Purchased the car January of this year. I've owned an E30, and a very sweet 5-speed E32 735i (That I regret selling on a daily basis), and now this E34. I hadn't seen too many equipped with a manual transmission, and I've always loved the look of them, so I went and checked it out. Here's one of the pics from the Craigslist ad:
1995 540i 6-speed manual. 190k miles. Salvage title. (boo)
The knock-off e36 mirrors didn't fit correctly, the rear bumper was damaged, poorly rattle-canned, and barely hanging on, it couldn't idle cold at all, the M-Sport bumper was damaged, and it had a thick layer of grime all over it. It has evidence of being in multiple collisions. Most of the paint doesn't match period.
I had never driven a V8 BMW before, and this thing is a blast. Clutch is strong. Radiator, fan clutch, and radiator hoses look brand new. Tires are brand new. Sunroof and power seats/those leg bolster things work. Even with its faults, I had to buy it after I drove it.
Successfully drove it home about an hour and pressure washed it in 30 degree weather. Still pretty nasty.
Hit up a U-Pull-It about an hour and a half from me and picked up replacement white bumpers and mirrors from a 525i.
The cold start has been really rough since I bought it, and the idle has always been rough. Warmed up it's decent, and at speed is great, but even after replacing the missing IAT sensor, valve cover gaskets and spark plugs, things just weren't right.
So here's what I did:
Broke a knock sensor while pulling the intake off. Couldn't source one locally, so I ended up sanding the plastic down, re-soldering connections, and insulating it. Works fine. No codes. All is good.
This might've been the source of one of the vacuum leaks..
Previous owner must've correctly assumed the PCV was leaking, and incorrectly applied some RTV in hopes to stop it. Spoiler: It didn't work
Check out those trumpets! Pretty weird for a 1995 car.
Could've taken a lot more pictures, but I was more interested in getting the car back together the same day.
At the end of the day, I turned the key to prime the fuel system, fired it up, it stumbled for a second (probably due to re-pressuring the rail and stuff) and now has a buttery smooth idle. No check engine light. Revs clean. Sounds wonderful.
Stay tuned for more...
1995 540i 6-speed manual. 190k miles. Salvage title. (boo)
The knock-off e36 mirrors didn't fit correctly, the rear bumper was damaged, poorly rattle-canned, and barely hanging on, it couldn't idle cold at all, the M-Sport bumper was damaged, and it had a thick layer of grime all over it. It has evidence of being in multiple collisions. Most of the paint doesn't match period.
I had never driven a V8 BMW before, and this thing is a blast. Clutch is strong. Radiator, fan clutch, and radiator hoses look brand new. Tires are brand new. Sunroof and power seats/those leg bolster things work. Even with its faults, I had to buy it after I drove it.
Successfully drove it home about an hour and pressure washed it in 30 degree weather. Still pretty nasty.
Hit up a U-Pull-It about an hour and a half from me and picked up replacement white bumpers and mirrors from a 525i.
The cold start has been really rough since I bought it, and the idle has always been rough. Warmed up it's decent, and at speed is great, but even after replacing the missing IAT sensor, valve cover gaskets and spark plugs, things just weren't right.
So here's what I did:
- Replaced PCV with OEM
- Installed new hardware on PCV and TB to get rid of those Torx bits
- Replaced Intake Manifold Gaskets
- Replaced TB gasket
- Repair vacuum leaks I found along the way
- Cleaned TB
- Installed double washers on Intake Manifold gasket tubes
Broke a knock sensor while pulling the intake off. Couldn't source one locally, so I ended up sanding the plastic down, re-soldering connections, and insulating it. Works fine. No codes. All is good.
This might've been the source of one of the vacuum leaks..
Previous owner must've correctly assumed the PCV was leaking, and incorrectly applied some RTV in hopes to stop it. Spoiler: It didn't work
Check out those trumpets! Pretty weird for a 1995 car.
Could've taken a lot more pictures, but I was more interested in getting the car back together the same day.
At the end of the day, I turned the key to prime the fuel system, fired it up, it stumbled for a second (probably due to re-pressuring the rail and stuff) and now has a buttery smooth idle. No check engine light. Revs clean. Sounds wonderful.
Stay tuned for more...
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