e34 Touring

straight6pwr

got some work done on the nice spring-ish weekend. sometime a couple weeks ago on one of our -20 deg days i pulled up to a drive-thru window and hit the down window button. well, the windows were froze to hell, but the one-touch decided to flex its muscles and kept on pullin. BANG! it sounded like it ripped the bottom of the window off!! i was expecting the worst, but it turned out not bad. the regular bent itself and ripped the plastic guides out of their track. bent it back and clips in place, done. i also put some silicone in the window tracks and channels to hopefully reduce the chance of this happening again.

next problem I've been waiting to fix is a coolant leak/underheating issue. i was loosing coolant somewhere near the engine fan, because it was being splashed around the engine bay leaving tiny white dots everywhere. shortly after that started, i notice that suddenly my car wasn't hitting operating temp even in idling in traffic. thermostat was stuck open and the housing was leaking, so nice two-fer fix here.

don't forget the wussy torque of the bolts:

easy job on the m60. remove the clutch fan. remove the airbox/elbow. remove the bolt holding the dipstick, then all four bolts are accessible with a 10mm socket + extensions. upgraded to a metal housing from the stock plastic. forgot to order a new lower rad hose at the same time, oh well. now she's running perfectly again and i have my heat back.

Earl

My e34 did the same thing with the window regulator lol

straight6pwr

Earl said:

My e34 did the same thing with the window regulator lol

i hate the one-touch. it always goes all the way up or down exactly when I don't want it too.

jc43089

Touch lightly to just move the window a small amount.

straight6pwr

jc43089 said:

Touch lightly to just move the window a small amount.

2990617000152909575530015290939507001-

jc43089

That's how the e36 buttons work, with a slight press it will move until you let go and a press past the click will do one touch, and the rears will one touch down but have to hold for up so you don't squish your kid.

YoungCR

I always forget about the one touch and just keep holding it #e28habbits

KaiserRolls

I almost ejected brooke from her e36 when she went for the window button when it was like 0° out

patsbimmer1

My sister in law called me last week after freezing rain and asked me how to get her window back up that fell down after trying to "clear the ice by opening the window" on her e90. It's an epidemic!

straight6pwr

worked on the e34 today. some annoying maintenance stuff, but still.

she blew her rear shock mounts. too much junk in the trunk! but really, e34 tourings are known for this. I hoped to get more than a year out of a pair of mounts, though. i'm guessing the ice rallies didn't help, but the fun was worth it.

driver's mount was squawking, which gave away the problem. rubber everywhere = bad sign.

drivers (right) was completely blow out. passenger was 90% torn. glad I got both replacements at once. note: these are already the meyle HD versions.

NEXT!

tailgate issues. both my hatch lock cylinder and the popper handle microswitch have worn out. i'm actually lucky I got the hatch open at all to fix this, as the microswitch only works 1 out of 100 times. for those that don't know, the e34 touring does not have a 'mechanical' handle or button to open the tailgate. design flaw if you ask me. the tailgate is opened with button that operates a microswitch that trips an actuator to pop the mechanism, or if you turn the the key it mechanically pops the mechanism.

anyways, i haven't had any luck with finding a lock cylinder rebuild for the hatch, so i decided to replace the microswitch first so i wont be locked out anymore.

after removing the interior panel (1,000,000 pop rivets, screws, and panel clips) here is the location of the hatch mechanism's microswitch

there are a few microswitches in the tailgate, and the realoem diagrams aren't super clear, but the the one I ordered (1 383 074) was indeed the correct replacement. (old on left, new on right)

i decided to be smart, and added a hot wire to the microswitch so I can add a hatch popper in the cabin! that way when I'm camping in back, I can hit the button to exit/enter the hatch instead of the side doors. again, not sure why bmw didnt have a hatch popper in the interior in the first place. 12v applied to the white wire of the microswitch activates the actuator.

ran the wire along the stock wiring of the tailgate

i properly fed it through the oem grommets, down the d pillar, and along the stock wiring to the battery. I still need to find an appropriate 'momentary' button for the interior.

B C

Slick! I like the remote hatch button idea.

While not an E34, I have had great luck with the Meyle HD rear mounts on my E30. My garage floor isnt very bumpy though.

YoungCR

Guessing those rsm's are touring specific and Meyle HD is the best fix still?

I'm trying to rack my brain for a switch that would work. I don't remember how the hatches on the e60's work or if the e39's have a switch either.

straight6pwr

YoungCR said:

Guessing those rsm's are touring specific and Meyle HD is the best fix still?

I'm trying to rack my brain for a switch that would work. I don't remember how the hatches on the e60's work or if the e39's have a switch either.

they are not touring specific. upgraded e34 rsms of any kind don't exist, as far as I could find. there was a small shop making custom jobs a bit ago, but it appears they don't any more: http://www.mooseheadengineering.com/moosehead-engineering-online-storefront/#!/Rear-Shock-Mounts/p/5697211/category=1512126

straight6pwr

thoughts?

B C

^Haha! This is all I came up with

Considering that camping is the intended use,

Something easy to find in low light like the launch button would probably be more functional

YoungCR

straight6pwr said:

they are not touring specific. upgraded e34 rsms of any kind don't exist, as far as I could find. there was a small shop making custom jobs a bit ago, but it appears they don't any more: http://www.mooseheadengineering.com/moosehead-engineering-online-storefront/#!/Rear-Shock-Mounts/p/5697211/category=1512126

I'd send Paul a message next time and see if he has any in stock or will be making more, I forgot about those. He's a big E28 guy and a very knowledgeable CCA advisor.

straight6pwr

YoungCR said:

I'd send Paul a message next time and see if he has any in stock or will be making more, I forgot about those. He's a big E28 guy and a very knowledgeable CCA advisor.

well thats awesome of you, thanks! if these don't hold up through next season I'll be wanting to buy something better.

Jdesign

As far as those rear mounts go, would it be possible to add some window weld for extra material support? I have used that stuff to make rare hard to find, or weak rubber/poly mounts strong again.

Bassboy3313

Jdesign said:

As far as those rear mounts go, would it be possible to add some window weld for extra material support? I have used that stuff to make rare hard to find, or weak rubber/poly mounts strong again.

+1 on that. I have done it too.

straight6pwr

how would that work? I can't picture it.

i've attached a diagram of an e30/e36 rear mount, which is the same principal as the e34. the rubber part of the bushing completely torn all the way around the center metal sleeve (red lines), separating the mount into two pieces. the only thing keeping the shock from separating from the mount completely was the washers on top/bottom that cant pass through the mount (show as red discs)

WIBIMMERS

e34 Touring