hqstu

Interesting car you have there... you have a bit to do... The sunroof is designed to "leak" i.e. pass a small amount of water through what is known as a seal, it's the drains that will be blocked which will cause water to overflow down A pillar etc. Happened to me... I'm local in Hamilton if you need to share in the joy of e39 m62 ownership...

Welcome along, you'll find a few of us on here sharing the joys of owning an e39 540... lots of reading...

Oil and filter change using 5w30 synthetic. These M62's take around 7.5 litres which is more than the S62 in the M5. Also the engine mounts have been changed as with oil everywhere, oil and engine mounts are not good friends... I haven't managed to find a lower engine cover yet, but in trial fitting a 530 sport one, with a little customising it can be adapted fairly easily.

The topcoat I applied to the wheels had wrinkled up for some reason, so spent another day sanding and priming... Haven't tried again yet... I got stuck into oil and coolant leaks last Sunday and have completed the redundant trans oil cooler and associated coolant pipes removal, as well as plugged the back of the alternator to cure that coolant leak. Also put in a new radiator and replaced the vanos solenoid oil gaskets. I think these along with the rear main seal were the source of the oil leaks. Also changed a power steer hose from reservoir to cooler, the other reservoir pipe is on the way so will change that when it arrives. Needless to say a lot of cleaning along the way.... M5 mirrors have been painted (I broke the $$glass trying to incorrectly get it out, but insurance has saved the day...), but in meantime have painted the existing LH mirror cover. I haven't changed the coolant yet as I have yet to crack open the block drains, but will have another go when new plugs and crush washers arrive... But on a 30 minute drive, happy to report no leaks of any sort and cooling system up to pressure and all good. Next up the coolant, as well as oil, oil filter, air filter change.

https://www.colourlockleathercare.co.nz/

Sway bar links are more of a rattle or knocking, can notice at slow speed on smooth road and then a judder bar or other undulation. Is the frequency speed dependent?

Today's update, Started off with a mate dropping by in his M5. Three things to sort; Airbag light on, fault was in drivers side airbag, disconnected and cleaned contacts, reset the fault and the light goes out... sorted... hopefully... Next up the HVAC control panel was rather secondhand with missing buttons etc... Fitted a replacement I had and all good... Then upgraded the cabin air filter boxes and tubes to the later type as the rubber securing straps had perished. Then spent the afternoon sanding back the filler in the style 66's. Then applied a layer of etch primer as plenty of alloy had been exposed. They are looking good. A coat of primer, and light sand back then colour (Reflexsilver metallic) and clear they should be back to as new. Also sanded and primed the left wing mirror cover as that was looking rather sad. The aftermarket towbar came off and boot floor holes bogged up. I have the proper fitting BMW type bar to go on when I address the rear bumper. Engine wise I've fitted @adro's spare MAF (cheers) and engine is now running smooth and as it should... just waiting on the arrival of coolant hoses etc before getting into that and gaskets etc...

Recent history suggests that is a very very small list...

Upon further research via the interweb it appears I can remove the factory trans cooler completely and thus remove 3 coolant hoses. There is a theory BMW runs the later e39 540 transmissions (and other engines) hotter to make the oil last longer (helping their bogus lifetime fill claim...) The hotter oil burns off condensation etc. but reduces ultimate life of transmission itself. The previous M62 engine with the traditional cooler in front of the radiator was a much better system than the later coolant/oil heat exchanger the forums seem to suggest. Always something to learn... I've heard of aftermarket coolers being installed (like mine now) especially if regular towing is occurring...

Mainstreet Transmissions in Te Rapa - they said they didn't get these cars in anymore... I now know why... They seemed good to deal with. I'll reserve judgement until the car has a few k's on it. Seems good although a slight jolt as it downshifts from 5th to 4th.. All new genuine ZF parts and they said it was pretty rooted, not much they haven't replaced...

The airbag fault code is drivers bag stage 2 so pointing to a connection in need of a clean I'm guessing. It did reset, so will see how long it lasts. It did fault on a cold morning, so it may be right for a while... There is a minor coolant drip from the pipe into the back of the alternator so new hoses/pipes are on order. I may bypass the coolant lines between alternator / trans oil cooler / radiator, and run a custom coolant pipe as there is a big aftermarket cooler in place now and the factory cooler is no longer used.

Having just got the car back I was keen to spend the day pottering over it for a few quick cosmetic wins. So I tackled the windscreen cowl replacement first. Removing the wipers is always fun on an e39 and this car was a doozy. Ended up modifying a puller to suit as the little one was just not up to it. While doing this I gave the cabin air filter boxes a good clean plus all surrounds. Then on to rear windscreen trim and roof rails, followed by boot hinges.. I removed these one at a time to get behind them etc.. Then the rear lights... in need of a bit of a clean.... Finally the rear seat I had been leather restoring got fitted... time for a beer...

Got the car back today from the transmission shop, as I alluded to above it was a bit $$eye watering$$ to say the least, but it's gunna be worth it - or at least that's what I keep telling myself... next up - back out with INPA to read the airbag codes again, my refurbished airbag module is on it's way home from Texas via Japan so will fit that back in... but interested to see what the codes are anyway.

It's a SSG/SMG manual. But its emissions standard will be too low to import.

It's a 3M product, "Acryl-Red Glazing Putty" Good for the stone chips and shallow curbing.

While I await the cars return with a new transmission costing twice the value... I've finally made a start on refurbishing the style 66's now that that house painting is largely behind me... bring on more garage time...

Yes I had one of these for 5 years, bought it at 8 years old only having done 1500km, although I did have a few issues to sort due to this...

Not too much to report of late except it is in having the transmission completely rebuilt with original ZF parts - which kinda makes this thing a definite long termer lol... weep ... lol... I've also collected a pile of engine oil gaskets and driveline parts for when it gets home... The interior is all updated to the aluminum / blue stitch look, and road wheel (66's) refurb is getting underway, the new tyres await...

Nudge

Had all these at once - once upon a time in the 90's. HK GTS 327 "Bathurst" HQ GTS 350 HQ LS 308 What I could buy with the sum of those now...

At least BMW seem intent on enhancing the value of the e39/46 era...

"This car has not been thrashed" Seriously... Not cheap...

New project beckons...

New switches are somewhat expensive USD40 from FCP for what they are, but the asian continent has cheapies if you want to risk it... 61319119057

Bonnet switch for alarm which goes on cabin air filter box. Switch probably thrown away by previous owner as they fail resulting in annoying alarm activations.