Dario's OB ZHP Revival

[Avetiso]

Okay, well, I won this car early in the morning, 8/5/2013.

About the car:
Salvage title, but the car has never been in an accident/flood/theft/etc... Just the LCM fire.
2003 330i ZHP
Orient Blue Metallic
Dove Gray interior
70k miles
Possibly ZCW (VIN decoder says no, but car has heated seats)
Stock wheels
Moonroof

Pulled a CarFax on the car. Car has been dealer serviced its entire life, and was a one-owner vehicle.

Damage:
LCM caught fire. Dash board and wiring damaged. Car does not start. Extent of damage will be updated once I dig in.
Ohio roads = rust?

Pics:
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3774/9444062529_08f30795aa_o.jpg
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2863/9446847638_69f510a67c_o.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7316/9444064645_587306b365_o.jpg
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3820/9446849794_06e12019da_o.jpg
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5449/9446849630_d70cea7bb0_o.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7319/9444064045_f72ce0e6a4_o.jpg
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3770/9444063789_7867a769d7_o.jpg
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5448/9446849144_eedf1cb93e_o.jpg
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5463/9444063203_ba8c78bb51_o.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7297/9446848246_63a8f22a68_o.jpg
Bid - $3,250
Buyer Fee - $565
Secure Funds Discount - -$240
Virtual Bid Fee - $75
Gate Fee - $50
Copart Mailing Fee - $10

Grand total = $3,690

Car shipped from Columbia Station, OH for $1,300.

Other expenses to be paid later:

Broker Fee - $250
Tax - $315.20

Estimated cost to bring the car home: $5,555.20

Parts purchased:
LCM: $50 Pre-coded from Charlie. Thank you!
Dashboard: $100 from Leo, a member here.

Estimated final cost of vehicle after repair and registration: $6,500. This figure doesn't mean much until I get the car, but assuming the damage is exactly what I think it is, this is what the final cost of the car should be.

[Hornung418]

In.

From a GS3, this was sent.

[Stigissimo]

:like

[ELCID86]

Man, those fees are worse than Ticketmaster! What, no convenience fee?? Glad you got it. Shipping seems a bit high, but maybe you don't have many options.

[fredo]

In.

+1

[Avetiso]

Thanks, guys. I'm try to get pics up, but damn, Flickr really is a pile of shit. Anywhere else I can host these pictures?

[fredo]

I always use photobucket.

[Johnmadd]

Thanks, guys. I'm try to get pics up, but damn, Flickr really is a pile of shit. Anywhere else I can host these pictures?

Photobucket.

[Avetiso]

I'll make the switch to Photobucket. In the meantime, here are the pictures!

[BavarianZHP]

Tried both - prefer photobucket. Congrats man!

[brewer90]

I use smugmug but you have to pay for it.

I'm looking forward to seeing you resurrect this car.

[E_Rak]

Wow this is going to be an epic project! Should be great based on your previous work. (I like flickr... :dunno)

[cakM3]

Subscribed to this thread Dario! Really looking forward to seeing progress on this build! :thumbsup Always good to see another ZHP brought back from the car graveyard!

[derbo]

love to see it get revived!

it needs an hks exhaust ;)

[Avetiso]

love to see it get revived!

it needs an hks exhaust ;)
Haha, Derek, I'd love to buy it from you. But, I still need to spend $1,000 just getting the car here, if not more, AND try to buy that parts car on Wednesday in FL, and then ship it here for $1,100.

Simply can't afford mods until both of these things (hopefully) come to pass all well, said, and done.

[Avetiso]

Thanks for all the encouragement, guys. Really appreciate it. This car will specifically help my OCD by not having any body work done to it all.

[wsmeyer]

Thanks, guys. I'm try to get pics up, but damn, Flickr really is a pile of shit. Anywhere else I can host these pictures?

If you just want somewhere to put them so you can post into the forum use dropbox.

[derbo]

imageshack is what I use too.

http://imageshack.us/

[wsmeyer]

Nice buy, at that price if it doesn't work out fixing it you can almost certainly get that back parting it out.

Not sure if you've seen this before or not but while you're waiting for it to arrive you can familiarize yourself with this:

http://www.bmw-planet.com/diagrams/release/us/e46/index.htm

[Avetiso]

Man, those fees are worse than Ticketmaster! What, no convenience fee?? Glad you got it. Shipping seems a bit high, but maybe you don't have many options.
Yes, there are quite a bit of fees. But with this kind of business, I can't blame them. You think shipping is too high? My broker tells me this is the going rate for cars from that distance. Might actually be $100 too low.

[Avetiso]

Nice buy, at that price if it doesn't work out fixing it you can almost certainly get that back parting it out.

Not sure if you've seen this before or not but while you're waiting for it to arrive you can familiarize yourself with this:

http://www.bmw-planet.com/diagrams/release/us/e46/index.htm
Thanks, buddy. That looks like a great utility. Once I take it apart it'll let me know how it was supposed to be.

[Oli77]

Good luck with the project Dario. We'll be watching!

[Avetiso]

Thanks, Oli. Will, do you think you could find me which diagram I need? I don't know any of these things by their technical names.

[wsmeyer]

The navigation on that site uses Java so I can't link you to it but drill down to:

Component and signal information >> Components >> A_Control units, modules.

The Light Switch Center is A3

Once you open that branch you'll find the one applicable to your year / model but also notice there are three different icons for the choices. The first group are the actual diagrams, second one is a picture of the module so you can confirm you're looking at the right thing, third group is a list of the pin #'s and where they go.

What I would do first would be to pull the burned LCM, identify all the pins in the diagram that have voltage going to them and then use a continuity tester to see if any of those pins are now shorted to any of the non power pins. If any of them are, use the diagram to see what module was sent voltage instead of signal. This should minimize the chance of frying a replacement LCM.

[trancenation]

Looking forward to this thread! The car doesn't have ZCW based on the absence of headlight washers.

[BavarianZHP]

Shipping price depends on the season, open carry, etc... FWIW I shipped mine from Illinois to Seattle which is about the same distance as Ohio to CA for just under $1k (~$950?), so your quote is comparable. Oh and expect your car to be utterly FILTHY when it gets to you. Going cross-country open carry will dust her up good. My engine still has some dust and dirt from the transport - it'll be everywhere. Honestly, I almost regretted transporting it since it got so dirty - but it's just dirt and can be cleaned... I changed the air filters immediately.

Oh, I do know heated seats was a stand alone option so it may not have ZCW. Check for fold down seats and headlight washers to be sure.

Good luck!

[Avetiso]

Thanks, guys. I actually love that about it. Heated seats without all the ZCW fuss, although I hope it has fold down seats, as well.

Phillip, oh, I know it's gonna be dirty. FILTHY. I just hope it doesn't get scratched. However, I have a guy with a trucking company looking for a driver to pull it for me in a closed van, which would be awesome. Hopefully he finds me something.

[johnrando]

Congrats on the pickup and GL with the werk!

[Avetiso]

Congrats on the pickup and GL with the werk!

Thanks! Looking forward to it.

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[ELCID86]

My broker tells me this is the going rate for cars from that distance. Might actually be $100 too low.
I guess that is reasonable give the distance.

[zhp43867]

What are your plans for removing what I presume will be the odor of car fire in the interior?

At any rate, I'm following this, nice pickup and good luck!

[Avetiso]

What are your plans for removing what I presume will be the odor of car fire in the interior?

At any rate, I'm following this, nice pickup and good luck!

