Page 14 of 45 FirstFirst ... 45678910111213141516171819202122232439 ... LastLast
Results 326 to 350 of 1117

Thread: Danny's Japan Rot 540i Touring Thread

  1. #326
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Charlotte, NC
    Posts
    9,266
    My Cars
    03 M5/05 RR/06 Cayman S
    Quote Originally Posted by dannyzabolotny View Post
    So I've been thinking about what I want to do with this wagon... I've decided to make the Range Rover my daily driver for now, so that opens the door to doing something cool with this touring. I miss having an M5, but I don't want to buy another regular M5, so I think I'll be turning this touring into an M5. Since I have the Range Rover as my automatic traffic yacht, I'm fine with putting an S62 and a 6-speed into the touring. It gets terrible gas mileage right now with the M62tu anyways, so if I'm going to get terrible gas mileage with it I might as well have 400hp.

    Right now, the plan is to go through the whole suspension and make sure it's all solid. Once that's done, I'm going to start saving up to buy a wrecked/salvage M5. That's the most cost-efficient way to do a swap, since buying a whole car will give me everything I need. I'd rather do one big swap than do things piece by piece. The wiring/coding aspect of doing a swap absolutely terrifies me, but I've been getting the hang of coding little by little so this will just be another challenge for me to tackle. When everything is apart I'm going take advantage of that and do a full interior swap which will give me access to all the wiring I'll need to modify. I'll also be able to get to the HVAC unit with everything out so I'll be able to rebuild it and clean it thoroughly (it smells awful right now). I also plan to do a light rebuild of the S62 before putting it in— rod bearings, timing chain guides, Vanos rebuild, gaskets, etc. Maybe piston rings? We'll see. I've always wanted to rebuild a car fully and this will give me the chance to do just that. As for the exhaust, I plan to keep the spare tire well since I like practicality, but I'll modify it a little to fit a dual exhaust system. I plan on running without mufflers so I won't need too much extra room for that.

    An M5 swap would be the ultimate test of my abilities, and it makes sense to do this now while I'm still young and have no real responsibilities. A lot of people make bold claims of wanting to do crazy mods or swaps (see Geargrinder's deadpool) but I'm really committed to doing this. It won't be quick by any means though. I plan to get the touring all sorted and ready by the end of this year, and the swap will proceed early next year once I can find a suitable donor.
    I just wrote a DIY last night for how to turn your wagon into a M5 wagon. Check it out.

    Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

    -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

  2. #327
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Bay Area, California
    Posts
    1,305
    My Cars
    325iT, 540iT
    So who's gonna do this first? Aquila or Danny?

  3. #328
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Tempe, AZ
    Posts
    7,657
    My Cars
    1995 525i/5
    Quote Originally Posted by blackknight530i View Post
    I just wrote a DIY last night for how to turn your wagon into a M5 wagon. Check it out.

    Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
    Yeah, I was looking at that earlier today. What are the difficulties with going from a prefacelift 2000 versus a 2001+ E39? Is it like some wiring differences?

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by blarf View Post
    So who's gonna do this first? Aquila or Danny?
    Who knows, haha. It's not a race. I'll take my time and make sure it's done well.
    1995 525i 5-speed - Thread

  4. #329
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Charlotte, NC
    Posts
    9,266
    My Cars
    03 M5/05 RR/06 Cayman S
    Quote Originally Posted by dannyzabolotny View Post
    Yeah, I was looking at that earlier today. What are the difficulties with going from a prefacelift 2000 versus a 2001+ E39? Is it like some wiring differences?

