Wagon update

[StephenVA]

After reading all the hype on turbos, I have decided to take the plunge and join in the fun on the cheap... Real Cheap.

Overhaul in a can or in this case a plastic jug.

[StephenVA]

Wagon has been doing daily slog grocery runs, shopping by the wife, and general short hops all spring. So it was time for a spa day and a low mileage oil change. Oil service at 3k in two years. Need to replace the shocks and struts this month

[Twistytee]

Wagon has been doing daily slog grocery runs, shopping by the wife, and general short hops all spring. So it was time for a spa day and a low mileage oil change. Oil service at 3k in two years. Need to replace the shocks and struts this month

Are you planning on OE Sachs or something aftermarket? I’m still running Billy Sports with about 80K on them. Not sure what I’ll replace them with when the time comes. My wagon is a sport with bags in the rear and I haven’t noticed significant harshness from the Bilsteins although I know many complain about them being too stiff.

[StephenVA]

I have had the OE Sachs and all the misc parts sitting in a box waiting for event for sometime now. I haven't been driving the wagon much as the shocks are totally gone and they allow zero resistance on extension, so every pot hole feels like a curb.

[CPHES]

Twistytee - you appear in North Carolina. Yellow Bilsteins could work fine. It gets real old in the northeast - 3 degrees F, highway expansion joints, it gets old.

[StephenVA]

bang, whack, bounce!

[Twistytee]

Twistytee - you appear in North Carolina. Yellow Bilsteins could work fine. It gets real old in the northeast - 3 degrees F, highway expansion joints, it gets old.

True, although I’ve lived in western NY, Chicago, IN and driven a variety of sport suspensions in those locations too. I bought the Touring second hand with the Bilsteins already installed so they weren’t my first choice. I’d probably revert to the Sachs next although I had Koni yellows on three of my German cars and really liked their variable dampers. I know they don’t make a wagon specific shock for the rears, and they’ve also discontinued the Yellows for the 6 cylinder e39s and pivoted to the Koni Actives.

[CPHES]

I’m surprised they lived so long. I used to go about 15 / 18 months between failures. I had one due 2 miles from the install shop, one stripped the thread to the yellow housing, it never ended.

[StephenVA]

Washed, detailed interior, treated the leather seats for the 3rd time this year, clay bar, Griots BEST IN SHOW wax, buff and touch the smooth.

Up next, shocks and struts finally!

[StephenVA]

Pulled the front bumper to clean and detail everything in the front nose. So many scratches under from previous owner hard to wax

All done now. "Look Maw, it B clean!"

[StephenVA]

Off to Katie’s Cars and coffee in great Falls VA tomorrow morning. No rain cool weather

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

Car looks good Stephen, wish I could be there. Get some pics and post them up.

[taz.]

Car looks good Stephen, wish I could be there. Get some pics and post them up.

Pics? Picts?!? Really??? PICS??? Snotty, it’s a Bee M double U…. Lol, just messing with you man!
Didn't expect that, did ya?

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[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

Pics? Picts?!? Really??? PICS??? Snotty, it’s a Bee M double U…. Lol, just messing with you man!
Didn't expect that, did ya?

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Actually, I did. But the meet up at Katie’s Coffee house in Great Falls Va is one of the best cars and coffee Saturday meet ups a car enthusiast could ever dream of, you wouldn’t know this, since you're all huddled up in Squabobia. When I said pictures, it wasn’t only meant for the BMW’s that would be there, it would be for all the other cars and old friends that are always out there on a beautiful Saturday spring morning. I’m currently holed up in beautiful (NOT) Southern NJ, and missing out on the nicer things in life between Saturday mornings out here, vs Virginia, you dig?

[taz.]

Actually, I did. But the meet up at Katie’s Coffee house in Great Falls Va is one of the best cars and coffee Saturday meet ups a car enthusiast could ever dream of, you wouldn’t know this, since you're all huddled up in Squabobia. When I said pictures, it wasn’t only meant for the BMW’s that would be there, it would be for all the other cars and old friends that are always out there on a beautiful Saturday spring morning. I’m currently holed up in beautiful (NOT) Southern NJ, and missing out on the nicer things in life between Saturday mornings out here, vs Virginia, you dig?

I do dig!
I read about and seen some posts.
It's a really cool meet, I wish they had something like this here also.
Danish are not really known for cars or their ability to drive them.
Cars for them are just means to get from A to B.
They do love bicycles, though.


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[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

I do dig!
I read about and seen some posts.
It's a really cool meet, I wish they had something like this here also.
Danish are not really known for cars or their ability to drive them.
Cars for them are just means to get from A to B.
They do love bicycles, though.


