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Thread: E34 535i turbo from DownUnder

  1. #26
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    One last question (no promises): Do you happen to have the intercooler dimensions?

    Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
    '95 E34 525i, M50B32 (S52 Crank, K1 Rods, JE 9.0:1 Pistons, S52 Cams, Cutring, Achilles Oil Pump Shaft & Sprocket), GTW3684R 0.82A/R, ZF320

  2. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by CallMePuff View Post
    One last question (no promises): Do you happen to have the intercooler dimensions?
    Certainly do - 450mm x 140mm x 50mm (WIDTH, HEIGHT, DEPTH). Inlet/outlet size is 55mm (or about 2.25" in old money). It's pretty small, but that's about as big as you can fit if you want to keep it hidden, keep your AC condenser (and fan) and not cut anything up! Stock bumper obviously, I think there's a bit more room behind an M5/M-sport one.

  3. #28
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    Quote Originally Posted by Neeek View Post
    Certainly do - 450mm x 140mm x 50mm (WIDTH, HEIGHT, DEPTH). Inlet/outlet size is 55mm (or about 2.25" in old money). It's pretty small, but that's about as big as you can fit if you want to keep it hidden, keep your AC condenser (and fan) and not cut anything up! Stock bumper obviously, I think there's a bit more room behind an M5/M-sport one.
    Oh good deal! I've got one that's 685mm wide from inlet to outlet and is 63.5mm deep. I have a feeling the extra width is going to be an issue. I have no qualms about it not being hidden, but I'd like to keep the AC and not chop it to bits if I don't have to.

    Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
    '95 E34 525i, M50B32 (S52 Crank, K1 Rods, JE 9.0:1 Pistons, S52 Cams, Cutring, Achilles Oil Pump Shaft & Sprocket), GTW3684R 0.82A/R, ZF320

  4. #29
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    520d F11
    really nice build,
    i got an 535 myself and are collecting parts
    the M30 got a lot of grunt so hooking on an turbo gives good bang for the buck
    here in Sweden most do M50
    which is great for turbo
    500 up to 1000 hp no problem at all depending on ambition

  5. #30
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    1989 BMW 535i (E34)
    Small update... car was running great until it started sounding a bit like a supercharger - more of a whine than a whoosh. Some investigating found that the compressor wheel had eaten something and now looked like this:



    Unsure what got in there, but I've been babying it for the time being. New turbo is waiting to be bolted down when I have some time:





    Very similar specs to the sick one, but much better quality. Decided to paint my rocker cover as well in crinkle black to match the intake (which I will put on with the new turbo). Here it is mid-paint, I've since sanded down the BMW script and fins to bare alloy so it looks pretty good!



    And I started looking at the reversed throttle body intake and started to figure out how to get a throttle cable over to the other side. The runners are right in the way, but BMW in their infinite wisdom left some meat in the casting between the runners - enough meat to drill a hole so that I can pass the cable (and associated stops and bits) through it. So I drilled a couple of holes and came up with this:



    So that's all sorted now as well. Now all I need is a free weekend to rip into it. Looking forward to tidying up the engine bay with the new intake set-up, and of course making more whooshing noises again from the new turbo.

  6. #31
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    Good to see you back. I wonder what happened to the impeller (I had a 12AT turbo do the same thing and I wrote it off as stupid pod filter or crap in the s/h intercooler, but really who knows?)

    I was thinking of turbo e34s today funnily enough. Probably won't do it to the 525 as the battery is there, might just stick with a n/a stroked 3L. But I was thinking when I move to somewhere with more room and start looking at parts cars I will not turn down a complete good cheap 535 and make a second project car and turbo it.
    But they seem to be going up in price and becoming rarer. Last year I turned down 3 cheap 535s due to paint condition, now a manual one is about $4-5k. Jeez 540s or e39s are so cheap in comparison

  7. #32
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    Well done! Looking forward to more posts!

