Another daily driver thread: E34 525i

[P_Roloff]

straight6pwr said:

+1,000.  done my share of bmw wheel refinishing, i've thrown in the towel. they are a damn fine wheel, though.

+1

the cost for plating didnt seem worth it in the end. the bolts are titanium and don't corrode, so the plating is only aesthetic. unfinished and stripped of their original finish, the bolts turn to a dark gray color. polish/clear them for a shiny look or paint/clear to your desired color. you can chuck each bolt in a drill and spin polish them as an alternative to a bench grinder.

a good long soak in vinegar strips the zinc plating and locktite from the bolts/nuts, if you dont have access to a tumbler.

i also did not clear the lips of the style 5s, but that turned out to be a pain in the ass. you have to re-polish them every now and again to keep the shine. if you have time to clean the wheel religiously, it may not be so bad.  i ended up selling my style 5s because I was annoyed with the extra maintenance involved.

Interesting, I was under the impression that the bolts on the rc 090’s are steel and that rust is a concern on them. I’ll definitely use the vinegar trick, sounds nice and easy.

I think I’m okay with the extra maintenance, these will be purely summer wheels so salt and really bad road grime won’t be a concern. I can handle polishing them every few weeks, and I guess if I find out that I can’t, I can always sell them on and get something else. I also think I might experiment with some products for semi wheels to see if there’s anything that will extend the maintenance interval.

[straight6pwr]

P_Roloff said:

Interesting, I was under the impression that the bolts on the rc 090’s are steel and that rust is a concern on them. I’ll definitely use the vinegar trick, sounds nice and easy.

I think I’m okay with the extra maintenance, these will be purely summer wheels so salt and really bad road grime won’t be a concern. I can handle polishing them every few weeks, and I guess if I find out that I can’t, I can always sell them on and get something else. I also think I might experiment with some products for semi wheels to see if there’s anything that will extend the maintenance interval.

maybe it was the style 42 bolts. my bad!

[gilber33]

P_Roloff said:

Interesting, I was under the impression that the bolts on the rc 090’s are steel and that rust is a concern on them. I’ll definitely use the vinegar trick, sounds nice and easy.

They are! I found out the hard way by not clear coating the ones on my last set. Sold them to Tom's brother who put them on his 5-series and they rusted. Felt like a total dickhead.

[Rekpoint]

Before removing the bolts make sure to heat them. The guy who bought my style 42s told me that almost every one snapped, even with heat.

[P_Roloff]

wasnt m3 said:

If I were you, I'd spin the wheels just to make sure that they are true. Pretty soft wheels from my experience. I'd hate to see you spend a ton of effort on wheels that aren't round. That said, I'd never polish a set of those lips ever again.

Definitely will do this, they look straight but you never really can tell through visual inspection. 

Rekpoint said:

Before removing the bolts make sure to heat them. The guy who bought my style 42s told me that almost every one snapped, even with heat.

I'll probably start with PB Blaster or something similar first, I'd really rather not put heat into the wheels themselves if i can help it. Likely wouldn't measurably change anything, but I'd rather not play with the material properties of the wheel.

Now that I think about it, I might cut a sample off of the barrel and run a few little tests to see if heating with a torch has any effect on hardness, I could probably get access to the machines at school if I wanted to. Might be interesting to see what happens, if that short amount of time is enough to change anything.

[need4speed1299]

I never snapped any either. No heat or pb blaster. I zipped them off with a half inch impact and ground down an air chisel bit to this shape.

_/\_

[Rekpoint]

P_Roloff said:

Definitely will do this, they look straight but you never really can tell through visual inspection. 

I'll probably start with PB Blaster or something similar first, I'd really rather not put heat into the wheels themselves if i can help it. Likely wouldn't measurably change anything, but I'd rather not play with the material properties of the wheel.

Now that I think about it, I might cut a sample off of the barrel and run a few little tests to see if heating with a torch has any effect on hardness, I could probably get access to the machines at school if I wanted to. Might be interesting to see what happens, if that short amount of time is enough to change anything.

The style 42s I had were also heavily oxidized and corroded. That might play a difference. But its better to be safe than sorry.

[Jdesign]

I never broke any either. I used a solid chunk of ABS and an air chisel to remove them. I cut the ABS into a curve and it allowed me to zap out about 3 at a time.

[P_Roloff]

Update for personal reference:

Oil change, 76,806 miles with Castrol Edge 5w-40 full synthetic. Note to self to buy Bosch or Mann filter from FCP euro next time instead being stuck with the Oreilly’s Wix filter. Replaced reverse light switch while it was in the air, and replaced hood & trunk shocks within the last week. Broken headlight adjusters will be replaced soon and headlights will finally be aimed correctly.

[B C]

Does this M50 have VANOS?

I may be making stuff up but for whatever reason I thought the E34 never got the M50TU

[P_Roloff]

B C said:

Does this M50 have VANOS?

I may be making stuff up but for whatever reason I thought the E34 never got the M50TU

It does indeed, Vanos be kickin in all the time yo

I believe that 1993 was the changeover year from NV to Vanos. I should really replace the seals at some point this summer now that you mention this.

[B C]

I have a couple of the vanos tools that I dont need anymore in case you or anyone needs them, just not the cam timing blocks. It’s a fun little project

[YoungCR]

P_Roloff said:

Note to self to buy Bosch or Mann filter from FCP euro next time instead being stuck with the Oreilly’s Wix filter. 

Farm & Fleet May have the Bosch filter locally, no lifetime warranty though.

[B C]

Why no Wix?

[P_Roloff]

B C said:

I have a couple of the vanos tools that I dont need anymore in case you or anyone needs them, just not the cam timing blocks. It’s a fun little project

I’ll keep that in mind, sourcing the timing blocks is the biggest thing stopping me right now. Would you say it’s doable in a weekend?

I guess there’s no real reason to not use the Wix, but I’d personally prefer to use an OEM supplier like Bosch or Mann given the choice. Just a personal preference thing.

[B C]

Yes, easy weekend job. Better yet, buy a used VANOS assy, do all the anti-rattle, and seal replacement beforehand and the job will be better for a quick turnaround

http://beisansystems.com/procedures/vanos_single_procedure.htm

[KaiserRolls]

what issue are you having sourcing the blocks?

[m42b32]

I have a set of timing tools if you want to borrow them at some point.

[P_Roloff]

KaiserRolls said:

what issue are you having sourcing the blocks? 

That was poorly worded. I don’t own a set and am balking at paying the $100 for them to use once. I’ll do it if I have to, but I’d rather borrow a set. 
 

m42b32 said:

I have a set of timing tools if you want to borrow them at some point. 

I’ll have to take you up on that, thank you!

[KaiserRolls]

Makes sense, I thought you couldn’t find them online lol.