Old Cars Suck!!!!

[DISCO]

Although I keep swearing about never buying used again, there is just something irresistible about swooping a two hundred dollar beater and driving it into the ground. The average lifespan of a car in my possession is about two years, plus or minus bent suspension parts from jumping in the desert.

What we are looking at is a car that had a major rodent infestation, though the furry guys are gone the smell lingers (much like in Seinfeld). No A/C although I just figured out the windows and the seats and sunroof work flawlessly. What does not is the fuel supply I have been stranded, and only when it's hot multiple times due to a starting gremlin. You know there is trouble when the Tach stops working. At first I tried throwing relays and starting fluid at the problem until a friend of mine simply thumped on the dash and it fired up. The dash thumping worked great and it stopped dying in the middle of the freeway for a while. Yesterday on the way home from diving in Laguna it simply quit as we rolled down Newport coast drive. We coasted into the church at the bottom of the hill and began resuscitation, four smokes and a lot of thumping and kicking later it fired up just long enough to die after flipping a U-turn.

It only seems to happen when hot so we pushed it into a pseudo shady spot and tried the starting fluid but no go. Punching, kicking and rocking the car similarly failed to make a difference. Since the blinkers had again stopped working off came the steering column and kick panel shortly to discover one relay that felt hotter than the rest. When that wire was jiggled, SHA-ZAM back on the road. It dropped a few more times on the way down culver, but now knowing the short by touch (though still not sight) reaching down and giving a shake would bring the engine back from the grave.

So this picture was how I spent my morning, using De-OX IT on the connections and sorting out the wires with a voltmeter. It still needs a good jiggle but if it sort of works why waste the time

[Chewyeti]

thats not an old car....

By the guage cluster, i will guess nissan...pathfinder?

[DISCO]

I think a twenty three year old BMW 528e is plenty old, especially since the body looks as dated as a 2002 (which is far simpler due to the lack of Bosch Motronic).

[freekengo]

Old cars don't suck. Just the ill maintained ones do. Rodent infested and flood cars are two vehicles that you should never buy, unless you feel like rewiring the whole car. It's never worth it. Unless the car is a collectible.

[2wheel_lee]

Congrats on finding the problem area - that's usually the toughest part of troubleshooting intermittent electrical problems.

Check the pin-fits at the connectos and check for terminals that may have backed out of the connectors. Also, carefully apply dielectric grease on the contacts.

I'd love to have an old 2002!

edit: what freekengo said. For some reason, rodents like to chew on wire harnesses - seriously.

[Lambda_drive]

I actually like the way old BMW's look.

[freekengo]

Originally Posted by Lambda_drive

I actually like the way old BMW's look.

Agreed. I still have my 88' M6. Still love it today like when I purchased it new.

[Chewyeti]

Originally Posted by DISCO

I think a twenty three year old BMW 528e is plenty old, especially since the body looks as dated as a 2002 (which is far simpler due to the lack of Bosch Motronic).

ah... a bimmer problem

Built up a few 02's myself with friends.

Yeah... i would have gone with older 02 over the 5 series

At least its Bosch Motronic instead of L/K/D jetronic or CIS

[DISCO]

True this is a neglected five series from the mid eighties and not nearly as cool as a carb or kugelfisher 2002.

I love old cars and have a few muscle cars and mazda rotaries, but everything I have seen that is injected and Pre-OBD 2 have been a major PITA every two years around smog season. But I dont think racing mods had anything to do with it.

[2wheel_lee]

Originally Posted by freekengo

Agreed. I still have my 88' M6. Still love it today like when I purchased it new.

Nice! That's a beautiful car as well! Pics?

[DISCO]

To be fair it drives better than any other make and was in much better shape when I bought it, it has been serving a four year term in the desert and came back in it's current deplorable state. I should have titled this thread "There are used cars, and there are used up cars"

[freekengo]

Originally Posted by Chewyeti

ah... a bimmer problem

Built up a few 02's myself with friends.

Yeah... i would have gone with older 02 over the 5 series

At least its Bosch Motronic instead of L/K/D jetronic or CIS

There is one major difference. The 2002's are going up in value while the 80's cars(other than the M series cars 3,5,and 6's) go down in value.

Originally Posted by 2wheel_lee

Nice! That's a beautiful car as well! Pics?

It currently sits in my garage under cover, but I'll see if I can scrounge something up from the Track days.

[Kid A]

can you say

[freekengo]

Originally Posted by Kid A

can you say

I was thinking more of "Monster Garage"!

[CPATCRASH]

Originally Posted by freekengo

Agreed. I still have my 88' M6. Still love it today like when I purchased it new.

you buy it when you were 5?

[freekengo]

Originally Posted by CPATCRASH

you buy it when you were 5?

Was 16 at the time. Saved up enough since when I was a little kid for a car(save-aholic). It was ridiculously expensive then....... It was one of my proudest teenage moments.

[CPATCRASH]

Originally Posted by freekengo

Was 16 at the time. Saved up enough since when I was a little kid for a car(save-aholic). It was ridiculously expensive then....... It was one of my proudest teenage moments.

My Dad had a 1980 633 csi and I think it was 25K new. Do you still have the M6?

[freekengo]

Originally Posted by CPATCRASH

My Dad had a 1980 633 csi and I think it was 25K new. Do you still have the M6?

Yup, sure do. It's sitting in my garage under cover. If I recall correctly it cost me about $74K back in 88'.

[CPATCRASH]

Originally Posted by freekengo

Yup, sure do. It's sitting in my garage under cover. If I recall correctly it cost me about $74K back in 88'.

save some more money ane buy a new bike!

How many miles on the M6?

[freekengo]

Originally Posted by CPATCRASH

save some more money ane buy a new bike!

How many miles on the M6?

Moots YBB or a Seven Ti HT is next!

43K on the odo