  8. #33
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    Quote Originally Posted by fo3 View Post
    Good to see you back. I wonder what happened to the impeller (I had a 12AT turbo do the same thing and I wrote it off as stupid pod filter or crap in the s/h intercooler, but really who knows?)
    I think I found the culprit. I'd been running it recently with an old K&N that a mate gave me (he took one look at my cheapie and hauled this one out his garage for me) - the rubber neck was a bit of a tight fit on the turbo, and it was a bit secondhand to begin with. I reckon when I jammed it on there, a piece of the neck came off and got munched by the wheel...



    And here's a small piece of the wheel jammed inside the pod filter!



    Lesson learned - new filters only from now on!

    Quote Originally Posted by fo3 View Post
    I was thinking of turbo e34s today funnily enough. Probably won't do it to the 525 as the battery is there, might just stick with a n/a stroked 3L. But I was thinking when I move to somewhere with more room and start looking at parts cars I will not turn down a complete good cheap 535 and make a second project car and turbo it.
    But they seem to be going up in price and becoming rarer. Last year I turned down 3 cheap 535s due to paint condition, now a manual one is about $4-5k. Jeez 540s or e39s are so cheap in comparison
    The desirable common-or-garden E34s (and by that I mean manual 525s/535s) haven't really changed much in terms of what people are asking - when I bought mine for $3,000 two years ago, there were several for sale in the $6,000 range. And they all sold as well. M5s, 540 LEs and Tourings are starting to go up, though. Mine has terrible paint, which I'm going to rectify perhaps later in the year with a closed-door respray in the factory colour. I've got all the gear, so it'd just be my labour for prep and whatever the materials cost. Reckon I could get it smashed out for a grand. But yeah, 25 odd years of the Australian sun have done this to my boot and roof:





    Strangely, the bonnet is pretty good still!

    Oh, and battery relocation is very easy - you just need a suitable box in the boot and a couple of long heavy gauge cables. An afternoon's work, and then you've got room for your snail.

  9. #34
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    Quote Originally Posted by Neeek View Post
    25 odd years of the Australian sun have done this to my boot and roof:



    Strangely, the bonnet is pretty good still!

    Oh, and battery relocation is very easy - you just need a suitable box in the boot and a couple of long heavy gauge cables. An afternoon's work, and then you've got room for your snail.
    Yeah every cheap 535 I looked at was metallic with paint similar to that, that's why I settled on a plain white 525. I hate painting and body work, and was in the middle of a falcon ute respray while e34 shopping, so I really wanted to get one with good original paint at any cost (even if the rest of the car was a basketcase).

    I've done that battery relocation job before in my old rx3. Everything in the boot (like audio amp terminals) started to corrode due to the fumes, as the hard part is ventilating it enough. So I'm not going to try it again.
    I wonder how bmw do it under the rear seat? I haven't even seen the later factory setup in real life.
    Last edited by fo3; 04-05-2018 at 10:38 PM.

  10. #35
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    Can't imagine they used different bodyshells between 525 and 535, so there's probably a place for the battery under the rear seat as per the 535. Take the base out and have a look, only takes a minute. If there's space there, that's where it can go!

  11. #36
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    Nice to see it progressing.

    The air/air intercooler is real tricky to do on e34. Had to change lots of stuff around on my 540i to make a front mount if work. I would heat wrap the heat exchanger on the intercooler otherwise it will heat soak badly when idling. I’m thinking about a fan or a simple water spray on the core in front of the radiator.
    BMW’s
    90 E34 M5
    84 E24 M635csi standalone ecu with coil on plug
    94 E34 540i/6 SC 5-17psi Flex fuel/standalone ecu
    97 Z3 2.8
    97 E36 M3 euro SC still u/c


    OTHERS
    11 Audi S5 APR stg2
    19 Volkswagen Amarok V6


  12. #37
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    Not an amazing amount to report, and I still haven't had time to sort out putting the flipped manifold on. But I did put the new turbo on the other week:





    Required a trip to the exhaust shop to get the downpipe modified with a different V-band - you can see the difference between the first and second pics above. Got it re-wrapped as well, they didn't do as good a job as last time, but it works, so...

