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Thread: E34 540 issues (a few)

  1. #1
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    E34 540 issues (a few)

    Hi guys,Yan here. I own a 540 that's having few issues and i'm going nuts!!!I hope that someone could hel me to fix some (if not)all of them.
    1- if i let the car sitting two or more days without use it ,the battery dies
    2- it has a very rough idle
    3-when you shift into reverse,it doesn't apply immediately,but when it does is very hard and the gear ligth goes off after a couple of seconds
    4-is smoking in the morning and has a heavy gas smell

    Ok guys,here's my shopping list,any help,thoughs,suggestions or guesses are welcome

    P.S. I LOVE MY CAR!!!

  2. #2
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    How long have you had the car?


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  3. #3
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    Since 2009

  4. #4
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    1. Battery. One of the circuits is causing a drain. First verify condition of battery and alternator. Battery can be load tested and alternator should read 13.75 - 14.25 volts when running. To check for drain you need to disconnect the negative cable from the battery post and put a current meter between the cable and post. With the car off and everything settled down (wait a few minutes, doors closed) the current should be no more than 80 milliamps. If greater then start pulling fuses and relays to find which circuit is the culprit. Start troubleshooting the offending circuit from there.

    2. M60 with rough idle is most likely valley pan gaskets and vacuum leaks. Search this forum for "M60 rough idle"

    3. Trans issue may be as simple as low fluid but may also be a common valve body problem with the 5HP30 trans. There are threads here documenting this also. Search "5HP30 valve body problem".

    4. Smoke? What kind. Dark? White? What does it smell like? Could be condensate. Heavy gas smell indicates a potential MAF issue and may be related to your idle / vacuum leak issue. Or a fuel leak? The M60 is very sensitive to any vacuum leaks.
    Last edited by zubbie; 09-16-2018 at 11:50 AM.

  5. #5
    moroza's Avatar
    moroza is offline MORΩN ΛABIA BMW CCA Member
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    Quote Originally Posted by yanga26 View Post
    Hi guys,Yan here. I own a 540 that's having few issues and i'm going nuts!!!I hope that someone could hel me to fix some (if not)all of them.
    1- if i let the car sitting two or more days without use it ,the battery dies
    2- it has a very rough idle
    3-when you shift into reverse,it doesn't apply immediately,but when it does is very hard and the gear ligth goes off after a couple of seconds
    4-is smoking in the morning and has a heavy gas smell

    Ok guys,here's my shopping list,any help,thoughs,suggestions or guesses are welcome

    P.S. I LOVE MY CAR!!!
    Welcome!

    1. Either a bad battery or an electrical drain. Install an ammeter and measure current draw with the doors closed at least 30 seconds and everything turned off. I don't remember the limit but it's something like 50mA. If it's over 100mA... download these and get to work. (My '81 Toyota is laughing as I type this; its drain is 2mA!)

    2. How do the spark plugs look? How old is the PCV plate? Do you have access to a smoke tester or another way to test intake leaks?

    4. Check engine light? Test sensors, primarily the MAF and coolant temp sensor (there are two, one for the DME and the other for the gauge), and fuel pressure.
    Last edited by moroza; 09-16-2018 at 02:27 PM.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by moroza View Post
    Welcome!

    1. Either a bad battery or an electrical drain. Install an ammeter and measure current draw with the doors closed at least 30 seconds and everything turned off. I don't remember the limit but it's something like 50mA. If it's over 100mA... download these and get to work. (My '81 Toyota is laughing as I type this; its drain is 2mA!)

    2. How do the spark plugs look? How old is the PCV plate? Do you have access to a smoke tester or another way to test intake leaks?

    4. Check engine light? Test sensors, primarily the MAF and coolant temp sensor (there are two, one for the DME and the other for the gauge), and fuel pressure.

    Thx ,i'll have that check,but let me say that the battery and the sparks are new,less than 3k miles...

  7. #7
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    Thx,i'll have all that check...

  8. #8
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    Ok,thx,i'll check and post my findings...

  9. #9
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    Youre gonna lose reverse here soon. Your valve body channel balls or whatever they are called are getting smaller in size and will get sucked into areas they are not suppose to go. Your gonna need to rebuild the valve body yourself or buy a refurb with updated materials like I did and have it installed with new fluid and filter (About $800 total for everything if you have it installed)

    Get some carb cleaner and spray around the intake manifold as the gaskets love to fail and its a pretty fun job to replace them, not hard really, but fun cause when you get in there youll find more things that need replaced.

    I just did this valley pan job along with upper timing chain cover gaskets and I had to replace a lot of stuff and it wasnt cheap

  10. #10
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    Thx 4 the info(scary & concerning,BTW)
    But like i said b4,i love this little speed demon & i'll do my best to bring it back to it's former glory!!!

  11. #11
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    Better know how to wrench of have deep pockets. She will be a money pit, but I still love driving the damn thing haha

  12. #12
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    Cool

    Quote Originally Posted by DarienFalks View Post
    Better know how to wrench of have deep pockets. She will be a money pit, but I still love driving the damn thing haha
    Feel ya ,i love it ,too

  13. #13
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    Need an advice

    How hard will be to swap a M60 engine into a 91' 525i body?(Please be kind)

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