The time has come

[Zerocool818]

I joined here in 2014, and I was in love with the E38 since I was a little kid. Well fellas, I did it. I made a financial mistake!
I bought a 2001 White 750iL with tan interior.
I will post some pictures today of it, I didn't get to take many last night. The car itself is in very good shape. Only two small dings that some PDR can remove. The previous owner removed the trim pieces to redo them in chrome. They were OE Shadowline.

The main reason the guy sold it, is because his mechanic tried to fix the injectors, and broke 8 of the 12 while removing them. So I will be shopping around for some injectors, or possibly get them rebuild since its only the plastic that's broke.

Transmission was rebuilt in 2014 but the car only moved 8,000 miles since then.

It only has 118K on the clock

He also included a bunch of extra bits and pieces, including 2 very nice shape front seats.
I powered it up with a small battery and most of the electronics seem to work normally.

I will hopefully be putting this one back into full service.

[haynes740]

Shucks man I thought you were saying goodbye until I reread your post. in this case welcome aboard sir


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[Manny G.]

Welcome to the dark side... or shall I say, the Alpine white side.

[kouks]

Well, I will agree with you, you made a huge financial mistake!

At 118,000 miles that M73 should be good for another 100k as long as it was not abused. A failed trans with such low mileage is worrisome, the trans on the 750iL should last much longer than that.

Good luck with it!

[Zerocool818]

Heres what it needs so far

Engine
Injectors
Sparkplugs
ML Intake manifold gaskets
The PCV attachment in back (x2)
Misc hardware for the interior
Oil change
Oil filter housing bushings
Batteries
Oil drain plug ( has quick release style one, hopefully I wont need a new pan)
Brake lining sensors need to be hooked up? Lights on, can rust cause that?
Has green coolant, so once its running I will have to do a lot of flushing and replacing with OEM blue coolant
Needs misc hoses and fittings ( AH, Bmw plastic and cooling lines an idea straight from the devil himself)

Interior

Have been out of the game for a while but i discovered this new android radio (Avant 4) that looks like it has amazing functionality,
and I definitely want it, But gotta sort out the cars initial problems first
Re-dye or swap seats ( PO Gave me good shape leather front seats and skin for the rear seats, but they are not heated and the elements will have to be cut and transfered)
Headliner is sagging ( Expected that one)
Passenger rear headliner is sagging
Have replacement door cards as well to be swapped
Rear sunshade is iffy
Rear door sunshade needs to be replaced
Passenger rear headrest is broken
CUPHOLDER WORKS! Thats a bonus
Need driver side B pillar trim
Dash has some scores in the leather ( It is the tan color)


Exterior
The car was a original shadowline in white, all the trim was painted white. I have never seen this before but the vin number confirmed its true
However, the 2nd owner thought the first owner had the trim painted, and proceeded to removing the trim, then broke it, then glued and bondo-d it and never painted it.
I will be temporarily replacing it with shadowline black trim all the way around until I get more funds to have those painted to match.
Need tailight lenses
Need new Grill inserts
Probably need a Pdc sensor or two

In either case, I got it for so cheap that this stuff, while it is a long list, will still put me under the average asking price for one of these, Also considering that there will only be less and less models, Especially a late model 01 750 with the "Sport" package

and it has been my dream car for over 8 years or so, so I do want to keep it and make it my daily driver for a while.

[haynes740]

Push through with restoration cause the end result is what dreams are made of. One repair at a time until it’s done.


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[CPHES]

E38.org is your friend. Not sure how bad your intake manifold gaskets are - in many cases Hylomar can be used on the old one to get a good seal. I’ll see if I can find the link. Green coolant is not too bad. Orange / Dexcool is bad. Welcome to the v12 club.

[CPHES]

v12 intake gaskets - this is the older M70, but same idea - http://bmwe32.masscom.net/sean750/V1...eFix_part2.htm

[franco90]

WELCOME TO THE club

[Zerocool818]

Hey, does anyone have any leads on getting injectors? I am missing 2 of them and I need all 12 to send them out for rebuilding.
I have started scouring all the junkyards here in SoCal, but apparently its not too common of a car to have parts in a junkyard.
Theres a few listed on ebay but kinda high for a used injector ($80 for a used one,$100 for a new one)
Thing is, I want all of them done by the same company so that there is no inconsistency in them

G&B apparently can re-manufacture them for $32 a piece, which is cheap compared to buying 12 new ones
Or If I can pull a set of them from something and temporarily install them to see if this thing even run.

