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Thread: Danny's Japan Rot 540i Touring Thread

  1. #626
    geargrinder's Avatar
    geargrinder is offline Having No Trouble Here BMW CCA Member
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    Weird. Post didn't show then it did.
    Last edited by geargrinder; 02-07-2017 at 09:36 AM.
    2003 M3CicM6 TiAg
    2002 540iT Sport Vortech S/C 6MT LSD TiAg
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  2. #627
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    Quote Originally Posted by auaq View Post
    Ha! How about save more money on towing the X5 with the Touring? Lol
    I briefly thought about that, but getting a proper tow hitch for the touring would cost more than paying a guy to tow the X5 and then fixing it. It's hard to even find the E39 towing hitches since very few of them made it over here. Most of the aftermarket ones are garbage and don't secure to the body very well. Plus even with the most proper Euro-spec towing hitch the tow limit is only 3500lbs due to the unibody. The X5 weighs 4800lbs, and a trailer weighs like 1500lbs or so... I'd rather pay my towing guy like $50 to have him take care of it.
    1995 525i 5-speed - Thread

  3. #628
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    Yesterday morning I noticed something a little weird with the transmission— it kept holding the gears for way too long, upshifting at around 4200rpm instead of the usual 2500 or so. Putting it into manual shift mode did nothing, the transmission just did not want to shift up. When slowing down at a red light it would downshift noticeably as well. No errors lights or messages otherwise though. It went away after like 3 miles though, and after that everything was normal.

    This is exactly what my Range Rover did when the transmission was overheating; it's a 5HP24 overheating protection mode. The idea is that by spinning the engine harder there's more airflow and more coolant circulating to cool off the transmission. In the Range Rover's case, it did occur after long drives in 100ºF weather. However in the touring's case, it happened when the transmission was at its coldest in the morning after sitting outside all night, so it clearly can't be from overheating.

    On my way home from work it was fine, but then in the evening when I took a short drive to Walmart it exhibited those same symptoms on the way there as well as the way back. I decided to troubleshoot by checking the fluid level in the transmission, knowing that these 5HP24's act up if the fluid level isn't just right. I figured maybe the fluid was slightly low, since this is only a problem on colder mornings. I might have noticed it sooner if I had driven the wagon instead of the X5 in the mornings when it was 35ºF.

    It was 11:30pm at that point— I had no room in the garage for the touring and the driveway is sloped so I couldn't use that. I ended up raising the touring on all fours in the middle of the street. I'm sure my neighbors were thrilled, but I'm moving so I couldn't care less.



    As I quickly realized when I opened the fill plug, the transmission was too warm to do the proper fluid check procedure. So after cleaning up the small mess I made, I decided to check the fluid level in the morning before work. I left the touring jacked up overnight and went to bed. The next morning I woke up around 7am and got right to work. I also pulled out my laptop with INPA so I could check the transmission temperature and see if there were any errors.



    (The angel eyes are wired to turn on with the ignition, I wasn't trying to show off or anything like that, promise)

    What's interesting is that the transmission temperature showed as 139ºC, even with the engine off. I started the engine and ran the transmission through all the gears, no real change in the transmission temperature in INPA. The temperature kept bouncing around between 138ºC – 141ºC. So now I'm thinking the transmission temperature sensor might acting up, which would explain why the transmission kept going into overheat mode despite being cold. Out of curiosity I checked the transmission error memory and bingo, look what I found:



    Looks like the transmission temperature sensor really is on its way out. It recorded quite a few instances of the sensor not working correctly. I don't think the sensor is fully dead yet because the transmission does settle into a normal operating mode after it warms up, and the problem is very occasional. Perhaps the sensor shorts out when it's cold or something.

    Going back to the fluid level check, since I couldn't trust the transmission temperature sensor I busted out my infrared laser thermometer ($20 at Harbor Freight). I pointed it at the oil pan with the engine running and waited until it was around 35ºC – 40ºC, which is the ZF-specified temperature range for checking the fluid level. I opened the fill plug and saw that nothing was coming out, indicating that the fluid level was low. If you've been following this thread for a while you'll know that I had already changed the transmission fluid and filter a few months back, so either some fluid leaked out (possible) or I didn't fill it correctly back then (also possible). I added about a quart and a half of the proper fluid (I still had a bunch left from when I serviced the Range Rover). Once the fluid started dribbling out I was sure that the transmission had the proper fluid level, so I installed the fill plug and turned off the engine. I chuckled a little at my situation— laying on the asphalt at 7am before work, transmission fluid all over me, huddling up for warmth near the catalytic converter. Nothing quite like being a car guy, eh?