    Key differences between this one and the last one, other than overall quality, are that the new one has a 1.0 A/R turbine housing (previous 0.82) and the spinny wheels are about 5mm larger in diameter both in and out. These two things transpired to move my power curve higher up in the rev range a bit, which wasn't something I planned to do and to be brutally honest, I probably picked the wrong sized turbo as the last one did it's thing brilliantly. So to counter this, I upped the timing in the off-boost rev range for a little more throttle response before the boost kicks in, and I added a manual boost tee into the wastegate signal line. Still running wastegate spring pressure, but this little thing keeps the gate shut a little longer, which improved throttle response again.



    Net result of these two mods was that it came on a bit stronger a bit earlier - maybe by 500-750 rpm or so? So it's now getting full boost by 3,500rpm, and the top end is improved massively, with it still pulling really hard through 6,000rpm. Note that I don't generally get up it that hard, but nice to know that it's capable.

    Next steps are to somehow find time to get the flipped manifold on there, and also get the exhaust manifold milled flat as it's gone a little warped at the head face. While it's out I'm going to have a good look at the steering box, which I think needs some adjustment but of course it's impossible to get to it with all the turbo stuff in the way. Will also change the plugs while I have good access down there. After that, I've got a revised tune ready for 10psi, and ARP head studs will go in... and then if that all works out fine, I think I'll just leave it completely alone and call it done!
    Last edited by Neeek; 05-10-2018 at 11:10 PM.

  13. #38
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    Nice build! I'm looking to turbo my 525it at some point so it's pretty cool to see an affordable homebrew setup. I'm aiming to get mine done for as little money as possible, so eBay everything and garbage welds (courtesy of my $99 welder and zero skills) will be the name of the game.
    1995 525i 5-speed - Thread

  14. #39
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    Quote Originally Posted by dannyzabolotny View Post
    Nice build! I'm looking to turbo my 525it at some point so it's pretty cool to see an affordable homebrew setup. I'm aiming to get mine done for as little money as possible, so eBay everything and garbage welds (courtesy of my $99 welder and zero skills) will be the name of the game.
    Mine started off affordable... but it hasn't really been very "budget"..! I think the only cheap pieces still left on it is the intercooler and piping, but it works. By all means, have a crack at doing it on a tight budget, but as many have said before me, it'll cost you a lot more than you think to do it properly!

  15. #40
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    Quote Originally Posted by Neeek View Post
    Mine started off affordable... but it hasn't really been very "budget"..! I think the only cheap pieces still left on it is the intercooler and piping, but it works. By all means, have a crack at doing it on a tight budget, but as many have said before me, it'll cost you a lot more than you think to do it properly!
    Mine will have to stay budget, as I simply don't have the means to do it "right," haha. Being self-employed means I have to take on projects carefully and for as little cost as possible. The saving grace is that my car is just a fun silly car as opposed to a serious daily driver, so absolute reliability is not a huge concern. I have my 2000 540it as the reliable daily.
    1995 525i 5-speed - Thread

  16. #41
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    Glad to see it progressing. Yes it’s hard to develop and modify a car on a budget. When u start making power u then want a better chassis etc etc. The amount of time I spent $3-600 on just bits is beyond the point of adding up. Still the end results will hopefully worth the effort.
    BMW’s
    90 E34 M5
    84 E24 M635csi standalone ecu with coil on plug
    94 E34 540i/6 SC 5-17psi Flex fuel/standalone ecu
    97 Z3 2.8
    97 E36 M3 euro SC still u/c


    OTHERS
    11 Audi S5 APR stg2
    19 Volkswagen Amarok V6


  17. #42
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    Did a skidpan day in this thing on Saturday (well, it's my only car if you don't count the wife's Volvo AWD wagon, so what choice do I have?):







    As I already knew, it skids most gloriously. You might notice that in the last pic, my fog lamp and tow hook cover are missing... that's because I got a turn wrong and kissed a mound, and they decided they didn't like where they're living so they bailed:



    All is not lost, thought - that afternoon I sourced a replacement bumper and will be painting it to match soon, as its currently Brilliant Rot.

    This day also highlighted the fact that my car is a bit wallowy, so I've got some Eibach springs on order for it. This will add lows and stiffs, which is good.

