E39 Update

"Decay buys too many beaters" (decay) 01/19/2016 at 23:20 • Filed to: Cheap E39

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After !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , I’ve just had an isolated incident in which water collected where it doesn’t belong. Namely the passenger rear footwell

Turns out it’s a common occurrence on the E39 for the vapor seals in the rear to leak water into the cabin. How a failed “vapor seal” lets a cup or two of water in I’m not sure, but I’m not the only person this has happened to. Knowing this meant nearly complete disassembly of the rear doors, I figured this was a good time to tackle my nonfunctional passenger side front and rear windows as well. Since the general theme here has been how far I can stretch a penny when it comes to repairs *cough* $80 chinese radiator *cough* , I didn’t buy BMW regulators, I didn’t buy german equivalent aftermarket ones either, I bought “replacement” brand for $25 apiece. After swapping over some hardware that was of obvious low quality, and greasing everything that could possibly move I now have fully functional windows (which are no longer held up by duct tape!) I used RTV to reseal the vapor barriers in hopes that it does a bit better than the tar like substance that BMW used. Been driving around like this for a couple days through oregon monsoons and thankfully I seem to have stopped the leak (for now)

I also tackled rebuilding the headlights, which made a world of difference.

Last thing I have to do is reattach some of the headliner, anybody have any suggestions? I was planning to go at it with some spray adhesive.

SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman > Decay buys too many beaters 01/19/2016 at 23:52

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Both of my E38s I’ve had (old and current) were bought with rear right regulators having failed prior to purchase.

I’m an expert at rear right regulator jobs on E38s.

skinnyrook > Decay buys too many beaters 01/20/2016 at 00:11

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Headliner is cloth with a thin foam backing. When it detaches, it’s generally because the foam has started to deteriorate. The best way to fix it is to replace it entirely.

Decay buys too many beaters > SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman 01/20/2016 at 00:13

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Good to know, took me a little longer than expected, sounds like I may get the chance to practice further!

Decay buys too many beaters > skinnyrook 01/20/2016 at 00:17

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So you’re telling me I have nothing to lose by attempting to glue it...

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Decay buys too many beaters 01/20/2016 at 00:55

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That is EXACTLY what he’s saying.

Just like when both my crank windows failed. I siliconed the fuck out of the channel, replaced the rubber with stuff laying around, hammered it in track, and it mostly works!

skinnyrook > Decay buys too many beaters 01/20/2016 at 01:08

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I mean, I remember my grandpa fixing his by injecting glue underneath with a large syringe and pushpinning it in place while it dried. It left lots of little dots everywhere, but stopped sagging.

LOREM IPSUM > Decay buys too many beaters 01/20/2016 at 08:49

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The water is probably coming from the sunroof drains. The tubing detaches itself, water dumps into the headliner, runs down the pillars, past the LCM, and pools under the carpet. With the thick rubber and foam backing on the carpet there can be gallons of water under it before you’ll ever notice.

It’s a common problem with BMW’s of that era, and WILL kill your car if not resolved.

You need to drop the headliner asap and verify that all of the drain lines are securely connected.

Good luck.

Decay buys too many beaters > LOREM IPSUM 01/20/2016 at 12:27

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Thank you, I’ll look in to it. But isn’t the LCM in the front passenger footwell?

LOREM IPSUM > Decay buys too many beaters 01/21/2016 at 09:05

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Yes, that’s where the LCM is. I only mentioned it because it’s often effected by the water on its way down from the sunroof. There are also a bunch of high volt fuses and electrical junctions under the passenger seat, below the carpeting, which don’t like being submerged either.

Good luck. They’re such rewarding cars to own and drive, but they make you earn it.

Decay buys too many beaters > LOREM IPSUM 01/21/2016 at 12:25

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Thanks I’ll do a check next time I’m working there. Loving the car so far, over the past few years (thanks largely to Oregon’s lack of sales tax and ludicrously low vehicle registration costs) I’ve been swapping out my daily driver every 6 months or so. This is the first one I’m considering keeping longer. Even that I stand to make a tidy profit (bought it VERY cheap with a blown radiator) there’s nothing else I can get at it’s price point that does everything half as well as the 540, though I have been slightly tempted by the X306's as of late...