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Thread: 1992 525ix - Gletscherblau Metallic

  1. #1
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    1992 525ix - Gletscherblau Metallic

    Long time, no see, Bimmerforums!

    I still have my 520i, but I recently got an opportunity to buy an 1992 525ix sedan with a manual trans! Jumped on a plane to see it, bought it, and organized transport for it to be delivered to me where I live.



    Original car with manual trans, sedan, four wheel drive, with a M50TUB25 under the hood. It has a pretty ugly (but kinda cool) ultramarin interior with matching cloth seats. I'm not really a fan of blue interiors, so I will probably replace it with black leather and keep the blue in storage somewhere, in case I ever decide to sell. I bet the manual 525ix is pretty rare with a blue interior!


    It has the following options;
    • Small OBC (will be replaced by the big one)
    • Lumbar support drivers side (switch doesn't work, but the support itself is there at least)
    • Fully automatic air conditioning, with AUC.
    • Heated drivers side lock
    • Leather steering wheel with airbag (will probably change it out for a cooler one though..)
    • Front armrests
    • Adjustable headlamps
    • 140A alternator
    • Electric windows front and back
    • Electric sunroos







    The car is in alright shape, but has some issues that needs to be sorted. When I saw the ad for the car the owner wrote about some engine problems. The car was said to have a very bad noise from the engine, and not running on all cylinders. Now that I've gotten it home I've been able to check it out more closely.

    The PO thought that one (or possibly several) of the coils had gone bad, so I started there. To begin with, all the spark plug sockets (per RealOEM, that sits between coil and plug) are badly worn, the rubber is torn on all of them, and they do not seal very well against the plugs. They all have traces of oil on them, which seems about right.
    The PO said that he recently had to replace the rocker cover gasket because of an oil leak. But then again, he didn't put the plastic cover back on, and three of the plug holes were filled with water when I looked at it today.. The underhood insulation were missing, as were one of the windshield washer nozzles.
    SO, I've replaced the washer nozzle, hood insulation and I took the spark plug sockets from my 520i, and decided to test the coils I already had. Turns out they are just fine! The car runs great now, running well on all cylinders. Score! Thats only going to cost me 4 new spark plug sockets, since I had 2 brand new ones laying around.

    Next thing to attend to is the "very bad noise", which I believe to be VANOS-rattle. It's making the noise at 1,3k-1,6k RPM, and again at 3k. It goes away if I put the pedal to the floor. Anyone experienced this before?
    I'm getting the car moved to where my workshop is in a couple of weeks, so I don't have to work at it on the street..

    After sorting the ignition problems I attended to some detail work!
    The boot light were missing both lenses that go on the bootlid.. No bueno.


    Luckily I have a lot of spares, and had some laying around! Also installed LED's while I was going at it.



    Also replaced the hand brake handle with one in leather.


    Much better! Note that the lumbar support switch is missing. Turned out it was missing some internal parts. Need to get a new one..


    And changed the color on the radio display to an amber color that matches the rest of the dash..
    Before:


    Muuuuch better. Can't believe that the PO didn't to this earlier..


    Other than that I've had a look at the intake boot. It's totally shot, and I have ordered a new one. Several other vacuum hoses needs to be replaced as well.. What ever happened to regular maintenance?
    Also I replaced some non-original fuses for some original ones, and some that weren't the right amperes. And the spare fuses, all of them were blown..

    And I've started to clean the interior. More pictures tomorrow!

    This is going to be fun
    1992 BMW E34 525ix - Gletscherblau Metallic — Check it out here!
    1991 BMW E34 520i - Brokatrot Metallic SOLD — Check it out
    here!
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  2. #2
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    Nice project, looks like it was taken care of cosmetically at least. And e46 wheels.

    02 e39 540i Sport (Son), 01 DINAN 7 (Me), 12 e70 X5 x35i (Mrs), 95 e34 525i (Daughter 2), 01 e46 325Ci vert (Daughter 1)

  3. #3
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    moroza is offline MORΩN ΛABIA BMW CCA Member
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  4. #4
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    It's alright cosmetically, but it has some flaws.

    Some tiny rust spots here and there on the paintwork sadly, but nothing major. The boot lid is pretty rusted around the license plate light tho.. It's covered in electrical tape right now, so I'll have to take it off one of these days and have a proper look. Feels solid tho, so might just be surface rust. And the bottom of the doors have started, but I'll get to it before it gets bad.

