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Classic. Was about to remove the fan and found a present from the previous owner. This must have been in since I bought 8er a year and a half ago. I guess a bump must have moved it so that it began interfering with the fan. The good news is the fan is fine. No more clattering noise!! Was right underneath so never noticed it before. Don't think the wife will be pleased when she finds out this was the reason we drove back from Napier on the hottest day of the year with no AC!!!

Drove to Napier and back this weekend - just under 1000kms round trip - and it was an absolute pleasure. So much grip in the twisties it's insane and more than enough power to make the very best of the steep uphill passing lanes between Taupo and Napier. Engine absolutely purred and managed a 12.7L/100 average despite some spirited driving. That may not sound that flash but is pretty amazing compared to the 24L/100 she sits on with my general weekend use! Unfortunately, the AC compressor developed a death rattle halfway. I'm picking failed clutch bearing as the same thing happened to my old E39. Probably cheaper to replace the unit than repair, so hoping I can find a good used one. It was stinking hot in the Bay, so it was a tad sweaty on the return journey but that's what the big pillarless coupe windows are for. I am deaf now though and my hair looks like Kramer from Seinfeld. Forgot to take the camera so had to rely on phone pics...

Brand new aftermarket M3 sedan mirrors and glass. High quality reproduction and fitment is good. Electric adjustable, non-heated. Unpainted. Bought to adapt for my E31 but haven't got round to it. Subsequently picked up some coupe mirrors which a better size baseplate to adapt to E31. Will not fit coupe. Should add at least 20bhp to your 320i especially if you couple with some ///M badges. $200, maybe less if I like ya.

Hey fellas, Ian here, just dropping a friendly hello and introducing myself! I just recently bought my dad's e39 525i, thought I'd sign up on here to learn more as well as hopefully share some things with you guys. My near future plans are to respray the exterior, and update the head lights and tail lights (Was thinking of getting some aftermarket OEM style halos off ebay. Anyone have any experience there?). Mechanically it is very sound at only 78xxx k's, the old man always took good care of it as well and it was only used as a spare car in the family. Only faults are that the front bumper isn't mounted properly on one side (caught on a parking block reversing out), the factory radio has stopped powering up and the paint job is starting to peel. I'm planning on fixing the bumper myself before sending it in for the paint job to try and save some $ and also replacing the factory stereo unit with an aftermarket one. Any input and suggestions welcomed. Cheers!

Got the front end mostly finished for now, will come back to the brakes. XYZ suspension setup and installed as well as some new Nolathane sway bar bushes and links. Also purchased my steering shaft parts from Summit Racing, all Flaming River products, had to cut to length and drill the shaft, very happy with how it turned out. Rolled it out for some sun today.

I have these springs.

Mmmm 7er E38 is looking good. Still one of the best contemporary BMWs out there. I love the straight purposeful lines, no other car has such lines, maybe the XJ jags of the 90s, but not quite the same as the E38s way of doing it. An inch drop in height would do wonders for the overall look of the car.

It got a cut and polish today. As good excuse as any to take a couple of pics. Actually, first one is to one up a guy in the states who took a pic of his silver 740i between a couple of school buses. Second pic is for Daniel in the USA who wanted me to post a pic of the car at the Castlecliff Domain. The building in the pic is called the Duncan pavilion and used to be a coffee shop back in the day. I have many fond memories of being a kid and going there to get a icecream that then got sand in it and melted everywhere..lol 3rd pic is just because..lol

Welcome and welcome to the e39 experience. I would be tempted to plastic polish the lights before springing for eBay versions which can look cheap depending on what you buy.

Drove past again so I thought I'd be cheeky and take a couple of pics. A 740i, 740il and 750il, a E36 328i AC Schnitzer and a 850i. Am I jealous? Hell yeah I am. Loving the stance on that silver 750il too.

Time has come to sell one. I need to buy a house while this market is a bit more settled. Imported by Claytons in 03' .Ex SA press vehicle. 194km. Good tidy honest machine. 26k ono

Factory huuuuuge at 235 50 18. One way to fill the guards.....

This thread is a hoot - really. No wonder Glenn hasn't bothered adding to his original post! This is guessing/throwing parts at its best. Get the vehicle checked by an educated/ knowledgeable mechanic or sparky Fault codes on their own mean naff all & as can be seen in this thread - sending the uninitiated on a wild goose chase, an expensive one at that! Check live data, monitor sensor outputs back to DME This CANNOT be diagnosed over a forum! Edit - Lack of knowledge confirmed by the fact that you disconnected the temp gauge sensor rather than the DME unit

Pm'd

BMW v8 goes forever.