    After everything was cleaned up and the touring was back on the ground, I went inside and got ready for work. I did a little bit of research and found that the temperature sensor is part of the wiring harness that connects to the solenoids on the valve body of the 5HP24; the part number is 24341423719 and ECS Tuning has the ZF-branded part for $161. The transmission acted fine and shifted buttery smooth on the way to work so for now the problem is solved, but I'll be keeping an eye on that transmission temperature sensor to see if it keeps misbehaving. I don't mind replacing it if I need to, so we'll see what happens. Ah, the joys of E39 ownership!
    1995 525i 5-speed - Thread

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    I think you are on the right track pointing out to a bad temp sensor. Nothing new and have also seen this happening in the 5HP19 transmissions too. I'm sure you've seen the pictures already, but the actual sensor is part of the internal wiring harness. It's not like a separate sensor that you could simply pull it out and plug the new one in, but it is integrated altogether with the rest of the harness. That means you will have to replace the entire harness which kind of sucks to be honest, but on the bright side you'll be getting a new one. I guess a win-win situation in long term reliability. If this symptom occurs again then I would go ahead and replace that sensor/harness. Otherwise, it might just be one of those random moments where something strange happens but doesn't reoccur again in the next thousand miles or so. You might just get lucky!

    It's highly likely that you didn't jack the car on a level ground when you changed the transmission fluid, so it's possible (taking into account that you do not have any leaks anywhere) that you are or were actually low on fluid.



  5. #630
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    This is why I don't daily drive my e39, Danny (although mine is stick)....Time for a 6 speed swap!


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  6. #631
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    Quote Originally Posted by auaq View Post
    I think you are on the right track pointing out to a bad temp sensor. Nothing new and have also seen this happening in the 5HP19 transmissions too. I'm sure you've seen the pictures already, but the actual sensor is part of the internal wiring harness. It's not like a separate sensor that you could simply pull it out and plug the new one in, but it is integrated altogether with the rest of the harness. That means you will have to replace the entire harness which kind of sucks to be honest, but on the bright side you'll be getting a new one. I guess a win-win situation in long term reliability. If this symptom occurs again then I would go ahead and replace that sensor/harness. Otherwise, it might just be one of those random moments where something strange happens but doesn't reoccur again in the next thousand miles or so. You might just get lucky!

    It's highly likely that you didn't jack the car on a level ground when you changed the transmission fluid, so it's possible (taking into account that you do not have any leaks anywhere) that you are or were actually low on fluid.
    Yep, the whole harness has to be replaced. The part number and price I referenced above are for the whole harness. I looked up some DIYs on replacing it and it really doesn't look that hard— the most annoying part is having to drain the transmission and drop the oil pan, but changing the fluid + filter an extra time wouldn't hurt anyways. The last time I had this issue was about a thousand miles ago, it was on the way to the Grand Canyon. It was also quite cold that morning, but the problem resolved itself after a few miles just like the most recent occurrence. If this happens again I'll order a new harness. I'm just glad that the transmission itself is fine, the electrical bits are pretty easy to replace.

    Quote Originally Posted by cnsorial View Post
    This is why I don't daily drive my e39, Danny (although mine is stick)....Time for a 6 speed swap!
    I've gotten about 11,000 miles of daily driving on the touring since I bought it last July, it's never left me stranded or unable to get to work. Even with this transmission issue it still drove fine otherwise. Plus if mine was a stick I wouldn't even have this problem in the first place. A 6-speed swap will definitely happen, I just need to fix the X5 and finish the touring's suspension/driveshaft work first.

    I'd rather daily drive a broken BMW than a perfectly functional Honda, haha :P
    1995 525i 5-speed - Thread

  7. #632
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    Yep, draining the recently fresh fluid sucks. However, was that your first fluid change? How did you go about changing the fluid? Just drain and refill one time? If so, then changing the fluid again is actually a good thing. You'll get more of the old/new mixed fluid out and fill with new fresh fluid in. Remember that the torque converter also holds fluid inside and you can only drain the transmission side. Whatever remains in the torque converter remains there till you do another round of drain/fill. Slowly but eventually you'll have all of the old mixed fluid out and will only have new fluid in.



