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Thread: Leonator134's 2001 740i Sport Journal!

  1. #1
    Join Date
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    Leonator134's 2001 740i Sport Journal!

    Hi E38ers,



    Leo here from E34/E39/E32. This is my first E38, always wanted one. Recently found the right one to replace my 2500 Suburban in the Spring. Have a 2000 M5 that is a fun nice weather car- don't want to rack up the miles on it.

    The Burb is great- total beater. But wanting to DD something a little nicer.

    So, today I drove back (with the help of a friend) from CT, a 2001 740i Sport in Stratus metallic with black interior. It rolled over 197,000 miles on the way. I was also given a thick folder with tons of maintenance records, information etc. Also given boxes of spare parts.

    The color is absolutely amazing. It looks gold, gray and blue all at the same time.

    Immediate issues noticed:
    -Paint chips on front end
    -Squeaking rear suspension
    -SRS light
    -Split seem on driver's seat
    -Rear power sunshade inop (stuck on)
    -Brakes** were replaced recently with drilled and slotted rotors. Cool, but I've never had a car with them before. They seem to make some noise and vibrations.. almost like driving on the rumble strip on the highway. Maybe that's just how they are, idk.
    -Chain guides have not been done!
    -Headlight lowbeams different colors
    -Oil leak

    Nothing too crazy. Still runs and drives really well- one of the most smooth highway cars I have driven/owned so far. It also does a great burnout- tons of torque!

    Some pictures from the trip to follow. We took my 18 year old neighbor's E46 325xi that I went with him to get, so he owed me one. Brought tons of tools, oil and coolant. You never know.

    Left at 5:30AM, arrived at 8:15.


    You'll notice his 2015 vette.. he also had a 1994 vette and a '57 Tbird, all mint.






    Before we left I checked oil and coolant level.. and in so doing I maybe let air into the cooling system. 5 minutes onto I-95 the needle made quickly made it's way to the 3/4 mark and wanted to keep going. Shut it down immediately. Pulled over and waited for it to cool down enough to get the cap off. Cap off, started engine, heat on, filled it up, cracked the bleeder until just coolant was coming out. Hit the road, drove the rest of the ~3 hours perfectly.



    Taken by my buddy..


    Pit stop for coffee in RI.








    Made it home by noon- did some washing and polishing of both cars!













    This picture sort of depicts the possible different shades this color can be.. going down the side- gold, gray blue etc.


    ---










    Spare parts




    So this is what we have so far! Thinking black kidneys and some touch up paint before we dive into the chain guide job. Plan to keep otherwise stock and be a comfortable daily driver.

    Always love to hear the thoughts of the other forumers!

    Thanks all,
    Leo
    Last edited by Leonator134; 02-21-2016 at 05:48 PM.
    Current
    2005 E55 AMG
    1998 Silverado K1500
    1964 Impala
    ​1964 Chevelle 496ci


    Past

    2000 Avus M5
    1988 Suburban K1500
    1987 Suburban K2500
    2007 Suburban
    1999 K2500 Suburban
    2000 MGM
    1999 K2500 Suburban
    2001 Stratus 740i Msport
    1990 750iL
    1995 540i/6
    1996 MGM

  2. #2
    Join Date
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    E30 E38 E46 E85 F150 GTI
    Nice score Leo! I think I saw that one on CL the other day. You got a nice deal, it looks really clean. Enjoy the ride!
    2000 740i Sport | 2004 330xi | 1988 325i Vert | 2003 Z4 2.5 | 1995 Ford F150 | 2018 GTI

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by clarkitect View Post
    Nice score Leo! I think I saw that one on CL the other day. You got a nice deal, it looks really clean. Enjoy the ride!
    Thank you! It's a cool car, gonna need some work but nothing out of the ordinary.
    Current
    2005 E55 AMG
    1998 Silverado K1500
    1964 Impala
    ​1964 Chevelle 496ci


    Past

    2000 Avus M5
    1988 Suburban K1500
    1987 Suburban K2500
    2007 Suburban
    1999 K2500 Suburban
    2000 MGM
    1999 K2500 Suburban
    2001 Stratus 740i Msport
    1990 750iL
    1995 540i/6
    1996 MGM

  4. #4
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    E53, E38, E34, E39T
    Welcome Brother. Careful with that black interior in this place.....





