Dan Guliano
of Nashua, NH has provided the following tips from the column he writes ("iX Marks
the Spot") for his BMW CCA chapter newsletter:
"1. Winter Prep
(ed. note - sorry, a little late but great advice anytime of year.)
That white, wet, cold stuff is trying to tell us something. Winter is on the way.
Since we chose an iX, we know we'll want to drive it through the New England winter.
When considering what we need to do to prepare for winter, we need to remember things
we've:GOT TO DO -
* Check the Transfer Case. Look for leaks, lubricant level changes, strange sounds
or anything else that might go awry. Replacement bits can be really, really expensive.
* Change the coolant. Yes, according to the manual it should be changed every two
years, but if you want to be sure the iX doesn't have corrosion, cooling or heating
problems, change it annually.
* Load test the battery. It isn't sufficient to confirm when the battery was replaced
(it's only two years old, there must be some OTHER reason it won't start) you need
to be sure when it's zero dark thirty hours and no degrees Fahrenheit that it'll
crank over and start.
* Check the Transfer Case. Look for leaks, lubricant level changes, strange sounds
or anything else that might go awry. Replacement bits can be really, really expensive.
then there are things we OUGHT TO DO -
* Get an Inspection I or II. If you're close to having this done, one or two little
lights left, don't wait until all the lights are out. Your iX will start and run
noticeably better after this service.
* Do something with your 'basket weave' wheels. If you leave then on the iX, only
bad things happen. They trap and hold snow, ice and assorted crud, continually out
of balance. Then comes pot hole season with bent rims and real headaches. Replacement
OEM basketweaves can approach $500 each new. So, * Get 'winter' wheels. Your favorite mail
order tire place can get you Borbet Type C's, steel wheels or something else that
will fit. * Check the operation of your 'bun warmers'. Kneeling or putting sharp
objects on the seats can break the heater wires (similar to heater wires in the rear window,
just that the seats don't shatter unexpectedly)and accumulated junk under the seat
can damage the wiring. You can fix the wiring under the seats, but there's not much
you can do about broken heater wires.
Finally, some things to CONSIDER DOING -
* Installing Snow Tires. Based upon where you live, how far you drive on primary,
secondary or other roads and whether you believe the Farmer's Almanac forecast, snows
can be a really, really good thing or a pain. If you guess properly, you've matched
your needs to the weather, and have the right amount of traction. If you miss, you're
struggling up steep, poorly plowed roads on Z rated high performance tires - OR -
you're bored and going deaf rolling down dry superhighway at sub-optimal speeds on
H rated snows.
* Put a foul weather kit in your trunk. If you've got heavy duty rain gear, dry clothes,
parka, boots, gloves and 'instant heat' packs, you'll never need them. It's insurance
against the mother of all winter storms. The one where you could get around just
fine, except you're boxed in by Camaros and Firebirds who believe the harder they
push on the gas pedal the faster they'll wear a track through to the pavement.
* Get a cellular phone. Yes, they can be expensive, especially if your significant
other calls you to ask what you want for dinner. But for real emergencies there's
no better way to call for reinforcements.
* Get another set of floor mats. This isn't vanity, this is practicality. A set used
over winter will be trashed. Between the salt, melting snow, sand and general gunk,
floor mats get ruined.
All in all, using your iX as a daily driver over winter is a great idea. Taking basic
precautions to safeguard the car before the season begins is important. Equally important
is remembering to keep the undercarriage free of road salt, the windshield washer reservoir full of good stuff and a scraper and brush within arms reach. Did I mention
checking the transfer case?
2. Mischief
-- It Must Be Winter
When the antenna won't retract all the way (again!), it must be winter. When the bottom
of your left foot is so gushy it slides off the clutch, it must be winter. When the
iX understeers and oversteers simultaneously, it must be winter. How can we fight
these doldrums?
*Buy the iX a new toy. Sheepskin seat covers are nice in winter, particularly if the
bun warmers don't.
*A new steering wheel, one that is thick, padded, leather covered and smaller in diameter
than stock can be very useful in controlling four wheel drifts BEFORE the iX is in
the drifts.
*Get an updated radar detector. Technology has greatly changed in this arena. There
are now built in units with X, K, Ka, Ultra-Wide Band and Laser capability that are
undetectable by radar detector detectors. You might really, really like your Passport,
but it won't doesn't put you on an even playing field with the revenuers. While you
might not get a lot of use from it this very minute, the thought of utilizing it's
FULL POTENTIAL should help keep you warm till spring.
*Have the iX detailed. Yes, yes, there's plenty of foul weather to come. But a nice
cleaning and waxing in midwinter can only uplift both your and the iX's spirits."
