Pink's E34 525i Touring

[Pink120]

None of that looks serious, it should come out with a light hone. That's the nice thing about these iron block sixes, they're quite durable and easy to work with, compared to the rather temperamental Alusil blocks on the newer BMW engines.

Alignment dowels are pretty common for head gaskets, they help to hold the gasket in place and line the head up, however you do have to be careful to not gouge up the mating surface on the cylinder head with the dowels when installing the head.

Yes! Mind you, this M52 is an European one so the block is actually aluminum (with iron sleeves according to the all mighty Wikipedia).

Oh, that makes sense. I saw a dowel thing on RealOEM but didn't really understand what it was (not being a native speaker doesn't help) but it sure did look like the one on the block. TIL, thanks for clearing that up! And yeah, that would hurt.

[circuit.heart]

Block looks pretty good from that one pic. Only thing that worries me is the propensity for alu M5X blocks to strip when you try to torque down the head, so I would have the machine shop install helicoils/timeserts/thread inserts for some peace of mind. Replace all the dowels (they're cheap, may as well) and make sure the check valve is in the bottom of the head when you get it back, that's what screwed me and my M52 lol

[johan750]

I never had issues with the threads of aluminum engines which have not been overheated. If they have been overheated the threads could be stripped, if not I would not worry about it.

[Pink120]

Every time I try to edit a post on mobile, I end up deleting it. No clue why, guess I'll just refrain from doing that. Anyway, what I had posted was that the car has been driven already but is still in the shop, and that maybe this weekend I would be picking it up, which is not the case. Staff has been sick and what not and they're slowly making progress all around so I'll be waiting for a little longer to be driving it again. The day I pick up can't come soon enough ahah

EDIT: Also picked some of my goals for this year, so that I can, well, have some goals to aim and reach for which will be as follows:

- Install some cats and maybe tackle some parts of the exhaust. For now I think I'll stick to some stainless exhaust manifolds that can add something to the sound.
- Install a set of Eibach springs. The ones I found I still need to check if they work in cars with SLS. From what I know, my Touring has it, I still need to look for it, get to know where it is and make sure it is working, not that I want to keep it, but if it's in working order, I'm not messing with that for now.
- I've seen a few listings for E34s being parted out and I found a pretty tidy early one that is also Granite silver. If the prices are right, I'm probably going to raid that thing.
- As I have in my first post, take care of some of the blemishes it has on the outside. See what I can do to the scuffs on the plastic trims (if no bueno, I'll just replace them) and bring them back to being black with some ceramic coating. Rear bumper is cracked, front right wing is scuffed, the mirrors are pretty rough too, the nose is dented and has some surface rust where the paint peeled off, the hood paint is in very poor condition too and there's no point in repainting these as I want the thinner grilles so getting some parts out of that other E34 I mentioned above would solve most of these (don't think the rear bumper on that one is any good either).
- Fix the trip meter reset button on the cluster as it doesn't work.
- The heater/air con control unit has a few simple things that bother me, the bottom slider doesn't notch at 0 and neither does one of the temperature knobs (at the lowest temp), so either that is being replaced or I open it to realize I can't restore it lol
- Electric window controls also has a bit of a bad connection, at least on the driver's window button, so that is also probably coming out.
- Window regulators. From what I remember, the rear left doesn't go down.
- Window trim on the rear right has deformed and it's keeping the window from moving properly, so I pretty much don't mess around with it to keep that rubber from getting worse. Anyone know what I can do about this or what I can replace it with?
- Right B pillar lower interior trim is loose, need to sort that out.
- Front seats back covers are also loose. I want to get Sport seats but until those happen I don't want those things on the edging of falling off.
- Driver's door Nokia tweeter is missing, going to source one to fit there to go with the one on the left door.
- Get a BMW Reverse RDS with bluetooth installed. Found a very neat install of that from a guy in Germany, probably going to buy one of those and send it to him (getting a ready one from him is quite a bit more expensive).

