1995 540I Cashmere Beige on Beige on Beige

[okmike540i]

Hello!

First post on here, been lurking for a while now... I will start with a big THANK YOU to all of you who are still avtive and still post on here! I love forums and it is a shame they aren't as active as they used to be and have already learned a ton from all you! Facebook is not a replacement for the wealth of knowledge on this board and it never will be. If I have a question, it has already been answered and archived with a little searching. Kids today will never know...

A bit about me: upper mid 30's, big oil corporate drone, native Okie, married with no kids. We finally have some disposable income, wanted a cool project car from the "rad era" when I was growing up, had a miata but it was too small, slow, and reliable (but it could turn!). I sold that mid summer as I live in state where a miata is almost pointless and decided to start looking for an E30. Turns out that domestic malaise was much more popular in my area "back in the day" and the only ones to be found were ratted, more than I wanted to pay, or on the coasts. Then it happened, I fell in love with the E34. Those headlights, that big booty, more than 168 crank HP, flagship luxury abound, and if we do have a kid it will fit a car seat I guess.

After searching for a while and avoiding a round of layoffs at my work I found a high mileage manual 535 and was almost ready to pull the trigger, but then this 540i showed up on fb marketplace in Dallas. Beige on beige on beige M60 V8 goodness. 76k miles, auto, block replaced at ~29k under warranty, and a stack of paperwork 1" thick. It was a 2 year lease car, then bought by an older couple in the DFW area. After internet stalking them they had a very nice house and she was a realtor who likely drove her clients around in this car. The guy I bought it from got it off the owners kid and floated the title... He was a character and had some cool cars in his shop, mostly American Muscle and one awesome brown Ford Sierra 4 door manual in RHD.
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Clean interior for it's age:
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All of the OG owners manual booklet candy.
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When I test drove it, it did not want to rev at all, like 3.4k floored. It felt good, still pulled well, and sounded solid, so I figured it was likely something small and I would pull the trigger on it. The plan was to follow my wife out of Dallas, and if by Dennison, TX I had any issues we would tow it the rest of the way home with my F150 on a uhaul trailer (I am an Okie and what self respecting Okie doesn't have a truck...). It stayed cool, drove well, AC blew cool, and made it back to Tulsa with no issue. After I got it home, my buddy stopped by for a brewski and to check it out; with the hood popped we noticed about 3/4" of slack on the throttle cable sticking out from the engine cover and then tightened it up. That woke up all of the 282 ponies and what a fun car. Torque everywhere. I have had faster but that linear power delivery is fantastic.

I think this car sat from 2011 to when the last guy bought it, so there is long list of maintenance to do. It is leaking like a sieve from the rear main and dif. All the suspension rubber is suspect. The exhaust is hanging by a thread. Tires are date coded from 16 years ago. Fog light error is on. And I found a blue puddle on the garage floor today from the cooling system.

After I get the all of the basic maintenance done I want to keep it "fairly" stock. Lower a bit, different wheels, new exhaust, chip, maybe manual swap... Nothing crazy. I will try to keep this thread going with my progress!

[danespann]

Nice pick up. Cashmere is an excellent color on these cars and that interior looks fairly pristine.

[dannyzabolotny]

Good score! Love the cashmere, had a 95 525i/5 in that same color combo. M60's are notorious leakers, I'd replace the valve cover gaskets, upper timing cover gaskets, oil filter housing line o-rings, and power steering lines. Drop the lower oil pan and double check the oil pump bolts, they're notorious for backing out on M60's.

[moroza]

Good score! As you're aware, though, such mileage at such age is about impossible without major downtime, which comes with major downsides for anything made of rubber, as well as the cooling system. Throw a new suspension, cooling system, fluids, and a few other odds-n-ends at it, and it looks like it'll be an excellent representative of the "rad era" (I'm also of the age that can appreciate that adjective).

Recommend throwing a bunch of Leatherique at those seats to keep them in the shape they're in.

[okmike540i]

Nice pick up. Cashmere is an excellent color on these cars and that interior looks fairly pristine.

