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water pump and hoses redone by PO, and PPO. fan clutch ordered.
Member
Well there is definitely more than that. There's also the heater hoses in the back that go fairly often, but sure that's fine if that is what you are comfortable with. Just responding because you asked
On the fan clutch, personally if I was investing money in the fan I would go electric. I bought a new one for 'preventative maintenance' and it started leaking fluid very quickly and if I didn't remove it eventually it would have caused a severe issue. The fan clutch is noisey, can potentially grenade, and only really serves as a backup fan for the Aux unless you live in a really hot area and idle for long periods. I did a test recently with the fan clutch on and off for 30+ minutes idling a warm engine and the fan clutch made no difference in KTMP. However, if the Aux fan were to die, you'd be screwed. I think the electric fan is quieter and preferable if you are starting from scratch. Just food for thought. Good luck with the car it seems you're plowing along nicely.
Member
an interesting idea. thanks.
Member
Originally Posted by aspensilver540
Well there is definitely more than that. There's also the heater hoses in the back that go fairly often, but sure that's fine if that is what you are comfortable with. Just responding because you asked
On the fan clutch, personally if I was investing money in the fan I would go electric. I bought a new one for 'preventative maintenance' and it started leaking fluid very quickly and if I didn't remove it eventually it would have caused a severe issue. The fan clutch is noisey, can potentially grenade, and only really serves as a backup fan for the Aux unless you live in a really hot area and idle for long periods. I did a test recently with the fan clutch on and off for 30+ minutes idling a warm engine and the fan clutch made no difference in KTMP. However, if the Aux fan were to die, you'd be screwed. I think the electric fan is quieter and preferable if you are starting from scratch. Just food for thought. Good luck with the car it seems you're plowing along nicely.
Sorry if what I wrote was a bit curt. I was in a rush and juggling many things at the time. I do appreciate the push in the direction of the cooling system. I wasn't aware of the hoses 'round back'. I'm putting together a parts list, and it will be on the shorter term list. :thumbsup:
Which hoses specifically on this diagram?
Unfortunately, I'm not ready to go electric fan. I wish I was but I found all the electric work around the DME to be a bit intimidating, at my current level of wrenching.
What I've been reading tells me that maybe my fan clutch is ok and that loud noise is to be expected when the engine gets hot hot. I think I will add a thermostat to my parts list, though.
- - - Updated - - -
About the cooling system
Put the OBDII interface on with Torque on the blackberry and my son and I went out for a drive. This time we were paying attention to temperature and how the radiator fan reacted. Something interesting happened. After driving a bit with the temperature going up to 110 (BMW says that that is the 'efficient' mode when you're cruising on the highway - or at least it is in the 528's). Then, off the highway and in Sport mode on the steptronic rapid acceleration led to a climb in temperature all the way up to 120 degrees C where it held for a bit and then started coming down - all without the radiator fan going into "jet" mode. After the temp camp down, a little bit later it started to climb again and that familiar 'jet' mode of the fan happened.
Questions: What would lead to that increase in temperature up to 120 degrees celsius without the fan ramping up into jet mode? Is this supposed to happen?I'm guessing a sticky thermostat, maybe - or an unresponsive DME (the temperature sensor is new within the last 3 - 4 months. I haven't checked the brand yet (engine is too hot right now). I mean, do I even have to order a new fan clutch?
I'm also thinking of going to the stainless steel flexible radiator hoses. Mishimoto, Spectre, and others make them. Has anyone had any experience with these?
Mishimoto kit
SPectre kit
I think that this is a knock-off or clone
How to install SPectre
Last edited by gmak; 09-07-2015 at 08:43 AM.
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NP on the reply, car stuff is stressful sometimes. Everyone here is just here to help each other
Yikes that is too high. Something is stressed in your cooling system. It is NOT the fan clutch. The fan clutch is useful only at very low or idling speeds. The car is naturally sucking tons of air, especially on the highway. You could have something as simple as an air leak in your cooling system. Personally I only hear the 'fan clutch jet mode' when sitting idling. I've never heard that on the highway, that doesn't sound right. Whether it was the stress causing the fan clutch to go nuts, I'm not sure. It also could have been the Aux fan, which does have a High mode that rarely comes on when temps climb. You'll have to differentiate between the two.
