atl530i's 540i M-Sport project thread

[kalevera]

I remember this car, provided some stuff for the 6 speed swap, good looking ride

[Ionz]

Thanks!! I'll have to bring it out some time.

As for the car:

I would have eventually dumped the EDC when it crapped out if it still worked when I bought the car. Someone saved me the aggravation. Someone also saved me from having to do a swap if I did buy an auto E34.

So here is what I plan on doing so far.

Valve cover gaskets. The right bank (pass side) leaks bad. [I believe Fox has a nice little write up for what you should do when you do the gaskets]
Spark plugs, boots, and possibly coils. Full tune up even though it has been done within the last 1.5 years.
Intake gaskets (all of them), PCV stuff. Pretty much everything. I have no records of this being done except at 100k when the short block was replaced. I'm sure they are due for another change.
Thrust arms, lower control arms, and any other bushing that is worn on the front. A lot of the links and steering parts were already replaced within the last year.
Rear suspension rebuild. This was never done and I can tell from the 4-wheel steer I never thought I would have.
Shocks. It has bilstien sports but they ride like shit. Possibly replacing the Bav auto springs also since I do not like them. They sit nice but they are meh in my opinion.
Refinishing the T-Stars.
New headunit. I plan on keeping the original in case I ever sell the car. It works but there is no AUX plug or sat radio.

A lot of the regular maintenance stuff has already been done such as belts. I do have a bad tension pulley that makes noises when it is still cold. It has a new water pump, radiator, t-stat, t-stat housing (metal), and a lot of other costly items that I do not have to mess with. New tires within the last year and a brand new spare.

I bought the car so me and my son can have something to work on. That was what the last E34 was for until it was rear ended. There is only so much you can do to an E90 without breaking something.

Eventually I'll get around to the cosmetics but right now my attention is focused on functioning crap.

You can buy an "upgraded stock" headunit if you want to keep factory look. I personally went with an aftermarked JVC because it had bluetooth and it matches the dash lights.
contact me on facebook if you ever wanna meet up and have a chat!

(I also know someone who is good at refinishing wheels, if you don't wanna deal with it )

[HE53]

Thanks!! I'll have to bring it out some time.

As for the car:

I would have eventually dumped the EDC when it crapped out if it still worked when I bought the car. Someone saved me the aggravation. Someone also saved me from having to do a swap if I did buy an auto E34.

So here is what I plan on doing so far.

Valve cover gaskets. The right bank (pass side) leaks bad.
Spark plugs, boots, and possibly coils. Full tune up even though it has been done within the last 1.5 years.
Intake gaskets (all of them), PCV stuff. Pretty much everything. I have no records of this being done except at 100k when the short block was replaced. I'm sure they are due for another change.
Thrust arms, lower control arms, and any other bushing that is worn on the front. A lot of the links and steering parts were already replaced within the last year.
Rear suspension rebuild. This was never done and I can tell from the 4-wheel steer I never thought I would have.
Shocks. It has bilstien sports but they ride like shit. Possibly replacing the Bav auto springs also since I do not like them. They sit nice but they are meh in my opinion.
Refinishing the T-Stars.
New headunit. I plan on keeping the original in case I ever sell the car. It works but there is no AUX plug or sat radio.

A lot of the regular maintenance stuff has already been done such as belts. I do have a bad tension pulley that makes noises when it is still cold. It has a new water pump, radiator, t-stat, t-stat housing (metal), and a lot of other costly items that I do not have to mess with. New tires within the last year and a brand new spare.

I bought the car so me and my son can have something to work on. That was what the last E34 was for until it was rear ended. There is only so much you can do to an E90 without breaking something.

Eventually I'll get around to the cosmetics but right now my attention is focused on functioning crap.

Get rid of the Bav Auto springs, they're terrible, I bet you can toss some H&R's on there and be happy with the ride.

- - - Updated - - -

Also... I'd consider swapping that valley pan cover out, and putting new O-rings in the cooling tubes while you have the intake off.

[thatonedood]

That's the one fox has a write up on. ^^ Though there is a DIY for vcgs here as well.

I love red e34s. Could never pull one off, but they can look hot as hell. And OP, yours is no exception. Nice find.

[atl530i]

I did the valve cover gaskets on my old 530i, simple. The intake is another story but it needs to be done. I'll change the valley cover also. Thanks for the heads up.

The car smokes a little due to the craptastic valve cover gaskets. The amount of oil that was in the spark plug valley is amazing. The spark plugs are foiled bad because of it. I took a left turn with it today and a lot more smoke came out of the car. I read that that could be due to intake/pcv related gaskets. I took a right turn and it did not smoke at all.

