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mafoose posted:Can it be a crescent? The clearance is very narrow. I think an adjustable crescent would be too wide. A 32mm or 1 1/4 service wrench or box wrench is prob the only thing skinny enough. This is on my car, you're might be considerably easier...
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Jul 12, 2014 14:02
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Don't forget it's reverse-threaded also. I found a 5-pound sledge hammering on the end of the wrench to work pretty well at removal. Just keep hitting it with sharp taps until it comes loose.
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Jul 12, 2014 14:38
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PaintVagrant posted:The clearance is very narrow. I think an adjustable crescent would be too wide. A 32mm or 1 1/4 service wrench or box wrench is prob the only thing skinny enough. This is on my car, you're might be considerably easier...
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Jul 12, 2014 16:53
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I test drove an M4 today. loving hell what a car. Anyone ordered one?
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Jul 12, 2014 18:21
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Quick question since it's bugging me and I'm on my phone so looking it up is a pain in the rear end. E34 5 series, is it similar to the E30/36 3-series where you can bolt the M suspension goodies onto a non-M without problem? I have a line on a stupidly cheap E34 wagon with some rear end damage...a tree fell on it. Therefore I want to make it into a M5 pickup truck because I'm an idiot.
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Jul 12, 2014 18:39
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NitroSpazzz posted:Quick question since it's bugging me and I'm on my phone so looking it up is a pain in the rear end. E34 5 series, is it similar to the E30/36 3-series where you can bolt the M suspension goodies onto a non-M without problem? You must mean an M5 Ute. It has been done before, in the land down under.
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Jul 12, 2014 18:48
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9U61aeJenc Fingers crossed that this will not be expensive  The turbo was replaced in 2012, I can't imagine it being shot this soon.
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Jul 12, 2014 18:49
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Confession: I had a nightmare about my BMW overheating last night
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Jul 12, 2014 18:53
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You haven't been a BMW owner long enough then. Its just an every day occurrence  Edit: my 5 series were decent actually. I felt like I was replacing suspension parts more often.
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Jul 12, 2014 20:08
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A friend of mine had the upper coolant hose neck on his E36 break off on him the other day. Apparently it's the OEM radiator in a 1993 325i with 188k+ miles.  I told him how lucky he's been to have it last as long as it did and to replace it with an aluminum one, but drat. That has to be pretty close to a record right?
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Jul 12, 2014 21:18
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rscott posted:A friend of mine had the upper coolant hose neck on his E36 break off on him the other day. Apparently it's the OEM radiator in a 1993 325i with 188k+ miles. Replaced mine at roughly the same mileage. Not sure if it was the factory unit or not, but it was broke in exactly the same way. One day I parked it in the garage and as I was walking away I heard a pop and then a splash.
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Jul 12, 2014 21:45
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So somebody broke into my 323 last night and broke open the glove box and stole an $8 socket set out of the back seat. The good news is they found an original key in the glove box, which means the anti theft isn't locked out like I thought since said original key still won't start the car. It's got a really, really weak crank too. Even with a jump it acts like it doesn't want to turn over. I'll post a video in a bit but does anyone have any ideas?
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Jul 13, 2014 01:00
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If the battery is super shot it can impede the whole electrical system enough that even a jump won't bring the car to life. BMWs and E46s are especially sensitive to dead batteries.
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Jul 13, 2014 01:31
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Guinness posted:If the battery is super shot it can impede the whole electrical system enough that even a jump won't bring the car to life. BMWs and E46s are especially sensitive to dead batteries. This times a million. Get your battery checked first before anything else.
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Jul 13, 2014 01:53
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BrokenKnucklez posted:You haven't been a BMW owner long enough then. Its just an every day occurrence My E34 hungers for bushings and batteries. Everything else lasted a long time.
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Jul 13, 2014 07:09
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I need to do the clutch, oil pan gasket and front end on my e39. For the clutch, I'll probably do the Valeo single mass flywheel. Anyone have any thoughts on that? I'm used to driving a 71 fiat spider that has a clutch cable, so the whole "driving comfort" BS of dual mass flywheels and self adjusting clutches just makes me have a more difficult time driving. For the front end stuff, should I replace the arms, rods and so forth, or just the bushings? Any thoughts on poly bushings on an e39?
