I need some advice on a project car

[Bimmurph]

I recently acquired a '95 540i. It had been sitting, unused, in a garage for the last two years. The man I got it from said that I could have the car if I brought a tow truck and took it out of his garage for him, so I essentially got it for free.

I'm no mechanical genius, so I took it to a trusted local shop to have it started and inspected. When they did the inspection, they called me and said that it was running on 3 of 8 cylinders. In addition, they said that they were not getting codes as to which cylinders were misfiring and why they were misfiring.

I'm posting here to ask the people what they think I should do with this car and what they might think the problem could be.

I have 2 options I am considering. As a precursor to these options, I want to say that I am a 23-year-old with a limited budget and a daily driver that needs to be replaced in the near future. If I decide to get this E34 running, it will be my new daily driver. The maximum that I want to spend on fixing up this E34 is $1500.

Option 1 is that I bring the car back from the shop and start working on it myself to try to get it into working order. I've been looking for an opportunity to learn to work on cars, and I see this car as a good chance to do so. I'm planning on putting in fresh oil and gas, and replacing the spark plugs. If that does little to help, I will then move on to replacing the ignition coils and cross my fingers that I'll have all cylinders running by then and the problem won't be something more complicated like piston rings.

Option 2 is that I will sell the car for parts. My hope is that I would be able to get $600 to $800 for parts because the car, apart from the engine, is in excellent shape.

I want to ask the people which side of the gamble they think I should take. Spend the money with the possibility that I might get the car running for less than $1500 or take the safe bet and sell the car for parts.

[shogun]

I will move it to the E34 forum

[moroza]

Hello and welcome!

The good news is you got a (formerly and potentially) great car. The bad news is that these are neither the cheapest nor the easiest cars to maintain. I don't know what's wrong with it, but I've owned enough of these (five) to guess that it needs more than minor engine work, and that $1500 would be a somewhat tight sort-it-out-to-DD-standards budget for someone who knew what they were doing and had tools and time to DIY 100%. If you're talking about paying labor on that budget, forget it.

But if you're willing to learn how to do it yourself... Well, how patient are you? E34 aren't too bad to work on, but if you're a complete beginner, the learning curve is steeper on these than I'd recommend.

I say take a compromise gamble - sink some limited funds and time into getting the engine running on all eight, and reevaluate then. You're on the right track with replacing oil, gas, and sparkplugs. The coils can be tested with a multimeter. But first, do a compression test. You'll need a tester (free rental at parts stores), 10mm socket, 16mm sparkplug socket, and a healthy battery.

[ross1]

I'd get it back from the shop and begin diagnostics at home.
running on 3 cylinders is hardly considered running, I expect the shop may be wrong and also exaggerating. A mechanic doesn't need a code to determine which cylinders aren't firing.
This could be as simple as clogged fuel injectors after sitting a long time.
As long as you are willing to get dirty, give succinct answers to questions and follow instruction chances are good the folks here can guide you through.
Did the previous owner give you any background about why it was parked??

[alang1990]

Definitely bring it home and work on it. These engines are rock solid and can take a lot of abuse. Most parts new and used can be found on ebay and rockauto at reasonable prices. No trouble at all to buy. And you have this forum as your pathfinder - better than ten workshops on their best day put together.

You will need the Bentley manual downloaded, get a multimeter , compression tester, make a simple home smoke test kit, learn to do the stomp test, start ohming everything out, get brakecleaner, spare battery.

Maybe start with the compression test as your first action to make sure your block is good and not affected by the nikasil alusil stuff. Then get the engine running on all cylinders, then confirm that your oil pump's bolts are not loose. Then intake gaskets and rear ccv plate if they are necessary. All the rest after that would be standard stuff in reviving a garaged beauty.

[pauliescff]

Most commonly, is that the valve cover leaks and fills up the spark plug wells. Remove the coils and check for pooling of oil in there. Given the age of the car, I doubt it has anything to do with the nikasil engine problems

[Bimmurph]

Thanks for the responses everyone! I'm still riding the fence as to weather or not I will take the plunge and start work on it. The only thing that's holding me back is that I'm in a bit of a time crunch on getting the E34 running. I'll be leaving my job at then end of next week and moving in about three weeks and I would need the car to be just about ready to be a daily driver in about a month an a half.

