Re: My first BMW car, need some help (archive)

Greg, Welcome a"board"! As far as your trunk leak, remember that there are two seals in the tail lights. One between the car body / light assembly frame and one between the light assembly frame and the plastic lens. I went ahead and pulled the frame, cleaning all surfaces well, then RTV siliconed both sides of the black gasket. I don't think that was the fault but I wanted to remove all doubt. Next, I found that someone had carelessly replaced the tail light lens when changing bulbs. They didn't get the spagetti-like seal back in the channel so there was a definite opportunity for water entry into both lamps. I CAREFULLY put the spagetti back into it's channel, using a little RTV to tack it down at the tight bends and ends. We went for months without enough rain to verify the seal but recently it has been VERY wet and I am proud to say that Ralf's advice on this did the trick. Bone dry trunk! As for the rear defroster heating but not up to the task, I think that when you stop the leak(s) and get your HVAC working (to help dehumidify inside the car) you will find the rear window defogger will work as designed.
As quirky as these cars can be, they are still a great ride. I definitely want to aquire one or two more as I have young ones that will be driving all too soon. Sturdy, forgiving, well engineered, FUN, and if you do your own maint.,affordable. I could go on and on but I'll stop by saying, ENJOY and Good Luck!

I know about old BMW bikes but not about cars. I recently bought a '78 733i with 178,000 miles. So far I've been busy fixing the more serious problems. I had a professional mechanic replace the water pump (leaking), fuel pump (died one day after a fit of stalling), and front shocks (broken). He also discovered hydraulic fluid leaking out of the clutch somewhere under the car, and a broken engine mount. I'm topping off the fluid every week until I can afford to fix it ($425 est). I replaced some broken lights, switches, and body trim myself, put new tires on, had brakes checked, changed oil and plugs. I drive the car every day (when it's not in the shop) and I'm very happy with it. I don't mind owning a project car as long as I feel like I'm making progress and the car is getting better over time.
This message board is a great find -- I was using Google to search for a replacement trunk seal and found this message board.
My questions/problems:
1) I live in Oregon, so the car is rained on a lot. I discovered water (but no sign of rust) in the trunk, and under the carpet/padding in the rear passenger seat. I sealed the left side taillight with silicone seal because it appeared to be the source of the leak, but we just had some heavy rains and I have water in the car again. I now suspect the trunk seal because I can close it on a piece of newspaper and pull the paper out easily. Where can I get a replacement seal?
2) My heater works but only on defrost setting. None of the other airflow control positions work; I turn the dial but nothing changes, and I don't hear the clunk I associate with vacuum-controlled climate control systems.
3) Is the Chilton book I've seen any good? Should I have it for the electrical and vacuum diagrams? The ones I've seen have all been shrink-wrapped so I haven't actually looked inside the book.
4) I was un-doing a mess of wiring under the steering column where someone had installed an alarm (and apparently taken it back out), and done some really bad wiring for a stereo. When I finished cleaning up my power windows didn't work (they didn't work all the time before, but now they never work at all). I am wondering if I accidentally disconnected something. There's a little red pushbutton with a switch to hold it pushed in below the steering column on the right side. The wires coming out of the switch don't go anywhere; maybe I cut them by accident. Is this switch part of the window control circuit? Any advice on fixing it?
5) How do I remove the dash?
6) My rear window defroster barely works... I can see that it's doing something because it defrosts along the wires in the glass. Is this a wiring problem somewhere or will I need to replace the window (or live with it)?
7) The paint is clean but it looks like someone buffed it with steel wool in places. Any advice on repainting? How much should I expect to pay to have the car repainted?
I'm sure I'll have more questions. Maybe I'll get to the point where I can answer some questions, too. Thanks for any and all help, advice, pointers, etc.
Greg Jorgensen
Portland, Oregon, USA
gregj@pobox.com

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