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    I had similar symptoms of shifting and my trans was in fact overheating from some a radiator issue. At the same time i swapped trans cooler and trans tstat. When doing research i was told of the temp sensor that is a part of the harness and the valve body has to come down to be replaced. I think Kouks mentioned this information to me and i recall if you have the error is for sure the issue. My EGS never had an error which lead me to more research and in my case it was the agternarket radiator that the PO installed in the car...
    Last edited by purplecty; 02-08-2017 at 01:58 PM.

  9. #634
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    Quote Originally Posted by auaq View Post
    Yep, draining the recently fresh fluid sucks. However, was that your first fluid change? How did you go about changing the fluid? Just drain and refill one time? If so, then changing the fluid again is actually a good thing. You'll get more of the old/new mixed fluid out and fill with new fresh fluid in. Remember that the torque converter also holds fluid inside and you can only drain the transmission side. Whatever remains in the torque converter remains there till you do another round of drain/fill. Slowly but eventually you'll have all of the old mixed fluid out and will only have new fluid in.
    Yeah, that was the first time I changed it— the old fluid was quite black and the filter was original from 1999. I don't mind changing it again, it's just a messy process haha. I've gotten pretty good at it though, having done it on my 540i/6 (super easy because manual), 750il, Range Rover, and this touring. Changing it again will be good either way, it'll just get more fresh fluid into the system. Draining and filling gradually was my plan anyways, since I didn't want to do a power flush. For what it's worth the transmission itself shifts pretty well, no complaints there.

    Quote Originally Posted by purplecty View Post
    I had similar symptoms of shifting and my trans was in fact overheating from some a radiator issue. At the same time i swapped trans cooler and trans tstat. When doing research i was told of the temp sensor that is a part of the harness and the valve body has to come down to be replaced. I think Kouks mentioned this information to me and i recall if you have the error is for sure the issue. My EGS never had an error which lead me to more research and in my case it was the agternarket radiator that the PO installed in the car...
    Yeah, I had the overheating issues in my Range Rover so I replaced the transmission cooler and thermostat which fixed it. In the case of the touring it's acting like it's overheating when it's completely cold, so it's definitely a sensor/harness issue. The whole valve body doesn't need to come out though, as seen in this DIY: http://bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/1091413

    Hopefully the transmission stays good for another week or so until I'm moved into my new place, I'd prefer to replace the harness once I'm done moving. Aside from renting a U-Haul truck for a few hours for the major furniture, my touring will be doing most of the moving.
    1995 525i 5-speed - Thread

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    Save money and get it at thectsc.com

  11. #636
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    Quote Originally Posted by Flounderasu View Post
    Save money and get it at thectsc.com
    Wow, that is an incredible price for the harness— $119! http://www.thectsc.com/products/valv...p24-90-13.html

    Thanks for the tip! Great timing too, because I got the symptoms again today while driving home from work. They happened only while the transmission was cold after sitting for about 9 hours, and just like last time it started acting normal after 2-3 miles. If I had to guess I'd say that the transmission temperature sensor doesn't like being cold, since on a warm start it'll behave just fine the whole time. So I'll order the harness and new fluids + filter next week.
    1995 525i 5-speed - Thread

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    man if/when this car gets a 6speed it'll be one of my* holy grails of e39
    Last edited by phishy; 02-10-2017 at 10:05 AM.

  13. #638
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    Quote Originally Posted by phishy View Post
    man if/when this car gets a 6speed it'll be one of my* holy grails of e39
    hold up


    Not best red
    Pre-Facelift
    Broken everything
    Not 2003 M5
    Wrong M-Pars


    Everything checks out, this is the best E39 ever rolled off the factory line.
    Last edited by XAlt; 02-10-2017 at 10:48 AM.

  14. #639
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    Quote Originally Posted by phishy View Post
    man if/when this car gets a 6speed it'll be one of my* holy grails of e39
    A 6-speed will happen at some point, I just need to find a proper donor car. Ideally a 2000 540i/6 with a black interior that's been wrecked or has a bad engine, because otherwise people charge insane prices for manual 540i's.

    Quote Originally Posted by XAlt View Post
    hold up

    Not best red
    Pre-Facelift
    Broken everything
    Not 2003 M5
    Wrong M-Pars

    Everything checks out, this is the best E39 ever rolled off the factory line.
    I know that's sarcasm, but I'm still gonna respond.