Well I plan on transplanting interiors so most of the smell should go away. But if not, I'll flood the car with coffee beans for a few days.

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[QC_ZHP]

Very cool project. Where do you plan on sourcing ZHP interior?

[Avetiso]

Very cool project. Where do you plan on sourcing ZHP interior?

The parts car I will be playing tomorrow. There is a thread in the members only section.

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[dann320]

this is where i got my zhp, i actually saw the one you bought on copart. execpt with all fees on copart mine was 1650 bucks:) its in the paint shop now, my total for EVERYTHING is just under 3 grand! win for me:) ill be posting pictures of the whole progress soon

[Avetiso]

this is where i got my zhp, i actually saw the one you bought on copart. execpt with all fees on copart mine was 1650 bucks:) its in the paint shop now, my total for EVERYTHING is just under 3 grand! win for me:) ill be posting pictures of the whole progress soon

Nice! Looking forward to seeing it. You can get some great deals there, especially on high mileage cars.

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[derbo]

Nice! Looking forward to seeing it. You can get some great deals there, especially on high mileage cars.

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

Dario you may have to help assist me finding an M3 rear ended. :)

[Avetiso]

I can't find shipping from Ohio. Anyone have any ideas? I start accruing fees on Monday, $20 a day.

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[Avetiso]

Dario you may have to help assist me finding an M3 rear ended. :)

Easy.

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[Avetiso]

Found shipping. $1,300.

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[Hornung418]

Damn...that's a lot of cash.

The shipping quotes I've found hover around $1,000...thinking I might have to take a day of PTO and fly out and drive back to MD should I get my loan.

Can't wait to see you get her in working condition.

From a GS3, this was sent.

[Avetiso]

Damn...that's a lot of cash.

The shipping quotes I've found hover around $1,000...thinking I might have to take a day of PTO and fly out and drive back to MD should I get my loan.

Can't wait to see you get her in working condition.

From a GS3, this was sent.

I called a lot of companies and they told me also around $1000. However, after asking around, I saw they just listed the car in central dispatch the same way I did. Oh well. I start accruing storage fees after tomorrow so it makes sense to just cough up and not risk it. I don't know when another driver will be there.

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

[Avetiso]

Car is set to be delivered the 17th or the 18th, but I can't seem to reach the driver this morning to verify. Since I did not win the parts car with the Natural Brown interior, I will be trying to buy another parts car, but this one is just for the dash wiring and other parts. Depending on which interior is in better condition, I will probably be redying one of the interior to Terracotta brown or Cinnamon since I will have a spare interior laying around.

[QC_ZHP]

Cinnamon would look so good on OB. Were you trying to get that red zhp on copart?

[Avetiso]

Cinnamon would look so good on OB. Were you trying to get that red zhp on copart?
Yeah, but it was out of my price range because I still had to ship it cross country. Somebody else got it. Looking at another parts car right now, but it's M-Tech I, not a ZHP. I'm told the wiring is the same, however.

[az3579]

Car is set to be delivered the 17th or the 18th, but I can't seem to reach the driver this morning to verify. Since I did not win the parts car with the Natural Brown interior, I will be trying to buy another parts car, but this one is just for the dash wiring and other parts. Depending on which interior is in better condition, I will probably be redying one of the interior to Terracotta brown or Cinnamon since I will have a spare interior laying around.

I wouldn't recommend dying it unless you have an upholstery shop do it that can bake them in. A friend of mine dyed his seats the proper way, but didn't bake them. Dye flaked right off. It's more of a paint than anything, but still. I recommend you just get the interior you want.

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[Avetiso]

I wouldn't recommend dying it unless you have an upholstery shop do it that can bake them in. A friend of mine dyed his seats the proper way, but didn't bake them. Dye flaked right off. It's more of a paint than anything, but still. I recommend you just get the interior you want.

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Hmm. There seems to be a lot of conflicting info out there about dyeing interiors. I know Charlie has a friend that dyed his interior and it turned out great. Then I hear things like what you are telling me.

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[az3579]

Hmm. There seems to be a lot of conflicting info out there about dyeing interiors. I know Charlie has a friend that dyed his interior and it turned out great. Then I hear things like what you are telling me.

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Same friend. His interior later started to flake at the headrest section.

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[Avetiso]

Same friend. His interior later started to flake at the headrest section.

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Oh, OK. Thanks for the info! I'll try to get some more info on this to see if I can do it myself somehow.

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[az3579]

Oh, OK. Thanks for the info! I'll try to get some more info on this to see if I can do it myself somehow.

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Save up. Upholstery shop. :)

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[Avetiso]

Save up. Upholstery shop. :)

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Any idea on pricing?

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[az3579]

Any idea on pricing?

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If you want leather, be prepared to pay upwards of $2000 for a full interior job on the seats. I don't think that would include door cards.

Going down the route of buying Genuine BMW seat covers is even more expensive. The top and bottom covers for just the driver's seat is over $1200 to buy everything needed for it.

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[Avetiso]

If you want leather, be prepared to pay upwards of $2000 for a full interior job on the seats. I don't think that would include door cards.

Going down the route of buying Genuine BMW seat covers is even more expensive. The top and bottom covers for just the driver's seat is over $1200 to buy everything needed for it.

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Screw that. I'll see if there are any better alternatives to Leatherique dye. I have heard there are better options for dyes. Won't be paying that price for a shop to do it.

Slightly related, it's widely known that Imola is a weak dye. Perhaps that is part of the reason it started peeling?

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[az3579]

Slightly related, it's widely known that Imola is a weak dye. Perhaps that is part of the reason it started peeling?

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I don't know why it peeled. Just thought I'd share.

I guess that's one reason why I decided to keep alcantara instead of pursuing Natural Brown. Needless to say, if the right deal for the entire interior comes along, and I have the money, I will jump on it ASAP!

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[BavarianZHP]

You and me both! I would love to have a spare set of nat brown to switch with the alcantara depending on the month. That would be so sweet.

Good luck on the restoration buddy. :headbang

[Torxuvin]

Looking forward to watching this. I'll be honest though, electrical issues give me the heebie-jeebies.

[Avetiso]

Looking forward to watching this. I'll be honest though, electrical issues give me the heebie-jeebies.

I'm nervous, too. But I love the idea of having a car that's never had body work. I'm OCD that way.

The Russians have a saying, "The eyes fear, but the hands do." That's how I am with these cars.

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[cakM3]

... The Russians have a saying, "The eyes fear, but the hands do." That's how I am with these cars.

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That's a good saying Dario :thumbsup

[Vas]

I personally like the grey interior.

[Avetiso]

I personally like the grey interior.

I guess I'll see what it's like when I get it.

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[fredo]

I personally like the grey interior.

+1. Never had one, but I think they look nice.

[Hornung418]

I think its ridiculous that BMW offered ZHPs in anything but Alcantara, Black or Natural Brown.

GREY and SAND are so boring and looks quite unsporting.

I hate my grey interior...unfortunately the ZHP I bought also has a grey interior. On the bright side, my grey M3 dead pedal will transfer over.

GS3 + TT4

[Avetiso]

So, I talked to that guy who dyed his interior over at E46F (BP's and Charlie's friend). Oddly enough, he told he didn't have any issues at all, no peeling, no cracks. Perhaps we were talking about different people?

[E_Rak]

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=839452

A few inspiring (and some not so much) gray interiors in here. Special notice to the two-tone on the first page. I'm sure you can work with it!

