1995 e34 540i/6 *m60b44* - Return to Some Kind of Glory

[marshallnoise]

One way to get tint off your rear windshield is to do what I did: Replace the bia.
IMG_20161118_114210839_zpsfoq5gxqz by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

I spent the $60 it took to get a glass shop to do it. I was able to help and it was a piece of cake. The next time I do it, I won't pay to have it done.
IMG_20161118_115512271_zpsnsao90fh by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

So nice to be able to see out the back.

I have no idea why I started to do the rear door gasket fix but I just got after it. Like a zombie. Pretty simple though. Just cut the original gasket in half, refit it nice and tight and then splice in another section from the junkyard gasket you sourced earlier. Both the rear doors are done. Made a huge difference in wind noise.
IMG_20161118_123658762_HDR_zps8biin5wu by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

IMG_20161118_123703887_zpsyapurthz by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

Went to the junkyard and just missed out on a VERY clean set of e38 M-Pars with killer tires. Was totally miffed I missed them.

But there was an e34 touring there that was in really good shape. I snooped through it and found this factory cassette tape.
IMG_20161118_180236594_zpshzaqphhn by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

Also snagged some all weather front mats from the same touring.
IMG_20161119_111131377_zpsb9e8bgso by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

IMG_20161119_111734390_zpsjv0sjs5t by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

IMG_20161119_111805742_zps407t6b6h by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

I was missing the plastic trim that goes under the dash just above the pedals that held the door gong and HVAC pipes. I pulled this one off the same e34 that I got my rear glass from. It was an automatic car so I had to cut out the clutch pedal relief channel. Pretty easy with a Dremel.
IMG_20161119_203934778_zpstlyfgxrx by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

IMG_20161119_204743800_zpsgegwrcyz by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

Turns out the door gong that I bought WITH the piece is dead. Fortunately I have one that works still. Just going to have to pull this thing out again. I did manage to get the knee shield trim installed for the driver's side. Looks better.

While I had the Dremel out, I decided to cut off the oil/power steering cooler line clamps. Easy as pie.
IMG_20161119_205035182_zpsxhgbjdx1 by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

IMG_20161119_205702150_zpsbdh9nwsh by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

The touring also gave up some nice hood struts and the glove box strut. All of them were in great shape and it will be nice not to have to use a vice grip to hold the new hood up.

The glove box strut is installed, but the way the rear of the glove box mounts is just strange as hell and I am having an issue getting it to line up properly.

With the cooler weather around, I am hoping to get going on trying to save the paint as best I can and that means busting out my dual action polisher.

[marshallnoise]

Had a pretty productive Thanksgiving holiday for the Bimmer.

Got my hood struts installed. So nice to not have the hood slam back on my head when working on it.

Went to the junkyard to try and procure some new-to-me wheels and a couple of batteries while the yard had a 40% off sale. The group 47 I had in the BMW worked, but it was too tall and the rear seat would not fit. The plan was to put the 47 in my 4Runner (battery was tired and about toast), get a new 49 for the BMW and get a 27 for the Bronco. At the Oceanside LKQ I was able to get a group 27 battery for the Bronco for $20. It was built a year and a half ago so I feel good about that. Tried to find a new group 49 battery for the 540 but had no luck. No wheels at the Oceanside LKQ either.

I had already swapped out the 47 from the BMW and put it in the 4Runner and the original Bronco 27 was dead as a door knob. I tried not to drive the 4Runner because it is leaking coolant into cylinder 3 every now and then causing a misfire. I had to get down to the LKQ in Chula Vista somehow and that involved using the 27 in the BMW which mostly fit but still needed some jumper cable hacking to get it to roll.

The Chula Vista LKQ almost always has a better selection of cars. Sure enough, they had a 2 year old group 49 battery just chilling on their battery rack and it tested great. I snagged that for $20 which beats the hell out of $150 for a new one. Should last 4 years at least. Victory number 1.

Victory number 2 was scoring a set of e38 Style 5s in 16x8 with nice tires and lots of life. Plus I got a 5th for a spare. All 5 barely fit the 540i, but I got them home.
IMG_20161125_181144062_zpsfjyvvr65 by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

IMG_20161125_183911300_zps1yb3aopd by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

IMG_20161125_184350436_zpsfbwyiggg by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

IMG_20161125_184440655_zpslhmwkrpf by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

Now, these tires and wheels are MUCH larger than the 15x7s I had on there. New size on the left, old on the right.

IMG_20161127_133552989_HDR_zpsjdc5coog by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

IMG_20161127_133602264_zpsgfxgkhse by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

Way back when I got the car and Josh drove it back for me, it had 20 inch ghetto specials in chrome on it. It had horrible shake and vibration. Turns out, it had hub-centric rings on 3 of the 4 hubs. The driver's front was missing and probably where the vibes came from. But as a fella who had no idea what hub-centric rings were, I just slapped my junkyard 15s on there and didn't think any different. Well, that became a problem when trying to get the drivers rear wheel off. Holy crap it took some effort to get that wheel off.

