Rod's Webpages Index
This Webpages Index last revised February 1, 2010(click this link to go to this update location)HOME Page
The page you are currently on, where this Webpages Index is always located. This page contains
a pictorial overview of the car and its configuration and history, and links to other associated
info, such as:
- The 528e engine bay and comments about cleaning and maintenance of it
- Summary of ALL Maintenance and Modifications History for this 528e, since April 1983
- Recorded fuel mileage data
- About the digital camera I use
- Examples of excellent pictures of autos
- Links to vehicle inspection reports to assist you with your own inspection and also including
the UK "MOT" vehicle inspection checklist, at the bottom of the page.- Maintenance Tips pages -
Maintenance Tips Pg.1
Maintenance tips, comments and links about performing various types of maintenance. Six pages to
date. This page covers:
- Adjusting the AFM (a .pdf file of F.R. Wilk's original webpage, which is now gone)
- Idle FAQ
- BMW parts catalog link
- Removing a frozen or damaged disc rotor mounting screw
- Non BMW hose clamp trouble, Wurth URL link changes
- Where are the timing reference marks?
- Summary Emission Test Results with E.A.T. performance chip
- 124,000 miles maintenance items, including "Preventive Maintenance" items such
as radiator, expansion tank, water pump and thermostat
- AC Compressor belt remove/replace
- Intermittent/random engine power loss during full throttle
- Blown/Broken Hard Disk Drive... don't Throw it Away! (they have very powerful magnets)
- Air Conditioner vents a mess?Maintenance Tips Pg.2
- Suspension description
- Pitman arms replacement
- Replace speedometer gears
- A hidden rust area
- Hood pad replacement
- Cooling system questions and which temp sensor does what?
- Placement of rear Jack Stands
- Front Strut Water Drain and what can happen due to rust! I've expanded this
subject due to the number of failures I've now seen due to the rust problem.
- Bell Housing Sensors Installation, which sense flywheel rotation and position data for
the ECU/DME ignition control.Maintenance Tips Pg.3
- Swap the seats and help minimize wear
- A tip about using Gummi Plfege
- Door doesn't latch right without additional force and rattles
- Modified jack pad to prevent damage when lifting the E28 at
its side lift points under the rocker panels.Maintenance Tips Pg.4
- Checking disc rotor and wheel runout
- Replacing the upper and lower control arms with 750i bushings in the upper arms,
steering linkage replacement, tie-rod lube and alignment.
- A link to a picture by Philo showing his blue polyurethane bushing failure,
plus another failure on another E28.
- What no or improper suspension preloading does to a control arm bushing!
- Noisy sway bar link joint to link nut connection due to not tightening to the
proper torque value!Maintenance Tips Pg.5
- Replacing the rear suspension bushings using the right tool
- Removing a broken bushing sleeve.Maintenance Tips Pg.6
The EZcarlift in my little garage... a small but powerful helper, finally! And now with the
optional 6-inch caster wheels, I have more flexibility in positioning the car, simply by pushing
it around, not having to drive it in and out of the garage to reposition it... and only operating
the cold engine for five minutes! - Velcro modification to my aluminum lifting blocks simplify
lift positioning - Handling/Rotating tires using the lift - Storing the lift in my small garage.- Modifications and Resources pages -
Modifications and Resources Pg.1
Carefully selected modifications I've made to my 528e, that have improved performance and links
to where I got the stuff.
- E28 Internet Resources
- E32 750i BIG brake upgrade
- Anti-sway bar upgrades including mount modifications
- 16-inch wheels and tires and Hub-centric Ring Adaptor for E39 wheels
- Spring Rates Report
- Euro headlights and improved wiring with relay part numbers
- Improving rear end stop and running light visibility
- Chipping the ECU with the popular brands, their performance differences and their effects on
my 528e Virginia emissions test results.Modifications and Resources Pg.2
On the question of finding a front strut brace that will fit the 528e. What has to be moved
to allow strut brace clearance and was the work worth the effort?
- The long idle valve hose I installed can create an engine idle problem, here's the fix.Modifications and Resources Pg.3
Polishing the bumpers to get rid of failed anodize coating. Not as easy as many suggest!
