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Hi AI! In an attempt to motivate myself and learn a ton more about wrenching, I will keep this thread updated with various pics and stupid noob questions. I have done basic maintenance on most of the cars I have owned, but probably the most difficult work I have ever done is a serpentine belt or spark plugs. So this is all pretty new to me, but I am fearlessly powering forward into more complex work in proper AI fashion. I finally have the financial ability and garage to work on some cars. I have been doing basic maintenance on my family fleet so far, a 2008 Civic EX and an 04 Accord EX. The Accord (my fiances DD)is literally a beigemobile (automatic trans) unremarkable other than insanely low mileage (58k miles) and is in really nice shape. I think rust will eventually kill that car before anything actually breaks. Thanks Michigan. The Civic is my DD, has ~120k miles. Also boringly reliable and gets good MPG, even on my very trafficky freeway commute I average about 30 mpg per tank. Manual trans, which is nice, but drive by wire does suck some of the fun out of it with laggy/jerky throttle response at times. If the car didnt have these DBW issues, I would probably drive it forever, but I am probably going to swap it for something else within a year or so that uses actual cables for throttle. I was looking for a project car all spring and summer this year. I ruled out Hondas, because everything cool is a loving rusted out 2fast2furious disaster in MI. There arent a ton of imports and they are very difficult to find rust-free and not hosed up by 19 year olds. Paying 4k for a base model integra with 200k miles wasnt something I wanted to do. I moved onto the idea of old BMW's, Subarus, and Miatas. I ruled out Miatas pretty quickly, and Subarus unfortunately are either rustbuckets or way too expensive or both. I was looking at e36 cars and not having much luck. I had some fun run ins with stolen cars and rust buckets. I happened to see a very inexpensive e39 540i w/6 speed manual in my craiglist app and went to check it out. It apparently had some radiator issues (duh, BMW) but the body was in great shape and it ran like a top. So I bought it, because I have no impulse control and its loving cool. Had it towed because I didn't trust driving it 30 miles home with a clearly problematic GDCS.  Its a 1998 car, but pre-9/98, which means M62, not m62TU. No Vanos, no drive by wire. Woot. 174k miles. Ferocious sounding aftermarket exhaust and hilarious huge (20") wheels. For having dubs, the car is actually stanced exactly as I would like it to be. Not super low, but a little lowered and the rear wheels dont have that stupid cambered in look that everyone seems to do to e39's. They are just too drat big, probably heavy as hell and are pretty beat up and very blingy chrome. Engine bay is dusty as gently caress but has very little rust...car was a originally from Canada but spent most of its life in MI. It was clearly garaged, otherwise it would be falling apart as most 16 year cars here tend to do. Speaking of the engine bay, oil is coolant free and motor pulls hard and revs pretty cleanly. Shifts pretty smoothly. Just intermittent weird heat needle spiking (car runs for a couple minutes, needle pegs into the red when car isnt hot). Oil is seeping out of a couple spots on the valve covers, but the main bad leaks look like the left timing cover and the oil pan. Everything around the oil pan has a bad case of OFE. I will shut up now and post some more pics:            And here is the current progress: Rad out, fan/fan shroud out, water pump and belts off, valve covers ready to come off. Oil out, coolant out, Oil pan off, to put the gasket in and sort out the stripped drain plug. PaintVagrant fucked around with this message at 02:05 on Jul 20, 2014 |
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Jul 20, 2014 01:49
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LIST OF BMW THINGS TO DO (in some sort of vague priority order) Replace belts New coolant loctite and re-torque power steering/other pulleys Motor mounts Transmission mounts Tie rods/possibly center link. Bleed brakes Check CEL codes [s]18" m-parallels + tires Chase the CEL dragon MT fluid diff fluid address a power steering leak address the broken spring linkage in the parking brake (the brake seems to work, but has no way to stay locked) swap in 645i shift linkage, creating a cheap OEM "short shift kit" re-paint/dip or wrap the interior plastics, which were apparently painted silver to replicate the M5 look address a couple of minor rust spots on the front hood/wheel wells aggressively remove the stink of cologne and air freshener and  from this car. Maybe replace headliner.address the weird extra wiring from various car stereo equipment get the paint buffed PaintVagrant fucked around with this message at 17:26 on May 25, 2015 |
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Jul 20, 2014 02:15
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Powershift posted:Beater 540s are not only the best 540s, they're also the best beaters. I've got 19s on mine, and there's barely any rubber there, i can't imagine 20s. What size are the tires?  245/35/20's...all round.