*My current daily driver is quickly going south and it has a bad transmission, so I'm trying to put as little money in it (my current daily) as possible

[Spaceturtle917]

I would look into it and see if their is something simple you can do. Do a check for compression fuel and spark. Evaluate if it'll be easy to fix. Evaluate the overall condition of the car if you want it to be a daily. The one struggle I've found with daily driving my 535i is that I need it to drive to work so I find it hard to get repairs in between work and still be able to drive it the next day. My recommendation would be to drive your car until it dies and buy another car. In the meantime you can work on the project. I don't see it being to expensive to fix if you're doing it all yourself. Plus the stress of not needing it running at a deadline will be off your shoulders.

[katit2]

Desire to learn how to work on cars is good. E34 MIGHT be good to learn how to work on(also little too complex I would say). E34 as a daily driver given what was said above - I suggest don't even try.
Free car? Get it and work on it. Try to keep both cars running all the time. In your situation having only E34 for DD is not a good idea. It's bad idea actually.

[alang1990]

Thanks for the responses everyone! I'm still riding the fence as to weather or not I will take the plunge and start work on it. The only thing that's holding me back is that I'm in a bit of a time crunch on getting the E34 running. I'll be leaving my job at then end of next week and moving in about three weeks and I would need the car to be just about ready to be a daily driver in about a month an a half.

*My current daily driver is quickly going south and it has a bad transmission, so I'm trying to put as little money in it (my current daily) as possible

Your current daily's transmission can probably be salvaged or its life extended by more than a couple of weeks. You just need to find a forum with one of shogun and whiskeychaser's compatriots running it. That's it.

As to the E34, it will take about 3 hours and $80 to figure out if it is worth salvaging. $10 for a multimeter, $30 for a compression testor, $30 for 1-2 good used coils. $10 to print the Bentley manual. Heck the coils are optional. And all can be resold easily for much the same price. 15 minutes only. You probably have a battery charger. You probably already have good used plugs.

First read and note the codes with the stomp test. Then delete the codes. 10 minutes if this is your first time.

Then check oil level and topup if needed. Then do a compression test, both wet and dry after removing the air filter. That will take you an hour while relaxed. There should be not more than 10% difference between the top line of both for each chamber both wet and dry iirc. Anything different post here for the M60 experts to help figure out before continuing.

If that's good, then since the coils are out, test each one's resistance according to the Bentley manual. Any one looks off, test directly with a spark plug held in and pushed against a shock tower while cranking. You should see a spark. Replace with spare good use coil if necessary.

If that's good then unplug all the coils, unbolt the fuel rail and suspend it 2 inches above the intake such that you can see the injector tips clearly. Crank and look at each one in turn. They should all fire and with streams not puffs. Take note of problem injectors then replace the rail carefully. 15 minutes. Replace with good plugs and rebolt the good coils. 20 minutes. Relaxed.

Then remove the idle control valve and give it a good clean with brakeleen and reinstall. 10 minutes.

Find the coolant temperature sensor. It should be blue in colour. Unplug it.

Remove the fuel pump fuse, crank a few times to vent the gas, then replace the fuse. Replace air filter. Start the engine. Once it starts, stop after 1 minute, delete the codes, then restart the engine and let it run 10 minutes. Stop then read the codes. If you can, go for a 15 minute drive, then stop and read the codes. Make sure oil light is off, not even flickering.

30 minutes including drive.

Get under the car and check for leaks, worn suspension, tyres, bad shocks, pads, anything out of the ordinary. 30 minutes.

So that should be 3 hours max.

Suggest you get the workshop to let you do this at their place for a small fee if necessary. Easier and you can use their lift.

Present all your results here and you'll get good estimates on the cost and time involved in all repairs, within a few hours from what I've seen. Nothing like an active forum. Then you can decide.

