Wolfie

[jbd5015]

Well i got a good bit of work done on Wolfie today. Since i just got a notification of my struts coming by may 30th, i took off the front struts, springs, brakes, sway bar, and brake lines. I will be getting the bilstein HDs, and i got a good deal on a new set of 4. Im also expecting some 540i front brake calipers with crossdrilled rotors, new pads and stainless steel brake lines in the next week or so. All i need left to do is to take off the upper control arms and tie rods. Im gettin new tierods and bushings, and have to figure out the 750 bushings that i have in the trunk. I have a few questions though.

1. Are the front struts just inserts for the shock assembly?
2. If so, how do i remove them?
3. How are the front struts attached to the caliper mounts? It looks like they just slide in the mount that has 3 bolts that come up through the bottom.

The pads that came off the front are in decent shape, if anyone needs a quick set of pads, the rubber brake lines are also in good shape. Im going down to get the extra motor and auto tranny and other misc parts shortly, so i may have some other stuff to sell/trade.

-Jeff

[dm635]

things are looking up for wolfie.the front struts are inserts.you will need a macpherson strut spring compressor to compress and take the load of the springs.loosen the insert retaining nut before you remove the strut housings from the car if it's not too late.ONLY BREAK THE NUT FREE,DO NOT REMOVE IT UNTIL THE SRING IS COMPRESSED.the nuts most of the time are nearly seized,and you need all the leverage you can get.
this is a potentially dangerous job.if you haven't done it before,you can take the removed housings complete(AND THE INSERTS),and have a shop do it for you.you are dealing with a spring under considerable force.DO NOT remove the top center nut or the insert retaining nut while the spring is still under tension.that spring coming loose will ruin your day VERY QUICKLY,think of it as placing your face looking down the barrel of a loaded cannon.i wouldn't recommend this job for the 1st timer without an experienced assistant to advise the proper procedure..
also do your research on the 540 front calipers.i know it is the proper upgrade for the rear,haven't heard that about the front.usually others speak of the 750 calipers for the front and 540's for the back.that is supposedly the correct set-up for maximum bolt on braking.others that have up-graded their brakes will know for sure.

[jbd5015]

Thanks for the info. Ive heard of people using 540s all around, but if they dont work, i should be able to sell them for more than i paid perhaps. But i have a guy that will do the new struts and everything for me. Im gonna get new strut mounts too, so all i really need is the housing. My girlfriend surprised me with a cool gift today as well. Its a vanity german license plate that says "JD-WOLFIE", and im excited to get that on. Anyway, ill figure out everything with the struts and put it all together in the next few weeks or so.

-Jeff

P.S. Does anyone have any decent used strut mounts for the front? They just need to be in good condition, willing to trade with what ive got.

[dm635]

out of all the spare parts i have,no strut bushings.you can grease the bearing in the center,under the plastic cover.
cool about the vanity plate. i renewed my plates yesterday(in Ky they are finally getting rid of smiley face/tella tubby sunshine face,the plates looked nice except for that)and i asked if there were any in stack that may have 635 in the numbers.answer was no,but she did find me one that had 086 stating that your car is an 86.i took it.no more stupid tella-tubby face staring at you.a lot of people were upset about the design of that plate and some were putting frown stickers over them.i'm not about to alter my plate.gives the man a reason to pull you over and introduce himself if he feels the need.even though i liked the red on my 1st 6,to me i always felt like a target.they look like they're speeding while standing still.

[jbd5015]

I never saw the kentucky plate you are talking about, though it sounds like it was a good change for the state. Im looking around for the strut mounts. My mechanic quoted me $3000 to do the suspension, and catalytic converter. That is to buy it all new and have him do it. As of now, if all this goes to plan, it will be around $700!

A few questions though:
1. Is there a trick to getting the tie rods out of the assembly? I have the bolts out, i just cant seem to get the rods out.
2. Should i ajust the new ones to as close as i can get to the old ones so the alignment is alright for a 10 mile drive to get wolfie aligned?
3. Will i be able to get the upper control arm bushings out of the control arms myself, or will i need some air tools to apply the correct amount of persuasion?

Thanks,
-Jeff

[640CSi]

3K is a LOT to do even all of that!