[Avetiso]

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=839452

A few inspiring (and some not so much) gray interiors in here. Special notice to the two-tone on the first page. I'm sure you can work with it!
I might do something along these lines. However, I am playing another car tomorrow that has a complete sport interior, just waiting to be recolored...:shifty

[Avetiso]

Playing twenty questions with Leatherique right now about doing a two-tone, Cinnamon and black interior on this ZHP.

[JupiterBMW]

If you want leather, be prepared to pay upwards of $2000 for a full interior job on the seats. I don't think that would include door cards.

Going down the route of buying Genuine BMW seat covers is even more expensive. The top and bottom covers for just the driver's seat is over $1200 to buy everything needed for it.

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BP... Do you have links to where the interior/patterns can be purchased online? I am going to change up my interior a bit if I keep the car, and I'd like to know how/where to get the OEM Montana leather if and when the time comes.

Thanks.

[Hornung418]

Those two tones in the e46f link all fail real hard.

You have to get the all black dash, black carpet, black center console. Just dying door cars is lazy and looks tacky.

The easier swap would be black seats and dye the center section of the door cards black. That would be the way every factory colored interior looks.

GS3 + TT4

[Avetiso]

Those two tones in the e46f link all fail real hard.

You have to get the all black dash, black carpet, black center console. Just dying door cars is lazy and looks tacky.

The easier swap would be black seats and dye the center section of the door cards black. That would be the way every factory colored interior looks.

GS3 + TT4

I like this idea, but I'd have to buy new seats. :(

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[az3579]

I
So, I talked to that guy who dyed his interior over at E46F (BP's and Charlie's friend). Oddly enough, he told he didn't have any issues at all, no peeling, no cracks. Perhaps we were talking about different people?

Must be talking about different people. The guy I'm talking about ended up buying Recaros because of the way the dye came off...


BP... Do you have links to where the interior/patterns can be purchased online? I am going to change up my interior a bit if I keep the car, and I'd like to know how/where to get the OEM Montana leather if and when the time comes.

Thanks.

Realoem can be used to look up the part numbers for the different seat covers.

Using realoem on my phone is proving to be... impossible. :/



A grey interior can look STUNNING if the color scheme is exactly the same as Natural Brown. Grey centers on door cards with black surrounds, black carpet and dash and headliner. The same can be said for the tan interior!

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[Hornung418]

A grey interior can look STUNNING if the color scheme is exactly the same as Natural Brown. Grey centers on door cards with black surrounds, black carpet and dash and headliner. The same can be said for the tan interior!

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That's what I'm saying. It's hard to look at the ones in that link with the whole grey interior and then a little bit of black on the door cards...


GS3 + TT4

[Ryans323i]

Just checking in here. Dario, I'm excited for you. Looks like some work, but I have faith based on your last zhp. And everybody loves OB! Thanks for saving the ZHPs!

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[Avetiso]

Just checking in here. Dario, I'm excited for you. Looks like some work, but I have faith based on your last zhp. And everybody loves OB! Thanks for saving the ZHPs!

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Thanks, Ryan! It's my pleasure saving them.

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[MrMaico]

BP... Do you have links to where the interior/patterns can be purchased online? I am going to change up my interior a bit if I keep the car, and I'd like to know how/where to get the OEM Montana leather if and when the time comes.

Thanks.

I just checked the prices for seat back and base covers for Montana black and it's $674 for the seat back and $474 for the seat bottom! Not cheap!

[Avetiso]

Just got off the phone with the driver. Estimated arrival time is 8:30 tonight.

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[Vas]

Tell him to hurry up.

[az3579]

You should have it by now... :foottap

[Avetiso]

It's 6:47 here. Not yet. :(

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[az3579]

It's 6:47 here. Not yet. :(

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Sorry, forgot you're on Best Coast Time. :(

[Avetiso]

In route to pick up the car.

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[cakM3]

Dario....I think you'll end up spending way too much money to restore your new ZHP....I think you should listen to the "very wise" people from the other forum trying to tell you how wrong you are! :)

[Avetiso]

Dario....I think you'll end up spending way too much money to restore your new ZHP....I think you should listen to the "very wise" people from the other forum trying to tell you how wrong you are! :)

:rofl I'm so screwed, I should listen to the wise!

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[cakM3]

:rockon

[Avetiso]

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[trancenation]

Woot! Congrats Dario. Hopefully everything with the repair goes well!

[Hornung418]

Now that's pretty obvious what color it is.

Looks to be in great condition!

GS3 + TT4

[Avetiso]

BRAND NEW Pirelli tires. Needs a detail bad.

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[Avetiso]

Pieces of black tape over the dash. Airbag and SES. Fun fun fun!

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[Avetiso]

AL headlights. Win.

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[Avetiso]

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[derbo]

damn talk about insane meltdown.

[Pip]

I'll give you a call when I finish up in Sac tomorrow ~4pm ish and see if your around so I can swing by and check it out.

Looking forward to your progress!

[Hornung418]

Uh oh...that doesn't sound good.

Probably what caused the short to begin with.

GS3 + TT4

[az3579]

Amazing how the whole interior gets trashed from a little smoke. :dunno

Hopefully it was just the LCM at fault... but the wiring probably needs replacing anyway so I guess it just doesn't matter at this point.
Orient looks so good with the ambers, surprisingly .

[cakM3]

You'll get her up and running Dario! :thumbsup

[Vas]

Looks minty.

[E_Rak]

Definite potential! Realllly lucked out with the tires and headlights.

[Avetiso]

damn talk about insane meltdown.
It looks worse than it is. I took the AC Vent and LCM out, and both major wiring lines are not damaged.


I'll give you a call when I finish up in Sac tomorrow ~4pm ish and see if your around so I can swing by and check it out.

Looking forward to your progress!
Sounds good, Sean. I should be home.


Uh oh...that doesn't sound good.

Probably what caused the short to begin with.

GS3 + TT4

Could be. I'm more inclined to think PO just ignored the lights and tape them over. :facepalm


Amazing how the whole interior gets trashed from a little smoke. :dunno

Hopefully it was just the LCM at fault... but the wiring probably needs replacing anyway so I guess it just doesn't matter at this point.
Orient looks so good with the ambers, surprisingly .
Thanks, I love the way it looks. I was also surprised. This interior is going to take me HOURS to clean. Goodness, this dust sticks to everything.


You'll get her up and running Dario! :thumbsup
Thanks, Charlie! :thumbsup


Looks minty.
Don't let the pictures fool you. Car needs a detail BAD.


Definite potential! Realllly lucked out with the tires and headlights.
Really happy about those two details. Thanks!

[Avetiso]

I'm going to be having breakfast right now and getting ready for church, but I'll try to get some pictures with better lighting up later today, because you guys deserve better than the ones I gave you. :rofl

Then I might have Sean and another friend stop by to check the car out.

[Vas]

You might have gotten a steal with this car.

[cakM3]

That will be awesome if everything works out for you Dario!!!

[Avetiso]

You might have gotten a steal with this car.

I think so, too.


That will be awesome if everything works out for you Dario!!!
Me too. Digging in on Monday.


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[derbo]

A steamer sounds like a good investment right now with a ton of microfibers


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[Avetiso]

A steamer sounds like a good investment right now with a ton of microfibers


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Going to get lots towels for sure. Interior is pretty beat up.

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[Avetiso]

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[Johnmadd]

Looks great.

[Avetiso]

My desecrated shift knob. Just took a little tug to make it look like this.

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[az3579]

The heat probably did it! Dayum.

