charles28

Still waiting for Vanos seals to arrive.. seems to be taking a long time, were sent on 25/08 Have done as much work as I can now, vanos unit removed, old seals removed..

I would have looked at it for you, but I had to do some homework as you never see 750i SWB's come up for sale annoyingly.

Its a 750IL Chassis number DH61168 Vehicle code GK22 Series E38 Model 750iL ( 750iL M73 ) Body type saloon Assume its http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/bmw/auction-777749434.htm

today I borrowed a generic tool from my mechanic to hold the water pump pulley. It worked! so I finally have the fan clutch and shrould removed. I then got to removing the vanos unit and found that the Torx T30 I purchased does not fit, perhaps because its a Torx Plus rather then Normal Torx. (1/4inch drive version) I found another T30 that does fit, but its a crap one that goes on a cheap screwdriver that broke as soon as I tried to undo the bolt (Another Left hand threaded one too). This was the T30 I had that i couldn't use http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=768985825 And now its quite clear it doesn't really look the same.. Ohwell.. Repco or somewhere tomorrow for one that fits

Yeah, but was waiting for someone to ask this lol. This isn't the 1st fan clutch I've removed, did it a lot of times on my old E30's etc. But its a fair question for sure

Yeah i'm fairly certain I did that correctly, did the entire job 2x also. The leak always seemed to be in the same place (same as original leak when I got it), its probably cracked rather then warped, despite not being able to see a crack yet. Interestingly the gasket didn't seem that old either, but I replaced it anyway (incl spark plug ones). I suspect the last owner tried replacing the gasket also and had no joy, as by now that old gasket should have been as hard as plastic.

Progress very Slow. New Valve Cover - Arrived today Vanos Gasket and washers, arrived last week. Vanos seals. - not arrived, but should turn up any day. After work I thought i'd get a head start and get the job started, however the easiest part of the job (removing the fan clutch nut) is not going to plan. I usually found I could put on the 32mm Wrench, wack it really hard with a Hammer (Mallet type) and break the nut sieze and un do it. (while being careful not to smash it into the thermostat housing). However after about 30 attempts it still wouldn't work. I tried to wedge things against the water pump pulley bolts to get leverage and failed and noticed that some of the 10mm nuts are actually loose.. heh. I then gave up and ordered the correct tool on ebay which will probably take 2 weeks to turn up.. So.. next update... probably when that tool arrives.. Ohh.. I ordered some new cup holders too..in typical E39 fashion they were ruined

Loads of Cheap E38 728i's about, but they can barely out accelerate a push bike, ok maybe thats a bit harsh. Just buy the one you like, the older 735i and 535i are quite similar parts wise.

Odd, no problem for me, I use Google Chrome

I ordered a brand new valve cover today. I re-did the gasket etc last night, it still leaked in the same place again, so it has to be that its warped or cracked. I also ordered some new Vanos Seals, might aswell do that since I have to take off the valve cover again for the 3rd time

Did you buy a second hand one or go new? if so what did it cost? looks like about $400 USD incl shipping to bring on in to NZ

Oil filter housing gasket replaced, old one is like a brittle piece of solid plastic. Power Steering hose re-clamped, now not leaking. M5 Badge, Removed. But I still seem to be having trouble with my Valve Cover Gasket, ie its still leaking, around the 2nd bolt from the back on the exhaust side. I didn't get new nut seals, so hopefully replacing these will help.

SOLD

So, i had a semi busy afternoon collecting the Silver Trim and installing it. Looks a lot better now that I am rid of the wood trim

Yeah its in good condition for a 2002 car. Yeah the Strips are going, as is the M5 Badge, have a normal M badge for it (came in the glove box) Interior Trim found, not cheap at $300, but it looks tidy, hopefully collecting it tomorrow.

Finally, a couple of day time pics, with poor lighting as usual. For some reason when I get time to take pics the lighting is useless.. one day I'll do this properly. One with really bad lighting. I also got around to swapping my good speakers in from my other E39. I messed around with the Parrot MKi9100 that the car has installed and worked out how to playback via USB, once I replaced the CR2032 battery in its remote. It seems to work ok and bypasses the headunit from what I can tell, but the sound is fine. Its one of these http://www.parrot.net.nz/mki9100.html After messing around with that I went to start the car, flat battery. The Battery is branded BMW, i assume its the one the car came with new 12 years ago. Its now on the charger, but suspect i'll be replacing that soon.

Sort of, Didn't get traction until 3rd gear, no limited slip diff, best 1/4 mile time I did was 14.6 @98mph Fastest one in the world with the original engine did 11's from memory. www.n12turbo.com has the top 10 list etc. A couple of the ones I had: http://www.n12turbo.com/cars/charles/DSCF0003.JPG http://www.n12turbo.com/cars/charles2/pulsar.jpg http://www.n12turbo.com/cars/charles2/pulsar1.jpg (crazy green seats)

Nicely done there man

Ohh i'm happy getting it or 7k for sure. Yeah the oil smell should be gone, I need to take it for a good drive and check. But i'm a perfectionist, the car will probably sit unused until I've fixed everything possible lol. Mean while I clock up 500k a week in a Daihatsu Sirion.. but it makes you appreciate a good car when you drive that all week for work.

The seller wasn't that organised and I got in before he put actual pictures online. However I looked at the car at 6pm at night (almost dark) and struggled to check it out properly, however got it for $7000 which I thought was a good price, especially considering its got an NZ nav and USB audio 3.5mm , iphone inputs etc. even with needing to fix some minor problems. These don't seem to come up for sale often in Christchurch.

I know its a long shot, these are as rare as.... My partner that works for a Panel Beaters has a Ac Schnitzer E39 in with a smashed mirror (Stolen recovered vehicle) which is covered in genuine ACS parts, they have having a hard time finding one. If you have one can you please contact Jacinta at Andrews and Gilmore Panel and Paint. 03-365 4927

I've had about 5 N12 Turbo pulsars/milanos/exa's/Langleys. I modded then to about 180hp at the wheels and broke a lot of gearboxes back in my younger days

it was a long night last night. I decided to do the valve cover gasket. Got a genuine BMW one, wasn't that expensive anyway. Tried to set up the garage to have some room to work on the car. Started stripping it down.. you can see the oil leaking.. Started the cleaning process, had spent quite a bit of time cleaning it, but had more to go. Re-assembled, car still works, as far as I can tell its fixed the issue. However it was 11pm when I finished and I only took it for a 10 min drive. I did however notice the Oil filter housing was leaking and a small amount of power steering fluid, so I guess that means they are next on the list.

Yeah, it looks like its a common issue, so I quickly found a video online showing how to do the job right hehe. I'll be sure to take some pics on the weekend. I did notice that there was a lot of oil under the car, so its been leaking a while, of course its possible its got other oil leaks too. I'll need to get it de-greased so I can check properly. This car seems to go really well though, I test drove one about 6 months ago and it was rubbish, so it must have had some issues I guess.

The M5 badge isn't fooling anyone..well at least no BMW enthusiasts. The old owner thought it was a good idea... I still can't take any worth while pics as such, but I'll get the proper SLR camera out on the weekend when I have some daylight to play with.