As I have stated earlier-go to YouTube. There have to be hundreds of vids on that exact job. And it is a good one for you to start learning how to work on these cars. A little tip-take lot's of pictures from different angles as you dismantle the covers. It is time consuming, and your first time will easily be 4-6 hours, so plan accordingly. I would suggest FCP Euro for parts. And don't cheap out. The inferior gaskets will start leaking due to quality or fit right away and you will be doing it over again very soon.
I have a bad feeling about this. There’s a reason they r called Bavarian Money Wasters…
Get a 2nd car so you can take your time n learn. Visiting the shop all the time will empty your wallet quick. If you’re not swimming in money that is.
Last edited by kallekula; 01-18-2023 at 10:52 PM.
i have my parts to try and do the valve cover gaskets tomorrow. What do you guys suggest i do about painting the covers? I hate the yellow bubbly look, i understand that itll eventually go back to this point even if i paint them.
Leave them to a shop that sandblast them clean. Don’t bother doing the inside if it’s not totally yucky. Be careful though, they’re Magnesium and quite soft. Did mine almost 4 years ago and they still look good. I used VHT wrinkle spray. Gotta be the right temperature for it to become wrinkly enough. Seen people use hairdryers to raise the temp. Just tell the shop to be careful since they’re made out of Magnesium and is quite soft like I already mentioned. Good luck!
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406F725E-727C-457A-9E63-254EE71EB68D.jpg
oh and a tip, put quarters covering the areas where the bolts go so you dont get paint there. Might cause leaks otherwise, not sure.
Last edited by kallekula; 01-21-2023 at 06:14 PM.
do it yourself and save yourself lots of grief over a simple job that if done poorly will bite you in the butt.
look up top of the page for the DIY links
http://www.bimmerboard.com/members/a...eplacement.pdf
https://video.search.yahoo.com/searc...05G0&fr=mcafee
Image below are the cam covers powered coated using crinkle finish color
Last edited by StephenVA; 01-22-2023 at 04:57 PM.
Current Garage Highlights
2003 525iT TiSilver
2002 M5 TiSilver
1998 528i KASCHMIRBEIGE METALLIC (301) (Goldie)
Former Garage Highlights
2005 X5 4.8is
2004 325iTs (2x)
1973 Pantera L
1971 Dodge Dart Swinger "Lite Package"
1970 Dodge Challenger T/A 340 Six Pack Alpine White
1970 Dodge Challenger T/A 340 Six Pack GoManGo Green
1969 Road Runner 383
1968 Barracuda Formula S 340 Sea Foam Green
Do it yourself: Clean up the valve covers thoroughly with engine cleaner degreaser. Do NOT sandblast them.
And don’t paint them either; they are well covered by the outer engine covers, so who would notice the new painting anyway…
It was $30 to get them blasted. Worth the hassle to me any day. It was hot as f during that time of year too. I had a hard time finding someone that would powder coat magnesium so I sprayed em myself. Came out good and not a flake gone yet.
EDIT: magnesium gets discolored quick if not painted and that would have looked as $hit if I hadn’t painted them.
Last edited by kallekula; 01-23-2023 at 10:40 PM.
Hey Everyone thanks for all of the help it was a success. Big thanks to haolibird for talking me through the process.
Im trying to post pictures but I cant figure out how to post on a forum for the life of me
Wraffel,
Nice work.
Your car is stunning!
It's a Keeper, and worth the time and $$$ invested.
To quote Fred the Mechanic: "Most jobs are easy. Some just take longer that others..."
Start your list of items that need to be fixed, and prioritize them.
Some will be urgent, others not so much.
I'm sure some folks would have an opinion on the list.
I gotta say, this kid has some grit.
Talking him thru on one occasion, it was 30 degrees, but "...it's not snowing or nothing, so I'll keep at it..."
No garage, working in the elements, making it happen.
Anybody from Cali would have waited until Spring.
Wraff, ur a Badd A$$.
Hb
I am new here , so trying to get aquanted .
I have the same car in Sterling Gray , gray interior .
Has 88k miles , sat for 7 years .
My first repair was the alternator , and a new battery .