    - - - Updated - - -



    Who knows, haha. It's not a race. I'll take my time and make sure it's done well.
    Shouldn't be much, if anything, for a 2000

    Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

    -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

  5. #330
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Tempe, AZ
    Posts
    7,657
    My Cars
    1995 525i/5
    Quote Originally Posted by blackknight530i View Post
    Shouldn't be much, if anything, for a 2000

    Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
    Ah, so the major differences are in the pre-Vanos 540i's? I know I'll definitely need a newer LCM and GM, but I'll probably get those with the donor.
    1995 525i 5-speed - Thread

  6. #331
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Charlotte, NC
    Posts
    9,266
    My Cars
    03 M5/05 RR/06 Cayman S
    Quote Originally Posted by dannyzabolotny View Post
    Ah, so the major differences are in the pre-Vanos 540i's? I know I'll definitely need a newer LCM and GM, but I'll probably get those with the donor.
    Don't think you'll need a newer LCM or GM. Keep those the same. Neither of those care what engine you're running.

    Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

    -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

  7. #332
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Tempe, AZ
    Posts
    7,657
    My Cars
    1995 525i/5
    Quote Originally Posted by blackknight530i View Post
    Don't think you'll need a newer LCM or GM. Keep those the same. Neither of those care what engine you're running.

    Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
    Oh yeah, you're right, with an M5 DME I can just run the Servotronic to the DME properly instead of using the GM hack for a non-M5. I'll still need a newer LCM for running facelift touring taillights, but that's a whole other thing. It'll be good to keep the same GM though, because it can get a little weird swapping a sedan GM into a wagon.
    1995 525i 5-speed - Thread

  8. #333
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Charlotte, NC
    Posts
    9,266
    My Cars
    03 M5/05 RR/06 Cayman S
    Quote Originally Posted by dannyzabolotny View Post
    Oh yeah, you're right, with an M5 DME I can just run the Servotronic to the DME properly instead of using the GM hack for a non-M5. I'll still need a newer LCM for running facelift touring taillights, but that's a whole other thing. It'll be good to keep the same GM though, because it can get a little weird swapping a sedan GM into a wagon.
    Yeah, LCM 3b or 4 for CELIS taillights.

    Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

    -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

  9. #334
    geargrinder's Avatar
    geargrinder is offline Having No Trouble Here BMW CCA Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    AndoverRockport MA & Intl
    Posts
    14,856
    My Cars
    E46M3Cic E39.540iT E84X1
    Danny Dude you are a riot.

    You always declare your plans for each car with such authority and finality, but pretty much always come up with a new ambitious project or totally different direction in short order! Keep this, sell that, no wait switch it up, now swap that other thing! Ha ha.

    Don't take this as a rip by the way. You're a "really does shi4" guy in the end and get full props for that. You might change the plan midstream, but, Nothing wrong w that, and, you'll be doing some stuff one way or another!

    Rock on baby. M5T.

    BTW I don't see that as anything nearly 'ultimate test of your abilities', esp w a hand from Graham here and there as I'm sure would be the case. I'm sure youd knock this out pretty easy, given how Jed and Paul and Brian and buncha the E38 guys have laid out so much info on the how-to's already.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by dannyzabolotny View Post
    run the Servotronic to the DME properly instead of using the GM hack for a non-M5
    Small correction. In no way is that "a hack". That's a complete legit setup, factory issue for non USA 540's and E38's and hell probably some other cars too. The bizarre thing is probably that the USA 540's didn't come w Servo in the first place, as otherwise we got fairly max loaded cars (ex: never came w base HVAC, always SLS, etc). If your car was a euro 540 w Servo factory wires, youd not call it a "hack" you'd just take it for granted.

    If you want to argue whats most engineering-proper now, well you could argue that the proper module would be ABS/DSC module as it's in charge otherwise of chassis dynamics. I believe many later chassis cars run the servotronic that way but don't quote me. But the GM method isn't a hack at all. It's getting road speed from the ABS module just like the DME is, therefore pretty arbitrary which CPU does the PWM work for you, once the data has been sent by the ABS. The only advantage you have w the DME is Sport Mode switching, Which indeed is a feature enhancement , but that doesn't make the other method a hack, it's just a standard-car setup vs "M" enhanced.
    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:

    1985 MB Euro graymarket 300SL
    1995.5 Audi S6 Avant (utility/winter billetturbobattlewagen)


  10. #335
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Tempe, AZ
    Posts
    7,657
    My Cars
    1995 525i/5
    Quote Originally Posted by geargrinder View Post
    Danny Dude you are a riot.

