Euro E39 touring - noob to the forum

[geargrinder]

The car doesn't have a diff swap does it? If you stick an M5 diff in, the flanges will seem to work but not properly clip and secure, causing exactly this problem....

[AquilaBMW]

The car doesn't have a diff swap does it? If you stick an M5 diff in, the flanges will seem to work but not properly clip and secure, causing exactly this problem....

Good Question GG, I would have thought the same thing.

[geargrinder]

Good Question GG, I would have thought the same thing.

My questions are always good. It's my answers that suck.

[adm750]

haha..! I love it you two !! ....but no....diff is stock. That brings up a good point, and one I have not researched...a diff swap. I'd love to have a diff with those nifty aluminum fin thingy's on it under my car !!
ok...back to reality for me...as I sit awaiting my laundry to dry...so I can hang my shirts up and avoid having then look like they've been stuffed in a gym bag for a week from sitting in the dryer till morning...
I promised pictures so dammit...I'm delivering pictures (mostly to avoid the deserved verbal accosting from geargrinder that I would get..lol)

ok...so here's kindof a 1-2-3 on the clip removal. This thing is like a Velcro watch band...pull up that little narrow tab, then you have to get the loop part popped over the kink in that tab, (I tapped the screwdriver handle gently with a small rubber mallet giving a slight pry at the same time. See final picture of the separated clamp. Installation is in the reverse order only with added frustration trying to get it all seated right and the tab folder back over. Light tug using channel locks and downward pressure on the loop end of the clamp, and it all re-seats rather cleanly.

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I used just a standard grease gun and a tip I bought at O'Reilly Auto parts for about $7. it came with the tips and misc shit to screw onto a grease whip should your gun be so equipped. Mine was not...but I happened to have a sample assembly of our HLB hose and grease fittings that we supply to large machine OEM's for remote greasing applications. I fit the tip to the whip...(I'm tired and punchy...just work with me here...) and since the whip has a zerk on one end, I could connect the tip of the grease gun to it just as if I were servicing an old-school ball joint. My keys are in the picture for size reference.
(ok...no more pics allowed...have to do a 2nd post...)
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[adm750]

ok...back again....
I (gently) forced the tip under the lip (ok...ok...it happened again. I'm really not trying to rhyme here...) of the boot and back deeper into the joint...then proceeded to add grease to the CV. Not a ton, but this isn't a Formula 1 car here...I wasn't exact on the number of handle pumps. There's this really handy and very primitive measuring tool that some people have never seen nor heard of...it's called "common sense".... My goal was to add some grease to the CV...not overload it....just relieve it a bit by adding fresh lubrication.
In the picture below with the clamp back in place...that is NOT remnants from filling the boot so full of grease that it oozes out the end of the boot. That is me being a bit sloppy since I am laying on my back under this thing in the driveway, hands over my head like I'm doing a throw-in at a soccer match, doing surgery on a rusty clip and an old dry CV joint. I did spread the excess grease around the axle where any of the coating had come off and exposed the bare metal shaft. The rest of it..? Well, I cleant it off of course.

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Installation of that clip is just reverse order...but with added frustration because you have to get that loop part of the band into the nook of that tab before you fold the tab back over. A small pair of channel locks (to grab the tab and pull, using leverage of the curvature of the top jaw of the pliers...) and light pressure with the screwdriver tip on the loop end of that band, and the tab popped into place and could then be folded back over. I topped the diff fluid off while under there. You guys know these don't hold much anyways...and even though the fluid loss has been small, those repeated small losses add up.

I checked the car tonight after a couple days commute, running it at a good pace on those backroads, and giving the suspension a good workout... Diff flange still locked in place and no diff fluid on the garage floor any more. I'll keep ya posted.

[adm750]

Wasn't sure f this was bad or not....so I replaced it...lol

- - - Updated - - -

Apparently I'm to stupid to post a picture from my mmmmm phone...!??

[adm750]

IMG_20170521_113945925.jpgIMG_20170521_113951561.jpg
...there it is !!!

