635 Forum: Recent Topics

fletch on "Interior Heating on the 635"

fletch — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 10:59:09 +0000

The heating on my 635CSi has always been, well interesting. The temperature control never seemed to work correctly, either blowing cold when set all the way to the left or roasting-red-hot when even a single click into the red. No big deal. Last week though, that changed. Suddenly the heating wouldn't stay on when driving above 40MPH! Really odd. Soon as I hit 40.. freezing air! Fine driving through town but chilly as fuck on the motorway :( Turns out that it's not actually speed-related but rev-related. At higher revs the pressure in the cooling system is higher and in my case it was enough for the hot coolant to blow through a broken seal in the heater control valve and bypass the heat-exchanger in the car. Two PDFs attached below to show you how to do it! Click to download! :-)

fletch on "New Tyre Recommendation"

fletch — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 09:52:34 +0000

The weather in the UK at the moment is shocking, and with a few long journeys coming up over christmas I thought it wise to finally replace the ancient Michelins I've been rolling round on. These things came with the second hand style 33 wheels I bough and although tread-worthy were pretty much useless, having gone-off (eight years old!). I went for four Falken FK 452s in the end, after wrestling with the idea of Goodyear Eagle F1s (at about £45 a tyre more!) and I've got to say I'm very impressed with them so far. Of course, almost any tyre is going to impress when compared to four fucked old crusty Michelins but since the FK452 has been getting some serious love over on <a href="http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/">tyrereviews.co.uk</a> I thought I'd add my twopenneth here.

fletch on "Bronze 635 CSi £3995"

fletch — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:55:33 +0000

Yep, my 635 is for sale! Metallic bronze with beige leather interior, 154K miles. Full service history, inspection II done end August 09. MOT'd till May 2010 and taxed till end of March the same year. Usual 635 goodies: electric mirrors, sunroof, windows, PAS, ABS, switchable automatic gearbox (sport mode) and on board computer. Cobra cat 2 immobiliser professionally installed (I have the certificate) which brings the classic car insurance down even further. Will even include the current Kenwood head unit in the sale since it suits the cars interior. Full service history, loads of paperwork including photos of front wings being restored and letters from BMW car club regarding the cars condition. Work done in the last 12/18 months: new shocks, brake cylinder, air-flow meter, anti-roll bar links, track arms, brake pads &; discs, battery, both exhaust gaskets, all coolant pipes, radiator and as of last week (24th Dec 09 four brand new Falken FK452 tyres!) Cheap classic car insurance OFFERS INVITED £3995 07714 212 331

tajk540 on "TPS"

tajk540 — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 06:36:08 +0000

where can i get a throttle position sensor for a 87 L6 with the 3-2-1 sport transmission. I understand the TPS sensor is different from all the websites are selling. can anyone help

daboss786 on "WANTED BMW 635CSI FRONT + REAR CHROME BUMPERS"

daboss786 — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 17:25:26 +0000

I NEED ORIGINAL BMW 635CSI FRONT AND REAR CHROME BUMPERS. IT DOESNT MATTER IF THEY ARE USED. BUT MUST BE IN GOOD CONDITION. PLEASE EMAIL ME ON <a href="mailto:saqib-daboss07@hotmail.co.uk">saqib-daboss07@hotmail.co.uk</a> if you have them.

fletch on "PIstonheads Sunday Service"

fletch — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:19:44 +0000

Anyone else going to the Pistonheads Sunday Service at BMW HQ in Bracknell? Just a short meet till 1PM, bacon butties cups of tea and a mooch round some cars etc... It's November the First from 9AM. Check out the thread below for more details. I'll be there in my 635 and there's at least one other E24 M6. Full list of cars going can be found below and you get to go round the HQ and look at some belters. <a href="http://pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyId=20855" rel="nofollow">http://pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyId=20855</a>

fletch on "Very clean looking E24 - Lambeth Bridge"

fletch — Wed, 20 May 2009 20:26:41 +0000

Going over the roundabout after Lambeth Bridge on the North Side of the river. Looked really clean and think it had Alpina wheels. Grey colour, looked smart! I was stuck in a traffic jam in a smart car!

fletch on "89 CSi Highline in red."

fletch — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 15:01:08 +0000

I promise I've got no affiliation with this one but it does look like a pretty decent one! It's over on pistonheads. <a href="//www.pistonheads.com/sales/951217.htm"">http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/951217.htm</a>

fletch on "Bottom rad hose leak.."

