Back in Service After 16 Years - V12 BMW E31 850i Revival - Project Malaga: Part 2

coming up the evil twin is back oh not you again fell nice ladies and gentlemen what you did a coin is being balanced on top of an engine we go for a long-overdue drive 16 years overdue precisely and finally I sit in a garden chair welcome back to the second part of project Malaga where after 16 years of neglect this eight series is finally going to get some much-needed TLC as we'll bring all of its 12 cylinders back to life here are some of the parts that we're going to need for this revival this is probably just the start of it but you've got to start somewhere the first thing I want to learn is why this car doesn't want to start I'm beginning by checking fuel pumps as this is the most common cause hola now let's see these pumps are working nope that one is dead you can hear it clicking but it's not buzzing the other one is working but it's probably weak alright so that needs to come out there it is so good news bad news with the fuel pumps good news being that this is almost certain reason for this car not starting one of the pumps that's working it's an original unit and likely too weak to supply proper fuel pressure the bad news and incapable mechanic was already in here and I say incapable because this is a 30 year old strainer and they tried to patch it up with some glue also we have electrical tape on pierced wiring which we all know has phenomenal properties once submerged in fuel for some reason to replace the black tubes with these yellow ones also we have this wire that's broken off this is for the fuel sender unit so all I know I need to do some research by parts and attempt to repair this properly but first I need to disassemble all of this that wasn't even connected to the strainer now the other one fuel pumps removed I'm then repairing the broken wire for the fuel sender unit it's pretty sturdy it's not gonna go anywhere can pull on it so here are the parts that we need to fix the fuel pump assembly I got some wires corrugated flex hose heat shrink tubing and crimp terminals I also had to buy a crimping tool this one which I got on Amazon and let me read you this professional crimping tools for best technicians the best electricians tools definitely not made in China anyway the game plan is to replace the crack wiring for the fuel pumps the wiring for the fuel sender unit I'm not going to touch because I think I'll do more harm than good besides I already checked them for continuity and all of these wires are good heat shrink tubing and terminals should be fill resistant but just to test that theory I left in sitting in fuel for a couple of days and they're still perfectly fine they didn't melt or dissolve so they are safe to use in the fuel tank it's nice and firm that is the sound that we want to hear excelente now it's time to attach these flux corrugated holes haha yeah this is good time to see if this thing is working oh yes it is if you are wondering why did I go through the trouble of rebuilding this assembly a new fuel pump carrier from BMW is 653 euros and all of this including new pumps was less than 120 euros that is a pretty good cost saving before they go back in I'm replacing the two shorts new lines and that was beautifully executed then I need to siphon out the fuel tank and clean it here's the bottom of the fuel tank now it looks pretty good pretty clean Kabul home Suns bloom you got all the floor in French in case you didn't know adding fresh fuel and making sure that the bottom of the tank is still clean time to rekindle the spark between the fuel pumps and the car there you go the gasket is in that is one working fuel pump assembly now to check if the fuel gauge is working nope it is not that's incorrect but we'll deal with that later as the priority now is to get the car running next up fuel filters I'm replacing filters paying attention to their direction and Counting new few lines to size and this is the finished product and reinstalled back on the car done we are swiftly moving along to the engine bay to inspect the ignition system really ugly really filthy I'm removing ignition wires for a closer look there it is after checking the resistance of wires which should be six kilo ohms I found four dead wires more importantly wires in cylinder six and twelve were bad which means that the fuel supply will be cut to both banks as those wires contains cylinder identification sensors hence giving us another reason why the car wouldn't start entering new ignition wires and donut sensors which we need to put on wires six and twelve first thing we need to do is slide this boot over here some silicone spray there are this the plug needs to be undone anti-clockwise as a connector a wire wheel would screw you need this to hold it a bit better and then start unscrewing so these prongs or tips or hurry I want to call it it's important that they're pointing towards the distributor cap like so cutting off a small portion of the wire so that the wood screw grabs a fresh bit of it now to verify that the wire is showing correct resistance that is success and that's done all right fun fact I thought the intake manifolds were removed at some point and then painted but nine they just taped around it and presumably used the spray Kane's opinion because there's overspray all over the place also the incapable mechanic didn't stop with the fill pump as evident here we have some fuel clamps that were removed from the fuel lines on the back of the engine when he was I assume checking for fuel supply and couldn't be bothered to put him back isn't that something I'm then vacuuming their filter box in spark plug holes and removing spark plugs the installed