New touring owner

[skwon]

Hi all, I'm a saab guy but I found a alpine white wagon with a manual swap, who could say no to that?? I bought it the next day and brought it home!

Its been sitting for a bit so its a little rough but the power train feels great. Here are a few problems I noticed:

Rear hatch glass doesn't latch closed (its always open so anyone can simply lift the glass and get in) I couldn't find any info on the faq/common issue thread.

Passenger seat twist (I found info on how to fix this)

Coolant level message but coolant level is good (I heard this is the sensor on top of the reservoir and most people ignore it)

A/C does not blow cold

Panoramic roof clicks but doesn't open

Other than that I think its a very good car and in good condition. I am planning to add my progress below!

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[dannyzabolotny]

Welcome! That's a good score there, manual swapped wagons are awesome!

Regarding the glass latching, check your hatch wiring, as that's a common issue with the E34 tourings that manifests itself in all sorts of strange ways. I'd check the wiring at the glass latch to see if it's getting power, and then check if the power latch itself works by manually applying power to it.

[moroza]

Hello and welcome, fellow manual-swapped wagon owner!

The glass failing to latch is likely a maladjusted latch striker post. Loosen its jam nut and try extending it some.

The sunroof can be trouble. In my previous E34T, I deleted it, and its successor was specifically sought out as a hardtop.

AC is almost certainly leaking. Take it to an AC shop to have the leak found, fixed (likely replaced), and the system purged and recharged. Replacing the receiver/dryer, all O-rings, and flushing everything with correct AC flush solvent are also good ideas. There's nothing special about E34 AC other than taking a huge load of refrigerant, roughly triple a typical car's.

The level sensor is either sticking or has bad contacts. Take it apart to clean, replace, or delete.

What drivetrain (flywheel, clutch, trans, diff, axles) is in it? Interior pics?

[JThomp33]

Welcome to the forums and nice pick up (especially on M parallel's!). The car looks great and look forward to the progress, now get that thing on a sport suspension

[skwon]

I made a quick tour video! I plan to keep track of my progress here and on my YouTube channel

https://youtu.be/glK9Ae0cip0

In the meantime, here are some pics of when I first got the car! Will be posting a clean E34 next
KakaoTalk_20200521_013351075.jpg
KakaoTalk_20200521_013347583.jpg
KakaoTalk_20200521_013345127.jpg
KakaoTalk_20200521_013342016.jpg
KakaoTalk_20200521_013338909.jpg

[skwon]

Thanks for the tip Danny! I can say that the handle activates the latch mechanism and it looks like the latch has some loose screws or whatnots. My rear wipers/fluids still work, I haven't been able to check if the rear defrost works, so I think my wiring is still OK. I guess I just need to dive into the latch and see what mess is going on!

Welcome! That's a good score there, manual swapped wagons are awesome!

Regarding the glass latching, check your hatch wiring, as that's a common issue with the E34 tourings that manifests itself in all sorts of strange ways. I'd check the wiring at the glass latch to see if it's getting power, and then check if the power latch itself works by manually applying power to it.

- - - Updated - - -

Thanks for the advice Moroza! I will take into consideration everything you said. As for my drive train...I know it's in the stack of paperwork that came with the car. I will report it in the very near future. Interior pics coming after I clean it out!

Hello and welcome, fellow manual-swapped wagon owner!

The glass failing to latch is likely a maladjusted latch striker post. Loosen its jam nut and try extending it some.

The sunroof can be trouble. In my previous E34T, I deleted it, and its successor was specifically sought out as a hardtop.

AC is almost certainly leaking. Take it to an AC shop to have the leak found, fixed (likely replaced), and the system purged and recharged. Replacing the receiver/dryer, all O-rings, and flushing everything with correct AC flush solvent are also good ideas. There's nothing special about E34 AC other than taking a huge load of refrigerant, roughly triple a typical car's.

The level sensor is either sticking or has bad contacts. Take it apart to clean, replace, or delete.

What drivetrain (flywheel, clutch, trans, diff, axles) is in it? Interior pics?

[skwon]

Thanks JThomp33! yes that wheel gap is an eyesore, especially the fronts!!