[coolvegase34]

Nice

[atl530i]

Ordered all of the parts from Fox's list plus spark plugs, spark plug boots, valve cover gaskets, a bunch of spare ATC fuses, and some fluids. I also scored some spare parts locally such as good low mileage coils, valve covers (I plan on having these powder coated when I do my valve cover gaskets), headlight grill surrounds, nose piece, lkm, engine covers, and a lot of other stuff. Let the wallet attacks begin

[K Fox]

Welcome back (as it were)!! Nice score on the 6 speed...they are fun. Glad my little list helped - I was going to link it but thankfully I finished reading before I did - you already found it. One thing to consider if you know you're going to be pulling the intake off is trying to find a velocity stack manifold - they come off the E32's that were earlier than the E34 540 production. There's a thread on it (front page right now - a hot topic again), and since you're going to be in there already it would be nothing to drop one in if you can pick it up locally for cheap. Just a thought.

Fox

P.S. I also dislike Bilstein's for anything other than track driving - they suck for ride quality.

[atl530i]

I thought about the VS manifold. I may try and find an early E32 740 and try my luck. I had Bilstein sports and B&G springs on my last E34 and the ride was actually not that bad. The Bav Auto springs just absolutely suck though.

[ShapeShifter]

I loved the lowtec setup I had in my old touring. Their shocks are valved pretty good too.
I have Billie sports with eibachs now, I like the spring rate of the eibachs but the billies suck.
I'm thinking about another lowered setup. It's like $550 delivered with shocks, struts inserts, springs (choice of drop) and front strut mounts. Best bang for the buck.

[darknezz7]

Very clean, love the m sports. The quantity and quality of cars in some states is crazy compared to others. Example its rare to even get manual bmws here and you sure as hell dont get them in the junk yards to get parts off of. Nice hellrot and black, I'd love that.

So just wondering, why the hate on bav auto springs and billy sports? I read good stuff? That was what I was going to get on the 530 eventually, its shocks have gone squishy the last few years. The whole package is around $600.

Is theyre something better recommended for around that price? I want just a bit of lowering, mostly front, slightly stiffer than stock with a comfort ride. This is no track car and the roads here suck. I'm not a fan of H&R, the e36 has them with bill sports and I don't like how rough it is, maybe its the billys tho.

[atl530i]

I have read good stuff but now that I have driven a car with them, I do not like them and the good stuff is now meaningless to me. I had B&G springs in my last E34 and the ride was not harsh even with billy sports. It's probably a few hundred dollars more to not do the kit but it's worth it. If you are looking for more of a factory ride, you could go with Bilstein HD shocks or just get some new OEM shocks (not really recommended) in there.

To find my E34, I had to drive across two states to get it since GA is running low on E34s that are actually worth looking at.

[camaroguy]

I have read good stuff but now that I have driven a car with them, I do not like them and the good stuff is now meaningless to me. I had B&G springs in my last E34 and the ride was not harsh even with billy sports. It's probably a few hundred dollars more to not do the kit but it's worth it. If you are looking for more of a factory ride, you could go with Bilstein HD shocks or just get some new OEM shocks (not really recommended) in there.

To find my E34, I had to drive across two states to get it since GA is running low on E34s that are actually worth looking at.

I feel I need to point out that when he says "factory ride" he really means factory ride for a standard 540. Bilstein can't come close to factory EDC which is the "factory" ride for an M-Sport. I say so because I DD my M-Sport on a fully functional EDC suspension. It is awesome, expensive to maintain, but awesome.

Nice color on the car OP, I sometimes wish mine had the black interior. Mine is also an auto to manual swap.

[87shark]

I wish my red e34 looked like that. Looks like an awesome car.

[K Fox]

If you are looking for more of a factory ride, you could go with Bilstein HD shocks

I have to say, I disagree with this. I also have a 94 540 that sits around now, but I used to drive it all the time. I acquired it with Bilstein HD's on it, but no other mods. And I have to say, it rides like @$$. If the roads aren't perfectly glass smooth Billie's suck - they make the smallest cracks and expansion joints seem huge as they thunder across them. And this isn't my first experience with Billie's - I've had another car for 13 year that's had Billies for 12 of them - same characteristics. Great on smooth pavement, terrible on anything else. When you can feel the grit of the road coming into the car, you know you have too much damping - especially on stock springs (non-sport on the 94 - 4x4 status). Billie's just suck for a DD. My 94 with stock 15" baloon tires and stock (4x4 looking) springs rides worse than my 95 6 speed with the 18" Rondells on it. Just thought I'd share - Billie HD's are the same valving as the sports, just a bit longer to be used with stock springs. Sports are for lowered apps. Both are not ride quality friendly.