    You always declare your plans for each car with such authority and finality, but pretty much always come up with a new ambitious project or totally different direction in short order! Keep this, sell that, no wait switch it up, now swap that other thing! Ha ha.

    Don't take this as a rip by the way. You're a "really does shi4" guy in the end and get full props for that. You might change the plan midstream, but, Nothing wrong w that, and, you'll be doing some stuff one way or another!

    Rock on baby. M5T.

    BTW I don't see that as anything nearly 'ultimate test of your abilities', esp w a hand from Graham here and there as I'm sure would be the case. I'm sure youd knock this out pretty easy, given how Jed and Paul and Brian and buncha the E38 guys have laid out so much info on the how-to's already.

    Small correction. In no way is that "a hack". That's a complete legit setup, factory issue for non USA 540's and E38's and hell probably some other cars too. The bizarre thing is probably that the USA 540's didn't come w Servo in the first place, as otherwise we got fairly max loaded cars (ex: never came w base HVAC, always SLS, etc). If your car was a euro 540 w Servo factory wires, youd not call it a "hack" you'd just take it for granted.

    If you want to argue whats most engineering-proper now, well you could argue that the proper module would be ABS/DSC module as it's in charge otherwise of chassis dynamics. I believe many later chassis cars run the servotronic that way but don't quote me. But the GM method isn't a hack at all. It's getting road speed from the ABS module just like the DME is, therefore pretty arbitrary which CPU does the PWM work for you, once the data has been sent by the ABS. The only advantage you have w the DME is Sport Mode switching, Which indeed is a feature enhancement , but that doesn't make the other method a hack, it's just a standard-car setup vs "M" enhanced.
    Well that's part of why I need to do this. I need to finish something for once. I keep buying these cars, doing stuff to them, and then selling them before they're really "done." I need to see a project through to completion, it's just something I have to do for myself. I need closure.

    Sure I could buy another cheap M5 and fix it up and be happy, but that means selling this touring and buying yet another car. I've done that way too many times already, I need to commit to something already. I love this touring, I love the way it looks, and it's a really solid platform to build on— clean title, no rust, V8.

    I get that this has been well-documented at this point, but I don't think it's going to be easy by any means. Aside from the physical labor of the swap, the coding and wiring will be a real challenge to me. I've never wired much more than headlights so this is a big step. Sure, I'll have some help with some of the bigger components of the swap, but I do think I'll be doing a lot of this on my own, since I have a ton of free time and the space to do it.

    I did initially consider a supercharger, but that's like 4-5k for just the supercharger when I can get a wrecked M5 for just a bit more (if not less). Doing an M5 swap would take care of everything else I don't like about the touring, which is the interior, the differential, the transmission (the auto got boring real quick), and the steering feel. There's a guy locally that'll sell me the back half of his black touring interior so I can use that to finish the tan to black swap in the rear of the touring. Sure I won't have M5 rear seats in the touring, but that's not something that particularly bothers me at this time.

    And sorry for calling your method a "hack," I get that it's technically recreating something that cars had in other markets. Though for US market cars it can be considered a mod as opposed to a retrofit since it never came with these cars here. Though I'm sure we can argue over the semantics of that for hours. It's still cool that you can do that without having a full-on M5 swap though, I think that's the takeaway here.
    1995 525i 5-speed - Thread

  11. #336
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Tempe, AZ
    Posts
    7,657
    My Cars
    1995 525i/5
    So I've been daily driving the wagon for the past two weeks, even though the ride is still kinda crappy. I decided to do the valve cover and timing cover gaskets on the Range Rover, because it leaked oil profusely. Turns out the gaskets were all original at 158k, including the valve cover gaskets which were hard as a rock. Wow, right? But then as I removed the driver side upper timing cover, I see that the U-guide was completely missing the plastic. Know what that means? Chain guide time!