fletch — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 10:18:20 +0000

I recently replaced all the cooling pipes on my '86 635CSi but I've noticed that the hose running from the bottom of the radiator to the thermostat is already damaged again. The hose runs *so close* to the waterpump/radiator fan assembly that it appears to be occasionally touching the pulley that drives the fan and vbelt system. This is slowly cutting a slit in the pipe. My local garage has told me that they've seen this before when the waterpump bearing is going and the freeplay in it allows the belt pulley too much movement. In my case they reckon this isn't happening and they're flummoxed. Anyone else ever seen this? It's a proper OEM pipe so it ought to be the right shape and when the car is stationary there's about 4mm of space between the pully and the pipe. Heeelp!

brianpep on "Looking for information on odd wheels."

brianpep — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 01:02:12 +0000

Hello everyone. My name is Brian from the US. I was watching an episode of Wheeler Dealers when they worked on a 635. The car had a fantastic set of wheels on it (the host hated them). I have searched and can find nothing about them. They had a very flat face with a decent lip. There were slots in the face that gave the appearance of a 3 spoke design. The host of the show kept calling them Canadian wheels. Can anyone help me find out more about these wheels and possibly a source to get a set from? Thank you for any help! -Brian

fletch on "635 CSi Metric Wheels"

fletch — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 10:25:07 +0000

If you're sticking with a the classic look I have a set of very good condition metric wheels with at least one usable metric tyre! Open to all sorts of offers they're just taking up space in the garage. Would suit someone trying to restore one to former glory or someone who needs a usable metric tyre or two to get them through an MOT.

fletch on "VIN Numbers"

