My 2001 740iL Project Car

[FCPEuro]

After I placed my order Last night, this morning I get an email from FCPEuro offering a loyalty discount, so I emailed them to complain and they offered to give me the $25 price reduction.

Did you use the loyalty code? PM/Email me your order number and I can get this corrected for you. My email is gareth@fcpeuro.com.

[dville]

I didn't see it until the next day after I ordered.
Sent you a PM.
Just saw that you have a thread for the loyalty codes.

[FCPEuro]

I didn't see it until the next day after I ordered.
Sent you a PM.
Just saw that you have a thread for the loyalty codes.

It's no problem at all. It's an easy fix. I'll get this updated for you in a few moments here. I was just wondering if you used a promo code because I had a few customers yesterday have trouble with them. I'll PM you back when it's all set.

[clarkitect]

I order from FCP all the time. Great customer service as evident from the above. The UPS guy at work asked if I was building a car like Johnny Cash, one piece at a time.

[dville]

iPhone center console mod:
http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...center-console

Currently in middle of water pump job but life keeps getting in the way. 😀

Also picked up my sport seats that got fixed up and dyed.

[dville]

Started the job over a week ago...
Tried to make a tool to help remove the fan, didnt work that great...










Parts arrived a week later... from FCP Euro.com


In my excitement I ordered two of the same hoses and need to return one (haven't got my credit from the above purchase yet).
I also stopped the job, and ran to the dealer to buy coolant, and a hose I thought I forgot. They didnt have it in stock, so I came home and ordered it from FCPEuro instead (along with a hood emblem).
While looking around the garage, I start going through the new hoses I ordered and realize I had the hose I needed all along.

To deal with my occasional Transmission fluid overheating symptoms, I decided to also replace the trans fluid thermostat...


While in the middle of this job, i got the call that my sport seats were ready for pickup (2 hours drive away).
I also got a fresh supply of window regulator wheels to begin refitting regulators and selling them again.





The marks on the circular part are from the water pump rubbing on the timing cover case and what was making the engine run noisy, rough enough to shut off at idle.


I could not get the fan separate from the water pump, so I remove them together.
I also did NOT remove the balancer pulley from the crankshaft, I just took my time and used a small 10MM ratcheting crescent wrench.
I also removed the secondary air injection (SAI) pipe from in front of the water pump.
I did buy the two SAI o-rings and gasket to put it back better than I took it off.

The pump shaft also had a lot of play



I cleaned up the front of the engine with a container of gasoline and a toothbrush, some degreaser sometimes, and my trusty method of many cans of brake cleaner!!




The transmission heat exchanger and thermostat on top.


New pump on..

[purplecty]

Great work! Are those the junkyard sport seats? Amazing!

[clarkitect]

Looking good dville. I had to bite the bullet and order the fan removal tools back when I did to cooling system on my E39. There was no way that fan was coming off without them. Even with them it's kind of a pain.

[dville]

This hose goes from the back of the alternator to the transmission heat exchanger.
This is the hose I thought I forgot to order and now need to return.


See the nipple behind the alternator that it connects to:



I flushed my transmission fluid heat exchanger...
I used a hand pump, green coolant, then distilled water to make sure all the green stuff was flushed out.




this is the stuff that came out of it....pieces of gray permatex, and tiny pieces of hard material.




I also installed my timing chain tensioner that I had sitting for over a few months..
I thought it was defective when it seemed shorter than the old one


Then I pressed the top if it down like a retractable pen, and it clicked an suddenly the top piece extended..



Here is the Secondary Air Injection output pipe and valve..
I did give it a scrub with a sandpaper sponge to make it shiny again.





New gasket for the valve too



New serpentine belts,fan clutch hoses, etc....


Filled coolant through this hose first..



Pics after assembly.






on my test drive, I watched the Ktemp on the cluster go to 115 and higher and then I got a low coolant alarm, then right in the driveway I got the coolant temp warning.
Turns our the lower hose on the bottom of the radiator was not snapped on tightly, and my $30/gallon coolant was pouring out onto the floor.

Fixed, bleed, and it seems ok now after some 3rd gear driving....




In removing the transmission heat exchanger, I also changed the hoses going to it, especially the half metal/half rubber pipe from the pump that runs behind the crank pulley.
I used ZERO gasket sealant anywhere.

The only problem I encountered was the transmission temp thermostat has two o-rings used to seal it to the heat exchanger, but they are not listed anywhere and so no part number for it. I even asked the BMW parts counter person the check. So I had to buy a pack of o-rings from the auto parts store to finish the job.

[purplecty]

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/show...diagId=17_0162

#4 for the orings. What kind of radiator do you have installed?

