Alpina B8 #64 of 93 Limo

[Scooter]

I thought I'd post up a thread for my B8. I know it's already in my intro thread, but I'll keep this thread updated with things I'm doing to make my car "better." in quotes because I'll only be making the car better from the point that I want to get this car being back original condition....or as original as it can be for the mileage.

Here's a few most recent photos I have:







So here's the current plans:

• Get Nixon Automotive to do a few things I don't want to do myself (trans oil, fuel filter etc).
• Have front left fender damage (caused by shipping) fixed and replace old cracked and faded pin striping to back of driver's door
• Tune up, so she's not running so rich
• Get the blower fan working again
• Reattach rearview mirror (only held on with double sided tape for some reason)
• Remove "wood" trim because it's all cracked and looks like crap
• Remove all wiring that had to do with the GPS system installed in Japan (this might be a bit of a PITA)
• Fix water leaking into car (this might already be done as my carpet doesn't seem to be getting wet anymore, but I'll have to keep an eye on it)

Anything else that comes up or I realize I've forgotten and I'll add it on

....WTH!!! I can only add a few images? Lame...I'll post more pics once I get some better ones.

[admin]

You should be able to add more pictures now Scooter.
Are you going to replace or just remove the wood trim?

[Scooter]

Right now the plan is to not replace it, but I'm going to remove the trim very carefully trying not to damage/bend the backing. Then I'll see if I can reattach the "wood" to the backing. If I can do this and the cracks aren't too noticeable, then I'll put the trim back on.

Here's a couple of photos of what the trim looks like right now:

[saint]

ryan the gps wiring u refer too , was there some type of antena on the front windshield as well . mine has this goofy antena stuck on the windshield on both the passenger and drivers side and im really not sure what its for .
it sucks that your wood is like that because to replace it would be crazy expensive . im guessing the running rich means new o2 sensors .

[Scooter]

No the antenna for mine is on the rear deck on the inside of the car. Same kind of thing my Land Cruiser has. The issue is going to be that it was wired to the deck, TV on the dash, and the DVD player that's in the trunk. I pulled the rear seat to see where the wiring goes and it looks like it goes straight down the middle I'm hoping that if I remove the center console I'll have access to the wires and be able to pull them through. Otherwise, I guess I might have to remove the seat and pull back the carpet. Similarly there is some sort of "hands free" system that has a button near the shifter and a mic on the top left pillar. I also have to things mounted on the dash. One has a solar panel on it...no idea what it's for.

Your antennas....one might be for GPS the other maybe to pick up TV signals.

About the wood trim...yeah, that's why I'm only going to replace it if I can fix what I've got because it kind of seems like it was an optional thing anyway.

Running rich - yeah O2's which I'm going to try universal Bosch ones if I can extend the harness properly. If not, I'll have to shell out for proper ones. I also need to replace the spark plugs.

I picked up the final stage unit this morning, so hopefully that's the fix for the blower fan. LOL...BMW wanted $230 for it!!!!

[saint]

its a good thing there are lots of places to get parts from now besides the dealer . here is where i bought my o2 sensor for my b3 and it fit perfect and from the description the lead will be longer than oem not shorter so u will be good to go and free shipping over 75$ . best price i have seen on o2 sensors in canada .
http://www.autopartsway.ca/PartList..../pagenum1/tabS

[Scooter]

I cross referenced the O2 part number on the B8 and it looks like the actual one that is specified was only used in the Euro E34 540i. I'm pretty sure the only difference in a number of those O2 sensors is the length of the lead and possibly the connection to the car. I have 3 left over from when I had a 325i, so I'd like to just lengthen the lead on them, so I can make use of them.

I did a bit of work yesterday and got the fan fixed...yay! . Since I was already in there I started removing the wiring for the hands free system that was in there as well. I also pulled this off the dash, and I'm not really sure what it is....maybe some sort of fake alarm thing where the lights come on? The lights don't come on though, so I don't think it's good for anything. (sorry terrible cell pics).





I'm pretty happy that the display on the on board computer is so good. I know it was a weak spot on some of the earlier E36's. Does anyone know if the pixels still start to go on these things when they made some changes to the car around 95-96?

[saint]

im thinking its a sport button giving u 50 more hp . but on a serious note i dont have a clue , looks like it will end up in the not sure why u dont throw it away box

[Scooter]

LOL I'm trying not to have anymore of those boxes, so yes, after the pics it went straight in the garbage.

[Scooter]

I picked up the car from Nixon Automotive yesterday after I had the following done:

• diff oil changed
• gearbox oil changed
• brake fluid flushed
• gear lever bushing replaced
• engine oil changed
• new fuel filter

Normally, I would change the engine oil myself, but I need to drive the car as my DD over the next week or so, and I don't have my order of Castrol TWS yet, so I thought it would be best to get them to change it rather than driving around with old oil.

When I dropped the car off I also mentioned to them that I was getting noise from one of the pulley's or something up front. I figured it was the power steering pump. Since Nixon is such a great shop they also gave my car a pretty good look over as well as address the items I requested. I'm happy to report they didn't find any issues They said it looks like it's been pretty well taken care of, but does have some TLC cosmetic issues (nothing I'm not already aware of though).

It turns out that the noise is coming from the power steering pump. They can't find any issues, but they noticed some air bubbles in the system which may just be there because the car has been sitting for quite a while. After driving around a fair amount yesterday the noise already seems to have gone away. I was usually hearing it when the car was cold as well, but I didn't hear it this morning either, so that's good.

Next on the list...not sure exactly, it it will be something I do myself because I'm spending a bunch of money on my Land Cruiser this week as well, so I'm not going to have any funds to spend on anything else for at least a month or so. Stay tuned!