[StephenVA]

Looking good

[adm750]

Just posted a quick tip on halo bulb replacement under the 'what did you do to your e39 today...." thread...
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[adm750]

fixed my foglamp bracket after a run in with a blown truck tire...happened right after leaving work as I headed to Watkins Glen to work with Team Sahlen for the Chump Car race...
Some 2-part epoxy, and a small section of plastic window screen and it's super solid. I've used the plastic window screen and pvc cement fix for the old body panels on my gsxr with fantastic results to keep some of those old cracked panels in presentable condition. It's held up for nearly 20 years..!!
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I had a better weekend than this guy did though....man, that car was fast !! (there goes one of ours by the wall...yellow RX named 'mustard"....)
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[adm750]

...new cooling fan....
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notice the coping saw lying there inconspicuously.....
That intake pipe had to be dealt with. I have already removed the restrictive horn inside the airbox inlet. It is held in by lock tabs, so you have to pry a bit...but that horn comes out. I then taped over the holes with aluminum tape....
When I did the fan, I thought I could get more airflow into the box while still retaining the high intake position within the fender. I cut that tube so enough would still stick through the opening in the sheetmetal and still keep that foam sealing ring in place.....plus, she has a great intake note now...
after:
IMG_20170513_110658852_HDR.jpg

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

I had a better weekend than this guy did though....man, that car was fast !! (there goes one of ours by the wall...yellow RX named 'mustard"....)
IMG_20170527_103107613.jpg

Looks like Mustard's getting beat by a rollback with a wreck on it.

[adm750]

Looks like Mustard's getting beat by a rollback with a wreck on it.

lmao !!!
I think that roll back driver went on to work for Jimmy Johns....

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

Haha, took me a second there, was trying to think of which racer was Jimmy Johns, then I remembered I was hungry.

[adm750]

Cleaning up the poor-man's BBK I just picked up. Maaaan...was that hardware nasty. I don't even know how these brakes worked. The slide pins were stuck in the bushings so tight that when I was removing them, it was trying to push the caliper away from the bracket instead of the pin backing our of the bushing..!! Plus, I had to put the calipers in a vice to pry the pads out. There must have been a whole tube's worth of (what appears to be) orange RTV gluing the outer pads to the caliper, and the inner pads to the piston.
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Had to scrape off all that RTV that was on the caliper parts, then they did a few laps in the media blast cabinet at work....(this consumed a couple of lunch hours..haha)
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...and now I'm working to clean that RTV crap off the pads...(here they are after about an hour and a half worth of scraping and peeling...). More work left for sure...
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Rebuild kits are on order....and I'll paint the calipers and brackets this weekend (prior to rebuild). Probably going with a gold tone on the calipers and brackets. Silver would be nice and clean but I think I want just a touch of glam...

Jury is out on fitting those brass bushings in place of the rubber ones while I'm at it...

[geargrinder]

There's anti-squeal stuff that's like an adhesive (mostly its like a grease but sometimes its like an RTV type stuff) that very well could be what that was. Or could be some chump who used RTV.

Personally I like the brass bushing kits and have 'em on both my cars. SOOO much nicer to work with than the rubber things. Give you're in rust-belt - one tip is to see if you can find metric stainless snap rings to replace the plain steel that they come with. That's the biggest issue I've had with them - those rust up and get nasty. I haven't even found the pins/bushings require that much maintenance although they say you're supposed to clean and regrease them every whatever etc. I generally have found them to be hassle free and just maintain them when it comes time for a pad job or a bleed.

[adm750]

There's anti-squeal stuff that's like an adhesive..........
Personally I like the brass bushing kits and have 'em on both my cars. ........find metric stainless snap rings to replace the plain steel that they come with.

yeppers...I've seen that anti-squeal stuff. Not sure what the heck this $#!t was...looked to me like that orange RTV from the old sb chevy gasket days...haha. It was slathered on thick and heavy and must have been left to set up for a few days. EVERYTHING was covered in this stuff and it was all glued together with it..!! Even the ears on the pads. NOTHING could move or slide...again, I'm amazed these even operated.
I'll look to source those SS clips...thanks for the feedback on your experience using these bushings.

That claimed add'l maint required they gab about didn't concern me. Honey badger don't care ! I service the guide pins, front and rear on both cars, 2x per year anyway. Those are removed, cleaned and lubed every time I swap seasonal wheel sets. I'll pull the pads and service them too if the contact areas are dry.
I want to add braided brake lines at this point too....but budget is always tight at the holidays. We'll see if Santa brings me a set this year.