I'll condense replies from comments in Danny's thread here into one post and comment on your above issues. I also don't know about the spiffy steel radiator hoses, ask a ninja member like JimLev. My first concern is the lack of flex as our system has a high compression. But I don't really know if that is an issue here, or if the steel hoses are superior. I would have thought one of our long time members would have suggested it by now if it was awesome, but who knows!
That darn fan clutch, sucks doesn't it? I hear an electric fan calling both of us.
Cooling system parts (general list)
Radiator -
Thermostat-
Motor Mounts (can bust a radiator or a fan if they sag, some people have re-occuring radiator issues due to mounts)
Electric Fan >> Clutch fan
Valley Pan (2 methods -- replacement gasket or Permatex The Right Stuff) -- Leave this for the 'gigantic valley pan while you are there' job
Water Pump Pulley (you said WP replaced, what about the pulley? It's plastic!) - check into now
Expansion Tank - I would leave unless you notice a crack or any lack of structural integrity. These are blown by overfilling, for the most part. Not safe to overfill a drop, safe to underfill between min/max.
Many hoses
Obviously I left out some minor stuff but that's the general list. If I were you I would do Motor Mounts before 100K, @122K mine were beyond toast. Check the water pump pulley now. I wouldn't have been worried about radiator/tstat as much until your report of high Highway temps. The highway should be where it is easy to keep temps down. I would rule out any air bubbles in the system and then consider radiator/tstat replacement, you could do them at once or try stat first.
Your valley pan might not be leaking right now, and that's a wonderful thing. When it begins to leak or if it is, you can start putting together a big 'valley pan job list'. Keep in mind that the valley pan doesn't matter for reliability, it just stinks to be leaking coolant. So you can safely stash this job if it is leaking for the future, and add the laundry list of parts most go through when already taking off the intake. If you take the intake off, do the pan
I might just go for the motor mounts now, check the water pump pulley, and check for any bulging or worn hoses in the back near the heatercore. I might not replace them all until doing the valley pan when 2 come off any way if doing rear accumulator gaskets. The two that connect to the rear accumulator are the most likely (from my reading) to go. Replace on your schedule, it is not urgent. Heck most people will not have a problem with them. This is just paranoid stuff that will ensure a trouble free car for years
Keep chugging
Member
I did some reading on fan clutches. There are two types. One is thermal (you can tell by the spiral metal 'thing' at the center on one side). It grips more, the hotter the engine gets. Meyle is an example. I think that this type of clutch is what leads to the fan exploding eventually as it spins faster and faster.
The second type is non-thermal. It seems to work the opposite. the faster the shaft spins, more centripedal force moves liquid silicone inside to the outer edges and the fan grips less. this effectively limits the upper speed of the fan. Issues happen when the fluid leaks out (Isn't that the whole story of BMW) and the fan cannot grip at slower speeds.
Cooling System
I have all the hoses that haven't been replaced in the cooling system on the way. I remember the PO saying that he had to replace the serpentine belt a second time after the water pump was in due to something with the pulley. I checked it and it looks fine with no little edges to snag. But, like for the 528i, I'm going aluminum. It's a bitch to get on the shaft (rubber hammer and copper anti-seize) but well worth it, IMHO. It's a no-problem part and one can even order URO (gasp!). I've noticed that there is surface rust on the shock for one of the hydraulic tensioners and that will be sometime in the future; but, I'm going to take belts off and spin the rollers to look for worn bearings.
I have a spare Dual Temperature sensor (that goes in the water pump) and I'm going to swap out the one that's there (it looks a little old) and then test the old one in some heating water with an ohm meter. I have a new thermostat on the way because I didn't see one in the parts list for when the WP was done (face palm). Sensor on the lower rad hose was replaced, though.
For a temp spike to occur and then correct itself, something is getting out of line for a short while. When my son was watching the temperature on Torque later in the day,. while I was driving him home, he said that the Vacuum gauge switched from "Vacuum" to "Boost" whenever we heard that high-pitched whistle or whine (low volume). this says to me that there is probably a little tiny leak in the intake manifold gasket that only shows up when vacuum gets above a certain level. Got gaskets for that!!
