ClassE 1989 325IS Build Thread
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My "Holy crap..." Moment of the evening though was when I was getting out from under the car and noticed the rear subframe bolts didn't have as much thread showing as I remembered. Threw a socket on them to check tightness.... And got another 4-5 turns out of them both!!!
They are now loctited.
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It's truly pathetic how bad I am with wiring. Need to get an electric fan wired into car, and just can't wrap around how I am supposed to do this. Spent more then an hour looking at written directions - then the wiring in the car - and got nothing accomplished. So frustrating.
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Are you keeping the oe aux fan? If not it's super easy. Replace the fan switch on the passenger side of the radiator with an 80/88c one (stock is 91/99c) from a 318, its plug and play. The hook the large wires that go to the oe fan to your new one.
Sent from my potato phone
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Are you keeping the oe aux fan? If not it's super easy. Replace the fan switch on the passenger side of the radiator with an 80/88c one (stock is 91/99c) from a 318, its plug and play. The hook the large wires that go to the oe fan to your new one.Sent from my potato phone
I removed all the original A/C stuff including that electric fan in front. This is the write up I was following:
This is for 88 cabrio (late model wiring) you may be slightly different
Stock AC Fan wiring:
Brown = Ground
Black (at the fan) or Black/Green (after fan connector) = low speed positive feed
Connect your new electric fan Ground to the brown wire, if you cut off the connector connect the positive from your new electric fan to the Black/Green, if you still have the wiring after the connector use the Black.
Thermo switch:
Green/Black = power feed (must be connected)
Black = Low speed relay feed (the one you want to connect to the new thermo switch)
Black/Brown = High speed relay feed (do not connect)
Since your stock themoswitch in the side of the radiator has 3 pins we need to figure out what one will trigger the low speed fan relay to supply power to the new electric fan. You need to put on some spade connectors and connect the Green/Balck to either of the two posts on the back of the new thermoswitch. Then connect the Black line with a spade to the other. Tape off the Black/Brown it is not needed anymore.
The wiring is done in this fashion to allow the stock relays to control the new fan, also if you push the AC switch inside the cabin, you can force on the electric fan anytime you want
Here's what I gathered from this:
-Cut off the original wiring that was connected to the elec aux fan (3-wire harness with a black, brown, and red wire that was "part of" the fan).
-Connect the brown wire to my new electric fan ground.
-Connect the black wire to my new electric fan power.
-Cut the red wire off?!?
After that I'm a lost. The original thermo switch has a 3-wire harness leading to it as described above, am I cutting wires going to that switch? If so - what am I connecting them to?!? It sounds like leave the black/green wire alone... So cut the other two wires and do what with them?
If someone could dumb down the next steps to a kindergarten level id be eternally grateful.
I didn't order a different thermo switch. My original radiator has one in it (obviously) and the radiator I got from Earl had his orginal one in it. I was planning to leave the orginal thermo switch that was in the radiator in it (since Earls car is a 318 I should be fine?)
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wiring is my least favorite thing to work on in a car. Eventually I'll need to bite the bullet and wire up a JB4 and meth kit so I can spray, but definitely not looking forward to it.
The above instructions make perfect sense to me, however, it doesn't sound like you have exactly the same parts/setup. Without a way to visual what's what, I can't be of much use. If I could see what wires run where and how they are connected to the sensors it would make more sense
2011 E92 M3 6MT ZCP - ESS 625 supercharged
2007 Z4MR
2003 E39 M5
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2021 X5 40i -
Are you keeping the oe aux fan? If not it's super easy. Replace the fan switch on the passenger side of the radiator with an 80/88c one (stock is 91/99c) from a 318, its plug and play. The hook the large wires that go to the oe fan to your new one.Sent from my potato phone
Was the old electric aux fan JUST for the A/C system, or was that thermo switch there as a "safety net" to the fan clutch (if the fan clutch failed and the thermo switch hit its temp - it would kick on the elec aux fan?!?).
If so - what you're describing makes perfect sense. Swap to a lower temp switch, and it'll treat the old aux elec fan as a primary cooling fan. Then it's just splice in the new fan and call it done. I'm just confused by if/what I need to change with the thermo switch (if at all?)
wiring is my least favorite thing to work on in a car. Eventually I'll need to bite the bullet and wire up a JB4 and meth kit so I can spray, but definitely not looking forward to it.
The above instructions make perfect sense to me, however, it doesn't sound like you have exactly the same parts/setup. Without a way to visual what's what, I can't be of much use. If I could see what wires run where and how they are connected to the sensors it would make more sense
Swing through Oshkosh tonight - drinks are cold.
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Was the old electric aux fan JUST for the A/C system, or was that thermo switch there as a "safety net" to the fan clutch (if the fan clutch failed and the thermo switch hit its temp - it would kick on the elec aux fan?!?).
If so - what you're describing makes perfect sense. Swap to a lower temp switch, and it'll treat the old aux elec fan as a primary cooling fan. Then it's just splice in the new fan and call it done. I'm just confused by if/what I need to change with the thermo switch (if at all?)
You got it. The aux fan was for both. But when you have just an electric fan you want it to come on sooner. No cutting of anything except the actual fan power wires to connect them to the new fan. You can verify your thermoswitch is correct, it should have stamped on one of the hex flats "80/88". If you were really fancy you could get a 2 speed electric fan. I will try to look at a diagram tomorrow to see if the low speed relay turns off when the high comes on. If they are just both on in a high temp condition you would wire it to the low speed circuit. I just kept the oe aux fan on my e36 so it had low/high. But the e36 aux fan is way better than the e30 one.
Sent from my potato phone
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You got it. The aux fan was for both. But when you have just an electric fan you want it to come on sooner. No cutting of anything except the actual fan power wires to connect them to the new fan. You can verify your thermoswitch is correct, it should have stamped on one of the hex flats "80/88". If you were really fancy you could get a 2 speed electric fan. I will try to look at a diagram tomorrow to see if the low speed relay turns off when the high comes on. If they are just both on in a high temp condition you would wire it to the low speed circuit. I just kept the oe aux fan on my e36 so it had low/high. But the e36 aux fan is way better than the e30 one.Sent from my potato phone
Perfect - Thank You!!!!
Took this afternoon off work to go home and hopefully get the car up and running. Looking good for having it running tonight as long as I don't hit any major hiccups. Keeping my fingers crossed!!!
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Well.... Took a one hour break for dinner and some play time with the kids - other then I've been wrenching since noon.
She's back on the ground, oil changed, coolant system burped and working, elec fan works, front lip is on.... Only thing left to do is get the hood on and drive it - neither of which I can do because I don't have a helper at 11pm and it's raining outside.
So after work tomorrow will be its test drive... All I can do is cross my fingers and hope for the best.
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Can't thank everyone enough for the help since I got this car. Some of you have had to endure painfully stupid questions via call and text - and for those people I'm eternally grateful. Earl, Brian, and Andy (and really everyone who's helped me with this) - I truly appreciate it.
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Backed the E30 outta the driveway in Saturday, and noticed a nice drip line from under the car on the pavement. As I sat contemplating what it could be for a second - I slowly watched it evaporate.....
"Oh crap..."
Straight back into the garage.
Found the culprit - and got it replaced tonight:
Replaced the filter and both lines running to/from it. PO at some point apparently thought a kinked straight line would be fine.
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Is that to slip over the velocity stack?
Yup! Unfortunately, the velocity stack I got does not match the dimensions given on the website I bought it from (it's a 6.5" OD, should have been a 7" OD) so hoping they just sent me the wrong one.... But doubt it (They don't offer a 6.5").
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