New here 1993 740i build-what am i getting my self into??

[Nick4829]

Hello everyone,
This is my first BMW and my first forum.
I picked up a clean 1993 740i with 120,000 miles on it for $500. (will post pics as soon as i figure out how to)

*The only major issue i have discovered about the car is that it only drives well in winter mode via- the snow flake switch next to the shifter. With out the car in winter mode the car revs to around to 2,000 rpm then engages into gear hard. (feels like e-brake is on) then once out of first gear seems smooth but i only drove it to my shop about 6 miles from where i bought it. Now i have been creeping around on here and seen a couple of post about this problem indicating its the valve body and maybe a problem with first gear?? The car is shifting well when its in winter mode cause it starts off in 2nd gear? Besides that car starts up no problem and runs smooth (did have a rough idle when i first picked it up but that went away i'm assuming that was because the car sat for awhile.

- now that being said about the transmission is it best to purchase a used one, rebuild or have someone try and rebuild the valve body ?? i'm a noob at BMW's and Transmission were never my cup of tea lol

i'm not trying to be a nag but here's a little list i put together
Cons-
Transmission issue
driver fender dented
Twisted driver seat
airbag cover on the dash is curled up
fuel tank door
fog light
brake light
little rust spot passenger quarter panel

Pros-
new rims and tires
TV's in the head rest
paint looks OK should buff up
interior looks good
everything works in the car
120,000 miles
engine looks clean

with the final note are these cars known for many problems?? with everything said should i restore ? am i looking at a car that will break my wallet ( i already had a guy at a local bmw shop laugh and say i better have some deep pockets lol) i was looking into making this my daily driver

any and all information is greatly appreciated!! thanks

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[shogun]

120kmiles is not very much for a trans. First of all check the transmission fluid level. That is a bit complicated as the 5HP30 has no dipstick, see here http://www.europeantransmissions.com...MWtechinfo.htm
a fluid change and trans filter change would be the next on the list to do. Also check the fluid color, is it black or smells burnt, you can read a lot from the fluid condition.
They also sell remade valve bodies Europeantransmissions.
Also try to clean the switch, sometimes there is just no contact caused by oxidation. I had that once, switched the switch with engine off 20-30 times and it worked again.
Do you see the gear mode in the cluster?

Transmission issue>>>see above
Twisted driver seat>>>see my website below for the fix
fuel tank door>>>needs a new plastic bracket, see my website below for the fix
fog light >>> what is the problem?
brake light>>>what is the problem? Warning always on? See my website. Maybe the switch has to be changed

[shogun]

You do not have to use the expensive trans fluid from BMW or ZF. As far as I understand some people on this forum for example use for the 5HP30 Castrol Import Multi-vehicle (ATF) Automatic Transmission Fluid , maybe someone who uses it or other ATF can recommend something.

" also about the when the problem happens it's says E D on the cluster ( witch I think is economy drive ). And when I switch to winter mode it has a snow flake and d.", >>>so that works normal.

If the AC auxiliary fan (not the blower fan for the interior air) only works on high speed, then probably the aux fan resistor is the problem
http://www.bmw4life.com/auxFanR.htm
http://www.nmia.com/~dgnrg/page_20.htm

The blower fan for the interior air is controlled by the socalled sword http://www.nmia.com/~dgnrg/page_4.htm

[sigtwenty]

5hp30 can run on any Trans fluid that meets the spec of lt70000 something like that. It's common knowledge on a google search for the correct term, basically comparing lifeguard 5 to whatever is on a shelf.

For example lifeguard 6.....ford sells the same stuff for 7 bucks a qt....because ford uses 6 speed zf Trans in super duty trucks

Also the aux fan operates on pressure and temp and speed.
Test the fan to make sure it fires up in all speeds. If it works, then you need to make sure ac pressure and freon level is correct.

For example, when I was refilling my ac system the fan was not operating when empty. Even as it was filling it still wasn't powering on. All the sudden when the Freon was at about 50 to 65 percent to the proper amount the pressure was just enough to make the fan operate.

These cars take a crazy 3.9 pounds of freon. Which really sucks. It would be cheaper to buy a 30 pound tank, a scale, and cheap hoses and a vacuum pump to do it yourself than buy 4 to 5 cans at Walmart

[Nick4829]

Thanks a lot guys for the responses.
I put a repair plate on the car today and drove it home about 7 miles in winter mode I got on the car a couple of times to see if I could get the trans to act up and it slipped pretty hard from 2nd to third also when I was at a light unintentionally it slipped hard into first.

Also where the car was garaged I noticed to leaks one looked to be to where the trans is and one looked to be around the rear axle I'm going to try and investigate to see where this is coming from I examined the fluid from the front looked brown and the rear seamed more lightly colored I don't know if this means anything at all lol

Now that I got it home I can work on it, I'm going to check the trans fluid level , figure out what's leaking and try shoguns twisted seat technique and do an oil change for the start of things . If the trans was in fact leaking could this be the cause of all my trans problems ?? I'm hoping so

And about the ac situation I should have described It better - the as works with spitting out cold air it's the speed variable that only works on high and that there is a horrible loud noise coming from the dash that is why I assumed it was the blower motor but now reason shoguns advice I think that there's probably to issues the speed only being on high maybe to to this sword thing or a relay and that there has to be something going on with the blower cause it's ridiculously loud and sounds like it's coming from the dash vent .

Have either of you guys heard of a way to fix the curled airbag cover or am I stuck buying a new one ?? Right now I have removed it from the car and I'm trying gorilla glue with a bunch of clamps on it but I'm not sure if this will work hahaha Thanks a lot guys

[Nick4829]

Also sig I will check the auxiliary fan out

[shogun]

You have to check the blower motor, maybe some rodents had a nest in there, that is why the noise is coming. How to get to it is shown on Gale's site, see my link on post #3.

[sigtwenty]

I'm dreading the seat twist repair.

Shogun, as I am using the phone app I cannot see your signature links.

Can you post the seat twist link please. Thank you.

[shogun]

scroll down here http://twrite.org/shogunnew/fixes/seats.html

[Avec]

I'm dreading the seat twist repair.

Shogun, as I am using the phone app I cannot see your signature links.

Can you post the seat twist link please. Thank you.

If it is the seat back, then you are looking about about a 15 minute job. If it is the seat base, then much longer, but still very manageable.