But the whole "boost" thing got me to thinking about whether or not the PO or PPO had put a 'tune' on the car that had a bug in it which was leading to the self-correcting temperature spike.:
Thinking rationally, the DME can open the thermostat but it can't close it. All fantasy aside about a tune, I'm strongly leaning towards a going-bad thermostat that sticks every now and then (it is a 105 degrees C mechanical) - the 105 degrees is an emergency mechanical level against failure. let's say that temperature is around 100 degrees C, cruising at 60 with good air flow, barely touching the pedal. Thermostat might be closed or partially closed. Then, acceleration which jumps the revs, aux fan or rad fan not doing its full job, temperature rises. Thermostat doesn't respond to DME command because of age and only opens mechanically after temperature gets up there above 114 or so. It takes a while for the flows to bring it back down once it does open so the average temp gets up to 120. Things I have to change: thermostat!, temp sensor! Things I have to check: fan clutch; aux fan; hoses that may be under a lot of stress from the pressure at higher temps.
Valley Pan
I have a kit with every gasket and o-ring down to but not including the head gasket on the way. Also coming is a valley pan and cover. I have so much crap coming, based on fear, that whatever happens I will simply wander down to my cupboard in the basement and select the appropriate rubber.
From experience on the 528i - I hear you about the WP pulley and all the other rotating /tensioner bits in the front. Mounts look plump and firm (gawd!). I found an obscure note at the bottom of one of the PO's maintenance receipts. It says "car vibrating too much"; another say "check ball joint"... I think the guy omitted that stuff in the batch he gave me. I can see that at least one front thrust arm ball joint was replaced; both control arms; and one sway bar end link. I plan to take care of the rest along with the (drool) Fortune 500 dampers I have ordered.
The sick part is that I actually enjoy this problem solving. It's all fun and games until someone gets their eye poked out with a stick.
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Step one in the mysterious heat spike.
- Had a spare Double temperature sensor from work on the 528i so I installed it to eliminate the idea that the reading was wrong
- Started the car and paid attention to the rad fan. I could stop it with paper at any time - even when engine was warm. And yet when I spin it cold with engine off, it only moves a 1/4 turn suggesting that it's good (with engine cold).
- Booted up Torque OBDII Pro and went for a drive with A/C off, keeping an eye on OBDII coolant temperature in big numerals. I don't need to go on the highway to eventually get the engine temp to rise, just to go fast and then slow. This says to me that not enough air is getting through rad or over engine when going slow. This suggests a bad fan clutch.
- I don't know why the AUX fan doesn't kick on when the temp spikes up to 117 - 121 degrees celsius. I turned on the A/C to force it on. Temperature dropped. Maybe I just don't hear the AUX fan over the engine and it's actually running
- The loud jet engine noise is definitely the aux fan - NOT the regular fan. It seems to spin at a unstained speed and slower than the shaft (maybe this is just an illusion I'm seeing).
- Parked the car with motor running and listened to the AUX fan increase in intensity - it was going FAAAAAAAST. I was watching the OBDII temperature and it settled down around 108 degrees celsius. I rev'd the engine up to 2500 - 3000 for 10 seconds or so and temp climbed to 111 degrees. The AUX fan turned into a jet engine again but the temperature didn't come down.
- While all this was going on (car parked with engine running), the engine was rav'ing at 700+ rpms instead of around 600 or less (with A/C off). I think that maybe the DME was going for higher revs to keep the rad fan turning faster to cool the engine but wasn't succeeding (i.e. fan clutch not working right). To top it off, there is some kind of greasy stuff on the clutch body - maybe oil or some engine fluids and maybe silicone fluid which is inside the fan clutch when it's new (i.e. fan clutch no longer has what it needs inside).
Step two : New Fan Clutch.
coming soon.
Last edited by gmak; 09-08-2015 at 08:12 PM.
Member
Gmak: I only have experience with Behr, but the fluid leaking out like you have on your car is what happened to me with my 'preventative maintenance' Behr fan clutch. When it's out of fluid, problem time. It's in the garbage now. Personally I would never invest $ into a fan clutch, that fluid leaking problem can end with catastrophic damage and some of these clutches leak out of the box. Just my opinion, I'll stop harping
On the valley pan, at least consider the Permatex Right Stuff if you want a forever solution. I regret I didn't use it. I did the gasket too, but they certainly don't last forever. I saw you are considering the cooler T-Stat, personally I wouldn't mess with the default temp when new to a car. I think there isn't enough sample size for me to want to run the cooler thermostats. But hey, maybe I'm a little vanilla and boring.
