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Subject: Front Cup Holder 101 and repair for the E38 BMW 740i / 740il Author: collison944 : member since May, 2005 : 3194 posts Posted on: 2007-01-28 10:57:36

About a month after purchasing my car I managed to open the cup holder that always seemed stuck in the closed position. At that point, it functioned properly for a couple of weeks before it began to completely separate. In trying to evaluate why there was now a complete separation of the outer track from the cup holder, somehow, the hook got bent and now the cup holder would not close. Further investigation led me to believe the cup holder had been glued shut on purpose by the previous owner. Long story short I have been driving around with my cup holder open for over 18 months. After growing tired of looking at the useless eyesore, I decided to repair it. In my opinion, this was just a busy work project, not too hard at all.

My motto: If a man can assemble parts/systems on a car under the duress of an assembly line clock, I can take my time to understand the task and DIY. I can not rebuild motors; I don’t know how, but I take pride in replacing periphery parts only held in place by nuts and bolts. This is my limit to the label of being mechanically-inclined.

This writeup is also available as a downloadable PDF:
E38 BMW 740iL front cup holder basic functions and repair (pdf)

I was inspired to perform this DIY project after seeing the pictures in a bimmerboard member's post: http://www.bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/125648. Kudos to dshealey.

The following information includes notes/methods/my learnings (including mistakes) in this cup holder repair project. This is not an official document/procedure; it is meant as a tool for offering understanding to what is entailed in removing and repairing the cup holder.

Tools required for the front cup holder repair:

- Torx screwdriver set (T20) and standard set of cross tip and flathead screwdrivers.
- 2 pair of pliers, at least 1 one of those should be needle nose and or cut wire, preferably 2.
- 1 ruler, calipers (optional), Sharpie, Xacto knife, telescoping magnet.
- 5/64” drill bit and cordless drill, dremel and various accessories and/or cutting pliers & a file.
- 3/32” cotter pin (min 1.5” long, preferably longer).
- Metal bonding epoxy or another bonding agent with a minimum presetting time of 4-6 min.
- 2 heavy books.

NOTE **** Key annotations will attempted to be placed under/after the previous picture should your printer format not place related pics and notes on the same page****

Steps:

1. Removing Center Console Frame

- Review the following of DavidC’s posts:

http://www.bimmerboard.com/members/davidc/mid_removal.html

http://www.bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/1863

Removing the center console was a lot easier by removing the tape deck, MID and temperature control modules while the frame was still attached to the dash. I wasted 75 min. trying to get it the entire assembly out in one complete piece. IMO it was nearly impossible to do without feeling as if I was going to break something on the left side of the frame/console junction. I would have saved a lot of time had I removed the individual parts initially.






Removal pictures:
1st: Right frame clip. Left clip is below the match tip. (Right clip freed w/ flathead screwdriver).
2nd: Picture of left clip and components removed from frame.
3rd: Marks on frame created by clip. Clip holds the frame against the leather sides.
4th: ¼” tab of left side. Lift up on inst. Cluster leather to free screw junction then twist/pull.

Note: to open the right side of the dash 20 degrees as mentioned, push up on the dash and slide the leather through the small space. To free the left side do the same. Remember it is flexible but be gentle.

During the reinstallation it was very easy to position the frame before placing the clips with all of the components removed.

2. Cup Holder 101

The following pictures and information are regarding the purpose of parts and method of functions during interactions/movements. The unconventional labeling of the part names is just that. The listed names are only for a reference. (Note: Some of the items pictured are missing parts as they were salvage items from cleanride740il's car.) Thanks Ty. I intended only to study his old holder so I would know what parts to buy. But my cup holder had been stripped of some parts by the PO.



1. Inner Track – bolted to the console frame. Slides forward via internal spring in brass column below C-Base. C – Base/stand should barely clear the inner track when it is positioned under the C – stand. Else, a risk of bending the hook, breaking sector pins, and not entering or exiting the catch exists.
2. Outer Track – slides in groove of inner track (with or opposing the force of the plastic extension, missing). At the outer track’s maximum inward position, the inner track begins to slide inward.