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Jul 20, 2014 02:17
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Jul 20, 2014 02:53
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I didn't see any option stuff, but I'll run it again when I get in front of a PC.
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Jul 20, 2014 03:16
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InitialDave posted:Silly wheels and exhaust on a 15 year old "premium" car? Oh, you're going to find a lot of neglected maintenance. So far it hasn't been a bad as I expected! But yes probably. Not interested in wheels at the time gents, the budget is all going towards making this run well before I get to cosmetics. They will be addressed though at some point because DUBZ
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Jul 20, 2014 14:12
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Viper_3000 posted:This is a good list. Only thing I would add is checking the ccv/vacuum hoses and replacing if they are brittle (they probably are) since it looks like you'll have this thing pretty far apart already for some of this stuff. (And if replacing the CCV is anything like in a 3 series, you'll want it as far apart as possible.) From what I can see, its not terrible getting to it: http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=589379 And I am not getting any weird yowling or other vacuum leak noises from that area...yet. But you're right, I prob should look into replacing it while everything is apart. Sounds like the stock torx bolts get stripped super easy too, In other news, I pulled my lower oil pan, and there was nothing but oil in it! (no chain guide chunks huzzah) The bad news: the damned plug is stripped, and it doesn't look stock. So somebody maybe already threaded in a larger plug than stock, and stripped either the plug or the pan. I tried to apply some pressure from the inside to get the threads to bite and let me remove it, but no dice. I dont own any tools capable of hacking off the bolt. I have a line on a very inexpensive replacement pan ($45) from a local yard. Not sure its worth taking it to a machine shop to have them sort it if I can replace it with a non-stripped one locally that cheap. If anyone has any input on this situation, Id love to hear it. I assume some dipshit took an impact driver to it or something.
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Jul 20, 2014 15:54
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Pr0kjayhawk posted:I sold my 545i earlier this year and still have the stock sport wheels (245 front, 275 rear) 18" wheels in the garage. Tires have good tread as well. Shipping would suck but I'm motivated to get rid of them, let me know if you're interested. On second thought, it wouldnt hurt to look at your wheels and tires. If you feel like it, send me pics at paint.vagrant at gmail.com
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Jul 20, 2014 15:55
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I am putting that on my list, thanks! At least you got some Five Guys 
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Jul 20, 2014 17:09
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Got rid of most of the oil coating the underside of the engine bay/ subframe. Grabbed some of these newer looking suspension parts and yanked em, no play. However the car is on ramps so the front suspension is loaded. Not sure how else to test them but the various bushings seemed intact.   
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Jul 23, 2014 04:25
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Yeah I've got stands. This car is a bit of a bitch to get up on stands so I've been using ramps for the short term. Once it runs again I will be able to diag the suspension stuff a bit more. Pretty happy with the condition of stuff I found under there after I cleaned off all the oil.
PaintVagrant fucked around with this message at 23:11 on Jul 23, 2014 |
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Jul 23, 2014 21:42
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 Weirdly enough, the lower oil pan is the rustiest spot 
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Jul 23, 2014 23:11
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So I found a local who is parting out a 2000 540i. Going to grab the oil pan for 25 bux, thinking about grabbing some other cheap spares. Any ideas what I should grab, thinking about taking the coils, maybe the fan clutch.
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Jul 29, 2014 18:30
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Just replaced the fan shroud! Going to see if the guy has any stock wheels and tires for cheap while I am there. Good advice on the cats.
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Jul 29, 2014 19:44
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Yeah a lot of bad pixels. Havent looked into swapping the cluster yet, how easy is it?
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Jul 29, 2014 23:57
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Shits happening bros!   
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Jul 30, 2014 01:40
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Done for the night. If I paint the covers gold might as well paint the wheels gold too   
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Jul 30, 2014 03:56
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Not gold, but...
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Jul 31, 2014 02:11
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Neg, semi gloss black. Couldn't find any cool metallic stuff locally and I want to get these valve covers buttoned up ASAP. Want to get the oil back in the car and get the cooling system back in and maybe start it this weekend Probably wildly optimistic.
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Jul 31, 2014 02:33
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The black paint on the valve covers came out pretty nice! The timing covers are much more smooth metal, so the little paint blemishes are more noticeable, but they look a ton better. This car is going to the blackest thing since black metal  Now to find some rube to sell me some super cheap 18" parallels...powdercoated black or dark grey  In other news, I pulled the ICV, and it was so dirty that it literally couldnt move. Not sure how the car was idling evenly, but it was. It's super clean now, after spraying most of a bottle of TB cleaner in it. If you shake it you can hear the valve opening and closing with a nice little clink.Also, when I took off the timing cover, I removed the old timing chain tensioner, which basically had no spring action left at all. Took a ton of force to compress it, and it sticks. Somehow, the guides are in very, very good shape. Someone refreshed the top end of this car at some point, but decided they didnt want to do the timing cover gaskets. The valve cover gaskets are basically new, I probably didnt even have to replace them. Very supple rubber and no cracks or anything. The timing cover gaskets, on the other hand, were so brittle that they just shattered into a bunch of pieces when I tried to remove them. So yeah, that should make a difference as far as my oil leak. Trying to grab my cheap lower oil pan tomorrow, and any other stuff the dude might have handy. PaintVagrant fucked around with this message at 15:51 on Jul 31, 2014 |
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Jul 31, 2014 15:47
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  Plugs, new oil pan/gasket, valve and timing cover gaskets done. Apparently if I drink half a pot of coffee at 8pm, magic happens. Going to look at a cheap 50cc scooter for the missus tomorrow, then tackle the GDCS. This weekend is going to be AI as gently caress.
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Aug 2, 2014 08:52
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No go on the scooter, but got the oil in, waterpump and tstat on, belts on. Need to pick up some hardware and then tackle this radiator and shroud. Might start it this weekend
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Aug 3, 2014 08:02
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Got everything buttoned up, GDCS replaced entirely. Fluids in, started it, idles and revs great. After a couple of minutes, realized the area where timing cover and valve cover meet is dripping a little oil, on both sides. Not sure if I should drain oil and re torque everything, or just pull them and put more rtc in those areas. Any ideas? Are the gaskets garbage now?
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Aug 4, 2014 18:27
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I did replace the grommets, and they aren't leaking thankfully. I ran out of time last night but I will tighten up the bolts a little tonight and see how it goes. Maybe get some sweet video of the car making vroom noises.
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Aug 4, 2014 19:46
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Powershift posted:Metallic gold valve covers and timing cover probably wouldn't have leaked Sigh. they prob would, I think the issue is that the timing gasket sticks up out of the mating point of the covers. Then the valve cover gasket goes over it, creating a little gap. I am not sure what to do about it other than tear it all down,I tightened the bolts a bit and I think its still seeping. Not sure how to force the timing cover gasket further into the gap, but I assume thats the issue. Its leaking there on both sides, and as far as I can tell, nowhere else. E: if I have to buy new valve covers, I will spray them gold for you buddy. You get your aux fan issues sorted?
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Aug 7, 2014 02:14
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Ive heard that about the ambient temperature sensor too. You'd better hurry up man! I am a hoseclamp and a couple of minor oil leaks away from being roadworthy! So, after a few weeks of sitting with the battery disconnected, my pixels came back?!
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Aug 7, 2014 03:02
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Word. A/c is a must because I am a baby, but other little poo poo like my broken rear door handle and inoperable rear power windows...eh. Not a huge concern. One problem with having my pixels work is that I can read all the stupid warnings that aren't true: http://youtu.be/8y6EUtkAYY8
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Aug 7, 2014 03:27
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I am pretty sure I am catless.. Not really sure what to look for, but there is a muffler in place but the big stock scuba tank thing are gone. The idle isnt too lopey but it loving shrieks murderscreams at anything over 3500 rpm. Definitely my favorite sounding car that i have owned.
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Aug 7, 2014 03:36
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My boner reaches into the 4th dimension. http://youtu.be/XX0XCUW_Ees Jumped it from my Honda, let t idle about 20 minutes with the ac on, revving it like a teenager occasionally. Heat needle sat dead center. Going to have to address the valve cover leaks when I get back from vacay, but I am really encouraged by this success so far.  this whole wrenching thing is pretty addicting.
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Aug 9, 2014 19:12
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Plate obtained! I can drive dis bitch. Also got the battery charged, it was really low from sitting/running the heat while I bled the cooling system.
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Aug 28, 2014 14:54
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Drove it around my neighborhood and took it out on a (sort of) main road. Got it up to about 45 in 2nd gear at full WOT. Holy poo poo, I have never had a car with this much torque. Really fun. I babied it otherwise because I am not confident in the suspension/brakes at the moment. Lots of work to still do. Heat needle sat dead middle the whole time. Handling however, leaves a lot to be desired. I am torn on getting new wheels and tires now, then redoing all the suspension bullshit that is wrong (has a front end shimmy). I dont want to diagnose problems that wouldnt exist if the car didnt have huge 20" wheels... So, I think the motor mounts and possibly trans mounts are shot. When I shift, it has a noticeable clunk that doesnt feel like a grabby clutch or a mis-shift. Also getting a little bit of clutch squeek in reverse when I am sort of half out of my driveway, with the suspension partially under load. Maybe the trans is moving a little bit? Definitely not ruling out clutch issues, but it grabs pretty hard at full WOT.
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Aug 28, 2014 19:45
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BrokenKnucklez posted:Definitely do motor mounts if there is some clunking. Mine did it very lightly under strange conditions, but I just did motor mounts and I never heard them again. Cool, glad to know my driver's seat diag makes sense at least. When I was under the car, I saw at least one motor mount that was basically blown out. Another question for 540i bros: is your gas pedal pretty hard to press down, and your clutch pedal really light? Its a weird combination that I am not used to. I am wondering if the throttle cables are binding or something. It doesnt seem to stick, but its got a lot of resistance for a gas pedal.
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Aug 28, 2014 19:51
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These look similar but arent quite as bananas expensive http://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-3...CFStk7AodUXAAZQ I am torn, I will probably track this vehicle at some point, but its primarily goimg to be a DD and adding a ton of transmission vibration isnt neccesarily what I want. Anyone have any of these more rogid mounts in their bmw?
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Aug 30, 2014 02:06
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Found these pics on a forum, not my car. However, it will take 2 things to make my car look exactly like this: 18" m-pars (or reps), and black kidney grills. Thats it, I have the m5 front and rear bumper, as well as the little trunk lip spoiler. And I guess polishing the headlights  I really like this dudes car, I think this is going to be my longterm goal for aesthetics. I like his ride height too, I think with 18"s my car will look similar.   
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Aug 30, 2014 16:03
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Yeah parallels are so fuckin legit. Considering reps by if I can find real ones I might cough up the extra cash.
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Aug 30, 2014 17:00
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Pulled the drivers side fromt wheel. Yanked on various arms and inspected bushings. Looks like the control and thrust arms are fine, probably done pretty recently. Whoop! The tie rod ends, however, are blown the gently caress out and need to be replaced. Boo. Makes sense, the steering felt a little sloppy. So, to add to the list in the OP: Motor mounts Transmission mounts Tie rods/possibly center link. Bleed brakes Check CEL codes 18" m-parallels + tires 
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Aug 31, 2014 14:19
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Minor update. Did a brake fluid flush and a trans fluid change on my fiances accord. Ws pretty uneventful, but it was the first time i have done brakes at all so it was a learning experience. Once my garage gets cleared out, i can move the bmw back in there and it will stay in there on jackstands for a while. Going to do reddo the topend gaskets i did earlier in the thread because they are still leaking.. Might just replace the valve covers because i am wondering if they are warped a little. After that, motor mounts and trans mounts, and check the brakes. I think they need to be bled. Going to search for cheap wheels and tires over the winter, while the car is motballled. Budget has been a little tight so havent put a big order in for all the parts.
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Sep 21, 2014 18:03
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Bump to stay out of archives. Still searching for the holy grail of cheap parallels, or failing that, maybe Style 32's. I think someone might give me a nice "winter price" in a few months, hopefully.
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Oct 8, 2014 21:21
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Style 66's are pretty dope. But M-pars rule my heart <3
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Nov 5, 2014 04:46
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Jonny 290 posted:You hacked your OBC yet? Temp sensor to the nearest C. Must-have. Its on my list of things. I was considering just plugging in my obd2 dongle to my laptop and keeping an eye on temp that way. Whats an acceptable temp range for the M62?
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Nov 6, 2014 14:54
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