My thoughts exactly. I love the lines on the E38. The carpark at work holds about 150 cars and the E38 really stands out among all the others there. I've given up on trying to find lowering springs to get it to a height I want so I'm going to get the front springs compressed 2.5 inches and the rear is self leveling so I can adjust that manually. Should bring the front to the same as the 740 and I'll drop the rear a little lower so it'll only just tuck the rear wheel.

Well, officially not for sale! Interesting market managed to get a coupe of offers for nearly as much as the clutch / fly wheel kit.

Interesting observation on ride height. Mine has factory suspension but wheels tuck into guards more........apologies for filth - normally clean?

Damaged one from Christchurch by chance?

Thanks. Mmm, yes and no... It has plenty of grunt and does go really well (especially compared to how it was) + it's a real hand-full in the wet. But, the additional torque is seriously showing up all the old stretched suspension components. I think it won't just be an external tidy-up of the car required - new tight suspension components all round too + changing the 15's to 17's on the next tyre change. I'd like to go to the early style M3 double spoke rims. Also looking at suspension options to lower it just a little and get Bilsteins all round + matching springs (has Sachs now). It will be a while before I can actually do any of these upgrade though - will just have to dream about it for a while :-)

Gave the 750i a cut and polish today. Silk purse, pigs ear kinda deal but it does look a whole lot better.

If you were in Auckland I'd gladly let you try mine in exchange for letting me have a go in your M5

haha I think that's a customer of mine guy mentioned he had a few

Front strut.

160kph with the traction control light on would be more fun.... or is it a fault

rev it in neutral, will rev up very quickly and sounds like a silky 12 or rev slower than usual and will sound like a 6

She's growing up......

I have looked into it, and I should try it just to say I have but there have been a few who have flashed back to standard because they do the majority of their driving in normal driving mode and they haven't liked the way the flash behaves. I'm much the same, spend most of the time in normal driving mode. I rarely use sport so I'm likely to be in that camp. I'm not sure how one would call this car boring with the steptronic gearbox. Don't get me wrong, a manual has it's place, but I am NEVER wishing I waited for a manual. I'm reluctant to try the DCT... because I will end up liking it more... and I have enough liabilities.

Typical isnt it, a simple fix, that you actually get sorted when you no longer need to use AC. Thats a pretty lush tack lifter too, good score.

Hoping to inspire a certain member on here (you know who you are )

LOL, at least it's cheaper than other possible causes of failed AC. Was given a 3K estimate to replace the evaporator in my E46 so left it and went through a summer with no AC. Bellars Motor Works had quick a look at it during an unrelated job and found it was just a faulty sensor, fixed it for about $200 and it worked fine ever since

What is wrong with this world, we have a group 5 replica project thread with 3 pages, then a myriad of threads with 10+ pages where people just talk about doing wheels and springs. Keep up the good sh*t Richard!

From 14.00.

So I had this in and then out of e 750i. The display in the 740i has worked on and off for some time. Mostly off recently so I thought this would be a good option till I got a replacement. Now it's in there I really like it.. ha ha. Go figure. Maybe because the 740i has Black upholstery it suits it more.

It's back. I just couldn't live without the wood in the 750i. Much better I think.

Flying to Dunedin to get it, whoop whoop . Road trip home 1500 kms, update tomorrow , with pics.......

Only to satisfy your capacitor fetish

Finally got around to replacing a blown bulb in the e36 dash cluster, now i can see how far ive gone at night! Its only taken 2 years to get to it!!

In before the crowds.. Sam and Christian at Obsessive Car Detailing. I wouldn't bother looking elsewhere once you've seen their work.. And their workshop

