Wolfie

[jbd5015]

Sounds good. Well today i worked on the coolant system. Got the radiator out and then started to take off hoses. Broke some bolt heads off of the "thing that holds the thermostat in place becasue i dont know what else to really call it" So i need a new/used one of those to put my new thermostat in. Ugh.

-Jeff

[dm635]

i had the same thing happen.i got a used to replace.any 3.5 engine will do.watch out for corroded ones.where it looks like white dust,that means it's a hole.
replace with new bolts on reassembly.i discovered that 1 of my water pump bolts is broken flush with the block.will drive it that way until it leaks,then tackle removing the darn thing.
car fax indicates my 6 started life in St Louis,and many fasteners are seized as i keep finding out.

[jbd5015]

This is just an unfortunate event i guess, but bound to happen on something thats 23 years old, im surprised i was able to easliy get all 3 belts off easily. Speaking of the belts. Would i be able to leave the AC compressor with out a belt? The ac system on this car is not functioning, and i dont use a/c enough and dont drive wolfie enough to need it at all. I will need the heat though. If i leave the ac compressor there without a belt will it effect the heating system at all? Im debating pulling all the a/c stuff, but i think i will eventually get to fixing it.

-Jeff

[dm635]

just cut the belt off and save yourself a lot of work.it can remain intact like that and be there when you need it.the other belts should be relatively easy with the AC belt out of the way.

[jbd5015]

I wish i had cut it off, but i wanted to keep it intact so i could get the right one when i went to pepboys to get new belts. Now all i need is the power steering belt and i should be good. I have a friend shipping me the thermostat from the 5 series parts car i have in maryland, so its only going to cost me shipping which is good. Im thinking that if im not going to be using the a/c, perhaps i can remove the a/c auxilary fan and that smaller radiator to get more cool air to the coolant radiator.

-Jeff

[dm635]

as long as the temp gauge doesn't climb,i'd just brush while rinsing with the hose,the condensor and radiator.mine stays around 12:00 and drops slightly while cruising.DJ's is a little higher so we're going to rinse off the front fins.
do you think the dist cap you have will work on mine.i have an interest in it.i found some used plug wires that are in a little better shape than what i have now and would like to tend to the ignition system all at once..
i'd leave the AC system intact even if you have the slightest thought of repairing it someday.that way the system stays clean inside.

[Ol'6erGuy]

If you are ever thinking about fixing the a/c, DON"T take the system apart!! I say this because your a/c's biggest enemy is moisture. The inside of the system will corrode making the job of fixing much greater.
If you are having cooling problems besides the thermostat and pump, try taking a cleaner such as 'Simple Green' spraying it into the radiator and flushing with water. You will be suprised with the amount of dirt and crud that will come out.

[jbd5015]

Thanks for the info, i think while i have the radiator out, ill just clean it really good anyway. I just want to make sure the cooling system is in top shape so i can know it wont be a problem if something is still wrong.

-Jeff

[jbd5015]

So i have the new tie rods in. No alignment yet though. The alignment is WAY off. Tires were screaching on the way home. Good thing the tires are already long gone. Next will be the alignment and inspection. Ive ordered some new bushings from steve haygood. The HD's he put in his own M5. I didnt want to try and go through the hassle of doing the 750 bushings. Also got a brake ball from him. Ill put that in a.s.a.p. along with the 8mm plugs i got from a guy in hawaii and i already put in some bosch silbers. I found a set of Ford injectors that ill put in as well.

After taking the cooling system apart and flushing it, i noticed a HUGE difference in the engine temp. It now sits at normal while sitting still. Before it would just start to overheat after 5 mins of sitting still. Good to know that took care of it.

Thats it as of now, will post details of the next improvments.

-Jeff

[jbd5015]

so since i cant do any work on my car when im 200 miles away from it. ive been sourcing/collecting parts that i am going to be putting on him whenever i can. Ive collected: brake ball, HD bushings, 8mm spark wires, dist. rotor. Im currently sourcing another tranny, and 3.73 LSD and clutch (if necessary for the tranny swap). Im also looking for a distributor cap for my car. Does anyone know if the distributor cap from a 'push-on' style distributor will work for my 'bolt-on' style?

Sorry its not a post about getting work done, but i have to try and keep my self thinking about this project to stay motivated.

-Jeff

[jbd5015]

Well progress is...non-existent. Im up at PSU, so i cant work on him. But when i do, its gonna be brake bomb, distributor cap/rotor, cooling system, alignment.

BUT...

amibugginu was awesome enough to do some photoshopping for me. I asked him to take some photos and digitally give wolfie a new paint job. I gave him samples from the 6er i won off eBay which was promptly totaled before i could pay for it! That car had been repainted, but im thinking it was a shade or two off of what Wolfie is. Anyway...here are the photos:

Original Pic:


Polished up the paint:


Painted:


And a brutal reminder of what could have been...the wrecked 6er i almost had:


Thanks again amibugginu for the help...looks great!

-Jeff

[jbd5015]

ARGH ...