Updated to include comment about sander types that should be used.Modifications and Resources Pg.4
- Installing a 3.46 limited slip differential
- Rebuilt half-shafts and CV boot sealing issues
- Some other things you should look at while under the car with the differential out, such as
the Guibo flex disk coupling. Different shift linkage, to shorten up the throw?Modifications and Resources Pg.5
January/February 2010. Installing a Metric Mechanic HiFlo ST Cylinder Head. Replacing the stock
cylinder head with a high performance head built by Metric Mechanic, using a custom chip designed
by Mark D'Sylva of E.A.T. Mark has previously done custom chip design for Metric Mechanic engine
configurations and is the designer of the 528e chip I've been running since 2004, which I found
superior to the others I tested and reported on here. I will be doing photo documentation of the
work and later, in the early spring, some dyno runs to see what the work and dollars has actually
done for my old M20.- Other Subjects pages -
Paint Protection
Keeping a 27 year old car and its original paint looking exceptional. I purchased a GlossHaus kit
(Jan. 2008) to see if I can gain some more depth and sparkle using Dave's paint restoration system
and a power polisher. Years of hand applied Zymol has kept it looking very good, but Dave and I
think there is quite a bit more we can obtain. Unfortunately, my schedule has been filled with
other, more important house projects, so I still haven't done the paint restoration work. I will
post the results when I finally tackle this GlossHaus project, sometime later this winter. I recently
learned that Dave has sold the GlossHaus system, but I don't know anything about the new owner.Electrical Problems
Lighting and Voltage Tests - Headlight lens polishing
Dealing with the well known electrical problems of the E28 including fuse, relay and ground
connection problems, responsible for:
- Starting problems
- Stumbling problems
- Erattic idle
- Intermittent power problems and many other head scratchers
- New links to BMW E28 Electronic Troubleshooting Manuals
- A list of 528e ground point locations
- Fixing intermittent power window switch problems.
Looking at the performance of improved wiring for the headlight circuits, when using the European
E28 lamps and high wattage bulbs
- Daniel Stern and "those "+30" and "+50" and "+80" type numbers are not necessarily a trick or a
scam, it just doesn't mean what most people assume it means."
- Polishing plastic headlight lensesBMW E28 Steering Wheels
My efforts at finding and mounting some really nice coarse spline hub steering wheels:
- The three spoke (533i) dealer option to replace the original four spoke 528e wheel
- Having a coarse-spline M-Tec I steering wheel recovered
- Modifying a MOMO coarse spline hub and modifying a fine spline M-Tec II E36 steering wheel
to mount the modified MOMO hub on, so it will fit my coarse spline steering wheel shaft.
Not a simple hacksaw job, but some expensive machining and it looks and feels great!Other E28 BMW's
My selection of a few really nice E28s, owned by some E28 friends. Derin in the UK has restored
a number of BMWs and his webpages are well worth a visit!Awards
A few awards my peers have bestowed on my E28. Thank You!
- Link to the BMW CCA National Capital Chapter 2010 concours event schedule and
discussion Forum thread.Rod's Honda Fit page
Information, tips and opinions on maintaining and making selected modifications to a 2008 Honda Fit
Sport 5-speed, purchased March 2008:
- Different wheels and tires
- Front rotor and hub painting
- Revised road lighting
- Links to additional resources
- Current recorded average fuel mileage for the current total mileage on the vehicle.About Rod and the other stuff he is doing...
What's my background with automobiles? And what am I reading, driving or working on now?
- Links to some good early Mopar action movies
- My current PC and Mac web browser tests are available and include the new "PeaceKeeper" and
2.26GHz Mac mini test results, for both Mac OSX and WindowsXP running on the mini
- Geekbench profiles of my Macs and PCs performance
- A very good Internet connection speed test source, providing the service from dedicated servers
in many major cities, hopefully one near you.--- Rod's Other Webpage Locations ---
House Projects
Photo documentation on what we've been doing to the outside of our little 82 year old Sears Kit
type house (Nat'l Historic Reg.# 286-5001-0284) - Resources for info on Sears Kit Homes.Update February 1, 2010
Window Restoration Work
Photo documentation on the rebuilding of 100+ year old double-hung windows and weather stripping
them for greatly improved performance and installing internal thermal insulating window systems:
- improving small shed dormer window performance
- energy efficiency analysis and my
- new exterior wooden shutters replace what was removed 50 years ago and to protect windows
against UV damage and greatly reduce south facing window heat gain
- The beauty of "shuttered" summer sun light illumination in a room
- The installation of the Anderson "Insert" window sash products
- The new exterior shutters are now open to allow the sun to heat the south facing rooms,
providing significant heat gain during the winter.
(Index layout revision of 2/1/2010, 8:30 AM EST)