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Ha! Yeah, what is it with them and their bicycles? The Great Falls group originally started out as a bunch of older guys with really amazing classic Ferraris and Lamborghinis, they would meet up in front of the old fire station. Where Katie’s Coffee house is, was originally, and still is, The Old Brogue, a real deal old school Irish pub with some real phenomenal food, and really good beer, it doubles up as the coffee shop when all the drunks are still in bed. The old fire house got torn down when they built the new and improved gigantic firehouse, across the Pike, Georgetown Pike cuts through most of Great Falls. It’s actually a really great high speed curvy drive, if the morons that cause the traffic are not causing any traffic. I used to love hitting that road at about 5 in the morning, just watch out for the stupid deer, what the hell gave them the idea that they could live in civilization??? The the coffee shop started the cars and coffee meet ups from 6am and it ends at 9:45 to 10, the other businesses next to the shop do need their parking spots, when they open up for business, and then the drunks, some of them, start showing up, and the Old Brogue is reborn for another day. Great place, if you ever come visit the Eastern coast of the You Ass of Murica, you should schedule an early Saturday morning visit., or a late night drinking spree and grubb, pass out in the parking lot and get wakened up by the crazy, insane, car enthusiasts that sart showing up at 5:30 trying to get what they think are the best parking spots at the meet.

[taz.]

Ha! Yeah, what is it with them and their bicycles? The Great Falls group originally started out as a bunch of older guys with really amazing classic Ferraris and Lamborghinis, they would meet up in front of the old fire station. Where Katie’s Coffee house is, was originally, and still is, The Old Brogue, a real deal old school Irish pub with some real phenomenal food, and really good beer, it doubles up as the coffee shop when all the drunks are still in bed. The old fire house got torn down when they built the new and improved gigantic firehouse, across the Pike, Georgetown Pike cuts through most of Great Falls. It’s actually a really great high speed curvy drive, if the morons that cause the traffic are not causing any traffic. I used to love hitting that road at about 5 in the morning, just watch out for the stupid deer, what the hell gave them the idea that they could live in civilization??? The the coffee shop started the cars and coffee meet ups from 6am and it ends at 9:45 to 10, the other businesses next to the shop do need their parking spots, when they open up for business, and then the drunks, some of them, start showing up, and the Old Brogue is reborn for another day. Great place, if you ever come visit the Eastern coast of the You Ass of Murica, you should schedule an early Saturday morning visit., or a late night drinking spree and grubb, pass out in the parking lot and get wakened up by the crazy, insane, car enthusiasts that sart showing up at 5:30 trying to get what they think are the best parking spots at the meet.

I ended up hating bicycles because of them.
It's really a cool meet, and the location is great also.
I really miss car meets, and just the car crowd in general. There's no culture like this here, I would need to drive to Germany for something like that.
The weather is also not helping.
It's been raining since the beginning of time in Denmark.
Why do you think I'm running for a whole month to Romania in the summer to soak in all of the 110° that we have and enjoy the drive and the roads over there.
I have planned an epic drive this July, 4 of our amazing mountains crossing roads, around 600 miles of winding roads. Hopefully, I'll get the 2.8 in the car by then.


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[StephenVA]

Interior detailing once again. Treated the leather and let the product sit up over a 24 hour period. This allows all the leather to bathe and absorb all the product creating soft and pliable leather, well as much as sport seats can be soft.

Was planning on finally doing the shocks and struts this week that have been quietly waiting in a box for a down time on other more pressing projects. Now we have rain for the next few days so the M5 is NOT going to leave it dry parking garage spot to move the wagon indoors. Welcome to "two" car garages from the 60's. I really have a shop with a roll up door. TIME TO MOVE!

[taz.]

. Welcome to "two" car garages from the 60's. I really have a shop with a roll up door. TIME TO MOVE!

Mine's smaller I win

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[StephenVA]

Now that sucks... Based on your weather time for a dehumidifier. I have one for the garage and it pulls the humidity down to 35%.

[taz.]

Now that sucks... Based on your weather time for a dehumidifier. I have one for the garage and it pulls the humidity down to 35%.

I'll bet you your dehumidifier will give in in the first week
I have 2 for the house and together they can't do better than 55%.
That "garage" is more like a shed. Putting a dehumidifier in there would be like taking a leak on a wildfire

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[StephenVA]

Rear shocks finally found their way out of the large box marked "WAGON" and were installed. Easy job.

