What have I done...

[Gregsgroup]

Good evening.

Today I took delivery of a 94 840 which has been off the road for 3 years. Always wanted an 8 series and I figured I'd buy it before the prices shoot up. It's a two owner car, in red with 140k miles on the clock. I did run it and it sounds ok...has old gas and it's been sitting yet sounded good with no smoke when started from cold,. The body is excellent and blemish free.

Here what it needs for starters.

- fuel pump is now dead. I did pull out it and the housing is fine, new pump on the way
- drivers seat has a passenger side controlers. so everything is reversed. Makes for a fun time
- passenger seat seems stuck, it wants to move but won't. I'll dig into that tomorrow
- wipers won't park
- shifter is cracked and the shifter bezel has seen better days, I'll need these parts
- passenger door center stop is broken, need replacement.
- need a through cleaning including new mats but the leather is solid, not cracked
- top portion of the passenger airbag is loose, it seems to be missing the middle retainer piece
- radio is toast and the info system is highly pixelated. Radio will not accept the code I have. (It's the white card in the original owner manual). Any tricks beyond entering the code straight way?
- headliners is toast
- the drivers window was dead in the down position for a few minutes. It did come back, I'm guessing the control module needs tending after
- traction and abs are on
- needs a general going over

well there you have it. I'll post photos tomorrow. Suspect I'll be this forum quite often in the near term.

Cheers,
Greg

[TedBobo]

Welcome! What you've done is gain a wonderful extended dysfunctional family. You now own a car that you'll always look back at when you walk away. All your concerns will soon have solutions....lots of collective knowledge here.

I know your city pretty well. My daughter graduated from UMass last year.

[toomanyparts]

Welcome...to financial suicide.

Glad to see another one in the hands of a good owner. Hope we all can help.

[Gregsgroup]

IMG_1055.jpgIMG_1056.jpgIMG_1058.jpgIMG_1054.JPG

[72tpik5]

Looks good. Welcome.

[mikae31]

Nothing.

[mindwrecker]

Welcome to the forums. Check out Timms 8-series page. He has a guide about the wipers.

little buff and wax and she'll look good as new.

[Gregsgroup]

Thanks. Tried to get it to start after replacing the fuel pump. I check the relay and by passes it (30-87) checked the 80amp fuse-able link; fine, the neutral safety switch; check. The pump works as its new yet its not getting voltage. Crank sensor is next. Hope that's it. Any other suggestions most welcomed. I am hoping its not a factory alarm issue. On the positive, I found the factory owners manual with the radio code, good sounds, pixels need replacing (Info center also)

As for Tim's, site, I've been on there everyday for two straight weeks. That resource is amazing (thank you Tim).

The parts I need are building, some small, some will be more challenging. So far I need:

-the two bolts that hold the glove center divide

-two battery hold down plates with bolts

-the center shifter console center insert (with the gear selector window and hardware) it literally feel part in the hands. I was leve holding a yellow gear and a bunch of broken plastic pieces. Also need the shifter handle also, mine is cracked as well.

-the plastic console insert to replace the phone headsets cradle assemble they I removed. (Crockett to Tubbs)

-tools and the first aid kit

-just received Hyper's door fix, beautiful work. That will be repaired after it runs

-the wipers won't park. Get to that after it runs.

-my headliner is toast. Already know I'm going to weld it up, smooth the roof and pick up a few inches of headroom. If it were glass like my x5 335d, I'd leave it.

[clubE31]

..... it runs..... so you saved a lot already !

Search: GM II repair ... probaly will solve some stuff right away
Seats / pixels: forum (easy)
Shifter: rare parts
Radio: i would just swap it with a period correct one (and working code)

ABS tracktion lights.....FIRST try a reset (disconnect batteries) if not......diagnose it and get the errors (normally this it nothing major).

Advice: service it (oils, etc ....) and drive it for a few hundred miles and see what starts to work and what not.....pretty normal with these cars.

- - - Updated - - -

drivers seat has a passenger side controlers. so everything is reversed.

You mean it controls the passenger seat ? (if yes (connectors a computer probaly switched)

[Gregsgroup]

drivers seat has a passenger side controlers. so everything is reversed.

You mean it controls the passenger seat ? (if yes (connectors a computer probaly switched)

[/QUOTE]

sorry if wasn't clear, on the drivers seat someone used a passenger side switch, so, forward is backward, tilt back is forward. Already ordered a new switch.

The passenger seat is stuck, is in its utmost forward position and only moves a little forward and back. Will not raise or lower the base cushion. Tilt works and the chrome lever does nothing. I can get to the four rear bolts easily, the two front should be a good time. Repairing this is after it runs and the door handle is repaired

[EEDegreeToDrive]

1- fuel pump is now dead. I did pull out it and the housing is fine, new pump on the way
2- drivers seat has a passenger side controlers. so everything is reversed. Makes for a fun time
3- passenger seat seems stuck, it wants to move but won't. I'll dig into that tomorrow
4- wipers won't park
5- radio is toast and the info system is highly pixelated. Radio will not accept the code I have. (It's the white card in the original owner manual). Any tricks beyond entering the code straight way?
6- headliners is toast
-7 the drivers window was dead in the down position for a few minutes. It did come back, I'm guessing the control module needs tending after
8-traction and abs are on

1) Fuel pump and engine electronics might be a blown fusible link, you can try to apply power to the fuse and listen for the pump. Also, the connectors for the fuel pump assembly get brittle with age and fuel, sometimes make bad connections
2) You could try swapping the polarity of the motors, but replacing the switch is the right call
3) Seach for BMW seat cable, 5 series, 7 series, 8 series, similar problems.. The cable sheaths strech out, and usually need 1/4"-1/2" removed, Check E32 E34 forums for instructions, involves a lighter and knife!
4/7) Wiper/Windows are likely GM problems. I refurbish them for $50, incl return shipping, send me a PM. (Does your battery die too?)
5) Pull the radio, see if someone was smart enough to write a differen tcode on it. I took my E31 radio and dropped it into me E34, but as a result, I had to change the code in the book.. Procedure is simple.. turn radio on, press 5 digit code slowly. If you screw up too many times it might lock you out for a while
6) Common problem.. headliner repairs also cause sunroof problems when folks use a thicker headliner material, so be careful
8) Sound like a wheel sensor, or maybe just a low battery. Might have low fluids too..


Good luck! Welcome to the family!

[ltbrett]

Welcome!

You can save a little money and time by returning your seat switch now. The issue is not the switch. The controller forgets its polarity--a common problem. This is what you need, located under the driver's seat:
61351388561 SEAT AND MIRROR MEMORY CONTROL UNIT From:12/01/1989

EEDegreetodrive--any chance you can take a look at this module and see what fails? Lots of people have this problem, including me. New ones are stupidly expensive.

The seat cable repair is very easy to do. You don't have to take out the seat. In all likelihood, the seat twisted, which locks it against the transmission tunnel. Search on seat twist repair.

I'd also recommend sending your general module to eedegreetodrive.

Also wait on the battery hold down plates. See if you have to change out your batteries. If you do, consider sealed AGM's like Optimas. They will require a different hold down setup. In case you missed this advice, I'll reiterate--e31's are very touchy about batteries. Step one in troubleshooting electrical gremlins is to ensure you have good batteries.

Brett

[Gregsgroup]

Thanks For the feedback. Once I get it to run, I'll pull the GM and send it off and begin to tackle the rest.