Teach me: e28's

Is it possible to find spare ECU's on eBay, etc that don't require me to sell a kidney. Also, any other specific spares to keep in a box in the trunk?

There's another nice e28 down in Philly that has had a lot of solid work, and it's a manual which is nice. The downside is that it's a 535i, not an IS, and also the hood has some big primer spots on it and I wasn't looking to jump into paint right away. But, mechanically that one had some nice new parts that were appealling.

I've been looking at these. In the world of e30s a lot of people will tell you not to pony up for a pricey is, but to get a cheaper i that's been well taken care of and add the performance parts. Is the same thing true of e28s?

In reply to kreb:

As far as I've seen, the motor is the same, it just has a few extra bits like (way) nicer sport seats, front and rear spoilers, and a sport suspension. All of which could be added to a regular 535i, which is why I am not counting them out of my search if I come across one in better shape.

These are definitely my favorite BMW's...never owned one though, it's just based on looks.

For spares, you'll want to carry a replacement main relay (5-pin instead of the usual 4) at all times; it can and will fail inconveniently, and will leave you stranded when it does. Fortunately, it's all of 10 seconds to replace.

Other than that, it's just the basic old car kit.

redhookfern wrote: In reply to kreb: As far as I've seen, the motor is the same, it just has a few extra bits like (way) nicer sport seats, front and rear spoilers, and a sport suspension. All of which could be added to a regular 535i, which is why I am not counting them out of my search if I come across one in better shape.

It is possible to use e30 sport seats (which are usually easier to find) in an e28, they require some adapter brackets to bolt in but those can be purchased or fabricated without much trouble. I've also seen people using seats from e34 5 series cars or even from an e46 3 series, but those take more work.

Also, the only sport part of the 535iS suspension were the shock absorbers, the rest of the suspension was the same as a 535i. Since by now most if not all of them have had the shocks replaced anyway it shouldn't be a deal breaker.

What about the front and rear spoilers? Are they farily easy to find used or as recreations? Like I said, if this car doesn't work out, I wouldn't rule out a 535i.

I don't think anyone is reproducing the iS / M5 style spoilers. You can find them used but the front ones are often beat up from hitting curbs and the rubber lip on trunk spoilers tends to get dried out and cracked from exposure to the sun and weather.

Paul LaDue sells reproduction Hartge and Alpina front spoilers and other body kit parts: http://www.westcoastcustomparts.com/pb/wp_8fcd9649/wp_8fcd9649.html He also has what appears to be a couple good used trunk spoilers listed on his site for around $200/ea.

These are great cars. Watch out for rust, go ahead and budget to replace all of the rubber lines on the car.

I don't know why the big sixes idle so rough. Spent a lot of time and money chasing that. Apparently they just do.

Only thing I missed over a modern equivalent is rack and pinion steering.

I normally don't care for four doors, but this is an exception. They've been catching my eye when doing my normal (?) daily search for cars I don't need...

...and I found one close...

sigh

Here now waiting for the seller. Immediate impression: it needs tires, an antenna, a side view mirror, and has a lot of dings but no rust. Interior looks rough but it's locked. Back seat looks mint, front seats are the usual 20 year old BMW disasters. Also purple-ing tint on back 2 windows. No idea how to remove that. It needs cosmetics but seems to be all there. We'll see how/if it runs when this guy shows up.

Tint isn't too bad to remove with some elbow grease, windex and a razor. Good luck!

Look particularly closely for rust at the front and rear corners of the floorpan. The latter is where my 533i finally rusted badly enough to take it off the road, as that's where the rear subframe mounts are located.

Tyler H wrote: I don't know why the big sixes idle so rough. Spent a lot of time and money chasing that. Apparently they just do.

Any oil leak is also a vacuum leak. Any little tiny hole/crack after the air meter is an issue. Sometimes the air meter itself has some play or a dead spot. They are buttah smooth when you spend a million hours fixing everything that has dry rotted, worn, cracked or just seeps a little between the air box and the exhaust pipe over the last 30 years.

I did have a plan to re-plumb the pcv setup and megasquirt mine to be able to stop chasing all the little niggling issues all the time but then it got totaled, saving me countless hours of re-inventing the wheel.

redhookfern wrote: What about the front and rear spoilers? Are they farily easy to find used or as recreations? Like I said, if this car doesn't work out, I wouldn't rule out a 535i.

I bought mine through bmp; it isn't listed in their catalog now but I would suppose they still have them. It made my "e" look like an "is" hooray!

Picked it up :)

Pictures to follow. Runs and drove smooth but it'll need an exhaust (has a leak, can definitely hear it) and suspension is a bit sloppy. But she drove great around town and on the highway. Even idled cool in the NYC traffic.

Some noticed issues: low oil light flickers at stop, with brake pressed, goes away as soon as I touch gas. Also I need a service reset tool.

redhookfern wrote: I need a service reset tool.

Paper clip between pins 1 and 7.

You got me thinking about these again. I forgot how much i like these cars.

I know of two 535is's (sp?) that are for sale for $2k-$3k and its soooo hard not to go look.

The oil pressure switch is a common failure causing the flickering light at idle. It's all the way on the back of the head, very easy to replace, and pretty cheap last time I looked. Using lighter than recommended oil in an M30 will also trigger that flickering; use at least 15w40 year round, and preferably 20w50 in the NY summer. Mahle or Mann filters only, please.

I would very much like a euro M535i

As promised, here are a few photos from yesterday when I was picking it up. I will try and get a few more once I clean the grime off of it.

Also, anyone have a driver side sideview mirror? Mine is, um, missing.

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I like it

those rims are handed. i hope the other side doesn't match either.

That's the least of the wheel/tire concerns. Any idea what the appropriate size tire is for them, and are they the same size all around. This car literally has 3 sets of tires. 2 snow tires of 1 brand, another snow from another, and 1 summer tire. Disaster.

Also, started a build thread.