qube 3570 Report post Posted September 25, 2020 2 hours ago, BreakMyWindow said: a thorough wof inspector oxymoron? 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
aja540i 1906 Report post Posted September 25, 2020 Its seems they are either quite slack or far too over the top, it would be nice to have more consistency. I have been using Continental BMW and they do a great job on WOFs. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
aja540i 1906 Report post Posted September 25, 2020 So swirl flaps are not an issue, doesn't have any, never did! thick, black, gunk on the other hand, it has plenty of!! 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
polley 916 Report post Posted September 25, 2020 clean it up and remove the egr! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
aja540i 1906 Report post Posted September 25, 2020 Just cleaned 22 years worth of shite out of the egr valve, seems to still be working, I will hook it up to some vacuum tomorrow to make sure the diaphragm is intact, chuck a new vacuum hose on it and it can go back in. Also found the diesel leak, inlet hose to the high pressure pump, so will sort that before the manifold goes back on, slow but good progress! 3 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
aja540i 1906 Report post Posted September 26, 2020 Diesel leak sorted ( hopefully) also removed all the crud from the fuel cooler and its pipe, vacuum cleaner is earning its pay on this one!! 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
aja540i 1906 Report post Posted September 26, 2020 did the rounds of Pick a part this afternoon, got a replacement steering wheel for $29, same 4 spoke wheel but MUCH nicer condition, a few bits of trim, and a donor instrument cluster to change the original from MPH to KPH, I'm leaving the MPG on the economy gage to trigger those who prefer their miles In metric!! 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
balancerider 758 Report post Posted September 27, 2020 suspect you didn't have much of a choice with the rev counter given the paucity of diesel E39's in NZ...? 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
aja540i 1906 Report post Posted September 28, 2020 20 hours ago, balancerider said: suspect you didn't have much of a choice with the rev counter given the paucity of diesel E39's in NZ...? Not if I wanted the redline to actually mean anything!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
aja540i 1906 Report post Posted September 29, 2020 Gave it a good wash and it came up very slightly less terrible... Also some new pollen filters arrived 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
aja540i 1906 Report post Posted September 29, 2020 More new goodies, $470 worth of gas struts for the tailgate!! Investigated the handbrake issue, the shoes have plenty of meat on them, but have big grooves all the way around and cracks across the surface so it will be getting new ones, also found a boost gauge in storage, so it will get that as well More cleaning inside, starting to reassemble the interior, still needs a new drivers seat belt, but have started the wood grain delete... 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Allanw 1071 Report post Posted September 29, 2020 That number plate appears to be absolutely indestructible, based on the front bumper condition... 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BreakMyWindow 1874 Report post Posted September 29, 2020 15 hours ago, aja540i said: More new goodies, $470 worth of gas struts for the tailgate!! Investigated the handbrake issue, the shoes have plenty of meat on them, but have big grooves all the way around and cracks across the surface so it will be getting new ones, also found a boost gauge in storage, so it will get that as well More cleaning inside, starting to reassemble the interior, still needs a new drivers seat belt, but have started the wood grain delete... I've got a gen bmw handbrake shoe kit i'll donate to the cause also. Thought I could use for the M5 but appears not. 3 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
aja540i 1906 Report post Posted September 30, 2020 11 hours ago, Allanw said: That number plate appears to be absolutely indestructible, based on the front bumper condition... That is not actually a bumper, it is a prototype fishing net made of recycled BMW parts and cable ties, the lights are to attract fish.... 3 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
aja540i 1906 Report post Posted September 30, 2020 8 hours ago, BreakMyWindow said: I've got a gen bmw handbrake shoe kit i'll donate to the cause also. Thought I could use for the M5 but appears not. Legend! Apparently every e39 uses the same handbrake shoes, except the M5.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
aja540i 1906 Report post Posted September 30, 2020 Removed the drivers seat, good news is the budget for this project has increased by $3.20, bad news is those are mostly potato chips..... Looks like I will be spending some time in here with the carpet cleaner!! 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
aja540i 1906 Report post Posted September 30, 2020 Compulsory E39 headlight polish... 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
aja540i 1906 Report post Posted October 1, 2020 So I decided to install an aftermarket stereo because reasons, and I thought " I'll make this easy on myself and just get a fitting kit", that arrived today and I had a look and decided I don't want to use it, it means the flappy lid just sits up in the dash chilling, and all the space around the head unit is wasted, and I want to put a boost gauge there, so I have decided to make it amazingly more complicated... Step one, some light dismantling, with the angle grinder... Step 2, relocate the part of the frame that holds the stereo and weld it back on, it will sit further back into the dash and be angled very slightly uphill and toward the driver... Step 3, think to myself " that was a bit sh1t to weld" pick up the bracket, watch it break in half, check the casting, realize it is Magnesium alloy, start again.... 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
aja540i 1906 Report post Posted October 2, 2020 Another issue fixed, the rear rh door wasn't opening from the outside, flicked the kiddy lock off and hey presto, chucked some lube at the mechanism to stop it squeaking and job done. This car is one of what I assume are the majority of these, suffering from decades of neglect and ignorance, but has nothing seriously wrong with it. Its a shame that most of them will end up at wreckers because people aren't prepared to spend a little bit of money every now and then. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BreakMyWindow 1874 Report post Posted October 2, 2020 13 hours ago, aja540i said: Another issue fixed, the rear rh door wasn't opening from the outside, flicked the kiddy lock off and hey presto, chucked some lube at the mechanism to stop it squeaking and job done. This car is one of what I assume are the majority of these, suffering from decades of neglect and ignorance, but has nothing seriously wrong with it. Its a shame that most of them will end up at wreckers because people aren't prepared to spend a little bit of money every now and then. Yep so true. If it weren’t for pickapart and Zebra getting so many e39’s I would have never bothered with the old touring I had. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
aja540i 1906 Report post Posted October 2, 2020 Great painting weather so finished the wood grain delete. 3 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
aja540i 1906 Report post Posted October 3, 2020 Passenger seat out, very disappointed, same filth, no cash! 1 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Olaf 3317 Report post Posted October 3, 2020 On 9/23/2020 at 8:00 PM, aja540i said: no, the 540 was Biarritz Blau, this is Orient blau, quite a bit darker. Jesus, that's Orientblau? Wow, it is filthy. Orientblau sparkles up a treat (I'm not biased), something to look forward to. Great score! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Olaf 3317 Report post Posted October 3, 2020 On 9/24/2020 at 1:25 PM, polley said: I checked my swirl flaps on my 3l after hearing so much crap about them and mine were perfectly fine, no play or anything. And that was at 200k. I did remove them however for piece of mind, lost a bit of low down punch as a result of it. Did you install a blanking kit in their place? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Olaf 3317 Report post Posted October 3, 2020 (edited) On 10/2/2020 at 8:18 PM, aja540i said: This car is one of what I assume are the majority of these, suffering from decades of neglect and ignorance, but has nothing seriously wrong with it. Its a shame that most of them will end up at wreckers because people aren't prepared to spend a little bit of money every now and then. Fully agree. Sadly that appears to be the fate of most 5ers of any age/series; more complex car (than a 3er) with higher parts cost and needing regular care. By the time they're a sub-$20k used car, buyers leveraging costly dealership hire purchase run from "expensive" repair bills ("I told you we should've bought that Camry! Next time I'm making the car purchase decision!"). Three or four more years of neglect, they're traded-in, relegated to beater status, and in the wrecker's yard after a couple of years being thrashed by a twenty-something lad who picked it up for $1600 for something different, fed a diet of used parts. Edited October 3, 2020 by Olaf 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