    The sills seem to be all solid. The car has been rust treated properly at one point in time, and it has holes with plugs in the door openings so one can fill the cavities with anti rust oil.


    The ix-spesifics seems to be in good shape! The drive shafts has been well cared for, according to receipts I got with the car. No bad noises, everything feels tight. But I will go over everything, change oils, oil seals and all that jazz.
    1992 BMW E34 525ix - Gletscherblau Metallic — Check it out here!
    1991 BMW E34 520i - Brokatrot Metallic SOLD — Check it out
    here!
    Instagram with E34 content:
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  5. #5
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    Got the last spark plug sockets (boots) installed today! Turned out that on the Bosch units, you can seperate the rod itself from the rubber. Took the three of them that had good rubber, took them apart, cleaned them properly, and mounted it back together. Went out and bought the last one. Runs like a champ!

    Also, I got insurance and registration sorted today, so I'm now officially out on the road! Great!
    But, while going for a drive this evening I noticed a coolant leak from under the intake, towards the firewall. It must come out from a very small crack in a hose somewhere, because it really squirts out. It's not very much, but quite noticeable. Will need to have a proper look at that this week.


    Other than that I've been collecting parts for a few years (with this car in mind), and I also got some new stuff today.
    New air filter for my 520i, so that I can move my K&N filter (for stock filter housing) to the ix.



    New screw driver for the tool kit (was missing)



    New original BMW fuel filter! The local BMW parts dealer had one in stock. These are apparently hard to find these days?



    New original BMW intake boot (ix-spesific). That will be a nice improvement over the old and cracked one. But I also have to replace all surrounding vacuum hoses...




    I've also got the following used parts ready to go in:
    Original midbass speakers from a HiFi-equiped E34. These are 40W, where the stock ones are 20W.



    Original key pouch. Found this in the tool kit on a car in a junkyard! Score! Not sure if I should keep it in plastic in the tool kit or attach it to one of my keys..



    Switch for engine light. Hooking this up as soon as I get the wiring for the light sorted.



    Map lights for the front.
    ¨


    I have some other stuff as well, but I don't have pictures of them. I'm also moving some cool items from my 520i before it's going up for sale
    1992 BMW E34 525ix - Gletscherblau Metallic — Check it out here!
    1991 BMW E34 520i - Brokatrot Metallic SOLD — Check it out
    here!
    Instagram with E34 content:
    @E34_ix

  6. #6
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    Nice score! I like your attention to details.

  7. #7
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    Post

    Thanks! It's both a blessing and a curse.. But mostly a blessing

    I had a few days set aside for working on the car, which sadly got cut short.. BUT I did at least manage to get a few things done!

    Started with a tow to my garage! Didn't want to drive with the crazy rattle I'm having.




    Looks surprisingly good up there! Note some scratches on the bumper and the small ding on the bootlid.






    After a few hours drive and a good nights sleep I got on with working.
    Started the day with cleaning out the boot, which were full of stuff. A spare head, radiator shroud, a spare (and very broken) radiator, two spare sets of wheel bolts, and many, many other things that the PO stuffed in there before I bought it. Didn't manage to get a photo with all the shit in there, but here is one after:



    Nasty.. Will need to thoroughly clean the carpet. Missing the rubber straps, but I do of course have spares
    [/url]

    On the positive note, it seems that I'm the first person ever to remove the carpet and spacer! This spare wheel is definitively the original one, and it has never been out of the car. Not even a spec of dirt on the rim! Truly awesome! Original center cap removal tool is also present.


    Some dirt, but this will all clean up nicely. Didn't get to wash down there this time, but I will once I get back.




    Tool kit. Far from complete! That needs to be sorted.



    Next on the list were the intake boot.. Was about time! And since I do truly suck at life, no pics of the new one in place..





    While I had the boot out, I also took out the air filter box to give it a clean. And that revealed some disturbing sights.. Look at all that dirt And rust spots..




    There was a lot of oil, presumably from the power steering lines. And very, very much dirt. I went to work with degreaser and various brushes. And of course, no after-picture..
    Washing took a good hour, and light was fading. Got so dark that I weren't able to finish up.



    For the detail-lovers; this plug was missing.


