My new 525i sat for 4 years

[kperry316]

So I am recently the proud owner of a 525i that has sat for 4 years in a garage that is attached to a house . The price was ridiculously low. I'm going to jump the battery and get it started in the next day or so. What do you guys recommend I do before I start it? Also, the battery is in the trunk from what I've read so if the battery is dead will the trunk open with the key? Is it the same as the ignition key? Any help you guys can offer would be awesome.

[nike32]

Check oil and coolant at first.
Trunk should open with key, but if the lock is stuck, then you can jump from the engine bay, there is + and - located there.


Lähetetty minun ONEPLUS A5010 laitteesta Tapatalkilla

[MIKYZZ4]

Definitely check the condition of critical fluids before driving the vehicle,
oil and coolant most important if just to start engine to diagnose.
That battery will most definitely be dead, purchase and install a new battery.
If you are going to attempt to revive the old battery, at the very least remove it from vehicle,
Then perform an overnight charge with a battery charger (NOT trickle) followed by checking battery voltage in morning.
Don't jump start and subject the alternator to a totally dead battery recharge, unless you also want to replace the alternator.
I would also drain whatever nasty fuel is left in the tank and use a minimum amount of fresh fuel necessary to start and test engine.

[effduration]

I would expect it to run poorly at first...stall, misfire, etc. if it runs great...bonus

i would probably drain/refill oil and definitely drain gas (pump it out of access under rear seat)

new or fresh battery of the aporpriate size. I would resist the temptation to jump current battery with cables or jump pack

after new oil/gas/battery is in, I would pull fuel pump fuse (in glovebox look it up) and pull each of the 6 coil connections under the cover on top of the engine. Crank the engine for 3 or 4 times for 5second each to get oil pumping.

Plug fuse and coils back in and fire it up. See if holds idle / smoothes out in 2-4 minutes

please post us on how it works out...you get extra points if you post a video of first start

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

No back story as to why the car sat for 4 years? Might be some screwy issues that led it to this point in the first place.

[StephenVA]

[djb2]

No back story as to why the car sat for 4 years? Might be some screwy issues that led it to this point in the first place.

Yup. There is always a back story. "Ran when parked" and "Just needs a battery/key/water pump/radiator" should never be believed.

There is no point in changing fluids until the engine has warmed up and you have gently driven it a few miles to dislodge all of the crud. Plus you won't have to waste new fluid when you rebuild the engine.

[kperry316]

Well, 4 years ago the owner bought a brand new Audi A6, drove the BMW home, opened the garage, parked it and never drove it. I recently got to know him and saw it sitting in his garage and asked him about it. His asking price was so low I paid him before he changed his mind and before even verifying it ran.

[Ed CT]

You may want to reconsider jump starting it. If it sat until the battery died, you may be better off rebooting all the modules. these #39s are very sensitive to voltage changes (i.e. they don't like them). I suggest:
1. Disconnect & remove the dead battery (after it goes to sleep, it not already asleep for 4 years)
2. Get a new fully charged battery for the car.
3. Check all fluids as suggested
4. Install new battery & start it up

[edjack]

The car came with four keys. All can manually open the boot, unless some moron used a master key to lock out the valet key.

If it were me, I'd pull the plugs, squirt several teaspoons of motor oil in each cylinder, and spin it over for 10 secs or more. Cover the spark plug holes. Duh!

There is some anecdotal evidence that suggests that, when the battery slowly dies, the various electronic modules enter an undefined state.

Once you have replaced the battery, and it's fully charged, wake the car up (open the boot) and let it go to sleep (16 min). Disconnect the negative terminal of the battery and let the car set for an hour or so. Reconnect, and observe the results.

Report back.

[effduration]

Also, the battery is in the trunk from what I've read so if the battery is dead will the trunk open with the key? Is it the same as the ignition key? Any help you guys can offer would be awesome.

forgot to mention, yes key will open trunk even if battery is dead. insert key and rotate counter- clockwise - do not push it in while turning. It will likely feel quite stiff, but it should open trunk

[CPHES]

I think it is counterclockwise - at least it is on an e38 trunk. turn to horizontal

[effduration]

Yes, I checked and I believe you are correct. I edited my post.