To get the tie rods out, there is a special tool that looks like a fork. You skewer it in between the steering knuckle and rod and bang it in. This usually does a good job of ruining the rubber grease boot, but you have new ones so its all good! If you don't have a fork you can simply use a hammer and beat the knuckle right where the tie rod goes in and it should fall out after a few good hits. I like to use a torch to warm up the knuckle and make it a little easier to get out, but you can't heat up the bolt of the tie rod because it will defeat the purpose by making it expand also.

You can adjust them by eye and have no problem getting to an alignement shop. I used 2x4's to set my toe by placing them against the tires and eyeballing it and it worked fine. It drives straight.

I used a 1/2 inch breaker bar to get the control arm bolts to budge and from there you can use a ratchet to get them out.
I did it all like three weeks ago too so if you need help holler

[dm635]

i'm like 640.i adjust the toe on mine myself.after a while you can get a good eyeball on it,the procedure i use right now is,i take 2 4' levels and secure to the wheel and level right at the center of the hub.then i look at a distance from the front and the back,if it's out it's evident.then i plumb bob each end of the levels,make a mark on the floor and measure.has worked for me for years.

[jbd5015]

Ok, well not too much of an update, but im making head way. Got the struts out of the housings, sandblasted the housings and resprayed them black again. Waiting for the struts and brakes to come. Then ill look for the tie rods and strut mounts and but him back on the ground, ill put up some pics of the goodies when i get them all in one spot.

-Jeff

[jbd5015]

some photos as i said:

hooray for bilstein HDs


painted strut housings


awaiting install


wolfie needs some paint


still waiting for the brakes and tie rods. my friend might have a set of strut mounts, so im going to wait to buy any yet.

-jeff

[dm635]

i hope your front end work goes smoothly.last year when i put mine in the air i found so much more that needed attention and the 'ol 6 remained suspended much longer than anticipated.don't look at other areas if you don't want the same thing to happen to you.lol.
you're making progress.

[jbd5015]

I hope so too, im reluctantly coming to the conclusion that i might not be able to do the bushings and tierods my self. Its about 90 degrees on average now, and i just dont have the right tools to do them easily. Im going to see how much my mechanic will charge to do the bushings and tierods, if its reasonable, ill go for it. Although my first/trial day at another local garage is tuesday, so i may be able to take wolfie there and have them help me for free...

-Jeff

[jbd5015]

Need some help. Ive been tinkering with the engine bay while waiting for parts and stumbled across a problem. There is some kind of resovoir/pump/cylinder tank under the washer fluid. It has 2 lines coming out of it, one is covered in a type of nylon looking braid. That is the line that i dont have any longer. It looks like it runs into the intake or something, im confused on its purpose. If any knows what im talking about and perhaps has one of these lines that would be appreciated. Also, need a new ignition cable that goes to the disdributor cap. I have a new cap and rotor im going to install and found that the blue wire that goes from ignition coil to distributor is SHOT!

One other thing,
What do you guys think of the painted valve covers? I took mine off to check on the banjo bolts and now that its off and wolfie isnt going anywher for a while i was thinking of painting it. First thoughts are doing the bulk in burgondrot, color of the car, and the stripes in white with the blue/black/white emblem. Other thought is dark silver, light silver stripes and the same emblem.

-Jeff

[640CSi]

Is it the charcoal canister? I went ahead and placed mine neatly in the garbage can... and capped off the fitting located on the manifold, and ran the other line into my 745 intake pipe which conveniently had a perfectly located port.
As far as the valve cover, bare metal cools better and paint is likely to fall off eventually -- unless you powdercoat.

[jbd5015]

i wish i knew what it was. There are two cylindrical pieces down there under the windshield fluid resevoir. It is the larger one of the two, and if it is the "charcoal canister" what does it do, filter water?

-jeff

[jmenacker]

The cannister should be to absorb vapors from your fuel tank. One flex hose should connect to a hard 1/8" or so pipe going back to the fuel tank. The other line should go somewhere on the intake side of the throttle plate (only has vacuum when throttle it open). Fuel vapors from the gas tank get stored in the cannister and get burned off by the engine when under load. It is supposed to keep the air outside cleaner.