So i was working on wolfie for a little today on my break. I put on a distributor cap cause the old one was toast, and put the hydraulic back together for the time being. I go to try and start and battery was dead. I was expecting this, so no big deal. Get a new battery, starts to turn over, then i smell fuel, lots of fuel. Look under car...puddle. Start throwing a fit cause im impatient sometimes. Then i have a friend crank the car to see where leak is coming from. Fuel line was cracked. Back to Napa, get some fuel line, replace old fuel line. Crank again to check if any other fuel lines are toast, much to my surprise there were no more leaks. But now he still wont start . He hasnt been run for about 3 months. Cranks great, just not sparking enough. he has new plugs, new wires, and cap. It was pretty cold though. Im gonna try again tomorrow though, supposed to be a little warmer. As for now..., if anyone has any ideas that i can fix without parts, let me know.

-Jeff

[Ol'6erGuy]

Jeff, Do you know you have spark at the plugs? How about fuel to the rail? Actually, the sounds really good to me. Bill

[jbd5015]

Thanks for the tips bill, that is what ill be checking tomorrow in the warmer weather. I was all by myself today, so checking them would be tricky. I guess ill be going from there tomorrow.

-Jeff

[jbd5015]

So that day never happened...too cold and ran out of time. Im going for a stab at it on saturday. Its going to be an all day marathon to get as much done on the car as i can in approximately 15 to 20 hours of the weekend. Although im having some brain farts. Ive never had to check for spark on a car, only on a motorcycle. Do i remove a plug, leave it connected in the plug wire, hold the plug gap against the block and get someone to crank the motor? Thats basically how i do it on the dirtbike. I put a second hand dist cap on the car. It came with the matching rotor, but i never put it on. Would anyone think that would keep the car from firing? I have a circuit tester, somewhere, if not im gonna get another one. Im selling my truck and using that dough (hopefully not all!) and get wolfie to be the DD! So this thread will be getting some more activity, hooray for spring/warmer weather! (which in central, PA is 40)

-Jeff

[Fly635CSi]

you said you were at PSU? meaning Penn State?

[dm635]

i would go back to the old cap/rotor as a test.it was running before,right?maybe you had something new crop up from sitting.you may get lucky.

[Fly635CSi]

by the way what is a strut brace for?

[jbd5015]

I am at PSU right now, University Park. But the car is at my house in downingtown (southeastern PA). The strut brace strengthens the suspension by putting a bridge between the strut towers to help reduce body roll.

Dave, unfortunately the old cap is complete garbage. I was thinking of doing that, but the ignition pot is full to the brim with corrosion. I dont know what happened, but the ignition wire from the coil was missing the male part that goes into the dist cap. It would start miraculously, but ive got a set of 8mm spark wires i put on, with the new plugs. So im thinking the dist cap/rotor is the issue. Or as bill was saying, if no fuel at the rail, no go. I can here the tick tick tick of the ignition going. Perhaps its just a fuel relay...i hope.

-Jeff

[alpinacsi]

Why did you replace a used cap with a used cap? What was wrong with yours? I assume that both are for the same style rotor and the rotors are the correct ones for the cap. I can not remember if the wrong cap will mount with the wrong rotor. One rotor is a bolt on style while the other is press on and the change was during 84 but most of the push on style were converted to the bolt on style.

[jbd5015]

Yea, i have a brand new push on style cap and rotor, and my car has the bolt-on style gear. I bought a used one cause it was in good shape, 10 bucks with the rotor, and the car wasnt my daily yet. I didnt have the mind to spend 60 some bucks on a part when im not driving him daily yet. The cap that was on the car was complete garbage, as was the ignition and spark wires. I put 8mm wires on, the replacement used cap, but not the rotor that came with it. Ive tried selling the brand new push-on style dist cap/rotor but never any bites. Anyone want them? 50 bucks shipped for brand new bosch push-on style cap and rotor.

-Jeff

[alpinacsi]

I can help you out with the Push on style set. That is what the Alpina uses and I don't mind having a spare.

check spark, check fuel and then go from there. Most likely it is something simple. Check "Rick's no start page" for details on checking various relays and typical issues.

[jbd5015]

Sounds good. Is that page over on bigcoupe? Ill send you a PM if you are interested in the cap and rotor, i can have them boxed up tomorrow and ready to go!

-Jeff

[alpinacsi]

Here is the link: http://home.bellsouth.net/p/s/commun...pid=160912&ck=

You can send me an email to: toddh(at)outlawdiscbrakes(dot)com

[jbd5015]

ok. So im back for lunch. Car has spark so im thinking its fuel thats the issue. I put a new fuel filter in, and the fuel pump is whining when the car is turning over. Should the pump be clicking or whining in another key position? It wasnt clicking at one point, then i switched the relay and it is. I was checkin to see if the rail was getting fuel and i ran into something that confuses me. I pulled the line off the fuel pressure regulator, had my dad crank the motor and only fuel was coming back out of the regulator, with a good amount of pressure. Nothing was coming out of the line going to the tank. Im guessin that the line must be connected to make the fuel system works, but it was a little confusing. I put a new filter as i said, and some fresh fuel in, does it take a while for the lines to get all the air out? My battery is new, but the car hasnt been run with the new one, so its starting to lose some charge with just cranking. The engine turns over and fires and runs for about 3 seconds with a shot of starter fluid through the intake. Time for a sandwich and then im going back at it with a battery charger.

-Jeff