This is why you dont want an E38

[martyyn 2]

Ive had some problems with rough idle the last week or so and the 740 has been billowing smoke when its cold.

Vijay (Page European) has had the manifold off today and found the culprit to be the PCV valve (if thats the correct terminology - Ive heard it called an oil separator too).

Up until this afternoon when he found someone in Auckland with replacements I was looking at a couple weeks worth of wait whilst the part found its way from Germany. At least now he will have it tomorrow.

Conservatively he reckons that once they have replaced a 250 dollar part and then put new gaskets everywhere that theyve had to remove to get the part out in the first place I will be looking at 1200 big ones

To rub salt into the wounds I wont have the car till the end of the week and so am back on the bus

[Gus 5]

put a rotor in it

at least your busses in welly work....our ones keep striking!

labour costs are always a killer

[CaM 0]

gutted man :thumbsdown: , is it right down in the valley or something????

[kiwi535 538]

yep pcv valve,while you have it apart you may as well do every thing else in there,I think the intake gaskets are also a problem with the v8s,well the m60 anyway,its why some people swear by the m30 3.5 instead of the 4.0 v8 and we wont even mention nikasil here. So its not only the e38 but e34 e39 too.Did the e32 get the v8 in mid life???,and does the 3.5 v8 suffer the same maladies??Just keep thinking about that silky smooooooth torque

Cam the pcv is right at the back and most bimmers have the engine jammed hard back against the firewall to keep the weight distribution as close to 50/50 as poss,witness the e34 535 with its hefty battery under the back seat...in the name of weight distribution

knowledge courtesy research on the e34 540 six speed.........

Edited April 4, 2005 by kiwi535

[BM WORLD 1285]

Ive had some problems with rough idle the last week or so and the 740 has been billowing smoke when its cold.

Vijay (Page European) has had the manifold off today and found the culprit to be the PCV valve (if thats the correct terminology - Ive heard it called an oil separator too).

Up until this afternoon when he found someone in Auckland with replacements I was looking at a couple weeks worth of wait whilst the part found its way from Germany. At least now he will have it tomorrow.

Conservatively he reckons that once they have replaced a 250 dollar part and then put new gaskets everywhere that theyve had to remove to get the part out in the first place I will be looking at 1200 big ones

To rub salt into the wounds I wont have the car till the end of the week and so am back on the bus

HHHMMMM ,i have a e32 730i V8 at the moment , which puffs smoke on start up and idles rough .

maybe some problem . also it puts oil into trhe radiator . and the oil looks brown etc.

[kiwi535 538]

also it puts oil into trhe radiator . and the oil looks brown etc

ahem sounds a bit more serious mate ie head gasket(s)

Thanks heaps for those little bits mate.......

[BM WORLD 1285]

ahem sounds a bit more serious mate ie head gasket(s)

Thanks heaps for those little bits mate.......

yea my thoughts as well . but was told by ersnt at bavarian motors that it could be also engine oil cooler leaking into radiator core ( the trans and oil lines all go into the main radiator) so could be 3 faults stuffed radiator and pcv valve and leaking inlet manifold gasgets . will investigate further when i have some time .

[318is 0]

The PCV valve ( pressure control valve ) can cause lots of niggly problems just like your idle and smoking. Basically, it pressurises the crank case when not working, in turn, not letting the oil drain back into the sump area from the head efficently.

I see it alot on old machines I work with. Blow-by, crap idle, smokey are all classic signs. Sure as hell not $1200 bucks worth!.... normally a wash bath and some CRC cleans/frees the valves up ( which is basically a ball and spring in a cylinderical (Sp?) tube )

Not a bimmer thou

[E30_318i 0]

I went into Page and asked how much an inspection II and cam belt would be. All up around $850.

I'm still hoping to get an E32 750 soon. Then I'll have two of the bastards to spend money on *shudders*

Better than anything Jap or Aussie tho- worth the costs :mosh:

[cainchapman 0]

Are you a member of the BMWCC Martyn? I save my membership money every time I have to buy a part. Wait until you have to replace the EDC sensors, 5 of them @ $700 each.

That's the down side to having all the luxury in our cars. Make you envious of an E30 when you get the bill.

[Gus 5]

Make you envious of an E30 when you get the bil

real funny cain

[kiwi535 538]

page 1990 535 ins II = 750,no extraordinary parts,ie includes all fluids etc,course brake pads rotors etc would all be extra.....

[cainchapman 0]

Come on Gus. Give us the list of TLA's (three letter abbreviations) that your car has....

A/C, ABS, P/W, P/S, EDC, ASC+T, C/C & PDC (not on mine).

[Gus 5]

ABS, P/S and GUS baby

[Guest Andrew]

oh I now have the most important one that cain DOESN'T have and gus and I both do.

LSD

[martyyn 2]

The reason the cost is so high is that since the oil has been leaking into the inlet manifold weve decided to whip that off and clean the oil from in there too.

Of course that adds to the time and the gaskets etc. It all adds up.

Obviously Im gutted but at the end of the day Ill know its all been fixed properly and that I will no longer be driving around blowing oil down the cats and having them damaged which would be far more than Im paying out now !

Cain, I am a member mate, was the first thing I did when I found out how much parts are over here !

Brent, as for yours mate, Im with Paul, I think yours sounds a little more than the PCV. Id be thinking about the head gasket too.

[BMW POWER 2]

This is why you do Martyyn..... Been making wallpapers over the Easter break..... have made quite a few.. from E28 to E46.. i think..

Edited April 5, 2005 by BMW POWER

[cainchapman 0]

You're not wrong Martyn. According to McMillans, to replace the cat in the 540, $3,500 each.

Andrew, you're right. LSD that's the best option.