Dion 4 Report post Posted March 7, 2016 Hey guys, I recently picked up my first BMW, first European car actually, thought I'd say hi I am the proud new owner of a 2002 530i M Sport Here she is I'm still working on a name, nothing has jumped out at me so far, I've been spending last couple of weeks searching forums, googling etc some issues/thing I want to change, but seeing as I'm a novice with BMWs, I get a bit confused with the different chassis, do other problems from one chassis work for my E39 (when i say problems, I'm talking very minor, aesthetic really) and so on, some threads are 5 years old, dead links, missing pics, has something better come out since then and so on. Thats where I'm hoping you guys, with your wealth of knowledge, can point me in the right direction. This probably isn't the right place for my list of issues, so I'll try to keep them in the correct sub-forum. But yeah, if you're from The Naki, keep an eye out for me. Cheers, Dion 4 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Breaker 980 Report post Posted March 7, 2016 Welcome, I'm going to be moving to the Naki next month. Got to love those E39s. Yours is looking sharp and good show getting the last of the make 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ahmedsinc 414 Report post Posted March 7, 2016 (edited) Most of the issues around these lie with leaks in the intake system from failed components. If the cooling system hasn't been done yet do it now - stick to OEM parts, the aftermarket stuff is frequently poor quality. If these engines overheat they tend to pull the head bolts back out of the block - being an all alloy engine its a death sentence. Budget around a grand for the overhaul if youre capable of doing it yourself - radiator, water pump, all hoses, reservoir, viscous fan coupling and genuine coolant. Plenty of good guides on the web, can be done in a day on your own. Aside from minor electrical niggles (which you'll have with every car) the window regulators do tend to die young-ish. Be kind with routine servicing (correct grade oil is essential) and have the trans serviced by a pro & it will give you many years of enjoyable driving. I have a 530i wagon as a daily for the wife & kids, great car. Edited March 7, 2016 by Ahmedsinc Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dion 4 Report post Posted March 7, 2016 Most of the issues around these lie with leaks in the intake system from failed components. If the cooling system hasn't been done yet do it now - stick to OEM parts, the aftermarket stuff is frequently poor quality. If these engines overheat they tend to pull the head bolts back out of the block - being an all alloy engine its a death sentence. Budget around a grand for the overhaul if youre capable of doing it yourself - radiator, water pump, all hoses, reservoir, viscous fan coupling and genuine coolant. Plenty of good guides on the web, can be done in a day on your own. Aside from minor electrical niggles (which you'll have with every car) the window regulators do tend to die young-ish. Be kind with routine servicing (correct grade oil is essential) and have the trans serviced by a pro & it will give you many years of enjoyable driving. I have a 530i wagon as a daily for the wife & kids, great car. This is the info i need thanks! This was imported from Jap in 2011, the guy who imported it kept a service history from then. It had a new water pump, top radiator hose, along with new idlers and drive belt done at the end of 2014. Could i work with this, or would you still suggest a complete overhaul? (Unsure if they were OEM parts, I'll have a looks next time I'm under the hood) He got it serviced before i picked it up, assuming the mechanic knows what hes doing, I'd hope its the right grade in there. Other fluids i was going to look at changing anyway, transition, break etc because I dont know when they were done last, I'd rather start off knowing when they were done, and that they were done correctly. The rest of the service history is pretty standard, new tires, wheel alignment, rocker cover gasket done at the end of 2013 Oh and the AC doesnt work. Thats up there on the list at the moment haha, I'm hoping its a re-gas, but we'll see. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ahmedsinc 414 Report post Posted March 7, 2016 This is the info i need thanks! This was imported from Jap in 2011, the guy who imported it kept a service history from then. It had a new water pump, top radiator hose, along with new idlers and drive belt done at the end of 2014. Could i work with this, or would you still suggest a complete overhaul? (Unsure if they were OEM parts, I'll have a looks next time I'm under the hood) He got it serviced before i picked it up, assuming the mechanic knows what hes doing, I'd hope its the right grade in there. Other fluids i was going to look at changing anyway, transition, break etc because I dont know when they were done last, I'd rather start off knowing when they were done, and