fletch — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:36:27 +0000

Here you can find out what your 635CSi VIN number means. I have nicked this table from <a href="http://www.6ercoupe.de">6ercoupe.de</a> becuase it looks like that page hasn’t been updated in a while and I’m not confident about it being around next time anyone wants it! VIN Ranges Model Code Model Description Dates of Mfg. No. Assembled 060500 1 - 0608713 5374 635 CSi USA left handed 09/84 - 04/89 3713 0610001 - 0615000 5384 635 CSiA USA left handed 08/84 - 11/86 5000 0760001 - 0760524 5532 M 635 CSi ECE right handed 09/84 - 02/89 524 0765001 - 0766848 5389 635 CSiA Japan left handed 11/84 - 10/88 1848 1050001 - 1053283 5531 M 635 CSi ECE left handed 12/83 - 12/88 3283 1275001 - 1275949 5351 635 CSi ECE left handed catalyst 01/85 - 03/89 949 1280001 - 1280940 5361 635 CSiA ECE left handed catalyst 01/85 - 04/89 940 1886001 - 1886058 5352 635 CSi ECE right handed catalyst 01/86 - 05/87 58 1887001 - 1887270 6362 635 CSiA ECE right handed catalyst 01/86 - 01/89 270 2285001 - 2285117 5511 M 635 CSi ECE left handed catalyst 11/86 - 12/88 117 2560001 - 2561767 5514 M 635 CSi USA left handed 09/86 - 09/88 1767 2563001 - 2563164 5519 M 635 CSi Japan left handed 07/86 - 03/88 164 3265001 - 3269289 5384 635 CSi A USA left handed 11/86 - 04/89 4289 4360001 - 4361725 5111 630 CS ECE left handed 10/75 - 08/77 1725 4362001 - 4362875 5111 630 CS ECE left handed 09/77 - 08/79 875 4365001 - 4365897 5121 630 CSA ECE left handed 12/75 - 08/77 897 4366001 - 4366475 5121 630 CSA ECE left handed 09/77 - 07/79 475 4375001 - 4378713 5231 633 CSi ECE left handed 10/75 - 09/77 3713 4379001 - 4380000 5231 633 CSi ECE left handed 07/77 - 06/78 1000 4380001 - 4380218 5232 633 CSi ECE right handed 08/76 - 07/77 218 4381001 - 4381133 5232 633 CSi ECE right handed 07/77 - 07/78 133 4385001 - 4386202 5241 633 CSiA ECE left handed 06/76 - 08/77 1202 4387001 - 4388449 5241 633 CSiA ECE left handed 09/77 - 12/81 1449 4390001 - 4390251 5242 633 CSiA ECE right handed 07/76 - 05/77 251 4391001 - 4392094 5242 633 CSiA ECE right handed 06/77 - 12/79 1094 4395001 - 4395523 5249 633 CSiA Japan left handed 02/78 - 08/79 523 5500001 - 5500432 5133 630 CSi California left handed 06/76 - 07/77 432 5505001 - 5505496 5134 630 CSi USA 49 states left handed 06/76 - 07/77 496 5510001 - 5510430 4143 630 CSiA California left handed 06/76 - 08/77 430 5515001 - 5515436 5144 630 CSiA USA 49 states left handed 07/76 - 09/77 436 5520001 - 5520237 5233 633 CSi California left handed 11/77 - 03/79 237 5525001 - 5525450 5234 633 CSi USA 49 states left handed 09/77 - 05/79 450 5530001 - 5530269 5243 633 CSiA California left handed 10/77 - 03/79 269 5535001 - 5535507 5244 633 CSiA USA 49 states left handed 09/77 - 05/79 507 5540001 - 5540468 5209 633 CSiA Japan left handed 11/79 - 07/81 468 5545001 - 5550000 5331 635 CSi ECE left handed 12/77 - 05/80 5000 5550001 - 5550825 5332 635 CSi ECE right handed 07/78 - 02/82 825 5555001 - 5556248 5235 633 CSi USA 49 states left handed 07/79 - 07/81 1248 5560001 - 5561113 5245 633 CSiA USA left handed 07/79 - 07/81 1113 5565001 - 5565831 5231 633 CSi ECE left handed 06/78 - 12/81 831 5570001 - 5571349 5131 628 CSi ECE left handed 06/79 - 02/82 1349 5575001 - 5575539 5141 628 CSiA ECE left handed 06/79 - 02/82 539 5580001 - 5581958 5341 635 CSiA ECE left handed 06/79 - 02/82 1958 5585001 - 5586143 5342 635 CSiA ECE right handed 07/79 - 03/82 1143 5590001 - 5593072 5331 635 CSi ECE left handed 05/80 - 03/82 3072 5595001 - 5595066 5132 628 CSi ECE right handed 09/80 - 02/82 66 5597001 - 5597210 5142 628 CSiA ECE right handed 09/80 - 02/82 210 6725001 - 6728592 5274 633 CSi USA left handed 03/82 - 09/84 3592 6995000 - 6997531 5284 633 CSiA USA left handed 03/82 - 09/84 2532 7505000 - 7505949 5236 633 CSi USA left handed 07/81 - 03/82 950 7510000 - 7510754 5246 633 CSiA USA left handed 07/81 - 03/82 755 8150000 - 8152027 5171 628 CSi ECE left handed 12/81 - 05/87 2028 8155000 - 8155154 5172 628 CSi ECE right handed 03/82 - 04/87 155 8160000 - 8160951 5181 628 CSiA ECE left handed 02/82 - 05/87 952 8165000 - 8165651 5182 628 CSiA ECE right handed 04/82 - 05/87 652 8170000 - 8174999 5371 635 CSi ECE left handed 12/81 - 09/84 5000 8175000 - 8175466 5372 635 CSi ECE right handed 03/82 - 02/89 467 8180000 - 8184572 5381 635 CSiA ECE left handed 02/82 - 01/89 4573 8185000 - 8188766 5382 635 CSiA ECE right handed 04/82 - 04/89 3767 8195000 - 8195265 5207 633 CSiA Japan left handed 11/81 - 04/82 266 8197000 - 8197630 5289 633 CSiA Japan left handed 10/82 - 04/84 631 9402000 - 9404342 5371 635 CSi ECE left handed 09/84 - 01/89 2343

fletch on "Blue E24, Elephant and Castle"

fletch — Wed, 06 May 2009 14:41:20 +0000

Spotted on New Kent Road on Monday 4th May ! I flashed my lights but got no response... (I was in a smart car at the time :p)

fletch on "Cooling System Hose Replacement"

fletch — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:22:49 +0000

I got stranded by a burst water pipe the other day and when one goes, they tend to all start going so I opted to replace them all to save being stuck at the side of the M4 again at 8AM. Incidentally it's £7 a month to be a member of the AA... Worth every bean! First off, here's my culprit, my bottom rad hose had "ballooned out" causing it to touch the fan belt wheel which cut a long slit in it. This particular hose runs really close the the wheel so it doesn't take much expansion for this to happen. The cooing system is made up of TEN pipes as below, these are layed out on my living room floor, only slightly useful I know but they are laid out roughly as they appear in the car. There are: - Three really big obvious ones that connect to the radiator top, radiator bottom and a loopback round thermostat. - Three long ones that link the water-pump with the intake for the car heater and the bottom of the header tank. These all join together with a three way splitter underneath the engine, you can't see where they join by looking alone, try to follow the pipe down with your hands and you'll feel it. - Two shorter ones that link the back of the engine and the heater control valve - One overflow pipe from the top of the header tank - One bleed hose from the header tank to the radiator I also opted to change the thermostat and the o-ring as well since previous experiance taught me I'd probably need to take the housing off to get at some of the pipes which would in turn probably wreck the ring and since it would then be off.. I might as well change the thermostat. As you can see below my prophecy was true.. I also replaced the four bolts that hold the thermostat in since they were rusty looking and I can see one of them snapping off when I put it back together and I finally ordered a new flywheel sensor cable (the thing that's taped up in the background). Things to look out for: Don't confuse oil pipes with waterpipes! The 635 has a separate oil radiator about 6 inches high that sits in front of the water radiator at the bottom. You can't see it unless you're underneath the car. If the pipe you're looking at isn't secured with a jubilee clip and looks a bit more "hardcore" than a rubbery water pipe.. it probably isn't. So all in all a grand job. check out <a href="http://bmwfans.info/parts/catalog/E24/Coupe/Europe/635CSi-M30/RHD/A/1986/browse/engine/">bmwfans.info</a> for the cooling diagrams..