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Dave Ritter
of Marquette, MI provides a few answers to some questions asked in previous newsletters:
"Just wanted to pass along some info to a couple of members. For Nick Yotz, the On-board
computer will not plug into the same plug as the clock/temp unit. I have seen both
units and the plug for the On board computer is much larger with more wires. I believe the computer equipped cars have a special wiring harness.
For Tim Parker, his flaky tachometer is probably a bad solder joint. My tach on my
88 was flaky also. It would only work in certain temperature and humidity conditions.
I fixed mine myself, by taking the dash instrument cluster out (watch those plastic
pieces they break easily), and tracing the circuits away from the tach connections. My
bad solder joint was obvious without any magnification. The bad joint was located
where the circuit joined a connector. My multimeter confirmed the bad joint, and
since the fix I haven't had any tach problems."
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Paul Reitz
of Palmyra, PA has done some detailed research into how the seat heaters are designed
and how they function:
"I like to understand how electrical things are supposed to work on my car. I was
going through the '90 ETM for the ('91) E30 325iX, and was interested in the seat
heaters for a couple of reasons. First, this was an option on our car for which the
owner's manual does not even list the fuse number (16). Also, I had heard that the light bulbs
in these switches were unrepairable, and besides, a quick perusal of the ETM schematic
suggested it was bogus. (Schematics for the two switches did not agree with each
other, and it had many anomalies, like showing only two positions instead of three.)
I removed a switch, disassembled and "schematicized" it. After reinstalling, one of
the bulbs no longer worked, making it necessary(!) to figure out how to replace the
bulb.
To replace the bulbs, first remove the switch from the console by prying up the front
and back ends simultaneously with two flat blade screwdrivers. The switch can be
disassembled by inserting a small flat blade screwdriver into each side of the switch
at its base, separating the outer case far enough to allow the four interlocking tabs
to release from the switch. With the switch upside down, pry up on both screwdrivers
to slide the switch innards up and out the (bottom) of the case, watching out for
loose parts!
The switch operating lever contains a spring, hollow brass tube, and steel ball in
the end of the tube that can easily get lost! With the switch internals removed,
identify which bulb has burned out. I suggest replacing both bulbs! Carefully crush
the bulb glass with pliers to expose the existing leads (remove the tungsten filament).
Wrap the leads of the replacement bulb (Radio Shack #272-1092, 12v/60 mA) around
these leads and solder carefully, so as not to short out the bulb leads, which WILL
create a short circuit from fuse 16 to ground that may permanently damage the switch.
If you want the switches illuminated when the vehicle lights are on, locate the switched
+12 V lead from either the front or rear ashtray lights (the rear may be easier to
locate) and run to the "58" position of the switch sockets. Sorry, I don't have details on the type of pins required to do this job correctly. Although the ashtray lights
have variable illumination, the heater switch lights will stay dimly lit until the
heater is turned on.
Operation of the heaters is as follows. In the low heat position, power is applied
to terminal "HS", with current path through both heating elements in series to ground.
The common connection between heating elements, "HL", is not connected in this position. In the high heat position, power is applied to HL; current flows in parallel through
both the back heater, which is directly grounded, and through the seat heater via
terminal "HS", which is grounded in this position through the switch. Current draw
is approximately 3A in high, and about 3/4 A in low, for each seat. "
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Erik Swain
of Highland Park, NJ, reports on his iX:
"I bought my iX, a 1989, in May of '95, and I'm convinced it was my destiny to have
this car! I live in New Jersey, which not only gets snow but hail, freezing rain
and ice. While it's not like Buffalo, it can be pretty hard to get around in a bad
winter. I work for a newspaper, and have to put out a product every day, so "I couldn't
get out of my driveway" and "the roads are too icy'" are not acceptable excuses
for missing work.
In the blizzards of 1993-94, many of my colleagues had to give up vacation and personal
days because of car problems, but I always made it to work in my 1987 Chevrolet 5-10
Blazer, and I consider having four-wheel drive very important. Then in May, the
transmission on the Blazer died, and it was going to cost almost $2,000 for a good rebuild
or replacement. Knowing that the truck wasn't worth much more than that, I decided
to get a new vehicle.
I come from a family of BMW enthusiasts. My father and stepmother have driven Bimmers
for a long time, currently owning a '92 325i convertible and an '85 735i. My fiancee,
Elizabeth Schaeffer, got a '91 318iS last year, and her father Gene drives a '91
M3. So naturally, Elizabeth's first suggestion was to go to the local BMW dealer, which
had sold Bimmers to her and her father, and see what they had in their used lot.
A new Bimmer is hard to come by on a young newspaper reporter's salary. (Plug: The
dealer, DeSimone BMW of Marlton, NJ, is hands-down the best BMW dealer in southern New Jersey.)
