2000 540i Day 1: FML

[chunkybmw]

Picked up my first 540i 6spd 127k for $3k and made it almost home...

https://instagram.com/p/Bcp7cXLF7qY/

Before the “project” started early... I can’t post a pic so that’s my IG pic

Anyways in San Bruno love BMWs and excited for a cooling system overhaul...

@iLoveChunk

[douglawrence42]

Day 2 should go better?


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[fullthrottle540]

Man that's over the top. That really happened on your way home? What busted?

[dannyzabolotny]

I skipped past the inevitable cooling system failure by buying a 540i/6 in San Diego with a busted cooling system, haha.

[JimLev]

Welcome to the forum Chucky. Don't worry, that has happened to most of us at one time or another.
In 17+ years my 540 has flat bedded home twice.

[chunkybmw]

I was driving home literally after buying the car and all of a sudden the coolant level check alert popped up and as I slowed down to a gas station I saw steam from the hood. Typical plastic crack on the seam connecting the radiator hose to the engine. The car was pretty dry and well now she’ll be towed to my house...

[Dking078]

In 17+ years my 540 has flat bedded home twice.

Buy me a lotto ticket please . I'm three for 6 years!

Don't worry, now you get to learn the car and have a (for a while) 0 issue cooling system!

Mine started on Day 2 with a picky starter.

[philly98540]

Welcome to the board! Good guys and great info
Never been towed or stranded in this car after 16 years.

[Uturn540]

Never had mine on a flatbed, but did blow the valley pan gasket 30 miles from home. Took three stops and 6 gallons of water, but it made it into the garage under it's own power with no damage and never exceeded 115C. The bright side is the cooling system was spotless afterward.

[geargrinder]

Cooling system assplosion - NICE. Classic BMW! Nice to get it over with, right? Never had a coolant flatbed event, but I limped from Atlanta to Southern FL stopping every hour or two to cool down and top off a few years back, that truly sucked especially when we started hearing the tornado warnings in the immediate vicinity on the radio. Not exactly a strand but really really annoying, esp stressing w/ the wife onboard. Hassles like that solo aren't quite as bad, oddly enough, you'd think having company would help... it doesn't... Well except for her calling to every dealer in Georgia to find a new expansion tank on the shelf for me while I drove... But she coulda done that from home too if I was alone.

My 540 flatbed trips have been Throttle Body related (2 or 3am or something in the dark & rain), and an Alternator crap out. The first one wouldn't catch me out again now that I know the limp-home tricks, the alternator seizing, well, that was unavoidable. Glad that didn't happen between Atlanta and FL.

[itsbrokeagain]

Cooling system assplosion - NICE. Classic BMW! Nice to get it over with, right? Never had a coolant flatbed event, but I limped from Atlanta to Southern FL stopping every hour or two to cool down and top off a few years back, that truly sucked especially when we started hearing the tornado warnings in the immediate vicinity on the radio. Not exactly a strand but really really annoying, esp stressing w/ the wife onboard. Hassles like that solo aren't quite as bad, oddly enough, you'd think having company would help... it doesn't... Well except for her calling to every dealer in Georgia to find a new expansion tank on the shelf for me while I drove... But she coulda done that from home too if I was alone.

My 540 flatbed trips have been Throttle Body related (2 or 3am or something in the dark & rain), and an Alternator crap out. The first one wouldn't catch me out again now that I know the limp-home tricks, the alternator seizing, well, that was unavoidable. Glad that didn't happen between Atlanta and FL.

Oof. Tornado warnings? As much fun as those videos look on YouTube, I could manage it myself but my overly worried SO in the passenger seat would prolly freak the eff out hahaha.

I asked my friends from the Midwest what all that 'storm chasing' was about, and their answer was simple.

"Eh it's kinda like cow-tipping. You get bored on a Friday afternoon, have some beers to beat the heat, watch the storms kick off and go chase funnels.". WTF lol