Eagle

Just drained did a bit of cooling system work on my friends M44 which had been filled with the Nulon LL (HOAT) for over 10 years. Looked very clean inside. Probably use Zerex G-05 from Partmaster when i refill it as its the same price.

Yeah its a gamble isnt it, you don't know what its really like to open it up to see what really required, i don't know how good the sprockets hold up either if its been left too long. If it was picked up quickly enough id think you'd likely get away with just the guides seals, tensioner kit and not have to worry about chain removal. That would simplify things in regards to tools and time needed.

Depends what you mean by cheap and what the car is worth if its fixed. IIRC the full timing chain kit it self was $1000-$1500 depending on how far you go + shipping and taxes. Then you need to buy or borrow the timing tools and have the tools and time to do the rest of the required work.

Very nice. Always liked the idea of a 7 series manual purely for uniqueness. Have seen a couple of factory E32 manuals here for sale a very long time ago.

Yep one of the reason ive never bought anything that was too quick. Just a 5 min drive to hit top speeds limiters around here.

Out of balance would cause vibrations. Bad bearings usually cause rumble which decreases in volume when turning left or right. Id check the wheels bolts are tight first but once its jacked up it should be easy to pinpoint when spinning the wheels. Could be a bad tyre or even something is rubbing on wheel.

As much as i can respect big power figures there is a point where its just overkill for your average legal usage here in NZ. Sport bikes are a good examples as the only place you can fully utilize them is the track.

K's are no issue at all as long its in good nick. Its probably better getting a higher k example as it would be cheaper than those low k garage queen types that go for 20k+, either way you are going to be paying up for a mtech2. You may or may not need some head work over 300,000km but these are simple and cheap cars to run compared to all that came after. Appreciating assets are always good to have.

Yeah to the horns which would mainly be all the connections, grounds etc on and behind the steering wheel. PM me your email and ill send it thru.

Would think its more likely the connection but its possible it just died with these cars being old. There is hole above the indicator lens in which you stick a long flat screw driver down to release the corners. I can email a copy of the E34 Bentley manual which give you a step by step.

Not big differences in power relative to the displacement but they changed fuel injection systems and made better head designs over the years. E12 platform is like the E21 platform, inferior whilst offer no advantages.

Been close do buying a couple of early E24's over the years but the E12 platfom is just too dated from a performance and availability point. Its looks nice but "82+ or bust for me.

Was it a genuine one? If so that's some bad luck.

By failed do mean the actual t-stat got stuck closed or plastic housing\gasket ?

I wouldnt run 0-50W either but it would be much better than 20W-50 (must be a mistake)

Cant speak for a turbo application part but lots members here running the above Penrite in many BMW engines with good results. Ive used in most BMW's ive owned and can't fault it.

Yes ive tried most of the RE and PS range in 17" sizes on E34's and E39's over the years. 17x8" are the ideal E34 wheel in my book - look good, cheapest tyres and give a good handling\comfort balance. Getting harder and more expensive to get good selection in those 16" tyre sizes so you may have to stick to RE003 or try PS3's as PS4's may not be available

Ive used Penrite HPR 5, HPR 10 or Castrol Edge Titanium depending on what on special in my 530i

225/55 the standard size for the E39 16x7 wheel. If you are running staggered why don't you go larger on the rear. Can't say ive heard of staggered basket weaves myself. Are they made up from BMW OEM wheel sets? Personally id recommend Michellin PS4's over the RE003 as they perform much better, but looking at Hyperdrive they only do PS3's @ $214ea on sale atm (ive used them also and id still take them over the 003's)

Haha yeah forgot about that, my old E34 540i was the same and a pain to scan. I gave up using spray to find leaks many many years ago, too much in the way and too much hidden on many engines. Smoke machines are easy to make or cheap to buy do the job much better. One of most useful things ive owned.

Yeah it looks like its S50 specific but looks similar to the M52 setup. Easy to miss cracks sometimes in those hoses etc which is why i love my smoking device. Lines can block up also along with the dipstick tube (should be able to blow thru the leads to the dipstick into the sump to check for blockage).Would expect a slight vacuum at oil cap with no real idle change on these. Not sure what you mean by noticeable sucking noise, probably one of those things you have to hear yourself. If you going to replace it anyway it probably doesn't matter. Would expect the MAF reading to be about ~15kg\h when fully warm at idling. Out of interest have you reset all adaptions and rechecked fuel trims?

PCV system on those is just a basic valve and hoses isnt it? No vacuum leaks? Checked the fuel pressure regulator? MAF and coolant temp sensor readings ok?

Its in the engine bay

Not to mention the E34 B10 turbo is 10 years older and still beats it.

All the Mxx series 4 cyl engines are generally reliable expect for the M40. M10 followed by the M43 are easiest to work on.