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Thread: My 1995 540i 6-speed resto

  1. #376
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    Got the cams and tensioners back in for the final time. Got them all lined up at TDC, and the timing blocks installed.







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  2. #377
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    My 1995 540i 6-speed resto

    Against my better judgement I decided to take the oil pump off for a better inspection. The first time I had the oil pan off (right after I bought the car) I noticed that the case of the oil pump looked to be corroding.

    That plus the fact that I knew there were old o-rings buried up inside on the high pressure feed line out of the pump meant i thought it worth it to see what was going on.

    On the bench:








    See what I mean when I say ‘corrosion’? Its like somethings eaten away at parts of the case.

    Decided to start taking it all apart.



    Only one of the bolts was ‘loose’. Likely since it was the only one I couldn’t reach when I had the pan off last time.

    The pump comes apart really easily. Zip all the bolts out, and the two halves separate. It seems tight because of the tolerances on the rotor shaft, but twist the two haves of the case while pulling and it should come apart. A brass drift helps too.



    The two parts of the pump (the shiny bits above) were in great shape. The case however was really rough. There are two pistons you can remove on the case. There is the one shown on realoem.com. This comes out of the bottom of the pump. Then there is the over pressure relief valve, which is located at the top of the back of the case. This is not shown on realoem, as I assume its not meant to be serviceable.

    I took both apart. Realoem covers the pieces for the lower valve, so I’ll cover the pressure relief valve here. When you release the circlip, watch out, as it’s quite a powerful spring! Here is what should come out:




    On my unit, the aluminum plunger was stuck, yes, stuck in the close position and would not come out. It was being held in with all sorts of oily buildup that prevented the plunger from sliding in the bore. I’ll illustrate what it should be like. Here is a shot of the back of the case with the aluminum plunger and spring in the bore. My thumb is pushing on the spring like the small cap does when held in place with the circlip:



    You can see that the aluminum plunger is fully blocking the ‘window’ in the side of the case. The top of the plunger is inside the pump case and is exposed to whatever pressure the pump is generating. If oil pressure were to build (perhaps due to a blockage of some sort, for example) the oil pressure would build enough to eventually push the aluminum piston back in its bore and open the ‘window’ providing a relief path for the overpressure. Pic below shows the ‘window’ slightly open.



    Pretty cool eh? Anyway. Like I said, my aluminum piston was stuck/gummed closed and it didn’t want to come out or move even after I removed the circlip and spring. No bueno! I hammered it out gently with a brass drift.

    And thats when I saw the problem. The case (for whatever reason) IS corroding. You can see it in the pics above. With the overpressure valve out, I was able to inspect the bore and circlip race. It wasn’t great:



    You can see that the bore where the piston slides is rough. More importantly, the race for the circlip is also corroding.

    Compare that to the race for the other circlip at the bottom of the pump:


    Also not great, but better than the overpressure valve bore and race.

    Given the fact that if the circlip on the overpressure valve lets go, the valve opens and oil pressure drops, I decided it was best to bite the bullet and order a new pump. If I had left the overpressure valve stuck closed, I maybe could have lived with it.

    J/k. Having that valve stuck closed is also not good. Bummer though. The pump is not cheap. Sucks that the actual pumping part seems fine and its the case that is crap. I don’t know for sure, but the case looks a lot like how the magnesium valve covers corrode. Perhaps its a similar magnesium alloy?

    If so, I’ve heard high water concentration can speed corrosion. Perhaps this engine was a ‘short tripper’ for a fair amount of its life? Dunno.
    Last edited by a777fan; 01-17-2021 at 09:54 PM.

  3. #378
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    moroza is offline MORΩN ΛABIA BMW CCA Member
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    Short tripper sounds quite plausible, also taking into account the general sludge level.

  4. #379
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    Quote Originally Posted by moroza View Post
    Short tripper sounds quite plausible, also taking into account the general sludge level.
    At the risk of appearing somewhat psychotic...

    I have the name and address of the original owner who I was able to look up online. Sadly, he passed in 2008, but the obituary gave me the name of his employer. I looked up the company, found their address and compared it to the home address on the service records. They are a mere 9 minutes apart. He owned the car for the first 6 years and 54k miles of its life. The dots seem to be lining up, at least for the sludge buildup!

  5. #380
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    moroza is offline MORΩN ΛABIA BMW CCA Member
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    I can't say I blame you... I wanted (and still want) to look up the previous owner of a junkyard car I once found, to ask them what leather care products they used.