Section	Description	MFG	Misc/Size	PN	QTY
Suspension Rear	Rear Shocks 311-952	Sachs	sport	33521094057	2
Suspension Rear	Boot and bumper kit rear 900115	SACHS	Sport	900115	1
Suspension Rear	Rear Shock Mount (Corteco 80001608)	Corteco	sport	33521093416	2
Suspension Rear	Rear Bolts	BMW	M14X1,5X180	33521093856	0

As always, everything gets a bath, treated, and reinstalled. Hence the job always takes longer as Wheels, inner fenders, etc need attention.

[StephenVA]

Suspension Time

Having done all the 20+ front and rear controls arms and bushings a few years ago, I need to replace the shocks and struts that have been dead for some time. Hitting a pot hole allowed the strut to extend with ZERO resistance so the tire and wheel hit the bottom of whatever was in the road making the pot hole seem like a moon crater. Car would bounce from one road shock to another. Heavy dive under braking, etc. Very little control movements. Rear extension/compression was a lot better but weak.
Tools required and DIY instructions are posted years ago in this section: https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...Y-Check-here!)
Front: https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...nsion-Overhaul

Rear:
Rear shocks on wagons are pretty straight forward. One big bolt on the bottom. The top bolt is accessed from under the floor panels within little access ports. The top body mounts have three nuts and they fall out.

Replacement
Top mount needs to be aligned from underneath and smacked into the rear housing with a LONG push bar and studs smacked in. Trick here is to align the long side and tap up. The other studs will follow. On the bottom bolts, you can reuse the long bolts as long as they are in good shape. Just jack up the lower suspension arm to get hole and shocks aligned.
Torque to spec and reinstall the access panels and ensure the weather shields are in place.

Front Struts
These are the same as on any E39 sedan. There is a BMW special tool to help keep the hub strut pinch part spread while you work. Cheap and one great investment. Image below.
The Sport springs will require a few attempts to get them compressed to remove the top bearing cup. As I own a few of these cars, I think the next time I have to do one I am buying the BMW spring compressor as the DIY tools suck, as the spring windings are NOT parallel. BMW utilizes progressive springs (Wide in the center/tighter at the ends, which allow for smooth riding and greater resistance on larger impacts/pressure force when turning.

What I found
The rear shocks at 132K are weak and at approx. 65% service life left.
The front struts, which handle 80% of the braking/turning forces, have been going along for the ride for the last 20K as they lost all internal pressure and extension/compression control. You can move them in and out with just finger pressure. Bump stops: Right front nothing left but dust residue. Left front two pieces. The Upper Bearings were loose and the rubber cushion was compressed down to 25% of it’s height when I compared them to the replacement ones. Gee, I guess I found out why you should replace everything by 100K, as the service life is 100% gone at that point.

Overview on road test
Cannot believe I waited so long to get this accomplished. Transformed the wagon back to fun to drive. The roads are so much smoother around here now.

As always, wheels washed, clayed, waxed. Tires washed and treated. Wheel wells washed and treated. Brakes reassembled and hi-temp grease applied to wear points. Calipers wiped down as they were painted with two coats of epoxy caliper paint years ago. Still looking good.

Next projects:
Oil pan, Motor and trans mounts. Will replace all the belts once again as they have to come out, along with the P/S hoses, as part of the teardown process
Oil separator, seals and vacuum lines.

System	Part Desc	Location	Size/Color	PN	QTY		Costs
Suspension Front	Front struts 556-834	SACHS	sport	31311096865	2		$107.79
Suspension Rear	Rear Shocks 311-952	Sachs	sport	33521094057	2		$209.79
Suspension Front	Front Strut Mount (Sachs 802-186)	Sachs		31336752735	2		$76.20
Suspension Front	Upper Strut Bearing ?	BMW		31326769667	0		$25.95
Suspension Front	Guide Support Washer	BMW		7119905829	0		$0.83
Suspension Front	Coil Spring Shim	BMW	lower	31331096664	0		$8.00
Suspension Front	Coil Spring Shim	BMW	upper	31331091867	0		$6.53
Suspension Front	Bump Stop	BMW	Sport	31331138814	0
Suspension Front	Dust Sealing Gasket	BMW	sport	31331110196	0		$3.29
Suspension Front	Flat Washer	BMW	sport	31336776760	0		$2.40
Suspension Front	Dust Boot	BMW		31331091868	0		$6.61
Suspension Front	Boot and bumper kit Front 900084	SACHS	Sport		1		$34.79
Suspension Front	Self-locking hex nut	BMW	M14X1,5-05 ZNS3	31106774714	0		$2.16
Tool	BMW Special Tool Strut spreader	BMW		83300494541			$20.59

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

Nice work Stephen. Had you replaced the subframe bushings yet? That really did a massive difference on my wagons.

[StephenVA]

Mine are quiet as church mice for some reason. Must be all the oil leaks