Eagle 1678 Report post Posted August 17, 2019 (edited) Thought i better attend to the last real pieces of preventative engine work. New coolant pipes under the manifold. They were the original ones which had done 290,000km, picture shows how they fail, they have 2 o-rings which helps and the rest of the pipe was fine. A chunk of plastic must of broke off one pipe, and when i flushed the system it made it's way into the heater valve which jammed one side open, unfortunately took a little nick out of the non replaceable housing seal but it still appears to work ok. BMW plastic truly is the a gift that keeps on giving. Re-did the vanos seals as it felt like they weren't performing like they used to and was getting low rpm surging in first gear. Along with an adaption reset and its much more responsive with extra torque, and easier to drive with less clutch required. Rebuilt the alternator with new bearings,slip ring and brushes for $50 in parts. The original brushes were on their on tip toes. A time consuming fiddly job but worth it compared to unknown 2nd hand one or worse, a dubious Chinese special that would cost hundreds. Edited August 17, 2019 by Eagle 3 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Eagle 1678 Report post Posted October 6, 2019 Spotted a set of Lemforder subframe bushings on trademe for $50 and thought i couldn't afford not to install them. Don't usually bother with pullers but for $120 i thought id give this ebay one a go. I removed some burrs, gave the old ones a cold chizel to seat the puller, then added some heat, very easy removal with the install needed very little pressure with the old dish soap. Old bushings weren't bad but the rubber on the new ones was firmer, it seems has translated into a tighter rear end under quick steering input. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BreakMyWindow 1878 Report post Posted October 6, 2019 Seem to hold up pretty well the sedan subframe bush. Can’t say the same for touring. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Eagle 1678 Report post Posted October 6, 2019 Yeah it's like SLS accumulators in the older 7 series, i think many tourings are likely driving around on worn bushings. My brothers old touring drove fine until you going over road imperfections. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BreakMyWindow 1878 Report post Posted October 6, 2019 On my touring you can shift the subframe a bit by jacking a wheel up and wiggling on it. Plan to do mine in the next month. Over bumps it's not pleasant. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Eagle 1678 Report post Posted October 6, 2019 Yeah not surprising at your mileage. Touring is certainly harder and more costly to do which also adds insult. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Eagle 1678 Report post Posted November 30, 2019 Found a wrecked msport and finally swapped over all the interior to spec, first and last type of job i think. The car was identical spec to @Autoglym one, born 3 days before even. It came with BMW individual interior that included extended leather option (leather door handles and center console) as well as the sliding arm rest and ski bag. Also got a spare msport bumper now and a bunch of spares which is always a good thing as these things are getting on now. Will be swapping back on my old wheel once i get some alloy trim to replace the wood, always preferred the thinner type and BMW changed the wiring setup so you cant plug in half the wheel controls with my car Certainly come along way from what it was 10 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
str8_6 275 Report post Posted November 30, 2019 Very cool thread! Car looks so good. @BozzaFC when are you doing a manual conversion for your e39? 1 1 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Eagle 1678 Report post Posted December 1, 2019 Finding the factory kit is most of the challenge, all the converted 6 cylinder ones ive seen had corners cut. Easiest way to get a proper manual E39 is buy an M5, there's always one available it seems. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Eagle 1678 Report post Posted December 19, 2019 Steering wheel trim fitted. Should of been an easy 15min job but Murphy's Law. I got a alloy one off ebay the looked the same as my wood trim as far as i would tell in photos. After spending forever trying to find suitable machine screws that were missing off the base (this trim uses these and a little nut to secure to wheel buttons instead of self tappers into plastic), it appears this trim must have different internal curvature or has slightly smaller prongs as it doesn't sit perfectly even after some leather trimming. I don't think most would notice but its all BMW to blame on this one, so many slightly different variants for E46\E39\E53 wheel trims that supposedly use the same wheels, kinda sh*t i expect from the Japanese. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Eagle 1678 Report post Posted September 12, 2020 After the clearcoat failing around the place and gearbox having a sick bearing i decided to throw in the towel after 6 years\70,000km with no mechanical issues. Its been parted out\recycled with only a minimal amount of plastic waste going into the landfill. The rest will live on in some form. I wouldn't do it again as its very time consuming, but i received about $80 from recycling the aluminum, wiring and steel, so at least paid for my carbide tip sawzall blades. The bare shell weighed about 350kg RIP 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hqstu 780 Report post Posted September 13, 2020 Plenty of it is now on the 540 or in the attic... 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Eagle 1678 Report post Posted September 14, 2020 Haha yep. Most of the other stuff went down to the lower half of Nth Island. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