Fox (I'll go Koni or coilover - but no more Bilsitein)

[atl530i]

I feel I need to point out that when he says "factory ride" he really means factory ride for a standard 540. Bilstein can't come close to factory EDC which is the "factory" ride for an M-Sport. I say so because I DD my M-Sport on a fully functional EDC suspension. It is awesome, expensive to maintain, but awesome.

Nice color on the car OP, I sometimes wish mine had the black interior. Mine is also an auto to manual swap.

I was not referring to the EDC suspension. I guess I am too accustomed to the regular E34 suspension. I would have loved for the EDC to work but at this point, it's on the back burner if I ever want to get it working again.

I have to say, I disagree with this. I also have a 94 540 that sits around now, but I used to drive it all the time. I acquired it with Bilstein HD's on it, but no other mods. And I have to say, it rides like @$$. If the roads aren't perfectly glass smooth Billie's suck - they make the smallest cracks and expansion joints seem huge as they thunder across them. And this isn't my first experience with Billie's - I've had another car for 13 year that's had Billies for 12 of them - same characteristics. Great on smooth pavement, terrible on anything else. When you can feel the grit of the road coming into the car, you know you have too much damping - especially on stock springs (non-sport on the 94 - 4x4 status). Billie's just suck for a DD. My 94 with stock 15" baloon tires and stock (4x4 looking) springs rides worse than my 95 6 speed with the 18" Rondells on it. Just thought I'd share - Billie HD's are the same valving as the sports, just a bit longer to be used with stock springs. Sports are for lowered apps. Both are not ride quality friendly.

Fox (I'll go Koni or coilover - but no more Bilsitein)

I had good luck with my Bilstein shocks on my previous E34, they rode good to be honest. The ride did get stiffer but for me, it was to be expected. I had the HD's (came with the car when I got it) and Sports on my last E34 and could not complain. Just like everything else, opinions differ from person to person. This time around, I am looking to alternatives when the time comes to do a suspension rebuild.

[Gatch]

When I bought my Msport, my EDC was shot... I gave serious thought to restoring the system because I wanted to keep it all original, but it would have been an expensive endeaver. With 172,000 miles, I finally figured out that it was not going to be a collector car, so I gave up worring about the EDC and spend the money in other areas where I would get the most personal enjoyment out of my car.

At what mileage do you think the M-Sport loses its "collector" status?

[mgoods50]

Just a couple of things:

1. You suck
2. Just kidding- AWESOME car, I'd love to have it in my own stable.

Great score!

I may have missed it in the posts, but your smoke may be due to rear manifold cover (or ccv as incorrectly called sometimes). Does it smoke at startup after a run or two? Only one place for oil to make it's way into the intake- and that's through a malfunctioning vacuum / diaphragm in the manifold cover.

[atl530i]

Just a couple of things:

1. You suck
2. Just kidding- AWESOME car, I'd love to have it in my own stable.

Great score!

I may have missed it in the posts, but your smoke may be due to rear manifold cover (or ccv as incorrectly called sometimes). Does it smoke at startup after a run or two? Only one place for oil to make it's way into the intake- and that's through a malfunctioning vacuum / diaphragm in the manifold cover.

I kind of figured that. I read a few older threads about it and my car is doing the exact same thing as the cars from the other threads. I ordered all of the parts to fix it plus a lot more.

[Knight F Mohawk]

I. Am. So. Jealous.

[HE53]

The BavAuto springs are way too soft for whom ever was asking about them. I've had all 3 types of Bilstiens, and for a DD the billy touring shocks are awesome. I'd consider them to be similar to a factory shock. I had a set of those mated with H&R sport springs and it was great! My red car has billy sports and H&R's and with low profile tires it rides bad, but I've got some big tires on the style 5's and it handles and rides awesome... Sporty but not rough.

[atl530i]

Thanks for the input Kessler. I have H&R on my E90 and may just go with H&R on my E34 with Bilstein shocks. I'm sure the ride can't be any worse than running a car with runflats...

[ShapeShifter]

For some reason the e34 spec bilstein sports fail to deliver. As many times as I have read this over the years on e34 boards, I never really saw any truth in this. I've had them on several cars and loved them.
I have them on my e34 currently, and they do in fact suck on bad roads. They are very jarring.

[thatonedood]

Wouldn't the type of spring have something to do with it? I've heard and read that billie sports/vogtlands are terrible, but some love billie/H&R, or koni/vogtland.

[atl530i]

As of right now, I am running H&R/billie with runflats on my E90. The combo with runflats makes anything that I can possibly run on the E34 sound a lot better. I do plan on replacing the runflats as soon as they are worn.