  18. #43
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    Yes when u add power it shows up all the deficiencies in the chassis. A word of warning, the front is pretty easy to refresh bushes and drop links etc. as for the rear it’s a real major job. The top shock mounts and dog bones are relatively easy to do but removing the subframe is a major PITA and so is replacing the 11 bushes in the rest end.
    BMW’s
    90 E34 M5
    84 E24 M635csi standalone ecu with coil on plug
    94 E34 540i/6 SC 5-17psi Flex fuel/standalone ecu
    97 Z3 2.8
    97 E36 M3 euro SC still u/c


    OTHERS
    11 Audi S5 APR stg2
    19 Volkswagen Amarok V6


  19. #44
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    Quote Originally Posted by GazM3 View Post
    Yes when u add power it shows up all the deficiencies in the chassis. A word of warning, the front is pretty easy to refresh bushes and drop links etc. as for the rear it’s a real major job. The top shock mounts and dog bones are relatively easy to do but removing the subframe is a major PITA and so is replacing the 11 bushes in the rest end.
    Yeah, the rear subframe bushings were done just prior to when I bought the car - I've got dog bones, strut tops and rear shocks ready to go, and have done everything in the front end already. Apart from springs, anyway. Doing suspension stuff is relatively easy for me, if time consuming.

  20. #45
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    I’ve got some of those weld in slotted bolts & tabs for Ireland engineering. If u are handy with the welder and die grinder u can install them on the control arm bushes and have good camber adjustment without the harshness and expense of the bearing plates. They will increase the track slighly at the front end also which is good thing for the skid pan days. If u have ever driven an e34 with more than -2deg of front camber it totally transforms the car. My wheel alignment is due this coming Tuesday so I’ll see what range I can have. I’ll prob setup at -3deg with slight amount (say 0.3mm per side) of toe in just to look after the front tyres inside edges.

    its a great setup the 535i with a turbo. Are I planning to make it prettier? Paint wheels etc or keep it sleeper style? I’d love to do one but probably won’t get the chance as the 540 is my weapon of choice for the moment.
    BMW’s
    90 E34 M5
    84 E24 M635csi standalone ecu with coil on plug
    94 E34 540i/6 SC 5-17psi Flex fuel/standalone ecu
    97 Z3 2.8
    97 E36 M3 euro SC still u/c


    OTHERS
    11 Audi S5 APR stg2
    19 Volkswagen Amarok V6


  21. #46
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    Quote Originally Posted by GazM3 View Post
    its a great setup the 535i with a turbo. Are I planning to make it prettier? Paint wheels etc or keep it sleeper style? I’d love to do one but probably won’t get the chance as the 540 is my weapon of choice for the moment.
    There's a respray on the cards, because the clearcoat is terrible on the roof and bootlid. But it'll be a closed door job in the original colour. No plans to change the wheels either. The new springs will lower it a bit, but that's OK, especially given how high these things sit at the front. Keeping it sleeper, want it to stay under the radar.

  22. #47
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    i cant see the nose of that replacement air filter, but be careful of cheap ones. The little chrome disk thats down in the "center inverted cone" can come unglued and end up in your new turbo.
    -Alex

  23. #48
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    Quote Originally Posted by AHenry014 View Post
    i cant see the nose of that replacement air filter, but be careful of cheap ones. The little chrome disk thats down in the "center inverted cone" can come unglued and end up in your new turbo.
    Funny you should mention that! The filter above decided to come apart at the rubber neck, and was just dangling there for a day before I'd realised... it's now rocking a silicone tube to the turbo, then a metal pipe and a pod filter on the end of that.

  24. #49
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    So I picked up a bumper for this thing and repainted it:



    After I sprayed primer over the thing, it revealed a small crack:



    So I got the dremel out and made it biggerer:



    And then put some fibreglass reinforced filler in there:



    Went to work sanding, putting more on, etc, and the re-primed:



    Once I'd done that, bought some paint and stuff:



    Gave everything a rub down, masked it up again and shot some paint on it:



    The basecoat went on really nicely. But then I had to clench my buttocks and apply the 2-pack clear. Now let's face it, I'm not a brilliant painter, and there are a couple of runs which sanding will have to take care of, but:





    Turned out well.