    I actually prefer the Japan Red to Imola Red. Japan Red is brighter and far more obnoxious. Yes it still has some pre-facelift bits remaining (bumpers, taillights) but I'll have those taken care of soon enough. I won't argue with the "broken everything" statement because my suspension, driveshaft, and now transmission need work— that being said, it still drives reliably every day, proving that even a broken E39 is better than most cars. Agreed, it's not a 2003 M5, but that's why I got it for $5,000 and not for $25,000. The E38 M-Pars are better anyways, they have wider rear wheels that look way better
    1995 525i 5-speed - Thread

  15. #640
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    geargrinder is offline Having No Trouble Here BMW CCA Member
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    Quote Originally Posted by phishy View Post
    man if/when this car gets a 6speed it'll be one of my* holy grails of e39
    Ha ha the edit was wise.
    2003 M3CicM6 TiAg
    2002 540iT Sport Vortech S/C 6MT LSD TiAg
    2008 Audi A3 2.0T DSG (the daily beater)
    2014 BMW X1 xDrive28i (wifemobile)

    Former:

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  16. #641
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    Wow, can't believe it's been a month since I last updated this thread... lots of things going on in life I guess. Moving took me nearly a month, you would not believe how much stuff I had to move/throw out. I rented a U-Haul truck to move the big furniture, and everything else was transported in the touring. It's amazing how much the touring fits with the seats folded down! I even managed around 18mpg while moving since 99% of my driving was highway driving. I had to get the X5 towed to the new house where it's still sitting in the backyard awaiting repairs.

    Anyways, I did a bunch of stuff to the touring over the past few weeks so I thought I'd share.

    The first order of business after I finished moving was to clean up the interior... tan interiors get absolutely filthy if you don't clean them religiously. Check out this comparison shot of the driver's seat— look how much brighter that cleaned section is!



    I also cleaned the door cards, the driver's side one was pretty gross but now it's all clean and nice.



    After that, I swapped the front sway bar end links and bushings to tighten up the ride a bit. I used Meyle HD links and Genuine BMW bushings. Installing it all went pretty easily. The old end links didn't look that bad but they certainly felt quite loose.



    The ride didn't feel too much different after installing those new parts, but it's nice to know that those components are all new now.

    During the moving process I rolled over 186,000 miles, so I felt like it was about time to replace the old driveshaft. I suspected that the CSB was bad because of how the driveshaft would knock around when accelerating from a standstill. Several months ago I purchased a remanufactured driveshaft from Driveshaft Specialists in Texas. I figured with that many miles it was a good idea to get another driveshaft.

    I jacked the touring up on all fours in my driveway and proceeded to drop the exhaust. I hit the exhaust bolts with PB Blaster a few hours prior to disassembly to make things easier, but it wasn't really necessary as the bolts all came off very easily. I actually bought a set of replacement exhaust bolts because I anticipated at least one breaking like when I removed the exhaust on my old 750il. I didn't break a single bolt; rust-free cars are the best! Man, that exhaust is heavy. Gotta love the E39's giant one-piece exhaust.





    With the exhaust out, I removed the heat shielding and immediately saw why my driveshaft was knocking.



    Check out that CSB! It was completely torn apart so the driveshaft was just flopping around for the past few months. Crazy to think I drove like 8k miles with that.

    The guibo didn't look too bad, but it was starting to crack so I figured I'd replace it while I was there. Turns out that the guibo is original with a 1999 production date on it so it was due for a replacement. I'm honestly amazed it lasted that long. The transmission mounts appeared nearly brand new— most likely replaced by the previous owner shortly before I bought the car.



    The guibo bolts were still factory tight so you can imagine what a fun time I had removing them. I don't have any air tools so I had to brace myself against the underside of the car and use my whole body to break those bolts loose with a 3/4" breaker bar. Eventually I got them all loose and then I undid the bolts holding the driveshaft to the differential (easy). I made sure to mark the position of the CSB before I removed it so that I could preload the new driveshaft correctly. Here's the driveshaft after being removed:



    After that I installed the new driveshaft, bolted down both ends, preloaded the CSB, reinstalled the heat shields, and reinstalled the exhaust. Installing the exhaust was quite fun, as I had only one jack and the exhaust system was terribly unbalanced (what with having a 50lb pair of mufflers one only one side). I basically ended up bench pressing the exhaust into place— supporting it with my chest while I wrangled it onto the exhaust bolts and started to bolt it down. Who needs a lift when you have jack stands and a mild disregard for personal safety? Haha.