[Onizukachan]

Every time I try to edit a post on mobile, I end up deleting it. No clue why, guess I'll just refrain from doing that. Anyway, what I had posted was that the car has been driven already but is still in the shop, and that maybe this weekend I would be picking it up, which is not the case. Staff has been sick and what not and they're slowly making progress all around so I'll be waiting for a little longer to be driving it again. The day I pick up can't come soon enough ahah

EDIT: Also picked some of my goals for this year, so that I can, well, have some goals to aim and reach for which will be as follows:

- Install some cats and maybe tackle some parts of the exhaust. For now I think I'll stick to some stainless exhaust manifolds that can add something to the sound.
- Install a set of Eibach springs. The ones I found I still need to check if they work in cars with SLS. From what I know, my Touring has it, I still need to look for it, get to know where it is and make sure it is working, not that I want to keep it, but if it's in working order, I'm not messing with that for now.
- I've seen a few listings for E34s being parted out and I found a pretty tidy early one that is also Granite silver. If the prices are right, I'm probably going to raid that thing.
- As I have in my first post, take care of some of the blemishes it has on the outside. See what I can do to the scuffs on the plastic trims (if no bueno, I'll just replace them) and bring them back to being black with some ceramic coating. Rear bumper is cracked, front right wing is scuffed, the mirrors are pretty rough too, the nose is dented and has some surface rust where the paint peeled off, the hood paint is in very poor condition too and there's no point in repainting these as I want the thinner grilles so getting some parts out of that other E34 I mentioned above would solve most of these (don't think the rear bumper on that one is any good either).
- Fix the trip meter reset button on the cluster as it doesn't work.
- The heater/air con control unit has a few simple things that bother me, the bottom slider doesn't notch at 0 and neither does one of the temperature knobs (at the lowest temp), so either that is being replaced or I open it to realize I can't restore it lol
- Electric window controls also has a bit of a bad connection, at least on the driver's window button, so that is also probably coming out.
- Window regulators. From what I remember, the rear left doesn't go down.
- Window trim on the rear right has deformed and it's keeping the window from moving properly, so I pretty much don't mess around with it to keep that rubber from getting worse. Anyone know what I can do about this or what I can replace it with?
- Right B pillar lower interior trim is loose, need to sort that out.
- Front seats back covers are also loose. I want to get Sport seats but until those happen I don't want those things on the edging of falling off.
- Driver's door Nokia tweeter is missing, going to source one to fit there to go with the one on the left door.
- Get a BMW Reverse RDS with bluetooth installed. Found a very neat install of that from a guy in Germany, probably going to buy one of those and send it to him (getting a ready one from him is quite a bit more expensive).

you don’t have to replace springs to lower sls rear. Just put the rear up on ramps and reindex (slightly move) the adjuster on the sway bar.

[Pink120]

you don’t have to replace springs to lower sls rear. Just put the rear up on ramps and reindex (slightly move) the adjuster on the sway bar.

That is true, I need to try that. (again)

In the meanwhile another very depressing update! Yay
Finally, the shop decided to let go of the E34. As reported earlier, they said the block was cracked and I got an M52 one to replace it. They didn't exactly like matching up the M52 block to the M50 head and without the proper documentation from forums and the like, that swap can get a little confusing I dare say. Let's just say it's a shop run by older fellows which do things "by the book", not exactly custom stuff like this.

Turns out the engine was still pressurizing the coolant system, the shop was not satisfied with the job but they decided to let it go. I picked it up and went home, nothing to report, temperature held steady in the middle. Next day I go about my business, nothing to report there either. Later in the day since I was at my parents, I go back to my place. Before leaving I topped up the coolant and slid under the rear to try to see where the SLS thingy was but I quickly gave up because I had little time to fuck around and I wasn't exactly fitting under the car without jacking it up. Crawling around in tight spaces and on rough concrete isn't the best experience either.

Stop at the nearest gas station before setting off, the car was left idling while in queue for a few minutes, I put some more go go juice in the thirsty bastard, check my tire pressures and off I go. 2 mins later when I get in the freeway, I notice the temp needle going furiously up to max (which I should have sooner but what can you do). I stop the car, let it cool off, check the expansion tank, nothing but vapor there. Yikes. My dad joins me and after adding some water to it, we limp it back off the freeway. I knew driving it and adding fresh water so soon after the temp going up was a bad idea but my dad was fed up with being on the freeway and he always wants to make things his way. Shortly after exiting the freeway the bastard starts knocking. :|

Called a tow and had it sent off to the shop once again. Since the shop's owner and my dad aren't exactly strangers, we still hadn't paid for the block swap but after all this they decided to not take any payment, which was nice of them even tho it was the right thing to do since it crapped out literally 24h after and it wasn't working as intended anyway.

This was late January, so it's been a little over a month and I've been trying to source a NV M50B25 but to no avail (any M50B25 for that matter). A few listings up in FB Marketplace, but 2 of them we got no replies of and 1 was already sold. So now the plan is to take the head and block to a machining shop and if possible get them fixed and rebuilt (and cost within reason). I'm still not really sure what really is cracked, I need to take a look at the M50 block since I brought it back to my parents' on the day I brought the E34 back. I'm not really concerned with the M52 block and rotating assembly but I am pretty sure the head is royally fucked since the M52 block was in decent shape.