    A perfect case study in how not to use a car. Well done!

  6. #381
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    Awesome documentation as always, and thanks again for sharing!

    That IS a perfect case study, I'm making my wife read this so she believes me
    - Brent
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    Quote Originally Posted by danespann View Post
    Every E34 needs the same things in the end.

  7. #382
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    Quote Originally Posted by moroza View Post
    I can't say I blame you... I wanted (and still want) to look up the previous owner of a junkyard car I once found, to ask them what leather care products they used.

    A perfect case study in how not to use a car. Well done!

  8. #383
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    Quote Originally Posted by BleedsBlue View Post
    Awesome documentation as always, and thanks again for sharing!

    That IS a perfect case study, I'm making my wife read this so she believes me
    Hilarious. Let me know if it works.

    You and the M5 loving life in TX? Really enjoying the posts of your adventures.

  9. #384
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    Quote Originally Posted by a777fan View Post
    Hilarious. Let me know if it works.

    You and the M5 loving life in TX? Really enjoying the posts of your adventures.
    Granted, I'm the guy that would rather push a perfectly functional car than start it to be moved less than 5 miles, so all of my family thinks I'm insane and cylinder wall oiling is not a valid concern

    Honestly, yes! Access to good driving roads is similar to Denver, except I don't have to deal with winter tires and salt for the M5 (I never minded it with my old rusty white car). I'm so glad you enjoy it, and I will keep it up for sure. We can all take notes from your detail-orientation and documentation here, sir!
    - Brent
    www.angry-ass.com

    Quote Originally Posted by danespann View Post
    Every E34 needs the same things in the end.

  10. #385
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    Great to see all the progress you are making!
    It'll be great when you have it back up and running!
    I keep putting off some repairs and upgrades, but seeing all of your DIY has put me in the mood to get my hands dirty again!
    Its amazing how clean those timing covers turned out, did you use a solvent or just plain old water in your ultrasonic cleaner?

  11. #386
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    Quote Originally Posted by Wcsco123 View Post
    Great to see all the progress you are making!
    It'll be great when you have it back up and running!
    I keep putting off some repairs and upgrades, but seeing all of your DIY has put me in the mood to get my hands dirty again!
    Its amazing how clean those timing covers turned out, did you use a solvent or just plain old water in your ultrasonic cleaner?
    Thanks sir and good to 'see' you again!

    The backside of the covers did come out pretty spiffy. They were too big to fit into the ultrasonic cleaner, so they went into a tub were covered in Simple Green Extreme (safe for aluminum), and left to soak. Took a day or two and some limited scrubbing, but happy with the results!

  12. #387
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    dude, I really like your work, please continue

  13. #388
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    Quote Originally Posted by bjkbarann View Post
    dude, I really like your work, please continue
    Thanks man!


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  14. #389
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    Shiny!

    They really do rebuild these things. Front case is from 2020, rear case is from 2012.

  15. #390
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    Loctite the bolts!

  16. #391
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    Quote Originally Posted by eddycooper View Post
    Loctite the bolts!
    Oh for suuuure. First thing I am doing tomorrow!

  17. #392
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    Quote Originally Posted by a777fan View Post


    Shiny!

    They really do rebuild these things. Front case is from 2020, rear case is from 2012.
    I am very impressed with you meticulousness, awesome work!

  18. #393
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    Quote Originally Posted by okmike540i View Post
    I am very impressed with you meticulousness, awesome work!
    Thanks!

    ‘While you’re in there’ is a serious problem. Just FYI, as you move forward with your project.

  19. #394
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    Look! No steering box!

    I had purchased a used unit from @jehu, and had it rebuilt. With this much access, I figured it would be a good time to swap the old for the ‘new’. It was still a bear with half of the engine apart. Just FYI.

    I also found some play in the aluminum u-joint between the box and the column, so I’ll be replacing that as well.

    The replacement box on the left, the old box on the right:



    Turns out the replacement box is actually from an E32 740. From what I have been able to put together the ratios should be the same, but I’m curious if there are any other differences that are going to cause issues? Anyone know? @shogun?

    Closeup of the two P/N:



  20. #395
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    Antidotal, but I have a e32 750 servotronic steering box in my 535i. Besides a heat shield mounted on the 750 box, they were physically identical (besides the fact my original box was nonservotronic). It bolted in with no issues, and I have no complaints (I do not have servotronic hooked up, even though I have the connectors. Idk if your box is also a servo box). But if they are outwardly identical between the 540 and the 740, the ratios are indeed the same. I would see no issues, although I would wonder why they gave them different parts numbers...

