Sell the 540i or fix her?

[supark]

Well my 540i is toast. I'd been trying to track down a whirring "jetson-car" sound and had replaced my alternator and belt tensioner with no luck.

Yesterday I put her back together to take a test drive with the new parts and a few minutes into the drive I start to hear a rattle at idle that sounded like lifter slap. Got home and checked and the slap is coming from the driver side bank. Pretty sure the camchain slipped a tooth. There are metal shavings in the oil filter so I'm pretty sure the engine is toast..

I'm kinda at my wit's end right now. Way I figure I could maybe get like $2500-3000 out of the car as a "fixer-upper" if I sell her now - it's still driveable. Or I could put god knows what into a rebuild or new engine - I'm sure at least $4-5k and then maybe recoup it selling it because I just don't want to deal with the headaches anymore. I don't know what to do.. what would you do in my situation?

[gjVah]

That's sad to hear bro :( I would fix it, but that's just me..

[taylorwilsdon]

If you end game is to sell it, don't dump more money into it. It'll start at "4k/5k" and then you'll keep going and going because little things won't be quite right and by the end you'll have too much money in it and won't be able to sell it without taking a major loss.

[cdb3113]

... tough call. There was a guy on the forum that had metal shavings in his motor too. He found a motor and replaced it.

You have a lot into the car, right? If you sell it, what would you get? If the answer is another E39, I would fix this one.


It loves you, and you know it. This is just a big fight.

[Cyrix2k]

If it's still running, examine the damage before making any big calls. Just don't turn it on again until you do!

[SleekBMW]

honestly, in my 528i, i had about 7k worth of repair, i wish i would have just kept it and repaired it. Even though they have their problems, owning and driving one is just an experience like no other (no other car can fulfill). So keep it, find used parts and just swap engines if need be.

[JackEatsEmoKids]

Put an M5 V10 in it.

I have a 740iL like that at work now....guys going to buy a new engine.

[Busta]

Fix it if you love it :)

[bimmerE36freak]

sorry to hear about this sung, you have a sick car. IMO, it's time for an LS1 swap!

[teedub21]

sorry to hear about this sung, you have a sick car. IMO, it's time for an LS1 swap!
You beat me to it. I was going to say 350 crate motor!

[chucksrt]

fix it, I would hate to see a chevy engine in it as a replacement option, some of the volvo guys do that with ford motors, I would think even less of it in a BMW. If you are comfortable selling it the way it is and letting it go that cheap then more power to ya, if you think the world of it fix'er up.

[jnyost]

I have a good motor. :)

[boomshakalaka]

fix it, I would hate to see a chevy engine in it as a replacement option, some of the volvo guys do that with ford motors, I would think even less of it in a BMW. If you are comfortable selling it the way it is and letting it go that cheap then more power to ya, if you think the world of it fix'er up.


I think dropping in a chevy crate motor is better than just scrapping the thing. If my engine goes (please no..) Im pretty sure a american crate motor would be my only option if I wanted to keep the car. I just dont have funds for anything from bmw.

[SleekBMW]

I think dropping in a chevy crate motor is better than just scrapping the thing. If my engine goes (please no..) Im pretty sure a american crate motor would be my only option if I wanted to keep the car. I just dont have funds for anything from bmw.

Buy it from the junk yard. no? why isnt that an option? am i missing something here?

[jnyost]

I don't see anything wrong with a transplant.

[D540i]

get another m62
at 2k it isnt too bad, if i can afford it while going to college you can.
nothing "came up" when doing my swap.

[chucksrt]

honestly an LS1 isn't that cheap to fix if something big were to break. not to mention all of the custom work to fit it, you would have spent less just fixing it from the get go. I think if your plan is to make some crazy custom twin turbo LS1 then s cool but if your just looking for drivability then keep what belongs there. I just think of a chevy motor and I pop the hood on my nice BMW 5 series and find an oil soaked chevy motor in it's place, I think I'd have a stroke. I like chevy for a nova build or a vega or even a 90's caviler but not a 5 series.

[supark]

Ha well though I also share your enthusiasm for a chevy small block transplant, I really just need a reliable daily driver right now. I could put a new engine in her and maybe be out $5k or so including labor and such, but I just don't have the time or energy. Gonna see if I can get $3-4k out of it as a fixer upper.. kills me if I think about it too much considering how much I've put into her in the past couple years, but hell you can't look at a car as an investment.

I was able to pick up a good condition 98 528i 5-speed down in San Bruno for $4k. At least I know how solid the engine and tranny is on the 528i, and hey it's black - which is what I've been wanting for a while. Also picked up a set of low mileage sports shocks that I'll be throwing on along with a set of H&R sport springs. M5 bumper will be coming from umnitza, and am planning to get some Linea Corse Z2S wheels once the smoke clears.