Basically if your compression is not screwed, then the E34 can be easily salvaged. Its a no brainer when it comes to a 540i, especially one you paid nothing for. The really time consuming work is refreshing the shocks and suspension that sort of stuff which is something you can live without until you have enough time set aside to do.

- - - Updated - - -

If all the injectors inject poorly, your fuel filters are clogged. You'll need to buy new ones and install before properly running and testing the engine.

[Bimmurph]

Wow! Thank you so much for all of that. I will start working on those tasks this week. I'll make sure to video document my experiences.

[alang1990]

Wow! Thank you so much for all of that. I will start working on those tasks this week. I'll make sure to video document my experiences.

No problem. Amazed I can type through my incredible envy. lol

I just watched this short video I'd like to share with you. It won't really help with the list above, but it will give you a good global view of your entire engine and that greatly helps to demystify it in your mind. The dude suspends it on a hoist spins it around and shoots with a good HD cam awesome wanted to pull it out of my screen into the living room.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqylR6kG3gU

That's for an M62 you've got an M60 but they are structurally almost the same.

Alan


p.s. Please research the list I posted online and youtube for the M60 engine specifically, many DIYs and videos with very useful tips and checks that will make life easier getting in and out of there/make your time much more productive while in there.

[Benspen]

fuel flush, fuel stabilizer, and I would start it, determine which cylinders are firing and swap the plug and the coil to a different cylinder to see if that one fires with that setup and whether the original fires with the other one's equipment.

[Bimmurph]

Your current daily's transmission can probably be salvaged or its life extended by more than a couple of weeks. You just need to find a forum with one of shogun and whiskeychaser's compatriots running it. That's it.

As to the E34, it will take about 3 hours and $80 to figure out if it is worth salvaging. $10 for a multimeter, $30 for a compression testor, $30 for 1-2 good used coils. $10 to print the Bentley manual. Heck the coils are optional. And all can be resold easily for much the same price. 15 minutes only. You probably have a battery charger. You probably already have good used plugs.

First read and note the codes with the stomp test. Then delete the codes. 10 minutes if this is your first time.

Then check oil level and topup if needed. Then do a compression test, both wet and dry after removing the air filter. That will take you an hour while relaxed. There should be not more than 10% difference between the top line of both for each chamber both wet and dry iirc. Anything different post here for the M60 experts to help figure out before continuing.

If that's good, then since the coils are out, test each one's resistance according to the Bentley manual. Any one looks off, test directly with a spark plug held in and pushed against a shock tower while cranking. You should see a spark. Replace with spare good use coil if necessary.

If that's good then unplug all the coils, unbolt the fuel rail and suspend it 2 inches above the intake such that you can see the injector tips clearly. Crank and look at each one in turn. They should all fire and with streams not puffs. Take note of problem injectors then replace the rail carefully. 15 minutes. Replace with good plugs and rebolt the good coils. 20 minutes. Relaxed.

Then remove the idle control valve and give it a good clean with brakeleen and reinstall. 10 minutes.

Find the coolant temperature sensor. It should be blue in colour. Unplug it.

Remove the fuel pump fuse, crank a few times to vent the gas, then replace the fuse. Replace air filter. Start the engine. Once it starts, stop after 1 minute, delete the codes, then restart the engine and let it run 10 minutes. Stop then read the codes. If you can, go for a 15 minute drive, then stop and read the codes. Make sure oil light is off, not even flickering.

30 minutes including drive.

Get under the car and check for leaks, worn suspension, tyres, bad shocks, pads, anything out of the ordinary. 30 minutes.

So that should be 3 hours max.

Suggest you get the workshop to let you do this at their place for a small fee if necessary. Easier and you can use their lift.

Present all your results here and you'll get good estimates on the cost and time involved in all repairs, within a few hours from what I've seen. Nothing like an active forum. Then you can decide.

Basically if your compression is not screwed, then the E34 can be easily salvaged. Its a no brainer when it comes to a 540i, especially one you paid nothing for. The really time consuming work is refreshing the shocks and suspension that sort of stuff which is something you can live without until you have enough time set aside to do.