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[Avetiso]

After about an hour of trying to get the cluster off with a melted clip, my dad and I simply decided to cut it off.

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[Avetiso]

Progress. http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/08/20/abuge5am.jpg

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[Torxuvin]

Yikes. Although you should line the dash in alcantara while you are at it. Would be sweet. ;)

[Avetiso]

This dash is a goner. Too melted. Would be a cool idea for the next one, though.

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[Vas]

Steering wheel was ruined also?

[Avetiso]

Steering wheel was ruined also?

Nope. Still good.

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[Avetiso]

Out! What a pain!

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[Avetiso]

Gotta deal with this mess now.

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[Vas]

Yum!!!!!

[Avetiso]

Here's the LCM. Definitely the LCM is the culprit.

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[cakM3]

That's great progress Dario! I know you will have this sorted out bud! :thumbsup

[Johnmadd]

Ouch! Good luck Dario.

[Avetiso]

That's great progress Dario! I know you will have this sorted out bud! :thumbsup
You know it!

Ouch! Good luck Dario.
Thanks!


Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

[Avetiso]

Question: while my dash is off, is there anything that is prudent to replace?

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

[danewilson77]

Question: while my dash is off, is there anything that is prudent to replace?

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

FSR? Heater coil?

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4

[Avetiso]

FSR? Heater coil?

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4

Thing is, I noticed a slight gurgle when I turned off the ignition. Had the same thing on my last ZHP, but this time it was louder. Low refrigerant, perhaps?

It's about time you showed up on my thread. :)

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

[Avetiso]

My LCM. What's left of it...

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

[Pip]

Looks like you've been making some progress. It looked much better with the dash on :)

Keep those hands working. I'm confident you'll have her buttoned up in no time.

Any luck with the seats?

[Avetiso]

Looks like you've been making some progress. It looked much better with the dash on :)

Keep those hands working. I'm confident you'll have her buttoned up in no time.

Any luck with the seats?
I sure hope so. I took the dash out without removing the seats. Totally unnecessary. All in all, a good days work, considering all the breaks I took from this stupid heat.

[Avetiso]

Well, update time. A recap of today's work and what I found.

Removed the dash today. I'm going to spend most of tomorrow cleaning out the dash area and all the parts, because this fire extinguisher reside is nasty, sticky, and gets EVERYWHERE.

Things I've found:

Parts of my cluster melted. I'm pretty sure the cluster still functions, but the housing is melted and dirty, and the left connector on the back of the cluster was melted to the cluster itself. I was forced to cut the wiring off to avoid damaging the PCB inside. The plan here is to take another cluster from a parts car (still waiting on word from that, more tomorrow) and transplant the insides to another cluster. My dad has the necessary equipment to desolder the female connector from both clusters and swap the working one onto my cluster. I hope this works, but if it fails, the cluster is easily removable and I will be looking for another cluster (which will suck, but there are always M3 clusters).

The LCM was destroyed, obviously. The harness was melted onto the remains of the LCM, and I was forced to chop that off as well. There are rougly 40-50 wires in the LCM wires, so I am going to have so much fun rewiring that.

Some wiring leading up to the steering wheel controls seems have had it's insulation melted, but the wiring looks intact. Not sure what I'm going to do here, but I'd rather replace it with new wiring.

Ignition is untouched. Win.

Curtain airbag (A pillar, driver side) seems to be fine, and wiring is not damaged. Win.

All the exposed metal under the dash is rusted. Fail. But, that's not uncommon for East Coast cars.

Both major lines of the car's wiring harness have avoided damage. Huge relief.

All in all, car damage is what I expected.

I have two worries:

1) Getting the cluster swapped into a new housing and hoping it works.

2) When I turned the ignition on in my car, the stereo was illuminating the word "Disabled." I know there is no security system on these decks, so I believe there may be some wiring I haven't looked at that may be damaged or loosely connected. I hear I-Bus (or K-Bus, not sure) issues are a real headache, so I'm hoping this will go away when all damaged parts are replaced with working parts and everything is hooked back up.

[Avetiso]

Spent all day cleaning parts that came out of the car, inspecting damage, and cleaning the interior.

I've decided against swapping interiors. I will be sticking with gray for now because I don't see a point in investing all the work to swap tan in when I don't like tan, either. I'll be looking for a new driver seat and will be looking at a dashboard locally.

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

[Vas]

What's wrong with the drivers seat ?

[az3579]

This is looking like a lot more work than I expected...
BTW, rusty metal underneath the dash is NOT normal... that's inside the car, there's no reason for that to be rusty!

[Avetiso]

This is looking like a lot more work than I expected...
BTW, rusty metal underneath the dash is NOT normal... that's inside the car, there's no reason for that to be rusty!

It's a common occurrence. A few DIYs on dash removal also revealed the same. The bracket under the center console is also rusted. I don't really think it's an issue... I'll take apart my parts car and see if it's the same way. The car hasn't been flooded, I would have noticed, easy.

I'm not worried about it.

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

[Avetiso]

What's wrong with the drivers seat ?

Very worn, cracking, and multiple spots where the seams are failing. Gray shouldn't be hard to find.

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

[Oli77]

Love this thread. I live vicariously through you. Wishing you the best Dario.

[Avetiso]

Love this thread. I live vicariously through you. Wishing you the best Dario.

Thanks, Oli. Appreciate the support.

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

[Tlandreth22]

Definitely in to see the revival of this beast! She looks great so far, keep up the good work Avetiso!

[Avetiso]

Definitely in to see the revival of this beast! She looks great so far, keep up the good work Avetiso!
Thanks, man. She's coming around.

[Avetiso]

Day number two took a long time and was rather uneventful, but some good work was done. I had two of my little cousins (ages 13 and 10) over today to help me clean up all the parts that came out of the car. Much harder than you might think. The dry chemical from the fire extinguishes gets in every nook and cranny of everything it touches (great for fires, but bad aftermath). Rags, interior detailer, and Q-Tips (plus 12 hours of being outside), we thoroughly cleaned out almost every part that came out of the car. The kids are going through a tough time (their dad left them three years ago, but continues to torment them through the legal system to this day), so I took this as an opportunity to "be there" and to have them experience what I think every boy should; to work on a car. Just general guy stuff they won't really be able to experience in a father-son type manner.

By myself, I also cleaned up around the dash, removing burnt plastic, residue, and all other sorts of dirt from between wires and around the dash area. I also sanded down some melted plastic off the metal bars (don't know what it's called) that is under the dash next to the affected area.

Tomorrow morning, I'm going to meet up with Leo about the dash, and see if it's in good condition and worth buying. Won't do much else until my parts car arrives in the evening. So now, we wait.

[Avetiso]

Cleaning the dash I bought for $100. Also, got my precoded LCM from Charlie. http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/08/22/7uqu6y4e.jpg

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

[Hornung418]

I'm jealous of all the workspace you have at your place.

Dash looks great. What's the word on the parts car?

GS3 + TT4

[Avetiso]

I'm jealous of all the workspace you have at your place.

Dash looks great. What's the word on the parts car?

GS3 + TT4

Should be here within 2 hours, but working with the local Russians...eh. Often late.

EDIT: nevermind, should be here within 30 minutes.

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

[Hornung418]

The fact that you got one is news to me. Lol

GS3 + TT4

[Avetiso]

The fact that you got one is news to me. Lol

GS3 + TT4

Ha, the road trip has left you in need of some catchup.

