Goose

Finally had a chance to road test the rocker cover gasket replacement I completed a couple of weeks back. No more oil dripping onto exhaust manifold so I’d call that a win! Rocker covers also look a lot better in wrinkle black too, not 100% perfect (due in large part to my skills with a paint can) but a lot better than they were. As mentioned before, I have a set of new non-vanos m62 rocker cover gaskets free to a good home.

I passed you between Opua and Kawakawa (opposite direction, not overtaking) and your car is looking and sounding great, an absolute credit to your time and effort that has gone into it! And yes, gota watch out on our Northland roads, there is what I can only describe as a motocross jump in the middle of SH15 at the moment!😳

https://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/nz-navy-vessel-runs-rocks NZ Navy are well practiced at this………

So…. Turns out the M62 and M62tu have different rocker covers, and gaskets. Thinking about it now, this makes perfect sense as the tu has Vanos and it’s predecessor does not, meaning a different shape at the front of the valve cover. End result, I need to order the correct gaskets (M62tu) and I have a brand new set of M62 non Vanos valve cover gaskets that are free to a good home.

Slow progress...... Decided to go with a paint stripper, primer, wrinkle coat combo, not 100% perfect, but a big improvement on what was there. Hoping to reassemble this weekend, just waiting on a new set of fuel injector plug clips. I managed to drop / lose one somewhere so might as well replace the lot. I'm also on the hunt for an engine bay firewall panel (the piece that sits against the firewall between the two cabin filter boxes) in reasonable condition, part number in photo below. Mine has gone brittle and nasty. I see them on ebay etc. but they are an odd shape and shipping is crazy, plus would rather buy local where possible.

Must admit, I had never heard of this. After checking out some videos, it looks like a good option. I have found a powder coater in in Whangarei that will do the work, hopefully get onto that early next week. I have found a few other engine bay bits to tidy up while I have things apart so not in a big hurry to get this done.

Pulled the 540i out of the garage for its WOF (passed @ VTNZ) check a couple of weeks back and noticed a few drops of oil on the ground under the engine bay. As the M62's are notorious for valve cover oil leaks, I thought Id start there, and sure enough, good leak from right hand side. Ordered a new gasket set and began work on replacing this over the weekend. Once I had got everything out of the way (and there is a lot of everything to get out of the way) it was obvious where the issue was. Someone had been there before me and instead of replacing the gaskets, they had emptied a tube of gasket maker onto the old gasket and hoped for the best.🤯 Anyway, now that I have identified the issue and have have the new gaskets to sort it, I thought I might as well give the valve covers a clean up and repaint while I have them off. Has anyone had any experience with soda blasting magnesium valve covers, or am I better to use a paint stripper on them? Also, painting vs powder coating? They are in reasonable condition, certainly better than some I have seen. Cheers.

49minutes of my Sunday morning gone, but totally worth it!

Welcome Paul👍 I’m also in Whangarei and come from a long line of 4x4 vehicles, and various bmw’s. Also considering joining BMW Car Club NZ. PM me if you wish to wish to catch up / discuss further.

Don't be sorry, this is all super useful info that will make testing and troubleshooting the completed conversion so much easier, keep it coming! My 540 is a Japanese import, so will need to work through that at the time, and will defiantly be deleting the "clutch to start" setting.

Vass, thanks for the useful insight and advice. Thanks for the heads up on the diff flange, this is something I will be checking as it hadn’t crossed my mind. I have watched a few of the ShopLife videos already, very helpful. I should be able to manage the wiring side also as I’m a registered electrician, although not working in the trade any longer. Programming still seems a bit beyond me at this stage though!? I was planning on installing a new master cylinder. I have one that came with the gearbox, but it looks like a rite pain to access, so would rather not find out its no good after fitting everything up! On the clutch switch, am I correct in assuming the purpose of this is to prevent the car starting unless the clutch is depressed? If my assumption is correct, can this option be bypassed / coded out?

😵🤯 I'm not sure I want to practice my (nonexistent) coding skills on my own vehicle for fear of bricking it. Is there an option to send the DME to someone to have this done, or is this best done in the vehicle? Is it possible to be done online remotely? I'm happy to trailer the car to somewhere this can be done too if needed, preferably on the Shore or further North. Also, happy to pay for the rite skills / service. Thanks for the expert advice. Still a couple of months of this stage, so have time to get a plan in place.

As per the title, my old E39 540i is going to get the 6-speed manual conversion treatment. For me, the car is a “Sunday driver” and I just want to make it a bit more enjoyable / engaging to drive. I’m not trying to build a race / skid machine and want to keep the look and feel as factory as possible. I have the key components already, Getrag 420g gearbox, gearbox sub frame, drive shaft, pedal box, shifter linkage etc. Everything else will be replaced with new parts, clutch, flywheel, hanger bearings, master / slave cylinders, shifter linkage rebuild kit etc. Diff upgrades will come later, probably much later as the “toy account” has taken a hammering with this project so far😭 Keen to hear opinions on clutch / flywheel combos, and where to purchase parts from. I’m 95% certain I will go with a dual mass F/W to keep the factory feel, unless someone can convince me otherwise? I have a “wish List” of parts on ECS Tuning’s website, but would prefer to purchase locally if it stacks up, so open to suggestions on local parts suppliers too. I’m not in a hurry to get this done and want to make sure I have what I need before starting the job, but planning to have it done and ready for next summer😎 The mechanical side of the conversion I think I will manage ok (have done this myself successfully on my previous E36 328i) but I believe there is a bit more work on the DME / programming / electrical side with the E39, so I will be reaching out for some help in the future around this😵 There will also be a good 540 / M62 auto trans coming out if anyone needs one, happy for test drive if your interested. Please chime in if you have useful advice info etc. Will keep this updated as I make decisions, collect parts and begin the conversion, plus include plenty of Pic’s where needed.

Haven’t actually done anything to the car today, but received a pile of goodies for it. 6speed manual conversion coming up for the 540i!

Fair point, there was a few years gap between ownership of the 6cyl and v8, so a little difficult to make a comparison. As mentioned, the v8 would be my pick if the bulk of your driving is open road stuff and/or if it’s a “Sunday driver” car. This is what I use mine as and I think it suits the application well. Stick with the 6cyl if it’s a daily driver IMO.