Productive Weekend

[Kristuphir]

I just had to put this all in a list...on my 2-month-old 535i 5sp this weekend I:

1) did an oil change - learned about "burping" the oil out of the canister - what a mess;

2) finished up the front suspension rebuild I did a few weeks ago with a fresh center tie rod and idler arm, after making a homemade whacker for the tie rod;

3) replaced a leaky power steering hose;

4) replaced the water pump, thermostat (with hole drilled at 12 o'clock), and radiator expansion cap in an effort to eliminate some possibilities for my phantom overheating problem; blew out the pisser line with compressed air; replaced coolant with expensive blue stuff; so far so good, fingers crossed;

5) finished off my new stereo build with some Polk DB6500s in modified kick and sail panels

6) took quite a number of trips to spend a bazillion dollars at BMA, Autozone, Pep Boys, and Sears for parts and tools I didn't already have, which always seems to be the case even though my garage is increasingly well-stocked; also picked up a Bentley, finally; took my new angle grinder to a $25 :( Craftsman 32mm wrench to make it into a Special Fan Clutch Removal Tool

7) Continued reflecting on the fact that even though my E34 can be frustrating as hell for an amateur mechanic, it is by and large the most well-thought-out, easy to work on piece of art that I've worked on yet. You can't beat the simplicity of my old '67 Volvo or the reliability of my girlfriend's Toyota, but these early 90s BMWs can be just a joy to work on when everything goes well.

[Zeuk in Oz]

And what a sense of achievement it gives !

Even such a simple job as an oil change done properly and with the right oil etc gives one a real sense of peace and well being.

Thanks to this forum, as Gayle said recently, many old bimmers are being kept on the road and even maintained better than ever before when they were dealership patients.

Thanks again Ed for hosting it ! :)

[genphreak]

I couldn't have said it better myself:
"... reflecting on the fact that even though my E34 can be frustrating as hell for an amateur mechanic, it is by and large the most well-thought-out, easy to work on piece of art that I've worked on yet. You can't beat the simplicity of my old '67 Volvo or the reliability of my girlfriend's Toyota, but these early 90s BMWs can be just a joy to work on when everything goes well."

I also love that line that many have said before- "if it doesn't want to go on, you are probably trying the wrong way..."

Well done fellow wrencher, it sounds like you appreciate the value of the research these cars need to avoid costly mistakes. Thanks for sharing your efforts. :) Nick

[wingman]

We all know that I get my car serviced by a professional. But. When I changed my dogbones I not only felt the joy of improving performance but also felt the joy of cheating the criminals who supply my warranty and are obvioulsy in cahoots with their list of 'approved repairers'! Onya Kristuphir!!!

[fkong777]

I'll have one of those day coming up next week.
my agenda.

install new thrust arm with bushing
install new Akebono Euro brake pads

Oil change with German Castrol Syntec

shawdow line my chrome trim.

Next month.. EAT chip and Maybe Dinan Tranny chip.

[Alexlind123]

We all know that I get my car serviced by a professional. But. When I changed my dogbones I not only felt the joy of improving performance but also felt the joy of cheating the criminals who supply my warranty and are obvioulsy in cahoots with their list of 'approved repairers'! Onya Kristuphir!!!

I hope you didnt jack it up and take the wheels off and everything. All you really need to do is get a wrench up there and a ratchet on the bottom and take the olds ones off and stick the new ones in, all while on the ground.

[DanDombrowski]

Hmm. I was happier before you said that. Now I realized I wasted about an hour getting dirtier than I had to this weekend.

[Kristuphir]

I hope you didnt jack it up and take the wheels off and everything. All you really need to do is get a wrench up there and a ratchet on the bottom and take the olds ones off and stick the new ones in, all while on the ground.

Kinda like the center tie rod and idler arm. I just had the car up on ramps, but left the wheels on, etc.

Now I'm going to commit a sin and hold off on the professional alignment til after I get my new springs/shocks/wheels/tires in a couple weeks. Well, I have the wheels and the tires'll be here tomorrow, but you know what I mean.

[Kristuphir]

I also love that line that many have said before- "if it doesn't want to go on, you are probably trying the wrong way..."

That line would pretty much describe 90% of any wasted time I have under my belt in fixing this thing up so far...:)

[Speeder 553]

I just had to put this all in a list...on my 2-month-old 535i 5sp this weekend I:

1) did an oil change - learned about "burping" the oil out of the canister - what a mess;

2) finished up the front suspension rebuild I did a few weeks ago with a fresh center tie rod and idler arm, after making a homemade whacker for the tie rod;

3) replaced a leaky power steering hose;

4) replaced the water pump, thermostat (with hole drilled at 12 o'clock), and radiator expansion cap in an effort to eliminate some possibilities for my phantom overheating problem; blew out the pisser line with compressed air; replaced coolant with expensive blue stuff; so far so good, fingers crossed;

5) finished off my new stereo build with some Polk DB6500s in modified kick and sail panels

6) took quite a number of trips to spend a bazillion dollars at BMA, Autozone, Pep Boys, and Sears for parts and tools I didn't already have, which always seems to be the case even though my garage is increasingly well-stocked; also picked up a Bentley, finally; took my new angle grinder to a $25 :( Craftsman 32mm wrench to make it into a Special Fan Clutch Removal Tool

7) Continued reflecting on the fact that even though my E34 can be frustrating as hell for an amateur mechanic, it is by and large the most well-thought-out, easy to work on piece of art that I've worked on yet. You can't beat the simplicity of my old '67 Volvo or the reliability of my girlfriend's Toyota, but these early 90s BMWs can be just a joy to work on when everything goes well.

Man, that's all you got?;) Well I played a round of golf this weekend. Your overachieving list reminds me of that old US Army commerical that said, "we do more before 6am than most people do all day". I always thought, that's a selling feature"? :D

[Kristuphir]

I know! "You mean, I get to get up ridiculously early and run my ass off while some jerk with an inferiority complex screams at me? And then I get to eat shitty food? And there aren't any girls!? woooooohoooooo, count me in!"

There are people who do really well in that environment, and use it to go on to great things. I am not one of them.