350i New Owner

[adam quantrill]

Have you looked underneath at the slave cylinder?

Sometimes the slave bolts get undone from the bellhousing a bit, and the pushrod comes out, and it jams.

Check there first it might be a simple fix. Torque up the slave bolts and they should stay there.

[John042]

Hi Chris, I've been reading your posts with interest having been through a similar experience with a 1988 350i. Mostly sorted now but again a vehicle left broken for 18 years after the owner/bodger tried to drill out a rear broken brake bleed nimple in situ. Not sucessfully with resulting damage! My running issues were primarily dirty fuel but introduced neat injector cleaner direct into the fuel rails/injectors via the HP filter and left it to soak for 24 hours. Seems to have cleared that problem. Clutch jamed solid, bolts loose, push rod detached, fixed that but then friction plate stuck on the flywheel. Brute force with starter in gear has freed it off, time will tell. Oil pressure sound like the wrong sender fitted. I had to bite the bullet in the end and buy the correct one from Racetech £40. Electrics? Yeh, great, headlights up/down and any combination you like. I previously had a 280i eventually rebuilding so knew what I was getting into. The advice from this site is priceless and will help you succeed. Good luck John C.

[CJD2005]

Hi John, thanks for your post, the information I have obtained is amazing, it beats having to read through books, trial and error... Getting the engine started due to a simple relay! Was amazing... I have alot to do, the problem is its still in the previous owners stable block, so I can only get over on a weekend.. If the Mrs will let me! I just need to get it home so I can make progress, but every time I try something else comes up.!!

[CJD2005]

Slave cylinder seized... New one on order... Getting closer.

[CJD2005]

So finally got her home over the weekend, thanks again for all the advice to date..

So the next topic is exhaust gaskets, I have just removed one side today and they are singular however I see you can buy in pair sets?

Any advice on what to buy here?

[CJD2005]

John042 said:

Hi Chris, I've been reading your posts with interest having been through a similar experience with a 1988 350i. Mostly sorted now but again a vehicle left broken for 18 years after the owner/bodger tried to drill out a rear broken brake bleed nimple in situ. Not sucessfully with resulting damage! My running issues were primarily dirty fuel but introduced neat injector cleaner direct into the fuel rails/injectors via the HP filter and left it to soak for 24 hours. Seems to have cleared that problem. Clutch jamed solid, bolts loose, push rod detached, fixed that but then friction plate stuck on the flywheel. Brute force with starter in gear has freed it off, time will tell. Oil pressure sound like the wrong sender fitted. I had to bite the bullet in the end and buy the correct one from Racetech £40. Electrics? Yeh, great, headlights up/down and any combination you like. I previously had a 280i eventually rebuilding so knew what I was getting into. The advice from this site is priceless and will help you succeed. Good luck John C.

Hi John, the racetech oil sender states for v6 models, so I take it works OK?

[CJD2005]

CJD2005 said:

John042 said:

Hi Chris, I've been reading your posts with interest having been through a similar experience with a 1988 350i. Mostly sorted now but again a vehicle left broken for 18 years after the owner/bodger tried to drill out a rear broken brake bleed nimple in situ. Not sucessfully with resulting damage! My running issues were primarily dirty fuel but introduced neat injector cleaner direct into the fuel rails/injectors via the HP filter and left it to soak for 24 hours. Seems to have cleared that problem. Clutch jamed solid, bolts loose, push rod detached, fixed that but then friction plate stuck on the flywheel. Brute force with starter in gear has freed it off, time will tell. Oil pressure sound like the wrong sender fitted. I had to bite the bullet in the end and buy the correct one from Racetech £40. Electrics? Yeh, great, headlights up/down and any combination you like. I previously had a 280i eventually rebuilding so knew what I was getting into. The advice from this site is priceless and will help you succeed. Good luck John C.

Hi John, the racetech oil sender states for v6 models, so I take it works OK?

Sorry my mistake it does quote v8, I have VDO gauges?? It suggests Stuart Warner?

[KKson]

CJD2005 said:

So finally got her home over the weekend, thanks again for all the advice to date..

