Allanw

Good work! It makes a MASSIVE difference. Our manual 525i was REALLY easy to stall before they were done, but not after, and that mid range improvement is very obvious (maybe more so in a manual too) Regarding the 150kms though - at 115 kms, mine were so worn/hard, that the Vanos pistons dropped out under their own weight. Most M54's will have poked seals from much lower mileage/years. Yours have probably been poked for years already. The original BMW Orings were NOT the correct spec for the environment, and I'd be surprised if they weren't knackered after about 5 years, regardless of mileage. Always worth doing, from what I've seen.

Wow... no fire at least... You've got a LOT longer out of that clutch than I ever thought possible. It'll feel WAY better when it's done though... that bite point is way too high! Maybe you drive like a Nana???? Not the 4000rpm clutch slipping while reversing from the gargage kind either

Did you check Micks Garage Graham???

Milland in NZ. FCP or ECS in the US. I often use Micks Garage for general servicing items (brakes, filters etc) There are quite a few euro places that ship from the UK, and the shipping os usually better than from the US.

^^^ My Cappuccino would go over 9K, similar 100 bhp PER LITRE, but turbocharged... and didn't have big end issues... ...maybe the M5 should have been a 3 cylinder ? 10 was just too many... Maybe I'm not overthinking this enough, and you need MORE cylinders! 4,999cc V10 (M5) divided by 657cc I3 (Cappuccino) is about 7.6, rounded up means 8 cappuccino engines for the same power: The M5 needs to be a 24 cylinder!

GOOD jumper cables and a second, running, car There are a LOT of modules hidden in modern stuff! It doesn't run when the engine is off, but the electric auxilliary cabin heater in our VW Tourans draw 80 amps at full power... but on a winter morning, the cabin is hot, before the engine is up to temperature

And the grilles are bigger than the windscreen?

You could duct tape 8 of them together, and still be slower than an E60 M5.

Brand new ones used to be pretty cheap on mafshop.de - I got one for about NZ$600 landed??? from memory and a few years back!

I remeber you posting pics on here of some salt cured bacon many years ago... I've done it a few times since! Amazing, compared to the shitty bought stuff. I didn't even smoke it though... mostly becasue it got eaten before I had a chance!

It is. ? Just buy it - it's super useful anyway. https://www.xcar360.com/bmw-scanner-1-4-0-car-diagnostic-interface-tool-code-reader.html US$19.99 shipped ?

I think they'd want an asset, not a liability, for collateral.

If these are like the late E39 ones, the switch isn't a switch, its a genuine temp sensor. The ECU reads the temp, and sends a pulse width modulated signal to the module - 12V may be the wrong thing to try ? The fans have 12v all the time, and the module adjusts the fans speed based on the signal. And they have been known to fail a bit ?

Zebra Manukau, in case it's of use. I haven't seen it, just saw the listing: MANUKAU 07/02/19 BMW 735I 1997 E38 4 3500CC PETROL AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC ELECTRIC BLACK

@Mikan Bummer... Nah... it was heating up WAY before the gauge told you it was... the gauge reads "normal" from 75 through to 110 or 115 - then it shoots up pretty quick when the engine reaches about 125 or 130 and the gong happens... the gauge is a lying waste of time - although @Young Thrash Driver has my old E39 with the software re-calibrated, so it's a bit more realistic Also, if the thermostat is dodgy, it may not have opened FAR enough - the flat plate on the back is supposed to block the return port on the rear, and force all the hot coolant into the radiator, and the return into the engine, instead of mixing the two while recirculating coolant in the block as it usually would at "normal" temperatures. The water pump losing drive to the impeller will do it too, as there isn't enough coolant movement. This is exactly why I changed ours to a mechanical thermostat and re-calibrated the gauge - yours would have been getting hot for a little while before you saw it, then suddenly the gauges and gong go off when it's too late ? At least you have a replacement option Maybe you should install a new supercharger while you're in there... the old one probably wasn't working anyway

Micks Garage 20% off TODAY - Waitangi Day Use code WD20 https://www.micksgarage.com/

My niece is getting her full license in a couple of months, and has a VW New Beetle, early 2000's. Her's is a 1.8 Turbo manual... but there are 2.slow ones too. They're a bit of fun, somewhat safe, but not really sporty.

Mmmmmm... Shiney!

Good greif, Man! Hope you're OK now. I guess you were keeping that quiet after the chaos you caused Fellow truckies might have come over to give you a slap... hahaha!

Well, that's easy to fix! Make it mandatory. BMW may do that, but VW don't. The year is easy to look up, because it's right there is the VIN. It seems silly to leave it out, even if it's not a "requirement". Parts ordering would be easier - I know the BMW dealers struggled with getting me the right parts... though that was usually just because they had no idea what they were doing, or how a car worked...

NZ uses "Year of First Registration" which is stupid. It's possible for it to bare no relevance to the actual age of the car. There is no consistency anyway. Common sense would say that using the "Model Year" as designated by the VIN descriptor would be appropriate.

WOW. Looks practically NEW!

The Horizon is one of them... It sneaks up fast

My old E39 had a failed diaphragm. I think it was from new though - at 115kms when I pulled it apart, it was as tight as new... but didn't actuate ? Personally, I'd just buy a new one - If they first one lasted this long, the replacement probably will too.

Has it ever had the Vanos seals done? The 3.0 is reputedly more sensitive than the 2.5, and people in colder climates have reported actual stalling from it, after a relatively short period of cold idling. With the engine cold, at idle, the M54 using the cam timing to heat the cats faster - once warmed up, or the revs climb, it has to move the cam timing to the "normal" run position, and can struggle to do so with cold/thick oil that isn't flowing too well, then leaking past the seals when it gets to the right place. Our old manual 525i never got that bad, but it was initially super easy to stall when cold, but not after doing the seals - cold idle was smoother, it was much harder to stall, and it was much easier to control the transition from idle to driving - there was no sudden jump in revs. While it may not be your problem, I would 100% recommend doing the Vanos seals in ANY M54 that doesn't have a history of them being replaced with better parts that BMW used. Our vanos pistons literally fell out of their bores upon disassembly, because the seals were so hard, they were hardly even touching the sides.