Another daily driver thread: E34 525i

[P_Roloff]

straight6pwr said:

FYI adjusting some of the slop from the steering box is doable in a 6cyl e34. there are how tos online.  you should be able to remove some of the dead-on-center feel. 

I’ve tried once, it improved it slightly but didn’t completely remove the slop, which sounds about par for the course. It’s still on the original steering components, so I’m hoping that replacing those helps it some.

104,870

Oil change with Mobil 10w-40, fresh NGK BKR6EK plugs as well. Noted oil in 4/6 spark plug wells, only one had any real accumulation though. Valve cover was already noted as leaking around the outer edge, so that’ll get replaced soon. I also need to replace the giubo, it’s starting to get some good cracks. Trans has a few leaks, and the diff output seals are also weeping, I plan to take care of all the seals this spring once the e30 is back on the road. Sunroof seal also needs replacement, it’s sealing but allowing movement/rattle and the general consensus online is that the gasket causes that when worn. I’ll also inspect the mechanism for wear when it’s not so damn cold. Door lock actuator in passenger rear door also needs replacing, part is on hand and just needs install.

I realized I haven’t updated this in awhile, I had to replace the alternator again after about a year and a half (oreilly special, thank god for the warranty), bearings were already semi-roached and the brushes were shot. I replaced the battery at the same time, it was pretty old and the peace of mind is nice knowing I’ll be less likely to get stranded this winter. Also had a fiasco with a door not latching in the cold, but some lube seems to have fixed that. Otherwise, pretty uneventful running lately. It definitely doesn’t enjoy sub-zero running/starting though.

Otherwise, I mounted a set of Continental VikingContact 7’s for the winter, really enjoying them. Not loud, great snow traction, and they seem to be wearing pretty well. I got the set for $350 shipped from tire rack (with rebate) so pretty hard to beat if anyone is looking for good budget snows.

I didn’t notice anything really out of the ordinary on the plugs, but I’ll post images here when I get home. If any of you see anything concerning, let me know.

[straight6pwr]

P_Roloff said:

Also had a fiasco with a door not latching in the cold, but some lube seems to have fixed that.

more than once I drove the e34 with a bungie from the drivers door pull, across my lap, hooked to the ebrake. these were like freezing rain/car wash in the winter scenarios. 

someone has probably mentioned it, but i wouldnt recommend trying to open the windows in freezing conditions either, unless totally necessary. the door regulator motor is so strong it can rip the regulator right off the bottom of the window

[P_Roloff]

straight6pwr said:

more than once I drove the e34 with a bungie from the drivers door pull, across my lap, hooked to the ebrake. these were like freezing rain/car wash in the winter scenarios. 

someone has probably mentioned it, but i wouldnt recommend trying to open the windows in freezing conditions either, unless totally necessary. the door regulator motor is so strong it can rip the regulator right off the bottom of the window

Score one for not really washing it in the winter then.

Yup, pretty much everyone I’ve ever met who’s owned an e34 has said that, but I do appreciate us all looking out for one another haha. My drivers side front window reg and rails are new, so that’s the only one I’ll open from November to April. The rest, you’ll get a swift smack to your wrist if you try to open them. To be fair, the drivers rear doesn’t work anyways. Always gotta put the really drunk ones on the passenger side.

[P_Roloff]

110,657

Oil change and filter, just received all the VANOS rebuilt parts, valve cover gasket and a few other odds and ends so I can take care of a few leaks and the VANOS system all at once. I have a full set of coils and rear brake parts also on order to go in as soon as they get here. Planning for a trip to Voyageurs NP at the end of the month and need to make sure everything is all sorted for that.

In other news, the M-Systems are in the process of being refinished, they’re at the polishers getting the lips polished out then I’ll paint the centers in the stock black. Already have a set of Michelin Pilot A/S3+’s to go on. Can’t wait!

[Jdesign]

P_Roloff said:

In other news, the M-Systems are in the process of being refinished, they’re at the polishers getting the lips polished out then I’ll paint the centers in the stock black. Already have a set of Michelin Pilot A/S3+’s to go on. Can’t wait!

[P_Roloff]

Jdesign said:

I can’t wait to see them done. Of course, their polisher has been out for a month for eye surgery (safety squints not cutting it maybe?) so this is just waiting in limbo for them to finish. Ugh.

[P_Roloff]

110,657

Oil change and filter, just received all the VANOS rebuilt parts, valve cover gasket and a few other odds and ends so I can take care of a few leaks and the VANOS system all at once. Replaced all 6 coils with Bremi units and solved an idle misfire/stumble when pulling away from lights.

Planned on replacing rear brakes due to the “low brake pad squeal” noise starting and had all the parts necessary in hand, but pulled the rear wheels and had decent pad left. Probably going to take care of them later this summer when I have more time. New giubo is also in hand, the old one is a bit cracked and provides a good excuse to replace the shift shaft and input shaft seals on the transmission as well. Also going to be a “when I get to it” project, probably slated for this fall.

