Another daily driver thread: E34 525i

[P_Roloff]

Old car stuff strikes again: 127,700

Things that have cropped up in the last few months:

- Drivers rear door lock actuator completely stopped working. Replaced with a used unit this fall that I had sitting around and that fixed it for awhile, but it’s now completely dead. Probably going to have to yank the whole door panel off which really sucks.

- Wiper arm linkage bushings are borked. Rattles like a maraca over bumps especially under braking. I ordered a bushing set from a guy in Germany and they’ll arrive shortly, at which point I need to steel myself enough to tear out the linkage, blower motor assembly, etc. 

 
- Odd thunk (almost sounds like metal sheet flexing and releasing?) becoming more apparent and common. Happens on large rear end motions (bumps, driveways, worse when heavily loaded). Going to get under it next time I change oil to see if anything obvious is amiss.

- Trans is annoyingly stiff when cold, doesn’t love going into gear until warm, and still isn’t as good as it used to be. Wondering if the shop didn’t completely get all the air out when they did master and slave in the summer. 

- Rough idle on cold start, likely the VANOS actuator. Poor low end power as well so I just need to get the spare actuator I have finished up and installed. 

- Sunroof is rattling slightly. Not bad, but annoying enough. I’ve heard replacing the seal usually solves it, so I’ll pull it in the spring, check the clips and plastic bits and replace the seal. 
 

The joys of old cars! I’ve been so busy that it’s hard to fix stuff immediately and it’s deciding to be a pain all at once apparently. Planning to address a lot of it within the next few weeks hopefully and the rest will be addressed once it’s a bit warmer.

[P_Roloff]

127,930

Oil change, Castrol 5W-40 Euro full synthetic. Didn’t realize this stuff is BMW LL01 certified, which is cool. $35 a jug at the local O’Reillys, which is more than palatable considering it’s an old beater and you could probably fill a M50 with canola oil and be fine. But hey, never hurts to use the nice stuff. 
 

Ordered a (replacement) replacement VANOS seal from Beisan, once that comes in and gets installed in the new VANOS unit I’ll tackle the valve cover gasket. I don’t want to talk about how long the parts for that have been sitting on the shelf

I always forget how this thing is just a Bavarian snowmobile when it gets slippery out there, solid traction and more fun than a barrel of monkeys. Further confirmation that FWD is not for me.

[YoungCR]

P_Roloff said:

Oil change, Castrol 5W-40 Euro full synthetic. Didn’t realize this stuff is BMW LL01 certified

It's probably mentioned in the owners manual but "BMW recommends Castrol" was a thing forever! If I remember right E39/E46 oil caps even have the Castrol logo on them.

[P_Roloff]

YoungCR said:

It's probably mentioned in the owners manual but "BMW recommends Castrol" was a thing forever! If I remember right E39/E46 oil caps even have the Castrol logo on them. 

They’re my go-to for the e30 too, pretty much the only manufacturer that has 20W-50 that’s easy to find. Didn’t they change to Mobil more recently?

Also: proof of snowmobile pics. I regret my decision somewhat, because as fun as it was to bash snowdrifts to and from and friends place there is a ton of snow in the engine bay at the moment. Guess it’s a tomorrow problem?

[YoungCR]

P_Roloff said:

They’re my go-to for the e30 too, pretty much the only manufacturer that has 20W-50 that’s easy to find. Didn’t they change to Mobil more recently?

I think the partnership broke for a few years but looks like they are the current OEM supplier again per Castrol's website. https://www.castrol.com/en_us/united-states/home/castrol-story/newsroom/announcements/recommended-bmw-oil-supplier.html

someone said:

bp (February 15th, 2021), a world leading supplier of high-performance lubricants, and the manufacturer of the Castrol Oil Brands, is proud to announce it has been selected as the engine oil partner for BMW and MINI authorized dealers across the US, Canada, and Mexico.  This new five-year agreement re-establishes a long-standing partnership between these two premium brands as Castrol had been the engine oil supplier over a 14-year span. 

As part of the recent program, bp will continue to produce BMW Group’s branded engine oils which meet the OEM’s most recent and rigorous engine specifications including LL-17 FE+ and LL-12 FE as well as older generation specifications such as LL-01 and LL-04.  The BMW branded lubricant formulations are based on Castrol EDGE, a leading full synthetic brand strengthened by Fluid Titanium Technology which increases film strength, reduces friction, and improves lubrication under the intense pressure of high output engines.

“We are honoured to have been selected by the BMW Group to resume our position as their lubricant supplier.  The BMW brand is both iconic and globally recognized as a symbol of performance engineering, which is well aligned with bp market position.  We look forward to future collaboration in lubricant development as well as the pursuit of new sustainability initiatives,” said Laura Posadas Regional President, Castrol Americas.

Man those pics make me wish I was romping around in my 530i.

[HipMF]

I didn't do any driving today, but I did go trudge around on a ~10 mile walk this morning. Nice to get something like an actual snowstorm. Road conditions were definitely poor, but people seemed to be making the best of it.

