BoldUlysses' 540i/6 Log & Thread o' Questions

[prash]

If your hair's on fire leave it in 5th. Most situations you won't need to downshift to 4h, esp after you're chipped.

There is a lot of torque & hp to be unlocked with a good tune.

Love those dove grey sports seats. Get t-stars. They go well with the rear spoiler. 17" looks great and ride quality doesn't deteriorate much.

[BoldUlysses]

Pretty much on point between the 525i5 and 540i6. When I had my 95 525i5, I noticed a lot of things about how the car handled and how it drove into a turn. My impression of the 525i5 was that it felt more nimble around turns because of less weight in the front. I am also getting used to (still) the 6th gear in mine because every BMW until this point has been a 5 speed. When I am cruising around town, I am often reminded that there is a 6th gear, lol. As far as the stiff throttle, I changed my throttle cable because mine was sticky due to some rust that was on it. Not sure if that is the case with yours but I figured I would mention that. My throttle is a lot smoother now.

I have a motorcycle-type cable luber that I'm going to try before I shell out $30 for a new cable. Nothing's going to ship until Tuesday anyway so I figure I have a couple of days...

I really, really hope I can get back some of the 525's nimbleness with the new shocks. I've never owned a car that's won me over every day with its dynamics the way the 525 did. In other words, every time I'd get close to selling it, I'd go for a drive and just revel in the way the car danced through the corners... That's part of the reason I decided to stay with the E34—as much as I'm drawn to the idea of other cars, I would have had a really hard time giving up the reality of the E34's handling excellence.

Awright!!

Way to go Matt and Fox. I know I wouldn't be able to trust a 20 year old car sight unseen to make a 1500 mile trip, wow. I'm sure you didn't save much going that direction either. Glad it worked out! Car looks awesome.

Thanks DJ.

If you're hair's on fire leave it in 5th. Most situations you won't need to downshift to 54h, esp after you're chipped.

There is a lot of torque & hp to be unlocked with a good tune.

Love those dove grey sports seats. Get t-stars. They go well with the rear spoiler. 17" looks great and ride quality doesn't deteriorate much.

I'm leaning toward T-stars, honestly. I know they're kind of the obvious choice but they look really good, and are easier to clean than 42s....

[atl530i]

I have a motorcycle-type cable luber that I'm going to try before I shell out $30 for a new cable. Nothing's going to ship until Tuesday anyway so I figure I have a couple of days...

I really, really hope I can get back some of the 525's nimbleness with the new shocks. I've never owned a car that's won me over every day with its dynamics the way the 525 did. In other words, every time I'd get close to selling it, I'd go for a drive and just revel in the way the car danced through the corners... That's part of the reason I decided to stay with the E34—as much as I'm drawn to the idea of other cars, I would have had a really hard time giving up the reality of the E34's handling excellence.

After I bought my E90, I went thru the same selling/not selling crap. A few days after I decided to keep it someone hit it so I ended up taking my parts off of it and selling it anyway... Funny how that worked out. As for shocks, I had brand new bilstein sport shocks/B&G springs and did a suspension overhaul on my 525i5 and it handled fantastic. Not too bouncy and not too stiff.

[SC5erie5]

Very clean 540, congrats on the great find Matt! Nice to meet you the other day.

[bubba966]

Very nice Matt!

You gonna throw Koni's on it? They're still on sale for another week or so.

I've still never driven a regular 540 so don't know how it is compared to my M-Sport. Nor have I ever driven a regular 525 (just my Touring). But the M-Sport always felt more nimble than the Touring. Koni's in the Touring helped close the gap. But there are too many other differences to get the Touring on the same level.

[Leonator134]

See, I'm the total opposite. I run under 2200 rpm's unless I have a reason to rev higher - but if I'm driving 'normally' I keep the rev's down and just use the torque - and it seems to do fine that way. Especially down at sea level, y'all should have no problem rolling around at low rpm's and still having pulling power...

Fox

Yep, me too.

Matt my school commute is 20 mintes on the highway each way and I do 70 in 6th at 2,100 RPM. And when I need to pass someone and have time to do it, 6th gear pulls great. When I need to do it quicker I drop down to 5. 4th and 3rd are for racing But really, wait till you're doing 70 in 6th and down shift to 3 or 4 and punch it... Fox's right; the pulling just never ends.