112,8xx

Took a ~800 mile round trip to the boundary waters over Memorial Day weekend, not a single hiccup and averaged something like 23-24mpg even with a big ass canoe on the roof the whole way. Had awesome weather, great fishing, and an overall good time. Got to bomb a total of around 40 miles of forest roads to and from the entry point too, which was a riot.

In other news, I finally picked up the M-Systems! Not overjoyed with how they turned out and I think I’m going to polish them out further myself, but the bulk of the work is done. The shop that did it was unable to get into the sharp corners of the lips to fully polish them out, and also managed to round over the corners of the valve stem openings so probably wouldn’t go back, but after the 2 months that I waited I was just happy to have them back.

Pics:

[P_Roloff]

116,4xx: 

Oil change and filter, used the oreilly’s house brand full synthetic because they had nothing else in 10w-40 and I figured that’d be better than running something lighter weight from Castrol or Mobil.

Replaced the two front tires with used takeoffs as a stopgap for when the 17’a go on, I’ve had approximately zero free time in the last month so that project has stalled. The fronts were down to the wear bars, rears are still okay for a little while, so just wanted to buy myself a few weeks before I can hopefully get the true summer set finished up. 
 

In other news, I bought another car! It’s crusty, non-running, and has more damage than I originally thought, but I paid less than $1k for it (and it’s a NC car, so really no rust underneath) so I figured that at worst it’ll get parted, and at best I’ll have a fun beater to use to keep miles off of the e34. 

Stats: 1988 535is, salmon silver over blue with a 5spd. All of the “is” specific parts are gone with the exception of the LSD. The only remaining seat part is the rear seat bottom, but I have a spare set of e30 sport fronts that I’ll be tossing in once I make some adapters. 
 

It appears to have been set up for track/DE work before it took the hit, it’s rocking bilstein sports all the way around with what I believe are racing dynamics lowering springs. I noted some new suspension bits like dogbones in my inspection of the car as well, so it appears to have been already at least partially gone through. Brake is still firm, and it has braided lines throughout. Interior is partially gutted, with no door cards or carpet and an electrical cutoff in the rear seat bulkhead. Overall, not bad for a car that’s been sitting for at least 5 years. 
 

Current plan is to try to get it running, then evaluate my costs and options from there once I can suss out the rest of the systems in the car. If anyone has e28 fenders, grilles and high beams/headlight assemblies they’d be willing to part with, I’m interested and on the lookout. 
 

I also picked up a set of 17x8.5 MOMO heritage 6’s the other day off their site, they’re holding a buy two-get two sale thru early September and I couldn’t resist. Hoping they show up quickly, at which point they’ll be installed on the e34 with some Pilot Sport A/S 3+’s. 

[YoungCR]

Congrats! I got plenty of grills and headlights. condition isn’t great but I have a full blue interior.

[P_Roloff]

YoungCR said:

Congrats! I got plenty of grills and headlights. condition isn’t great but I have a full blue interior.

Awesome, great to know. Provided it runs, I’ll take a headlight set and grille set. I’ll kill over the interior, I can’t decide if I want to just replace the rear seat so I can put people back there in a pinch, or if I want to go all out and put door cards and some of the other things back in. The old rear seat looks solid but has a few spots of mold at the bottom edges on the side, anyone have tips for removing that to try and save it? I’m thinking I’ll steam clean or just soap and water scrub the rest of the interior, it honestly doesn’t look bad but I want to make sure I get rid of any mold, mildew or mouse turds that are still lurking. 
 

Diagnosis process I’m thinking is something like this: Put a battery in and check if the fuel pumps are running, and then make sure it’ll turn over (disconnect fuel pump relay and just bump the starter), drain fuel tank and put some fresh stuff in there, and replace fuel filter. Drain and refill oil with the cheapest crap I can find just to have fresh stuff again. Crank without fuel pump to circulate oil. 
 

Check CPS to make sure the wire isn’t just cut or something. Make sure all other obvious things are plugged in and appear to be functional. Give er a crank and see what happens. If no start, check for spark and pull plugs. 
 

I’m taking a vacation next week so I probably won’t get to it for another two weekends, but I’m excited t get the old thing revived!

[m42b32]

That's awesome!! Congrats on the pickup!

Also, what site did you order the heritage 6's from, directly from MOMO? I've always really liked the look of those. 

Edit: Found it! I'd have some on the way if they did a 16. I'm thinking these might still look good in 17 on the e30... hmmm

[P_Roloff]

m42b32 said:

That's awesome!! Congrats on the pickup!

Also, what site did you order the heritage 6's from, directly from MOMO? I've always really liked the look of those. 

Edit: Found it! I'd have some on the way if they did a 16. I'm thinking these might still look good in 17 on the e30... hmmm

Thanks! Long term, I’ve always wanted to try to drug that is boost, maybe this’ll be my muse…

Do it! I think they’d look great! A bit heavy if I’m being honest, but they’re going to be pure street wheels for me and I think they’ll do that job quite nicely.

[P_Roloff]

118,9xx: First time stranded!