    Don't worry, I got it.



    I also have original fuses, replaced all the aftermarket ugly ones!





    This one really bothered me. The rivet wasn't really in place, and didn't look right? And the plastic cover that sits behind it wasn't there.. gah.


    Got that too! Just need to clean up..



    Like all E34's, this one has a sloppy wiper mechanism. I'm planning on replacing the brass(or copper?) bushings in this spare one, and may be add some kind of rubber boot on top of the shaft, so water won't get down there. I'm also contemplating on adding grease nipples so that grease can be pumped into the bushings in some way. As you might understand, I'm hoping to do this swap only once!



    Now, I rarely finish a post this long without some cool ending!
    Some might know and some probably don't, but the 525ix has totally different wheel offset compared to the regular E34. Where a regular one use ET20, the ix use ET54...
    And one of the biggest difficulties is finding cool (or in my case cool OEM) wheels. They actually only made two wheels for the ix, a 16x7,5" alu one, and a 16x7,5" steel wheel.
    I'm not a huge fan of steel wheels on these cars (or most cars for that matter), they're heavy, ugly, and usually rusty with ugly caps. So that rules them out..
    The stock ix alu wheel isn't exactly beautiful either.. But I can live with it for winter! I like a good stock look!


    So that just leaves summer..
    I searched www.bmwstylewheels.com for about an hour, looking for some ET close to 54, and a wheel bigger than 16" that might work for E34 and got to the conclusion that E46 xi-wheels are ET50 in the rear. So I settled for these! Style 68, 17x7,5" ET41 and 17x8,5" ET50! I might buy another set, and run 8,5" on all four. Or 7,5. Need to do some research! All I know is that I need to have the same size tires on all four corners, since it is all wheel drive. But as soon as I get the front down to a acceptable hight, this will look so sweet!




    Although it looks like it, they don't stick out past the fender at the top. It's just the angle of the pic.





    Thats all for now! I'm going to post all the after-shots that I didn't get to take, next time..
    1992 BMW E34 525ix - Gletscherblau Metallic — Check it out here!
    1991 BMW E34 520i - Brokatrot Metallic SOLD — Check it out
    here!
    Instagram with E34 content:
    @E34_ix

  8. #8
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    Nice score

    Regarding the fuel filter, pretty sure the same is used on my '93 320i (Part Number 13321268231)? I sourced a Mann WK 830 for AU$11 (NOK68,- ) from an online reseller. Bosch and BMW originals were running two or three times that price.
    Last edited by B320i; 10-06-2017 at 09:47 PM.

  9. #9
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    Cool, thanks! I haven't had the opportunity to check out the parts number, since it is missing from RealOEM, but you are right! It is used in E36 320i, 325i, and the US S50 M3! As well as a great deal of earlier BMWs.
    1992 BMW E34 525ix - Gletscherblau Metallic — Check it out here!
    1991 BMW E34 520i - Brokatrot Metallic SOLD — Check it out
    here!
    Instagram with E34 content:
    @E34_ix

  10. #10
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    Subscribed.
    I love these, I have not had the pleasure of owning one, but I did have an e30 ix. I am a bit older now, a d I sort consider the e34 to be the grownups e30. I look forward to watching this build.

  11. #11
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    Thanks! I'm the exact opposite, never had the opportunity of driving an E30..

    So, another thing I got while I were at the yard was this! I have one in my 520i, as well as a replica I bought of eBay. But here I found another original one! Score! It's gonna look great in the 525ix!


    Ironed and ready to go the unevenness wouldn't go out.. Might have to wash it.
    1992 BMW E34 525ix - Gletscherblau Metallic — Check it out here!
    1991 BMW E34 520i - Brokatrot Metallic SOLD — Check it out
    here!
    Instagram with E34 content:
    @E34_ix

  12. #12
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    great find!


    off topic question. i see you have a Ford SUV. is ford considered "foreign" in your country? or?
    2016 640i Coupe'
    1990 Bmw 535i Turbo 600whp

    1999 740iL: Sold
    1997 740i: Crashed and Parted
    1988 535i: Crashed and Parted
    1988 528e: Crashed and parted
    IG- @Rogetta_Stone

  13. #13
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    The Ford SUV (Kuga) actually belong to my uncle (whos head is blurred in the picture). But no, they're very common, I believe they're the fifth or sixth most sold manufacturer here, after VW, Toyota, Volvo, BMW and maybe Nissan or Mercedes. But I think that there are many models that aren't available in the US and vice versa. SUVs are very popular here, but pickup trucks are not, for instance.