[P_Roloff]

Car had a mystery fluid underneath it the other day, but the slick is now gone. Thinking brake fluid since it seemed to disappear after the rain. Brakes are still strong, so I’m guessing it’s clutch hydraulics. The clutch disengagement/shift feel has slowly been getting worse and I wonder if I have a slow leak at the slave or something. Could also be leakage from the trans itself, the output needs to be replaced but was not leaking enough to visibly drip on last inspection. 
 

Either way, I’ll get it up on ramps and check it out. Going to take care of the wiper linkage bushings, vacuum leak test, and maybe the VANOS seal/VCG while it’s laid up. Sunroof seal or drain line is leaking now too so that’ll be addressed as well.

[P_Roloff]

Got underneath and found the transmission output seal(s) were toast (or so I thought). Fresh fluid was covering everything pretty heavily and had leaked enough that it made its way to the front of the trans tunnel from the spray and seepage. Trans was only down a quarter quart or so, so not thinking it did any damage but definitely had lost measureabke fluid amounts. 
 

New output seal went on pretty easy, and found when pulling it that the output nut was finger tight. No bueno. Output flange came off with only a mild yank. I’m guessing most of the leakage was from that, but decided to do the seals anyways while I was there. I drove a new shift shaft seal over the old one (nearly impossible to pull the old one out without the transmission out of the car) and was not able to get it fully seated but it only protrudes slightly and would be pretty easy to pull to replace if needed now. It’s now double sealed so should be OK. 
 

Fixed the windshield wiper rattle too! Turns out the bushings were fine; the rubber grommet between the linkage and body had deteriorated and was letting it knock around. Tightened the nut after removing the old grommet and the issue is gone. 
 

Finally getting to the VCG and VANOS job as well. Wasn’t able to get the flywheel lock pin through the block hole after an hour of trying, so I used the wheel hanger pin from the factory toolkit to make sure the hole is right where it needs to be and double checked off the crank hub timing marks. The cam lock blocks will also be used so I think I’ll be fine. I’m certainly not the only one to do it like this, anyon with a LTW flywheel doesn’t even have the alignment hole so they have to do it this way. 

Got the VC off without issue, and in the process realized the oil leakage was far worse than I thought. I knew about the oil in the spark plug holes, but the rest of it was a bit excessive. I’ll clean up the VC when it’s off and the block a little more once all the new stuff is back on so I don’t get crud in the engine. 

Looks pretty clean in there overall! Not bad for 130k and nearly 30 years. A bit odd that the rear cylinder cam lobes look darker, but nothing is grooved or scored at all so I’m not worried about it. The original M20 cam was far worse when I replaced that and it still was fine.

Going to pull the VANOS unit next week, rebuild with seals and an anti rattle kit as a preventative measure, and toss it all back in. This car is finally coming back together and getting some much needed love!

[P_Roloff]

Finally got the VANOS unit installed and the car buttoned back up. Decided to forgo the anti rattle kit and just do seals because it wasn’t making noise and I just wanted the car back together. Idled rough on the first start, but then shut it off and restarted and was much better. Powerband is now smooth again without the rubber band effect when VANOS kicks in, yo! and overall drivability is way, way better. Hoping to see some MPG improvements too!

Going to start driving this to keep miles off the E91, this still needs some things here and there but mostly minor stuff. Rear suspension work will probably continue to get put off, but ‍️

[P_Roloff]

Thanks to @Jdesign for the tip on these! Snagged three turbine covers from a guy here in MKE the other day, now I just need the fourth to complete the set (and provide the motivation to finish them lol)

Let me know if any of you ever find a spare single one, I need a left side cover and fan (3611-2226273 and 3611-2226275, respectively). I have four genuine center caps so I’m good there.

Condition isn’t bad at all, the center caps are beat up but all functional, and the paint on the fans is actually quite good. Same for the black fan pieces. Even got the OEM hardware with them!

Pics:

[Jdesign]

Don't worry, I will keep an eye out for that fourth cover. 

[P_Roloff]

131,050

Well, my time with this car has come to an end. What a wonderful car and one I’ll truly miss, but it was time. It sat nearly all summer and was just getting to be a pain to maintain on top of the truck, e30, and e91. It went to a local guy who was looking for a neat older car to learn to wrench on, so I think it’ll suit him well. It remains the quietest, most solidly built car I’ve ever owned, it was seriously a tank. Hung the tail out in the snow pretty impressively too.

Replaced the blower motor before I sold it, and sent two sets of wheels and most of my e34 spares along as well. I’m excited to have the space back, one less project, and to be able to focus more on the E91 and E30. I still have the MOMO Heritage 6’s and the m-systems, if anyone was wondering haha. MOMO’s will be listed as soon as I wash them, and the M-Systems will hopefully get their restoration completed once the e30 is back on the road. 
 

Farewell to the E34 club, it’s been a good ride!