Leonator134's 540i/6 thread! Picz

[Leonator134]

Hello to all! It'll be a week tomorrow that I've had my E34! I just wanted to make a thread, so I can update, post pictures, and ask some questions without making a million threads!

So, I'll give a quick synopsis of the past week since I got the car home!
-Replaced the two bulbs that were out- all lights are now 100%
-Full interior detailing- seat removal for leather conditioning, extensive vacuuming, the whole 9 yards.
-Engine bay detailing
-Vacuum leak search- yielded no leaks
-Pulled off coil covers, and pulled out coils to look for any oil leakage for valve cover gaskets- hardly any, just a tiny bit.
-Fixed seat twist (mostly) today!
-Have hood struts coming on Monday
-Gave it a bath today, wax coming tomorrow.

That's about all that's been done this week- it's road ready!

Future plans:
-Compression test tomorrow (no reason to believe it has poor compression, just want to know!)
-Oil change next weekend, as well as lower pan gasket and checking for any oil pump bolts
-Spark plugs (Bosch vs. NGK!?)
-Hood strut installation
-Valve cover gaskets

That's all for now! Will update tomorrow with the compression figures!

Now, here's some pics from today!










And of course:


There y'all go, hope ya likin' whatcha see! (Sorry for hazy interior pics- iphone cam)

Leo

[Steve547i]

Love the color combo

[jehu]

Oh man it looks awesome.. great colos and such clean paint.. wtg... try Leatherique for the ultimate leatherr treatment .. Rejuvinator oil after Prestine Clean....

BMW now reccoemnds the NGK dual prong parts for these cars ...

[Leonator134]

Thanks Steve, me too!

Thank for the info Jehu, I'll be sure to check those things out! The paint is quite nice, but the hood was repainted, and you can see it doesn't match 100% in direct sunlight. Brake ducts also do not match. Doesn't bother me though!

[CarlfromBoston]

I have loved mine and it keeps truckin. Fun neat little cars.

[thatonedood]

Looks good Leo. You and I are in pretty similar situations having the same care ( got mine in the summer; tho yours looks cleaner. ) I have to do all the things on your to do list too. Looking forward to seeing your progress

*edit- Just bought spark plugs. Waiting til I do VCGs before I swap them out. I got NGK BKR6EK's based on what I saw here

[Leonator134]

Looks good Leo. You and I are in pretty similar situations having the same care ( got mine in the summer; tho yours looks cleaner. ) I have to do all the things on your to do list too. Looking forward to seeing your progress

Thanks! I'll be sure to update with progress!

*edit- Just bought spark plugs. Waiting til I do VCGs before I swap them out. I got NGK BKR6EK's based on what I saw here

Ahh, I see! Well I guess NGK is the way to go! I saw that thread too and have been thinking about it for a while.



Hi all! Polished her up today!

Have a look at that shine!


Ha!



Just completed the compression test as well, and it passed with flying colors!

Cylinder 1: 230 psi
Cylinder 2: 225 psi
Cylinder 3: 230 psi
Cylinder 4: 240 psi
Cylinder 5: 235 psi
Cylinder 6: 230 psi
Cylinder 7: 225 psi
Cylinder 8: 225 psi

Needless to say, I am extremely pleased!

Will be getting new sparkies this week, here's a pic of the old ones!


Any suggestions for the new ones? Was planning on getting the NGK BKR6EK's, but these old ones look pretty fancy, wondering if they're better and I should just get them again? They're NGK BKR6EQUP. 4-electrode platinum. Thoughts?

[Leonator134]

Hello again! Got some new NGK BKR6EK's in today, running great! Also threw in some new hood shocks, as the old BMW ones were mostly shot. I KNOW they're not OEM, but they're strong and will do the job for a good while.


I also investigated the heating system a little bit today, due to thinking I smelled coolant in the cabin while running the heat. However, I did not smell any today, so I am not going to worry about it right now!

Anyway, it's 100% ROAD READY! Registering it up friday after school! Woohoo! (Despite the loud exhaust leaks.. ugh... moratorium on that for now)

Leo

[thatonedood]

Sweet! Are the new plugs a noticeable difference? I'm waiting for some decent weather to do mine.

[Antrieb]

Very nice and clean. Good on you for holding out for the right one. I only hope to be as patient .

[Leonator134]

Sweet! Are the new plugs a noticeable difference? I'm waiting for some decent weather to do mine.

I did not notice a difference in the running condition. However, one would imagine there is some sort of difference made from going from old 40k+ mile plugs to brand new ones! From what I've read, the BKR6EKs are the best for the M60 so I'm pleased! Expensive plugs though... like 4.29ea plus tax! Fooey.


But no, I don't think I noticed a difference. That said, I haven't test the MPG or engine power under a load (driving) yet with the new ones, but I will for sure!

Very nice and clean. Good on you for holding out for the right one. I only hope to be as patient .

Thanks man! I did my waiting, and a good'n certainly came along. I'll be looking out for you down here on my end!

[mistanate]

Very nice- that paint looks immaculate!!

After you wash and rinse, make sure you open the doors, hood, and trunk and wipe down all the sills and bottom lips of the doors- it will inhibit rust. Water and soap get trapped in there along with dirt and grime- it's best to use a dirty microfiber towel to clean it up.

Where are you on the Cape? You're not driving this in the winter, are you??

[strayts]

Looks super nice keep us updated!

[Aradaiel]

Nice hair

[Leonator134]

Very nice- that paint looks immaculate!!

After you wash and rinse, make sure you open the doors, hood, and trunk and wipe down all the sills and bottom lips of the doors- it will inhibit rust. Water and soap get trapped in there along with dirt and grime- it's best to use a dirty microfiber towel to clean it up.

Where are you on the Cape? You're not driving this in the winter, are you??

Thanks! The paint is really is quite nice. I believe it had a full respray at one point. The hood paint is ever so slightly off, but is mostly hard to tell.

Thanks for the tip, I will be sure to do this in the future!

Right near the Bay. And yes... I am It pains me to do so, but I will be taking rust prevention measures etc etc. I won't be just driving it and letting the salt do it's thing.

Looks super nice keep us updated!

Thanks, and I will!

Nice hair

Thank ya

[ShapeShifter]

Nothing like a gods polish and buff. I'm gonna start mine soon. It's long over due.

Great color BTW. My second favorite after black of course.

[Leonator134]

I like black a lot. But I am so pleased with Akrtis.

Can't wait to see yours!

[FoxCruiser]

Wow, that looks super clean when it's all polished up. I'm going to have to get mine washed here pretty soon to catch up, methinks.

Sounds like you're doing your part to keep her on the road just fine. Great job!

[Leonator134]

Thanks!! Yes, get yours all nice and shiny and throw up a pic!

[sbeckman7]

Lookin good dude!

[SteveMD]

What's up with the brown spots on your lawn? Dog pee?

[Leonator134]

What's up with the brown spots on your lawn? Dog pee?

HA! THAT's what you notice

The spots in the center of the lawn are from the k-9 nitrogen. But the dead spots there on the front edge are from where the sprinklers don't hit.

[BruinBimmer]

Very clean, lookin good sir

[Leonator134]

Lookin good dude!

Thanks man!

Very clean, lookin good sir

Thank you much!

[raceyBMW]

holy cow, how was that thing even firing with plugs that worn, lol.

nice ride, one of my favorite E34 colors.