    Some Places remain unknown because no one has ventured forth. Others remain so because no one has ever come back......

  5. #5
    AquilaBMW's Avatar
    AquilaBMW is offline Mad Bimmerist BMW CCA Member
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    Awesome Score Leo! Now..... about that Black interio...



  6. #6
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    '01 740i, '93 300ZX TT
    Brake issue could be suspension or just the way that slotted AND drilled are. I have Brembo slotted on all four and there is no vibration or anything odd. On the flip... I have drilled & slotted on my 300ZX and there is definitely a different sound/feel when stopping but zero vibration.

  7. #7
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    1999 750i 1995 740i
    Nice find Leo.
    Luv the color on that one.
    95 740i 99 750i

  8. #8
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    '01 DINAN7 '03 M5
    Wow, that is a beauty right there, I like it, those interior looks sweet
    Instagram.com/nordmanmg

    Your current situation is not your final destination

  9. #9
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    1992 525
    197k no T-guides? Dang. How much did you get it for? Looks nice!
    "Helicopters: 10,0000 pieces of metal fatigue rotating around an oil leak."


  10. #10
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    If I had that color, I'd never get rid of it! Sweet!

  11. #11
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    2000 740i sport
    Looks awesome! Super rare color combo. Doubt checking the coolant introduced air. It was probably already in there and looks like you fixed her up by bleeding properly... Nice score! Makes one heck of a daily!

  12. #12
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    Thanks all!!

    Correct, no indications of chain guides having been done. However research indicates the type of oil and frequency of changes plays a large part in the longevity.

    This car has synthetic it's whole life. The engine runs extremely smoothly with no noises other than vanos dieseling (much like my M5).

    Thought about waiting to swap in a Lower mileage motor and doing all the work while its out. But part of me wants to see how many miles this motor will go for.

    Small maintenance will come first, chain guides and vanos later. The engine does pull really hard- tons of torque!
    ----------------

    Touch Up paint ordered. Headed across the street to our BMW store to get a hood roundel and serpentine belt (thing screeeeeches!)

    My tech buddy over there is going let me up it up on the lift tomorrow after work and poke around underneath- see what we're working with here.
    Current
    2005 E55 AMG
    1998 Silverado K1500
    1964 Impala
    ​1964 Chevelle 496ci


    Past

    2000 Avus M5
    1988 Suburban K1500
    1987 Suburban K2500
    2007 Suburban
    1999 K2500 Suburban
    2000 MGM
    1999 K2500 Suburban
    2001 Stratus 740i Msport
    1990 750iL
    1995 540i/6
    1996 MGM

  13. #13
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    One thing that's annoying me is the shifter takes some effort to from N to D- like you can go straight from P to D. Have to stop in N and then give it some muscle into D.

    Hoping I can pull the shifter assembly off and grease or adjust some parts under there.
    Current
    2005 E55 AMG
    1998 Silverado K1500
    1964 Impala
    ​1964 Chevelle 496ci


    Past

    2000 Avus M5
    1988 Suburban K1500
    1987 Suburban K2500
    2007 Suburban
    1999 K2500 Suburban
    2000 MGM
    1999 K2500 Suburban
    2001 Stratus 740i Msport
    1990 750iL
    1995 540i/6
    1996 MGM

  14. #14
    Join Date
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    Quote Originally Posted by Leonator134 View Post
    One thing that's annoying me is the shifter takes some effort to from N to D- like you can go straight from P to D. Have to stop in N and then give it some muscle into D.

    Hoping I can pull the shifter assembly off and grease or adjust some parts under there.
    If it ends up being something wrong with the shifter itself, I have a spare e39 steptronic shifter I just pulled out when doing my 6-speed swap in my 530i. Let me know if you might need it. I would also check the cable end where it attaches to the transmission selector. You can remove the 10mm nut and see if the selector moves freely without the shifter cable attached. If so, that means it's not in the transmission. It's also possible that it's the interlock cable that goes to the back of the key lock cylinder.