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Picked up the new diamond remote keys today and synched them with the car.
Member
Temp-wise, the car should go to 106-108 once warmed up and stay locked in that small range very tightly. 106 when under load, 108 at light load.
The symptoms you've described are classic "air in the system" to me. The aux fan is controlled by the second temp sensor on the lower rad hose, and the OBD-reported engine temp is from the dual temp sensor on the water pump. M62's can be tricky to fill/bleed properly (great direction to the correct procedures on this site) and if that lower sensor didn't have coolant on it, the fan wouldn't come on. It's a pretty simple "labour-only" job that I would do to rule it out before changing parts.
FWIW I have had no cooling system drama since installing Evans... (not a paid shill)
N.B: Thinking back to the bleed procedure - believe it was to have the nose elevated, remove bleed screw, key on with heat cranked (to run aux coolant pump), fill through the upper rad hose as much as possible, pouring slowly until full, install hose, remainder of coolant goes into the expansion tank. Start car, expansion tank will empty so keep topping that up. Let car idle up to operating temp, put bleed screw back on when no more bubbles are coming out of the hole, only solid coolant.
Last edited by Runner303; 09-09-2015 at 06:00 PM.
Member
BMW 540i S62 Coolant System Purge.pdfAgreed. I'm already re-doing various parts of the cooling system anyway, including fan clutch. The current one seems to have leaked. I found the TIS procedure for bleeding here. But I think it's primarily directed towards the M52 series of engines. The attached PDF is from the TIS for the S62. It should be similar for the M62 series, I would think. The Bentleys doesn't distinguish between the 52 and 62 series when describing the bleeding procedure. The only diff with the written procedure below is Bentleys says to just open the expansion tankard bleeder screw. They don't mention the thermostat one.
Written Procedure;
1) With car cold turn on key to run position(do not start the car), set HVAC system to 90 degrees and fan on low.
2) Remove coolant pressure cap on expansion tankand the bleeder screws from thermostat cover and expansion tank.
3) Begin to pour coolant into expansion tankkeeping level near top of tank until air free coolant flows from thermostat cover bleeder hole, install screw and close bleeder.
4) Continue to fill expansion tankuntil air free coolant flows from the bleeder screw on the expansion tank, you will need to keep the expansion tankfilled to top to complete this step. When no more bubbles then install and close the bleeder.
5) Fill coolant in expansion tankto near top of tank then install the filler cap.
6) Now take the car for a drive and get it warmed up to temperature, at least a 10 min drive, try to get some higher RPM driving in as well(like a short section of open road)
7) Park car and let cool to ambient temperature(at least a couple of hours) then check the level of coolant in the expansion tank. If it is empty then repeat the bleeding process above, if after a repeat it is still empty then you have a bigger issue such as a leak or a damaged head gasket. If the level is low then top up to the full cold level indicated on the tank or slightly above.
8) Monitor coolant level for several drive cycles adding coolant as needed to maintain the full cold level, coolant level should stabilize in one or two drive cycles.
Video of Procedure:
Note, this was filmed following a water pumpand Radiator hoseinstallation so about 1 gallon of coolant mix had been added prior to starting the recording, the procedure is identical regardless of amount of coolant that is required to be added.
<font color="#000000"><span style="font-family: verdana">
Last edited by gmak; 09-09-2015 at 06:53 PM.
Member
Gmak:
A couple comments and suggestions. Bleeding the air out of the M62 is different than most cars, check out Jimlev's procedure, which works for me.
With your engine often running between 117-121, I think that your thermostat isn't doing its job. With that much heat I would also replace the temperature sensor in the bottom hose which controls the aux fan (luckily that one is a $20 part that takes five minutes to replace), since the delicate sensor may have been fried by the heat. Your aux fan should come on at 110 at the highest, in my experience.
The Vanos noise as you call it might very well be a loose secondary air line. I replaced my thermostat earlier this year and had the same sound. This pipe (p/n 11721433344) is mounted across the front of the engine, connecting the SA pump to the exhaust. It blocks access to a couple of the water pump bolts. On the driver's side there is a hidden 10 mm bolt which feeds into the head and keeps the SA line in place. Mine was loose, and the noise was from the exhaust leaking out. Try removing the driver's side bolt and reinstalling it with proper torque (aluminum heads!). I tightened mine and the noise went away. Easy fix if that's your problem.
