Pins and Sockets for most major connections (Eg. Diagnostic Connector, radiator temp switch, coolant level, etc) Pin Size BMW Part Number Part Type Wire Size (mm²) Wire Gauge (AWG) ITT Cannon Part Number TE Connectivity Part Number Description 2.5 mm 61131376191 Male 0.5–1.5 mm² 14–20 AWG APK-PB25A10-002 929963-1 Male terminal for 0.5–1.5 mm² wire 2.5 mm 61131376193 Male 1.0–2.5 mm²...
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One major quality-of-life improvement when performing a valve adjustment on an E30 is the ability to use the starter instead of a wrench and socket on the crankshaft to rotate each cam lobe away from the rocker for adjustment. Luckily, the diagnostic port on an E30 can trigger the starter by simply bridging pins...
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This article serves to provide nuanced detail for those looking to refresh their OEM setup (Denso with early style dryer in particular); one of the biggest roadblocks is that the OEM parts catalogue (ETK) is often wrong. Also, reference to this article for how to recharge the AC system: How to recharge the AC...
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When changing the AC evaporator on a BMW E30, there’s definitely a right and a wrong way to do it. The glovebox is attached to the car by a brass-colored piano bracket. If you remove the black screws, you’re going to spend a lot of time realigning the glovebox when reinstalling. Instead, if you...
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There is only one correct way to test an E30 AFM, and that’s by using an oscilloscope. The most common mode of failure is the wearing of the carbon strip within the AFM. In simple terms, the AFM is one big variable resistor. It takes a +5V supply, and the carbon strip provides variable...
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If you decide to paint your wheels instead of powdercoating (which you should): Is powdercoating bad for rims? Yes, and illegal in Germany. So is using heat to bend them back. There is an nth amount of silvers to choose from, and there is no real right or wrong, but everyone needs somewhere to...
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Counter to popular narrative on E30 forums (based on self perpetuating hearsay), there are variant code differences between manual and auto E30 ECU’s and M1.3 didn’t always post date M1.1 ECU’s. The bad news is that no tuner has a fully disassembled dump of the ECU source code. Most just take the post compiled...
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The grommet for the pre-1988 E30 is NLA, but its nothing a bit of TPU (95a or softer) can’t solve by 3D printed. Step file: E30BatteryVentBoxGrommet
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There are no aftermarkets to the now years backlogged E30 front hub bearing dust caps. There are two options: 1. Try to save the ones currently on your car for reuse by using a specialized dust cap tool to minimize damage during removal: Snap on GCP10, also available from many many other makers in...
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One of the more frustrating parts about doing a front wheel bearing on an E30 is when the inner race separates from the rest of the hub. Normally this requires cutting a slot into the inner race or playing with thermal expansion and contraction to get it off. The tool to make this situation...
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