I had read this was expensive , but having 50 years experience wrenching , i figured i could do it .
First time , took me about 1 hour or so , as i was concerned with all of the plastic parts .
The alternator failed an hour later .
Bosch alternator with 3 year warranty, had a replacement tbe next day .
Second time took me 45 minutes .
Ill post pictures when i am able .Attachment 712454
- - - Updated - - -
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5 % tint on side and rear glass , 35 on winshield .
Last edited by Ashleyroachclip; 01-28-2023 at 11:15 AM.
Ashley,
Did your car come with that "Road rage" option for the front seat?
Or was that a parting gift on "Let's make a dope deal"?
I shoulda taken the Reds.
B. Bitchen
My .02
Replace the timing chain tensioner.
According to Timm in the 8 series forum (he has the same M62 in his 8), his view is everyone is overly concerned with the timing chain guides but they can last well over 200k miles if regular oil changes and tensioner is changed. I changed mine when I first got the car with 70k and just did it again now with 105k. Its an easy job.
'91 850i 6sp CB42360
'00 528iA sold
'01 740iA Msport sold
'01 540iA sold
'03 540iA M-sport II with e46 m3 SMG style steering wheel with working paddle shifters, ISC N1 coilover front, Bilstein B8/Eibach sport rear, 19" Avant Garde Anthracite M359, Hella euro spec headlights, M5 aftermarket (Umnitza) foldable mirrors (painted body color), M60 IM (custom painted body color 354), powder coated valve covers (@Finish Logic; Concord,CA), Dynavin N7, Bavsound speakers, Cerwin-Vega sub (in spare wheel hub), soundproofed doors, trunk, under rear seat, wheel wells
Take a guess , pray you are on good grounds with god ...
Bad neighborhood.
Mine lasted 210k, don't loose lots of sleep over it until you find chunks
Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk
IMHO, anything over 150k miles on an M62xx is gambling where the TC guides are concerned.
Considering that you can bend valves as a result of a failure, why risk it?
If you have a 540 and you want to keep it, it's just part of the plan.
Kinda like cooling systems...
I am planning on changing the tensioner.
I have a new concern of a light tick coming from the engine bay. Im thinking maybe its the spark plugs because they had oil in them from the vcg. I have new spark plugs coming but I got a friends opinion on the sound and he thinks it might be an exhaust leak coming from driver side footwell. I watched a video of a guy who had an exhaust leak through his header gasket and gave a very similar description to what im experiencing (he didnt add a video of his noise just a description)Has anyone had this problem/ know how i could go about diagnosing this ?
Also wondering what my options are for fixing my pixels in my cluster and radio. Looks like its pretty challenging to diy. Are there any reputable people I could send them to for repair?
With all due respect, I don't think it is a good idea, nor prudent to "wait till you see chunks". Preventative goes a long way. He has no idea how the car has been really taken care of and with the miles, and more importantly time, to do the guide job would go a long way to having the car be reliable.
At his mileage? 73k?
At 73k the guides are fine. I don't want people to spread the gloom and doom that the guides are going to spontaneously explode. People love to perpetuate that around here.
Don't loose sleep over that, I didn't loose sleep until 180k, when I started hearing noise on startup and a little clatter at idle. Lasted until 210k when I decided to swap them before moving. They were heavily worn but not broken.
I can guarantee that I put mine through more stuff then 90% of all e39 owners and the timing chain guides lasted me 200k.
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Got in the car to a trans failsafe prog today.
You had mentioned the car before you bought it recently had a parasitic battery drain issue, that can quickly kill a battery for good if it wasn't replaced and sat dead for a few days. It's winter so it's cold outside further making a weak battery worse.
Oftentimes this is caused by a weak battery, that's not always the case but is sometimes. Make sure the battery isn't super old, isn't corroded on the connectors, and has good voltage.
You will quickly learn that these cars are VERY particular about batteries and do not handle failing batteries well at all.
Is it raining where you are or was it raining? Did the car get wet? Sometimes the electrical connectors for the transmission get water in them and cause this issue.
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Last edited by seagreen323i; 02-01-2023 at 02:34 PM.
Probably water in those connections, pop it off and check for evidence of water/corrosion
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