the engine off, and no E or S or gear indicator on the dash. The trans is shifting perfectly though.

All of my parts orders have arrived, so tomorrow it is going under the knife and over the next few days will be receiving:

- a compression check on all 12 cylinders
- New valve cover gaskets, loctite on the spray bar bolts. Maybe I'll do the safety wire if I get over to Harbor Freight.
- New plugs, wires, rotors, caps, distributor housing seals and gaskets
- Reinzsil on the intake manifold gaskets
- New rubber fuel and vacuum hoses
- Rebuilt throttle bodies
- New intake boots and air filters
- cleaning the MAFs
- New PCV valves, grommets, and hoses
- Rebuilt fuel injectors (stock)
- New fuel pressure regulators
- New tensioner pulleys, dampers and belts
- New upper and lower radiator hoses
- a good used heater valve and hoses

I'm hoping I can do that all in three full days, but I'm sure the car will offer up some surprises along the way.