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Jul 13, 2014 07:28
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I won't put anything but rubber bushings on my car just because I don't want to remove the BMW-ness of it. I think that would apply doubly to a 5-series. Same with the flywheel to be honest. Unless I was doing a crazy street fighter build I wouldn't want to make too many compromises. Hell I kind of regret installing coilovers due to the stiffness of the ride.
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Jul 13, 2014 14:27
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Viper_3000 posted:This times a million. Get your battery checked first before anything else. Battery is only a few months old, but the car has been sitting dead for a solid part of that. Can you kill a battery that fast? Here's video of me trying to start it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E844Uq0j5qY
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Jul 13, 2014 15:05
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Return Of JimmyJars posted:Battery is only a few months old, but the car has been sitting dead for a solid part of that. Can you kill a battery that fast? On a BMW you can at least drain the battery that fast. That video sounds like a weak battery plus a no fuel or spark issue. Maybe the fuel pump? If you turn the key to run but don't start it, do you hear a buzzing noise that lasts about 3 seconds? If not, it's probably the pump.
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Jul 13, 2014 15:36
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Hi there folks. I'm in the market for a nice mid-size car and a 540i caught my eye. Unfortunately the listing has expired so I can't link you but it was a 1999 BMW 540i SE (they claim it has all options). May I ask opinions - I think it's an E38 - does anyone have experience with this chassis and engine? I have heard a lot of talk about the cooling systems having issues - this car was 120000km on the clock - so I'd like to have my eyes as wide open as possible going into it. Any advice would be greatly welcomed. What in particular would I need to check when inspecting the car pre-purchase? Do they have any gremlins or quirks to be aware of?
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Jul 13, 2014 17:22
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I read an interesting quote regarding forums and failures of the cars the forums post about... "Remember that auto-manufactures produce hundreds of thousands of cars and for every one, say water pump, that fails...another 10,000 last for the lifetime of the vehicle." Saying that every cooling system or every 7 series will explode every time is a little insane. Toyota Venza's probably do the same poo poo, only no one cars so post about it.
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Jul 13, 2014 17:39
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Two Finger posted:Hi there folks. I'm in the market for a nice mid-size car and a 540i caught my eye. Unfortunately the listing has expired so I can't link you but it was a 1999 BMW 540i SE (they claim it has all options). May I ask opinions - I think it's an E38 - does anyone have experience with this chassis and engine? I have heard a lot of talk about the cooling systems having issues - this car was 120000km on the clock - so I'd like to have my eyes as wide open as possible going into it. Any advice would be greatly welcomed. What in particular would I need to check when inspecting the car pre-purchase? Do they have any gremlins or quirks to be aware of? Are you mechanically inclined at all? If so, be prepared to spend 2-3x what you're used to on common wear parts. Get a thorough PPI from a BMW or Euro specialist shop. If the owner doesn't have maintenance records available to you be prepared to immediately replace the entire cooling system. The suspension is probably shot unless it looks like it's been replaced recently. Auto or Manual? The auto will probably poo poo the bed soon if it hasn't already, the manual is basically bulletproof. Basically, unless you are comfortable doing your own work, I wouldn't recommend a 15 year old BMW to be your first foray into the brand. You'd be in for a ton of expensive visits to a mechanic.
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Jul 13, 2014 17:40
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If its a 5 series produced from 97-03 its an E39. If its a 7 series built from 95-01 its an E38. That being said I gave some advice a few pages back in regards to 7 series. For the TLDR crowd, the mechanicals are fine, its the rest of the bullshit that's a nightmare.
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Jul 13, 2014 17:49
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The auto in my 99 540i gets beaten like a red headed step child at 210000 km with no signs of letting up. But yeah, that other things he said. Also assuming you're Canadian because of the kilometers thing, You also don't want it as your main car because you will have to wait for parts. I live in a city of 100k, nobody stocks oil filters and basic poo poo like control arms or the aux fan is anywhere from 3 to 10 times rock auto prices. Also, be prepared to live with broken luxury stuff because it's not worth the time and money to fix. Outside air temp sensor disappeared because they attached it ita flimsy piece of plastic on the wheel well? Oh well I guess it's -40 forever.
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Jul 13, 2014 17:52
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Powershift posted:The auto in my 99 540i gets beaten like a red headed step child at 210000 km with no signs of letting up. I'm actually from NZ. And to the guy who asked, I'm a ship's engineer so yes I'm mechanically inclined. Also I'm only home four months of the year so at best it'll be lightly used. My situation is a little unusual in that it'll only be used a few months of the year, so I wanted to get something a bit nicer than your average Corolla or whatever. Thanks for the info regarding the mechanicals being sound but the rest poo poo - I've heard similar so I guess it's just a case of how much poo poo I can live with. I hadn't heard that about the suspension though - I will look very very closely at that. Thanks for the advice.