    I do actually own a Ford, but a much older one, hehe
    Last edited by henfjel; 10-16-2017 at 08:34 PM.
    1992 BMW E34 525ix - Gletscherblau Metallic — Check it out here!
    1991 BMW E34 520i - Brokatrot Metallic SOLD — Check it out
    here!
    Instagram with E34 content:
    @E34_ix

  14. #14
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    Today I drove the 520i for the "last" time. It didn't get approved at the biennial inspection, and the previous approval expires tomorrow.
    Need to fix rust (jacking points and rockers are severely rusted through), bushing for pitman steering arm, fog light (right one didn't work, even though I replaced the bulb..), damaged rim (weird, since I haven't noticed anything while driving) and a few other minor things.

    SO, I decided to spend the money this would cost to fix up the problems on the 525ix, since it is approved for another full year. That means that I'll park the 520i for now, fix all it's problem in the spring, and sell it once it is approved.

    Currently I'm waiting for parts to fix the ix. Seal kit and rattle kit for the VANOS from Beisan Systems, spring plate kit for VANOS from BMW, a good run of vacuum hoses, seals and other bits and bobs. As well as the tools required to lock the crank and cams e.t.c. Got a sweet deal from a guy who bought a kit he never used!

    But since I have plenty of things to do, I got on with working. The previous owner might have had some problems with the windshield washer system, since I found all the hoses and wires for heated washers coiled up in the engine bay when I bought it.. Some of the hoses had gone hard, so I decided to get new ones from the dealership, as they were quite cheap. The heated washers were totally shot, so I've removed them to rebuild them, and I have temporarily replaced them with non-heated ones. Removed the washer fluid reservoir, and found the pump literally glued to the reservoir. I guess the seal were leaking and the guy had some silicone laying around..

    I also removed the battery, to give it a good charge. There is parasitic drag somewhere, so it was all charged out when I tried to start today. Need to do some diagnostics once it is recharged tomorrow, to find out what draws power.

    Also, I've removed the return fuel line that goes from the fuel rail to the pipe under the intake. The hose is really shot, and needs replacing. While doing that, I went over some others hoses, and discovered that the vacuum line for the fuel pressure regulator wasn't connected.. Jeez. So that's another vacuum leak sorted. While fiddling under the intake I also discovered that the thinner of the two hoses going from the crankcase ventilation valve was all "mushy" and flat some places. Looks like it has collapsed on itself. Good thing I ordered it along with a good few other hoses.


    So to another cool story!
    A couple of weeks ago, I found some nice seatbelts on a Norwegian E34 Facebook group! The gray ones with the black edges. I believe they are M5 or at least optional extra? They came from a 540i that was crushed years ago. They guy had them sitting in a box of old parts he is trying to get rid of. A bit dirty, but still good! And he was nice enough to throw in the rear cigarette lighter plate for the center console! Score! Pics coming tomorrow.
    1992 BMW E34 525ix - Gletscherblau Metallic — Check it out here!
    1991 BMW E34 520i - Brokatrot Metallic SOLD — Check it out
    here!
    Instagram with E34 content:
    @E34_ix

  15. #15
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    Since none of the parts I ordered showed up until today, I decided to play around with some other stuff I've been putting off.

    Read (and saw pictures) of this awesome product called Owatrol Polytrol, which supposedly brings back the color and shine to many types of materials. Decided to try this out on the plastic trim under the windshield wipers!


    While this was doing its magic I went on to clean the surface under the trim. It was due, to say the least. No before pictures, but here is a couple after! Also cleaned the windshield and polished it.




    Turned out alright, but I'm not completely satisfied. There are some spots left, so I'm going to give it a couple more treatments. But believe me, it looks much better irl than in the pictures! It gave the trim new life.







    In other windshield related news, I replaced all of the washer hoses. The old ones were cut close to the nozzles, and at the pump end it was all hard. Picked up some OEM lenghts and a local dealer. Still missing the last hose clip close to the left nozzle and the non return valves.





    Here is a pic of the fuel line I was talking about in my last post.