[geargrinder]

Yeah I used to do the "at wheel change" thing... honestly didn't find it was worth much... everything was in pretty good shape! The one time it went a long while I will say the brake dust crust did build up a bit on the backside around the openings, and that super corrodes the snap rings FAST, which is how I got onto getting SS ones - because the steel ones rust hard quickly.

[adm750]

OMG....this stuff is everywhere !!!!
grrrrr......

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[geargrinder]

LOL.

That screams "I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT MAKES BRAKES SQUEAL AND HOW TO FIX IT THEREFORE I JUST PUT AS MUCH OF THIS ON AS I COULD POSSIBLY APPLY!!!!"

This stuff maybe? http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/Pro...ree-118mL/1061

The GOOD stuff is usually a lube / grease / gel type product, not the adhesive although I've heard the adhesive stuff can work too... BUT.
1. That's usually NOT the reason the brakes are squealing, and its covering up for something else... and
2. It AIN'T a "MORE IS BETTER" situation where you try to use the whole bottle up.

[adm750]

[QUOTE=geargrinder;29888472]LOL.

That screams "I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT MAKES BRAKES SQUEAL AND HOW TO FIX IT THEREFORE I JUST PUT AS MUCH OF THIS ON AS I COULD POSSIBLY APPLY!!!!"

This stuff maybe? http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/Pro...ree-118mL/1061
QUOTE]

hahaha...you thought I was kidding didn't you !!

I bet that's the stuff....sad 'cause it even says "keep out of reach of children...!!!"

I use that copper-based anti-seize on the pad backing plate contact points, and Honda's urea grease on the slide pins. It's by far the best. That tiny @$$ little jar is about as expensive as anything they'd sell on Rodeo Drive, but well worth it.

[adm750]

hey guys !! hope all has been well with everyone....

I have been out of pocket for quite a while now, and sure have missed bantering back and forth posting my relatively useless info ..haha...(especially compared to the likes of the heavy hitters on the forum...) but times has been bizzy and I must make a change....

Wagon is posted for sale in Panjo (on Panjo...? in Panjo classifieds...? whatever...)

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

Tony! Don’t do it! What’s going on, man?

[adm750]

Tony! Don’t do it! What’s going on, man?

hey bossman !! yeah, I hate to do it. But...we need to change up. I've spent weekend after weekend after weekend working on this trying to sort little issues and seem to keep falling further and further behind. Tough to keep two of these running, and well maintained, on one income. I mean, I can do it, but I'm getting a bit tired of doing it. Plus, the real meat of the issue is the rust. I love the car, and it's been a good car despite me jokingly having called her Frau Christine for quite some time now. I still get compliments despite it being a bit rough. But honestly, one thing fixed, two things break, and that's starting to overcook my grits. I work full time, and am cracking down again in fall to finish my degree, we have two kids, and I can't afford to have someone maintain my $#!t for me so it comes down to both money and time. Again - I wish I had the $$$ to have it all fixed, or buy another wagon and swap the cool bits in...(again, not enough money and certainly not enough time for me to tackle that...)

Plus, we have to re-evaluate the transportation sitcheeashun... We have the wagon, the 97/528i, and a 2006 Grand Marquis (lovingly called 'the boat'). I'll most likely wind up taking the boat for my DD, which blows but it is what it is right now and at least it has a hitch, and the 16" e39 snow tires fit it.

We are looking for a truck or,better yet, an X5 to replace both E39's. The truck or the X will go to my wife. At some point I would actually like an e28 as my DD (not worrying about it being perfect, just a fun fast 5-speed 4-door). But, like I said, we need to re-group on the whole deal.

Unless you got some unique ideas squirrelled away, I think I may have to tap out...

thanks bro !! hope all has been well with you

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

Ahh man, must have been a hard decision to make, but I totally understand. Sorry to hear this, but hey! Later on down the road, you could always pick up another one.
E28, can’t go wrong, I’m actually looking for one too. That was my first car, a Euro spec E28 525 back in ‘86, that I picked up in HongKong, and had shipped to the Philippines. Loved that car.