    Now isn't this a familiar sight in my threads?

    Photo Sep 21, 1 01 24 AM.jpg

    Ultimately I decided to keep the Range Rover, since I like having a big truck for towing stuff, and my girlfriend loves it. She actually likes driving it a lot too, whereas she never liked driving any of my BMWs. I dunno if I should be offended or not, haha. I plan to wire it up with all the proper trailer wiring + a trailer brake controller for ultimate towing adventures.

    Anyways, going back to the touring, I have another idea on what might be causing the bad ride in the rear, aside from bushings/shocks. The Michelin tires I bought for the rears are actually a lot older than I thought (I bought em on Craigslist and they looked new), they're almost 6 years old. They feel really stiff even at 30psi, so I'm sure that's part of my bad ride. So I'll likely replace them with new Hankook Ventus V12s, since they're reasonably priced and I'm very happy with them on the front wheels.
    Last edited by dannyzabolotny; 09-22-2016 at 08:39 PM.
    1995 525i 5-speed - Thread

  12. #337
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    3,566
    My Cars
    1998 528i; 2000 540i;
    DO you get a pin from BMW after your 10th TCG DIY?
    gmak: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. A journey with my new-to-me 2000 540i

    "Working on a BMW E39 is the best way to run out of time."

  13. #338
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Tempe, AZ
    Posts
    7,657
    My Cars
    1995 525i/5
    I'm pretty sure BMW would just want me to buy a new car at that point.

    So this morning I was driving and I noticed a fun new sound when accelerating... I got it on video. You can also hear how bad the suspension is, there's so much rattling and massive clunks even though I was driving on a relatively smooth road.



    The new sound is at 0:25 specifically. It's like a couple of quiet knocks and they go away quickly, but it happens literally every time I accelerate from a standstill.
    1995 525i 5-speed - Thread

  14. #339
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    Phoenix
    Posts
    301
    My Cars
    E46 E39
    Lower balljoint/control arm combo.

    Have you rehabilitated the front end?

    I had a 2000 540i/6 and the front end felt "loose" everyone I hit a very small unevenness on the road. I replaced the swaybar links. Voila! The looseness disappeared. But, I eventually replaced all the control arms and tie rod ends. That made it even better.
    Last edited by M5XTu; 09-23-2016 at 01:50 PM.

  15. #340
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Location
    Tennessee
    Posts
    1,005
    My Cars
    BMW
    Quote Originally Posted by dannyzabolotny View Post
    I'm pretty sure BMW would just want me to buy a new car at that point.

    So this morning I was driving and I noticed a fun new sound when accelerating... I got it on video. You can also hear how bad the suspension is, there's so much rattling and massive clunks even though I was driving on a relatively smooth road.



    The new sound is at 0:25 specifically. It's like a couple of quiet knocks and they go away quickly, but it happens literally every time I accelerate from a standstill.
    My sedan does something similar. My front suspension has been refreshed, but the rear only has new shocks. The balljoints in the control arms, and the main balljoint in the swing arm are 100% shot. It squeaks really bad when getting in/out of car. Loading suspension on turns, pulling into my driveway. Even if I close the door too hard *squeak*

    My rear camber also looks way out of spec.

    Refresh that suspension bro. Don't put on tires until you do or you're just going to wear the new ones uneven. And of course do the roadforce balance and a good 4 wheel alignment.

  16. #341
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Tempe, AZ
    Posts
    7,657
    My Cars
    1995 525i/5
    Yeah, my suspension is crap at the moment. I have the front and rear refresh parts in my trunk, so I just have to do that this weekend. I have to find a tool for the rear ball joints though.
    1995 525i 5-speed - Thread

  17. #342
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Location
    Tennessee
    Posts
    1,005
    My Cars
    BMW
    Quote Originally Posted by dannyzabolotny View Post
    Yeah, my suspension is crap at the moment. I have the front and rear refresh parts in my trunk, so I just have to do that this weekend. I have to find a tool for the rear ball joints though.

