The Boston Dangler
Lifer
- Mar 10, 2005
- 14,647
- 2
- 0
Maintenance on the BMW is actually not terrible for me. A nearby friend has the identical 540i and all necessary tools and knowledge to work on it. We often work on our cars together. So the BMW isn't as bad of a money sink as people initially may assume. Instead it is can be a huge time sink.
Need moar pics of the BMW. Engine, interior would be nice. Never see any 540s in my neck of the woods.
IntoxicatedPuma
Member
- Apr 21, 2012
- 125
- 0
- 76
nerp
Diamond Member
- Dec 31, 2005
- 9,865
- 105
- 106
So basically, buy the BMW, but buy one for your nearby friend and hook him up with all the tools, and then the BMW is affordable.
So basically, buy the BMW, but buy one for your nearby friend and hook him up with all the tools, and then the BMW is affordable.
Thankfully he bought the BMW and tools himself
Jaguar is gone! Found a guy locally whose wife has always wanted a Jag so he is surprising her with it. Got 7000 for it, which considering blue book is around ~7250 and gas prices are pushing $4.70 where I live I'm glad I got 7 for it. Definitely going to miss it.
manimal
Lifer
- Mar 30, 2007
- 13,559
- 8
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Throckmorton
Lifer
- Aug 23, 2007
- 16,829
- 3
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I was reading about the Jaguar suspension. I can't believe it uses the axleshaft as a suspension member. Those would have to be some seriously beefy U joints and bearings.
Spent the afternoon rekindling my love for my BMW by cleaning it. Some people asked for pics, so here it is all shiny and clean. In about 30 seconds it will be dirty again.. stupid black. Posting this reminded me I need to move it away from the lawn so it doesn't get sprayed by the sprinklers tonight.
Current theory on rough cold idle is intake manifold gaskets. Parts are getting ordered and my buddy and I are going to be taking it apart and be redoing those next weekend. Along with spark plugs and other things.
Current theory on rough cold idle is intake manifold gaskets. Parts are getting ordered and my buddy and I are going to be taking it apart and be redoing those next weekend. Along with spark plugs and other things.
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I love the E34 bmw and the 540 is no slouch you made the correct call. I had a 92 i 525i chassis to far gone to save but was fun for a while 5 speed also
Maintenance done on the BMW today:
Intake manifold gaskets, new water pump and gaskets, new valley pan and gasket, and new plugs.
Also got the intake manifold sonic tank cleaned since there was a ton of sludge in it.
My injectors are pretty nasty as well, new ones are en-route to take my car up to 19lb and also get a better spray pattern.
With the new manifold gaskets and such, the car idles beautifully (cold idle problem is completely gone), power feels up slightly and mpg improved. OBC says I averaged 28 mpg at 70 mph. Before the gaskets replacements I was getting around 24-25 mpg.
It was a long day, took about 10 hours of work to accomplish. Granted, we aren't the best mechanics in the world. Glad my friend and I were able to manage it. I would not want to pay any shop an hourly rate to replace a valley pan, that sucker is deep in there.
When is all said and done, I'm out $600 for this maintenance (250 of that is payment for my friend's help). I imagine a shop could do it faster, but the labor cost would be $$$.
I am satisfied and learned a lot today about working on my car.
Future:
Valve cover gaskets leak slightly. Not a huge deal yet.
Injectors (mentioned above)
Suspension stuff.
Intake manifold gaskets, new water pump and gaskets, new valley pan and gasket, and new plugs.
Also got the intake manifold sonic tank cleaned since there was a ton of sludge in it.
My injectors are pretty nasty as well, new ones are en-route to take my car up to 19lb and also get a better spray pattern.
With the new manifold gaskets and such, the car idles beautifully (cold idle problem is completely gone), power feels up slightly and mpg improved. OBC says I averaged 28 mpg at 70 mph. Before the gaskets replacements I was getting around 24-25 mpg.
It was a long day, took about 10 hours of work to accomplish. Granted, we aren't the best mechanics in the world. Glad my friend and I were able to manage it. I would not want to pay any shop an hourly rate to replace a valley pan, that sucker is deep in there.
When is all said and done, I'm out $600 for this maintenance (250 of that is payment for my friend's help). I imagine a shop could do it faster, but the labor cost would be $$$.
I am satisfied and learned a lot today about working on my car.
Future:
Valve cover gaskets leak slightly. Not a huge deal yet.
Injectors (mentioned above)
Suspension stuff.
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The coolant system is actually pretty new in this card. Radiator and the bigger hoses are about 5 years old. Main water pump was done yesterday and auxiliary water pump was done a year ago. The expansion tank is original however.
Cool trick that my buddy showed me for filling the coolant loop on this car. The auxiliary water pump will run when you turn the heater on, even when the car is off. It is not belt driven like the primary pump. This allows you to fill the loop quite well with the engine off.
Also the 540 engine takes like 12 liters of coolant
I do have mad love for this car
Cool trick that my buddy showed me for filling the coolant loop on this car. The auxiliary water pump will run when you turn the heater on, even when the car is off. It is not belt driven like the primary pump. This allows you to fill the loop quite well with the engine off.
Also the 540 engine takes like 12 liters of coolant
I do have mad love for this car
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BMW living on in SF, don't miss the Jag at all. No problems to report yet. Snapped a cool photo of it after I drove down Vermont street this afternoon:
Do they let you park with the wheels pointed straight on that street? Won't you be ticketed??
Nice car and nice picture!!
Nice car and nice picture!!
It was there all of 30 seconds. I had wanted a picture like that of my car since I moved to SF. So when I found a steep hill with no cars parked on it, I went for it. I definitely wouldn't leave it there for very long. Parking brake + car in gear, it wasn't going anywhere.
I would get rid of both.
Jag will eat your wallet alive and BMW will make your wallet hate you.
But that 540i is a classic, love that body style (SO much better than current BMW melted plastic/over the top designs).
Jag will eat your wallet alive and BMW will make your wallet hate you.
But that 540i is a classic, love that body style (SO much better than current BMW melted plastic/over the top designs).
Bluebook puts it around 4-4.5k. It would be a hard sell since it is an old car. It is somewhat rare configuration, so BMW nuts seem to find it interesting. It has low mileage for its age, and a 6 speed manual with the 4.0 liter V8. Not a whole lot of E34s with that configuration (about a 1000 in the US)
The Jag is already gone, this is an old thread I bumped with my silly hill picture.
The classic look of the E34 is exactly why I'm keeping it. I also just love the way it drives and sounds. The M60B40 engine has a really unique sound to it, and paired with the new injectors the engine feels more responsive than it did before.
Also living in SF, I drive maybe once a week. If I drove a lot it would make sense to replace it since it gets awful mileage around the city and being a stick shift it can be "exciting" to park. But since I put maybe 100 miles a month on the car now, I can't cost justify replacing it and I'm okay with that
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ohh I see
My best advice is, ALWAYS have a good/reliable DAILY.
keep the nice car for those special days/weekends.
My best advice is, ALWAYS have a good/reliable DAILY.
keep the nice car for those special days/weekends.
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