    That didn't work. Got a new one. No more leaks! AND I got a good meter of hose, so I can replace other bits if needs be.


    While doing the fuel line I found this.. Missing a bolt on the intake manifold. And guess what! The one on the other far side was missing also..


    New hose in place behind there. Look at the lower of those two vacuum hoses. Yep, it's collapsed.. Totally flat when the car is running. Good thing I ordered it.





    Found this. Thats a big no.


    Soaking in good stuff.


    Still needs to find my sticker remover..



    Since I just acquired the rear console cigarette lighter, I decided to check if my car is pre-wired, since my 520i was not. It luckily was! All I need now is the bulb for the light.







    Good weather yesterday meant my first proper wash for this car!
    Since I'll be working in the engine bay this weekend I also focused much on cleaning here. Definitively weren't done in quite a while.. And there is still some areas with a lot of build up of oil and dirt. Going to fix the oil leaks before I tackle these spots. I wish I took some before shots, but I was to eager..






    Note the new intake boot.


    One of the spots I was talking about. I cleaned this a few weeks ago, but there is still a lot of dirt that I didn't get to, that needs to be thoroughly cleaned once the oil leaks are taken care of.



    Exterior turned out good! Needs to do the black trim with the Polytrol-stuff.


    Put on some tire shine.


    Did the spare as well, since it was out, lol. Looks good! It's the original spare, and it has never been out of the trunk before. Lovely!



    I then went on to prepare for the VANOS rebuild. The PO told me that he never was able to get the valve cover gasket to seal properly. No wonder, since the bolts were way to tight. And I've never ever seen so much RTV silicone gasket. It was everywhere, and he had used incredible amounts. I used a good 45 minutes of picking off huge chunks. It were even on the back of the cam shafts, and on the camshaft carriers.. Jeez. This is post chunk-removal and I've scraped off the bottom half of it.





    Then FINALLY, my parts showed up today.. Well, all except the VANOS seal and rattle kit... Oh well, it's a start.
    Diaphragm spring kit, VANOS piston, crush washers for the VANOS oil supply, seals for the windshield washer tank, various connectors for the vacuum-system and some o-rings (oil level sensor, CPS, dipstick, and VANOS solenoid).


    VANOS unit gasket.


    Hose for the crank vent (will be split in to halves).


    Elbow for the ICV.


    Second elbow for ICV + crank vent connector and vacuume hose.



    Better get on with all of this!
    1992 BMW E34 525ix - Gletscherblau Metallic — Check it out here!
    1991 BMW E34 520i - Brokatrot Metallic SOLD — Check it out
    here!
    Instagram with E34 content:
    @E34_ix

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by henfjel View Post
    .


    Happy car is happy!

  17. #17
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    I dig the color! Nice grab on the ix E34!

    -James

  18. #18
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    Thanks, guys! It's starting to look more and more happy, both on the inside and the outside.
    I wasn't too good with the camera today, but I've replaced all vacuum hoses (and damn, some of those were a bi*ch to do), got the VANOS unit out, and got the BMW diaphragm kit in place. The cam chains are much tighter now, very nice. Just waiting for the VANOS seal and rattle kit now.

    And I've done some more interesting discoveries.
    Went to replace the CPS o-ring. But there was no o-ring there.. But guess what I found! More RTV..... Once I got it out, I saw a lot of oil spill under the sensor hole. So I guess this will do the trick.

    Yesterday I had a hard time finding the TDC mark on the crank pulley. I (or at least thought that I) looked all over, but could not find it. I lined up with the cam lobes and locked them in position, used a screw driver to check if piston 1 and 6 were up top. They were but I figured I'd have another look for the TDC mark today before getting more into dismantling.
    Then after closer inspection today I finally found it, slightly to the left of the crank position sensor.. (looking towards the engine from the front of the car). I guess that the people who put this thing back together after it had it's timing chain guides break and new head installed weren't too accurate then they did the timing. Gah. This is just getting better and better, lol.
    While I had the cam chain and sprockets off to do the diaphragm plate I corrected this, and lined the crank up to TDC and locked it with its tool. So it should now be perfectly timed once I finish the last steps.

    Once I had the VANOS out the piston seal seems in decent shape, but there is a lot of slack in the bearings (or axial play, as Beisan puts it). So I'm looking forward to getting the kit installed.