1. Catch – holds and releases the hook of the outer track. The hook enters the forward edge and is guided towards the left, holds in the center position, and exits through the right channel when force is applied to the outer track.
2. Inner Track Spring – forces the inner track outward and applies pressure to keep the hook in the hold, center, position, top of the white V, when closed.



1. Stop ends – plastic tabs at the end of the track tabs that stop against metal tabs of inner track (broken in this picture).
2. Hook – travels through and/or seats in the catch of the inner track. Must fit flush against track metal.
3. Sector pins – essential to hook position and travel range. A broken sector pin leads to a wayward hook that eventually gets bent and/or won’t enter or exit the catch properly. Notice the curves in the hook? I tried to straighten it.



Broken stop tabs are one reason for my need to repair the cup holder. Broken plastic rivets of the catch, a missing sector pin, and bent hook are the other items that necessitated a cup holder repair in my case.



1. Pinch Spring – At the top metal edge, it forces the outer track outward when hook is released. In my learning, the pinch spring should be the last part adjusted (with the inner track plastic overlap top in place – missing in this picture). If it is not out of place, leave it in its current position (if it isn’t broke... don’t fix it). It requires repeated attempts to bend it into a position that offers enough force while contacting the outer track metal edge as seen in the picture. My mistake – I first adjusted it without the top cover. If necessary, it must be adjusted with the cover on.



1. Outer track contact point – brass colored alloy metal edge, not aluminum piece with hook.



Note: The plastic extension is present in this picture.

3. Cup Holder Repair Notes

Outer Track:

1. The hook needed to be flattened against the outer track frame. I had to drill the base of a broken sector pin and glue in a 2mm piece of a cotter pin. This should to be done first if needed. At the point where the cotter pins are seated, the outer and inner track will be adjoined and the aforementioned parts are not accessible. (I forgot to fix the sector pin and had to remove the epoxy before it set on my first attempt.



2. Mark the inside edge of the stop tabs. This is the line which the inner track will travel. My mistake – I drilled my set holes on this line. I should have placed the drill mark between this line and the plastic rivet shown. I had to use the dremel to shave away a fraction of the cotter pins inside edge to allow free movement of the inner track. The top plastic cover of the inner track will conceal the cotter pin.

3. With both top plastic flaps on the inner and outer tracks, I joined them together. I allowed the outer track to slide outward (fully extended, but not beyond where the inner flap exposed the plastic stud on the outer flap). This position was very even with the forward edge of the metal slot where the plastic stop tab lies. In reference to the picture above, look at the sharpie… just above that is a 3mm mark (beside the ‘Stop tab – inside edge’ label. That edge is where I observed a save full extension of the outer track.



4. Use a dremel, xacto knife, or razor to SAFELY cut out the stop tab FLUSH with the metal surface. This allows the cotter pin to lie flat as it crosses the gap in the metal.



5. Measure the desired distance to the mark of where you want the cotter pin to seat. Notice the cotter pin in the hole that is opposite of the calipers. My mistake – I should have bought a 2” cotter pin to allow more bonding surface area. I also should have moved the placement of my mark more the 27mm and outward toward the plastic rivet to prevent contact with the inner track.

6. Using a 5/64” bit drill a hole through the metal surface, not the plastic top flap. To do this, I had to us ONLY the weight of my cordless drill, basically pulling up slightly while slowly drilling with a low RPM setting. I managed to do this drilling both holes and not puncture the plastic flap.

7. With cutting pliers, I snipped the leads near the head of the cotter pin. I put unique tick marks on one of the leads to be able to distinguish which lead belongs on its intended side of the outer track. This is important as the set holes may not be evenly gapped.

8. As shown in the picture above, I placed the cotter pins in their respective holes and marked the bases with a sharpie. I measured the height of the inner track’s metal catch with a ruler, about 6mm.



9. I placed the leads into the needle nosed pliers with the mark at the edge of the pliers tip, and against the yellow pliers proceeded to slowly and carefully bent it to 90 degrees, approximately a 1mm bend.