    Go rent it from autozone, works fine. It's not like the subframe tool where it has to be bmw specific.

  18. #343
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Tempe, AZ
    Posts
    7,657
    My Cars
    1995 525i/5
    Quote Originally Posted by WBAD530i View Post
    Go rent it from autozone, works fine. It's not like the subframe tool where it has to be bmw specific.
    Ah, so Autozone will have it? Awesome, I'll do that then I'll have all of Sunday to mess around with that so I guess it's game on! There's no rust anywhere so I don't anticipate any problems.
    1995 525i 5-speed - Thread

  19. #344
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Charlotte, NC
    Posts
    9,266
    My Cars
    03 M5/05 RR/06 Cayman S
    Quote Originally Posted by dannyzabolotny View Post
    Ah, so Autozone will have it? Awesome, I'll do that then I'll have all of Sunday to mess around with that so I guess it's game on! There's no rust anywhere so I don't anticipate any problems.
    My understanding is that the Autozone tool will work if you're not trying to keep the rest of the parts in place (control arms and such). This is because there are things that get in the way of the tool when in it's "normal" position, but if you're replacing the control arms as well, you can tilt the whole wheel carrier down as needed and the tool should work ok. I think there are a few people here on the forums that have the ball joint tool for rent. I think Auaq has it, as well as a few others. I don't think it's that expensive either, so if you're going to be doing the job on other e39s later, couldn't hurt to pick one up.

    -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

  20. #345
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Tempe, AZ
    Posts
    7,657
    My Cars
    1995 525i/5
    Quote Originally Posted by blackknight530i View Post
    My understanding is that the Autozone tool will work if you're not trying to keep the rest of the parts in place (control arms and such). This is because there are things that get in the way of the tool when in it's "normal" position, but if you're replacing the control arms as well, you can tilt the whole wheel carrier down as needed and the tool should work ok. I think there are a few people here on the forums that have the ball joint tool for rent. I think Auaq has it, as well as a few others. I don't think it's that expensive either, so if you're going to be doing the job on other e39s later, couldn't hurt to pick one up.
    Yeah I'm going to be doing everything, so I'll drop down the whole wheel carrier. I'll see how much it is to rent it versus buying it. This is the video I'll be using as a guide:



    Oh cool, I found one at Harbor Freight for like $90, which is pretty affordable.
    1995 525i 5-speed - Thread

  21. #346
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    mitten
    Posts
    3,760
    My Cars
    525it,02 525it,73 2002
    The C Clamp style can work but its a PIA. I rented three different sets from Autozone to do mine. Took a combination of all three sets to make it work and a extra pair of hands. Problem is one of the cups hit the suspension and doesn't want to push the ball joint out straight. If your in a hurry to get it done just fyi.

    This is the style that works the best pull the ball joint straight out. Notice pic of the one cup has a flat side on it, thats where the clearance issue comes into play.
    http://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-Rear-Bal...652476&vxp=mtr


  22. #347
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Tempe, AZ
    Posts
    7,657
    My Cars
    1995 525i/5
    Quote Originally Posted by jp5Touring View Post
    The C Clamp style can work but its a PIA. I rented three different sets from Autozone to do mine. Took a combination of all three sets to make it work and a extra pair of hands. Problem is one of the cups hit the suspension and doesn't want to push the ball joint out straight. If your in a hurry to get it done just fyi.

