1984 633CSi Rises again!

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songzunhuang
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Short ATF Hose Install - Not Fun!

Post by songzunhuang »

I just replaced my short ATF cooling hose with the new style fitting and hose. The old hose type is no longer available. Let me get to the punchline. It was hell. It took me almost three hours to get this done. Taking the old hose off took all of 15 minutes. Getting the new fittings on was one of the most annoying tasks I have ever performed on this car. You are dealing with a 2 inch slot and trying to fasten something that's about 12 inches into this slot. You'll be using the tips of your fingers trying to turn things that just can't be reached. If you can, rebuild your old hose. Here's my story.

First the old vs. the new hose. The original has a 22mm banjo bolt. It was easily removed with my extended 22mm ratcheting wrench.
The new version has a gender changer and a flared fastener.
Old vs new hose
Old vs new hose
NewATFHose.png (1.85 MiB) Viewed 9333 times
The other end of the hose is simplicity itself. It's wide open space and easy to get disconnected. I let the fluid run out since my tranny was overfilled. I was surprised that less than a cup of fluid came out. In fact after the job, my ATF level was still a bit high.
Very easy to remove this hose end.
Very easy to remove this hose end.
EasyHoseEnd.png (1.33 MiB) Viewed 9333 times
Getting the gender changer onto the transmission case requires a 8mm hex wrench. Getting enough leverage to turn that and make it tight is very difficult when you are working with the tips of your fingers. I finally decided it was good enough and thought that using the fitting on the hose, I could get it the rest of the way. I was wrong. First, here's a view of what you are dealing with. This is zoomed in, so it looks a lot closer in this picture.
Before and after the fitting.
Before and after the fitting.
FittingIn.png (1.65 MiB) Viewed 9333 times
After the fitting, I spent over 1.5 hours trying to get my wrench on the new hose fitting end to fasten it. The way it's situated, there is no room to get the wrench on the fitting and when you do, you only can turn it a tiny tiny bit. After wracking my brain, I used a combination of my extended 22 wrench with my 9" crescent. I'd have to use the crescent to turn the fastener enough to get the 22mm long wrench on it. then turn it 1/8 turn, then it was time for the crescent again. Seriously, it took forever. Then I discovered my fitting wasn't tightened enough and it came loose as I was wrenching the hose fitting. So I had to take everything off and do it again.

In the end, it's working, but I'm not convinced it's tight enough. I'll watch over it and see how it goes. Meanwhile, I think I'm going to see about getting the old hose rebuilt and then reinstalling it. Oh yeah, and it cost me $118 for all this fun. Ahh!
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Song Huang
1984 633CSi
Last 7 of VIN: 6997383
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Well this sucks. California Wildfires!

Post by songzunhuang »

This weekend we had over 1,000 lightning strikes in California. It kicked off 367 wildfires. Twenty two of those were northwest of me, far away. Well, not anymore. The towns 5 miles west of me are evacuating tonight. My town is now under a "warning" that evacuation may be ordered soon.

My dilemma? I may have to leave the e24 behind. I have too many cars and not enough people to drive out if evacuated. We have to pack a lot of stuff and that means we take the SUV. This sucks.

The morning light was an odd orange color and as I walked towards my car, here's what I saw.
Covered in ash.
Covered in ash.
e24 ash.png (1.58 MiB) Viewed 9191 times
The car has a coating of ash from the wildfires. It only gets worse through the day.
I am trying to mentally prepare for the very real possibility that I may have to evacuate and leave the 6'er behind. :cry:
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Song Huang
1984 633CSi
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by BenM635i »

Fingers crossed the wind changes direction and you get to stay put.

If you have to leave then park the 6 in the middle of your drive, set the hose / sprinkler on it and leave it switched on!
'85 M635 #160
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by mjeb69 »

Song-

I’m up in Sonoma, and we watch the fire maps more than television.

Drive the car you’ve spent so much energy on to the nearest large parking lot and leave it smack dab in the middle.

I’ve evaced without plans for my Sixer or my Austin Healey, but I have one now.

Mark
Mark

1983 633Csi Saphirblau/Pacific 6725029
1963 Austin Healey 3000 BJ7
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by olympia57 »

I was just watching the events local to you on morning news .
I cannot begin to feel the worry and upset that these fires bring to your household and hope and pray that you keep safe .
Good luck Song .
Don
1981 635 series 1
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by songzunhuang »

BenM635i wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 11:13 am Fingers crossed the wind changes direction and you get to stay put.

If you have to leave then park the 6 in the middle of your drive, set the hose / sprinkler on it and leave it switched on!
We received mandatory evacuation orders Thursday afternoon. We are with relatives safely out of the fire's range.
I had to leave the e24. It is in an open area in my driveway. We watch the news and social media feeds constantly to track the status of the fire.
Now we wait.
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Song Huang
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by songzunhuang »

olympia57 wrote: Fri Aug 21, 2020 7:30 am I was just watching the events local to you on morning news .
I cannot begin to feel the worry and upset that these fires bring to your household and hope and pray that you keep safe .
Good luck Song .
Don
Thank you Don. We have evacuated and the e24 is being watched by video security cameras. I can check in on it periodically.