Good luck with your new car.
Member
thank you!
oddly enough the lower temp sensor was replaced by the PO in the last 4 - 5 months
Last edited by gmak; 09-09-2015 at 08:12 PM.
Member
1. New fan clutch. New Double temperature Sensor. Old fan clutch was filthy with grease and oil and dirt. It was put on from the 'back; of the fan (side nearest the water pump) with the screws from the front (side nearest the rad). This diagram shows that the clutch goes into the fan from the front. I oriented the fan so the blades looked like in the diagram, put the clutch in from the front and the screws from the back.
2. Temperature will still spike up. If I rev the engine, it comes back down pretty quickly. Maybe that's a clue for someone. To me, it just says that the Fan is not rotating fast enough and that increasing the rams gets it there. Either that, or the higher rams is a trigger for the aux fan (the aux fan did not do it's imitation of a jet engine this time around.
3. Next up is to bleed the cooling system - tomorrow when the engine is cold again. Finally, there is a new thermostat on the way.
4. If none of these things works, then it looks like I am at the wall facing another 540i owner where they assumed that there was some minor cyclinder wall crack or head gasket damage and they used that infamous Bart's Leaks to fix it.
5. How likely is it that this is a DME going insane? My ambient temperature sensor is gone (new one on the way). Does the -40 degrees celsius affect the operation of either of the fans via the DME?
I almost forgot. Here are some torque screens after going for pizza while parked and idling. The first one is the fuel trims. The STFT fluctuate around zero - great! The LTFT are positive = vacuum leak, probably the source of the whistle and a new set of intake manifold gaskets may fix that. The second one is just some dials while sitting at idle. Notice the temperature at 110 degrees celsius. Nothing frightening there, until you see the coolant temp go up to 120 degrees celsius. But, like I said, I just go into sport mode and downshift to get the revs to 4000 rpm or so and the temp falls right away and fast (stuck thermostat? stuck WP - it is new?)
20150910 torque trims.jpg20150910 torque at idle.jpg
Last edited by gmak; 09-10-2015 at 07:18 PM.
Member
I guess he's the closest thing to a Roman God of Mechanics.
Yesterday, my new fan clutch showed up. Today, "all this" showed up. It's not as sexy as auaq's pictures, but gudenuff for now.
20150911 new cooling system parts.jpg
As UPS was taking its pound of flesh in broker's fees and taxes, I was in the process of bleeding the cooling system - as I said I would after the fan clutch test. Imagine my surprise when I used about a gallon of 50.50 in the bleeding process. This was with the level indicator at the neck of the overflow tank to start.
What I did.
1. Take off overflow tank cap;
2. Remove bleeder valve near overflow tank
3. Put key at 2nd position - the one where all the dash lights come on, but before the engine starts
4. Set heat to max on both sides; turn fan to lowest setting
5. Verify that auxiliary water pump is working - it's beneath the thing with two towers strapped to the inside of the strut tower in the engine compartment on the drivers (LHS) side.
6. Slowly add coolant to overflow tank until it comes out the bleeder hole - usually there will be bubbles here.
7. When no more, make sure that coolant is at a level where level indicator is about 5 mm above overflow tank lip. Close up bleeder valve, put overflow tank cap back on.
8. Start engine and let come to operating temperature - I assume that this is around 105 on KTEMP.
9. Shut off car, wait to cool down (overnight), check overflow tank level and adjust as necessary.
I did all that, except I went for a drive between #'s 8 and 9 - just around local streets. Torque Temperature was always within spec - moving up and down based on conditions - and the auxiliary fan never seemed to come on - not to the level of where it could be heard. SO IT APPEARS THAT ALL IS WELL TEMPERATURE_WISE with the car.
I went on several forays, including going on the highway for a short distance. All was good. I'll see tomorrow what the overflow tank level is. So the irony is that my cooling system parts show up and all appears to be well with the cooing system.
Another issue came to the fore with the passing of the temperature issue. I may have mentioned a whistling before, when pressing on the accelerator. I may also have mentioned that a stethoscope led me to believe that it was something to do with the throttle. Well, now it's a bit of a howl.
