Should I Buy 1989 750il-160k-Looks Real Nice..

[XAlt]

Sagging headliners are fairly common. In this case it looks more like your sunroof control panel cover (probably crumbled in the Cali sun) is the issue. A trim shop can probably make a good replacement cover and glue up the loose ends. This car predates the annoying EWS system, so any locksmith can cut a spare from a blank ($10 or $20 on eBay) and yes there's a battery inside the proper key.


Congrats on getting the E32 home and away from the crusher. For a thousand dollar car, it did a pretty nice job and the problem list doesn't seem too bad.

1. Fuel Filter\Lines
2. Trans Filter\Fluid\Clean valve body solenoids
3. Door Handle Gaskets
4. Coolant Flush
5. Thrust Arm Bushings
6. Sunroof panel


http://750il.bmw7.hu/owners_manual/framed.html

[youngbimmer]

Not to threadjack, but after putting on a new water pump and thermostat, my needle is moving during driving....sometimes below half, sometimes above half. One time I caught the needle half way between half mark and 3/4 mark. Not sure what the issue was, before changing the water pump and thermostate (75 instead of 80 degree), needle was rock solid at 1mm to the right of center mark.

[XAlt]

Not to threadjack, but after putting on a new water pump and thermostat, my needle is moving during driving....sometimes below half, sometimes above half. One time I caught the needle half way between half mark and 3/4 mark. Not sure what the issue was, before changing the water pump and thermostate (75 instead of 80 degree), needle was rock solid at 1mm to the right of center mark.

75 would mess with the calibration, would expect it to be just before the 12'o clock.

Bleed the crap out of it, I wonder if it's as bad to bleed as the M62.

[letank]

Great story, but for parts at the junkyard, after the cash for clunkers rush, there is a definite lack of E32 donors in the yards... It seems to be coming in series. Great feeling when you make it to destination...
same here with the 74 jeep, when I headed to Utah for a wheeling trip with over 320Kmiles on original engine and transmission upon going up the Donner pass I was wondering about the logic of a trip taken with a 35 year old vehicle at that time... It was a fun trip and only broke a leaf spring on some steep rocks... the local junkyard had a donor and we headed back to the back country for a quick repair... did I say that the broken leaf spring took also the brake line... which was found at the local parts place...
Good luck with the corvair...

[biasvoltage]

The "electronic" key I have for mine is really just a normal key with a button that operates a tiny light bulb. That's it. I've was able to get a spare key cut at Lowe's. When you hit up the junkyard for the plastic trim screws and stuff, snag a new sunroof switch headliner panel thing, shouldn't be too hard to find one that is in better shape than that, from any E32 with a tan interior My headliner was drooping in the back seat area really badly, last weekend I took the seats out to do the leather treatment routine, and took out the headliner panel and re-upholstered it myself. Now it doesn't droop, but it does look like the guy who did it just has no experience replacing headliners. Imagine that! Not my finest work, the areas around the grab handles have some gathering and I wasn't able to get the whole thing 100% smoot (to be fair, it is a fairly complicated shape with a *lot* of little cutouts next to tight recesses). You could probably carefully hold back the loose areas around the removable switch panel, hit the backside of the cloth and fiberboard part with some trim glue and get that area looking good again.

As far as those early 750 wheels go, I've seen several the spare wheel wells in junkyard 750s over the years, seems like nobody bothers to grab them. Are yours chromed? OEM was paint. You're going to have a hard time finding a chrome one.

[CORVAIRWILD]

My fancy-looking key Fob does not have a light bulb, but it looks like a wireless remote door unlocker. It has a large rocker switch, and on the side a small button, with a red light on the top kitty corner to where the key protrudes.
And I made it home last night, 3500 miles on the road

[CORVAIRWILD]

My wheels are not chrome

[XAlt]

That's a switchblade remote. The other black panel next to the sunroof switch is part of the IR locking system. These are the ones that get lost, so you have a survivor.

Getting a sunroof panel off an E32 is going to be a bit hard, not too many show up at yards anymore. The door\trunk panel clips are everywhere however.

[CORVAIRWILD]

How can Lowes cut this? Looks out of their league. I can pass by, there's a locksmith nearby too... I'll call the dealer, over an hour away in Vermont, explore my options... So ebay sells uncut blanks? I can't believe I lost the spare key... Maybe it will show up ��

- - - Updated - - -

So there's no remote function that a key fob on ebay would operate? What does my rocker button do? I never even tryed it lol

They sell uncut keys for $2.11 on ebay, shipped from Hong Kong. I've bot a few things from HK, always arrive timely... Suggestions?

[XAlt]

You'd need a proper uncut switchblade key fob for remote function, around $200 or so.

But yea, I'd call up a trim ship for a sunroof panel. Maybe this part out guy can mail it.

https://milwaukee.craigslist.org/pts/6092846865.html

[CORVAIRWILD]

I don't need keyless remote, just spare keys would be fine

[XAlt]

I don't need keyless remote, just spare keys would be fine

Uncut + locksmith = problem solved. China key would be just fine in this case.

While you're on ebay, def get the handle gaskets and the fog light glass ($20).

[biasvoltage]

door handle gaskets from Ebay are junk, but Shogun here sells exact, perfect fit, high quality gaskets. I have them on my 750 and they are perfect.