Later cars had a purge valve that controlled when the pipe from cannister to engine was open. Not sure about your '83. If you choose not to use the cannister, both the line from the tank and the connection on the intake should be located and capped to avoid fuel vapor and/or intake leaks.

Joe M in WV

[jbd5015]

Question about ignition system:

I have the bolt on rotor, do i need a bolt on specific cap, and ignition wire?

I have a brand new push on rotor, and i guess a cap that is mated to the rotor. I didnt get a good look at the other cap, but im going to be upset if im going to need a new entire set. If i do, anyone have a new bolt-on cap/rotor kit that is willing to trade?

-Jeff

[jbd5015]

Got the springs/struts taken care of. Had the guy at the shop im working at help me with the spring compressor and got all 4 done today. Still havent received word from the guy with the brakes for the front. And i failed at an attempt to put new brake pads in the rear. Is there some kind of trick? Im blaming it on the pads right now, they seem like they have too much compound, but if im wrong, someone help! I set the car down and it looks great with the lowering, but since im having ignition/spark wire issues, i couldnt get wolfie running to get the car to settle down after being jacked up. Will get pics soon, but wondering if anyone has some E34/E32 front brakes (calipers, pads and rotors preferably) lying around for a purchase/trade. Next item is the catylitic converter...which i hope the one im getting for free will work!

-Jeff

[dm635]

don't know if this will help or not with the brakes.I was helping someone do the rears on an e23 awhile back and he was having a hard time getting the caliper back on.he thought the same thing about the pads being too thick.while i was doing something else he got them on.don't remember what he did,but it went right on and the 2nd side took no time at all.i think it had something to do with the bracket position.

[jbd5015]

Went to the parts car in MD to get some stuff. Cut out the catylitic converter with a saws-all cause thats what i really needed. I also took the ECU which is an 059, the MAF(AFM) i dunno which they call it. The car is a 535isa, so it has a front end that needs paint, and i took the wing that was in the trunk. Would that be able to work on the 6? It looks like the M-technic wing too, which is nice. But ill have some random parts for sale off the car, mainly electric stuff and som mechanical tid bits.

-Jeff

[Ol'6erGuy]

Keep it up Jeff, you are doing good!!!

[jbd5015]

Thanks for the encouragement, and now for a minor update.

Kept picking at the car, realizing the windsheild wiper fluid wasnt coming onto the windsheild. Troubleshooted down to a faulty pump and broken T-splitter. Got rid of the auxilary fluid resovoir and lines, and thanks to dm635 with a used pump i should (crossing fingers) be good to go. Also removed the charcoal canister and lines, and capped off all the lines and holes that needed.

Looking for some help on the belts. I need to replace the alternator belt, and do i really need to take them all off to do this? Its not that i cant figure it out, its just the only one needing replacement, and one came with the car so i figured i would.

Anyway, should get some pics tomorrow of the car after the suspension and to get some help with what to do with the rear.

-Jeff

[dm635]

if going thru the trouble to replace one belt,i'd replace all 3.the AC compressor mounts on mine are seized and i like to never got the belt back on.spent hours actually,the bottom(adjustment) bolt is stuck and i took the comp off and worked the belt back on and then remounted.Will have to replace the comp probably if i want the bottom bolt to move.already had to get a replacement alternator after trying to get a stuck(seized)bolt out of it and snapped the ear off.

[jbd5015]

Im thinking i may have to do that in the end. Hopefully i dont run into any problems like that *knock on wood*. The adjuster on the alternator worked fine for me, and the pin at the bottom was easy to loosen as well.

Anyway, got the winsheild wiper system functioning again, thanks to the pump from dm635. Although it wasnt the same one, it works great! Although the left jet on the driver side squirts a little high, at least i know it does! Next will probably be the coolant system before i get him inspected. Going to take the radiator out and flush it and clean the grates.

-Jeff

[e24mpwr]

Your paint may be able to be rescued better than you think. Check out this thread over at Roadfly. Dave sells his system, and having seen it at work in person, it is really impressive!

You need a Porter Cable to make it work well, though...

[dm635]

if both squirters are shooting about the same pressure,you can adjust the jets to direct where you want them to spray.a thin needle works well,but you have to be careful that you don't mar the inside of the jet.