brand-new spark plugs Barrow ultra and these are not the correct ones for this car it's pretty clear that the previous owner and his useless mechanic tried to get this car running since I have all of the spark plugs removed I'm going to do one step extra and spray fogging oil into each cylinder just to help lubricate things a bit better for that first start fogging oil from men after that I'm turning the engine over by hand oh yes it's turning very smoothly it was time for new spark plugs old ones are safe for something else as they're the wrong type for this engine replacement of spark plugs completed for job well done I'm rewarding myself with a blueberry muffin replacing distributor caps and rollers to work with more space I'm installing distributor caps later now removing belts and replacing pulleys isn't that lovely there's new versus old pulleys new pulleys go in while the belts are left off during the first start I don't want him to spin the water pump or power steering pump until the system is flushed I also replaced vacuum lines which were another special trig addition like snapping twigs and to short fuel lines on the back of the engine time for a new distributor caps then new ignition wires go in and here's the state of the bottom of the engine oil and crud everywhere now I'm going to clean up all of this as best as I can drop the open and replace the gaskets so let's crack on with that let's drain the oil so while the oil is still draining I'm going to crack open all these bolts so that's the oil pan which looks fairly clean so let me show you the engine it's actually looking pretty good and clean overall everything looks good this is very likely the original gasket that the car came with and he was fused with the pan a simple job was this one turned into several hours of scraping moments like these are when one wishes for a blasting cabinet that's the old pan done I cleaned the pan surface as best as I could but since it wasn't perfect I'm using a light layer of gasket maker on the pan side normally I wouldn't but I felt it was needed here to prevent the gasket from moving during installation I'm using zip ties on several spots to hold it down and for the bolts I'll be using trade sealer once I secure the pan with few bolts I cut the removes if ties for these bolts I won't I feel then oil level sensor with new o-ring and finally the drain plug mustn't forget the stupid brackets new filter give it a good slap before I attempt to start the car for the first time I'm also changing differential oil first the drain plug here we go so here's the default that we're going to be using the liqui moly 75 W 90 that means it's full and gearbox oil that looks fairly clean and that's definitely ATF new filters all right there's nothing else left in to try and start it nope right time to consult my repair manual and panic I started troubleshooting by looking at the spark and he was accounted for on both banks fuel pressure was perfect at 3.5 bars I then realized EML light was staying on this slide should go off after a few seconds upon turning on the ignition I hooked up my diagnostic tool and while the Android computer didn't have any codes EML module did for both banks I took a closer look at throttle bodies and the flap was opening poorly and the resistance was out of spec when I tested a multimeter I grabbed a pair of good used ones from my part sky install them and they solved that issue the light was off and there were no more codes but it still wouldn't start next I decided to remove fuel injectors for closer look yay injectors look properly filthy and most of them didn't even activate one supply with 12 volts that was a good sign actually I sent him out for cleaning and testing while I tackle other jobs like a sinking clutch pedal time to attack the brakes and the clutch I'm beginning by removing and cleaning the brake fluid reservoir it's like black goo and here it is clean waiting to air dry since there were signs of brake fluid around transmission bellhousing I'm replacing the clutch slave cylinder it's first take off the line right my finger oh that hurts every time there's the new one these are the new rubber grommets perfect then the reservoir is reinstalled and brake fluid added using a power bleeder I'm bleeding the clutch line there we go disgusting brake fluid is coming out and after thorough bleeding yes we have a clutch pedal a working clutch pedal another area that needs addressing is the cooling system I'm draining the coolant and replacing the expansion tank and thermostat oops I can't here's the new thermostat done at this point clean and working fuel injectors arrived time to give it a world once again whoa it's fired up sick leaves the injectors are leaking maybe you beautiful bastard the third is alive and it's actually working pretty recently say what you will about BMW but this third has been neglected for 20 years realistically and look at it now purrs like a kitten just started and I'm balancing the two euro coin on top white but it's not all perfect more on that later I quickly turned it off and proceeded with tasks on hand the radiator was original and looking rather poor so I decided to replace it there's one connector here yes how'd you come now that we have a lot of space for activities I'm going to put the belts on there it is that is one belt done and this just turned into unboxing video off the radiator all right that's monster crap connected new expansion tank then I'm adding coolant and bleeding the system I also drained and replaced power steering fluid I couldn't resist it anymore and had to find out if the car would move under its own power first gear oh you beautiful thing reverse we have a running and