    Replacing the driveshaft completely fixed the problem— now I can accelerate and drive like an idiot without the driveshaft flopping around. I go 90mph up a steep mountain road every morning before work, mostly because I can. It's been so much fun to drive the touring in a more aggressive manner... driving it like a normal human was so boring. Consequently my gas mileage has gone down to like 14.5mpg calculated, whoops.

    I was real pleased with how the repairs turned out so I washed and waxed the touring.



    I also waxed the door jambs, they look so nice now!





    At some point last week I rolled over 187,000 miles. That means I've put on about 13k miles since I bought the touring with 174k miles last July. Two of those months I spent daily driving the Range Rover and then the X5, so I put on 13k miles in about 6 months of actual driving. Not bad.

    Last Saturday I finally went to a shop and got my muffler deleted. It sounds so nice now! It's still pretty quiet at idle but it makes some really fun sounds when accelerating. Definitely a great little mod for only $60, and the shop was able to use my stock muffler tip so it looks completely OEM at first glance. Here's a little video I made of a cold startup:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8V4Hz5IqH0



    Later that day I went to a car show in Scottsdale. It's a weekly gathering and it's in the evening so it's perfect for lazy people like me. I could never wake up in time for a Cars & Coffee so an event that starts at 4pm is perfect. The touring actually got a lot of positive attention, I was surprised! People seemed to think a red BMW wagon with a V8 was a pretty cool thing. I met a lot of cool people too, including a guy with a mint Estoril Blue S54 M-Coupe and a guy with a super clean red Porsche 928 manual.

    It was also nice to see my old 1995 750il there, the current owner of it lives up north but he came down for the car show so that was cool. That 750il has 202k miles now, I'm pretty proud to see it doing so well. It's got coilovers and a straight pipe exhaust now, pretty cool.



    I think that's about it for the updates!
    1995 525i 5-speed - Thread

  17. #642
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    Quote Originally Posted by dannyzabolotny View Post
    Wow, can't believe it's been a month since I last updated this thread... lots of things going on in life I guess. Moving took me nearly a month, you would not believe how much stuff I had to move/throw out. I rented a U-Haul truck to move the big furniture, and everything else was transported in the touring. It's amazing how much the touring fits with the seats folded down! I even managed around 18mpg while moving since 99% of my driving was highway driving. I had to get the X5 towed to the new house where it's still sitting in the backyard awaiting repairs.

    Anyways, I did a bunch of stuff to the touring over the past few weeks so I thought I'd share.

    The first order of business after I finished moving was to clean up the interior... tan interiors get absolutely filthy if you don't clean them religiously. Check out this comparison shot of the driver's seat-- look how much brighter that cleaned section is!

    I also cleaned the door cards, the driver's side one was pretty gross but now it's all clean and nice.

    After that, I swapped the front sway bar end links and bushings to tighten up the ride a bit. I used Meyle HD links and Genuine BMW bushings. Installing it all went pretty easily. The old end links didn't look that bad but they certainly felt quite loose.

    The ride didn't feel too much different after installing those new parts, but it's nice to know that those components are all new now.

    During the moving process I rolled over 186,000 miles, so I felt like it was about time to replace the old driveshaft. I suspected that the CSB was bad because of how the driveshaft would knock around when accelerating from a standstill. Several months ago I purchased a remanufactured driveshaft from Driveshaft Specialists in Texas. I figured with that many miles it was a good idea to get another driveshaft.

    I jacked the touring up on all fours in my driveway and proceeded to drop the exhaust. I hit the exhaust bolts with PB Blaster a few hours prior to disassembly to make things easier, but it wasn't really necessary as the bolts all came off very easily. I actually bought a set of replacement exhaust bolts because I anticipated at least one breaking like when I removed the exhaust on my old 750il. I didn't break a single bolt; rust-free cars are the best! Man, that exhaust is heavy. Gotta love the E39's giant one-piece exhaust.

    With the exhaust out, I removed the heat shielding and immediately saw why my driveshaft was knocking.

    Check out that CSB! It was completely torn apart so the driveshaft was just flopping around for the past few months. Crazy to think I drove like 8k miles with that.

    The guibo didn't look too bad, but it was starting to crack so I figured I'd replace it while I was there. Turns out that the guibo is original with a 1999 production date on it so it was due for a replacement. I'm honestly amazed it lasted that long. The transmission mounts appeared nearly brand new-- most likely replaced by the previous owner shortly before I bought the car.

    The guibo bolts were still factory tight so you can imagine what a fun time I had removing them. I don't have any air tools so I had to brace myself against the underside of the car and use my whole body to break those bolts loose with a 3/4" breaker bar. Eventually I got them all loose and then I undid the bolts holding the driveshaft to the differential (easy). I made sure to mark the position of the CSB before I removed it so that I could preload the new driveshaft correctly. Here's the driveshaft after being removed:

    After that I installed the new driveshaft, bolted down both ends, preloaded the CSB, reinstalled the heat shields, and reinstalled the exhaust. Installing the exhaust was quite fun, as I had only one jack and the exhaust system was terribly unbalanced (what with having a 50lb pair of mufflers one only one side). I basically ended up bench pressing the exhaust into place-- supporting it with my chest while I wrangled it onto the exhaust bolts and started to bolt it down. Who needs a lift when you have jack stands and a mild disregard for personal safety? Haha.

    Replacing the driveshaft completely fixed the problem-- now I can accelerate and drive like an idiot without the driveshaft flopping around. I go 90mph up a steep mountain road every morning before work, mostly because I can. It's been so much fun to drive the touring in a more aggressive manner... driving it like a normal human was so boring. Consequently my gas mileage has gone down to like 14.5mpg calculated, whoops.

    I was real pleased with how the repairs turned out so I washed and waxed the touring.

    I also waxed the door jambs, they look so nice now!

    At some point last week I rolled over 187,000 miles. That means I've put on about 13k miles since I bought the touring with 174k miles last July. Two of those months I spent daily driving the Range Rover and then the X5, so I put on 13k miles in about 6 months of actual driving. Not bad.

    Last Saturday I finally went to a shop and got my muffler deleted. It sounds so nice now! It's still pretty quiet at idle but it makes some really fun sounds when accelerating. Definitely a great little mod for only $60, and the shop was able to use my stock muffler tip so it looks completely OEM at first glance. Here's a little video I made of a cold startup:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8V4Hz5IqH0

    YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8V4Hz5IqH0

    Later that day I went to a car show in Scottsdale. It's a weekly gathering and it's in the evening so it's perfect for lazy people like me. I could never wake up in time for a Cars & Coffee so an event that starts at 4pm is perfect. The touring actually got a lot of positive attention, I was surprised! People seemed to think a red BMW wagon with a V8 was a pretty cool thing. I met a lot of cool people too, including a guy with a mint Estoril Blue S54 M-Coupe and a guy with a super clean red Porsche 928 manual.

    It was also nice to see my old 1995 750il there, the current owner of it lives up north but he came down for the car show so that was cool. That 750il has 202k miles now, I'm pretty proud to see it doing so well. It's got coilovers and a straight pipe exhaust now, pretty cool.

    I think that's about it for the updates!
    Looking good Danny!! What did you use to clean the seats and do it cards, looks awesome.

  18. #643
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    Posts
    7,043
    My Cars
    98 540 6, SC'ed, 16psi
    Another great post and nice set of repairs! That red really pops. Agree with you, those Guibo bolts are very tight. It's also difficult to tighten them while preventing any twisting of the Guibo rubber.
    98 540i 6, 525 whp, 120 mph 1/4, V3 Si S/C'er @16 psi, W/A I/C, Water/Meth, Supersprint Headers, HJS Cats, 3" Custom Exhaust, UUC Twin Disc, Wavetrac LSD, GC Coil Overs, Monoball TA, AEM FP, Aeromotive FPR, AEM Failsafe AFR/Boost, Style 65's w/275's, M5 Steering Box, Eibach Sways, M3 Shifter, Evans Coolant, 85 Deg Stat, PWM Fan, 10" Subs, B.A. speakers, Grom Aux/BT, Still Rolling as my DD!

  19. #644
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    Raleigh, NC
    Posts
    17,072
    My Cars
    SR-71 Blackbird
    Yeah, those flex disc bolts are not easy to work with.