So there's a car collection and restoration shop called Canepas in my town. There are tens of millions of dollars of collectible cars there, including a CSL and M1. My automotive worries are minuscule compared to theirs!

Anyway, now we just wait and monitor the news.
-----
Song Huang
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by songzunhuang »

mjeb69 wrote: Fri Aug 21, 2020 2:25 am Song-

I’m up in Sonoma, and we watch the fire maps more than television.

Drive the car you’ve spent so much energy on to the nearest large parking lot and leave it smack dab in the middle.

I’ve evaced without plans for my Sixer or my Austin Healey, but I have one now.

Mark
Mark,
Best of luck to you as well. Our fire is at 63,000 acres but there are two that are now over 400,000 acres! It's hard to wrap my head around that number. One of these huge fires is in Napa/Sonoma. At this point, we hope the winds stay calm and the fire crews can do their work.

I had too many cars and not enough drivers for the cars. We chose the 2 most reliable. Since we were evacuating, we didn't want to get stranded anywhere. Unfortunately, the e24 didn't really meet the "most reliable" criteria. Oh well. I have great faith in our police and fire department. I know they are laboring non-stop.
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Song Huang
1984 633CSi
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by Russm21 »

I hope everything worked out for you.

A few years ago we were under a mandatory evacuation order as well (Creek Fire). At the time my E30 was in the middle of a major brake renovation so it was left behind. Initially it bothered me. However, at the end of the day it's just stuff. As much as we love our cars There are a lot more important things in life.
Russell
1989 E30 325ic
1986 E24 635CSi
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by sansouci »

It helps to have tow hitches on the larger cars and access to a "tow-behind" dolly from U-Haul. You can pack a lot of stuff in that 6.
Last edited by sansouci on Mon Jul 05, 2021 11:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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84 E24 633Csi Auto, Bronzit/PearlBeige 6997510
93 E32 740il M60 Auto, Alpenweis/Ultramarine
60 528i M30 5-speed Green/Beige (crushed)
71 240Z 4-speed White/Blue (rusty & sold)
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by olympia57 »

How are you Song ?
Hope all is well with you and your family .
Don
1981 635 series 1
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by songzunhuang »

olympia57 wrote: Fri Aug 28, 2020 7:18 pm How are you Song ?
Hope all is well with you and your family .
Don
Hey Don, we are doing well. We were able to "re-populate" last Friday. I spent the weekend cleaning ashes out of everything. I did take time to spruce up the bigcoupe. Looking as good as ever. Thanks for asking.
After evac cleanup.
After evac cleanup.
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Song Huang
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by hornhospital »

That's the best news I've heard all week. [-o<
Ken Kanne
'84 633CSi "Sylvia"; '85 635CSi "Katja";'85 325e "Hazel Ann"; '95 M3 "Ashlyn"
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by olympia57 »

That's great news Song , I was getting a little worried for a while .
Car looks great again and I'm delighted that all your property's intact too..
I hope it's all those fires have passed and life can get back to normal.
Good luck
Don
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by sansouci »

You dodged that bullet. Any thoughts on what you would do differently next time?
Sansouci
84 E24 633Csi Auto, Bronzit/PearlBeige 6997510
93 E32 740il M60 Auto, Alpenweis/Ultramarine
60 528i M30 5-speed Green/Beige (crushed)
71 240Z 4-speed White/Blue (rusty & sold)
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by songzunhuang »

hornhospital wrote: Tue Sep 01, 2020 6:54 am That's the best news I've heard all week. [-o<
Appreciate the sentiment. Yea, it was a very nice feeling to hear that our town was safe. What's crazy is that all this time later, they are still containing the fire. It's at 86% this morning. Of course, there are a lot of other fires all over California.
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Song Huang
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by songzunhuang »

olympia57 wrote: Tue Sep 01, 2020 8:35 am That's great news Song , I was getting a little worried for a while .
Car looks great again and I'm delighted that all your property's intact too..
I hope it's all those fires have passed and life can get back to normal.
Good luck
Don
There were ashes everywhere and lately there were oranges skies! We are experiencing a crazy fire season.
Today I took the car out (after charging the dead battery overnight) and ran several errands. The car is covered in ashes again from the past week!
Thanks for your message.
-----
Song Huang
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by songzunhuang »

sansouci wrote: Tue Sep 01, 2020 10:41 am You dodged that bullet. Any thoughts on what you would do differently next time?
A very interesting question. I think I was actually pretty clear headed when I was thinking about what could be replaced and what couldn't. There wasn't a lot that couldn't be replaced. All my photos are digitized and in the cloud. Maybe I should have been more understanding as my family was packing things that I just didn't understand. Like unused photo paper, even if it is large format professional grade or rare plants. I was giving them a hard time for jamming the car full of things that I just didn't see as necessary. Good thing we had a few hours to evacuate.

I did decide to upgrade to a smart sprinkler system. As I was watching my home on video cameras from afar, I realized that my sprinkler settings were not idea for the very dry and hot weather. I fixed that this weekend. I can control my sprinklers from anywhere in the world now. LOL.