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

[Avetiso]

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

[Torxuvin]

Great progress. And props to you for being a good role model. :cheers

[MiniD]

Dario, please post up photos of the parts car!

Edit: nvm, ha.

[Avetiso]

Give me a few minutes.

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

[Avetiso]

Here.

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

[Avetiso]

Cluster surgery.

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[johnrando]

One of the few times you'll hear "cluster" and "surgery" in the same sentence and it's not a bad thing. :biggrin

[Avetiso]

One of the few times you'll hear "cluster" and "surgery" in the same sentence and it's not a bad thing. :biggrin
Ha, probably. It's a real pain in the ass, though. I've been Dremeling the back connector for about an hour and still can't get it out. Going to keep working at it.

[Avetiso]

Just got my Performance Shift Knob and new Alcantara boot. Damn, this thing is small. Not what I expected, but I will withhold judgement until I drive with it.

[Avetiso]

Got it out.

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

[az3579]

I thought you were gonna get a black dash. I take it you're going to keep it completely grey and not do two-tone?

[Hornung418]

So what is the plan with the dash connection? Seems like a lot of shiz is burned or melted :(

GS3 + TT4

[Avetiso]

I thought you were gonna get a black dash. I take it you're going to keep it completely grey and not do two-tone?
My initial thought was to swap the sand interior in from the parts car. When I got the parts car, though, I saw that the interior was trashed. Also, what I want is either Natural Brown or Alcantara. Two-tone is a good idea, but I don't want to put in all the work in swapping interiors and painting door cards to get an interior I still feel indifferent to. So, I've decided to just stick with gray for now. Not a fan, but it's not as bad as I thought it would be.


So what is the plan with the dash connection? Seems like a lot of shiz is burned or melted :(

GS3 + TT4

Well, I had to Dremel the connection out because the plastic locking mechanism melted. However, it does not look like the PCB, or any components on it, are damaged (unlike the plastics around the housing, these electrical components are more resilient to heat). So I am going to take the internals of my ZHP cluster and put it into the housing of the cluster from my parts car. I just hope to God I don't plug it in later and realize that something really is broken inside the cluster, because finder a sub 70k ZHP cluster is not going to be easy. Lowest I see is a 78k on eBay. If I can't find one...it's $700-$900 at a dealer.

Also from the parts car, I will be chopping the male end of the connecting, along with the wiring, to rewire the cluster back into my old ZHP.

[Hornung418]

It's possible that you could just use the donor cluster and swap needles and gauge faces, only requiring a coding of the cluster.

But how to do that is beyond me.

[Avetiso]

It's possible that you could just use the donor cluster and swap needles and gauge faces, only requiring a coding of the cluster.

But how to do that is beyond me.

It's my understanding that you cannot code a cluster to a lower mileage, only higher.

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

[Avetiso]

Out. http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/08/23/e3u7eduq.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/08/23/ha3amepu.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/08/23/ha5utujy.jpg

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

[Avetiso]

I think she's going to be okay.

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

[Avetiso]

Hope it works.

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

[alexandre]

Nice job!

:like

[Hornung418]

Hope the plugs work.

GS3 + TT4

[Vas]

Plug it into your parts car and see if it turns on? Or find a local member to try it ?

Just an idea.

[Avetiso]

Plug it into your parts car and see if it turns on? Or find a local member to try it ?

Just an idea.

Parts car had its electronics smashed. No power. It's okay, I'll be putting my ZHP together tomorrow and will test it either tomorrow or Saturday.

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

[Johnmadd]

Cluster surgery.

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

Dario, ugh, I just need the button lol. :biggrin

[Avetiso]

Dario, ugh, I just need the button lol. :biggrin

Send me your address, I'll send you two for free.

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

[az3579]

My initial thought was to swap the sand interior in from the parts car. When I got the parts car, though, I saw that the interior was trashed. Also, what I want is either Natural Brown or Alcantara. Two-tone is a good idea, but I don't want to put in all the work in swapping interiors and painting door cards to get an interior I still feel indifferent to. So, I've decided to just stick with gray for now. Not a fan, but it's not as bad as I thought it would be.

Since you're okay with either Natural Brown or Alcantara, how about if you find Natural Brown we'll swap... you can have my alcantara? :biggrin
Hell, I'll drive to Cali for the swap if that's what it'll take. lol




It's my understanding that you cannot code a cluster to a lower mileage, only higher.

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

I have a strong feeling it's doable. :)

[Johnmadd]

Send me your address, I'll send you two for free.

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

I will send it to you. Good karma is in your future :)

[BCS_ZHP]

Cluster surgery.

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

Dario,
Mom's actually love cluster surgery to be performed on the dining room table, they'll love your for this forever. Surprised you're still posting after that.

[Avetiso]

Dario,
Mom's actually love cluster surgery to be performed on the dining room table, they'll love your for this forever. Surprised you're still posting after that.

She's a trucker, and she left this morning. She has no idea. :)

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

[Pip]

Parts car had its electronics smashed. No power. It's okay, I'll be putting my ZHP together tomorrow and will test it either tomorrow or Saturday.

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

That quick huh?

You can switch the wiring bits out with parts car and plug in for a check? If so that is awesome. I know there will be more to do to the car, but my goodness that would be awesome.

I guess I'll see the progress tomorrow.

[Avetiso]

That quick huh?

You can switch the wiring bits out with parts car and plug in for a check? If so that is awesome. I know there will be more to do to the car, but my goodness that would be awesome.

I guess I'll see the progress tomorrow.

Let me clarify. The cluster works. However, I'm not sure if the gas gauge works because it was closest to the fire. I'm also hoping I didn't damage anything while working on it.

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

[BCS_ZHP]

Dario,
I am amazed by your ballsiness (is that a word?) of taking this on, your patience in dremeling the cluster when most of us would have just muscled it apart, true awesomeness! I for one am signed up to see how you do with this project and I'm wishing you all the success that can happen.
Bruce

[Avetiso]

I have a strong feeling it's doable. :)

I've stumbled upon the rumor that you can't code down multiple times. Generally speaking, I'm surprised at the lack of info across the boards about the topic. I thought there would have been more info about it considering the age and popularity of the car. You sure it can be done? It would be good info if there was a hard answer.


Dario,
I am amazed by your ballsiness (is that a word?) of taking this on, your patience in dremeling the cluster when most of us would have just muscled it apart, true awesomeness! I for one am signed up to see how you do with this project and I'm wishing you all the success that can happen.
Bruce

Thanks, Bruce. I appreciate the compliment and encouragement. My two older brothers would have been the ones using brute force; thank goodness I turned out to be the calm one! :) I guess the driving factor was the potential savings, which is what kept me going through the 5 hours (yes, it actually took me that long, 1130-1630) it took me to dremel the wiring out of the socket without damaging the pins (and I didn't :)), dremel the burnt cluster open, dremel a bunch of more stuff inside, and disassemble both clusters after that and swap some parts around. I also had to clean up the ZHP faceplate, because it was covered in dry chemical.