- - - Updated - - -

If all the injectors inject poorly, your fuel filters are clogged. You'll need to buy new ones and install before properly running and testing the engine.

Two quick questions about starting all this off. First, should I make sure to change out the old oil before I do a compression test? Second, out of interest, why do I need to remove the air filter when I do the compression test?

[moroza]

No need to remove the air filter (unless it's very clogged), nor to change the oil if it looks half-decent (brown is ok; black or sludgy is not). Remove all plugs and floor the throttle when doing the test, to minimize the work the engine has to do. Unplug the ECU to prevent spark and fuel injection. Best to do on a warmed-up engine if possible.

[theBMWbeast]

Know this is a bit simple of a question, but did you put new gas in it? And do you know why the car was grounded for two years?

[Bimmurph]

Know this is a bit simple of a question, but did you put new gas in it? And do you know why the car was grounded for two years?

They filled that tank and added some fuel system cleaner to that tank of fuel. The car was sidelined because the former owner had some health problems and he just didn't get around to using it.

[alang1990]

Hi Bimurph,

First, no need to change the oil before doing the compression test. But crank the engine for awhile, or run the engine at its current bad level for a minute. This coats the pistons with oil.

Second, I asked you to remove the air filter because it is old and probably very clogged and that could affect results. Since the car is still under investigation, better to remove it than pay for a new filter first.

After you've done the above set of tests and you're good, you need to drain off all the oil, get under the car, and rap on the oil pan with your knuckles at various spots. You're looking for the sound of rattling. If you hear it some of your oil pump's bolts have come loose and fallen off. This is an known M60 problem. You'll then have to drop the pan, fix that permanently, and redo the pan gasket and the pan. This is a big job for a first timer without a lift. But it is the first thing you need to do before anything else, if you hear those rattles. Assuming there is nothing else wrong with your undercarriage, you might be better off getting the workshop to do this for you. But they will charge a goodly coin

If you want to do this yourself, make sure your oil sensor and oil light works correctly. Then drive the car home, watching for that light. Shut the car down and tow back home if it comes on at anytime.

[gtopaul]

1st thing I would do is check that PCV valve thing on the back of the intake (don't remember what it's proper name is). These often blow out and the car runs like crap and gets parked. Pretty simple fix and you can check it by spraying some brake kleen around it when the car is running and see if it smooths out. Worked in a BMW shop for 11 years and saw a ton of these.

[fo3]

If you lack time, experience or money, an old car is not the best thing to take on, or an e34/BMW/euro.
That said, you got it for free and you can park it until you have money, time and read enough old websites/threads/posts etc to have an idea.
Something like a 25+ y/o car is a labour of love in time and money. It's worth it by the way, every time I go outside and look at it I think it looks awesome and it's worth it*. It's not worth it if you have to pay a shop for everything, it's not worth it if you have to spend so much on them. But if you can spend time learning and mech DIY then it's all good as long as the panel and paint is good
(*E: probably wouldn't feel the same way if it was metallic paint with clear coat failure like most 535s, or had dents or rust like cars from other places do).
If you think you can spend $1500 and flip it I have bad news for you. 1) yeah the market is low, good luck finding a buyer for a flipped e34. 2)yeah you're going to spend more than $1500 total, after sorting out the engine, leaks etc then hello suspension on a old car. Old cars sell cheap because they usually need $2k spent on them. gaskets, hoses (rad, vac, brake), susp/steering arms/ball joints, shocks, bearings, brakes and trans etc

[alang1990]

No need to remove the air filter (unless it's very clogged), nor to change the oil if it looks half-decent (brown is ok; black or sludgy is not). Remove all plugs and floor the throttle when doing the test, to minimize the work the engine has to do. Unplug the ECU to prevent spark and fuel injection. Best to do on a warmed-up engine if possible.

If he unplugs the ecu, the engine won't crank because of ews2.

Pull the fuel pump fuse first to prevent excessive fuel loss. The fuse number is listed on the underside of the fuse box cover.

And I feel there is no need to pull all the plugs. Pressures during ignition of the fuel air charge would be thousands of psi. If it can handle that.