that they were done correctly. The rest of the service history is pretty standard, new tires, wheel alignment, rocker cover gasket done at the end of 2013 Oh and the AC doesnt work. Thats up there on the list at the moment haha, I'm hoping its a re-gas, but we'll see. Unfortunately the plastics that are used in the cooling system have a VERY finite lifespan. Once they've gone sufficiently brittle from the heat cycles they just collapse, usually while driving leading to a large steamy puddle of "oh sh*t". As mentioned earlier, these engines really don't tolerate getting too warm, so spend a few dollars now and save a bunch of grief in the future. Pelican parts is a great place to source OEM equivalent parts for reasonable prices - just remember to factor in GST on arrival if you spend more than $400 in one go. Auto tranny servicing is something best left to the pros, replacing fluid is not an easy task, same goes for AC repairs too. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dion 4 Report post Posted March 7, 2016 Unfortunately the plastics that are used in the cooling system have a VERY finite lifespan. Once they've gone sufficiently brittle from the heat cycles they just collapse, usually while driving leading to a large steamy puddle of "oh sh*t". As mentioned earlier, these engines really don't tolerate getting too warm, so spend a few dollars now and save a bunch of grief in the future. Pelican parts is a great place to source OEM equivalent parts for reasonable prices - just remember to factor in GST on arrival if you spend more than $400 in one go. Auto tranny servicing is something best left to the pros, replacing fluid is not an easy task, same goes for AC repairs too. Full overhaul it is then, for piece of mind anyway. Yeah i don't want to touch the tranny or AC, I'll get that done at a shop. I like the look of pelican parts, thats very useful. Thanks again Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ahmedsinc 414 Report post Posted March 7, 2016 Somewhere on the end tanks of the radiator there will be two clock - like symbols indicating the build date of the radiator. One will give you the month and the other the year - if the year indicator says 01 or 02 then I'd be tempted to leave the car parked up until you complete the cooling system refresh. Be sure to replace the hoses leading off to the heater valve, & there are two solid plastic pipes tucked under the intake manifold that need to be done at the same time. Access is really awkward unfortunately but it needs to be done. Good luck, try not to lose your patience with it - they're a good little motor when they're cared for properly Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dion 4 Report post Posted March 7, 2016 Somewhere on the end tanks of the radiator there will be two clock - like symbols indicating the build date of the radiator. One will give you the month and the other the year - if the year indicator says 01 or 02 then I'd be tempted to leave the car parked up until you complete the cooling system refresh. Be sure to replace the hoses leading off to the heater valve, & there are two solid plastic pipes tucked under the intake manifold that need to be done at the same time. Access is really awkward unfortunately but it needs to be done. Good luck, try not to lose your patience with it - they're a good little motor when they're cared for properly Found 3 little clock symbols on the drivers side of the radiator. Quite hard to read, but this is what i eventually got. Bottom one ranged from 10 to 15, it was pointing at 14 Middle ranged from 1 to 12, pointing at 6 Top one, hardest to read, seemed to range from 1 to 30ish, days i presume? It was pointing at around 18. So is this saying 18/06/2014 as the manufacture date? Im wondering how much of the radiator he had replaced at in 2014 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kulgan 1042 Report post Posted March 8, 2016 Nice looking E39 you have there. Welcome to the forum Dion. Brent, if your moving to the Naki maybe we can start up some coffee meets around there as well??? 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jimmyfresh 1 Report post Posted March 22, 2016 Nice car! Welcome. I love my e39, even though its not quite as nice as yours. I'm on the other end of the spectrum - mine is one of the first e39's iff the line. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BlackAngel 60 Report post Posted April 3, 2016 Nice car! Welcome. I love my e39, even though its not quite as nice as yours. I'm on the other end of the spectrum - mine is one of the first e39's iff the line. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk I have one of the first (97) and one of the last (03). Great thing about the '97 is the cast iron engine which CAN tolerate severe repeated overheating. I ended up replacing the radiator, thermostat and thermostat housing in the '97 and she still revs out nicely at 220,000km. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