[Avetiso]

Update: I dug into my parts car and removed most of the interior (I slightly cracked some dash because I tried pulling before I removed the pillars, but some silicone came to the rescue), and tomorrow, I will be cutting the pieces of wiring I need to replace from the parts car and soldering them into my ZHP. I'm going to enlist the help of my brother David to help with the soldering because I've never soldered anything. As much as I hate asking for help, I simply don't have the time to use this as a learning experience as well (I guess I'll solder another day) because school starts on Monday, and I really don't want to drive my dad's 7.3L diesel Excursion to school. I have my cluster, I have the LCM that Chuck coded and sold to me, I have new wiring, and a new dash. I'm pretty much set except for a few other parts, such as center AC vent (I smashed mine with the aft end of my MagLite because I didn't want to deal with removing it considering it was already cracked and broken), new A pillars, and possibly B pillars. Also need to clean up some parts that are going to be going in, and will stop by Lowe's and pick up a few cans of PlastiDip to paint my center console with. I don't want to buy a new console, and I wanted add some contrast to the overload of gray BMW calls an interior. :facepalm

[Hornung418]

Are you ablr to just remove the whole wiring harness...I don't trust soldering on big connections. They can develop whiskers are often prone to shorting. I would try to pull the whoke interior of each and just swap the good wiring of the parts car.

GS3 + TT4

[Avetiso]

Are you ablr to just remove the whole wiring harness...I don't trust soldering on big connections. They can develop whiskers are often prone to shorting. I would try to pull the whoke interior of each and just swap the good wiring of the parts car.

GS3 + TT4
Ugh, that's so much freaking work. Besides, I suspect that parts of the wiring on the parts car damaged as well, because of how badly the DME compartment is smashed, and probably covered in brake fluid.

[Avetiso]

Plastidipping my center console and related accessories. The rubber finish was heavily stained.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/08/24/ehu8e9y6.jpg

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

[Avetiso]

She started! All that needed replacing to get it to start was the OBC fuse. Finishing up some wiring. Will have a few questions later.

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

[alexandre]

:like

How's the cluster ??

[Avetiso]

:like

How's the cluster ??

It wasn't plugged in. Don't know. I know I've probably logged a bunch of errors, though.

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

[Pip]

Awesome!! Keep going and before the weekend is over you'll have your first test drive :thumbsup

[Avetiso]

Thanks.

Okay, I question. The LCM has three pairs of wires that are the exact same color (that is, I have one pair of one color, one pair of a second color, and one pair of a third color). How am I supposed to wire them when there is no distinction between the two? My grandpa, who has done some BMW wiring, says they can be wired any way, it doesn't matter. That was my first guess, but I want to know what you guys think.

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

[danewilson77]

She started! All that needed replacing to get it to start was the OBC fuse. Finishing up some wiring. Will have a few questions later.

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

Nice job!

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4

[Avetiso]

Okay, so, the cluster works. However, the RPM needle idles at 200rpm, and even revving, it looks like the needle is sticking a tad bit. How can I fix it this?

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

[Hornung418]

Did you align the needles correctly?

GS3 + TT4

[az3579]

Okay, so, the cluster works. However, the RPM needle idles at 200rpm, and even revving, it looks like the needle is sticking a tad bit. How can I fix it this?

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

How about WD40 a tiny bit on the needle spindle to fix the sticking?

As for idle at 200, spin the needle all the way to the right till it can't move anymore and force it beyond that to align it. Trial and error here. Keep adjusting till the needle rests just a touch above the resting needle it rests on without making contact when you let go of the needle, then adjust it downward till it rests. A little hard to explain.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 4

[Avetiso]

Did you align the needles correctly?

GS3 + TT4
Pretty sure I did.


How about WD40 a tiny bit on the needle spindle to fix the sticking?

As for idle at 200, spin the needle all the way to the right till it can't move anymore and force it beyond that to align it. Trial and error here. Keep adjusting till the needle rests just a touch above the resting needle it rests on without making contact when you let go of the needle, then adjust it downward till it rests. A little hard to explain.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 4
I'll try the WD-40. I know how to align them, pretty sure I did it the first time. I think it's only because of the sticking. I'll try again tonight.


Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

[az3579]

Definitely won't hurt to try again once the sticking is resolved.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 4

[Avetiso]

Turning my car into Megatron.

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

[trancenation]

Get some shrink wrap over that if its not too late!


-Jay

[Avetiso]

Each will be taped. Shrink wrap doesn't work as well as I'd hoped.

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

[az3579]

Each will be taped. Shrink wrap doesn't work as well as I'd hoped.

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

Tape will come off real quick... I'm shocked shrink wrap hasn't worked for you. I've never seen an issue with it, but have had nothing but issues with tape!

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 4

[Avetiso]

Tape will come off real quick... I'm shocked shrink wrap hasn't worked for you. I've never seen an issue with it, but have had nothing but issues with tape!

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 4

Maybe it was the type we used, but it was garbage.

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

[az3579]

Maybe it was the type we used, but it was garbage.

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

Alright...
Just let me warn you; tape is not going to do you any favors. With heat it's going to unravel and become a nasty sticky mess. You really don't want to use tape, trust me. Perhaps getting better quality shrink wrap would've been the thing to do. I've never ever had a problem with shrink wrap.

Seriously! Tape bad! Can't stress this enough...

[Avetiso]

Alright...
Just let me warn you; tape is not going to do you any favors. With heat it's going to unravel and become a nasty sticky mess. You really don't want to use tape, trust me. Perhaps getting better quality shrink wrap would've been the thing to do. I've never ever had a problem with shrink wrap.

Seriously! Tape bad! Can't stress this enough...

I'll look into it. Is it too late to use wrap? I will not resolder these things.

So what's liquid tape?

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

[az3579]

I'll look into it. Is it too late to use wrap? I will not resolder these things.

So what's liquid tape?

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

I edited the liquid tape comment out because I don't know how it reacts with heat. So far the liquid tape in my engine bay has stood up, but it's not exactly right next to the engine, it's in front of the drug bin.
Liquid tape is something you can smear on and it will dry. It's pretty much electrical tape in liquid form that hardens and becomes the consistency of real electrical tape. I wouldn't advise to use a product like that though until you know how it will react to heat. It might be fine, actually, since it's not in an area that gets excessively hot to the point of making it come undone (if that's even possible).

Unfortunately to put shrink wrap, you do have to put it on before soldering, unless you can slip it on the end (which I doubt you can). That train has left the station once you started soldering.

[Avetiso]

I edited the liquid tape comment out because I don't know how it reacts with heat. So far the liquid tape in my engine bay has stood up, but it's not exactly right next to the engine, it's in front of the drug bin.
Liquid tape is something you can smear on and it will dry. It's pretty much electrical tape in liquid form that hardens and becomes the consistency of real electrical tape. I wouldn't advise to use a product like that though until you know how it will react to heat. It might be fine, actually, since it's not in an area that gets excessively hot to the point of making it come undone (if that's even possible).

Unfortunately to put shrink wrap, you do have to put it on before soldering, unless you can slip it on the end (which I doubt you can). That train has left the station once you started soldering.

I will take you up on your advice. Heading to Wal-Mart to see what I can find.

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

[az3579]

Good luck, man! As always, if going liquid tape, test before using in "production". Words to live by in my line of work... :)

[JupiterBMW]

If you plan on using tape, you can definitely do so with good results... We use tape on high voltage connections on the ship. You just have to use it correctly. Since each of those connections are very small (20ga wire maybe?) I would cut a bunch of 1" long pieces of the electrical tape (spend the extra dollar or two and get the good 3M stuff, don't buy junk at Walmart). Take each 1" long piece, lay the solder splice in it the long way and then fold the tape in half, surrounding the wire... Sort of like a taco :biggrin. Remember, vinyl electrical tape sticks to itself much better than to other stuff. And cut the ends, don't pull and try to tear it. When you stretch it out it gets all wrinkled up and won't stick as well or as long.