I said a rear-wheel drive car might not be able to get me around in the snow and
ice. But then she reminded me of the iX's. Those would be perfect, she said, but
they're rare.
So off we went to DeSimone in search of a very specific car. What were the chances
of me finding an iX with automatic transmission (I've been too lazy to learn how
to drive stick) in good condition despite its age? Impossible, I thought.
Lo and behold, DeSimone had got an '89 fitting that exact description THE DAY BEFORE.
It was the first iX they'd had in over a year.
It was cinnabar red exterior, black vinyl interior, four doors, with heated seats
and mirrors and a ski bag (great for transporting rugs, by the way), though no air
bag. It had 67,000 miles on it, but for the last four years it had been part of DeSimone's
lease program, and the dealer had taken very good care of it. They even performed
an Inspection II at no charge before I took delivery.
The car had been leased by a woman who opted against buying it because she wanted
a new car instead. "She didn't know what she had,'" the salesman, Art Weaver, told
me. Boy, was that true. It only took one test drive in the pouring rain for me to
fall in love. Its four wheels hugged the road so tightly, and in the torrential downpours
we often get in New Jersey, it sails along as if it were drizzling.
Elizabeth, who names all the family cars, saw the iX as a "strongman" and dubbed it
"Heinrich." (Her Bimmer is "Wilhelm" and her father's is "Hans.")
"Heinrich's" performance has never suffered, though he has been back to the dealer
a few times, not uncommon for a six-year-old car. Those trips were for: oxygen sensor
replacement, fixing a transmission fluid leak, and a new alternator (luckily I purchased an extended warranty.) Fortunately, Gene knows a lot about cars, and helps me do
the minor maintenance, change the oil and filter, etc., so I never have to take the
car into the dealer.
The last thing to take care of were the tires. The car came with a new set of Pirelli
performance tires, which are great, but not what you'd want in the snow. I figured
I'd have to shell out over $600 for a new set of snow tires. The plan is to use them
in the winter before putting the Pirellis back on in the spring. That arrangement should
prolong the life of both sets of tires.
Then, in the November iXchange (only the second one I'd received since joining the
registry), I saw Bill Buckwalter's ad for a set of barely-used Blizzaks. Miraculously,
the issue seemed to have reached me before most other members, and I was the first
of five or six to contact him. He shipped them up to me, Gene and I put them on, and
they cut through the snow and ice like an afterthought. Bill - and the iXchange
-saved me about $200, so my membership is paying off already!
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Nick Yotz
of Enumclaw, WA reports on a fix for those intermittent tachometer and service interval
indicator problems:
"Several weeks after a successful battery replacement in the instrument carrier I got
the same problems Tim has. Another removal of the instrument carrier looking for
David's type of problem (and finding none obvious) plus a resetting of the service
indicator lights still did not solve the problem. Lots of 'trouble-shooting' later I found
what worked on our car and with no recurrence after several years now.
I cleaned the male prongs in the under side of the diagnostic cap and the female sockets
into which they fit with "Radio Shack" electronic spray cleaner and then put a tiny
dab of Permatex non seize 'goop' on each prong. Incidentally that 'goop' is great
stuff to use on household light bulbs in locations where any corrosion can make later
removal difficult.
Anyway, what I think happens is that the Service light reset tool I got from a Roundel
advertisement has male prongs larger than the prongs on the bottom of the cap, thus
enlarging the socket and giving an open in the appropriate circuit. The 'non-seize'
is an excellent conductor of electricity, makes the contact, and the problem is probably
permanently solved without getting your hands dirty. At least it has for me!"
Chris Strassburg
of Lewiston, NY, has a concern about the design of the front axle on the iX and asks
for thoughts on this from our members. Chris says, " I appreciate the effort to
create a neat (low) package, and allow for equal length axle /shafts. But some how
it doesn't seem right that the front drive line share the same support as the engine.
It is possible that fire, wheel, brake, bearing, CV axle or front differential vibration
will adversely affect the normally smooth harmonic balancing of the BMW engine and
also be the cause of premature engine mount failure. Even more of a concern is the
possibility that high engine heat, transferred directly to the front differential
utilizing 90 weight gear oil (which is designed to provide superior shear strength,
but less than superior thermal breakdown characteristics) will cause premature wear in the
front differential.
"Front drive transaxles cope with this heat problem using Dexron transmission fluid
rather than gear oil in their manual gear boxes." Any thoughts on this would be
appreciated. Chris also says he found a factory shop manual in paper format for
$140 from TMC at (410) 367-490. They also carry microfiche of the parts and electrical troubleshooting
manual.
-- Several members report that the wiring provided for the standard clock cannot
be used to connect up a full computer like that installed in the '88 iX or an M3.
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