Cracked Dash, Broken Glovebox, Squeak from Steering Wheel...

Tue Dec 02, 2008 10:06 pm

Hello all,

Long time reader of the forum but finally felt I could post. Today I picked up my 1988 Sapphire Black 325i Coupe in need of some TLC.

There are a selection of issues that I will be posting for help on over the coming couple of weeks to get it back to show room spec and was hoping you guys could help.

First up; the cracked dash. From what I understand this is quite common but is there a good fix for this (a decent company in the midlands that will repair?) or is the only fix to replace the dash? On top of that the glovebox is stuck and the rear hinge does not seem to be attached. Has anyone got any tips for getting it open?

Next up is a squeak from the steering wheel. It simply appears to be trim rubbing between the column and the wheel but was wondering if anyone had had this before?

Finally the boot appears to leak badly (had icicles inside!). Is this common and is there an easy fix?

Last thing, does anyone know any good mechanics in Birmingham? I feel the car really deserves a thorough over after I have serviced it this weekend.

Sorry for all the questions. Hope someone can help.

Nicholas

Tue Dec 02, 2008 10:10 pm

First up; the cracked dash. From what I understand this is quite common but is there a good fix for this (a decent company in the midlands that will repair?) or is the only fix to replace the dash? On top of that the glovebox is stuck and the rear hinge does not seem to be attached. Has anyone got any tips for getting it open?

Change of dash mate, dont know who does any repairs.

Next up is a squeak from the steering wheel. It simply appears to be trim rubbing between the column and the wheel but was wondering if anyone had had this before?

Silicone spray between the two

Finally the boot appears to leak badly (had icicles inside!). Is this common and is there an easy fix?

Check the rear light seals as these are the normal suspects mate.HTH

Tue Dec 02, 2008 10:12 pm

Good to hear that another one is being saved.

Tue Dec 02, 2008 10:12 pm

There's no satisfactory repair to the dash other than to replace it.

They are offered here cheap enough, but doing the job is another thing!

Good luck

Tue Dec 02, 2008 10:13 pm

Last thing, does anyone know any good mechanics in Birmingham? I feel the car really deserves a thorough over after I have serviced it this weekend.

GVS on weston lane, tysley mate, I did my m30 conversion there.Names Lee 0121 708 1522 tell him Rav gave you the number, he'll look after you.

Tue Dec 02, 2008 10:20 pm

Amazing. 10 minutes and 4 replies! Thank you for the advice.

I thought it would be a dash swap. Oh well I guess I have Christmas to deal with it. I will be on the look out from now on.

I am pretty sure WD40 will cure anything so I will give the column housing a spray and hope for the best.

I had not come across GVS before but will check them out. Has anyone had any experience with NCB Autokraft? They are very close to where I live and seem to have good things said about them.

Tue Dec 02, 2008 11:23 pm

Noels gone mate, he only deals with very old customers now from home

,
Lee used to work for noel for 18 yrs and is basically round the corner from where NCB Autokraft used to be.Where you based, by the sounds of it, your round the corner from me too.

Tue Dec 02, 2008 11:33 pm

Hi Guys,
I had a horrific squeal from my steering wheel, replaced the top bearing but that didn't fix it. Turned out that it was coming from where the steering shaft passes through the bulkhead. A liberal spraying of wd40 on the shaft in the engine bay sorted it out.
Keep well,
Torq

Tue Dec 02, 2008 11:38 pm

and sapphire black ( or black sapphire as it says on the turret sticker) is a colour fitted to e46's and other beemers of the same era! just wanted to clear that up

Wed Dec 03, 2008 12:00 am

Had the same leak in my boot. Well it could be that you had a broken aerial that it leaks inside the car from the rain.

And the arches needed to be pushed with something to show the rusting on the arches. That could cause water to get in, you'll need to take everything out of the boot

Wed Dec 03, 2008 2:18 am

i may have a good uncracked dash coming on sunday and could arrange courier,
or you collect it if you need one...with a good glove box aswell.