I've been keeping myself off of the forums and off of doing this update because it had been draining me psychologically, project car life I guess but I got my hopes up again!

Sure, I bought a basketcase unknowingly but I am here to get the Touring back on the road for many more (expensive but oh so worth it) kilometers and years too.

It's been 8 months since I've bought it and I've had it with me for a little over 1

So, now the car has the clutch fan back in it and I removed the shoddy excuse of an electric fan installation that was in it (the wiring) and cleaned it inside since it was full of dust. That's all for now, folks!

[moroza]

you don’t have to replace springs to lower sls rear. Just put the rear up on ramps and reindex (slightly move) the adjuster on the sway bar.

This also lowers damping rate, and depending on the springs, may still sit too high.

- Install a set of Eibach springs. The ones I found I still need to check if they work in cars with SLS. From what I know, my Touring has it, I still need to look for it, get to know where it is and make sure it is working, not that I want to keep it, but if it's in working order, I'm not messing with that for now.

All E34 springs, SLS or not, are physically interchangeable. You can also use E32 rear springs if the strut mount, lower spring perch, and spring pads match. The best way to tell if your car still has SLS is to see if there are hoses going from the rear shocks to a pair of cannonball-looking things above the axleshafts. Best way to tell if it works is to put a bunch of weight in the back (a couple hundred kg at least) with the car off, then start it and wait a minute.

...doesn't notch at 0 and neither does one of the temperature knobs (at the lowest temp), so either that is being replaced or I open it to realize I can't restore it lol

The passenger temperature knob has no detent, AFAIK.

- Electric window controls also has a bit of a bad connection, at least on the driver's window button, so that is also probably coming out.
- Window regulators. From what I remember, the rear left doesn't go down.

The mechanicals rarely go bad, especially in the rear. More likely is a bad General Module or its contacts. If it turns out to be the GM, I probably have a good one, and in any case be aware that you can only use the later green type, not the early black type. I'm about 80% sure that a sedan one will work for the sunroof, 100% that it'll work for everything else.

- Window trim on the rear right has deformed and it's keeping the window from moving properly, so I pretty much don't mess around with it to keep that rubber from getting worse. Anyone know what I can do about this or what I can replace it with?

Those trim pieces are special, specific to the E34 Touring, and out of production. Start looking for good spares.

That is true, I need to try that. (again)

In the meanwhile another very depressing update! Yay...

Oh dear...

I swapped an M52B28 whole, last spring. It's an easy swap, easier than a headgasket and certainly less than rebuilding a block and head. Why not that?

[circuit.heart]

Yeah, at this point just get any working M5X you can find, convert the sensors as needed, and throw it in. It takes time to figure out how to save an ailing engine, you can keep it as a spare while the car at least runs on a temporary one.

[Pink120]

Hello everyone! More news on this, yesterday me and my dad stripped the M50's block, the one that came in the car and that was fun wrenching around.





(very unprofessional toolset and all but I plan on getting that sorted)

Upon my own inspection, it is looking absolutely fine and the crack the shop said was there, doesn't seem to exist. 2 hours ago I just dropped the block off to be tested and once I know more about it, the plan is to get it rehoned and refaced.

As you can see, the finish on cylinder 3 is quite different from the other cylinders so it probably was rehoned before but not properly done? No clue, but it sure is different. I went up, down and around it with my nail and it was fine, the walls on this M50 even look better than on the M52 block that is sitting currently in the car (waiting for repairs).

Once I know if the block is usable, I am planning on simply buying a "new" head after checking out the one that is in the car, which I suspect is royally fucked.

[Onizukachan]

This also lowers damping rate, and depending on the springs, may still sit too high.
?

Actually it doesn’t. The cylinders are straight hydraulic cylinders with 0 dampening… the accumulators (bombs) are the dampening.
You are literally reindexing the at rest position/ ride height and that’s it.

And you can go low enough to trigger the sls alert (which I wrote up a wiring patch to defeat a billion years ago and in a different life) which unless you plan on installing kmac bushings or putting in the e30/e34 IE weld on adjsuters is low enough to eat the tires up in 5k miles from massive toe out. which looks cool but hey… be aware.

[Pink120]

I don't know how I missed these posts...