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Jul 13, 2014 18:04
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I would not recommend a BMW if its going to sit... They like to be driven.... And if not they fall apart. I would say go for a Lexus. Nice ride but less headaches. I know this isn't automotive sanity, but you will save yourself a ton of time and money
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Jul 13, 2014 19:40
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gigButt posted:I read an interesting quote regarding forums and failures of the cars the forums post about... Uh right let's assume for every one of us that have had cooling system issues that there are 10,000 people that haven't. Hell, why not 100,000? How about a million?
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Jul 13, 2014 19:56
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SuperDucky posted:Paging execudork to your SAMart thread. I don't have PM's get back with me at jwilliamshirley at le google mail please. Whoops, sorry I've been horribly neglectful. Email on its way. Crossposted to my neglected SAMart thread.
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Jul 13, 2014 21:50
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gigButt posted:Saying that every cooling system or every 7 series will explode every time is a little insane. Toyota Venza's probably do the same poo poo, only no one cars so post about it. German plastic just plain doesn't like or hold up to the thermal cycling it endures. As a bonus, when the cooling system goes in a BMW it likes to take the entire motor with it instead of just popping a headgasket like most other makes.
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Jul 13, 2014 22:04
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I really don't have any issues with the BMW cooling systems as long as you treat them as a system that needs to be totally thrown out and replaced at regular intervals. It's not like BMW are the only cars with plastic end tanks or rubber hoses or anything.
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Jul 13, 2014 22:12
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Two Finger posted:I'm actually from NZ. And to the guy who asked, I'm a ship's engineer so yes I'm mechanically inclined. Also I'm only home four months of the year so at best it'll be lightly used. My situation is a little unusual in that it'll only be used a few months of the year, so I wanted to get something a bit nicer than your average Corolla or whatever. Thanks for the info regarding the mechanicals being sound but the rest poo poo - I've heard similar so I guess it's just a case of how much poo poo I can live with. I hadn't heard that about the suspension though - I will look very very closely at that. Thanks for the advice. Something specific to New Zealand - it is very common for the car to have been a second hand import from one of the UK, Singapore or Japan so it is well worth checking out that out (you can look it up by plate at https://www.carjam.co.nz). You want to be careful with rust on UK sourced cars and electrics on those from Singapore (extreme humidity). Also (I don't think this applied to a 540i) some Japanese imports have different parts to cars for other markets (for instance some 3 series used Japanese automatic transmissions which BMW never managed to get working properly)
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Jul 13, 2014 23:54
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Actual progress on my pull-some-parts project. Today was big chunks of the interior, but by no means everything requested. Timmy Cruise - the shift knob is pulled and ready for you. Your offer of help is greatly appreciated - how about next weekend? Saturday afternoon? I'll send you a PM. Xy Hapu - the window switches and sunroof sunroof switches are exactly the same. All are ready for you, along with the 11-button (not 7-button) OBC, the climate control module, and the sunroof motor. So far, the sunroof motor is by a large margin the heaviest thing so as long as the rest fits into the box I've got for you shipping cost probably won't go up much. The front vents are moulded into the dash, do you still want them? The pieces will be fairly large. revmoo - shift boot, center console (multiple big bits of plastic), and still-packaged brake wear sensor ready to go (well, after I clean them). I guess at this point the only person whose request is satisfied is Timmy Cruise, who is local, so I'll see you sometime? EDIT: I dug into the closet of doom and found the additional lights the P.O. gave me when I bought the car. I don't know anything about these, they appear to be aftermarket additions that make your car more Euro-esque: clear lights! I have no idea what these are worth - so as of right now, free (you cover cost of shipping) to any Goon! Or a great deal of appreciation from me if you can convince me they're worth some money. Brand new, similar items seem to be worth a few bucks but these look used.  Spare Lights 4 by Execudork, on Flickr(click through to my flickr to see the rest of the pictures). ExecuDork fucked around with this message at 01:17 on Jul 14, 2014 |
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Jul 14, 2014 00:34
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 those lights. I'll get with ya on shipping. Oh yeah what about the steering wheel?