[CORVAIRWILD]

New little problem... My running lamps work intermittently. When I bought the car 2 weeks ago, a couple of rear bulbs weren't working, so I removed them, cleaned up the bjob and socket contacts that had a bit of corrosion on them, and everything seemed to work until I got back 2 days ago. Then I noticed my right running lamp in the back wasn't working, no amount of jiggling wiggling and quiggling would get it to work, so I went for inspection yesterday, and I was going to just run a wire between the left running lamp in the right one to get it to work temporarily, and lo and behold, it was working. I passed inspection, and an hour later I noticed my left running wasn't working, I jiggled it and it came back on and then an hour later the right one wasn't working again, and I switched light bulbs side to side to make sure the bulbs were good.. it's like they're haunted. I'll make a video. And even tho my door handle gaskets are dry, the handles seem firm. I'll change them none the less.

[XAlt]

I'd check the entire wiring loom leading up to it. Pretty sure the fuse also runs the license plate and dash lights.

The issue with the gaskets is more with rain getting in them. But yea, shogun's set for $30 shipped is def the long-term solution.

[CORVAIRWILD]

It's gotta be the socket or the contact in the tail lamp housing, but that right one refused to go on, and then it works fine. When I was towing the Corvair, I could clearly see my towing lamps through the windows, and all I did was stick the tow lamp wires into the socket, crude, but it worked perfectly, and I had lamps on the Corvair one hundred percent of the time

[XAlt]

It's gotta be the socket or the contact in the tail lamp housing, but that right one refused to go on, and then it works fine. When I was towing the Corvair, I could clearly see my towing lamps through the windows, and all I did was stick the tow lamp wires into the socket, crude, but it worked perfectly, and I had lamps on the Corvair one hundred percent of the time

Probably the contact then.

Are ya planning on dropping the valve body to clean the solenoids? The slamming into gear is one of the odd things on the car, but usually it's a quick fix like that.

[CORVAIRWILD]

I wouldn't day it slams into gear, either from,park or running up thru the gears, but it is very firm, like a GM TH350 with a shift kit, and yeah, the oil should be done.

It ran on 6 cyls after I made the running lamp vid, shut er off, eml lamp went off, left a cloud of smoke, now back to normal.

I stopped by the locksmith, he cut a key, worked 90%, catches a little, $30+tax, he cut another for $15, barely worked, he re-cut it, worked worse, he gave it to me, cut me another, works 90%, $48 inc tax for all, and off to my shop to work on the Corvair to get it ready to sell

[XAlt]

I wouldn't day it slams into gear, either from,park or running up thru the gears, but it is very firm, like a GM TH350 with a shift kit, and yeah, the oil should be done.

It ran on 6 cyls after I made the running lamp vid, shut er off, eml lamp went off, left a cloud of smoke, now back to normal.

I stopped by the locksmith, he cut a key, worked 90%, catches a little, $30+tax, he cut another for $15, barely worked, he re-cut it, worked worse, he gave it to me, cut me another, works 90%, $48 inc tax for all, and off to my shop to work on the Corvair to get it ready to sell

Brief smoking at idle and a misfire doesn't sound too good, you'll want to check your VCV valves. - http://bmwe32.masscom.net/sean750/vc.../VCVvalves.htm

As for the trans, fragments get caught in a little solenoid screen and that'll make it shift too firm. - https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...hifting-solved

Good luck selling the Vair.

[CORVAIRWILD]

The issue at idle is a very small misfire, but this time it was running on 6 cylinders for whatever reason, I just turned it off, started it back up, it belched its unburned fuel out the tailpipe, and I'm back to my tail light dance again

[CORVAIRWILD]

RockAuto shows a cabin filter, even though as I understand it 89 does not have one. In any case I ordered one, Rock Auto sent me two, I guess I'll look behind the glove box. And I looked in the box of parts but I had shipped ahead of time to California, and I had ordered 1 air filter, and then I ended up buying two locally, and I forgot that I had one in the trunk...

[youngbimmer]

Pre 91 models didn't have it, I didn't bother to add one in as a lot of crap and build up in there and the IHKA unit also sits very close to there, and that unit gets very hot and fails on its own. I'd rather not reduce the airflow around it.

[biasvoltage]

Search for "Mustard Relay" on, a lot of weird lighting problems can be traced back to cracked solder joints inside this relay. Also, theres a module in the box of modules on the driver's side fender labeled "LKM", this is the Lighting Control Module. Same deal, sometimes the solder joints for the relays on the board or for the connector pins get stressed and crack. All of my weird lighting issues were solved with 5 minutes worth of reflowing solder joints inside the mustard relay.

http://www.bmwe34.net/E34main/Mainte...trical/LKM.htm

[CORVAIRWILD]

That must be my RR lamp issue. The left side needs a new socket, where to buy without paying more in shipping than the part is worth?

[CORVAIRWILD]

I just inspected my air conditioning idler pulley, it sounds okay, but I'm sure I knew it wouldn't hurt to change. The alternator idler is much harder to get to, I think I'll get a rebuilt alternator, because you have to pull off the fan to get the other off, so might as well be prepared. Here are some prices from RockAuto, any other suggestions? The Chinese one is obviously Chinese junk... Or all they all China junk???