just bought a 93 325i, with LOTS of problems and ive been doing some searches, but nothing helps quite as much as specific problem related answers, anyway here goes..
1)when key is inserted in driver door, the tab pops up then down, the trunk locks/unlocks w/ the driver lock, but none of the doors do anything. is there a central unit i need to replace or individual units?

2)my thermostat controls dont do anything. all the way left or right dont matter. i flushed the coolant system as best i could the other day, but it didnt help with no heater. has this happened to anyone, know of any fixes or possible solutions?

3) i checked the resistance of the two connectors on the fuel sending units, and they measured 188, 235, which seems about right when you average them out for how much fuel i have. fuses are good. is it possible to have a bad gauge? or is there something else im missing?

there is so many probs with the car, its hard to know where to begin. interior could use replace, obc has some lights out(not the 4 bulbs behind it), ce light, needs pretty much all front suspension, windows off tracks, fog lights broken, all in all lots of work. if you have any parts laying around that you wanna sell/ get rid of let me know. thanks -g

back up..

hmmm old bmws have alot of problems, should have tryed to buy something clean, btw how much did u spend?

i figured a little work/money at a time and i could have a nice car for ~3200.

this car is going to cost you alot of money I think :)

thanks for the short answers guys, but im asking for help. if you dont know the answers, then please dont respond. -g

use the vin for the vehicle info.. *shrug* you didnt realy ask any good questions

anybody?

First off the issue with the door locks can be a number of things but there is a central locking system for this car. You need to buy a Bentley manual for about 50 bucks and also do some searches on here. Follow the steps in the Bentley and it should help you on this one.

Climate control is toast. Not unusual as there is a known problem with the pre 96 models that cause issues. Again a search will help you out. Two things come to mind on this climate control. First off the direction of where the air goes may not be where you want it to so there is a gear set that will fit that but that is not your problem. From memory I think there is a resisitor that goes out that needs replaced or if nothing else a poor connection to that resistor. I recall seeing a good write up so do the search.

OBC with dim lights...again there is a write-up on how to pull the OBC and replace the lights.

CEL on, again there is a write up that will help you pull the codes on this OBDI car that uses the ignition being on and pushing the gas pedal all the way to the floor 5 times in 5 seconds. Print the procedure to get the codes and you will also find a translation site because if memory serves you will get a 4 number code that translates into some issue like 1221 might be an O2 sensor bad etc.

DOn't sweat the fog lights or stuff like that but you need to get these other things working then you can tweak the car to your heart's content.

Try to post as specific information as you can and be sure to tell us if the car is a coupe, sedan, vert or whatever with the tranny type and manufacture date because BMW phases things in at times and doesn't always do thing with a model change over.

Struts and shocks are pretty normal replacement items as are brakes so be sure to check out the vendors here as they have some of the best prices you will find.

Hope this helps some...

just bought a 93 325i, with LOTS of problems and ive been doing some searches, but nothing helps quite as much as specific problem related answers, anyway here goes..
1)when key is inserted in driver door, the tab pops up then down, the trunk locks/unlocks w/ the driver lock, but none of the doors do anything. is there a central unit i need to replace or individual units?
2)my thermostat controls dont do anything. all the way left or right dont matter. i flushed the coolant system as best i could the other day, but it didnt help with no heater. has this happened to anyone, know of any fixes or possible solutions?
3)i am also needing to replace the shocks/struts. how do i tell a sport packaged car from a non? is there a difference or can i just replace them with whichever?

there is so many probs with the car, its hard to know where to begin. interior could use replace, obc has some lights out, ce light, needs rear brakes, needs pretty much all front suspension/ rear shocks, windows off tracks, fog lights broken, all in all lots of work. if you have any parts laying around that you wanna sell/ get rid of let me know. thanks -g

1) Are you turning the key twice? I have a keyless, so I'm not exactly sure on this one. I believe 1 turn unlocks the driver's door/trunk/gas cap, and the 2nd turn unlocks the rest of the doors.
2) Have you adjusted the middle temperature control lever? It's under the center vent, on the left side. If you move it to the right, the air gets hotter. Left, the air gets colder. See the attached pic.

just bought a 93 325i, with LOTS of problems and ive been doing some searches, but nothing helps quite as much as specific problem related answers, anyway here goes..
1)when key is inserted in driver door, the tab pops up then down, the trunk locks/unlocks w/ the driver lock, but none of the doors do anything. is there a central unit i need to replace or individual units?
2)my thermostat controls dont do anything. all the way left or right dont matter. i flushed the coolant system as best i could the other day, but it didnt help with no heater. has this happened to anyone, know of any fixes or possible solutions?
3)i am also needing to replace the shocks/struts. how do i tell a sport packaged car from a non? is there a difference or can i just replace them with whichever?

there is so many probs with the car, its hard to know where to begin. interior could use replace, obc has some lights out, ce light, needs rear brakes, needs pretty much all front suspension/ rear shocks, windows off tracks, fog lights broken, all in all lots of work. if you have any parts laying around that you wanna sell/ get rid of let me know. thanks -g
Same car, ass load of problems when I got mine too.
1)So what "tab" are you talking about with the locks?
2)Could be your heater core
3)For about $1500, you can have a great suspension installed. I had Koni adjustables all the way around, M3 control arms, e46 vert RTAB and plates, all new bushings. I love it. Whales around corners. That fixed all my suspension problems, and mine were BAD.

thanks for the input fellas, in response.. i have adjusted the middle switch, but to no avail., i did try turning the key twice, i tried holding it a couple of secs, all i could think of. i was just trying to pinpoin whether i needed to replace the central system or some individual switches. i guess i should probably do the central since none of the other doors lock/unlock... only the trunk and dr door. the tab i was refering to is the little guy that pops up and down when you lock/unlock the door. i bought a haynes manual, after i heard all the good stuff about the bentley, so maybe ill look into that. again thanks, if anyone has anything else, all the help is certainly welcome. -g

question added

May need need new door lock actuators???
But if you plan on keeping the car, take care of the safety issues first. Brakes and suspension should be a priority.

#3 easy way to tell if you have the sports package is that you will have the sport seats (with adjustable leg support).

what are the other ways. my primary concern was whether there was any physical difference. i need them asap, the car floats all over the road.

IIRC the sport suspension sits .75 inches lower than the non-sport.

Same car, ass load of problems when I got mine too.
1)So what "tab" are you talking about with the locks?
2)Could be your heater core
3)For about $1500, you can have a great suspension installed. I had Koni adjustables all the way around, M3 control arms, e46 vert RTAB and plates, all new bushings. I love it. Whales around corners. That fixed all my suspension problems, and mine were BAD.
:eek:

1500$ is steep a decent one can be bought for 800 easily here go here if u want a new suspension www.pure-motorsport.com i bought the vogtland-koni kit and am installing it next week

i know how u feel i had issues when i first bought but now things are good :redspot (1k) later of course

shocks r^2

rear shocks and brakes r^2, still have some ?'s left.

If the locks are not making sound like trying to work, they are probably not getting power. The fuses for this are under the back seat, not under the hood. You may need a manual to troubleshoot the central locking. They should all work with the drivers door lock(1x turn). The passenger door and trunk will do all doors except the driver.

There are problems with the capacitors in your cluster related to the gas gage. Mine does the same, but the computer estimate of miles left to go in the tank is accurate, so I go by that. Sender unit is good but electric gage is bad. One day I'll find where to get new capacitors and replace them.

good info, appreciate it. i probably will need a manual. but ill get under the seat anyway with my little multimeter and see what i can find.