Clutch pedal went to the floor leaving my neighborhood this morning, it’ll be on its way to the shop tonight. Luckily, I was close enough to walk home but definitely an inconvenience. Hoping it’s just a slave cylinder and it can be back on the road quickly, I have no time to look at it or fix it (or the e30 or e28 to drive in the meantime, I should really get on those). 
 

Oh well, not bad for ~60k miles of ownership so far to have this be the biggest inconvenience with it so far. VANOS is starting to rattle in addition to torque loss down low, so that along with brakes front and rear are on the docket for this fall once time becomes available. Really need to catch up on maintenance with this one. 

[YoungCR]

Original clutch? I’d be prepared to have them replace it, it’s at that mileage now. When the clutch went out on my 530i it would just go straight to the floor too and it really didn’t feel like it was going out before that.

[P_Roloff]

YoungCR said:

Original clutch? I’d be prepared to have them replace it, it’s at that mileage now. When the clutch went out on my 530i it would just go straight to the floor too and it really didn’t feel like it was going out before that. 

Yep, original clutch. That’s the plan if they have to pull anything at all, it still grabbed well but I could tell it was getting to the very end of the clutch range it felt like. 
 

Honestly wouldn’t be that upset, I have a whole pile of parts for them to replace if they do the clutch so it wouldn’t be that bad of a thing to happen. And then it’d be done and good to go for another 100k+!

[P_Roloff]

Got the car back Thursday, the culprit ended up being the clutch master and not the slave (though they replaced the slave first) to the tune of around $900 all in with a wheel balance. Sheesh. They also charged $300 and some change for the system bleed so not really sure what that’s about, everything else seemed reasonable as far as labor and parts. 
 

Anywho, got eh car back and everything with the clutch is fine, but my door no longer shuts well (feels like it’s bent upwards at the hinge, and that it gets forced back down to the correct position once it hits the latch) and the wheel balance is far worse than before, with some pretty violent shaking sometimes above 55-60mph. The wheels and tires were balanced very recently but had a slight vibration that I thought they could maybe fix, it was definitely made worse with their work. Had no issues with the old set of wheels so I’m thinking that it’s wheel/tire related and not mechanical, although it could be the larger and heavier wheel/tire exacerbating a worn part. All control arms and sway links in the front are around 30k old, tie rods and other steering bits are originally but felt fine last time I had it up in the air. Any thoughts from the e34 hive mind? From what I have read these cars are particularly prone to vibration from a multitude of sources.

[patsbimmer1]

Is the center bore on the wheel the same as the stock e34?  If not, buy a set of hub rings.

[P_Roloff]

patsbimmer1 said:

Is the center bore on the wheel the same as the stock e34?  If not, buy a set of hub rings.

Haven’t checked with a caliper, but it should be. Ordered the standard fitment 72.56mm centerbore when I purchased, and they fit tightly when installed a few weeks ago. 
 

I had the car flat bedded into the shop, I wonder if the tow driver strapped over a control arm and bent it? Or a tie rod? Anything think that would be enough to cause a vibration like this?

[patsbimmer1]

P_Roloff said:

Haven’t checked with a caliper, but it should be. Ordered the standard fitment 72.56mm centerbore when I purchased, and they fit tightly when installed a few weeks ago. 
 

I had the car flat bedded into the shop, I wonder if the tow driver strapped over a control arm and bent it? Or a tie rod? Anything think that would be enough to cause a vibration like this?

Is the shaking at all speeds?  If it's most prevalent in the 55-60 mph range that sounds like a wheel/tire issue.  When they balanced them did they road force them?  There are imbalances that can be fixed using a road force balance then re-orientating the tire on the wheel.  If you had a bent control arm/tie rod or most other suspension components you're gonna get a crooked steering wheel or a pull when you loosen your grip on the wheel.  Those components directly impact your alignment so there would be another drivability symptom.

[P_Roloff]

patsbimmer1 said:

Is the shaking at all speeds?  If it's most prevalent in the 55-60 mph range that sounds like a wheel/tire issue.  When they balanced them did they road force them?  There are imbalances that can be fixed using a road force balance then re-orientating the tire on the wheel.  If you had a bent control arm/tie rod or most other suspension components you're gonna get a crooked steering wheel or a pull when you loosen your grip on the wheel.  Those components directly impact your alignment so there would be another drivability symptom.

Nope, really just 55+ and gets more severe above 62 or so (indicated). At 45-50 and below it’s buttery smooth, I actually didn’t even notice until the day after I got it back because I never broke 50 on the way home. 
 

I’m sure they didn’t road force them, I’m guessing they don’t have the capability but I know of a few shops around that can. I just find it odd that it’s worse than when I took it in, and noticeably so. They mentioned adding a half ounce or so of weight to a few of the wheels but their general vibe was that they were pretty close so I’m a little leery of that being the cause. I wouldn’t think that much weight would make this significant of a difference, but you never know. 
 

No noticeable pull that I could feel, although e34’s tracking straight ahead is kind of a crapshoot with the box anyways. Steering wheel is definitely off center, and while it wasn’t perfect before it seems like it’s more significant then before. I might swap my old (known good) wheel set back on to see if that solves the issue, and if it doesn’t it’s going straight back to them to figure out what’s up.