So took those bastards off 3 of the 4 hubs.
IMG_20161126_164645656_zpsf4ycl3bj by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

IMG_20161126_164531510_zpsijftkfyw by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

IMG_20161126_164638688_zpsi4cwtdyn by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

The off set is et23 which my e34 requires et20. I figured it wouldn't be an issue. They look good to me!
IMG_20161127_131915815_zpshr1cq71c by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

Clearance was an issue. I drove around the block and heard noises. Ha!
IMG_20161127_132932135_zpszvweizxt by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

Clearance with the 15x7s.
IMG_20161127_133801913_HDR_zpskaxo80rq by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

Interference with 16X8s.
IMG_20161127_133405401_zpsiefaaa5d by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

So as she sits until I get some spacers.
IMG_20161127_133845542_zps1rrfnnr4 by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

Upon further research, it turns out that the main reason why I have issues with rubbing on the front is because the size of tires that are mounted on the rim. They are 235/60/16s which are significantly wider than the 225/50/16s that most e34 guys run with these. Even then, I guess those don't fit so good depending on the tire.

[TimeMachinE30]

You are an LKQ pro.

I have my own E34 coming into my life, so your thread is even more meaningful to me!

[marshallnoise]

You are an LKQ pro.

I have my own E34 coming into my life, so your thread is even more meaningful to me!

Hahahahaha! I kind of am. It used to be Ecology and I liked them better. But at least LKQ has an inventory system now. Not that I used it.

These are great cars. I smile every time I drive it. Its just the perfect "hooligan in a suit" car for me.

[TimeMachinE30]

Bastards offered $185 for my 83 300SD Turbo Diesel IF I drove it in.

Price is now $2 (instead of $1) to walk the lot. I find better luck with the check out process though.. seem to haggle a bit better.

Now to go back and re-read this whole thing.

[marshallnoise]

Bastards offered $185 for my 83 300SD Turbo Diesel IF I drove it in.

Price is now $2 (instead of $1) to walk the lot. I find better luck with the check out process though.. seem to haggle a bit better.

Now to go back and re-read this whole thing.

Our yard went from $2 to $3 to walk in. And yeah, they are super cheap. Our folks don't haggle at all. The place is always busy so I am sure they don't have to.

[straight6pwr]

Upon further research, it turns out that the main reason why I have issues with rubbing on the front is because the size of tires that are mounted on the rim. They are 235/60/16s which are significantly wider than the 225/50/16s that most e34 guys run with these. Even then, I guess those don't fit so good depending on the tire.

FYI, e38 tires (235/60r16) are taller than e34 specified tire sizes. you can fit up to 245s in the front and 275s in the rear of an e34 if they are the right height and wheel offsets. you've discovered that the front offset is too high for wide tires. if you get proper sized/narrower tires, you can avoid spacers. if you want to get wider rubber, get some 10mm hubcentric spacers.

either way, ditch those balloon tires. 1)they are heavier, making your acceleration and gas mileage worse. B)they are tall enough to throw off your speedometer at highway speeds. Thirdly, they look like truck tires which is unsightly! and 4) you probably will rub those front ones on tight turns and going up driveways and such

[marshallnoise]

FYI, e38 tires (235/60r16) are taller than e34 specified tire sizes. you can fit up to 245s in the front and 275s in the rear of an e34 if they are the right height and wheel offsets. you've discovered that the front offset is too high for wide tires. if you get proper sized/narrower tires, you can avoid spacers. if you want to get wider rubber, get some 10mm hubcentric spacers.

either way, ditch those balloon tires. 1)they are heavier, making your acceleration and gas mileage worse. B)they are tall enough to throw off your speedometer at highway speeds. Thirdly, they look like truck tires which is unsightly! and 4) you probably will rub those front ones on tight turns and going up driveways and such

Bam, that is some dropped knowledge!

I just bought some 7mm hubcentric spacers for the front and the rear. Yes, they are balloon tires for sure. But they have loads of life left in them and I am cheap. When I wear them down i will get the right size tires on there. I can't even get this tire in the spare wheel well. LOL!

Odd enough, the weight of these wheels and tires is less than on my stock 15" style 5s with tires. Very strange.

Thanks for the killer info though!

[TimeMachinE30]

Supposedly 275/30/19 rear, 235/40/18 front:

[squidmaster]

Looking good! How's the rear windows holding up?
I have had such bad times removing tint, I usually just pay someone else to do it so kudos there

[straight6pwr]

Bam, that is some dropped knowledge!

I just bought some 7mm hubcentric spacers for the front and the rear. Yes, they are balloon tires for sure. But they have loads of life left in them and I am cheap. When I wear them down i will get the right size tires on there. I can't even get this tire in the spare wheel well. LOL!

Odd enough, the weight of these wheels and tires is less than on my stock 15" style 5s with tires. Very strange.