    One of the bolts for the thermostat housing are missing, and after a closer look: Yep, half of the threads are still in the bolt hole..

    Ready to remove cam sprockets and chain.


    VANOS-unit off.


    Diaphragm plate kit in place.
    Last edited by henfjel; 11-04-2017 at 07:03 AM.
    1992 BMW E34 525ix - Gletscherblau Metallic — Check it out here!
    1991 BMW E34 520i - Brokatrot Metallic SOLD — Check it out
    here!
    Instagram with E34 content:
    @E34_ix

  19. #19
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    Long time no post, but I have some updates. After installing the diaphragm kit I went on to do some other small stuff while waiting for the VANOS seal and rattle kit.

    Replaced the washer bottle seals. The level sensor seal was OK, but the pump was glued in place.. I wonder how people get there, like "HEY, it's leaking. Lets remove the tank, empty it, GLUE the pump in place". Instead of getting a 1$ seal from the dealer, that probably was in stock.. Well, it's leaking no more.



    Found the CC-stalk from the airbag 520i I once got the CC-parts from for my 520i. Need to buy an actuator and the control module, and this will be a nice cruiser.


    For some reason the steel plate between the trunk and the back seat was removed at some point, but the car didn't have a ski bag og traces of a subwoofer.. But I do of course have a spare ski bag! Just need to find the trim panels that goes on each side. No, I'm not cutting the one I already have.



    Replaced the filler cap hinge. Please excuse the dirty car..



    Cleaned out the trunk, washed every surface! And vacuumed the carpetry. Also fitted the spare wheel well storage compartment from my 520i. Forgot to mount the straps..





    Then comes the bad stuff.. While washing the car the day before I found out it leaks from the sunroof.. That needs to be taken proper care of, so I will drop the headliner and the sunroof cassette and replace some other stuff while it's out and I'm replacing the seals and hoses. While I'm doing that I will reroute the drain pipes to exit directly out of the car.


    So, I took the seat out to assess the water level in the floor and to dry it out, and I a lot of dirt. This car hasn't been taken good care of...



    And then I found this. Great, I love rust.
    It seems like one of the OEM drain plugs have rusted through at one point, and instead of removing the rust they just glued a plate to the bottom of the car.. Why do people do this?? And then, of course the sunroof started to leak, and the water collecting in the floor has continued it's job, enlarging the rust hole. I think this is going to be a pretty easy weld though. Just need to remove the plate, cut the rust out and pray I don't find any more.


    Then the VANOS kits arrived! And I was in a hurry getting the car ready, so I didn't take ANY pictures except these three.
    All buttoned up, found an oil leak from the rocker cover gasket, fixed the oil leak. Replaced the hood insulation.





    But it went very well, the car ran perfect and the rattle was gone! Or so I thought. The next day I drove 200 miles to get to a weekend gig (I'm a musician), and the car ran fine going down there. But while I were there the rattle and all previous problems suddenly returned.. Had it moved by trailer 200 miles back to the workshop, and now it's sitting there (this was november).
    After they drove it of the trailer it will no longer start, so I assume that the problems are not actually VANOS, but timing related. My best guess is that the off timing I found the car had had while doing the VANOS probably wasn't because of a bad installation as I previously thought, but rather the result of a problem of which I haven't yet found the source of.. Great.

    SO, I fixed the 520i again and have been driving it ever since.
    I've decided to go deeper into this car before putting it to use as the daily driver. I haven't been writing about it here yet, but it seems to have had a minor hit in the front at some point. The Bumper and hood are not color matched to the rest of the car, and you can see on the bumper shocks that they have been pushed in at some point. The front plate (that the hood mounts to) seems to be bent, and the hood is very difficult to close. Also, the AC-condenser behind the radiator is badly dented and has a huge bulge in it. The old radiator that was in the trunk also had traces of this, and because of the bent AC-condenser the current radiator won't sit in it mounts. Because of this the radiator shroud won't fit between the fan and the radiator..