All E34 springs, SLS or not, are physically interchangeable. You can also use E32 rear springs if the strut mount, lower spring perch, and spring pads match. The best way to tell if your car still has SLS is to see if there are hoses going from the rear shocks to a pair of cannonball-looking things above the axleshafts. Best way to tell if it works is to put a bunch of weight in the back (a couple hundred kg at least) with the car off, then start it and wait a minute.

Noted. I will try that and do a visual inspection whenever I can ahahah
Would there be any advantage with using E32 springs?

The passenger temperature knob has no detent, AFAIK.

Uhh, ok, now that's just gonna trigger my OCD even more

The mechanicals rarely go bad, especially in the rear. More likely is a bad General Module or its contacts. If it turns out to be the GM, I probably have a good one, and in any case be aware that you can only use the later green type, not the early black type. I'm about 80% sure that a sedan one will work for the sunroof, 100% that it'll work for everything else.

Alright, thanks for the headsup. I'll keep an eye out for one those.

Those trim pieces are special, specific to the E34 Touring, and out of production. Start looking for good spares.

At this point I might as well start hunting down other Tourings for their parts, doors and all.

Oh dear...
I swapped an M52B28 whole, last spring. It's an easy swap, easier than a headgasket and certainly less than rebuilding a block and head. Why not that?

Yeah, that wasn't fun. How bad is it swapping an M52 into a non VANOS car tho? My concern is the VANOS. I haven't quite considered an M52B28 yet because they sell them for stupid money here in Portugal (1800€ for a complete one is what I've been seeing) due to everyone swapping their E36s with them. Think I can rebuild and have an almost new and working M50 for less than that.

Yeah, at this point just get any working M5X you can find, convert the sensors as needed, and throw it in. It takes time to figure out how to save an ailing engine, you can keep it as a spare while the car at least runs on a temporary one.

Yeah, keeping it as a spare was in the books, but as I said M52B28s are expensive and I'm unsure of how that swap goes being this car an NV. ECU and wring is a bit more of an headache I assume. The plan for me would be worry about that after being able to move it around under its own power with an M50 doing the work. With the M50 manifolds (which I have), there is already less to be worrying about but the crank sensor, the two sensors in the head and the VANOS is what makes me anxious.

Also, that list of goals for the year is looking mighty ambitious regarding the current state of things

[dannyzabolotny]

It's fairly straightforward swapping an M52B28 into an E34... you just need an M50tu (Vanos) engine wiring harness along with an M50tu 413 DME. Then you just swap the sensors for M50tu ones and then you've basically got an M50B28. That's how we swap S52's into E34's.

[moroza]

Actually it doesn’t. The cylinders are straight hydraulic cylinders with 0 dampening… the accumulators (bombs) are the dampening.
You are literally reindexing the at rest position/ ride height and that’s it.

And you can go low enough to trigger the sls alert (which I wrote up a wiring patch to defeat a billion years ago and in a different life) which unless you plan on installing kmac bushings or putting in the e30/e34 IE weld on adjsuters is low enough to eat the tires up in 5k miles from massive toe out. which looks cool but hey… be aware.

Check this out; in short, system hydraulic pressure determines damping rate via a spring-shim-plate-orifice contraption - that's the doohickey on the bottom of the struts into which the hydraulic lines feed, the LAD module. Setting the ride height to minimum makes for minimum system pressure (which still unloads the coils by a few mm); setting the ride height above minimum means pressure will keep rising until the lever moves the regulating valve to zero, at which point pressure remains where it is. The higher pressure compresses the gas in the accumulators, making for a higher spring rate (though overall spring rate isn't necessarily higher, since the coils are partially unloaded); it also forces two plates in the LAD module closer together, increasing flow resistance and thereby damping rate.

My personal experience corroborates this - I'm using -25mm compressed 735iL rear springs with E34 525iT SLS struts. At zero pressure (system depressurized), rear rim gap is about 492mm. At minimum pressure, about 523mm and damping is totally inadequate. At 528mm it's still inadequate but less bad. Somewhere before 550mm it feels pretty planted. I previously hauled a heavy load that sank the 550mm height to 500-510, and the rear was a bit... nautical. Halfway through the trip, I readjusted the suspension to 530mm and the rear got much more planted and stable, though a bit stiffer and busier. (Fuel economy also decreased by about 3%).

I can't speak for tire wear, but as far as looks, handling, and a compromise of obstacle clearance with aerodynamic efficiency, a 15" rear rim gap of about 510mm seems about ideal IME/IMO.

To answer OP's question, E32 coils are larger, softer, and seem to ride better.