[chucksrt]

so what are the specifics of the car you will be selling? Year, miles , condition, pics: and problems?

[kylegill]

... tough call. There was a guy on the forum that had metal shavings in his motor too. He found a motor and replaced it.

You have a lot into the car, right? If you sell it, what would you get? If the answer is another E39, I would fix this one.


It loves you, and you know it. This is just a big fight.


That guy would be me. :D I had the exact same problem. New engine cost me $2,400 local (a little more than that if you go with Bav Auto (plus $300 shipping) but they guarantee motor for 2 years with certain conditions) and I probably spent another $600-$700 changing the clutch ($362), gaskets etc.

I did all the work myself (with a buddy) so no labor. It took us about 4 weekends (5 hours/day) working at beer/talk women pace... I would figure another $2000 - $3000 if I had to pay someone labor to do it.

It was not a bad DIY at all; it also took a little longer because the donor motor came out of an automatic car and we had to swap out harnesses/alternator coolant plumbing.

It also helped that my buddy had all the necessary tools to do the job.

Good luck...

[chucksrt]

most indy shops only charge between $600-$800 but then they get you for new seals and other misc. that start jacking you up.

[kylegill]

most indy shops only charge between $600-$800 but then they get you for new seals and other misc. that start jacking you up.

I think $600-$800 is not realistic (I may be wrong). $3,000 was what the stealership quoted my brother at their inflated labor rates. Might be less at a local shop but I still think it would take a pro shop (1.5 people for the job) about 3 days to do. At 8 hours per day, that is 36 manhours. 36 manhours times ~$60 per hour is $2,160.

$800 for an engine change (@ $60/hour) would mean it would take one person 13.33 hours (1.67 days) or 2 persons 6.7 hours. That's near impossible IMHO. $1,500 is the minimum possible labor time but I could be wrong...

[chucksrt]

their labor rates aren't the only thing they inflate. Job time vary from tech to tech. most dealers don't go by a motors manual time or follow a standard like the Indy, they try to pay for their steak dinners assuming that the BMW owner has deep pockets their belief is that if you are coming to the dealer for service then you paying for a factory trained tech to take it to the next level when in all reality the only difference is that the A tech (hopefully) assigned to work on your car will be good, fast and clean but in the end is still doing the same job the Indy. I work at a dealership where two different techs can price a job over 4 hours different for the same thing. generally only maint. items have a fixed time. So $800 is fair to say, and again the Indy generally doesn't charge per hour because that would leave them unable to quote a final price until the job was done.

[teedub21]

I don't think there is any way to get it R&R'd for under a grand. A guy I know specializes in Chevy trucks charges $750 to do a motor swap in one of those!

Before you get way way ahead of yourself, why don't you get it towed to a good indy BMW mechanic and get the problem diagnosed?

[dinan e39]

supark, did you have 19" m-pars on your 540? if so, are you transferring them over to your 528.

[supark]

The car's gone, sold it to a local bmw tech for a decent price. I'm not going to say what I sold it for, because the whole situation pains me, but think what a 99 540i with 105k miles and some decent mods would go for then subtract about $5-6k from that.

I had a buddy who's a better mechanic than I come and check it out and the short story is that it needs a new engine.

I sold it with the 19s because unfortunately the 528i I got has 15s which would not fit over the brake calipers on the 540i. I've decided I'm just going to write this off as a lesson learned. If I had just brought the car to a mechanic when I'd originally started getting the engine stumble I might have gotten away with just some minor work, but oh well - water under the bridge and all that.

I would have loved to keep it as a project car, but my landlord probably wouldn't be happy with me dropping an engine in the shared garage for the 2 weeks or so it would take for me to figure out how to get a new engine in there.

And even the cheapest shop that I'd asked was going to be about $2000 for an engine replacement for labor alone - you're not going to find someone who'll charge $600-800 anywhere

[e39dream]

:(

[chucksrt]

that sux!!!

[Payam972]

The car's gone, sold it to a local bmw tech for a decent price. I'm not going to say what I sold it for, because the whole situation pains me, but think what a 99 540i with 105k miles and some decent mods would go for then subtract about $5-6k from that.

I had a buddy who's a better mechanic than I come and check it out and the short story is that it needs a new engine.

I sold it with the 19s because unfortunately the 528i I got has 15s which would not fit over the brake calipers on the 540i. I've decided I'm just going to write this off as a lesson learned. If I had just brought the car to a mechanic when I'd originally started getting the engine stumble I might have gotten away with just some minor work, but oh well - water under the bridge and all that.

I would have loved to keep it as a project car, but my landlord probably wouldn't be happy with me dropping an engine in the shared garage for the 2 weeks or so it would take for me to figure out how to get a new engine in there.