driving vehicle ladies and gentlemen now to sort out the brakes first I replaced all of the brake lines and cleaned the bleed screws after attempting to bleed the brakes I wasn't getting any brake fluid to all four corners which was expected searching for a car show that the fluid was flowing fine from the master cylinder to the ABS pump but no fluid was flowing through the pump he was completely clogged since new units are no longer being produced and bad ones can't be rebuilt I went for the only option of getting a used one after fitting the new / used unit the brake fluid was coming out from all four openings on the pump I put it all back together and this time the brake fluid was flowing smoothly and I was able to bleed the brakes fully so now the car can stop - now back to the engines the engine sounds good once warmed up but the cold start was pretty rough [Music] that'll be the intake manifold gaskets to confirm my suspicions I hooked up a smoke machine for detecting leaks not sure how well you can see this on the camera but the link is coming from the intake manifold gasket as I guessed so these are definitely coming off this assembly begins various connectors need to be unplugged as the wiring harness needs to be lifted over the engine so everything on this side is free everything on this side is disconnected as well there's two more wires here fuel injectors come out again now we have access to nuts that hold the intake manifold ooh there it is one of the bastards is out these are the infamous gaskets unknown issue on m70 engine is camshaft Benja bolts that get loose over time they hold the old spare bar that feeds the camshaft with oil and if the bolts back out it causes all starvation and permanent damage can occur so while I'm in there I'm removing the valve covers to inspect it is out there it is come on well that is in fact a very clean valve car and even the rubber is too soft the camshafts are looking lovely inners of the engine are very very clean and camshaft is in perfect condition none of the bolts were loose but they were basically hand tied and would back out eventually so let's start with the middle here's a better look at the camshaft which is a lovely condition to make sure this is permanently fixed I'm using high-strength thread Locker and locking tabs holes and bolts are thoroughly cleaned and thread Locker applied banjo bolts are torqued to 12 millimeters then the tabs are bent and this is how it looks I'm repeating the same on the other side that wasn't very tight this Bank is mint as well the mating surface is cleaned and so is the valve cover that gets a new gasket before the cover goes back on pouring oil over the camshafts of sauce a small bit of sealant is put on parts where the covers meet the head just like they did from the factory then the valve cover is reinstalled and not stored to 10 millimeters finito while having a good look around everything I discovered a treacherous coolant leak from the valley pan gasket this had to be fixed and to access it many parts need to be removed including the water pump again the fan clutch needs to come out coolant drained fan shroud an expansion tank thermostat belts and pulleys and finally vibration damper requires removal in order to access water pump bolts it's one that is all of them Willa fascinating looking thing isn't it next I'm loosening water pump bolts I put balls in order so I know which one goes where to remove water pump safely I'm using 3m 540 millimeter long bolts that are threaded in openings on the pump and as I'm screwing them on it's pushing the pump away from the engine there are two pipes connected on the top which are stuck pretty well so some prying is needed to separate them goddamnit so these are the three holes here the screws go through the back and push the water pump out then the pipes can be removed behold the valley pan first I'm scraping off the grime and vacuuming the valley pan bolts are notorious who easily snapping off which is something I wanted to avoid I was soaking them with penetrating old days before I started this job and now I'm hitting each bolt with a hammer to put some fear into it and pressure it into loosening up on the first bolt I also used a bit of heat now let's set it on fire and third this engine into a creme brulee I worked the boat back and forth and he came out pretty easily yes Archie come that is one out for the rest of them or just smacking them with a hammer which worked pretty well and bolts came up trouble-free and that is all of the bolts removed oops a king the surfaced and vacuumed all of the debris clean cover new gasket and zinc plated bolts because the mating surface was a bit rough and to make sure it doesn't leak I used the thin layer of sealant if this torque is ten millimeters and that is all of them front of the engine was pretty grimy so I clean it up a bit pipes are reinstalled with new o-rings and lubed up with silicone grease all right I also went for a new water pump again all or ings are new and lubed up with silicone grease for easier and safer assembly and it slides right in so the torque for water pump bolts is 10 millimeters done there is a pin on the crank hub for vibration damper alignment yep that's in now back to intake manifolds which were cleaned in preparation for assembly old gaskets were in good condition and free of cracks so they were cleaned and agree since I'm reusing them with Victor right sealing compound this is a tried and tested method of resealing intake manifold gaskets on this engine and saving some money since new gaskets are around 600 euros from BMW surfaces have been cleaned in a thin layer sealant applied on both mating parts the torque for the gasket ahead is 24 