Getting my car back on the road after 4 years of sitting and need advice

[jays325is]

Hi there everyone. I can't believe 4 or so years have passed, but I'm finally ready to get my car back on the road.

The reason for it being forced off the road were some electrical gremlins that I didn't have the time or money to solve at the time, but I'm ready to take a stab at fixing them finally.

The car really is a little lemon, but I've put so much money into the thing since I purchased it 10 years ago, and I really do love it. One of the previous owners put on an aftermarket power lock system and an alarm. These two things have always caused problems, and as a result I seem to kill batteries and alternators. I've probably changed both of them about 3-4 times each. I just picked up a new complete lock set to get around the fact that for some reason there is a Volvo ignition and the key doesn't work for the doors. I also just replaced the throttle body because it had seized.

To my delight the car started right up with a boost. I adjusted the throttle and it idles nicely. I took it for a slow little spin around the block and other than a soft break peddle it seems alright.

What I need help with is figuring out the best way of getting the wiring back to stock after changing the lock set, and doing whatever maintenance is needed after sitting for that long.

Before it sat, this is a quick list of what was done to the car in the year or two leading up:

-Brakes/suspension
-timing belt/water pump
-fuel filter (guessing this needs changing again)
-19lb injectors
-miller MAF/chip
-tires were is pretty good shape, but I'm guessing those might need to go after sitting for that long

I used to be really involved in the forum, but I've been out of the (fun) car world for a while and I'm a little rusty. Thanks in advance!

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[Kershaw]

Get the ETK for your car and start poking around in the obvious locations: Under the steering wheel, behind the stereo, above the glove box, left side of trunk behind cover, etc. Look for any non oem looking wire.

[jagerking]

All the wiring that would have to be messed with to add an aftermarket alarm/keyless entry should be under the steering column (they'll usually tap power/ignition from there) and then from the central locking module, which is located under the left front speaker. Two hidden screws release the bracket which will slide up and give you access to the module (the other relay attached to that bracket is the dome light dimming relay; now is an excellent time to look up bypassing that via DIY if yours doesn't work properly). You'll need to simply remove and repair any wires that have been messed with, which should be relatively few, since the E30 doesn't have much in the way of security. From there, simply remove the alarm "brain", shock sensor (if equipped), LED indicator, valet switch, and any wiring run for a siren. Just be sure to properly repair any wires that have been cut or had quick splices added to them. Once you're sure you've gotten the old system completely removed, check the draw on the battery and see if you're losing juice anywhere else. I've found with these old cars that there are usually a few culprit circuits which draw power when sitting.

[jays325is]

Thanks for the informative responses! I also read a sticky about parasitic draw so I will give that a try and hopefully find any other culprits if there are any. I should also mention that someone installed a Volvo ignition at some point?!? Which I assume has something to do with alarm/power locks. I've never seen this before or since but I can remove the key from the ignition while it's running.

I have a new steering column which came with the new ignition, but unfortunately I won't have the stock setup to reference so hopefully that doesn't screw me up. I'll have to look up a wiring diagram to sort through that. Does anyone have a good link to that?

I will report back next week when I start working through this mess.