E30 - 325e - two cold-weather problems

[Scott Ruffner <jpr9c@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

With the arrival of the brisk weather here in VA, I've noted two problems
with my '86 E30:

1. For the past couple of cold mornings, I've had a moaning, unhappy power
steering pump, until the car warms up.  I believe the fluid level is low
(borderline), and with it's contraction in the cold weather, the problem
is noticeable.  It's just at the tip of the stick, and I'm going to add
some tonight, and see if that does the trick.  However, the car has 200k
miles on it, so I'm wondering what the failure mode of the power steering
pumps is like?  Mine has ZF stamped on the fluid filler cap, so I assume
it's a ZF pump.  I see a rebuild kit is available, but it appears to be
just seals.  Anybody care to share any pump rebuilding experiences?

2. No heat!  I have plenty of fluid in the expansion tank, and it doesn't
appear to be losing any (I've had the car for going on two years, and had
to top it off just once).  The radiator was replaced fairly recently, but
I don't believe the heater core has been, so that's a candidate.  The heat
varies from cold (at the "cold" position) to cool (at the hot position).
Is there any chance something like a cable controlling a flapper door (to
regulate hot/cold air mix or coolant valve) is out of adjustment?  Again,
experiences, insightful places to look are appreciated!  I would prefer
not to tear the dash appart to replace the core if there are other easier
solutions to try first.

Thanks!

Scott
==================================================================
Scott Ruffner
Computer Systems Senior Engineer       Computer Science Department
ruffner@domain.elided                University of Virginia
(434)982-2219                    http://www.cs.virginia.edu/~jpr9c

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