10. Use one set of pliers to hold and the other set to bend the other end, approximately a 6mm bend. One of my bend extensions was too long, with a dremel, I filed one lead tip until it was 6mm.

This next step is a must. I evaluated the fit before bonding the leads.





11. By simply placing the leads in place, I evaluated the length of the leads with the complete assembly in its normal position and made adjustments as necessary to ensure the pins were flat and functional. My mistakes – repeating the mantra…I should have moved the lead set hole outward slightly toward the plastic rivet. Both leads had even stop points; however when I slid the inner track through the space between the leads there was no friction or hang ups. This was because the leads moved around in the drilled hole and simulated a resistance free path. I also didn’t incorporate room for the epoxy to flow over the lead or where the lead rested in the hole before the epoxy set. Thus I had to grind away an inside portion of a lead with my dremel. My inspiration picture showed the use of solder; however, my other mistake, was using the solder I had laying around. It adhered to the cotter pin leads, but it did not stick to the brass colored metal surface of the outer track, no adhesion at all. This forced me to sand and buff (dremel wire brush) the leads clean and start over. This was the typical point in some DIY projects where I realized I didn’t have everything I needed and had to drive to get something else.



12. I scuffed the metal with emery paper, used two objects the compress the springs (relieving pressure and allowing the pins to lie flat) and applied a little epoxy to the back of the leads and in the hole before seating them. Quickly I worked to apply epoxy in the hole and over the 1mm lead end. My mistake – I used a single-edged razor to try and remove the excess epoxy before it hardened. There was just not enough space to allow the razor in tight spots. I had to drive and get a Xacto knife to cut away the excess from the inside of the leads before the epoxy fully cured. Once the epoxy cured, the inner track would not slide through the space. I had to grind and use a dremel wire brush to remove excess epoxy and part of the cotter pin still in the tracks path.

Once the epoxy cured I tested the sliding and catching of the cup holder and made necessary adjustments.





13. In remembering the contact points previously discussed, I lastly adjusted the pinch spring with the plastic top flaps attached to the inner flap. It springs open and stays closed. Done!



All that is left is to reinstall the frame and components, one by one, into the dash.

Enjoy the simple things in life.


Judy, '96. Care to read about our first road trip?

• Front Cup Holder 101 and repair for the E38 BMW 740i / 740il (pic) (url) - collison944 2007-01-28 10:57:36 (22360 views)
  • Re: Front Cup Holder 101 and repair for the E38 BMW 740i / 740il - sidneyrocket 2007-10-07 13:59:16 (514 views)
  • Re: Front Cup Holder 101 and repair for the E38 BMW 740i / 740il - sidneyrocket 2007-10-07 13:58:57 (330 views)
  • May be you should sell repaired cup holder on Ebay with bad one return as core. - bmw635 2007-01-29 02:06:16 (499 views)
  • dont under estimate yourself. I bet you could rebuild an engine. - kevhouston 2007-01-29 00:30:04 (315 views)
  • nice going C! great write-up. def worth of e38.org material. - NoahGo 2007-01-28 21:15:26 (260 views)
  • thanks collison944, this is going to be my next project/repair that is. (nt) - milan99740il 2007-01-28 17:15:37 (285 views)
  • This has to be the most detailed cupholder repair article I've ever seen. Good work! (nt) - DavidC 2007-01-28 14:43:39 (345 views)
    • i will need your help editing next week thanks (nt) - collison944 2007-01-30 18:47:40 (290 views)
    • i will need your help editing next week thanks (nt) - collison944 2007-01-28 16:37:55 (238 views)
  • If you want to e-mail me your doc, I'll convert to a pdf for you and send it - LJBimmers 2007-01-28 12:30:13 (252 views)
    • ONE of the best DIY posts I have seen on this board - should be Stickey. .. - mfaraldi 2007-01-28 21:49:10 (266 views)
      • Wow. I am digging your new ride. UR opinion on ride differences? (nt) - collison944 2007-01-29 00:17:11 (304 views)