fletch on "Insurance Companies"

fletch — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 17:15:01 +0000

I've had some wicked quotes recently from Adrian Flux and also Lancaster Insurance. <a href="http://www.adrianflux.com">http://www.adrianflux.com</a> have a deal with <a href="http://www.pistonheads.com">Pistonheads</a> that classes them as a car club getting you up to an extra 15% off (<a href="http://www.adrianflux.com/ph/">see /ph/ for more</a>). <a href="http://www.lancaster-ins.co.uk/">http://www.lancaster-ins.co.uk/</a> are an old-school classic insurance company. They don't take into account no-claims bonus because they just base their quote on you and how much you drive. Aside from that annoyance they seemed really good and **insanely cheap**. Bare in mind that if you don't use your no claims for two years you lose it. Anyone else got any good ones?

fletch on "R W Autos"

fletch — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 12:03:42 +0000

Been here a few times for various bits - exhaust gaskets, shocks, brake bomb, servicing and the like. Decent labour rates and only use genuine parts. Rapid service, I can definitely recommend. 2A Morrocco Street Bermondsey, London SE1 3HB 020 7407 5735

fletch on "E24 M6 Torque Specs - Reference Manual"

fletch — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 13:59:03 +0000

<a href="/files/M6 Torque Specs.pdf">Get the M6 Torque Specs book downloaded</a> it's about as close as you'll get to a 635 version :)

fletch on "Replacement wheels and tyres for the E24"

fletch — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:01:15 +0000

Here's a little bit on wheels: E24 6 series come with metric wheels. They're 390mm (15.3 inches) in diameter and require a specific metric 'TRX' type tyre. They are expensive at around £200 each so lots of people (including me) swap the wheels out for imperials since a second hand set can be bought with tyres for less than the cost of four new metric tyres alone. Just to state the obvious, you can't force fit a 15" or somehow pad-out a 16" tyre and make it fit a metric wheel. If you want to replace them look for some off an E34 5-Series and go for 16 inchers. They fill the arches a bit better without putting undue stress on the suspension and various other bushings. No E36 3-Series wheels will fit - they have a different stud pattern If you just want some that go straight on then you need to look for wheels that are 16x7J ET20. This means 16inch diameter, 7 inches wide with an offset of 20mm. The offset determines how far off the dead centre of the wheel the cars hub will meet it and is very important. Even wheels that are the correct width could end up too close to the suspension cup or the wheel arch if they have an extreme offset. I picked up a set of "turbine" BMW wheels with usable michelin tyres off ebay for £150. It turned out that this was only a partial success because the E39 has a larger hub diameter than most other BMWs so I could never get them centered and my steering used to wobble like crazy above 50MPH. This was easily resolved by fitting hub-centric rings or "spigots". If you're going this route then you'll need to get hold of some 74.1mm to 72.6mm rings. A pack of four should cost around £20.

fletch on "E24 M6 - Reference Manual"

fletch — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 13:09:42 +0000

You can get hold of a PDFd manual from an M6 here, it's not exactly the same as the 635CSi of course but it's super handy! <a href="/files/BMW M6 Manual.pdf">by downloading it by clicking here</a>. I warn you it's pretty big (350MB)

nick on "My 2002 (E39) M5"

nick — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 07:25:35 +0000

Yeah, so it's not a sixer but it's awesome all the same!