millimeters then the intake manifold goes back with sealant also applied to reach the bottom nuts I'm using a long extension universal joint in a few small magnets shoved in my 10 mil socket to avoid dropping nuts all over the place this worked perfectly torque for intake manifolds is 10 millimeters and that is the last one I left it overnight to settle and next day reinstall fuel injectors along with throttle bodies and fired up the smoke machine confirm that there are no leaks and system is sealed that looks pretty good to me before putting all of it back together I took apart throttle bodies and clean them also replace cabin air filters with Citroen parts and here's how the cold start sounds now sounds absolutely brilliant that is a beautiful beautiful gold star and another one [Music] absolutely mints time to revisit the fuel gauge after checking the resistance of both fuel center units the one on the driver side was showing wrong value upon removal I discovered the float was broken so I sourced a good used one installed it and isn't that beautiful it has exactly 20 litres in the fuel tank so that is working perfectly and piece de resistance new emblems for wheel caps now the most rewarding part driving the car for the first time Midwood yes there we go second gear she's a beautiful machine brakes yes bellissima unfortunately this car does have a German tooth therefore it cannot legally be driven on streets of Germany so this small drive in the yard is all you and I can settle for our headlights yes no errors on the - the temperature is holding pretty nicely the fuel gauge is working moving on to the interior of the car front seats have a typical twisting issue where only 1/2 of the seat bottom moves while the other one does nothing the passenger seat didn't move at all but these are complete kaput I'm removing the seat to fix it and this also gives me a good opportunity to clean the carpet have you see and it's starting to rain all right it is very heavy fix for this is rather simple and free like this first the cable is removed from the motor and then cable sheath trimmed roughly 15 millimeters this way more of the cable can be pushed into the motor so he can engage with it properly where before it was just slipping with that done on the passenger seat as well it was time to clean the interior to clean and treat the leather I'm using leather ich first I vacuumed and brushed the seats thoroughly and this is the condition of the letter using an applicator I'm applying rejuvenator oil liberally then massaging the oil into all surfaces and crevices of the letter they're being left to bake in the Sun while I start on the interior as this question comes up often these are some other cleaning products that I use and now I can cue the music [Music] the final step for the letter is to clean it with pristine cleaner and damp microfiber cloth the end result is a fresh supple letter that has a clean matte finish where areas would benefit from reading but for 30 year old light color letter they're looking pretty good once the seats are back in the car I can test if my repair was successful yes it is working I have a strong man job well done the interior looks amazing and it is a beautiful place to find yourself in [Music] he took a decent amount of effort to bring this legend back to life but seeing it run and drive is a marvelous sight to behold the final outcome is fulfilling knowing that another a31 has been revived as a conclusion to this series I made a breakdown of parts though needed for repairs and their cost more work remains to be done but new owner will take care of that as the time has come to say goodbye to this beautiful car now that the project Malaga is finished that can focus back on project Dubai and getting it ready for German tooth also m5 needs a bit of work so expect a video in that as well oh not you again sell nice ladies and gentlemen what you did right I met about another project and coming from far far away owned it has ten cylinders and three pedals get to the highlight it's a what was that it's quite broken there it is Congrats you just financially ruined yourself idiots I don't get it I thought it would be happy it's a broken B&W whatever thank you so much for watching if you enjoyed the video please consider supporting the channel by subscribing to it bye are you insane you bought a car halfway across the world sight unseen not even a pre-purchase inspection what's the matter with you what if you don't get to see it at all what if it comes it has three wheels have an engine what then genius I mean you've done some stupid things your life but this is just my top of it [Music]

Channel: M539 Restorations

Views: 2,609,329

Rating: 4.9281731 out of 5

Keywords: e31, bmw, 850i, 850ci, restoration, revival, barn find, e39, e38, m5, 740i, 840i, 840ci, 850csi, csi, 8er, 8 series, classic cars, bimmer, 540i, v12, 535i, 750il, 750, e46, m3, m70, road trip, m73, 6 speed, save the manuals, budget, cheap, first start, germany, car project, b7, b8, alpina, restore it, e34, e32, e24

Id: -DSuc2a_Y_M

Length: 45min 45sec (2745 seconds)

Published: Sun Mar 22 2020

Reddit Comments

[u/wanakoworks]

i always believed that the E31 8-series were some of the sexiest cars ever made. like goddamn that thing is beautiful.

[u/WSBTVAtlanta]

Absolute dream car but the prices are going up way too quick for me to ever afford one

[u/RaeTheSnakes7]

I know a guy who owns a mint e31. Says it's been great so far. Mileage unknown

[u/git_R_doug]

beautiful engine

[u/PeterNorthSaltLake]

Didn't al pacino drive one of these in a movie? "Heat"? If i won the lotto, id drive one..

[u/objectivePOV]

It's funny that he replaced the water pump "just in case".