    Also I hope they didn’t charge to much for the “rebuild” . Most usually, this is just the shop replacing seals so it doesn’t leak, without touching the internal components. The only shop that I am aware of that will actually remanufacture your entire unit, is ZF.
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  21. #396
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    Quote Originally Posted by theBMWbeast View Post
    Antidotal, but I have a e32 750 servotronic steering box in my 535i. Besides a heat shield mounted on the 750 box, they were physically identical (besides the fact my original box was nonservotronic). It bolted in with no issues, and I have no complaints (I do not have servotronic hooked up, even though I have the connectors. Idk if your box is also a servo box). But if they are outwardly identical between the 540 and the 740, the ratios are indeed the same. I would see no issues, although I would wonder why they gave them different parts numbers...

    Also I hope they didn’t charge to much for the “rebuild” . Most usually, this is just the shop replacing seals so it doesn’t leak, without touching the internal components. The only shop that I am aware of that will actually remanufacture your entire unit, is ZF.
    My thoughts exactly on the P/N difference. I assume that has to indicate that something is different between the two? Glad to hear the ratios are at least the same. This 'new' box is non-servotronic, just like the last old one was.

    On the reman:

    I went with Benchwork Steering Systems out of Scottsdale, AZ. Total cost was ~570 USD, and it is indeed a full teardown and rebuild with new bearings etc. They tear the box completely down, address any of the additional worn components they may find, install new bearings/seals, adjust the free play, and then leak test it. I specifically made sure they wern't a 'quick re-seal' place before going with them. They confirmed they wern't, and indicated that was primarily due to the liability issues that would stem from not doing a complete rebuild.

    I'll let you know how it feels once I get it back together, but so far, v. impressed with their service and price!

  22. #397
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    Ooh ooh ooh... before you throw in that steerbox, can you measure input shaft play? Clamp vicegrips to the input shaft, measure their length L, measure how far the far end moves before the steerbox output starts to turn X, take arcsin(X/L) and post here. Expecting something 0.5-1.0 degrees.

    Huh? M60 and M70 steerboxes both have round output caps, but M30 should be square-ish, like this:


    I spy a difference other than shape: see that paintmarked ~12mm Allen setscrew or something on top? M30 steerbox doesn't have it. I wonder what that is?

    Antidotal = having to do with antidotes, t.i. countermeasures to poison.
    Anecdotal = having to do with anecdotes, t.i isolated situations.
    Last edited by moroza; 01-27-2021 at 08:38 PM.

  23. #398
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    Nice, thats a great price for the scope of work. Hopefully you can feel a difference with the new box!

    And also, m30 and m70 boxes are identical. Parts numbers are shared between 750il and 735i cars. I had them side by side before installing

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  24. #399
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    Quote Originally Posted by moroza View Post
    Ooh ooh ooh... before you throw in that steerbox, can you measure input shaft play? Clamp vicegrips to the input shaft, measure their length L, measure how far the far end moves before the steerbox output starts to turn X, take arcsin(X/L) and post here. Expecting something 0.5-1.0 degrees.

    Huh? M60 and M70 steerboxes both have round output caps, but M30 should be square-ish, like this:


    I spy a difference other than shape: see that paintmarked ~12mm Allen setscrew or something on top? M30 steerbox doesn't have it. I wonder what that is?

    Antidotal = having to do with antidotes, t.i. countermeasures to poison.
    Anecdotal = having to do with anecdotes, t.i isolated situations.
    Sure thing. I’ll give that a shot. I’ll also try it on the old one for laughs.

  25. #400
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    Quote Originally Posted by theBMWbeast View Post
    Nice, thats a great price for the scope of work. Hopefully you can feel a difference with the new box!

    And also, m30 and m70 boxes are identical. Parts numbers are shared between 750il and 735i cars. I had them side by side before installing

    Sent from my LM-V405 using Tapatalk
    Yessss!

    Really looking forward to seeing if this cures the unsettled ‘wobbly’ feeling the car had on center.

    In digging through old posts, I saw someone theorize that perhaps the 50-60mph ‘shimmy’ if left for too long really does a number on the box and steering gear. Seems plausible enough, and my car did have it pretty bad when I picked it up!


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