fletch on "Parts and Breakers"

fletch — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 08:42:54 +0000

<a href="http://www.beemer-redeemer.com/">Beemer Redeemer</a> - 01179 860 635 Bridgend Recycling - 01233 713447 <a href="http://www.emray.com/">Emray BMW</a> - 01760 725 933 <a href="http://www.fabdirect.com/">FAB Direct</a> - 01594 827 333 <a href="http://www.fritzsbits.co.uk/">Fritzs Bits</a> - 01823 674 459 <a href="http://gsfcarparts.com">German Swedish and French</a> - See site for local branch number <a href="http://www.eurocarparts.com/">Euro Car Parts</a> - 0870 150 6506 <a href="http://www.ebcbrakesdirect.com/">EBC Brakes Direct</a> - 0845 22 55 0 11 Anyone else got any good suppliers for bits?

fletch on "The M30 Engine"

fletch — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 17:02:29 +0000

The engine in a 635CSi is an M30. A Six cylinder 12 valve affair with a timing chain (no belt!) that was also used in the 535i and the 735i of the same era. It's got 218BHP and 229ft/lb torque that should whizz it to 60 in 7.7 seconds.

fletch on "Electronic Troubleshooting - Reference Manual"

fletch — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 16:30:42 +0000

This is a PDF of an electronic troubleshooting manaual. It's based on an '85 North American six but can come in handy given the distinct lack of manuals for the E24. <a href="/files/e24_85.pdf">click here to download it</a> It's not a great photocopy but it's a fairly famous bootleg download amongst e24 owners.

fletch on "Other Websites"

fletch — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 16:04:15 +0000

The famous John G Burns homepage! Just about anything you want to know about your BMW is here: <a href="http://www.unixnerd.demon.co.uk/bmw.html">http://www.unixnerd.demon.co.uk/bmw.html</a> <a href="http://www.bba-reman.com/">bba-reman</a> Loads of electronic bits for your six <a href="http://aaron.aussiefiverdriver.com/Control%20Arms.htm">aussiefiverdriver</a> How to do the control arms <a href="http://bmwfans.info/">bmwfans.info</a> Exploded parts diagrams for all BMWs <a href="http://www.bmwcarclubforum.co.uk/forum/forum_topics.asp?FID=31">bmwcarclubforum.co.uk</a> Quiet but decent 6 series forum.

fletch on "WANTED: Tool kit"

fletch — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:58:28 +0000

A full tool-kit would be handy if anyones got one they would like to get rid of?

fletch on "WANTED: Interior lights"

fletch — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:57:26 +0000

I would like two interior ceiling lights, mine are cracked and nasty looking!

fletch on "Currently for sale on Pistonheads.."

fletch — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:44:53 +0000

This looks really fucking tidy! <a href="//www.pistonheads.com/sales/951217.htm"">http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/951217.htm</a>

fletch on "Brakes and the brake bomb!"

fletch — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:33:19 +0000

Some things I know about breaks! The 635 is nearly a 2 tonne car and even the latest model is now 20 years old.. so don’t expect them to be brilliant. They work of course but they’re not as good as modern cars clearly. It’s possible to bolt-on-upgrade E32 750i front brakes and E34 M5 rears, I have heard of a few people having it done. I believe a 750i master cylinder is recommended too if you go this route. The 635 uses an accumulator system to work the brakes, it’s a bit of a one-off with a few cars of the era opting for it and ultimately dumping the idea in favour of servo-assistance or nothing at all. The accumulator itself (known as the “brake bomb” becuase it looks a bit like an ACME bomb from a cartoon) can fail and it’s very easy to tell when this has happened because you have absolutely no emergency stop capability whatsoever. If you push the pedal down suddenly and it feels for half a second that nothing is happening the bomb has definitely gone. Having said that, once the initial “fuuuckimgoingtodie!” feeling has gone, the pedal does soften and the brakes will function perfectly, it’s just that initial delay that’s dangerous, so get it changed (local garage did mine for £230). The pedal should be consistent all the way down. Worth mentioning that my car passed it’s MOT with a failed brake bomb. Make sure that the yellow ABS light comes on when you turn the key in the ignition. It should come on and then go out a when the engine starts. If it stays on this indcates a problem with the ABS system. Should the ABS light come on and off intermittently when you’re driving or just above a certain speed then it’s almost certainly the sensors on the wheels that have gone. The stantions that flick past the sensor to indicate how fast the wheels are turning tend to rust after a few years and when the computer can’t read them properly or detects an incorrect reading it shuts the system down as a precaution. You’ll need new wheel bearings on the front since the stantions are built in and you can buy just the stantions for the back since they’re seperate.

fletch on "Fletchs 635"

fletch — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:43:40 +0000

Might as well kick this one off!! I've got an '86 E24 in "metallic bronze". Quality ride!