F10 530d: New wiper-blades - Bosch Aerotwin

Replacement wiper blades for modern cars are not cheap. Euro Car Parts wanted £45 for a set and that was with a discount, other high-street stockists wanted over £60... for two wiper blades. Ah well, you can't fight progress I suppose, these new fangled blades wipe the screen so much better than the old ones did... don't they??

I found a super-cheap budget set for just £11 on eBay, but these turned out to be for a left-hand drive car and are the exact opposite profile of the ones I need here in UK so would not fit. They were from a UK stockist too, who didn't seem to know the blades were wrong, this was obviously the first set they sold for F10 or maybe mine were a fluke one off LHD pair... we will never know.

In the end I plumped for a set of Bosch Aerotwin from eBay, as they came in at £23, far off the 40+ from ECP so worth waiting for delivery. Have to say, you can see the quality of the Bosch is better than that of the budget blades, so you get what pay for, but I still think £23 is expensive for two wiper blades!

E30 318i: Replacing Clutch Slave-Cylinder - Quick + dirty guide!

Clutch reservoir suddenly low on fluid? Gearbox housing covered in it? Sounds like a popped slave-cylinder. Not to worry, this has to be one of the easiest to replace ever made!

* This guide covers the M40 engine and 5-speed gearbox, but process is the same for most models. *

1. Lift the left side of the car.

2. Remove the 13mm nut from the outer side of the slave-cylinder. This one is easy to access and can be got with a ring-spanner or socket, but the ratchet is quite snug to the gearbox.

3. Remove the 13mm nut from the inner side of the slave-cylinder. This is quite difficult to get to as it is inhibited by the clutch-hose as well as limited access in the trans.-tunnel. I managed it with a socket and a 4" extension bar to get past the hose/pipe. 

* I have seen someone getting that difficult to reach nut using a longer extension bar and the ratchet further back behind the gearbox, but this was not possible on my E30, so I'm guessing this may be for 4-speed boxes or older M10/M20 engines. If yours cannot be got with the details in step 3, then try this. *

4. Remove the slave-cylinder fr the gearbox and allow to hang down on the hose.

5. Clamp the hose (optional, but saves time when bleeding system later).

6. Remove the hose end from the slave-cylinder using an 11mm wrench so the old unit can be discarded. [It is much easier to grip the slave-cyl. by hand while it is removed from the gearbox and get a turn on the pipe-collar, as well as minimising leaks from the hose.]

7. Prime the new slave-cylinder by removing the bleed-nipple and carefully pouring DOT4 brake/clutch fluid into the hole at the top for the hose/pipe until the air is displaced and the fluid run out of the lower hole. It won't need much. Refit and tighten the bleed-nipple. 

8. Refit the hose-end to the slave-cylinder and remove the hose-clamp if you're using one.

9. Refit the slave-cylinder to the gearbox and tighten the two 13mm nuts.

10. Top up the clutch reservoir with DOT4 brake/clutch fluid and bleed the system of air. [Which bleeding technique you use is up to you, but for all BMW clutches I would recommend using a one-way valve attached to the bleed nipple as detailed in THIS POST, which saves time and headaches.]

E30 316i / 318i Electrical Troubleshooting Manual [1984 onwards] - PDF 8.9MB

VIEW/DOWNLOAD

CONTENTS:

1. Index
2. How to Use this Manual
3. Symbols
4. Wire Size Conversion Chart
5. Systematic Troubleshooting
6. Diagnostic Connector
7. Power Distribution Box
8. Fuse Data
9. Schematic Diagrams
10. Component Charts and Figures

Other BMW PDF Manuals

Mini ONE 1.4d: Bubbling from radiator bottle... is it the cylinder head?

 

So today we have a MINI ONE 1.4 diesel and guess what... it's overheating! Coolant is being lost somewhere and we find that it is bubbling out of the header-tank. My first guess in this situation is the head-gasket, but for a cheap fix (possibly, but better than going straight to ripping a friend's car apart) we tried a new radiator / header-tank cap, which was fitted yesterday and, although it has reduced the bubbling problem, there is still some coming out when the engine is warm, coolant lost and the temp. needle creeping up. 