So the next topic is exhaust gaskets, I have just removed one side today and they are singular however I see you can buy in pair sets?

Any advice on what to buy here?

Chris, get the paired sets - so much easier to get in the right place and hang off one or two bolts when you're putting them in. I tried single ones last year on the 390 and made a mess of them, so got the doubles and so much easier. You need to be VERY careful to ensure even tension on the bolts as you tighten the manifold back up. The bottom bolts on my manifold were a total bd to get access to. I eventually butchered a ring spanner to allow access. Hopefully your manifold has been designed with bolt access in mind. I did also put a skim of exhaust paste on the face of each gasket as having messed it up once, I wanted to be certain the thing wouldn't blow.. Cheers.

[adam quantrill]

After years of various wedges eating manifold gaskets I made my own copper ones, which are indestructible and survive being taken off and put back on.

With either, a smear of white exhaust paste helps make the seal - let it go dry before fitting.

[CJD2005]

Could anyone advise the bolt size / thread for the flywheel splash plate?

[adam quantrill]

I think there are two sizes, the little ones or the big ones?

I would image it's an imperal UNC thread for the small ones but don't know the size, because I don't lose them!

[CJD2005]

Hi Chaps, just some frustrating items I could do with some assistance on...

1. Dash warning bulbs... Tips on how to change... Little peanut bulbs are a nightmare to change.. Low oil warning was missing can I hell as like get a new one in.

Battery light just stays on at the moment but the alternator is charging.

2. Changed oil sender.. Gauge does exactly the same reads off the scale as soon as I start the car!! So the old one might not of been broken.. Who knows....

3. Rev counter reads off the scale when ignition on...

Any assistance as always greatly appreciated

[ElvisWedgeman]

CJD2005 said:

Hi Chaps, just some frustrating items I could do with some assistance on...

1. Dash warning bulbs... Tips on how to change... Little peanut bulbs are a nightmare to change.. Low oil warning was missing can I hell as like get a new one in.

Battery light just stays on at the moment but the alternator is charging.

2. Changed oil sender.. Gauge does exactly the same reads off the scale as soon as I start the car!! So the old one might not of been broken.. Who knows....

3. Rev counter reads off the scale when ignition on...

Any assistance as always greatly appreciated

Sounds to me like you’ve got some wiring problems mainly to do with earthing or shorting down to earth.
If your alternator light stays on but the alternator is charging, then you’ve either got the wrong rating bulb in the bulb holder or the return signal to the bulb from the alternator is not making contact or possibly shorting.
The oil gauge going off scale indicates a short down to earth. Run a new independent wire to one side of the gauge terminal from the sender, and an ignition live to the other terminal of the gauge so that the earth wire coming into the gauge runs through the gauge to the live, if that makes sense. It should then work if the gauge is not faulty and the sender is functioning.
Rev counter also sounds like a shorting earth or faulty rev counter.

This advice is from memory of similar problems I’ve had previously. I hope that helps.
Tony. TCB.

[CJD2005]

Cheers Tony

[CJD2005]

So, I have sorted the low pressure warning light... However I think the battery light is staying on because the alternator has previously been changed and does not have the correct d+ terminal.. It is currently wired into "W" terminal which I don't think produces the 12v to turn the battery light off...???

[adam quantrill]

Can you post up some pictures of the wires going onto the back of the alternator?
Quite often there are extra connection posts on the back and maybe they wired up to the wrong one. Also can you check whether the beam warning light comes on with full beam as I had an odd fault related to that.

[CJD2005]

[CJD2005]

Beam light works fine

[Pumpkin123]

Looking at some pics of mine I don't have anything connected to W terminal. The brown wires connect similar to yours but I have a red wire which connects to a push on type connector which is below the brown connection on the RH side (looking at your picture). Presumably this drives the battery light.

Just looked up W terminal and it appears to be some kind of tacho output.

[CJD2005]

Yep your right, w terminal is for tacho.. I rang the manufacturer today, the connection on mine is further down on the right below the main terminal. You can just see it in the photo... Tried it and bingo..