[Pink120]

It's fairly straightforward swapping an M52B28 into an E34... you just need an M50tu (Vanos) engine wiring harness along with an M50tu 413 DME. Then you just swap the sensors for M50tu ones and then you've basically got an M50B28. That's how we swap S52's into E34's.

Ok, sounds simple enough. Thanks for dumbing it down for me ahah

To answer OP's question, E32 coils are larger, softer, and seem to ride better.

Thanks for the info.

[Pink120]

It has been a long time since I have posted anything in this thread, but fear not, for the Touring is still mine and getting some proper treatment. I'll post a proper update once I have it on the road, instead of posting things based on speculation which has been what I have done for a while being so excited about the damn thing. The excitement is still there, mind you.

I'll just leave you with a little crumble for now.

In early April I picked up some manual Sport cloth seats, just like my dad's E34 had (those were heated, but I don't mind skipping on that extra weight ). They are not in perfect condition, but I don't mind them, and certainly not for what I paid for them. Obviously I'd like to have them refreshed, but all in good time. Either way, at first I'll probably only really put in the drivers' since the partner enjoys the comfy "regular" leather chair.
After spending more time looking at the VIN decoding, I have also found out that this car was originally spec'd with this exact type of cloth, diagonal anthracite (0411), so all the more reason to convert it back (unsure of timeline, but currently it has a leather interior in with correct door cards too).

[Pink120]

This is in need of an update.

It was finally the day for me to collect my car! After pretty much 2 years of it being towed away for the first time. Got to the garage, there it was. Looking lovely and battered as usual (properly used one should said). Paid the garage, lots of new parts, a good amount of money well put in, and off I went to fuel up my car.
On the way home, I lost all power steering and that got me frustrated with the car. Barely made 30kms and it's already down, for the second time... Anyway, got home, all good and well, was pretty scared with parking it in the tight entranced garage, called the garage, had a look around, thought the steering box had sprung a leak due to me seeing that area quite green-ish, like coated in a film. This E34 does have Self Levelling Suspension, so I went and tried to check the reservoir. Being the first car I deal with that has a system that uses something other than ATF, it was a bit obscure to me yet. Found out the fluid is green, reservoir, looks empty... Will find out tomorrow I guess. Later that night I couldn't resist, got my little ratchet set, and decided it was time to get those damn Sport seats on.

And that was that day.

Next day, got up super early to get there before they even started their working time (the garage is right by their house so, they'd be there). Lifted the rear of the car, leak on the rear right. We then soon realised the rear right shock that is leaking through the bottom.



Chased the thread, cleaned it up because a bolt the right size wouldn't go in, got said bolt on, leak addressed. Temporary fix, but it'll do for now. This had made me consider delete the SLS, but I'd rather leave it be, if it works. A new shock shouldn't be too hard to source, would it? Well new, it might xD Used I may find some people parting out E34s and get them, but my local guy had none, etc etc.

I also had a noisy over at the fuel pump because it was smelling a lot like petrol after the fill up. And before too, just not as much. Took the lid off, fuel pump carrier is a bit damp, has a bit of a puddle on it and some general residue. Gave that a clean, cleared out the puddle and thought to myself "fuel out and about is always going to smell". The smell has reduced quite significantly, but after the second fill up it smelled again.


Said puddle just to the left of the return line.



During the next day, I realised I had bought an impact gun the day before at Lidl. Stubby looking one. Already had batteries for it, picked it up. And then I was curious if the nut for the steering wheel was a 22mm (which for non airbag cars, that's what (most, don't quote me on that tho lol) come with. Anyway, had a look, 22mm socket on hand, it goes in. Alright, time to test the impact gun. I go on about doing that, and the socket doesn't reach it, I need an extension for the impact. Went and bought that, got home, took the 395mm 4 spoke off and put the 385mm M-Tech I I had at home since October 2021. That day I didn't drive it more, but it already felt quite a bit better in the hand.


Said 22mm nut. Nothing for scale. Just trust me bro


Said 4 spoke. (finally a picture of the interior of the car in this thread! bad angle but...)


I'd like you to look over to the left side, to the foot rest. Yes, you see correctly. That one is shattered. Keep that in mind for later.


Et voilà.


Seats now in frame.



The next day, I got in the mail a Style 5 center cap I had just ordered the previous morning. Bada boom bada bing, you can see that here.

