What's Wrong With My BMW? Common issues on a BMW e23

What's Wrong With My BMW? Common issues on a BMW e23
Today we start to try to figure out whats wrong with the 1948 BMW 733i E23. I go through where the common problem points are and show you how may I have. Then we try to fix the most likely problem child.
BMW 733i Mass airflow Sensor Cleaning
Does it help?
#7Series

[@jameskerherve7487]

I’m glad to see someone working on these old e23s on KZbin. My 1986 L7 was pretty neglected by the time I got a hold of it at the start of the pandemic. The basic stuff really made my car run buttery smooth. Bosch plugs, wires, coil, vacuum, cleaning the throttle plate and setting it along with new throttle position sensor and factory idle control valve but I think the 3,2 has a different ICV than the 3,5. My largest contributor to smoothing the idle was opening up that AFM and adjusting the swiper to contact a good surface on the black contact surface and adjusting the spring. I ended up adjusting the spring tension nearly 6-7 clicks which is a looser tension and a richer mixture. I the fine tuned the AFM with the adjustment screw. That AFM makes a giant difference in running. I bought a nice looking rebuilt AFM on eBay however the swiper arm had created heavy groves in the black contact board that the idle was awful. If you have heavy deep groves in that Contact surface the idle will never get better no matter what else you replace. You can have the AFM board surface replaced and repaired. The other thing which improved the smoothness for me was using Liquimoly MOs2 oil but that’s just my preference.

[@fortheloveofcarz]

Thanks for the info and feedback!

[@yinsilbi]

Good info. Once you adjust the AFM swiper / sweeper arm and spring tension clicks, do we need to get the ECU to 'learn' this new settings first, like some modern cars? Is this step needed? Or will the car just immediately respond to any new settings of the AFM? And If we do need to get the ECU to 'learn', what is the steps for this'? Btw, I have a BMW e36 m43 engine with AFM. Still getting tips on how to make my idling and response better. Thanks for any tips!

[@fortheloveofcarz]

@@yinsilbi In my experience playing with the AFM had very little effect. this could be because there was some sort of vacuum leak that I never found.

[@danforthe2006]

MIke: When you adjust the valves, set the clearance on the cam side rather than on the valve side. The number to use is slightly larger, and I don't have that handy at the moment, but for older engines it helps compensate for wear on the tips of the valves that sometimes get hammered with age. On mine, the initial effort using the usual process still left more clatter than it should have, so I combed the internet and found this tip from an old, retired BMW tech. This way of doing it worked like the proverbial CHARM and the silence has lasted for over two years. I think it's 012 for valve side and .014 for cam side. My 71.5 year old memory has no edge, but I'll go look it up, okay? It's always good, BTW, to have an assistant in the process. Saves time. Pay him/her with some cheap intoxicants. But not TOO much. You don't have to just "Live With It". Cheers! Dan from Bangor P.S. A dirty, gummed-up Idle Air Control Valve affects the car while driving, too, not just at idle......

[@fortheloveofcarz]

Thanks!!! This will be a big help.

[@exoticcarmarket]

Thanks for the video. I've been working on my E23 733i 5-speed for a year now :/ latest issue now is a crank-but-no-start issue I'm chasing down. No spark it seems. Never ending fun..

[@fortheloveofcarz]

Oh believe me that is coming in this series 🙂 The no spark issue is most likely one of the sensors on the transmission that read the position of the crank. The job to replace them while on the car is truly the worst job I experienced while putting this back together. The sensors have an aluminum casing and are very.....squishy. I had to drill the old ones out and remove the innards small piece by small piece. THEN the holes are completely corroded which is why they are so hard to get out. This happens when you put aluminum up against steel in the transmission. I destroyed at least 2 sensors trying to get them back in. THEN I just spend days boring out the corrosion in the holes so I could properly install them. NIGHTMARE. All that is coming up in the series lol

[@mbtwchannel]

thank you for this video , we have a e23 733 84 5 speed, California car, but we are sending it to NH next year

[@projectv12bmw66]

Love this video! great info

[@fortheloveofcarz]

Thanks!

[@martindemeter4379]

Hi ,nice one , I have 86. Try to push on the oil dep stick when the engine running, if it's lust, try to remove it and plug in back when the angin is running. Good luck 👍

[@fortheloveofcarz]

Ok thanks!

[@rreno496]

Air Force math? :) Good video Mike!

[@drclemthesim]

They always have alot of hoses like my Toyota tercel 83 never ending aonther awesome video your sweating cuz your working lol

[@SpaceCadet4Jesus]

I've got a '65 Chevelle that I need to get running. Flat tires and gas like molasses, probably. The hardest part is starting.

[@fortheloveofcarz]

Yeah. Cleaning tanks is not fun. Ask me how I know lol you will see it eventually.

[@user-qt4wx1ri8t]

Have my dad's 733i and going through her, starter went out today. Any suggestions?

[@fortheloveofcarz]

Lots of alcohol. www.bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/665732

[@fatihkara9638]

try MAF conversion from miller , then your idle issue will be solved

[@fortheloveofcarz]

Wow! What an awesome bunch of stuff they offer! It looks like its all for a 735 though the 733 is never mentioned. Do you know if it would work with the 733?

[@fatihkara9638]

@@fortheloveofcarz well you can ask if its compatible to your ecu

[@TheMoodyLoners]

@@fortheloveofcarz Only applicable to 3.5 engine (1985 or later) This is why a lot of 733i owners opt for a full engine conversion/ECU/harness with Motronic ver. 1.3)

[@fortheloveofcarz]

@@TheMoodyLoners Do you have any experience with this procedure? I am looking to do it, but I have not seen anyone do it to a M30b32. they are all doing M30B34's. I am sure it can be done, but I dont want to go into it blind without anyone whose done it before. at least on the b34.

[@TheMoodyLoners]

@@fortheloveofcarz no I don’t. I only looked into this a couple years ago when I was contemplating buying a friend’s 83 733i that had sat for over 10 years . You might want to head over to the bimmerforums and look for a user that goes by mpvibes. He initially installed b34 engine with motronic 1.1 then converted to 1.3 . The pivotal issue turned out to be the ecu wiring harness. It’s a bit of a project due primarily to the difference in length; but he succeeded. Good luck!

[@samcote7284]

Do you still have problems

[@fortheloveofcarz]

Different ones at this point, but its a work in progress. :-) Currently the car does not have a MAF on it if that gives you an idea of the direction I went.