It has sat since 2017 So I dont know what else might have gone wrong in the meantime. ( Sensors etc)
Even though most of the parts were stored inside the car.
I also have to vacuum and clean out the intake valley, and then spray the valves with some fogging oil so the cylinders dont run dry after such a long time of sitting
any reason I shouldn't do that?

My background is older cars, where things were simpler, But all my friends own BMWs so the pain isnt something I didn't expect,
I just bought this thing at a bad time of year where christmas is around the corner and I can't be blowing money on this thing just yet

[Zerocool818]

So it runs

OK, So some problems figured out
Some to be solved,
Have codes for a MAF Sensor, intake temperature sensor, and a Cam sensor
Those are going to get ordered up soon

BUT
The problem scaring me the most is the transmission, it was rebuilt in 2014 according to documentation, and shifts actually very smooth
However it has the metallic whine that I read is caused by a incorrect/clogged filter

It also decides to randomly downshift when im cruising on the highway (75MPH)
And will sometimes refuse my tiptronic input when that happens. I Read somewhere that the thermostatic valve that controls the oil cooler for the transmission could be causing this issue, But the car has not given any codes for it yet
Im going to order the filter and fluid and see if that will solve the issue first before I get ahead of myself replacing expensive parts for no reason.

My EDC Also doesnt work, and my SLS Seems to be stuck in a low position ( Sorta don't mind it to be honest but I want it working properly too)

Will also be changing a power steering hose and the filter for the fluid, as well as replacing as much fluid as possible.

My last issue, the voltage seems flickery, But I do have a bad battery, Will be replacing that with fingers crossed it isn't a bad alternator

[acspecialists]

Welcome to the club, I have had mine for less than a month.
https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...ght-at-auction

A couple of things that may help.

Just behind the rear diff is the control valve for the sls, mine had a broken control rod. If you put the car on ramps you can mess with it while the car is running. It is clamped to the sway bar. If you rotate the valve one way it will lift the car and the other way it will bleed off the pressure. The way I set it is to lift the car and then bleed off the pressure until the car stops lowering, then put a pin in the valve to hold it closed and tighten the clamp on the sway bar. You want the sls off stroke when the weight is supported, if you use it to jack the car up or down the system will have too much pressure.

The second thing I would do is dump the second battery and the isolation switch. My top battery was dead so the car would only come to life when the key was turned on. These switches consume power and I believe kill the battery. I removed the second battery and installed a jumper cable from that post to the big lower battery. My car has sat for several days with no signs of problems.

I look forward to watching your progress.

[Zerocool818]

Slow progress. Thanks for that tip, I adjusted it and it immediately looks normal how. However I have a small SLS leak. I will have to remove that line and have a new one made. (Hydraulic shop nearby does all my hoses with extreme duty stuff)

was also thinking how cool it would be to remove that rod and add a little servo to adjust it on the fly.
Since I’m not planning on having any passengers anyways

All the interior stuff works except the sunroof is weird
Will act like something’s blocking it

Still gotta smog this thing too, but gotta fix the problems.


Is it wise to change only one MAF or both? They aren’t cheap

[acspecialists]

Unless you are getting codes or suspect a problem leave the MAF's. If you do replace them buy OEM it will be worth the extra money. I would change one that is suspect and change the other if needed.

[Zerocool818]

Yeah, I have a MAF Code
P0103
and
P1270

[acspecialists]

I would suggest software from Bimmergeeks and a cable. I have been using INPA from the start and don't know any of the P-codes. You could switch or unplug the MAF's and see what changes. It's crude but easy.