Wed Dec 03, 2008 10:15 am

There is a good DIY article on Pelican Parts website that covers dash replacement in step by step with pics. It isn't as difficult as you would think and only needs a few tools and a days work

Wed Dec 03, 2008 1:28 pm

poolnoodle wrote:There is a good DIY article on Pelican Parts website that covers dash replacement in step by step with pics. It isn't as difficult as you would think and only needs a few tools and a days work

Complete dash replacement is nothing like a days work - the second time you change one, it's a couple of hours at the most, and most of that time is taking off/replacing things like centre consoles, the glove box and access panels.
Once all this is out the way, and the heater panel is unscrewed from it. just four bolts and a single wiring plug hold it in place.

Wed Dec 03, 2008 5:16 pm

Hi
Water in Boot, it was comming in through the spoiler bolts on my 319is took it off cleaned it all up and put a small ring of silicon round each one. Hope this helps

Darren

Wed Dec 03, 2008 8:10 pm

Complete dash replacement is nothing like a days work - the second time you change one, it's a couple of hours at the most

Sorry to disagree with Mr Moooore (will I be struck off the zone?!!?!!) but it will take more than a few hours for a mere E30 mortal, especially if, like me, you take the time whilst it is out to clean everything and replace lights behind gauges, etc. That said, the article is very good but you need to look in the mirror as it is from the US!!
I have seen a few reskinned dashes and they look terrible

Wed Dec 03, 2008 10:35 pm

Thanks for all the advice guys.

After getting the last bits of admin sorted today I took a serious look at the car. There are a few more issues; a very large hole in the underside of one of the wings (not sure how it got through the MOT like that!?!), drivers seat belt return is dying, a lot of misc scratches and dents, missing the cigarette lighter (small I know but annoying) and a couple of other small things. The Rust is my big concern so I will give Lee a call (thanks for the contact Rav!)

The dash swap sounds very interesting and feasible now but will still wait a while I think till I have some of the other issues sorted out.

Oh and does anyone know if the 1988 325i have a catalytic converter? I swapped the plugs and it has been running very rich. A bit concerned as it has obviously had some work done on the injector (it looks new) and has a new air filter, so it may be a problem someone had already diagnosed and had been unable to fix. If it has been running rich and has a Cat it will be damaged from what I understand? Any advice on the subject would be great.

Thanks again.

Nicholas

Wed Dec 03, 2008 10:43 pm

No cat on an 88 model mate.

Wed Dec 03, 2008 10:50 pm

A cat would have been on the options list for an '88 325, but very few will have ticked that box.
Check out under the lower rubber boot of the plug and socket where the injector loom joins the engine loom, mounted on the metalwork immediately below the middle of the inlet manifold. It's common for water to get in there and rot through the wire to the coolant temperature sensor, making the ECU think the engine is always cold.

Wed Dec 03, 2008 10:54 pm

Well Brianmoooore that is very interesting as the temp dial on the dash is reporting the engine to be very cold. Would that be related? I am giving the can a complete once over this weekend so will be sure to check. Any advice on what to look out for or tasks to do now that I have it? I am doing an oil change and may change some of the other fluid depending on the amount of time I have.

Nicholas

Wed Dec 03, 2008 10:59 pm

Different sensor, but the wiring goes through the same plug.
Note that the temperature gauge on BMW's is not linear - the centre section is greatly expanded and only covers a few degrees. As long as it's reaching the white 'quarter' line, then it's not running cold.
If, however, the needle remains in the blue sector, then it is running cold, and the ECU coolant temp, sensor may just be doing its job.
In this case, renew the coolant thermostat.

Thu Dec 04, 2008 11:30 am

Engine temp dial is showing up as being in range but all piping feels very cold. As you suggest I think it may be a coolant thermostat issue. I will take the car to a specialist next week and get him to go through the laundry list of items I have collect since driving it.

Nicholas

Thu Dec 04, 2008 12:20 pm

ive got a few uncracked dashes if you want to go ahead with a dash swap glad to see another car being saved