KelvinD

Update: I have norrowed down the power loss to the maf as the biggest contributor if not the only one. Symptoms included After 3500rpm the car would just lose a lot of power, like going from 8cyl to a 4 banger but still smooth running on all 8. On colder mornings sometimes the problem was barely noticable Holding throttle at about 5 - 10% in neutral would make the rpms surge between 200-1500 but at 20% or more would hold constant rpm OBC set on l/hr on a wot pull would show it increase steady untill the power loss then drop off considerably and sit around 40l/hr I checked the fuel pump and made sure all connections were tight, done a smoke test to ensure no air leaks from when i done the valley pan and timing chains etc. and also as i mentioned earlier unplugged the maf which is what made the obvious difference. Whatever you do when looking for a maf DO NOT buy a no name chinese knock off.... i know i know. Its been said many times before but i thought what the hell its only $30. When i put it in, my baby wouldnt even start, just fired and died. I bought it knowing this might just happen so i got one with a warranty so at least i got my money back and no harm in trying right? Anyway new bosch one installed and WOWZER! This thing throws down some power, i was expecting an improvement but not the "stick you in the seat" kind. Moral of this long winded story, take the advice from other people that have had the same issues and dont cheap out on chinese copies, they are NOT the same. My 540 is knocking on the door of 300k now and i have no history on it apart from what i have done and seen so it will be a long road yet before im completely content.

Ok so i found a used one on facebook, shipped to me overnight so no mucking around, my actual oil cooler only had a few bits of debris in the radiator side that i could see like silicone and what looked like leaf stems? Picked them out and washed it. When i went to istall the replacement thermostat to the top it would not fit so im thinking wtf! The holes where too far apart to fit on the cooler. So i played with it a bit and i could compress it together as its 2 pieces but just not enough so i thought what the hell ill take it apart, only then did i see what you mentioned before about the clay like substace that builds up in there, this thing was blocked and so badly it was preventing the pieces mating together, i checked my old one and it was clean as a whistle. So im glad it didnt fit at first or i never would have looked, I cleaned it all out, installed it and it now works great, and learned my lesson not to put a long bolt through the front mount that will crack the housing. All up and running now, on to the next project.

Its hard for me to tell if there is much difference yet, when i bought the car i only got to drive it for 3 weeks before the chain guides exploded so then it sat for 3 months before doing a 80km round trip yesterday which was good fun, it reminded me why i decided to do that job in the first place rather than just give up on it. As i said in the previous post the throttle response seems to be much much better/cleaner and giving more power with less pedal action but that could also be because i fixed a big vacum leak while i was in there. The one thing that still bugs me is the power loss at high rpm WOT, which im guessing is a maf issue because if i unplug it, it will pull right through the rpm range. So that is on my to do list for the near future. Just happy to have it running again, i dont think i stopped smiling till i went to sleep

Not sure if its because i got used to driving another car but the throttle response seems waaayy better, the sticky lifters that suddenly appeared after the chain guide job dissapeared after a good hard drive up the windy road. Still have to get her feet balanced and aligned after replacing the control arms so that bit is still the same. Im already looking at the next project on it which will be removing interior trim, re gluing head liner and pillars and dying them black. Replace the steering wheel and fix the rear sunshade.

Where are you located? Pick a part in Tauranga has a 740i in there mostly untouched.. well it was when i was there 5 days ago, it has the alternator you are after.

Here she is basking in the sun after 3 months of hibernation and rehabilitation after all is said and done im glad i took on the project, i got to know her just that little bit more Time for a good clean inside and out, then off for a drive to town to get re aquainted with this sexy thang. Thank you everyone for the help and support you are awesome!

Sounds easy enough, well compared to the timing chain and guide job i just done anyway, it makes sense for the crud to settle there the more i think about it, after all its the lowest point in the cooling system.

I'll have to take a look next time im under the car, it's easy enough to see inside without removing but never even gave it a thought, thanks for the tip on the o rings, if there is crap in there what did you do to clean it out?

I havent taken the cooler part off as its still connected to the trans lines, the overpriced plastic piece on top on mine was clean as a whistle but so was everything else coolant related, i just put too much pressure on the fitting trying to route it behind the crank hub and it broke off. I do get it lurch forward sometimes coming to a stop but im yet to investigate that, wish it was as simple as a bit of crud in the cooler. I will get in touch if i go with fcp, im trying to find one in nz first for a decent price if there is such a thing

As the title states i broke my trans oil cooler when installing back to the car, dumb mistake on my part. Anyway i was wondering if anyone has or knows of a 540i Auto with the M62TU engine they are parting out. Im after the plastic thermostat piece that sits on the cooler - not the actual cooler. Part number 17211437772 , any leads would be appreciated. Otherwise ill be biting the bullet and buying one from fcp euro, just shipping is near the cost of the actual part. Thanks

Ok I couldnt wait for my parts so i went on a road trip to pick them up from the courier depot, I battled into the night doing a solid 8hrs but it was well worth it to hear her fire into life. I did a video of the first start but cant add videos to this forum? So now im just waiting on the new drive pulleys and shes done, it feels like its been way too long, cant wait to get her back out on the open road!

Yea the reversing guide had completely gone so there was no lip to prevent it rubbing on the case, it also rubbed a little on the vanos solenoids and upper covers, the guide rail has big score marks where the chain de railed and the bank 2 rail had started to chip away also, what freaked me out the most is where it was rubbing was directly behind where the water pump mounts. There is still plenty of material left where it ate the cover so i will be ok with that and im replacing all chains, tensioners and guides so i should be ok for a little while. It serves as a good example of how things can get really bad really fast if the guides explode on these engines.

So here is an update with some snapshots. The last of my parts should be arriving in the next day or 2 and i cant wait. Notice the wear on the lower cover from the chain, i count my lucky stars that wasnt any worse than it is. Even ordered the wrong water pump, but that was just peventative maintenance and can wait a little longer to be replaced. So far i have replaced the oil seperator, pcv tube, ccv and all associated intake gaskets, valley pan gasket re sealed and a new oil pump chain. The amount of guide pieces i have pulled out of every orrifice of this engine is just crazy, its as if a grenade went off in there, the alloy filings are another pain in the butt although the filter captured most of it thankfully. At least it feels like im on the home stretch now with every surface and orifice cleaned up and ready to accept the new parts.

Thanks, ill be in touch. Just to be clear do you have just the timing tools? ie. Cam locks, vanos, cam sensor, locking pin etc. do you also have crank pulley holder and vanos seal press?

Yea could be keen mate, ill be in touch later when im sourcing all my parts.