Chance To Buy E39 CHEAP! Needs Water Pump - Help

[masbury]

Have an opportunity to buy an E39 ('97) in need of a water pump with 220k miles, runs and drives well and everything else works for $650. Questions:
Is waterpump a pain in the a**? Is this car worth the fix? Is there anything else I should watch for that is specific to e39's?
All help appreciated.

[Mcdiver]

I got a free bmw that needed a water pump. I'm in for over $5k right now. But I am a stickler for details, have done a lot of stuff that didn't "need" to be done.

[JPR10]

How do you know it only needs a water pump? Yes an E39 for that price is good...

If it needs a water pump, I assume it has had cooling issues... Has the car over heated?

If all else checks out, get it for 650... WP is not that bad of a job, and is worth it to change out for that price, easily!

[masbury]

Seller says it needs a waterpump. I'm going to take a look in the next day or two. I can only assume an overheat is super serious. Are there long term issues to that? Something warping? Is this a "standard" problem with 528's? I have a 635, an 850 and a 750, so I'm kind of used to each models quirks. E39's are new to me.

[djb2]

The typical death of an e39 is a cooling system failure. The head warps, cracks and pulls the head bolt threads out of the block in under a minute when there is no coolant circulating.

The owner then puts the car up for sale while listing some minor problem such as "needs water pump" / thermostat / radiator. But any one of those parts is relatively inexpensive to replace compared to the value of a fully-working e39. The current owner would fix the problem if that simple. But they know that it was overheated and prefer to hide the serious problem with a trivial one.

[keithm89]

The typical death of an e39 is a cooling system failure. The head warps, cracks and pulls the head bolt threads out of the block in under a minute when there is no coolant circulating.

The owner then puts the car up for sale while listing some minor problem such as "needs water pump" / thermostat / radiator. But any one of those parts is relatively inexpensive to replace compared to the value of a fully-working e39. The current owner would fix the problem if it that simple. But they know that it was overheated and prefer to hide the serious problem with a trivial one.

Exactly this. Chances are it ran with no coolant and the head is ruined.

[edjack]

With three other Bimmers, you are the Masochist of the Month.

Even if you need to swap out the engine, it sounds like a pretty good deal. The car MAY be worth as much as $2500 if it were operational. The general condition, including cosmetics, will help you decide.

[Mcdiver]

If this is a 97, it should have the iron block which is more resilient than the tu motors.

[Michael97528i]

If this is a 97, it should have the iron block which is more resilient than the tu motors.

Yes, block should be fine. Go into this though planning to replace the entire cooling system as well as the head. I would be very surprised if it only needs a water pump.

[dannyzabolotny]

Yeah, I can almost 99% guarantee that head gasket is blown, which is why it keeps overheating and thus "needs a water pump." Most people that own these 528i's don't think about the cooling system until after they've overheated it and blown the head gasket. You'll need a new head gasket, new head bolts, a professional machine shop resurfacing for the head, and a complete cooling system replacement.

I would almost recommend just sourcing an intact, good condition M52 instead. It'll be cheaper and faster.

[m735is]

Look at it, drive it, test some stuff, then come back and ask if $650 is worth it.

I bought my 97 with "over heating" problems. I did a compression test, drove it home, bleed it REALLY good and replaced the radiator cap with a used one I had at home. It's been fine for 7 months so far-- free fixes are always good.

And I say free knowing full well it will need the front suspension rebuilt, most of the rear suspension rebuilt, etc, etc....

As with anything, you have to weight the pros and cons and see if it's worth it you. Since you have the other cars, for the most part, the early I-6 e39's aren't that bad to work on.

[fullthrottle540]

The typical death of an e39 is a cooling system failure. The head warps, cracks and pulls the head bolt threads out of the block in under a minute when there is no coolant circulating.

The owner then puts the car up for sale while listing some minor problem such as "needs water pump" / thermostat / radiator. But any one of those parts is relatively inexpensive to replace compared to the value of a fully-working e39. The current owner would fix the problem if that simple. But they know that it was overheated and prefer to hide the serious problem with a trivial one.

Yup. Nothing like an E39 that "needs water pump" or "needs timing chain." Gotta love it.

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Have an opportunity to buy an E39 ('97) [...] runs and drives

I only hear the term "runs and drives" at salvage car auctions.... this means that the engine starts and the car is capable of moving a few feet under its own power. You can fill an engine with human urine and it will "run and drive" fantastically.

For a $500 E39 that "runs and drives," check http://www.copart.com


(http://www.copart.com)