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Jul 14, 2014 02:04
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I just bought the goofy water pulley "holder" tool on ebay, because repeated hammer slammering of my 32mm box wrench did not loosen it up from the fan clutch. Just spins the pulley under the belt a little. As far as stupid little BMW tools like this, I am perfectly willing to swap/lend via mail this type of poo poo that gets used a couple of times and then shelved. gently caress paying 20+ bux for a piece of sheet metal with a few holes in it. BEATER e39 540i PROGRESS REPORT Radiator out. Coolant out. (mostly, the block plugs are a bitch to get to, blocked by the subframe and exhaust manifolds) Coolant has lots of metal flakes in it and the radiator is by no definition rectangular anymore. Its got a weird round bulge on the bottom and is in horrendous shape. I assume the metal flakes are from the rad or the water pump fragging itself. No probs there, replacements sitting here waiting to go in as soon as I can get that loving CLUTCH FAN OFF Oil out. No metal flakes or chunks of timing chain guides so far! Had to open up the oil pan sensor hole (3 bolts) because... Drain plug stripped beyond any chance of getting it out without dropping the pan. Pan gasket is leaky as gently caress, so 2 birds one stone. Hopefully I can find someone locally who can take a look at this and figure out what is up. Hopefully just the bolt is stripped. Someone on a facebook bimmer group said the internal nut may need to be re-welded in the pan. Not sure, we will see.
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Jul 14, 2014 02:20
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revmoo posted:
Totally off-the-top-of-my head based on previous experience with receiving shipments I'm guessing the shipping cost will be around $40-50. Ya sure you don't want those lights? (my plan if nobody wants them is to leave them in the back seat when the carcass goes to the junkyard)
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Jul 14, 2014 05:15
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PaintVagrant posted:I just bought the goofy water pulley "holder" tool on ebay, because repeated hammer slammering of my 32mm box wrench did not loosen it up from the fan clutch. Just spins the pulley under the belt a little.  Substitute "rent said tools for an hour while you do this as necessary." Execudork: you have an email. Everyone else: his OBC is still for sale. e: I should also say, the "oh, just whack the 32mm with a deadblow will knock it loose," people, I'd like to see it before I believe it. IMO, the holder is a necessity. SuperDucky fucked around with this message at 05:40 on Jul 14, 2014 |
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Jul 14, 2014 05:35
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ExecuDork posted:Xy Hapu - the window switches and sunroof sunroof switches are exactly the same. All are ready for you, along with the 11-button (not 7-button) OBC, the climate control module, and the sunroof motor. So far, the sunroof motor is by a large margin the heaviest thing so as long as the rest fits into the box I've got for you shipping cost probably won't go up much. The front vents are moulded into the dash, do you still want them? The pieces will be fairly large. Thanks a ton! As for the vents, I'm willing to pay the shipping as long as it doesn't end up being ridiculous (like >$50) and you can find a box for them; if it looks like it'll be a hassle it's no big deal at all to leave them out though.
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Jul 14, 2014 05:55
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Can someone explain to me why there aren't aftermarket kits to replace all of the lovely/failure prone bits of the various GDCSes with non-lovely, non-failure prone bits? Like replace the plastic bits with aluminum, and replace the water pump with one that doesn't explode so often? Seems like a no-brainer.
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Jul 14, 2014 09:50
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A last resort trick to getting stuck fan clutches off is to use a long pointed air hammer bit with an air hammer. You lightly hit the right edge of one of the flats on the hex of the fan clutch to get a divot going for the bit to grab onto, then progressively increase the force of the air hammer until it comes loose. I'd recommend replacing the fan clutch if you go this route. I really don't condone it though and if you're not comfortable with power tools don't even attempt it. You'll gently caress poo poo up quick fast and in a hurry. I've also seen an air hammer bit with with a pivoting 32 mm open end attachment, but I don't know who sells it. EDIT: found it. http://www.lislecorp.com/divisions/products/?product=259 Lufiron fucked around with this message at 10:37 on Jul 14, 2014 |
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Jul 14, 2014 10:31
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Backov posted:Can someone explain to me why there aren't aftermarket kits to replace all of the lovely/failure prone bits of the various GDCSes with non-lovely, non-failure prone bits? Like replace the plastic bits with aluminum, and replace the water pump with one that doesn't explode so often? There are. Stewart lifetime warranty WP + silicon hose kit + aluminum rad with integrated surge tank.
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Jul 14, 2014 13:07
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