[clevertd]

Bubba, where are koni's on sale? Got a NEX buddy looking for a replacement.

[prash]

Bubba, where are koni's on sale? Got a NEX buddy looking for a replacement.

http://www.tirerack.com/specialoffer...p?promoID=I312

[K Fox]

And when I need to pass someone and have time to do it, 6th gear pulls great. When I need to do it quicker I drop down to 5. 4th and 3rd are for racing

See, I keep the car in 6th if I'm on the highway, and it does have plently of power to pass if it's a multiple lane road. But if I'm passing on a 2 lane (us and oncoming type) and I don't have an empty oncoming lane, I'll drop it straight into 3rd. If you have to downshift, make it count is my motto. Quick squirt in 3rd and you've got an extra 15 or 20 mph in a second or so, and passing gets easy. 3rd is good up to just over 100mph, so from highway speed it puts you right in the middle of the powerband.

Fox

[bubba966]

Bubba, where are koni's on sale? Got a NEX buddy looking for a replacement.

Everywhere that is a legit Koni resaler has them on sale right now. Koni does it every year for a couple months.

[BoldUlysses]

Very clean 540, congrats on the great find Matt! Nice to meet you the other day.

Thanks, and likewise!

You gonna throw Koni's on it? They're still on sale for another week or so.

I think so. That's a great price for what by all accounts is a superior shock.

Good gravy, I love this car. With the exception of the slight reduction in "tossable-ness," it's taken everything I was disatisfied about with the 525 and "fixed" it, while keeping all the qualities I loved.

Oxford ---> Arktis
Marginal power ---> "Sufficient" power (for now)
Fender gap ---> Nicely lowered
Okay parchment interior ---> Nicer dove interior w/sport seats
Clearcoat going bad on the roof, dings and scratches ---> Beautiful, well cared-for paint

I'm a happy owner.

- - - Updated - - -

Got the exhaust hitched up by wrapping the (2) broken hangers w/heavy-duty zip ties until the new pieces arrive. Placed a rather large order with Pelican last night for a bunch of little stuff.

[K Fox]

Placed a rather large order with Pelican last night for a bunch of little stuff.

I know that feeling. I've placed 2 orders this week, and both have qualified for free shipping, not that that's a lot of money. But I'm quite frustrated that I can't fix mine...so I have to drive it like an electric car for a week...plugging it in after I drive it to charge the battery. Good thing the battery in these is huge...I can get a fair amount of miles between charges, if needed. Fix one thing and another breaks - story of my cars...

Fox

P.S. I just found out that my aux fan actually does work on both low and high settings. I know yours wasn't turning on with the AC, but I never jumpered the connector to see if it turned at all. You might have the same thing going on that I do - meaning the fan might work fine, but isn't getting the signal that switches it on with the AC. Thought I'd mention that now since it might save you some money if it is that simple. And consequently, I now have an extra fan resistor.

Yes they did. Whatever wax they used I want to keep on using.

P.P.S. If you didn't know about this place already, now you do. This is where to get any and everything to properly care for your car.

Fox (want to spend about $400 there right now, but I have to wait till I get some stuff taken care of first...)

[BoldUlysses]

Good to know about the fan. I'll delve into that, but it's not terribly high on the priority list ATM. And thanks for the tip about the detailing stuff, too. It's not that I have a lack of desire to do that, it's just so time consuming... I can't exactly monopolize a whole Saturday detailing the car, which is really what it takes to do it properly... May have to start farming that out.

* * * * * *

So here is my door stay fix. Yesterday I went from 3 popping doors to 0.

Open door, locate door stay. Pry out grommet by hooking fingers inside and pulling out:



Once grommet is removed, tighten screws with suitable star bit:



Once tight, hook grommet over shoulder of screw and back into position.

They were all loose on my car. Every single one.

I'm starting to think the door metal breakage isn't primarily a design flaw, and that the metal's thin, but simply the fact that over time, the screws loosen and every time the door is opened the whole mechanism slams around the opening, putting more stress on everything than it would otherwise. The screws are shouldered to pull double duty and hold the grommet as well, which lowers the amount of screw head in contact with the door frame and exacerbates the problem.

* * * * * *

Tried my cable luber on the throttle cable:







It sorta worked. Not really. May try it again, but I think I'm just going to have to fork over the $30 for a new one and be done with it.