I also was able to observe the engine while someone was rev'ing it. The beauty cover was sort of popping up in the front with each press of the pedal.(it wasn't pushed down far enough). I took it off and tried to localize the sound. I was unable to - but it seems to be coming from somewhere near the front of the intake manifold - perhaps being the reason that it seemed to be throttle related previously. I have put new vacuum hoses where they are supposed to be on top of the manifold. I suspect that there is a gasket leak. But, I;m wondering what else in that general area could be causing this howling sound? Any clues out there?
- - - Updated - - -
crickets. lol.
Last edited by gmak; 12-04-2015 at 02:39 PM.
Member
Could the Oil Separator be the source of the whistle and howl?
Funny how a simple question by a member can lead to a possible path of investigation on one's own car.It's part #1 here2003 540, 110K miles. I've noticed in the past and again today that this hose is leaking. I can tell it's near where the hose meets up to the OSV. Anyone else have this problem?
I'm contemplating pulling the intake mani and replacing this hose at some point. Thoughts?
This post says that the OS is a cyclonic device - i.e. spinning at high speeds. If there was an issue with a ruptured or torn hose, this could lead to a whistle or a howl through the hole, no? Someone also said that it's a 30/30 part = $30 to buy and 30 hours of labour to replace. Apparently, the way it is designed and installed leads to a high risk of hose /connection deterioration (in a BMW? quelle surprise (not)). :faceplate: [I can see a bunch of stoned engineers sitting around bored after hours snickering about the I6 CCV and then deciding to separate it into two parts for the V8. Why not bury the most fragile piece under the exhaust timing cover? Fritz, you are a geeeeeenius!]
I guess it's a good thing that I ordered a set of top to bottom (minus head gasket) gaskets and o-rings. I'm beginning to suspect that I will be traipsing into this jungle in the future.
UPDATE: Later on in the thread, I do the Valley Pan and replace the pipe that runs between the CCV and OSV. The end result is that the whistling / turbo sound is gone.
Last edited by gmak; 12-04-2015 at 02:41 PM.
Member
Gmak, good to hear your temps are more normal after bleeding. Do verify that you coolant level indicator when the engine is cold is not above the top of the expansion tank. Also, did you try tightening the secondary air pipe bolts?
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It's raining here so I haven't been able to get under the car. I want to check the bolts of the power steering pump as well. And, I can't wait until my oil pan gasket gets here because I really want to check for oil pump bolts.
With all the rain, I spent the day using a Clothes steamer (with water tank in the handle) to remove the dark dark window tint that the PO had put on every window but the front. It all went smoothly until the back window. It seems that there was window tint on window tint. The one underneath tore in one corner sufficiently that I had to take it off. It was put on with the infernal glue from hell. What a mess. (In Canada, Bon Ami foam window cleaner does wonders with a little rubbing, on the infernal glue from hell.
I only took off half the rear window remaining layer of tint since it seems the install had taken 2 pieces. I like having half the window tinted because of the black window shelf. I have an electric shade back there, and the combo will keep a lot of heat out of the car in the muggy days of summer.
Oddly enough, when I went to get some minty-fresh bug and tar remover to finish cleaning the back window and get rid of the Bon Ami chemical smell, there was no whine or howling. High humidity effect, perhaps. I still believe that I'll be doing something with the Oil Separator at some point in time.
Member
Checked the coolant level before heading out for chores. So far so good.
Rain finally stopped. Went under the car, but the A/C condenser drain hose has 2 right angles in it. I don't have anything flexible enough to handle that. Maybe a thin toilet snake of some kind. I think that the hose comes off, but the Tranny was still too warm to fuss around much. Good ole REALOEM (really BMW) stuck the hose in a "group of diverse parts" so I can't get a read on how it joins to the drain coming down from the condenser.
I don't have a compressor /air so I can't blow air up the car's skirt to see if I can clear the drain that way. There has to be a blockage. I have yet to see condensation on the ground after running the A/C.
While waiting, I got some Purple oil / grease remover and started cleaning the underside of parts I could see and that weren't too hot. If there are any leaks, now I'll be able to recognize them. I would have taken pictures, but who needs to see another greasy bottom of an engine. The bottom 2/3 of the underneath looks like it was treated with some kind of rocker-panel-pain-like anti-rust coating. I hope that this isn't hiding bigger problems of rust.