Anyhow, thanks for checking in.
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Song Huang
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by sansouci »

Song,
What kind of roof do you have? Tile? Asphalt? You could add a zone or two to sprinkle the roof and the parking spot where you keep the car!
Sansouci
84 E24 633Csi Auto, Bronzit/PearlBeige 6997510
93 E32 740il M60 Auto, Alpenweis/Ultramarine
60 528i M30 5-speed Green/Beige (crushed)
71 240Z 4-speed White/Blue (rusty & sold)
65 396 Chevelle 4-speed, Marina Blue/Black (stolen)
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by songzunhuang »

sansouci wrote: Thu Sep 17, 2020 4:15 pm Song,
What kind of roof do you have? Tile? Asphalt? You could add a zone or two to sprinkle the roof and the parking spot where you keep the car!
Although an interesting idea, during the drought a few years ago, we pulled out all our sprinklers and grass and went to a drip system with a more drought tolerant landscape. Basically lots and lots of succulent arrangements. I'd be odd to run a bunch drip lines all over the house! Thanks for thinking of me though.
-----
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by sansouci »

I would set up another zone and have rotating heads (Hunter PGP or equivalent) on each gable end. During normal times, set the zone timing to zero so they won't go off. When in an emergency, set the drip timing to zero and the roof sprinklers to max time, multiple times a day. Water is cheaper than fire damage. Even better would be internet enabled zone controller so that you can manage it from afar.
Sansouci
84 E24 633Csi Auto, Bronzit/PearlBeige 6997510
93 E32 740il M60 Auto, Alpenweis/Ultramarine
60 528i M30 5-speed Green/Beige (crushed)
71 240Z 4-speed White/Blue (rusty & sold)
65 396 Chevelle 4-speed, Marina Blue/Black (stolen)
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Two annoying issues re-emerge. Heater fan and engine cooling.

Post by songzunhuang »

Well, I started to drive the 84 mile round trip into the office once a week. I decided to give the bigcoupe a try and discovered 2 returning issues that's really bugging me.

Heater Blower Fan
Once again it stopped working on anything but "High". Once again the power transistor was fried. This time I decided to purchase a higher amperage version. I ordered a 2N5302 30A transistor. Soldered it in place and it's working again. I hope this one lasts longer.
Higher amperage transistor this time.
Higher amperage transistor this time.
Transistor.png (739.04 KiB) Viewed 8556 times
Here it is installed in the blower assembly. I am getting way to familiar with this part.
Heater fan installed.
Heater fan installed.
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Engine Temp Running High
OK, during my drive, my temp gauge started to edge the red zone. I was on the freeway so there was plenty of airflow. My first inclination was that the thermostat must be failing. I ordered a new Mahle 80 degree centigrade, the original specification. This weekend I replaced the Wahler 71C that I had in there. I was a bit disappointed to see that the Wahler seemed fine. There was nothing I could tell wrong. I installed the new Mahle anyway and went for a drive. Of course I remembered to order the new style that is compatible with the "A" marked thermostat housing.
New Mahle 80C
New Mahle 80C
80C Thermostat.png (1.39 MiB) Viewed 8556 times
I drove a good 20 miles and when I parked, here's where the temp was sitting. It was a cool night and 70 degrees F outside. Something is not right.
RunningHot.png
RunningHot.png (383.87 KiB) Viewed 8556 times
This is really annoying. There are no leaks and I replace the radiator and water pump 5 years ago when I got the car. Anyone have any ideas?
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Song Huang
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by 86_6series »

First Song I'm happy to hear you and family are safe.

I would check the system with a temp gun.

https://www.amazon.com/Infrared-Thermom ... B071NBJJ2Q

This way reading the #'s on all the hoses, upper and lower, thermostat housing,
upper radiator, lower radiator you should be able to determine were the
trouble is.
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by songzunhuang »

86_6series wrote: Mon Oct 12, 2020 11:34 am First Song I'm happy to hear you and family are safe.

I would check the system with a temp gun.

https://www.amazon.com/Infrared-Thermom ... B071NBJJ2Q

This way reading the #'s on all the hoses, upper and lower, thermostat housing,
upper radiator, lower radiator you should be able to determine were the
trouble is.
I had the same idea. Here's what I am seeing when the temp gauge is in the 3/4+ position.

Top of radiator = 175.
Bottom of radiator = 192.
Cylinder head at piston 1 = 190
Cylinder head at piston 6 = 208
Exhaust manifold at Cylinder 6 = 448

These were taken sitting still at idle. 70F degrees outside. I can take some other readings in the spots listed and to average things out in different conditions. Does that tell us anything?
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Song Huang
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Re: 1984 633CSi Rises again!

Post by hornhospital »

It tells me your temperature sensor that feeds the gauge is perhaps bad, or (unlikely) there's a local obstruction in the system adjacent to the sensor. I believe there is a test method for the sensor, but I can't recall what it is, and my Bentley manual is packed away.
Ken Kanne
'84 633CSi "Sylvia"; '85 635CSi "Katja";'85 325e "Hazel Ann"; '95 M3 "Ashlyn"
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