And even the cheapest shop that I'd asked was going to be about $2000 for an engine replacement for labor alone - you're not going to find someone who'll charge $600-800 anywhere

:( should have sold it to me for my m5 swap project

[Philboski]

If I had just brought the car to a mechanic when I'd originally started getting the engine stumble I might have gotten away with just some minor work, but oh well - water under the bridge and all that.

Please describe the stumble (he asked nervously....)

[Jason5driver]

WOW!

I can't believe it...
I would have busted @ss to keep the car.
A new engine?
So be it...

[Ned Ryerson]

Fix it. If you fed up, wait a few months, take a breather, and get to work.

[supark]

I should also add that I got laid off a couple weeks ago - so trying to keep my cash reserves. Yes, I could have spent $5-6k to get the car back on the road, but then what else was gonna happen to the car? Transmission? Market isn't great for selling a higher mileage 540i, so I could maybe get $10-11k if I was lucky on the car. To me the value of the 540i was a sunk cost, so I'm fine that I was at least able to almost cover the cost of a new 528i with the proceeds of selling the fixer upper.

Oh well - I'll have pics of my new 528i on the forum soon. I've already added a sport steering wheel, hella xenons with AEs, clear side and taillites, and M5 grills. The new 528i has graphite interior trim which looks pretty hot and I'm gonna put my ipod adapter and parrot CK3000 bluetooth kit in it when I get a chance. Great thing is no freaking POS DSP so I can actually use my bluetooth when I'm listening to my radio, CD or Ipod.

I have a set of lower mileage Sachs sports shocks that I'm going to throw in with some H&R Sports - waiting till I can find a cheaper used set. Then an M5 replica bumper and Linea Corse Z2S wheels in hyperblack.


Please describe the stumble (he asked nervously....)

It acted like it was misfiring on at least 1-2 cylinders and was accompanied by a P0011 code.

[spinner187]

Man I am sorry you had to sell your 540, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

I am no where near your situation, but I am at the point where I think I should sell my 540 before I get too deep(I already spent $3800 in repairs)

I got a lifter tick(or I assume by people impressions). I got a few other things to fix on it, but to be honest If I can't get rid of that tick, I might as well sell the car.

I going to take it to a indy shop eventually for this, so I can get their opinion.

The problem is, who would buy a 123k 98' 540 with a lifter tick for a reasonable price (6k or higher)?

NO one

[Jason5driver]

Man I am sorry you had to sell your 540, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

I am no where near your situation, but I am at the point where I think I should sell my 540 before I get too deep(I already spent $3800 in repairs)

I got a lifter tick(or I assume by people impressions). I got a few other things to fix on it, but to be honest If I can't get rid of that tick, I might as well sell the car.

I going to take it to a indy shop eventually for this, so I can get their opinion.

The problem is, who would buy a 123k 98' 540 with a lifter tick for a reasonable price (6k or higher)?


NO one

Create your own thread.

[BKphoto]

I have kept cars longer than i should have and sold a couple i wish i didn't (635 csi haunts me) so i'm trying not to get all freaked out about letting things go...anyone can sell a 540 and in 2 hours find another that looks just like it...so whats the big deal...

but i can tell you i'd rather drive off a cliff than put an american motor in a german beauty...

[Jason5driver]

I should also add that I got laid off a couple weeks ago - so trying to keep my cash reserves. Yes, I could have spent $5-6k to get the car back on the road, but then what else was gonna happen to the car? Transmission? Market isn't great for selling a higher mileage 540i, so I could maybe get $10-11k if I was lucky on the car. To me the value of the 540i was a sunk cost, so I'm fine that I was at least able to almost cover the cost of a new 528i with the proceeds of selling the fixer upper.

Oh well - I'll have pics of my new 528i on the forum soon. I've already added a sport steering wheel, hella xenons with AEs, clear side and taillites, and M5 grills. The new 528i has graphite interior trim which looks pretty hot and I'm gonna put my ipod adapter and parrot CK3000 bluetooth kit in it when I get a chance. Great thing is no freaking POS DSP so I can actually use my bluetooth when I'm listening to my radio, CD or Ipod.

I have a set of lower mileage Sachs sports shocks that I'm going to throw in with some H&R Sports - waiting till I can find a cheaper used set. Then an M5 replica bumper and Linea Corse Z2S wheels in hyperblack.



It acted like it was misfiring on at least 1-2 cylinders and was accompanied by a P0011 code.

Very sorry about the job....
There are a lot of people that are in the same boat...
I am sure the 528i will be awesome!
Best of luck!
Jason

[spinner187]

Create your own thread.