Tape each connection like this, ensuring all solder joints are very well covered past each end (if the solder joints are larger, maybe 1" isn't long enough)... Once all joints are taped, bundle the wires up neatly and tightly. Then, very evenly and uniformly, wrap the whole bundle with tape, making sure to overlap each wrap with half the width of the tape roll. Being a little excessive isn't a horrible thing here.

Finally, to counteract the unraveling and stickiness (this WILL occur over time otherwise), use a bunch of small zip ties and wrap them around the bundle, securing the tape. From there, you should be just fine...

Of course, you can always desolder, install shrink wrap, and resolder... But even that needs to be taped over and wrapped to secure.


These methods work for 440V, I'm sure they'll be sufficient for 12V.

Good luck and congrats on the progress.

[Avetiso]

If you plan on using tape, you can definitely do so with good results... We use tape on high voltage connections on the ship. You just have to use it correctly. Since each of those connections are very small (20ga wire maybe?) I would cut a bunch of 1" long pieces of the electrical tape (spend the extra dollar or two and get the good 3M stuff, don't buy junk at Walmart). Take each 1" long piece, lay the solder splice in it the long way and then fold the tape in half, surrounding the wire... Sort of like a taco :biggrin. Remember, vinyl electrical tape sticks to itself much better than to other stuff. And cut the ends, don't pull and try to tear it. When you stretch it out it gets all wrinkled up and won't stick as well or as long.

Tape each connection like this, ensuring all solder joints are very well covered past each end (if the solder joints are larger, maybe 1" isn't long enough)... Once all joints are taped, bundle the wires up neatly and tightly. Then, very evenly and uniformly, wrap the whole bundle with tape, making sure to overlap each wrap with half the width of the tape roll. Being a little excessive isn't a horrible thing here.

Finally, to counteract the unraveling and stickiness (this WILL occur over time otherwise), use a bunch of small zip ties and wrap them around the bundle, securing the tape. From there, you should be just fine...

Of course, you can always desolder, install shrink wrap, and resolder... But even that needs to be taped over and wrapped to secure.


These methods work for 440V, I'm sure they'll be sufficient for 12V.

Good luck and congrats on the progress.

Thanks! I ended up going go O'Reilly and picking up self binding and shrinking tape and an redoing all the connections right now. Much stronger, but thicker. I will also bundle them like you said.

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

[JupiterBMW]

Good luck!

[Avetiso]

By the way, did my first mod. My side markers are now on when my LCM is on the first click. :) can't waste an opportunity to mod like this!

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

[JupiterBMW]

By the way, did my first mod. My side markers are now on when my LCM is on the first click. :) can't waste an opportunity to mod like this!

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

Do they still blink with the turn signals?? And how did you do this one? Wire splice??

[Avetiso]

Do they still blink with the turn signals?? And how did you do this one? Wire splice??

Yes, they do. And yes, it was a splice. I'm sure there is an easier way to do this, but I was already there. And the idea was my brother's, not mine. :) Can't take the credit.

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

[JupiterBMW]

Ok, so your side markers are on all the time your corner lights are on, and they blink as well... I must know the splice. That is a super easy way to convert vs. trying to code it (which I don't think is possible anyway)... Super pumped, I've wanted to do this forever!

[Avetiso]

Ok, so your side markers are on all the time your corner lights are on, and they blink as well... I must know the splice. That is a super easy way to convert vs. trying to code it (which I don't think is possible anyway)...

Exactly. Sad thing about coding is you only get pre made options. But if you do this, be prepared to do it twice, because there are two identical wires, only one of which needs to be spliced.

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[JupiterBMW]

Exactly. Sad thing about coding is you only get pre made options. But if you do this, be prepared to do it twice, because there are two identical wires, only one of which needs to be spliced.

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I can do splices...

[alexandre]

You can code this FWIW. Euro DRL or something. I had to activate DRL's to plate the car in QC and that's how I had done it. Sides always on, brighter when turning.

[Avetiso]

You can code this FWIW. Euro DRL or something. I had to activate DRL's to plate the car in QC and that's how I had done it. Sides always on, brighter when turning.

Nice to know it can be done without splicing. Thanks for the info!

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[cakM3]

Very nice progress Dario! Keep it up! :thumbsup

[Avetiso]

Very nice progress Dario! Keep it up! :thumbsup
Thanks, Chuck! By the way, I wish you had told me that you had modified my LCM! I spent a good twenty minutes trying to figure out why my DRLs weren't working, but would turn on with my xenons. :rofl It finally hit me, but it was too late to give you a call. I'm actually glad that these mods were done. Thanks!

[Avetiso]

Okay, some more work today (even though I shouldn't be working on a Sunday, I am very pressed for time. School starts tomorrow).

So, two of my cluster needs weren't working properly after the repair/housing swap. Dug back into that today, and dropped a few drops of WD-40 into the motors and worked them like 10 times each. Had some issues with the speed needle, specifically, but I slightly bent it around and got it to work. 3 cluster self-checks and everything checks out fine. :)

I have one last issue that may or may not be cluster related: my airbag light doesn't work. It doesn't turn on when I start the car for it's check, nor does it stay on like it should, considering that I ran the car like 5 times with 2 unplugged airbags. I have a suspicion that it may have to do with that one extra wire that has nowhere to go next to where I soldered the cluster back in. However, I don't see why there would be any difference between the two cars' wiring in terms of the SRS system. The cars are only 2 months apart in production, the ZHP is 03/03, parts car is 05/03. The extra wire is coming out of the car, not the cluster. Any ideas? I've "ruled" out a bad LED by plugging in my other cluster, which acts exactly the same (although both clusters could have bad LEDs in the same place, I'd find that hard to believe). No light on the other cluster, either.

Any ideas? Also, I've watched a few videos on cluster self checks, and the checks don't illuminate the airbag light, so that doesn't help.

[JupiterBMW]

You can code this FWIW. Euro DRL or something. I had to activate DRL's to plate the car in QC and that's how I had done it. Sides always on, brighter when turning.

Agreed... Good to know. I'll have to try it again when I get back home. I didn't realize the sidemarkers were off while driving until I was carpooling to the Reunion with Devlin... We both commented that each other's were off. Was kind of funny... Since then, I've wanted them coded on.

[Avetiso]

Okay, so, bittersweet moment right now. Turns out, the wiring between the two cars for the cluster is not the same, and I will need to find new wiring. Plugging up both clusters and doing cluster checks, both clusters: have the cruise control light always on, even if I try to turn it off, airbag light does not work, and highbeam light does not work. Consider that there is an extra wire car-side that is not wired to anything, this pretty much makes me sure the wiring it different.

The good part about that, though, is that it also makes me pretty damn sure that my cluster is fully operational. And that makes me happy. Too bad I won't be driving the car for at least another two weeks, though.

[Johnmadd]

Okay, so, bittersweet moment right now. Turns out, the wiring between the two cars for the cluster is not the same, and I will need to find new wiring. Plugging up both clusters and doing cluster checks, both clusters: have the cruise control light always on, even if I try to turn it off, airbag light does not work, and highbeam light does not work. Consider that there is an extra wire car-side that is not wired to anything, this pretty much makes me sure the wiring it different.

The good part about that, though, is that it also makes me pretty damn sure that my cluster is fully operational. And that makes me happy. Too bad I won't be driving the car for at least another two weeks, though.

Just a thought, see if the alternator plugs are different. If one is square and one is round/oval, this is a difference between ms43 and ms45 harnesses I learned recently the hard way. Oval is ms45.