Spotted. Me in a new 320d Was very nice

Here's a complete list of what was done and what was learned on this project. Credit goes to the installer and tuner who with permission I'll post their details later. Vendor Details: Installer: Garry - Andrew Hollywood Motors Napier. Garry got everything sorted really quickly and did a really good job (total 40 hours to do everything). There were a few minor issues with things not fitting as expected or gaskets etc which were resolved quickly. Garry's familiarity with the E36 certainly made the conversion much simpler than having attempting it myself - thanks Garry. Tuner: Graham Neale - WRC Developments Napier. Graham did a very nice job, was very professional and manage to fit me into his very busy schedule at relatively short notice - thanks Graham. Basic Stuff: Me (cold air intake, engine loom modifications, ECU fitting, car electrics, electric fans) This project was to take E36 325i Motorsport Coupe and replace the old tired engine with something that still looks like the factory original but goes a lot better. Requirements: Everything must be bolt-up and look BMW factory standard albeit not original to this car. Must still look like a 325i engine and running gear. Parts Required: M50B25NV Engine Keep the M50NV manifold + injectors M54B30 donor crank rods and pistons Manual Conversion M50B32 6-Speed Box NZAD D1 Racing Clutch Kit + Lightened Flywheel 6.5kg (Trademe) Pedal box + master cylinder Slave Cylinder + other clutch bits. S50B32 Headers S50B32 Exhaust ZF Driveshaft Front Section (needs to be shortened for the 6-speed). Could not use a complete M3 driveshaft due to the diff flange being different. S50US Cams - used new Shrick 252/244 cams (Turner Motorsport) M52B28 Donor Engine for: Vanos Unit Harmonic Balancer Oil Filter Housing Vanos Oil Line Cam Cover Plastic Engine Covers Knock Sensors M50TUB25 Wiring Loom got mine from an auto so deleted all auto wiring + the MAF wiring from the loom. Link G4+ Plugin ECU New Fuel Pump New Fuel Filter Gaskets and Seal etc. M50TUB25 Camshaft Hall Effect Sensor Link IAT sensor Greenfilter POD filter + Cold Air Intake mod (custom by me). 76mm Inlet tubing to POD filter. Ally sheet + Eurothane Adhesive Surprises: The M50 Power Steering Pump does not bolt up to the M52 Oil Filter Housing and had to machine 15mm off one leg to make it fit. The M52 camshaft sensor was VR - expecting hall effect. Make sure you have the correct front half of the driveshaft before you shorten it (originally supplied the wrong one in the manual conversion kit and shortened it without noticing - duh!!). Installation: I purchased the engine already reconditioned and stroked to 3L with approx 3500k's on it. It was 3L M50NVstroker at that time with the M50NV head and cams. I decided I wanted the S50US cams + Vanos to get better bottom end torque + rev ok. I purchased new Shrick Cams from Turner Motorsport. These bolted striaght in with no issues. Had to use the M50NV cam trays and lifters. The M52 vanos was installed with no modification required to the head. I'd read some relief with a dremmel was required but maybe this is for the M50 vanos - did not need tomodify at all. The M52 oil filter housing was installed + oil line to the vanos. The NZAD D1 Racing flywheel and clutch was installed. The gearbox was connected to the engine. The wiring loom was installed. The engine and gearbox was installed in the car. Everything bolted straight up with no issues. The second driveshaft was measured and sent out to be shortened. There was a problem with the Camshaft sensor as initially the VR sensor was installed - this has the wrong plug to connect to the M50TUB25 loom - should have been the give-away here... Later the correct sensor was sourced and installed. The front section of the driveshaft was installed. The exhaust was installed. All done, ready to start. No modifications were required to fit the engine, gearbox or exhaust to the standard mountings. Problems: Engine would not crank. Had to locate the K1 start solenoid for the auto-trans start inhibit. On NZ RH drive cars this is located on the drivers side near the steering column - an orange relay on top of a connector block under the dash.. The relay was removed and the black/yellow wires cut off the relay holder. These were linked with a solder join + heatshrink. Now the engine cranks. Initially there was no camshaft pulses going to the ECU. The M52 VR sensor had been installed + a linking connector made to try to get it to work. This was a no-go and required a hall effect sensor (which has the correct plug so no adapter required). Leson here - the connectors don't mate then it's probably the wrong sensor... Camshaft timing sorted. Initially the M50NV harmonic balancer was used. This puts the crankshaft timing notch 120' out from the M50TUB25. The M52 is the same as the M50TUB so the harmonic balancer was swapped from the M52 donor engine. Now all the timing was good. Still would not start. Turned out to be no fuel due to the in/out being accidentally swapped - only mistake the installer made and not unreasonable given the two pipes are side by side... With the fuel problem sorted it started no problem. The Vanos Solenoid did not work - was faulty so replaced with one that worked. Tuning: The MAF was deleted so the Link ECU was tuned using only MAP, TPS and IAT. Dyno tuning was required due to the significantly different configuration to the base map supplied in the ECU. The fuel map was way out and far too lean initially. Once tuned it's really smooth and all surging has gone. There's very good transiet throttle response too. Learnings: Use S50 injectors as M50 are too small. Everything else worked out pretty well. Unplanned Costs: A few extra costs due to machining the Power Steering Pump and having to shorten the driveshaft + extra costs from missing the first dyno run due to no-start problems. Make sure it runs before sending it for tuning!!! I didn't try to start it initially as Link ECU's need to be unlocked before they will run. I didn't have a laptop to do this so left it to the tuner assuming everything was ready to go. All in all was a pretty good project with no major problems and no catastrophic mechanical failures along the way. Now to enjoy the new lease of life on the car.

Hi. Welcome to the forum and the Bimmer addiction. Bought one for your daughter. Better get yourself one soon too.lol Here's a trick I tried on my headliner and its still up 2 years on. Get a steam cleaner and a small roller. Steam the sagging area to soften the glue underneath following up with the roller to press back into place. Go over it a couple of times.