Welcome to the forums and nice pick up (especially on M parallel's!). The car looks great and look forward to the progress, now get that thing on a sport suspension

[skwon]

Thank you! I will take everything you said as advice. I do have some paper work that came with the car which has some of the power train info. I will take a look again and report back! Interior pics coming soon!

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[skwon]

Gave Maximus (my wife named him - I think she likes him more than I do lol) his first bath today. Took some pictures at the park.

Next on the list is engine bay cleaning. I did notice front end clunk which is expected, will be looking for front suspension parts.

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[skwon]

I found the stack of docs. Picked out a few important sounding things.
ZF 310Z transmission
3.23 Diff
M50 engine
BMW Z3 short shift lever kit
moog bearing" stuff

I sure am finding out a lot about my new car!


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[moroza]

That looks sharp, but needs front springs to fix the ride height (from the factory, all but the M5 have this problem). In about a month I'll feel confident enough that my experimental solution lasts, to recommend it.

Any idea what flywheel? How freely does it rev in neutral?

3.23 is the factory ratio, but way too short IMO. I have a 3.07 with 0.85 overdrive (in top gear, equivalent to a 2.61 with your transmission, 81% of yours), and it still pulls in sixth while getting somewhere 28-30mpg at 70mph.

[skwon]

Today, I put on some leather door pulls, then wrapped the cracking wood trim with some brushed aluminum

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[sbeckman7]

Nice looking touring, nice to see it went to a good home!

[E34Driv3r]

That aluminium wrapping actually turned out very good.
I've been thinking about doing the same but I was unsure if it would look too modern.

[skwon]

Nice looking touring, nice to see it went to a good home!

thank you! Maximus is getting the treatment of his life. Gave him the claybar and wax treatment a few days ago. I bet he hasn't had that done in ages XD

- - - Updated - - -

That aluminium wrapping actually turned out very good.
I've been thinking about doing the same but I was unsure if it would look too modern.

Yea I was hesitant at first but I had some extra wrap laying around, and I was sick of looking at the cracked wood. I am very happy with how it turned out

[skwon]

A how-to video on the leather door pulls & door trim
This was a fun project!

https://youtu.be/9GVMN3TKhNw

[skwon]

Restored my beat up bumper trim today. It's all in the little things!

Video: https://youtu.be/2noM2Tu2I8M



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[E34Driv3r]

Turned out great.

[skwon]

I fixed my rear glass latch today! I was always paranoid about someone simply lifting up the glass and stealing Maximus so I went in blindfolded and started taking things apart, learning how the thing worked.
It turns out that the little mushroom screw (highlighted in the photo) came undone and was stuck to the base catch part (if that makes sense). So after many curse words I was able to take it out and screw it back into the top part. Now it works like a charm!
Next is to replace the glass struts, they are completely shot
hatch screw.jpg

[Wcsco123]

Great buy! Tackling all the little things on these cars makes a world of difference... wether it be cosmetic or mechanical. Still lots of life left in even some of the most haggard E34s!
Also, for your gas struts. They can be rebuilt! Depending on replacement price thats definitely the way to go. I had my front seat back gas struts repaired for $40 for all 4... replacements where ridiculous money. Same with the hood struts!

[absolutezero273]

Nice score! I'd love to have me a touring. Glad to see the progress being made and can't wait to see it as you get more done.

[moroza]

I had my front seat back gas struts repaired for $40 for all 4... replacements where ridiculous money. Same with the hood struts!

What? Where? Compared to ~25 each for new ones, that's a good deal.

[Wcsco123]

What? Where? Compared to ~25 each for new ones, that's a good deal.

ECS has them up at $44usd each these days!
P/N 52101964173
Theres a place called Strutwise in Surrey BC! He does all sorts of repairs and even custom builds for gas struts of all kinds.

[skwon]

Quick weekend project. The PO had wrapped the shifter panel with some Burberry pattern. I didn't mind but I wanted a cleaner look, so I wrapped it in black suede

Before:


After:


Byebye:


Also, I fixed my passenger side windshield wiper. I thought the motor was bad but it turned out the screw was loose! Got lucky on that one.
Calls for some Bibimbap!

[E34Driv3r]

Wow. That Burberry pattern was awful. Nice work on getting rid of it.