  20. #645
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Location
    Chicago, Il / Denver, Co
    Posts
    6,412
    My Cars
    '01 DINAN7 '03 M5
    Nice plate

    V12BRO
    Instagram.com/nordmanmg

    Your current situation is not your final destination

  21. #646
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Tempe, AZ
    Posts
    7,658
    My Cars
    1995 525i/5
    Quote Originally Posted by Mannyf540 View Post
    Looking good Danny!! What did you use to clean the seats and do it cards, looks awesome.
    I used Ammo Lather to clean the seats and door panels, using a soft-bristle detailing brush and a clean microfiber towel. The key is to be gentle— it's all too easy to damage the leather if you clean too aggressively. Unfortunately the seats didn't get as clean as I wanted them, but a lot of that is because they're quite worn and the dye is starting to fade a bit in some spots.

    I then used Ammo Mousse to condition the leather. That keeps it feeling soft and prevents it from cracking. At 187,000 miles the seats are all intact with pretty soft leather and no tears. They may not look great but they're pretty comfortable. I also conditioned the steering wheel since it was starting to look a little dry.

    Quote Originally Posted by philly98540 View Post
    Another great post and nice set of repairs! That red really pops. Agree with you, those Guibo bolts are very tight. It's also difficult to tighten them while preventing any twisting of the Guibo rubber.
    Thanks! I still love the red color, it's pretty unique. It looks awesome when it's clean and it still looks decent when it's dirty so I'm happy with it.

    Tightening the guibo bolts was actually a lot easier than loosening them— I just counter-held the nuts with an open wrench and torqued down the guibo bolts with my big torque wrench. The other important thing to remember with the guibo is installing it correctly, there are little arrows on the sides of the guibo that are supposed to match up with the transmission output flange and driveshaft flange.

    Quote Originally Posted by NordmanMg View Post
    Nice plate

    V12BRO
    Haha yeah it's an awesome plate. The guy who bought it is pretty cool, he enjoys the car a lot and daily drives it.
    1995 525i 5-speed - Thread

  22. #647
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Tempe, AZ
    Posts
    7,658
    My Cars
    1995 525i/5
    To continue my suspension saga, I found a really good deal on a set of lightly used Koni adjustable shocks + Dinan springs for the front suspension. I should be getting those sometime early next week. They come with new OEM shock mounts and the springs are already installed so I don't have to use a spring compressor

    I'm excited to be getting Koni shocks because in a moment of cheap weakness I almost ordered Bilstein HD's. Normally the Konis are way out of my budget but the deal I got was better than buying two Bilsteins, so I'm pretty stoked on that. Now I just have to find out which Koni shocks fit the rear of the touring. According to Koni, none of their shocks officially fit an E39 touring with SLS, but I've seen a few guys around here running with them so I know it's doable.
    1995 525i 5-speed - Thread

  23. #648
    Join Date
    Aug 2016
    Location
    Virginia,USA
    Posts
    3,144
    My Cars
    528i, 525iT, M5
    Looks great! Glad to see the wash and detail images too!
    Current Garage Highlights
    2003 525iT TiSilver
    2002 M5 TiSilver
    1998 528i KASCHMIRBEIGE METALLIC (301) (Goldie)

    Former Garage Highlights
    2005 X5 4.8is
    2004 325iTs (2x)
    1973 Pantera L
    1971 Dodge Dart Swinger "Lite Package"
    1970 Dodge Challenger T/A 340 Six Pack Alpine White
    1970 Dodge Challenger T/A 340 Six Pack GoManGo Green
    1969 Road Runner 383
    1968 Barracuda Formula S 340 Sea Foam Green

  24. #649
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Los Gatos, CA
    Posts
    2,795
    My Cars
    05 330i
    no plan on deleting sls?
    05 330i Alpine White
    Past:
    02 330i Titanium Silver
    R56 MCS
    00 540i6

  25. #650
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Tempe, AZ
    Posts
    7,658
    My Cars
    1995 525i/5
    Quote Originally Posted by justinca540i View Post
    no plan on deleting sls?
    None whatsoever, I like the SLS system. I had hundreds of pounds of stuff in the back of the touring when I was moving and it handled it just fine without any sagging in the rear. It's a really simple system that works quietly in the background without you ever knowing it's there.

    Plus with the rear SLS it's super easy to adjust the ride height— I just fire up INPA and adjust the height using nothing but SCIENCE!
    1995 525i 5-speed - Thread

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