    This is the style that works the best pull the ball joint straight out. Notice pic of the one cup has a flat side on it, thats where the clearance issue comes into play.
    http://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-Rear-Bal...652476&vxp=mtr
    I can't wait another week to buy a tool like that online. I'm doing the suspension this weekend. I'm daily driving the touring while I'm doing my Range Rover's timing chain guides.
    1995 525i 5-speed - Thread

  23. #348
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    3,566
    My Cars
    1998 528i; 2000 540i;
    Quote Originally Posted by dannyzabolotny View Post
    Yeah I'm going to be doing everything, so I'll drop down the whole wheel carrier. I'll see how much it is to rent it versus buying it. This is the video I'll be using as a guide:



    Oh cool, I found one at Harbor Freight for like $90, which is pretty affordable.
    That's a very good video. That was one of the inspirations for me to start doing my own work. The indy charged me 7 or 8 hours labour (IIRC) to do the ball joints and upper control arms back in 2013. I didn't feel comfortable with the work they had done so I started to read and research on my own and then started doing small jobs at first and worked towards doing the M52 intake manifold / vacuum hoses etc DIY.

    Not like doing TCGs for the first one - but, I digress. Good video.
    gmak: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. A journey with my new-to-me 2000 540i

    "Working on a BMW E39 is the best way to run out of time."

  24. #349
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Tempe, AZ
    Posts
    7,657
    My Cars
    1995 525i/5
    Yesterday I started the suspension overhaul— I decided to take care of the front first, since there's less to do in the front. I replaced all four control arms. Popping out the ball joints at the wheel carrier was a bit of a pain, but eventually I got it figured out. Two of the ball joints were pretty accessible so I just knocked those out with my sledgehammer. The other two came out pretty easily using my Harbor Freight ball joint removal too. The control arms that came out didn't look too terrible, but some of the bushings were pretty badly cracked and starting to separate from the arm. That probably explains the 40-55mph steering wheel shaking.

    Photo Sep 25, 7 51 33 PM.jpg

    Photo Sep 25, 7 51 43 PM.jpg

    The first side took me way too long to do, and I kept having to go buy tools (using the newly resurrected 540i/6, more on that later), so it was nighttime by the time I got that done. And then I realized that I mixed up one of the control arms (they're side-specific) so I had to redo that. I'm happy to report that the other side went much quicker. Now that I've done this job, I think in the future it should take me only a few hours versus a whole day.

    I finished putting together the front suspension at around 3am, tightening everything enough to go on a test drive. The steering wheel shake is completely gone, and the front rides much nicer. All the remaining harshness is coming from the back at this point. Tonight and tomorrow I'll be doing the rear suspension, and after that's done I'm going to buy some sand bags and extra ramps so I can torque everything under load, as per BMW specifications. If I recall correctly, the official specs are 150lb in the driver seat, 150lb in the passenger seat, 150lb in the back seat, and 50lb in the trunk. Home Depot sells sand bags in 50lb increments so I'll need about 10 bags to do this properly. I'll redo the front torques as well, just to make sure it's done correctly.

    Oh and I bought an M5 rear swap bar from Flounderasu the other day, so I'll be popping that in while doing the rear suspension tonight. It came with new bushings so it should be a nice little upgrade.
    1995 525i 5-speed - Thread

  25. #350
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    mitten
    Posts
    3,760
    My Cars
    525it,02 525it,73 2002
    The extra weight is for alignment only. Not needed when you torque the new suspension just needs to be under load.


Page 14 of 45 FirstFirst ... 45678910111213141516171819202122232439 ... LastLast

Similar Threads

  1. 2001 540i Touring/Wagon Sales Brouchure
    By ZM Blue Devil in forum 1996 - 2003 (E39)
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 05-24-2006, 10:56 PM
  2. E34 540i Touring: Problems???
    By e30-323ti in forum 1988 - 1996 (E34)
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 01-18-2006, 09:30 PM
  3. Difference between 540i touring and sports???
    By sirc1228 in forum 1988 - 1996 (E34)
    Replies: 9
    Last Post: 06-03-2004, 02:34 PM
  4. 540i Touring 3.46 LSD W/Black Rims
    By 95m3sc in forum 1988 - 1996 (E34)
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 07-23-2003, 04:11 PM
  5. 540i Touring....very quick touring that is
    By 95m3sc in forum General BMW and Automotive Discussion sponsored by Intercity Lines
    Replies: 10
    Last Post: 07-16-2003, 10:30 PM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •