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There's pretty much no way you could be disappointed with a 540. Only reason I didn't buy one (went with a 528 instead) is because they're too expensive where I live. ONE thing perhaps sucks about the V8: The steering is mushy because it isn't rack and pinion. Shame about it. One recommendation I would throw in is to not accept any compromises with regards to the equipment you want (like sunroof, navigation, rain sensor, electric seats, etc.), because you'll be longing all the time, and it's often really expensive and troublesome to install afterwards. Pilsner fucked around with this message at 10:25 on Nov 8, 2013 |
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Nov 8, 2013 10:20
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So I'm replacing a vacuum line from my fuel rail to the CCV and the old line has a sort of mesh covering on it I assume for heat related reasons. I'm replacing it with a silicone hose, do I need to wrap it in this poo poo and if so where do I get a new one/what's the best thing to wrap it in? 2000 323ci if it makes a difference.
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Nov 8, 2013 14:16
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Can't you retrofit the R/P steering from the 6 cylinder models, or does the subframe differences not allow that? An aluminum V8 shouldn't weigh that much more than a cast iron I6.
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Nov 8, 2013 15:31
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Pilsner posted:There's pretty much no way you could be disappointed with a 540. Only reason I didn't buy one (went with a 528 instead) is because they're too expensive where I live. The only way to be upset with a 540 is if you feel like you should have gotten the M5. Otherwise, they're nice, solid cars that can haul 4 reasonably sized people with a bit of luggage. I put snows on mine and go up to the mountains. Rscott the V8 weighs the same as the I6. I think it's a little bit heavier but they really are about the same weight for an extra 100hp/100lb-ft
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Nov 8, 2013 16:42
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rscott posted:Can't you retrofit the R/P steering from the 6 cylinder models, or does the subframe differences not allow that? An aluminum V8 shouldn't weigh that much more than a cast iron I6. I believe the V8 is physically too large to accommodate the rack and pinion. It is a seriously large engine.
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Nov 8, 2013 17:23
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That could be it, I was reading about LSx swaps into E34/E39s and people use both 6 cylinder and 8 cylinder cars, but the LSx is obviously a physically smaller engine than the M6x.
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Nov 8, 2013 17:41
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Viper_3000 posted:So I'm replacing a vacuum line from my fuel rail to the CCV and the old line has a sort of mesh covering on it I assume for heat related reasons. I'm replacing it with a silicone hose, do I need to wrap it in this poo poo and if so where do I get a new one/what's the best thing to wrap it in? 
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Nov 8, 2013 17:59
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Yeah, the M62 fills that bay well. Really the steering _is_ a bit vaguer, but certainly not to an extent that it makes it unpleasant -- and some judicious right foot brings everything back around in my opinion. These things feel amazing when you hammer it and get the rear planted nicely going into a curve.
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Nov 8, 2013 18:09
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Xenoid posted:The only way to be upset with a 540 is if you feel like you should have gotten the M5. Well, I can think of one way to be upset with a 540:  But you should already know that and fully accept it before buying one. My old E34 drank gas like it was going out of style.
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Nov 8, 2013 19:06
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Guinness posted:Well, I can think of one way to be upset with a 540: My average since i bought the car is 12.2 l/100km(19.28 US mpg) with mostly city driving. I did a 400km road trip to pick up some wheels, averaged 130kph and still did 8.75 l/100km (26.8 MPG). Being a bmw owner i naturally drive like a twat, too. As long as the car is running right, you'll do OK for economy as long as you accept that you're in a 3800lb v8 muscle car. Jonny 290 posted:Yeah, the M62 fills that bay well. Really the steering _is_ a bit vaguer, but certainly not to an extent that it makes it unpleasant -- and some judicious right foot brings everything back around in my opinion. These things feel amazing when you hammer it and get the rear planted nicely going into a curve. Amen to that. Skinny winters and wet roads also makes for an incredibly enjoyable time as well. Edit: also, i drove beside a 650i gran coupe x-drive. That has to be the best looking BMW to come out since the E46.
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Nov 8, 2013 19:26
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Guinness posted:Well, I can think of one way to be upset with a 540: This is what kills me about some people with the whole fuel economy thing. Your buying a V8 powered car. If your expecting anything better than 20, you really need to step away from it. Considering the fact that a GIANT majority of American built cars just finally crossed the 30 mpg barrier, 20 MPG from a car that easily thumping 300 hp (they claim 282, but its well known they are derated) is pretty good in my books. But again, I have yet to ever own a car that has cracked the 25 mpg barrier in life. Yes, I like to piss money away on gas. 
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Nov 8, 2013 22:40
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Well, there's bad mileage, then there's REALLY bad mileage. That's not far off the whopping 15 MPG I get in mine, but I'm making another 150+ hp for a 1 MPG difference. Speaking of which, it occurred to me (I forget which thread this discussion was in) but I noticed some pretty big error in speedometer readout. Evolve is shipping me a programming cable that, among other things, will correct my speedometer to actual speed. I'm wondering if a side-effect of speedometers reading high is that mileage is also reading high, ie, at 100K you're really at 90K etc.
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Nov 8, 2013 23:02
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Das Volk posted:Well, there's bad mileage, then there's REALLY bad mileage. That's not far off the whopping 15 MPG I get in mine, but I'm making another 150+ hp for a 1 MPG difference. Nope. The odometer is correct but the DME sends a higher signal to the speedo. Don't ask me why.
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Nov 8, 2013 23:12
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wallaka posted:Nope. The odometer is correct but the DME sends a higher signal to the speedo. Yeah from what I understand this is correct. The computer knows the "true" (or at least a much more accurate) speed but intentionally sends a number fudged upward by about 5-10% to the speedometer. And it's not just BMWs, basically all cars speedos read 5-10% higher than actual road speed. BMWs do indicate notoriously high, though. I've heard it has something to do with it being illegal for a car to indicate a speed lower than true road speed, so the manufacturers fudge it a little bit higher. I don't know how true that is, though.
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Nov 8, 2013 23:15
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I like the idea of having it corrected so I can certify it in case I need to fight a pacing ticket. I had a 96 in a 55 thrown out once on speedo certification, although that was based on the cop not having theirs in order rather than mine.
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Nov 8, 2013 23:19
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If you ever hook up an OBD2 reader like torque, you can see what your actual speed is vs the speedometer.
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Nov 8, 2013 23:47
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New Cold Weather CCV and vacuum lines are on.   Insulation on it seems solid, although I've already lost one of the little rubber bands holding it together. The connections weren't that hard to make. The most difficult one (the one that snakes thru and underneath the intake manifold) took me about 45 minutes and 3 beers, and that's because it's a blind connection. The others took around 10-15 minutes of work each. Dipstick line will go in last after I get the TB, ICV, etc. back on. Waiting on a TB gasket and a new DISA to button it up. I'm assuming that it'll be fairly easy to discern what wire connections go where on the wire box via the cable length? In my stupidity, I didn't tag them.
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Nov 8, 2013 23:53
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I pulled about 25 MPG measured at the pump over 2200 miles of roadtrip to Colorado and back, including ~400 miles of tooling around between 5000 feet and 14,000*. That sixth gear is a fuckin miracle worker when it comes to gas sippage. Computer says ~21 MPG (I reset the second when I bought it 10k ago) over time, it's a ballpark and sounds about right. *wanna feel like a chump? take your NA car to the top of Pikes or Mt. Evans.
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Nov 9, 2013 00:16
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Crustashio posted:If you ever hook up an OBD2 reader like torque, you can see what your actual speed is vs the speedometer. That's still based on wheel speed if I remember right. Just boot up something that does GPS speed.
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Nov 9, 2013 04:06
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Jonny 290 posted:Yeah, the M62 fills that bay well. Really the steering _is_ a bit vaguer, but certainly not to an extent that it makes it unpleasant -- and some judicious right foot brings everything back around in my opinion. These things feel amazing when you hammer it and get the rear planted nicely going into a curve. I find the pitman arm type steering to be a little lovely in the corners but lovely on a highway. Its heavier and seems to behave better going over uneven highway or in bad weather than rack and pinion cars i've owned.
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Nov 9, 2013 07:11
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I hate to poo poo up the thread, but here's another one on my list: http://www.certifiedautodirect.com/inventory/view/7188432?2002+BMW+5+Series+540i+4dr+Sdn+6-Spd+Manual+Euless+TX Minor imperfections on the body, front right fender liner looks loose, doesnt look like it was that well taken care of? It's not that much more than the other one I posted.
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Nov 9, 2013 11:19
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crutt posted:I hate to poo poo up the thread, but here's another one on my list: No worries. Again, if it looks beat on.... walk away. Granted the youngest E39 is 10 years old, and imperfections are normal, just fine one that was looked after. Ding in the body? Seat ripped a little? But good records? I'd buy the poo poo out of it.
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Nov 9, 2013 13:25
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So I'm getting the "coolant level low" warning when I start and shut off my car (not when running). Its not going past the midway point on the temp gauge and looking in the coolant reservoir it looks a little low so I'm hoping it's not the sensor and is actually just a little low. My question is, what coolant should I get for a 1996 M3, from what I've read you should NOT mix different coloured coolants but I can't tell what the hell colour is in there right now cause the tank itself is offgreen. Will I be fine just buying whatever green/orange/teal/rainbow coolant to top it off? Also at the end of the month I will be taking the M3 up to my parents and storing it over winter. It'll be sad to not drive it again tell spring but Wisconsin winters will destroy that car and I really want to keep it rust free (and my life). My backup winter car is a e30 325is and I miss the little guy so it's not all sad. This is my first year with the car and I'm not sure how to properly store it, anyone know of a good guide or general practices? It'll be kept in a garage obviously but how should I manage fluids and resting on the tires. I plan to do work on the car over the winter when I head up there (around Christmas) so it may need to be run once or twice. Popete fucked around with this message at 18:21 on Nov 9, 2013 |
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Nov 9, 2013 18:17
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There was no fuse in for the rear washer (once I remembered where the fuse box was) so I popped in a spare. I hit the rear washers and they ran continuously for about 6 seconds then stopped. Fuse is still good but it won't wash again. Still no wiper so I'm going to start with the multimeter tomorrow.
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Nov 9, 2013 18:20
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Popete posted:So I'm getting the "coolant level low" warning when I start and shut off my car (not when running). Its not going past the midway point on the temp gauge and looking in the coolant reservoir it looks a little low so I'm hoping it's not the sensor and is actually just a little low. My question is, what coolant should I get for a 1996 M3, from what I've read you should NOT mix different coloured coolants but I can't tell what the hell colour is in there right now cause the tank itself is offgreen. Will I be fine just buying whatever green/orange/teal/rainbow coolant to top it off? You should be using BMW blue coolant if at all possible. Even from a dealership it cost about the same as a bottle of any other coolant at an auto parts store, plus it's what the car was designed for in the first place. Don't mix it with any other colour though, and if your car has something other than BMW blue (which is more of a blue-green than blue), you should do a full flush before refilling. As for storage, run your gas tank low, then add fuel stabiliser and fill the tank full, preferably with ethanol-free gas. An oil change would be a good idea as well if you're approaching a change interval, but reasonably fresh oil won't do any harm. Fill your tires properly and get a battery tender and you should be good to go.
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Nov 9, 2013 18:44
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8ender posted:I find the pitman arm type steering to be a little lovely in the corners but lovely on a highway. Its heavier and seems to behave better going over uneven highway or in bad weather than rack and pinion cars i've owned. It's just a little sad that my old Golf from the 80's had sharper steering than a super-duper luxury BMW from the late 90's. 
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Nov 9, 2013 18:58
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Popete posted:So I'm getting the "coolant level low" warning when I start and shut off my car (not when running). Its not going past the midway point on the temp gauge and looking in the coolant reservoir it looks a little low so I'm hoping it's not the sensor and is actually just a little low. My question is, what coolant should I get for a 1996 M3, from what I've read you should NOT mix different coloured coolants but I can't tell what the hell colour is in there right now cause the tank itself is offgreen. Will I be fine just buying whatever green/orange/teal/rainbow coolant to top it off? Just top it off w/ distilled water -- if its not *super* low, don't add coolant. Regarding storage, you can get pretty anal, but if you want to be able to fire it right up come spring time: 1) Add fuel stabilizer, idle the car for a couple minutes. 2) Disconnect the battery. 3) If you want to be anal about the tires, jack it up and put it on jackstands. Though tires rarely get irreparable flatspots unless they're super soft racing compound tires or are severely under inflated. Stardotstar fucked around with this message at 19:34 on Nov 9, 2013 |
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Nov 9, 2013 19:31
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I've been having a strange brake noises that I could use some guidance on. When I brake, I head a distinct 'clacking' sound from the front brakes, sometimes it happens exactly at the same time, sometimes I can hear it once from each wheel in quick succession. It only happens once per brake 'session,' as in, I can start to brake, the noise will occur, then it will not happen again if I get off the brakes then reapply them. It will happen consistently if I drive the car forwards and brake, then go reverse and brake, then forward again, etc. It sounds like the brake pads are moving around a bit inside the carrier, has anyone else had similar symptoms? I'm thinking about just taking the fronts apart and greasing the contact points up and seeing if that just solves the problem.
The Third Man fucked around with this message at 16:22 on Nov 10, 2013 |
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Nov 10, 2013 16:18
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First thing to check RIGHT NOW is that the bolts holding the caliper haven't backed out.
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Nov 10, 2013 16:43
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If it was a loose caliper bracket it'd probably make a noise so bad you wouldn't want to drive the car. Ask me how I know!
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Nov 10, 2013 16:49
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Sounds like the clip decided to depart. You should be able to visually check without removing a wheel.
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Nov 10, 2013 17:23
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Clips are still there, and the calipers feel solid. Yesterday I did a visual check and grabbed the whole assembly and gave it a good yank to check for any play and didn't feel anything. I will check the torque before I pull everything apart to make sure, but it felt pretty solid. Any other areas I should check?
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Nov 10, 2013 17:46
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Do you happen to have Akebono pads? I have a clunk when I brake lightly at low speeds, but I've read that Akebonos sometimes have fitment issues and one of the pads moves around slightly in the caliper.
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Nov 10, 2013 18:13
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concise posted:Do you happen to have Akebono pads? I have a clunk when I brake lightly at low speeds, but I've read that Akebonos sometimes have fitment issues and one of the pads moves around slightly in the caliper. No idea, I'm afraid. I've had the same pads since I acquired the car a couple years ago, but I don't remember it doing this when I first got it.
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Nov 10, 2013 18:20
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Are you sure it's brake noise? These cars don't normally have front brake clunking issues as long as the pads have life in them and the clips are there.
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Nov 10, 2013 18:36
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8ender posted:First thing to check RIGHT NOW is that the bolts holding the caliper haven't backed out. My E30 was totaled because of this.
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Nov 10, 2013 19:22
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Trip report: they were Bosch pads, and disassembling and regreasing the contact points on the carrier seems to have resolved the noise for now. I also discovered the slide pins where corroded as all hell because some fuckwit didn't replace the dust caps though, so now I have to deal with that... I noticed on one side that the pad that is mounted on the piston was quite loose in the bore, like I could pop it out with very little pressure from just one finger, is this anything to be concerned about? I only mention it because I just did my rear pads, and they fit quite snugly so I wanted to make sure.
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Nov 10, 2013 20:59
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Hmm do the fronts have the fingers that spread out to stay in the piston bore? I thought that was just the rears. Been a while since I looked at my brakes. That will absolutely cause clunking. The fix is to either replace the pads or bend the fingers out a little bit.
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Nov 10, 2013 22:32
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Who knows the trick that I obviously don't know about the electrical connection to the Throttle Body on an e46?  I can seat it fully, but it isn't locked when I do that. I know it fastens by turning clockwise(I unseated it by turning CC), but I can't for the life of me get it to fasten that way. Any suggestions/ideas? Do the arrows line up? Is that the trick to getting it to rotate correctly to seat? (I've tried this already but been unsuccessful. EDIT: Nevermind. Everyone else who has this problem should make sure the outside can spin independent of the plug. Mine was gunked up and couldn't. Viper_3000 fucked around with this message at 23:20 on Nov 10, 2013 |
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Nov 10, 2013 22:33
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revmoo posted:Hmm do the fronts have the fingers that spread out to stay in the piston bore? I thought that was just the rears. Been a while since I looked at my brakes. That will absolutely cause clunking. The fix is to either replace the pads or bend the fingers out a little bit. They do indeed have the fingers. If it starts again I will give that a shot, thanks!
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Nov 10, 2013 23:00
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