[dville]

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/show...diagId=17_0162

#4 for the orings. What kind of radiator do you have installed?

WOW!
She looked at the cooling system diagram and not the the one you showed
I have the stock radiator

- - - Updated - - -

Great work! Are those the junkyard sport seats? Amazing!

Yes, they sure are...$63 for the pair..

[clarkitect]

Florida junk yards are awesome.

[dville]

Florida junk yards are awesome.

Yep, facelift tailights in perfect condition, stayed on a car in the yard for a long time until I met another E38 owner at the BMW parts counter with a cracked light and told him about it.
The car is still there and has H&R lowering Springs and Bilsteins.

[purplecty]

WOW!
She looked at the cooling system diagram and not the the one you showed
I have the stock radiator

- - - Updated - - -

Yes, they sure are...$63 for the pair..

I replaced the heat exchanger as well with an eBay cheapie...

[MN2K740i]

Love this thread....I just wish I had the kind of time and ability as you as well as your garage and tooling....ahhhhh someday lol. I just did the water pump in my 740i a lil while ago because I thought it was leaking coolant. Turned out to be a $.75 O-ring that lost it's seal and was the leak, on the hose that goes out from the expansion tank to that T, where it goes left and then right into the pump. Where it turned right is where my failure was. Oh well. Good news was, is inspecting the old water pump after fighting it and the fan clutch around the SAS pipe, the bearings were pretty well junk anyways....so I gained a lil maintenance advantage there lol.

As for the fan clutch in the future, if you have air tools, Lisle makes an awesome clutch puller set that goes into an air hammer, and a quick BRRAAAPPP! and it's broke loose sitting in your hand

[dannyzabolotny]

Fun fact, you don't need a fan clutch tool. You can use the belt friction to just knock the fan clutch nut off. You put the 32mm open wrench on the fan clutch nut, give it a couple of quick whacks with a rubber mallet, and that breaks it loose. I've done it countless times with no damage to my car. Beisan systems endorses this method too.

[dville]

Fun fact, you don't need a fan clutch tool. You can use the belt friction to just knock the fan clutch nut off. You put the 32mm open wrench on the fan clutch nut, give it a couple of quick whacks with a rubber mallet, and that breaks it loose. I've done it countless times with no damage to my car. Beisan systems endorses this method too.

That works if the previous owner didn't use a chisel and hammer (and maybe a blowtorch) to put it on before.
I threw them away together because even off the car I couldn't get them apart.

[dannyzabolotny]

Oh jeez, that sounds like a nightmare. You don't need to use much force to put the fan clutch back on, the fan's rotation will keep the clutch nut from ever coming off on its own. Ah well, good riddance. There's never a bad time to replace the clutch fan, those are known to self-destruct after a while anyways. My old clutch fan was super loud on acceleration before I replaced it.

[dville]

Next time I go to the junkyard I'll pick up a fan.
Mine has a piece missing.
I remember how much smoother my old Nissan pickup engine ran once I replace a chewed up plastic fan.

[dville]

2/5/15 fixed windshield washer jets--> http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...d-Washer-Fixup

[purplecty]

After fixing the hoses why didn't it spray? I am chasing down a no spray as well. I fixed my hoses months back and they worked flawlessly and after my timing guides were done it wouldn't spray but I can hear a weak sounding pump. Doesnt sound like the normal windshield washer pump noise and does not pump fluid out. When I went to fill up the reservoir it spilled out when the bottles I was pouring in was almost empty. This leads me to think theres a leak towards the top of the reservoir and I will need to take out the wheelwell liner to verify what exactly is going on...

[dville]

2/7/15 Started the sport seat swap.
First I notice the sport seat recliner motor was moving only one side, so I had to do the cable shrink fix. It was a tight space to work in even with the seats out of the car...



Center shaft in cable moves in and out too much to one side or the other preventing the motor from turning the gear mechanism.


Heat up the metal end with a lighter and slide it off, cut off a section the outer sheath
This is how much I removed.


Then slide the metal piece back on





In the car getting ready to remove the stock seats


Let the wiring in place until all bolts are removed and seat is ready to come out (battery has to be disconnected to avoid an airbag light staying on).


Old and new seats out of the car.


Once I installed the new seat, I used a cut harness and battery pack to get it into place and test it.





Seats feel very nice, as they hug your sides more, and I especially love the lower seat extender...

[clarkitect]

Those seats look like they are in great shape. What a good deal. Quite a bit cleaner looking than the old ones too. Nice.

[purplecty]

Those seats look great!

[dannyzabolotny]

Dang, how much did you pay for those seats? They look super clean.