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Just got a couple of boxes of parts - tie rod ends, FTABs, oil pan gasket (YES!!!!), sway bar ends for where PO didn't do both sides.
What really annoys meis when the online description of parts doesn't mention that the nuts, screws, studs, bots, or whatever are included and you order some to back up any stripe - and then wind up with extra sets. Those nuts and bolts are very expensive. C'mon parts suppliers. Get your act together! Stop gouging through inattention to detail.
Today, the car goes for the faux red leather wrap of all wood trim. As well, the front M-bumper is supposed to show up (Let's see how regular Fedex really is). This weekend, I'll finally get to drop the oil pan. I can't believe how open this car is underneath. The 528 is wearing a friggin' chastity belt over her oil pan. She.
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Meanwhile the 540i is at the auto upholster-er getting the faux red leather trim.
The paint job seems to be a very good quality. I'm not too crazy about the plastic grille. It looks like it will be PITA to get it to stay in place. As well, the black moulding is quite cheap. I'm concerned now that given the rounded ends that aren't symmetric, that I will have a hard time getting the pieces from my existing bumper to fit. And, although I expected this, I will have to measure, drill holes, and make sure the poly in the holes is painted (or it apparently crumbles) to attach the license plate bracket.
The poly itself is, how shall I say this, flexible. That's good and bad. It's good for those adjustments in fit that might have to be made. It's bad if there is warpage beyond a certain point. However, on the plus side, it won't shatter if I hit a curb in front of a parking spot in dead winter. I guess it will be going on this weekend.
20150915 M Bumper .jpg
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Now I have a decision. All the exterior door and fender mouldings on the car are also titansilber - not black. Do I buy black exterior mouldings for the doors and fenders like this; or, do I paint the black bumper moulding to match the rest of the car. I'm not sure which would be the most bother.
Update:
Well, I found a place nearby in Ottawa (actually near where I'm getting the red interior trim done. They will make up a rattle can of paint based on the paint code for about CAD$35. I think one can would do those two small pieces and then I can just get some Canadian Tire clear coat and do a couple of coats of that. Should be ok. (I hope).
For the front license plate, I could put on this bracket with some adjustments that attaches it to a horizontal aluminum plate that then is screwed up into existing holes in the underside of the bumper. There is a BMW DIY around, but I can't find it. I'll update tonight when I get home and can get at my saved links (This is a very clever way to do the no holes Skene license brake). Or, I could go with this Bell bracket which is installed as described here.
Last edited by gmak; 09-16-2015 at 04:28 PM.
Member
I would go with black bumper trim, personally. Now that you're going down the M-body part road, part of that is the black trim. The contrast looks good, a little sportier where the body colour trim is more 'luxury'. Try plasti-dipping the rest of the trim to see how you like it, before you commit to the full job.
As well, if you rattle can the trim it will mean that you'll have 3 different colours of paint on the front of your car. Metallic paint never matches/ages perfectly the same. If you do want to paint/clearcoat your trim, get a can of the 2 part 2K clearcoat at the place that makes your rattle can. It's much higher quality than cheap-o Canadian crap.
re: the license plate, the tow-hook mounted adapter is the best, no drilling needed. My car was from Alberta (no front plates) and the PO installed one of these rather than use the holder.
Interested to see the red wrap, doesn't sound like my cup of tea but would like to see.
Old BMW's FTW
I say keep the black bumper trim and make the other trim pieces on your car black. As somebody else said, plastidip for now so you can test it out and see if I like it. I personally love the black trim on my M-Sport. I just feel like body-colored trim pieces don't quite look right on the M-Sport bumper. That's just my opinion though.
All of the aftermarket bumpers are pretty flexible though, not just the polypropylene ones. I got the ABS plastic one from DDM and it was still quite flexible. I think you'll be fine, it's the fitment I would worry about.
1995 525i 5-speed - Thread
Member
Most people seem to prefer the black trim. I'm a bit of a contrarian. The path of least resistance is to paint the black trim silver in the front. If it looks crappy, I can always go the black trim route. It seem like a lower cost simpler option.
Red Wrap will be picked up tomorrow. Apparently it looks just like the picture that;s in one of the threads around of interior mods.
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