[StephenVA]

Yes , yes, yes REMOVE the dead battery, do not try jumping it as really bad things can happen. A fresh fully charged battery (or even a jumper pack) in place of the original dead battery will give you a good chance to see whats what quickly. A dead battery will suck all the energy you apply and will wake up everything in a below 9.6V stage which guarantees codes and miss info to the electrical system.

Good luck hope all goes well. A little patience and some simple pre-start up tips above will set you on a safe restart.

[edjack]

I erred on post #10: Only the master keys can operate the boot.

[kperry316]

So I recorded a video of the initial start up but I don't know how to upload it here. I bought a new battery and made sure there was enough oil and coolant in the engine. It took a few cranks but it fired up and as expected it ran like crap for awhile. I gingerly drove it to the neat but gas station- no overheating. I left it running while I put air in the tires and by the 4th tire it was overheating. I quickly turned it off and added straight water and waited. I started it again and the temp was fine while I drove. I stopped at my home and left it running again and it began overheating again. I shut it off, let it cool down started it and decided to see what would happen if I took it on the highway. It did well on the highway and didn't overheat. I'm going tomorrow to work on it some more and see if I can diagnose what's going on and fix the nightmare install of the after market radio.

[kperry316]

Oh, and there's no heat.

[MIKYZZ4]

Just checking or adding coolant is not enough, bleed the cooling system, as excess air prevents proper coolant flow.
Check if radiator fan operates.

[effduration]

Congrats on a semi-successful first start. Any warning lights on the dash?

I am concerned with the overheat - that may be why the guy parked it. On an unfamiliar, used BMW you can NEVER let it idle while not watching the temp gauge. At least until you have checked out the cooling system. It sounds like it idles even for a short time (topping up 3 tires) it overheats, but then cools down when underway. Some people might think the elec aux cooling fan in front of radiator, but I think it is a failing fan clutch (fan on waterpump) and/or a failing water pump that only works with higher revs. If this car survives, you'll want to change both. search up on how to test your fan clutch (newspaper test)

Your no heat sounds like you have air in the system or a bad thermostat. I would bleed the system using the easy and proper BMW procedure avail on-line. I know you are not chasing a leak, but DO NOT consider using any kind of stop-leak product in these cars. Regular water is also not a good idea to top up with. Use distilled water only while you figure this out. When the system is ready to be filled, use a mix of 50/50 BMW antifreeze and distilled water.

But since this car overheated - and likely overheated for the previous owner, I would borrow a compression tester from autozone and do a compression test to confirm your engine has not suffered from a major overheat.

So here is what I would do:

1. Bleed the system properly
2. Do a compression test
3. Plan a cooling system refresh

- - - Updated - - -

How many miles on this car?

[geargrinder]

So I recorded a video of the initial start up but I don't know how to upload it here. I bought a new battery and made sure there was enough oil and coolant in the engine. It took a few cranks but it fired up and as expected it ran like crap for awhile. I gingerly drove it to the neat but gas station- no overheating. I left it running while I put air in the tires and by the 4th tire it was overheating. I quickly turned it off and added straight water and waited. I started it again and the temp was fine while I drove. I stopped at my home and left it running again and it began overheating again. I shut it off, let it cool down started it and decided to see what would happen if I took it on the highway. It did well on the highway and didn't overheat. I'm going tomorrow to work on it some more and see if I can diagnose what's going on and fix the nightmare install of the after market radio.

Oh, and there's no heat.

Nice. Agree w/ all that was said above. My "pre-start" suggestion would have agreed w/ all the advice above except on the conflicting advice about fluids... I would walk a middle line... would have checked the oil to be sure it didn't look contaminated/sludgey... otherwise the 'run it a bit THEN dump it' should be fine. The gas itself was a bit of a roll of the dice but it worked out OK. Coolant would have been least of my worries age-wise but level-wise would have been a big concern.

Yeah, you don't have heat because probably you have a big air bubble in the cooling system. Happens esp on the I6's which are tricky to bleed until you learn the secret handshake. I wouldn't be paranoid about bad motors yet, very well the owner could have had a small coolant leak that just accumulated over the years and now you have a big bubble in there. That would match up w/ the symptoms, however all DJ's warnings are 100% on point. Hope for the best but be aware of the potential for worst and act accordingly.