It is now the weekend, time to relax. So what did I do to relax? I woke up at the same time as working days (consistency), got in the car, went to pretty much the nearest exhaust shop, which people speak fondly off. To fill you in on why I went there, my rear muffler is pretty much disconnected now from the rest of the exhaust system ahahah Right pipe is pretty much rusted off the weld, and on the left side the back panel of the muffler, cracks.
Got there, waited for a bit, looked at the front gate: "closed for August's saturdays". Well, there was an attempt.
Next off, I went to a car recycling company thing, scrapper/wtv, to try and check what parts a Granit-silber E34 520i sedan (also early model, matching fenders with no side marker) still had on. With my interest being in the front fenders, bumper if decent, hood and grille(s). It was also closed and they didn't answer any of my calls.
On to the next task at hand. HVAC module buttons (rear defrost, AC, recirc.) were not lighting up, but when they 2 years ago. Had a look at the rear fuse box, one 25A fuse in a place of a 30A, 15A in a place of a 7.5A. Replaced the blown 25A with a proper 30A, left the 15A in since the shop didn't have any 7.5A ones.
And this was... to no avail. The buttons still do not work. I did remove all of the center panel (radio/HVAC/OBC panel) just yesterday, and the plugs seem to have been there fine still... At least from pulling it all out, I managed to figure out how to turn the radio! Which I thought was dead all this time. It's not the original of the car (I have a booklet for a Grundig WKC 3870 RDS), but it's period correct at least (Blaupunkt Barcelona RCM 83). The screen is pretty bad too, but I can read most what I need anyway. Right side buttons are definitely kaput tho. The whole front fascia of the Blaupunkt is destroyed on the right side. Anyway, enough derailing...

Last stop before heading out somewhere else, my local parts guy. Went to get a new foot rest. Got that, talked about some problems and some other parts, and off I went to a nearby mountain range I guess you can call it, with the camping gear in the massive trunk this car has. (Trunk button not working well is getting old enough too)

Spent most of the day driving the car around, getting the break in done, if you get my meaning.





Driving this on twisty roads is actually quite nice. I've certainly felt the reduction of size and ease of parking this compared to the E39 I had been driving all this time. And it isn't even that much smaller... But I digress.
This place has some sweet single file roads all over the top of mountain and the views are incredible. @moroza I don't think any of these were on my list


No, the mileage doesn't lie.
Picked it up at 403867km/250951mi. Needs 2500kms/1553mi of breaking in until my next oil change (I think I should do one earlier to be quite honest, but it is BMW's procedure for this car, quoting my service booklet). I've already done more than 25% of that in six days eheheheh

I love this thing. Currently it is a bit of a bastard because of the fuel smell and exhaust leak (loud and boomy at low revs). But it is still an amazing car. Great practicality, great sound (to be improved) and great comfort too. These Sport seats are incredible.

First fill up, came with an average of 12.9L/100km / 18.2MPG US. Which is by no means unexpected. But it didn't drive it that hard. With the fuel smell added up, I think some fixes are in due order. But I'm yet to find what they are. MAF? Fuel pump carrier? Fuel pump gasket and top nut? Surely these last ones wouldn't mean worse mileage...

The suspension is soft, which I like. I hope my decision to go with the anti roll bars first then only after do a bit of a more sporty suspension setup with M Suspension parts and what not proves to be a good one... This is still very much in a brainstorming phase. I'm not driving the car that hard to justify the (slight) sacrifices, for now.

The next day was a hot day. 34C/94F was not the highest I saw in the OBC. But the engine performed just fine, no overheating, no nothing. As should be expected from an engine that has been pretty much completely rebuilt.








(I guess you can't do spoilers in this forums? I don't know, if anyone could teach me, that'd be much appreciated)

Oh yes, the foot rest! Let's not forget. It was a simple job but a unnecessarily lengthy one because of all the surrounding panels and what not. Feels much better to put my foot on that instead of the old cracked and bowed in one. (needs a bit of a clean tho, the whole interior does to be honest...)

Oh, and also:

[cornershop]

Nice write up

I’m 5 months into mine and after a recent partial suspension refresh, just cannot stop driving it!

PO deleted SLS in lieu of TRW shocks (i believe similar valving to Boge/Sachs) with H&R springs - it’s the perfect combo for UK roads, so compliant. Having had a saloon equipped with SLS, I had to fit M5 springs to the rear and whilst acceptable, was not as comfortable as the Touring is on this setup.

Just had new (auto) gearbox mounts x4 and 2x engine mounts - both were original 94 parts.