Ha I am not actually trying to sell it on here. I just feel supark pain. Sometimes when it gets too much, its hard to decide to cut your loses, or keep investing.


I have kept cars longer than i should have and sold a couple i wish i didn't (635 csi haunts me) so i'm trying not to get all freaked out about letting things go...anyone can sell a 540 and in 2 hours find another that looks just like it...so whats the big deal...

but i can tell you i'd rather drive off a cliff than put an american motor in a german beauty...


Lol I have a friend who is a chevy fanatic, and he says I should trash my m62 for a ls1 and he do the installation. It just doesn't make sense to me to put a American engine in a European car unless its just a project racing car. Not a daily driver

[oekundar]

Man...that sux...glad you found a solution that works, for now.

[Philboski]

It acted like it was misfiring on at least 1-2 cylinders and was accompanied by a P0011 code.

OK. Mine acts a little funny at idle sometimes. A little lope appears from time to time when sitting at a light, that type of thing. No codes. I swear that I am simply too nervous about this car now.....

[supark]

Ha I am not actually trying to sell it on here. I just feel supark pain. Sometimes when it gets too much, its hard to decide to cut your loses, or keep investing.

Lol I have a friend who is a chevy fanatic, and he says I should trash my m62 for a ls1 and he do the installation. It just doesn't make sense to me to put a American engine in a European car unless its just a project racing car. Not a daily driver

yeah - that's where I was at, I was like well I put $5k into getting her back on the road - what happens next then, my tranny goes out?

I am however a believer in american workhouse engines. All of my father's work vans have had bulletproof V8s and V6s - cheaply rebuilt and stout as hell. His chevy astro's vortec V6 has 220k miles on it without a rebuild - the slushy transmission has been a different case, but hey bmws use getrag too. I would have loved to keep her and do a LS1 conversion but SF is not a town to have two cars in when you're living in the city.

[chucksrt]

if you want to get 220k out of an engine/trans transplant a volvo BT230FT with the auto (toyota) trans. that comes with it. :eek3 Oh well good luck with your new one.



yeah - that's where I was at, I was like well I put $5k into getting her back on the road - what happens next then, my tranny goes out?

I am however a believer in american workhouse engines. All of my father's work vans have had bulletproof V8s and V6s - cheaply rebuilt and stout as hell. His chevy astro's vortec V6 has 220k miles on it without a rebuild - the slushy transmission has been a different case, but hey bmws use getrag too. I would have loved to keep her and do a LS1 conversion but SF is not a town to have two cars in when you're living in the city.

[BKphoto]

OK. Mine acts a little funny at idle sometimes. A little lope appears from time to time when sitting at a light, that type of thing. No codes. I swear that I am simply too nervous about this car now.....


mine has been doing that for years...

[supark]

at least the 528i I got has most of the usual issues taken care of - almost all the window regulators replaced, crank position sensor, radiator/water pump/coolant hoses, new tires (albeit on lame 15" wheels), and it's getting a new clutch and valve cover gasket this week by yours truly.

[spinner187]

yeah - that's where I was at, I was like well I put $5k into getting her back on the road - what happens next then, my tranny goes out?

I am however a believer in american workhouse engines. All of my father's work vans have had bulletproof V8s and V6s - cheaply rebuilt and stout as hell. His chevy astro's vortec V6 has 220k miles on it without a rebuild - the slushy transmission has been a different case, but hey bmws use getrag too. I would have loved to keep her and do a LS1 conversion but SF is not a town to have two cars in when you're living in the city.

Yeah Chevy engine last forever if you take car of them. My same friend who is the chevy fanatic had a 1999 chevy silverado 4x4 that had 400k!, the only reason he trade it in was because he want something with more horse power(there was nothing wrong with it), and now hes got a 1995 tahoa(the big one) with 250k miles, and it runs REAL GOOD.

[Cyrix2k]

Man I am sorry you had to sell your 540, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

I am no where near your situation, but I am at the point where I think I should sell my 540 before I get too deep(I already spent $3800 in repairs)

I got a lifter tick(or I assume by people impressions). I got a few other things to fix on it, but to be honest If I can't get rid of that tick, I might as well sell the car.

I going to take it to a indy shop eventually for this, so I can get their opinion.

The problem is, who would buy a 123k 98' 540 with a lifter tick for a reasonable price (6k or higher)?

NO one lifter tick is NOT a problem.

[supark]

lifter tick is NOT a problem.

yeah hydraulic lifters in the M62s just have a certain amount of noise to them

[FP5241]

Sorry to hear Supark, very sorry... :(

[supark]

eh sh!t happens - cars are money pits no matter how you look at it. Just learned a lesson that I shouldn't buy a car for $13k if I'm not prepared to lose my "investment" in it somewhere along the line.