    -Paul
    2003 "M5" - Full M5 conversion, AMG C63S 6 piston front calipers, Porsche Panamera 4 piston rear calipers, GC Coilovers,
    Eibach ARBs, UUC Evo3/DSSR, Borla Exhaust w/Muffler Delete, BMW NBT with Carplay/Android Auto, Bi-Xenons, e38 Style 37 M-Pars, e60 Hubs 530i 6-speed swap build thread
    2005 Range Rover 4.6is (M62TU Powered) - 4.6is Engine Swap from X5, BMW NBT with Carplay/Android Auto
    2006 Porsche Cayman S - Soul Performance Competition Headers and Exhaust, H&R Coilovers, 718 Boxster Spyder wheels, Rennline 35mm rear spacers

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by blackknight530i View Post
    If it ends up being something wrong with the shifter itself, I have a spare e39 steptronic shifter I just pulled out when doing my 6-speed swap in my 530i. Let me know if you might need it. I would also check the cable end where it attaches to the transmission selector. You can remove the 10mm nut and see if the selector moves freely without the shifter cable attached. If so, that means it's not in the transmission. It's also possible that it's the interlock cable that goes to the back of the key lock cylinder.
    Hey thank you very much for the offer and info.

    I've learned that If I hold the shifter the slightest bit to the left when I shift there is no issue. Doing that for now so as to focus on other issues first.
    ______

    Got the new belt. My BMW tech buddy ran all the codes, 3 DME codes:

    -Computer controlled Tstat
    -aux fan
    -DMTL pump

    A new OEM tstat costs me $65 through work so grabbing one tomorrow. Will be looking into fuses and electrical system for aux fan.. dmtl pump may just leave alone as I believe '01 does not need to pass emissions in MA anymore.
    Current
    2005 E55 AMG
    1998 Silverado K1500
    1964 Impala
    ​1964 Chevelle 496ci


    Past

    2000 Avus M5
    1988 Suburban K1500
    1987 Suburban K2500
    2007 Suburban
    1999 K2500 Suburban
    2000 MGM
    1999 K2500 Suburban
    2001 Stratus 740i Msport
    1990 750iL
    1995 540i/6
    1996 MGM

  16. #16
    Join Date
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    2000 740i sport
    Aux fan is probably brunt out... I replaced mine since I couldn't activate it manually with INPA. The used replacement I put in works but still sometimes gets the AUX fan code. It activates manually 95% of the times ive tried and i also hear it come on when its supposed to by itself so im not replacing it again just yet...
    Last edited by purplecty; 02-24-2016 at 09:43 AM.

  17. #17
    Join Date
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    01 740i,E93 M3,E30 325is
    Looks great good luck!! Take off that rear deck and spray it with VHT carpet dye. Makes a HUGE difference turning it back to black again!

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by Staszek View Post
    Looks great good luck!! Take off that rear deck and spray it with VHT carpet dye. Makes a HUGE difference turning it back to black again!
    Thanks! I actually did that with my E34 and it looked great.
    Current
    2005 E55 AMG
    1998 Silverado K1500
    1964 Impala
    ​1964 Chevelle 496ci


    Past

    2000 Avus M5
    1988 Suburban K1500
    1987 Suburban K2500
    2007 Suburban
    1999 K2500 Suburban
    2000 MGM
    1999 K2500 Suburban
    2001 Stratus 740i Msport
    1990 750iL
    1995 540i/6
    1996 MGM

  19. #19
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    So, put it up on the lift at work and learned the following:

    Big oil leak. Looking like it's coming from the timing covers.
    Too much negative rear camber- looks like due to work read lower ball joints and upper control arms.
    Front steering center tie rod needs to be replaced.
    Will need brakes at some point.

    Have a new belt and thermostat to throw on, just not sure if it makes sense to do those now if everything is gonna have to come off to do timing gaskets/ chain guides etc.

    Engine runs smoothly and quietly so if I don't have to do guides for a while I wont.

    Pics coming later. Did some paint touch up work to seal up any rusty chips.

    Car is other wise clean underneath and still has the original cats
    Current
    2005 E55 AMG
    1998 Silverado K1500
    1964 Impala
    ​1964 Chevelle 496ci


    Past

    2000 Avus M5
    1988 Suburban K1500
    1987 Suburban K2500
    2007 Suburban
    1999 K2500 Suburban
    2000 MGM
    1999 K2500 Suburban
    2001 Stratus 740i Msport
    1990 750iL
    1995 540i/6
    1996 MGM

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
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    MA
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    ///M5
    Time to spend money on this car..