Tailgate latch - mine was getting hard to open, and this turned out to be the microswitch - see the excellent post below. I managed to break the microswitch holder trying to get it off the release, howver im quite heavy handed when things don’t happen easily (bad!) - https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...ar-hatch-fixes

Fuel smell - mine was the fuel sender seal - at least I think it was that as the one I removed looked in excellent condition. Perhaps I’ve tapped home the securing ‘disc’ a bit further however I now don’t get a fuel leak / smell when over 2/3 full and parked on my drive with a slight incline.

Interested to see how you get on with the sway bar upgrade - I am in the same boat of wanting one but like you, I don’t drive it hard enough to warrant the upgrade (e36 m3 for ‘enthusiastic’ driving). Parts are still readily available when I checked in June.

Good luck

[Pink120]

Nice write up

I’m 5 months into mine and after a recent partial suspension refresh, just cannot stop driving it!

PO deleted SLS in lieu of TRW shocks (i believe similar valving to Boge/Sachs) with H&R springs - it’s the perfect combo for UK roads, so compliant. Having had a saloon equipped with SLS, I had to fit M5 springs to the rear and whilst acceptable, was not as comfortable as the Touring is on this setup.

Just had new (auto) gearbox mounts x4 and 2x engine mounts - both were original 94 parts.

Tailgate latch - mine was getting hard to open, and this turned out to be the microswitch - see the excellent post below. I managed to break the microswitch holder trying to get it off the release, howver im quite heavy handed when things don’t happen easily (bad!) - https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...ar-hatch-fixes

Fuel smell - mine was the fuel sender seal - at least I think it was that as the one I removed looked in excellent condition. Perhaps I’ve tapped home the securing ‘disc’ a bit further however I now don’t get a fuel leak / smell when over 2/3 full and parked on my drive with a slight incline.

Interested to see how you get on with the sway bar upgrade - I am in the same boat of wanting one but like you, I don’t drive it hard enough to warrant the upgrade (e36 m3 for ‘enthusiastic’ driving). Parts are still readily available when I checked in June.

Good luck

Thank you
I still haven't done anything regarding the hatch switches, but thank you for the link. (I had already looked at it, but the gesture is appreciated nonetheless)
For the fuel smell, I am thinking the exact same thing. Checked the fuel pump carrier yesterday again and it was dry, so the hoses are not leaking.


Currently I am struggling with something else... Every now and then there's no throttle response and I can barely drive it only if I am at wide open throttle. And it doesn't even feel like it's running at full power when doing so. When that is happening, the idle is also lower and the car rocks side to side. This is not constant. If I give it a few revs sometimes it comes back to normal for a while... All very strange to me, currently.
I have tried disconnecting the MAF, issue persists. Same thing with TPS.
Wanted to test unplugging the O2 sensor, but I am yet to figure out where the connector for it is (I have read in the Bentley manual that it is near the starter... and the starter is under the intake manifold... and that is far from ideal). If you have pictures of the location of the connector, please send them my way, I cannot find any.
This lack of throttle response/power is intermittent. Tuesday I went to my parents', this fault occurred on the way there and on the first 3kms of the way home. After that, it made the rest of the trip like nothing was wrong... If this issue is happening and I turn the car off and back on again, it goes back to normal for a few seconds. (bad O2 sensor?)
I also opened the ECU to see if the chip was stock, to confirm that the O2 sensor had not been deleted, and I don't think the ECU was ever opened before, so there's that. Chip was indeed the standard one (for all I know anyway). 402 DME, 1 267 357 098 sticker on the chip.
Regarding the catalytic converter, there's no smells and no smoke, so I don't think that is the issue. And I'll be damned if I managed to clog/ruin new catalytic converters in less than 1500kms.

Anyway, ANY input on this is appreciated!

Also, holy fuck, are non VANOS MAFs expensive...

Update on this: after looking up the connector and knowing what it looks like, I saw it straight away under the intake manifold and managed to stick my arm on there and get it disconnected. Let the car warm up, the idle is still pretty lumpy when cold and the car rocks side to side just like whenever this problem I mention above happened. Went for a little test drive afterwards, not enough time for the problem occur I think, but the car seemed to run right. Will go for a little longer trip with more stops soon so that will be the ultimate test. If the trip goes well, a new O2 sensor will be ordered.

EDIT2: It was the O2 sensor. A new one is on it's way.

[circuit.heart]

Those symptoms were dead-on the O2 sensor (you've already learned this now, but these ECUs stop listening to the O2 at WOT).

[Pink120]

So my order with the new O2 sensor, socket for it and torque wrench arrived. But the socket was replaced with something else entirely different aaanyway, socket has been ordered from somewhere else and I'll get to sorting that out when it arrives.