    And then I bought some Eilbach springs, because I need to stiffen this thing up.



    Then my recurring clunk came back and started getting really quite bad. Everything would be awesome, until you went over a speedbump, or a cateye reflector thing on the road. After much investigation, the issue was traced to the shaft that hangs down from the steering box, onto which the pitman arm is attached. That means only one thing... steering box adjustment. Which is fine if you've got a normal E34, but it's definitely not fine if you have one like mine.

    So the order of things was pretty much remove EVERY TURBO THING from the engine. This happened:



    What this image cannot convey to you, dear reader, is the forty-five minutes of buggering around with (sorry, I mean trying to loosen) one nut on the bottom of the downpipe. One nut, which was absolutely impossible to get to with normal tools. I have no idea how exhaust shops do it. U-joint socket thing? Nope. Wobble bar? Nope. Crowsfoot? You're crap at this, mate. Massive extension bashed on with a hammer and a rattle gun? Bitch, please...

    Astonishingly, I managed to break it free using a cut down open ended 9/16" spanner, bent at the handle end. It was almost impossible to turn (had to use my hand between the stubby handle and the trans tunnel and just try and push out - seriously), but slowly we got there. Exhaust shops must enjoy doing this - bastards.

    Anyway, we got all that off and I was left with this:



    And then I took the cover off the steering box, adjusted it, and done.



    The latter task took me 3 minutes. All the bits before? A bit more than 2 hours.

    Before I put everything back together again, I took the manifold to the exhaust shop to see if they could skim it as it's a little bit warped; seemed like the ideal time to get it done. Nope, they farm that out. So I go to the place they send these things to, and meet the old bloke running the joint. He takes one look at it and says "nah, stainless would chew my bits up, try old mate down there". I go see old mate down there - same response.

    Here's a question - I'm not the only person in the world with a stainless steel, manifold, right? Surely there are places that can just chuck them on the big sandpaper table thingy rather than clamping them into a fixture and running a mill over the surface? Seems not. Is this just not a thing with SS?

    So I put it all back together again, muttering about all of the things. Dropped a small washer down my dump pipe (yep, it's staying there too), my hands now ache and I have ruined another T-shirt.

    But the clunk's gone, so that's good I suppose.

  25. #50
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    Wow, no updates in 3 years! But fear not - things have progressed. I still have this thing, and I still love it to bits. In the last 3 years we've had new wheels, tyres, turbos, intercoolers, some interior work, a full respray, an accident, a repair, flames being shot out of the exhaust... and a divorce, and some distraction in the form of another mad German when I bought a E55 AMG for my daily.

    But let's do the pictures...

    Some wheels followed me home in early 2019:



    I refinished them at home with lots of hard work and they came out mint.



    I carried a kayak:



    Took it to Cars & Coffee:



    Installed a small sub, because I don't own any skis:



    Fitted the Eibachs:





    Bought a new bar & plate intercooler:



    And had lots of fun trying to make it fit:



    Blew a head gasket:



    Trailered it to my new house:





    Fixed the head gasket and fitted the ARP studs:



    And the flipped intake (FINALLY!):



    Repaired the door cards and made some suede inserts:





    Also did the parcel shelf:





    Bit a VERY large bullet...

















    Screwed around with shifters:



    Bought some new tyres:



    Decided that a huge T4 turbo had too much lag, so let's go from a 1.00 housing down to a 0.68:



    But let's have someone back into me from their garage:



    Then find bits and repair:



    Then let's fit this new turbo to see if it'll work:



    No, we need a new V band welded to the downpipe. Hello!



    Let's learn to weld!



    Hmmm... this is hard...



    Let's do something else instead... how about rip the seats out and swap the backs over?





    Now that's done, hoik out the downpipe and swap the flanges:





    Good enough!





    Do a retune run:





    Oh, and blow the insides of the cat out:



    Still absolutely loving this thing, and adore driving it. Sure, it can't hold a candle to the E55 unless the road is very twisty, but that doesn't matter. This car is a journey.

    And now you're up to date.

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