You dont' say how much water/coolant it has taken so far? It will be hard to determine if it is eating coolant (aka head gasket) until you're sure you've bled it out 100%.... in meantime you might just be filling up bubbles. Hoping for the best - it could just be a bubble still, but there's no doubt it could be a bogus seller "ran great when parked" story too...

[djb2]

Presumably by "no overheating" you mean "nothing was on fire". You needed to add water, so "overheating" must have been spewing coolant.

You really need to do a leak-down test. It's possible that the problem is limited to a bad water pump, clutch fan and electric fan. But once those are bad the engine usually overheats to the point of warping the head.

[effduration]

to the Op - A compression test and a leakdown test are similar. Either will tell you if you have bad compression. A leakdown test will do a better job of identifying where your problem is (valves, rings, CCV,) but since we suspect over-heating, a compression test will tell you whether you have poor compression due to a head gasket or warped or cracked head. Even with basic mechanical skills, you can do a simple compression test with a borrowed tester in 30 mins or so. A leakdown test requires a different tester and a source of compressed air.

[geargrinder]

You needed to add water, so "overheating" must have been spewing coolant.

Not necessarily, if the car had a buncha big ol' bubbles in the system, and when OP 'topped it off' he just literally filled the expansion tank while not running, then drove off.

I mean, don't get me wrong. This car could be a fright pig of headgasket issues, but... that scenario is also extremely plausible.

[edjack]

Handy-dandy bleed procedure, esp for the I6

Bleed Cooling System BMW method

On your I6, you need to raise the front end of the car up as high as you can to get the air to the front of the engine.

*********************************

Cooling system bleed procedure (E39)

- with cold car
- top up coolant to proper level (even slightly higher will not hurt at this stage)
- leave rad cap loose

This stage bleeds air trapped in the heater system.

- turn on ignition switch to position 2 (no start)
- set temperature selectors on the climate control to max temp.
- manually set the fan speed to low (lower end of speed range)
- start engine (check that climate settings have not changed)
- after 5-10 seconds of running rev the engine 3-4 times to about 2500 RPM - hold there for about 5 seconds each time.
- shut off engine (should not run for much longer than about 30 seconds - you just want to shut if off before it starts to generate any heat and expand the coolant).
- inspect the coolant level and top up again if necessary.
- tighten the coolant fil cap.

This stage bleeds air from the engine, rad and fill tank.
- now warm up the engine (drive a bit if you wish)
- with engine running CAREFULLY / SLOWLY open the bleed screw. Hold a rag around the area to prevent any excess splashing. Keep the screwdriver in the slot of the bleed screw so you can close it quickly.
- you should have some air/steam escape - progressing to some bubbles of coolant.
- as soon as it progresses to the stage where you are seeing liquid coolant come out then close the bleed screw. Do not over tighten - it is all plastic threads and you can easily turn too far at which point the screw jumps back a thread and you have to re-tighten. Just make it snug with all coolant stopped.
- when the car is cold again re-check the coolant level and top up again if necessary.

NOTE - some of the 6 cyl models have 2 bleed screws - the second one is near the thermostat. In that case you should bleed at both locations (one at a time)

You may have to repeat the bleed procedure 1 or 2 more times over the next week. Can "probably" skip the stage for the cold start bleeding of the heater system.

If the level continues to fall below the correct level then have the system fully pressure tested - explaining to your service manager what you have already done.

It is very important that all leaks be sealed so that the system can operate at full pressure. The engine computer is programmed to keep the coolant temp at about 108C at "most" times (there are exceptions) and the only way it can maintain that temp is if the pressure can be maintained - system fully sealed.

Cheers
Jim Cash

[kperry316]

So when I went to bleed the system this morning, I noticed the bleeder screw on the reserve tank was broken and you could see where coolant and steam were escaping from there when the car got up to temperature. I had to order a new screw as none of the car parts stores around me had it in stock. I'll have a compression test done but should I replace just the screw or the whole tank? I did bleed from the other bleeder screw and the heat returned to the car.