[Avetiso]

I can't really get a look on the parts car, but they look like they might be different... Which is weird, because I made sure that the car I bought for parts was after 03/03, which is when they switched. Why would it have the old wiring?

[Johnmadd]

I can't really get a look on the parts car, but they look like they might be different... Which is weird, because I made sure that the car I bought for parts was after 03/03, which is when they switched. Why would it have the old wiring?

Even the computer system at the dealership doesn't know the right information. Have you read my thread "to bimmerfest and beyond", that is where my knowledge comes from.

[Avetiso]

Even the computer system at the dealership doesn't know the right information. Have you read my thread "to bimmerfest and beyond", that is where my knowledge comes from.

I didn't read into the specifics. Oh, well. Looks like I need to find ZHP wiring.

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[Johnmadd]

Stu or terra are probably the people to ask man.

[Avetiso]

Stu or terra are probably the people to ask man.

I already know I need new wiring, so I'll try that before bothering them. It's not that big of an issue, I can drive like it is now. I'm just too anal to do so.

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[Johnmadd]

I already know I need new wiring, so I'll try that before bothering them. It's not that big of an issue, I can drive like it is now. I'm just too anal to do so.

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

I would ask them... that's what family is for.

[330i ZHP]

Okay, so, the cluster works. However, the RPM needle idles at 200rpm, and even revving, it looks like the needle is sticking a tad bit. How can I fix it this?

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

You have to pull the needle up JUST A LITTLE - if it is pushed all the way down it can and will drag on the face

[330i ZHP]

the zhp and its MS45.1 harness not only has differences under the hood, but the cluster is different and as you have found out the wiring is different. You will also find that the junction box (where the DME resides) is different

Remind me what is going on here - your car is zhp and donor car isn't?

[330i ZHP]

OK, car is salvage zhp with burnt LCM - you need the harness that attaches to the KOMBI, EWS, DME, LCM

sorry to triple posting - I am brainstorming here

[Avetiso]

You have to pull the needle up JUST A LITTLE - if it is pushed all the way down it can and will drag on the face
Did this. Got it working, but it's not as smooth as it should be. I can really hear my motors working when I run a cluster self-check. But it works.

the zhp and its MS45.1 harness not only has differences under the hood, but the cluster is different and as you have found out the wiring is different. You will also find that the junction box (where the DME resides) is different

Remind me what is going on here - your car is zhp and donor car isn't?
Exactly. Parts car is 05/03 build, should also be MS45.1. Not a ZHP, it's M-Tech I.

OK, car is salvage zhp with burnt LCM - you need the harness that attaches to the KOMBI, EWS, DME, LCM

sorry to triple posting - I am brainstorming here
KOMBI and EWS wiring was untouched. LCM wiring was a perfect match to the ZHP. The only wiring that is different is the cluster wiring. The symptoms are this: Cruise Control light is always on, even if I try to turn it on/off, highbeam light doesn't work, airbag light doesn't work. Now, very important, BOTH the ZHP cluster AND the M-Tech I cluster do EXACTLY the same thing. Same symptoms. It has to be the wiring, but there is only one wire that is apparently out of place, and that is the missing wire coming out of the cluster.

Can the harness be so different between the ZHP and M-Tech I that the same colored wires on the harness do different things in each car? Kind of hard to think they would do that, but there is not much else I can think of. Everything else is wired. LCM works 100%, no issues with anything (as far as I have seen so far).

Got a parts guy with a ZHP in FL who might cut me the wiring I need; his harness is already chopped in a few places so he doesn't care.

[derbo]

Good luck, man! As always, if going liquid tape, test before using in "production". Words to live by in my line of work... :)

That's a great quote. I follow that too even at work experiments.


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[SureShot434]

All I can say is WOW! Just read all 23 pages, and my hat is off to you man. I cruised around that site where you go the car, and I may have to buy myself another car. hmmm my gf would kill me hahaha good luck with the rest of the build. Def excited to see how this all turns out!

[330i ZHP]

the mtech 1 car...auto?

[330i ZHP]

and to verify (easily) if the other car is ms45 - check the MAF - if 5 wire, then ms45...if 3 wire, ms43

[330i ZHP]

Did this. Got it working, but it's not as smooth as it should be. I can really hear my motors working when I run a cluster self-check. But it works.

Exactly. Parts car is 05/03 build, should also be MS45.1. Not a ZHP, it's M-Tech I.

KOMBI and EWS wiring was untouched. LCM wiring was a perfect match to the ZHP. The only wiring that is different is the cluster wiring.

KOMBI = cluster

[E_Rak]

Stu, you should write a book...

[Avetiso]

All I can say is WOW! Just read all 23 pages, and my hat is off to you man. I cruised around that site where you go the car, and I may have to buy myself another car. hmmm my gf would kill me hahaha good luck with the rest of the build. Def excited to see how this all turns out!
Thanks! If you ever have any questions about it, feel free to ask.

the mtech 1 car...auto?
Yup.

and to verify (easily) if the other car is ms45 - check the MAF - if 5 wire, then ms45...if 3 wire, ms43
I'll check.

KOMBI = cluster
Fail on my part. I thought people referred to it as IKE?

Stu, you should write a book...
+1

[Avetiso]

5 wire mass air flow sensor.

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[330i ZHP]

the auto is the problem

the clusters between my zhp and the wagon (orig auto) would not swap

[330i ZHP]

you need a cluster from a manual - pref a 6spd for the correct calibrations

[Avetiso]

the auto is the problem

the clusters between my zhp and the wagon (orig auto) would not swap
Ohhh, okay.

you need a cluster from a manual - pref a 6spd for the correct calibrations
The car I'm chopping from is a 6 speed ZHP.


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[330i ZHP]

why are you swapping clusters?

[Avetiso]

why are you swapping clusters?

I'm not. I'm using my original ZHP cluster.

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[danewilson77]

:dunno

[330i ZHP]

confused - the original cluster from the zhp no longer works 100% in the zhp?

[Avetiso]

Stu. The cluster from the ZHP is still functional and I will continue to use it. The *wiring* coming into the cluster was damaged. So I chopped the wiring from the auto 330i and soldered it into my car. The cluster is not different, the wiring is.

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[johnrando]

OH! I was confused too. Well, good luck with it!

[danewilson77]

Then I don't know why it's not working.

[330i ZHP]

ok, that makes sense - I remember years ago looking at the pinouts from auto to manual and they were different

you need to duplicate the 6spd harness (and use the zhp cluster plugs)

[Avetiso]

ok, that makes sense - I remember years ago looking at the pinouts from auto to manual and they were different

you need to duplicate the 6spd harness (and use the zhp cluster plugs)

I'll just try to find ZHP wiring with plugs and solder it in. Thanks for the help, man. Appreciate it. Going to PM some people parting out ZHPs at E46F.

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[330i ZHP]

try to get the complete harness(s) that are directly affected by the fire and replace with whole/complete harnesses. The idea if spliced harnesses could be a hassle later - I had a few and tracing issues was a pita - once I replaced with complete harnesses the problems ceased.

Also, you may have to remove the dash to properly swap the harness in. It is time consuming but easy to do

[Hornung418]

He has already pulled the dash and did most of the wiring that way. I suggested a full harness swap as the splicing can be unreliable at times.

GS3 + TT4

[Avetiso]

Stu, I don't know where the harness separates into pieces. How much would I have to change? I'm weary of getting a new harness because I can have the dash out in no more than an hour if I ever have issues.

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