It has actually grown on me, my wife was like WTF are you thinking but even she has come around! Arm rests are roached, but the rest is pretty clean.

Good score! Love the cashmere, had a 95 525i/5 in that same color combo. M60's are notorious leakers, I'd replace the valve cover gaskets, upper timing cover gaskets, oil filter housing line o-rings, and power steering lines. Drop the lower oil pan and double check the oil pump bolts, they're notorious for backing out on M60's.

Thanks for the input, I will add those to the list. Project car has projects haha.

Good score! As you're aware, though, such mileage at such age is about impossible without major downtime, which comes with major downsides for anything made of rubber, as well as the cooling system. Throw a new suspension, cooling system, fluids, and a few other odds-n-ends at it, and it looks like it'll be an excellent representative of the "rad era" (I'm also of the age that can appreciate that adjective).

Recommend throwing a bunch of Leatherique at those seats to keep them in the shape they're in.

I hit them with a cleaner and conditioner and will look into the leatherique line, thanks!

[mrgraybeard]

If you keep the automatic, you want one of these: https://www.dinancars.com/products/s...arts/D902-0262

It raises shift points and brings kickdown on more quickly. Big bang for the buck, IMO.

[okmike540i]

If you keep the automatic, you want one of these: https://www.dinancars.com/products/s...arts/D902-0262

It raises shift points and brings kickdown on more quickly. Big bang for the buck, IMO.

In all honesty the auto really isn't that bad... Did a little searching and could not find any in stock at the "authorized" Dinan dealers. Are any of the other chip tuners doing similar with just transmission adjustments?

[mrgraybeard]

I'm not surprised the Dinan retailers don't have it in stock -- it's a 25-year-old chip. Even when I bought one a dozen years ago it was special order. But it's in the Dinan catalog, so apparently available. How hard could it be for them to burn one by request?

Alternately, here's one for sale on eBay. https://www.ebay.com/itm/224232483746 Personally I'd prefer to get a chip from an authorized source (maybe the eBay guy is a Dinan distributor, might be worth checking out).

[fo3]

Nice car OP.

mrgraybeard I wish there was something like that chip for the 5hp18. Sucks it always defaults to econ mode every time I start it up and while it drives fine normally in that mode sometimes I get caught out and need to accelerate to get a merge point on a freeway ramp and I end up having to floor it - nothing happens and the kickdown is slow, unreliable and dire so it catches me out.

[mrgraybeard]

fo3, the Dinan site lists a chip for the E36 M3 auto, which I believe is a 5hp18. You may want to contact them.

Certainly you want to make sure your TCU numbers correspond with the numbers Dinan specifies for each chip. The chip for my black-label 5hp30 might be different from later 5hp30s, so due diligence is due.

I honestly believe these Dinan auto trans chips do more for performance than most ECU chips since BMW seemed to have programmed most auto transmissions of the period for economy vs. performance. Maybe a good indy chip tuner could look into that. Whether that kind of effort for a 25-year-old vehicle is profitable, I doubt. It would have to be a labor of love.

[okmike540i]

Update:

Got the car up the in the air for to fix the rear main seal, or in bimmerland... the automatic undercarriage rust prevention system. My garage is filled with woodworking stuff so had to move everything aside while I am working on the old girl. Woodworking is where I make the money to fund this folly, but I am having a good time and that's what matters. This has proven much less frustrating to work on than many of the American cars I have owned, where it seems they are only concerned with ease of manufacture and not repair. Looking at you Ford and GM...
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With it in the air, I can see that most of the suspension rubber is thrashed, but kind of figured that going in. Every suspension boot looks about like the below. If I am taking it off right now, I am replacing it with new.
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Exhaust hanger was hanging on for dear life:
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I figured while it was in the air I would do the lower pan gasket and check the oil pump bolts. None were in the pan, but 2 were finger tight so I tightened them as best I could and put the pan back on with a new gasket (how you even get a torque wrench on them is beyond me). Nothing suspect in there and looked relatively clean. The oil level sensor connector shattered to pieces while removing so that will likely have to be replaced; anyone have any ideas for a fix that doesn't involve replacing the whole unit? Maybe heat shrink tubing it after plugging it in? The money pit is consuming funds at an alarming rate and would like to kick this can down the road
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I have everything disconnected to get the transmission down with the exception of the top 6 bolts. That will be tomorrow nights fun... Has anyone replaced the e-torx bolts with standard 6 sided bolts? I ordered a set of e-torx wrenches and sockets off of amazon and the 10/12 is maybe 6 inches long and with the trans cooler I can't get the sockets/rachet on the lower bolts. Had to use a pipe on the wrench to get enough leverage to even get the lower bolts loose. Planning to lower the back end of the trans and use 2'+ of extensions for the top bolts. Any advice on getting those last bolts loose and how to re-torque on install would be greatly appreciated!!! Bentley just says reverse what you did, which isn't much help.

