"gmctavish needs more space" (gmctavish)
02/11/2016 at 20:32 • Filed to: happenings, bmw, e34, 530i
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"gmctavish needs more space" (gmctavish)
02/11/2016 at 20:32 • Filed to: happenings, bmw, e34, 530i | 7
| 14 |
Any of you remember how I was looking for a reliable, good on gas daily? Yeah, I forgot too, so I bought a V8 German project car. I guess I’m definitely some sort of glutton for wallet punishment.
This old girl popped up on craigslist, and was just too cheap to pass up. A 1994 BMW 530i, auto. Yes, the second least desirable E34 drivetrain, preferable only to an automatic-backed M20. At least that’s what I’m told, I prefer to think of it as a lovely, DOHC aluminum V8, which as a result of a shorter stroke than the 4L, likes to rev even more. Doesn’t sound so bad when you think of it that way... This one also has only 184k kms under its belt, no rust, a totally dry interior, trunk included, and a nearly flawless interior with wood trim. I’m told the head gaskets were done by a previous owner, along with new chains and guides, of course. there is no chain guide chatter, so I’m inclined to believe it.
Now why was it so cheap? Here’s where it gets interesting - it’s stuck in limp mode. That means the transmission will only operate in 3rd, and if you try and drive in any other gear, it revs as if it’s in neutral, sometimes producing small amounts of forward movement. Mmmm. Transmission issues, my favourite. not so fast - the TRANS PROG ERROR is actually pretty common. It can be caused by a weak battery, which this has, or low coolant, which this also has, or any number of other sensor issues that make it panic and go into limp mode. She’ll be getting a new battery next week and getting scanned for codes to see what’s making her angry. (I already tried the stomp test, that might be a US-only thing).
It’s a ZF 5HP18, just in case you were wondering. Not the indestructible 5HP30 the bigger V8s got, unfortunately.
The worlds most unused spare wheel
Also the person I bought it from has a 525i Touring, with a manual swapped in...it was lovely. Also, an Estoril blue, Euro E36 M3....no pictures sadly, it was too dark. I do, however, have pictures of his wagon, my new 530i, and my friends 540i. He was not expecting me to come in a beige V8 E34, to buy a beige, V8 E34.
Oh yeah, it doesn’t have a blower motor. At least it’s not that hard to put a new one in. I’m looking forward to this, it’s been a while since I had a good little project.
whoarder is tellurium
> gmctavish needs more space
02/11/2016 at 20:41 |
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Grats! Sounds like you’ll have some fun figuring out the transmission issue.
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gmctavish needs more space
> whoarder is tellurium
02/11/2016 at 20:43 |
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Thanks! Luckily it was cheap enough that shoving in a used trans is totally an option if this one is toast
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whoarder is tellurium
> gmctavish needs more space
02/11/2016 at 20:44 |
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Ever thought about a glorious conversion to manuel transmiscion?
Just a thought... because project cars gonna project.
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gmctavish needs more space
> whoarder is tellurium
02/11/2016 at 20:57 |
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I've been looking into it, it's definitely doable. The main hang up is transmission availability. E34/E32 V8 5 and 6 speeds are very rare, and as a result when they show up for sale, they're also quite expensive.
Slant6
> gmctavish needs more space
02/11/2016 at 21:36 |
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I have a manual 525i m50 that I’ve been trying to sell for 3 months. They’re great cars. Just not great daylies for college students.
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gmctavish needs more space
> Slant6
02/11/2016 at 21:41 |
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Oh yeah I saw your ad earlier when you posted it. Such a good looking car, the colour is great. Also, luckily I’m not a college student
Steve in Manhattan
> gmctavish needs more space
02/11/2016 at 21:51 |
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You seem to have the skills in place to make it run ... keep us informed.
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gmctavish needs more space
> Steve in Manhattan
02/11/2016 at 22:02 |
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I like to think I do, and I also have the help of three others that know far too much about BMWs....updates shall come! They might not be fast, but they’ll happen
unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins)
> gmctavish needs more space
02/11/2016 at 22:12 |
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I had trans failsafe prog yesterday. It was voltage related. Got angry and stuck in 4th gear. Loose battery terminal and low voltage in drive. I drove it today and no trans failsafe. The maf is failing too.
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gmctavish needs more space
> unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins)
02/11/2016 at 22:24 |
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We bought an E32 a few months ago with the trans prog error and it turned out the cruise control bracket was bent and confusing the throttle position sensor. We couldn’t believe it was that easy to fix.
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unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins)
> gmctavish needs more space
02/11/2016 at 22:31 |
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Any news on the e38 cooling system?
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gmctavish needs more space
> unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins)
02/11/2016 at 22:34 |
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Not yet, I ordered a combustion leak tool, it should get here tomorrow. We decided to hold off on doing anything until we know for sure one of the heads isn’t leaking. Also the heater control valve blew and the auxiliary pump might’ve died as well, I can’t remember if i said that in the last post. After that happened we just ordered the tool and stopped working on it.
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unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins)
> gmctavish needs more space
02/11/2016 at 22:50 |
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There’s a heater valve rebuild kit on ebay. If the thing actually ruptured you would get a major leak and changes in temperature. If clogged or not working, no significant chance of overheat.
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gmctavish needs more space
> unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins)
02/11/2016 at 22:53 |
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My friend had been driving it for half an hour after we bled it for the last time, and it wasn’t overheating until he noticed steam coming from under the hood when the control valve blew one of its seals or something, I haven’t actually seen what it did yet. but it only started overheating again after it blew, which is promising I think.