Thanks for the killer info though!

brand/style/wear of the tire could play into the weight difference, but the 15x7 style 5s are lighter than the 16x8 style 5s by about 2 lbs.

hopefully those 7mm spacers won't give you trouble, as they won't actually be hubcentric to the wheel. you're going to have a fun time holding/lining up the wheel with one arm and putting the lug nut through with the other. if you suddenly have a bunch of vibration at high speeds after you mount them, you'll know why.

[marshallnoise]

brand/style/wear of the tire could play into the weight difference, but the 15x7 style 5s are lighter than the 16x8 style 5s by about 2 lbs.

hopefully those 7mm spacers won't give you trouble, as they won't actually be hubcentric to the wheel. you're going to have a fun time holding/lining up the wheel with one arm and putting the lug nut through with the other. if you suddenly have a bunch of vibration at high speeds after you mount them, you'll know why.

IMG_20161205_085201240_zpswxxkqa7m by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

So far so good with the 7mm spacers and bolts. I did have to go to a 12.5mm spacer for the front though as the tires were still too wide and were rubbing. But they are fine now and with 7mm in the back it doesn't look so ridiculous matched to the front. I will take a pic tomorrow and throw it up. I agree the tires are too large but with the spacers, I will be able to use up the remainder of some high quality 500 wear rating Continentals. I will report back tomorrow after my morning commute.

Thanks for dropping all the knowledge in the thread though. I love it!

[marshallnoise]

I installed a fuel pressure check valve install yesterday. Easy as pie really. Parts were under $30.

The reason for it is because I have been having a hard start issue after the car sat for a little while. All indications is it was one of three things: bad FPR, leaking fuel injectors or fuel check valve failed in the fuel pump. I have already replaced the FPR and installing a fuel check valve was a retrofit MANY e34s and e32s had to have done when the internal one failed. BMW even made a kit for these cars that cost a whopping $3.50 at the stealer. But they are NLA. So if you want to do this on your car, this is what you gotta do.

Them is the parts and them is the tools required.
IMG_20161203_101724827_zps0z2lgv7h by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

IMG_20161203_132409607_zpsctzl8lp8 by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

IMG_20161203_132509019_HDR_zpsxwjk4auj by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

IMG_20161203_132718515_HDR_zpsq5psfdwe by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

Here is the hole you are working in.
IMG_20161203_133456889_zpstld5jiad by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

IMG_20161203_133633982_zps2nvieqoc by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

This is the hose running to the fuel rail.
IMG_20161203_133639278_zpssyr7xyp8 by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

Clearly the part is much longer than the OEM part. So I am going to have to do something different.
IMG_20161203_133704062_zpsiuqcazun by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

IMG_20161203_134229173_zpsohn8fsrf by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

IMG_20161203_134333202_zpsagsjxapy by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

IMG_20161203_134519015_zpsyzpkdrge by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

Once the check valve is installed, you can remove the clamp thus proving the valve works. Ha.
IMG_20161203_135109383_zpsscsqvmzd by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

Kinda had to wind it around.
IMG_20161203_135956865_zpsxqur5nt9 by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

And this is a pic while its was running proving no leaks.
IMG_20161203_140210153_zpsegrewcre by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

Unfortunately, it has not solved my problem. So that means injectors are the culprit. I will get my other set cleaned up and get them installed this coming weekend.

[marshallnoise]

More stereo junk

Went out to get started figuring out the harness madness in the trunk. I found a really good chart labeling each wire and fortunately it matched. I got most of the way taping and labeling. Then I got to talking to a neighbor and somehow lost my masking tape so I called it a night.
IMG_20161203_162813465_zpsttahhpp3 by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

I wanted to verify my chart and found this in the rear:
IMG_20161203_165204762_zpssnwwduzw by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

So that means two sets of components in the car which is cool. I am still only going to run the woofer with the idea of MAYBE getting another amp for those. OR if I can find the crossovers that came with the JBL GTO507C and put the tweeters back in the signal chain. The interwebz doesn't have much info on them but being JBLs, I presume they aren't total crap.

Hard to tell but there is some more nice hardware left over in this car.
IMG_20161203_133215412_zpsbwmmpxty by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

I also bought a Soundstream TN4.900D which has tons of crossover adjustments and puts out 150w a chanel. Pretty stoked. Its small and is supposed to run cool.

[marshallnoise]

Dogbones

While I was out there installing my new 7mm wheel spacers I figured I may as well take a stab at installing the dogbones in the rear. It was mildly difficult. But I will let pictures do the talking.

IMG_20161203_142838818_HDR_zpsvnh6ztcd by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

IMG_20161203_150501763_HDR_zps7hkc1kkx by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

IMG_20161203_150506354_zps66lelpow by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

IMG_20161203_152049523_zpszocapxiu by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

The driver's side was trashed while the passenger seemed in good shape.

Oh and I have an open 2.93 differential. One day I will source a 3.15 LSD. But its not hugely important to me at this moment.
IMG_20161203_152743999_zpsfvkghgss by Paul Abbott, on Flickr

IMG_20161203_152755575_zps2vqaxddi by Paul Abbott, on Flickr