    All of this means that I at least have to replace the front plate, and I'm assuming a good bunch of related parts. While I'm doing this and the whole front and hood is off I'm going to remove the engine, trans, front diff, transfer box and front drive shafts. All of these will get all their seals and gaskets replaced, as well as oils (several of them are currently seeping oil). It also allows me to put the engine on a stand, so I can easily work on it and go over the whole thing. I'll replace all remaining seals, hoses, gaskets, and take care of the timing problems.
    And I'll replace all the shifter linkage bushings and stuff, and see if the E60 545i short shifter fits the ix, but the stock stick in the ix is the same as the 1.9 Z3-one, so there might not be much difference? I have to measure my stock 520i and the ix to see if there is any difference. And I might get a DSSR fabricated as well.

    So, immediate plans all summed up:
    - Overhaul engine, trans, front diff and transfer box.
    - Replace damaged parts in the front
    - Overhaul sunroof cassette and reroute drain
    - Weld rust hole in the floor
    - Replace the blue interior with a black one, since I already will be removing all of it to check all of the floor for rust while I'm mending the hole I found.

    That should be enough for the summer..

    Once this is done the following is planned:
    - OEM lowering springs shocks and sway bars
    - Full suspension overhaul with Lemförder parts.
    - Diff re-seal and oil change
    - New CV joint boots in the rear
    - Rust removal (bootlid and if I find any more under the car)
    - ///M sideskirts and painting the bumpers all the way down (facelift-style)
    - Various mods; PDC, CC, E32 xenon headlamps (if I can source some), headers, underdrive pulleys, Stewart water pump, chrome interior door handles, fire extinguisher, rear electric sunblind, sunblinds in the rear doors, coin holder for the driver side door, sports steering wheel, large OBC, reading lights and much more.

    Let the mending commence!
    1992 BMW E34 525ix - Gletscherblau Metallic — Check it out here!
    1991 BMW E34 520i - Brokatrot Metallic SOLD — Check it out
    here!
    Instagram with E34 content:
    @E34_ix

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    Cornelius, NC
    Posts
    548
    My Cars
    09 535ix
    Love that color.. and I don’t think any xi made it to the states... not sure how rare anywhere else.
    RIP Jess or the idea of Jess or... what OT was.. or whatever...

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    Norway
    Posts
    251
    My Cars
    1992 BMW 525ix Sedan
    Thanks! No, they were never sold in the US. Only 9633 were ever made in total, and according to some numbers i found on a forum posted by this random guy (that he didn't list where he found) I've calculated that there were only made about 1700 525ix sedans with manual trans. So there are not many sedan ix'es with manual trans.
    1992 BMW E34 525ix - Gletscherblau Metallic — Check it out here!
    1991 BMW E34 520i - Brokatrot Metallic SOLD — Check it out
    here!
    Instagram with E34 content:
    @E34_ix

  22. #22
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    warwick RI
    Posts
    2,522
    My Cars
    E30/E32/F25
    Great work ! What did you paint the valve cover with? It looks really good !
    Me E30 87/ 325i + F25 12/ M-Sport + E32 94/ 740i

    G/F’s E34 92/ 525iT + F48 18/ X1

  23. #23
    Join Date
    Feb 2018
    Location
    Lithuania
    Posts
    13
    My Cars
    GeorgekenNA
    Wow! Love the attention to detail. Really like that you are bringing it back to OEM mint condition! Kudos to you sir. I actually source old and new BMW parts since they are very cheap where I'm at. I also get huge discounts for aftermarket parts so if you want to save a Krone or two on those Lëmforder parts PM me and I'll check if the prices suit you. Good luck and patience for the work you are doing. I'll be following this post from now on.

    Išsiųsta naudojantis SM-A510F Tapatalk 4 Lt

  24. #24
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    Norway
    Posts
    251
    My Cars
    1992 BMW 525ix Sedan
    @e30luv318i:
    I haven' painted it, actually! It still has the factory paint.

    @Germanas:
    Thank you! I'll PM you! Once I get the engine running, ix-parts re-sealed and the rust taken care of, the next thing on the list is suspension, and I'm replacing all of it.
    1992 BMW E34 525ix - Gletscherblau Metallic — Check it out here!
    1991 BMW E34 520i - Brokatrot Metallic SOLD — Check it out
    here!
    Instagram with E34 content:
    @E34_ix

  25. #25
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    warwick RI
    Posts
    2,522
    My Cars
    E30/E32/F25
    Wow! That’s amazing !!!!
    Me E30 87/ 325i + F25 12/ M-Sport + E32 94/ 740i

    G/F’s E34 92/ 525iT + F48 18/ X1

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