ZHPizza's Wascally Wagon

[BMWCurves]

Replace that battery. I had an original factory battery that I replaced last year (11+ years old). It worked fine, held a charge, etc., but it was causing weird issues with my speaker system. I swapped it for a new Duralast battery and my speaker problems went away.

BMW's electricals are quite finicky when it comes to proper power. Start there.

[ZHPizza]

weird. swap GM5 from coupe to test?

i hear you on the red car.....................

The more I read about it, the more I don't think it's a GM5 issue. I think that you have to re-code a swapped GM5 too. I dunno...don't want to tear up anything that I don't have to.

Replace that battery. I had an original factory battery that I replaced last year (11+ years old). It worked fine, held a charge, etc., but it was causing weird issues with my speaker system. I swapped it for a new Duralast battery and my speaker problems went away.

BMW's electricals are quite finicky when it comes to proper power. Start there.

I swapped in the battery from my red car and the lock/unlock lights still aren't working (tried re-coding them too). I ran the codes and am currently showing two active errors with the ZKE:
07[007] Anti-theft alarm system: Siren, Radio interior protection, Tilt alarm sensor or Wire STDWA Short circuit
90[144] Battery Voltage: Open circuit

I'm hot on the trail of this electrical gremlin, but it'll have to wait. Just got a call to drop the car off at the transmission shop tonight so that my dude can pull the tranny and tear it down.

1like = 1prayer4wagon

[ZHPizza]

Updating my list as I've gotten some work done on the whip.

1. The transmission is still leaking. Ugh. I left the car with a local guy that is very, very experienced with these transmissions. He pulled it out, redid the pump seal, the pump bushing, some of the front clutches, and several other tidbits. He was very confident that everything was done right and this transmission was good to go...$1200 later...I got the owner of the shop in Texas on the phone (who had already done the seal three times for the previous owner) and he paid for the work right then and there, no questions asked. Great dude. http://bertiniseuropean.com for anyone looking for a shop in the Houston area.
   ...So all is well and good? Nah. Pulled the wagon into the garage last night and saw a small puddle of tranny fluid...here we go...
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2. The remote locks are still acting up. It's not the GM5...I don't think it's the K-bus...I really don't know what it is. Sometimes the locks work great and the lights flash with them and all is well...sometimes they need some coercion and the lights don't flash...I'll just have to keep digging...
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3. It got a new[ish] battery. I threw the battery from my red car in it and it's been working great ever since. Pulled out the 8-year-old BMW battery, put it on a charger for a few days, threw it in the red car and it read 10.8V...is dead. So, ordered this bad boy for $150 shipped. Hoping it actually gets here. For the time being, I pulled the battery out of the Jetta and used it in the red car...12 volts is 12 volts baby! Struggles to start the 3.0L six, but runs like a champ!
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4. It probably needs new shocks. I don't care. It rides good enough and I've got other stuff to worry about.
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5. The sunroof shade is still off track. I was hoping it would get better with rest.
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6. The headlights suck. Needs HIDs. Suggestions? *don't drive at night outside of the city* Ok, that works!
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7. The seats are still bright red and HEATED. I hulked the passenger seat over to my red car yesterday, hooked up the connector, and let it idle with the seat heaters on. It probably took 30 minutes of jumping between cars to figure out if the heat was working (tough to tell in 85 degrees ambient), but I'm 95% certain I felt some genuine butt toasting. Now to get the seat heater wiring from Peterman (or a scrap yard). Totes back-burnering this project until it cools off though.

[az3579]

Ah HA! So they do have heating elements installed...
So you're keeping the red seats, right??

[BMWCurves]

Ah HA! So they do have heating elements installed...
So you're keeping the red seats, right??

[ZHPizza]

Ah HA! So they do have heating elements installed...
So you're keeping the red seats, right??

I...I think I have to...

I have a brother that works in high-end interior restorations and he went through and checked them out one night. He thinks that it's actually Corvette red. They're really, really well done with fresh leather on the seating areas and vinyl on the sides -- the only way he could tell the difference was in flexing the materials and watching how the grain reacts. That's how nice these things are. And comfortable...it's like...like being held by a cloud. And now that I know they're heated...

But they're just hideously red...I mean...I freaking hate the color. The black/red door panels are the worst. Looks like it belongs inside a vegas limo or some shit.

Good problem to have, that's for sure.

[Sreten]

It's always entertaining reading your updates.

[ZHPizza]

Ah I forgot that I finally chased down the one thing that was driving me crazy about this car too!

There was an awful rattle coming from the rear whenever I went over a bump. Like...something is loose and clanging around and I'm going to lose my mind kind of rattle. This has to stop.

1. I dug everything out of the spare area, tightened down the jack, tools, etc. Still getting the rattle.

2. I had the fiancee drive it one [stormy] night while I crawled around the cargo area searching for the rattle...it's coming from the lift gate...I'm pressing on the plastic pieces and it's just rattling away laughing at my puny mortal attempts to stop it...if I can just *we hydroplane a bit in a deep puddle* I'll return to my seat now.

3. Ok so I know it's something with the gate...maybe it's this big carpeted panel, it's kind of loose...I'll pull it off and see *breaks two tabs on the panel*

4. It wasn't the panel, but driving around with it removed really upped the volume on the rattle. The rattle is somewhere inside of the lift gate...THE FILES ARE IN THE COMPUTER!!!

5. I start tearing into the lift gate and find a new suspect: The backup camera and Depo tail light wiring that the previous owner installed. It's loose and could be slapping around on the sheet metal. Unlikely to be the source, but it's a mess and while I'm in here I can try out my new wire loom tape!

Before:


After (I really like this tape):


6. Feeling good, I slam the gate closed and HEAR THE EFFING RATTLE. I poke around a bit, prying and pulling, and find that the license plate holder cantilevers out at the bottom and kind of slaps the sheet metal with the plastic edge. I remove it, see that the foam pads that are supposed to contact the car are matted down after 17 years, add some foam furniture pads to build it up, cover it with my awesome felt wire loom tape, and reinstall. The plate holder sits tight against the car, no more wobbles.

7. I give the plate holder a hard test shake and HEAR THE EFFING RATTLE AGAIN. Grab the lift gate handle and violently slam it back and forth, recreating the clunking noise. Son..of..beech. It was under my nose the whole time. Pop open the lift gate, grab a torx bit, and after a few iterations I move the striker a few mm out so that it latches the gate tight nice and tight when I close it.

So all that to say, if any of the other two dudes on this site with tourings hear a rattle from the rear, check your lift gate latch first.


I earned these.

[anandoc]

You chased that rattle with some mad dedication! Mad props and glad that you figured it out!!

[704sw]

That which we obtain too easily, we esteem too lightly.