I have made a new friend at my local German repair shop's parts counter and plan to get to know them very well as it is about 2 miles from my house. Every time I have gone by they have cool stuff out front and among other things the owner has a sick beige 944S2 that is mint. Cost is about the same as online and they can get stuff quickly with no shipping.

When I got the car the glovebox handle was broken and I had to drill out the screws from the front to get it open. The prior owner was a rich family in Dallas and this was the wife's car (per my google stalking). $1.5m Dallas house, she was realtor, extensive records for the car, etc... and in the glove box I found these... Once Radwood Austin is back my wife will be sporting them there
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Cheers,

Mike

[moroza]

You do woodworking? I'd be interested in your comments on this. Be harsh. Also, a question: can you suggest a solvent that'll remove whatever clearcoat is on the stock wood trim, without harming the wood underneath? Kleen Strip Aircraft Stripper came highly recommended, but the good stuff is now discontinued.

IMHO, with a dipstick and a pressure switch, the level sensor is unnecessary redundancy, so my advice is to disable it. On the body side of the plug, connect the brown ground wire to the other two wires: to the white wire directly, and to the blue/white wire through a 1k resistor (I don't know how many watts it needs to be, but I had a 5W laying around and it appears to be gross overkill for the task).

EDIT: is it only the connector that's broken? Just splice in any other male/female pair of 3-wire connectors.

I have not replaced these transmission bolts with hex, but I bet most of them can be, and IMO this is a good idea. On my car (M50 with GS6-37BZ), of the 11 bolts at the bellhousing, only two lack clearance to use plain ol' hex. I used grade 10.9. As for removing them, all I can suggest besides good tools and patience is PB Blaster.

[okmike540i]

That turned out awesome, veneer without a vacuum press is not easy to get right. I have one and still screw it up sometimes. I would try MEK on a small spot and see if that softens it, if not, heat gun will definitely get it. But I would bet it is less than 1/16th thick. I have a friend who refinishes and he uses the Aircraft stripper on stubborn projects. I try to stick to building and finishing new pieces as all of the problems were caused by me and I have no one else to blame!

It was the male that basically shattered, still plugs in so that was why I was thinking just heat shrink into one solid connection. If when I start it back up it is giving me a code, I will go down the road of removing it or a new plug setup. Appreciate that advice.

My buddy dropped by and we got the trans out, but man what a job. Pretty sure we created a few new leaks at the back of the block on the old rubber while we were at it. Wish I had a lift as the jack stands ain't cutting it. If/when I manual swap down the road, I do not want to mess with [insert a loooong stream of expletives] e torx bolts again.

[moroza]

Oh, I forgot yours is an automatic. The B40 slushbox is one hefty pig. No envy here. The manual box is much lighter. Judging by photos, you could certainly replace some of the bolts with more reliable ones (I hate Torx in all its incarnations. Good concept, awful execution in most cases). Before reinstalling the trans, grab a random M8, M10, and M12 with a hex head, stick it in the bellhousing, and see if your sockets still clear. If they do, go find correct-length bolts and use those instead. I used all grade 10.9 fasteners, brand new from a hardware store.