This week the poor running has begun... occasional juddering, drop in revs and the odd misfire noise. Hmm... I have said to keep using it until the running becomes unmanageable (provided it's kept watered and is not overheating of course!) and am hoping for a weekend of better weather so I can have a proper look round it and, if need be, open it up. Watch this space.

EDIT: With not many tell tale signs of the head gasket being blown, someone has kindly suggested that the water pump is failing and not circulating coolant properly, so here's something else to look into. Yay!

E30 318i: Water in rear footwell - windscreen cowl leaking? Koi carp anyone??

After heavy rain I noticed the rear passenger foot well in the E30 is full of water. Can't see any signs of water ingress through the door seals or any stains in the headlining, but am told a common cause of this is the windscreen-cowl, so will be looking into this soon. For now, I have drilled a nice drain hole so at least it won't be filling up again.

BMW E30 / E28 Diagnostic Plug / Socket Pin Out Diagram

PIN:	WIRE SIZE:	WIRE COLOR:	APPLICATION:
1	1.5	Brown	Ground Distribution G101
4	0.5	Brown / Violet	Gauges / Warning Indicators,
			Coolant Temperature Sender
5	0.5	White / Green	Fuel Control,
			Injector Control Module (Fuel Rate)
7	0.5	White / Blue	Service Indicator,
			Service Interval Processor (Reset)
11	2.5	Black / Yellow	Start, Start Signal
12	0.75	Blue	Charge System, Alternator,
13	0.75	Black	Ignition, Ignition Coil
14	2.5	Red	Charge System, Alternator
15	1.5	Green / Yellow	Idle Speed Control,
			Idle Speed Control Unit

BMW E30 Fuse Box Layout + Diagram

 

FUSE NO:	RATING:	APPLICATION:
1	7.5A	Headlights (also 2, 13, 16)
2	7.5A	Headlights (also 1, 13, 16)
3	15A	Auxiliary Fan (also 18)
4	15A	Lights: Turn/Hazard (also 24)
5	25A	Wiper / Washer
6	7.5A	Stoplights
7	15A	Horn
8	25A	Lights: Dash, Rear Defogger,
		Seatbelt Warning (also 10),
		Speedometer / Indicators (also 12)
9	15A	Idle Speed Control / Vacuum Advance,
		Reverse Lights
10	7.5A	Seatbelt Warning (also 8),
		Service Indicator (also 24),
		Tachometer / Fuel Economy Gauge (also 24),
		Gauges / Indicators, Brake Warning system,
11	15A	Fuel Delivery
12	7.5A	Radio (also 21),
		Speedometer / Indicators (also 8)
13	7.5A	Headlights (also 1, 2, 14)
14	7.5A	Headlights (also 1, 2, 13)
15	-	Not used
16	-	Not used
17	15A	Accessory Connector
18	30A	Auxiliary Fan (also 3, 19)
19	7.5A	Auxiliary Fan (also 3, 18),
		Interior Lights (also 21, 22, 27),
		Power Mirrors
20	30A	Heater / Air Conditioning (also 28)
21	7.5A	Auto-Charging Flashlight, Digital Clock,
		Glove Box Light, Ignition Key Warning,
		Interior Lights (also 14, 22, 27),
		Radio (also 12), Trunk Light
22	7.5A	Interior Lights (also 19, 21, 27),
		Lights: Front Park/Tail,
		Front Side Marker
23	7.5A	Lights: Dash, Front Park/Tail,
		Front Side Marker,
		Rear Marker / License Plate
24	15A	Lights: Turn/Hazard Warning (also 4),
		Tachometer / Fuel Economy Gauges (also 10),
		Service Indicator (also 10)
25	25A	Not used
26	25A	Not used
27	25A	Interior Lights (also 19, 21, 22),
		Central Locking
28	25A	Cigar Lighter, Power Antenna
29	7.5A	Fog Lights
30	7.5A	Fog Lights