On the other hand, some minor updates:

New driver's side front bumper trim


Now that's the only trim that's looking good, but that's not bothering me just yet...

And these


16 inch Style 5, complete with center caps and those have definitely seen better days. They are from an E39 seeing that they are 7" wide and ET20.
I am yet to put them on the car although, and that will only happen when I have new tires on them regardless. I am very much looking forward to seeing them on

I've already put over 2000kms/1242mi on it, and when I get near the 2500/1553 mark, it'll be time for the first oil change.

[Pink120]

The previous head unit I had in the car was this absolutely mangled Blaupunkt Barcelona RCM 83.



When I bought the car, it came with the original BMW booklets and the original radio's booklet, (or at least that's what I assume it is, it could have been installed at a later date for all I know) a Grundig WKC 3870 RDS. And so, I had been eyeing some on eBay. A few days ago, one popped up that was being auctioned, starting bid was reasonably low, and it was in overall very good condition, and came with the front panel's case, booklets and pigtails too! So of course I bid on it and won with the starting bid eheh

I had already removed the Blaupunkt previously and well, the cabling wasn't the best, and when the "new" Grundig arrived, I got the Blaupunkt back out, plugged the Grundig back in, thankfully no rewiring was needed, but as I moved the radio back into the slot, I noticed the sound wasn't that great and it would get interference depending on the cables position etc. So I went to figure out what the best solution for this would be and people pointed me to solder seal connectors, which I went and bought some.
Yesterday it was then the day to get that solved so I can enjoy the radio properly (I almost never use it anyway ahahah but that might change soon).



Doesn't look very good, does it?



No, it sure doesn't.



All done and no more random interference.

Seeing that the wiring was already connected properly (I'm assuming here), I also got told that I could have just got rid of the cables from the connectors and repin them with the cables from the harness, which is the ideal way to do this I guess, no more connectors in the middle of the cable, but I don't have the tools for that so for now this'll definitely do.



Back to original spec. (I had to do it considering I had the booklet lol)
It's not fully in yet because the tape deck is not working properly and I don't have the tools to remove the radio, so I'll only do that after I get that fixed from a local Grundig repair shop.

[fo3]

Nice. I'd love go back to original spec myself but I use USB and BT too much. That's all I use so I'd take a free blanking plate over anything else.

Shame that nothing similar to stock with those features is reasonably priced.
The previous owner put in a dogpoop ugly sony xplod system but I'm keeping it because it actually does a proper dark amber/orange display and nothing else modern does besides another sony cd player like a MEX-N5300BT. It does default to the random rainbow multiflash display until I set it, but every other modern manufacturer wants $500 for retro, or just does blue, or white. In my other cars I just put in a reasonably plain mechless head unit with radio/USB and BT. But they're all blue or white displays.

At least the wiring wasn't butchered, it actually has a proper plug adapter harness and convertor. Factory plug to generic plug to specific head unit plug - a lot of plugs, not enough room. So tight a squeeze which is why I was looking recently to mechless rather than the full length CD player.
8.jpg

Old Sony head units (full size with CD) like this one or the current MEX-N5300BT seem to be the only ones that let you have a full range or custom colour settings. I'd rather get another unit without a CD player but the options are limited.

E: Seems I am talking myself into the MEX-N5300BT as I know the sony colours are exactly right but the current head unit has the disgusting xplod design features and the newer MEX-N5300BT does not.

[Pink120]

Yeah, I'm planning on using a cassette to 3.5mm jack thing when the tape deck works, so I can listen to what I want through the car's audio system. What I currently use is a BT speaker on the middle rear seat "slot", does the job for me.

[circuit.heart]

Yeah, I'm planning on using a cassette to 3.5mm jack thing when the tape deck works, so I can listen to what I want through the car's audio system. What I currently use is a BT speaker on the middle rear seat "slot", does the job for me.

Those 3.5mm cassette adapters tend to sound bad unless you either don't care or have some magic product I really need to know about. If the headunit accepts Aux In I would plug that in instead, and leave the pigtail somewhere hidden like the ashtray.

[Pink120]

Those 3.5mm cassette adapters tend to sound bad unless you either don't care or have some magic product I really need to know about. If the headunit accepts Aux In I would plug that in instead, and leave the pigtail somewhere hidden like the ashtray.

I guess I'm used to not really having good audio quality in cars ahahah no magic product here. I don't think it takes Aux In... Anyway, I'm not too fussed with all that.