[ross1]

If he unplugs the ecu, the engine won't crank because of ews2.

Pull the fuel pump fuse first to prevent excessive fuel loss. The fuse number is listed on the underside of the fuse box cover.

And I feel there is no need to pull all the plugs. Pressures during ignition of the fuel air charge would be thousands of psi. If it can handle that.

Huh?



Disconnecting the DME(just the relay is all)won't prevent it from cranking.
Best to disable fuel and spark and pull all the plugs

[ross1]

Your current daily's transmission can probably be salvaged or its life extended by more than a couple of weeks. You just need to find a forum with one of shogun and whiskeychaser's compatriots running it. That's it.

As to the E34, it will take about 3 hours and $80 to figure out if it is worth salvaging. $10 for a multimeter, $30 for a compression testor, $30 for 1-2 good used coils. $10 to print the Bentley manual. Heck the coils are optional. And all can be resold easily for much the same price. 15 minutes only. You probably have a battery charger. You probably already have good used plugs.

First read and note the codes with the stomp test. Then delete the codes. 10 minutes if this is your first time.

Then check oil level and topup if needed. Then do a compression test, both wet and dry after removing the air filter. That will take you an hour while relaxed. There should be not more than 10% difference between the top line of both for each chamber both wet and dry iirc. Anything different post here for the M60 experts to help figure out before continuing.

If that's good, then since the coils are out, test each one's resistance according to the Bentley manual. Any one looks off, test directly with a spark plug held in and pushed against a shock tower while cranking. You should see a spark. Replace with spare good use coil if necessary.

If that's good then unplug all the coils, unbolt the fuel rail and suspend it 2 inches above the intake such that you can see the injector tips clearly. Crank and look at each one in turn. They should all fire and with streams not puffs. Take note of problem injectors then replace the rail carefully. 15 minutes. Replace with good plugs and rebolt the good coils. 20 minutes. Relaxed.

Then remove the idle control valve and give it a good clean with brakeleen and reinstall. 10 minutes.

Find the coolant temperature sensor. It should be blue in colour. Unplug it.

Remove the fuel pump fuse, crank a few times to vent the gas, then replace the fuse. Replace air filter. Start the engine. Once it starts, stop after 1 minute, delete the codes, then restart the engine and let it run 10 minutes. Stop then read the codes. If you can, go for a 15 minute drive, then stop and read the codes. Make sure oil light is off, not even flickering.

30 minutes including drive.

Get under the car and check for leaks, worn suspension, tyres, bad shocks, pads, anything out of the ordinary. 30 minutes.

So that should be 3 hours max.

Suggest you get the workshop to let you do this at their place for a small fee if necessary. Easier and you can use their lift.

Present all your results here and you'll get good estimates on the cost and time involved in all repairs, within a few hours from what I've seen. Nothing like an active forum. Then you can decide.

Basically if your compression is not screwed, then the E34 can be easily salvaged. Its a no brainer when it comes to a 540i, especially one you paid nothing for. The really time consuming work is refreshing the shocks and suspension that sort of stuff which is something you can live without until you have enough time set aside to do.

- - - Updated - - -

If all the injectors inject poorly, your fuel filters are clogged. You'll need to buy new ones and install before properly running and testing the engine.

Some say these can be "washed", your thoughts about that?

[alang1990]

Really? Interesting.

Imo only air filters can be soaked and effectively cleaned if they don't disintegrate when twisted. Fuel filters don't think so.

If your fuel filter is clogged and you are in a jam you can try backflushing it with a water hose and then with brakleen to see if that helps for your trip but it should be changed within a week after that if the car is your daily.

[alang1990]

Huh?



Disconnecting the DME(just the relay is all)won't prevent it from cranking.

That is ews1. For ews2 the ecu needs to be hot before crank is authorised.

Spark is effectively disabled by unplugging the relevant coil. Fuel, yes forgot that one earlier my mistake. Pull the fuel pumps fuse and run the engine or crank a few times to bleed rail pressure, then begin the compression tests.