    Some updates

    Polished the headlight lenses.. need headlight bulbs






    Time for some underneath pics
















    This little fella fell out from on top of the splash guard


    Neg rear camber


    c

    As you can see pretty much the entire front half of the car is slick with oil. Tech buddies think its the timing cover seals.

    Going to start with the rear end, Buying OEM (from work) rear upper control arms and lower ball joints. That's where the play is and should hopefully fix the negative camber and awful squeaking.

    Then onto the front end, needs center drag link and probably outer tie rods.

    Then brakes.

    Then we'll drop the lower pan to do a guide inspection..
    Current
    2005 E55 AMG
    1998 Silverado K1500
    1964 Impala
    ​1964 Chevelle 496ci


    Past

    2000 Avus M5
    1988 Suburban K1500
    1987 Suburban K2500
    2007 Suburban
    1999 K2500 Suburban
    2000 MGM
    1999 K2500 Suburban
    2001 Stratus 740i Msport
    1990 750iL
    1995 540i/6
    1996 MGM

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    Rutland, Vermont
    Posts
    4,398
    My Cars
    E30 E38 E46 E85 F150 GTI
    Boy it must must be nice to work in a heated space with a lift!

    I had that self oil-undercoating feature too. VC and TC cover gaskets were beyond shot. Had to snap them out but by bit they were so brittle. I'll bet yours are the same way.

    Have fun with the job and nice work with all the pix!📸
    2000 740i Sport | 2004 330xi | 1988 325i Vert | 2003 Z4 2.5 | 1995 Ford F150 | 2018 GTI

  22. #22
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Northwest Ohio
    Posts
    809
    My Cars
    2001 750iL
    Hey Leo! Nice score. Love that color. That was what I had initially set my heart on before I found my steel blue e38.

    Heck of a leak.
    2005 X5 4.8is (DD winter) * 2001 750iL (DD summer) * 2001 Ford Excursion 7.3 L <> 2005 X5 3.0 * 2003 X5 4.4i * 2009 X3 3.0 * 2009 X5 3.0 * 2007 Toyota Avalon Limited

  23. #23
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    Jul 2012
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    MA
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    ///M5
    Hey all,

    Interests have changed. Have many new oem parts for this car. New rear upper control arms, belts, tstat and more.

    For sale for $4,500. Exactly what I have into it.

    Leo
    Current
    2005 E55 AMG
    1998 Silverado K1500
    1964 Impala
    ​1964 Chevelle 496ci


    Past

    2000 Avus M5
    1988 Suburban K1500
    1987 Suburban K2500
    2007 Suburban
    1999 K2500 Suburban
    2000 MGM
    1999 K2500 Suburban
    2001 Stratus 740i Msport
    1990 750iL
    1995 540i/6
    1996 MGM

  24. #24
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Tempe, AZ
    Posts
    7,657
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    1995 525i/5
    Quote Originally Posted by Leonator134 View Post
    Hey all,

    Interests have changed. Have many new oem parts for this car. New rear upper control arms, belts, tstat and more.

    For sale for $4,500. Exactly what I have into it.

    Leo
    Wait, why? Do you not like it?
    1995 525i 5-speed - Thread

  25. #25
    Join Date
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    98 740il, 00 540i,04 ZHP
    Love the color. Wish I had the money and space. What changed your mind?
    '98 740il | 9/97 build | schwarz 2 | sandbeige | 5AT | 270k
    '04 330i ZHP sedan | Mystic blue | Alcantara | 6MT | 120k
    '00 540i sport | Titanium silver | Black | 5AT | 152k
    '85 Mustang GT convertible | Medium charcoal metallic | Gray | 5MT | 216k | one owner, all original

    mods: m-pars | Bilsteins & B&G springs | ValentineOne | StealthOne
    retrofits: full nav | MKIV | bluetooth TCU | BM53 w/ AUX input | video module w/ AV input & backup cam | oem sirius xm | xenon | shades | PDC | rain sensor | BMW DWS TPMS | lighted door handles | front seat heaters | heated steering wheel | euro rear fog lights | ski pass | folding mirrors


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