Unplugging the sensor throws a Check Control message but not a Check Engine light.

Would a heat gun not risk cracking the wood underneath? I've a few test pieces to afford to destroy, will try MEK. Was surprised that gasoline didn't do it. Aircraft stripper is supposed to be correct, but methylene chloride is getting harder to find and I hear its replacements aren't half as good. Why can't we just let people who don't bother to read safety instructions earn their Darwin awards, and let the rest of us get s--t done?

[E28E34]

Nice find. So rare to find decent E34 540s - especially unmolested. So nice to see these now rare 540/740 wheels. Easiest color to keep clean. Looks like it had a fender bender in the RF at some point (fender/hood alignment) but otherwise really nice looking car. Cool sunglasses... amazing how people can leave stuff like this behind. Same with the accessories catalogs. Very rare stuff. I have some I collected from the dealers when I was a teen from those days. Sadly most of those items are NLA. Would love to get one of those vintage key chains and other little items. Still have my BMW key-chain from when I bought in `96 before I owned a BMW - color is all gone on it now. Welcome to the forum. A lot of knowledgeable, passionate people here.

[okmike540i]

Would a heat gun not risk cracking the wood underneath? I've a few test pieces to afford to destroy, will try MEK. Was surprised that gasoline didn't do it. Aircraft stripper is supposed to be correct, but methylene chloride is getting harder to find and I hear its replacements aren't half as good. Why can't we just let people who don't bother to read safety instructions earn their Darwin awards, and let the rest of us get s--t done?

I think with heat if you go slow and try to soften (not boil) the clear it might work. And I agree, every effective chemical and metal known is going to be banned...

Nice find. So rare to find decent E34 540s - especially unmolested. So nice to see these now rare 540/740 wheels. Easiest color to keep clean. Looks like it had a fender bender in the RF at some point (fender/hood alignment) but otherwise really nice looking car. Cool sunglasses... amazing how people can leave stuff like this behind. Same with the accessories catalogs. Very rare stuff. I have some I collected from the dealers when I was a teen from those days. Sadly most of those items are NLA. Would love to get one of those vintage key chains and other little items. Still have my BMW key-chain from when I bought in `96 before I owned a BMW - color is all gone on it now. Welcome to the forum. A lot of knowledgeable, passionate people here.

I am leaning towards keeping the wheels for the time being but there are only about 4 tire options for a 225/60/r15 on the market that I could find. Only one is V rated...

Good eye on the horrible fender/bumper alignment, both fenders are replacements. In the stack of paperwork there where no body shop invoices, it was a lease car for 2 years so it might have happened then. Someday I will pull it all apart and try to get it to align better. The frame rails and inner fenders look clean.

[moroza]

IME, a stock or mildly lowered E34 can clear 235/60R15. Tires in that size appear to be reasonably available, if technologically stale; apparently this is a common-ish size for US muscle cars. FWIW, I've head good things about Cooper CS5 in 225/60. My car has 205/65; that size works but I don't recommend it.

I can source straight dichloromethane, it's just not cheap. Tried to find MEK yesterday and all I could find was clearly labeled "MEK Substitute". They don't even bother putting a positive light on it anymore, just straight-up telling you that it's a substitute for something else.

[E28E34]

I am leaning towards keeping the wheels for the time being but there are only about 4 tire options for a 225/60/r15 on the market that I could find. Only one is V rated...

Good eye on the horrible fender/bumper alignment, both fenders are replacements. In the stack of paperwork there where no body shop invoices, it was a lease car for 2 years so it might have happened then. Someday I will pull it all apart and try to get it to align better. The frame rails and inner fenders look clean.

I have Vredestein Sportrac 5 225/60 VR-15 on my car since 2014. They still make them. The best summer tire in that size. https://www.vredestein.com/car-suv-v...895-sportrac-5

Thanks, I spot stuff like that. But, I didn't notice the bumper, just the corner of where the hood and fender meet up just above the parking-lamp. Most people would not notice. Overall the interior and rest of the car looks really impressive.