[TheAngryBear]

The torque imbalance (P1270) normally means your MAFs are reading a significant difference. With the P0103, likely the MAF needs replacement (unless you have damaged wiring).
Any time touching the MAFs on the 12, it is wise to do the TB calibration. If you don’t, you will likely get the P1270 and rough/surging idle. And if you are replacing one MAF, get ready to replace the other. The imbalance is due to wear/age/dirt. In my mind, putting a single fresh MAF is like replacing a single rear tire because it is at 4 and the other at 5.5.
YMMV


2001 750iL DD74441
E65 fan & clutch, E65 headrests, Front First Aid Kit, Ultimate Cup holder

2005 X5 4.8is LE82680
Stock

RIP: 2003 540iA Sport GS56111
H&R front springs, Ultimate Cup Holder, Euro Dash & Armrest, Grom, BavSound Stage1

[Zerocool818]

I Have to replace both, I think they are both OEM. Problem is when you get a dead car running, how many little parts it needs and how fast it adds up.
I am trying to not cheap out on anything, but Some OEM Stuff is expensive.
Found Bosch MAFS For $165 each, Going to need 2 of those

I already have the following on its way
-Intake air temp
-Transmission filter ( Filtran OEM)
-Transmission pan gasket ( ZF OEM)

Need to find my trans tag and figure out which fluid I need

Also need to get some of the leaks fixed, It made a mess on the driveway, seems like pretty much all the oil/ trans cooler lines are leaking. And my oil pan is leaking from the drain bolt. Radiator also intermittently leaks from the sides

Hopefully I can smog this thing soon and fix the trans whine.
then onto the next set of problems that crop up

AC works though! Makes a little funky noise, might be low on oil. Going to avoid using it for now hopefully it wont seize.

[Zerocool818]

Ok, so attempting to now smog.
All my check engines went away, I head out to put some miles and my monitors weren’t setting, as I neared my house, the check engine came on.

P0430 Catalyst below efficiency threshold

P0171 system too lean bank 1

So a million things,
What’s most common?
I just did the intake with some silicon and I don’t think it has a intake leak.

Also I don’t know if these two codes are related or not, I believe they could be.

The lean code was pending but the cat code had set the MIL

The car was sitting for 2 years, what are the chances it just needs to be driven to clear the cats out?

[acspecialists]

More driving may help but I would do a smoke test and or take a look with INPA.
https://www.meeknet.co.uk/e38/Diagnostics.htm

[Zerocool818]

Ok I think I figured some stuff out, got rid of the misfires. Runs pretty good now. Except the lights are Flickery and the battery voltage isn’t stable (on cluster)
My batteries are shit so I am gonna get a new pair soon and hope it isn’t the alternator.

The cars monitors won’t set,
The o2 and cat specifically

The other issue is I am getting a MPG of 5.9 a quick search showed someone else encountered this problem but I didn’t find his solution. It seems to go to 5.9 MPG no matter what I do or drive it like.

Performance and acceleration is good. I’m waiting on a good weekend to take it to my friends shop and smoke the intake.

Disconnecting the fuel pressure regulator made the engine revs go up a bit and I believe it’s working, there was no fuel in the line either so no ripped diaphragm.

However the 5.9 mpg number is very peculiar , hopefully it isn’t a bad cat

[CPHES]

if O2 and CAT monitors won't set... What codes do you have? the O2 needs to be working, if not, your mileage will bite- 5.9 for example. You know that you have no misfires from OBD codes?

[CPHES]

P0430 is CAT Efficiency Bank 2 - Which I Believe is Left side of CAR - US Drivers Side. P0171 Bank 1 means Pass side. Did you do MAF's?

[Zerocool818]

Ok I smoked the car (evap smoke)
Found a few leaks that I fixed.
Now it only won’t set the Cat and the evap

However I’m still getting a code intermittently for torque monitoring aka the MAFS dont agree
I have one last small vacuum leak to chase down in the injector hoses.

Also got a code; new one
P0501 speed sensor

The speedo on the vehicle is also inaccurate by a few mph

The trans filter was NOT genuine, little bit of cussing and making a mess later the transmission noise had gone away.

Also had the ABS light come on intermittently

Guessing that and the speed are related? I read somewhere it gets the speed from the driver rear wheel?

So close, ironically due to the quarantine I can’t even register it right now, but I’m closer to getting the smog finished with once and for all.

[hmmurdock]

Also got a code; new one
P0501 speed sensor

The speedo on the vehicle is also inaccurate by a few mph

I may be way off here (never stopped me before though) but what size tires do you have on it? I seem to recall when I was searching for tire combos for mine that if the size of your fronts and rears were too far apart it would cause all kinds of squirrelly stuff to happen with regards to speed sensor errors.