* * * * * *

Some gratuitous evening shots:







* * * * * *

Finally, a question. In the rear shot above, you can see the ghosted "540i" from the badge removal attempt. Unfortunately, it didn't work out and I'm going to have to reapply the badge. What glue should I use?

[Binjammin]

I think I'd use something like double sided tape cut to fit the shape of the badge. Maybe rub a candle on the decklid first so you can remove it more easily next time.

[Leonator134]

I used double sided adhesive when my "i" fell off, and it was great! Sorry you couldn't take the badge off all the way

[K Fox]

Finally, a question. In the rear shot above, you can see the ghosted "540i" from the badge removal attempt. Unfortunately, it didn't work out and I'm going to have to reapply the badge. What glue should I use?

Earlier you said that the badge took some paint with it, but are you sure about that? From the pic above it just looks like the standard residue left from badge removal - and that can be removed pretty easily. Granted, it's gonna be impossible to tell from the distance of the pic in question, but it does look like normal residue in that one...

Fox

[BoldUlysses]

Earlier you said that the badge took some paint with it, but are you sure about that? From the pic above it just looks like the standard residue left from badge removal - and that can be removed pretty easily. Granted, it's gonna be impossible to tell from the distance of the pic in question, but it does look like normal residue in that one...

Fox

Positive. If I run the back of my fingernail over it the layers dip down, not up. Weirdly, the "i" came off fine.

I think maybe I should have pulled the floss forward as I was removing it, so it wouldn't dig down into the paint....but who knows.

Sucks.

[Leonator134]

Great looking car, makes me want to just put my honey combs back on JK I should be banned from wheel-talk.

I like the spoiler.

[BoldUlysses]

Great looking car, makes me want to just put my honey combs back on JK I should be banned from wheel-talk.

I like the spoiler.

Thanks Leo. It's starting to grow on me too. I think I might leave it, although it would require me to apologize to a buddy I gave endless grief for leaving the 3-piece PFS spoiler on his FD RX-7... If nothing else it gives the car a slightly more wedge-y look and serves as a point of difference re:other E34s.

* * * * * *

Just finished my first oil change. Fresh Mann filter and 8 quarts 15W-40 Rotella T. I prefer the M50 oil change. There are a few more o-rings and washers, but the M50 filter doesn't connect to the canister lid, and so help me I actually like the activity of replacing the o-ring and washer on the thru-bolt...

Regardless, happy car.

[K Fox]

Just finished my first oil change. Fresh Mann filter and 8 quarts 15W-40 Rotella T. I prefer the M50 oil change. There are a few more o-rings and washers, but the M50 filter doesn't connect to the canister lid, and so help me I actually like the activity of replacing the o-ring and washer on the thru-bolt...

Regardless, happy car.

They supposedly changed the oil right before I picked it up...how'd it look coming out? Only had 1600 miles, so it should have been quite new looking/feeling...

Fox

P.S. I don't know if you've caught it elsewhere, but my car doesn't like Rotella for some reason. Tried it and it made mine start lifter ticking when cold. Once I moved away from it the ticking is gone. Just so you're aware - maybe keep an ear out.

[BoldUlysses]

They supposedly changed the oil right before I picked it up...how'd it look coming out? Only had 1600 miles, so it should have been quite new looking/feeling...

Fox

P.S. I don't know if you've caught it elsewhere, but my car doesn't like Rotella for some reason. Tried it and it made mine start lifter ticking when cold. Once I moved away from it the ticking is gone. Just so you're aware - maybe keep an ear out.

It looked just as it should. A bit thin. Got 8 full quarts, as expected.

After 3 years with an M50, my ear is exquisitely tuned to detect any hint of lifter tick. I'll listen for it. Honestly as long as it doesn't tick like a beat-up Camry when warm, I can live with a little cold tick.

[thatonedood]

Mine does exactly that - with exactly that oil. Though I think some others run it in m60s without any problem. Guess he'll find out soon enough.

[ShapeShifter]

I'm on my sedond oil change with Rotella. Not hint of tick. Can't beat the price of it a Wally World either.

Nice to see your off to a nice relationship and getting right to work.

[BoldUlysses]

Thanks Pat.

Just went on a couple of short drives. No tick so far. Love the Rotella. And the B40.

[Leonator134]

The B40 is a thing or beauty.