[locknload]

Probably preaching to the choir, but please make every effort to replace the rubber suspension pieces with quality brands (Lemforder, MeyleHD), even if the cheaper stuff has a better warranty.

[E28E34]

Probably preaching to the choir, but please make every effort to replace the rubber suspension pieces with quality brands (Lemforder, MeyleHD), even if the cheaper stuff has a better warranty.

Good advice. Years back on here, someone said Genuine BMW is the best for tie-rods, center-links, and perhaps control-arms and bushings... as the front-ends are so finicky/precise on these cars, and Genuine BMW is the best for least error/play in steering/vibrations etc. Aside from that and engine parts, the rest was acceptable to use OEM parts not just Genuine BMW.

[moroza]

IMO, unless you're deliberately modifying something, use only genuine or German Lemförder control-arm bushings, trailing arm bushings, dogbones, rear strut mounts (expensive and still crappy though they are; I would and did modify mine) and subframe mounts. Everything else can be aftermarket to varying degrees (more for swaybar links, less for thrust arms). FCP has a lifetime warranty on everything they sell, and good customer service besides.

[okmike540i]

I will heed that advice for the suspension parts. All of that will be addressed in the next few months as funds become available. I want a super clean E34 that accelerates, rides, and handles just a little better than new.

Weekend update: Trans is back in, driveshaft back in, heat shielding hung, exhaust is 1/2 way there. Next up, motor mounts, change trans fluid/gasket/filter, and hang the back half of the exhaust. Then I will be back on the road.

Question... My torque converter was connected with 4 bolts to a cross shaped 4 bolt flex plate. Real OEM and Bentley both say that it is 3 bolts on a triangle. What gives? Would this have been something changed under the block replacement warranty?

Also picked up some 17" E39 style 5's today for not too much money. Need new caps and a paint job. I really want to take them apart, polish the hoops, and paint the centers/stud heads beige to embrace my new beige lifestyle.

Wheel questions: First, I went to the discount tire today to get hubcentric spacers, but the guy there was convinced I didn't need them for OE wheels. Any input on that? Everything I have read says yes. Was this guy just wrong?
Second, any recommendations on a good tire and size? They currently have chinesium P245/45/17 Kumho's on them that have seen better days. Looking for decent street performance, not made in china, and I am not too concerned about winter driving as I have a 4wd truck. I am sure this has been beat to death, but tire availability changes and what was made 3 years ago may not be now (and some dude 4 years in the future may end up looking at this thread haha). Appreciate any feedback!

[moroza]

That guy was just wrong. E39 wheels need a hub ring to fit E34 and most other BMW hubs.

You can use 225/50, 235/45, 245/40, or 245/45 tires (possibly also 255/40). The first and last are my preference. Most recent tire in those sizes I had were Dunlop Signature HP, which were decent, unremarkable.

[okmike540i]

That guy was just wrong. E39 wheels need a hub ring to fit E34 and most other BMW hubs.

You can use 225/50, 235/45, 245/40, or 245/45 tires (possibly also 255/40). The first and last are my preference. Most recent tire in those sizes I had were Dunlop Signature HP, which were decent, unremarkable.

Thanks, that is what I thought. I was trying to give him money but his pride was in the way I guess...

The 245's on there now look beefy so I think I want to stick with that.

[okmike540i]

Todays update: exhaust is hung, motor mounts changed and if that drivers side top bolt isn't the biggest PITA ever I don't know what is. It was only finger tight, otherwise I would not have been able to get it out. The passenger side was completely sheered in half.
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I filled the power steering reservoir as it was empty/filthy and replaced the O ring at the top as it was as hard as most of the rubber on this car. After doing this, I can see the high pressure line has fluid on it at it's lowest point, so I will replace that (and tighten the top bolt of the drivers side motor mount ) once my local shop is back open after the holidays... Will hopefully do the trans fluid tomorrow, finding a 15mm hex wrench for the drain plug is harder than I imagined.

I may have also cut the muffler off, it sounds better now. Angry. Like a V8 should. Just need to find a local shop to weld on some pipe now.