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Dealer asking 95 bucks andI think that's too much.
Has this car been driven a lot of city miles- if so, use a little carb cleaner through the intake while the engine is running (a LITTLE, not A LOT as too much could damage the valves). Also, spray some carb cleaner up the tailpipe as the car is warm.
Drive the car on the highway with the engine warm shortly after to blow all the carbon deposits out as it could either fail emissions inspection or reduce fuel combustibility or efficiency.
Also, check the auto parts store for a special fuel additive which is recommended to be added at an empty tank of gas, run it for a few miles, then fill up. This is NOT A FUEL ADDITIVE. This bottle specifically says that it guarantees that it will make your car pass emissions inspections of your money back. This is for emissions testing, but you may need this to help you blow out those carb deposits because this stuff adds "oxygenates" to the air which adds air to the combustion chamber and may keep your car from dying after deceleration.
DO NOT RUN THE CAR ON A TOO FAR OF A LOW FUEL TANK AS IT MAY OVERHEAT THE FUEL PUMP AND CAUSE IT TO SEIZE. DO NOT ADD RUBBING ALCOHOL TO THE GAS OR YOU WILL CAUSE THE CAR TO SEIZE AND YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO START IT AGAIN.
I found out that they had these cars when I was pulling parts for my '87 black BMW 528e automatic.
I found 2 BMW e28 5 series: a '84 528e tan/tan stick shift and a '88 black/black 535i stick shift. They also have several other BMWs including an e36 3 series 2 door and several e32 735i or 735iLs.
Keep checking the yard because they deal in just as many luxury cars and imports as they do domestics.
The Location is:
Shorty's U Pull It Yard
529 Flint Hill Rd.
King of Prussia, PA
1) I didn't see a puddle of fluid on the ground when I added more fluid or left the car to sit with fluid still in trans.
2) When I found out that I lost the fluid, it was sprayed all over the firewall and engine compartment, nearby the trans. fluid dipstick (I will admit that the stick wasn't all the way in, but it NEVER caused a problem like this before.)
Could it be that this fluid was in the car since its manufacturing 20 years and 180,000 miles ago? Or could it finally have broken the viscocity after driving on it for 80,000 miles when it should be replaced every 50,000 miles?
I had a similar problem with my '96 stratus when I lightly rear-ended this stupid jerk on the I-95 with a '98 Black Ford F-150 because he didn't merge with traffic during rush hour and didn't move when he saw me coming. Whoever you are, thank you for ruining my car and next time, I'll smash your freaking tail lights out.
Anyways, when the fluid leaked out, I had to drive it for a few miles to a nearby auto parts store for ATF fluid. What kind of damage could be done to the car's trans. if it was driven a mere 2 to 8 miles without fluid? Would there have been less damage since I added the fluid when the trans. was cold?
Why does it seem that the clutch has a slight chattering problem that goes away if I don't push the brake pedal down as much? Also, why is my power steering not smooth and quite jerky although it was not damaged in the accident?
Also said I'll need new spark plugs at 100K, at a cost of $288.00?
Thanks.........car runs 100% perfect!
For less than $200 at an indie repair shop it seems like cheap insurance.
Speaking of Indies, there's probably a couple of good BMW specialists in the Chi area that'll replace your plugs for $100 or so. Try www.bimrs.org.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Best Regards,
Shipo
I'll tell the "brake replacement specialist" for his future reference!
thanks,
Nate
It's been some time since I have been to the forum but I recall reading a message about wet rear floors in BMW's and that the "weep holes" in the bottom of the back doors might be clogged. I looked for the weep holes yesterday and all I could find on any of the door bottoms was two holes per door with black "plugs". I didn't see any holes in the plugs (or anywhere else) to check for clogging. They said the water originated from the sun roof. Any detailed location of these holes would be much appreciated. FYI - My rise is a 03 530i manual.
Thanx in advance, this forum is the best!
Rob
Please disregard my recent post on this subject. The "weep holes" have been found. For anyone else looking for them, they are located on the bottom outside edge of the rear doors. They are rectangular in shape. BTW - mine were not clogged so I'm still not sure where the water is coming from. Someone else suggested maybe a "vapor barrier" was out of place but I have no idea where this apperatis is located. Anyone have a clue?
Thanks in advance,
Bookedup
You should also check for leaks in your tail light lens gaskets and for a clogged sunroof drain.
Bookedup/.
Tail light gaskets let in water, which then flows forward as you brake the car. The door drains can clog and the bottom of the doors fill up like a fish tank and overflow through the door panel. The door "squeegee", the rubber strip where the window does into the door, can also tear and leak, letting too much water in the door. The sun roof drain can clog, causing a drip from the headliner....OR...the rubber tubing inside the headliner, by the back window area, can slip off the sunroof drain, causing an internal leak you can't see until it reaches the back carpeting. The last item would be the biggest hassle to find and fix.
If you pour water into the sunroof drain, it should drip out in front of the rear wheel, not in the doors. If you pour water in that drain and you don't see it draining out under the car, then it's draining out INSIDE the car somewhere.
Today, I tried replacing the battery in my key fob again. These were the steps:
1) Car is locked.
2) Remove the 2 batteries (CR1220) from the fob.
3) Drove another car to Walgreen - can't find CR1220 batteries
4) Drove back home. Reinsert old batteries BUT didn't properly do the +- matching - I didn't realized until step 8 below.
5) Remote doesn't work anymore.
6) Unlock the BMW using key (in keyhole).
7) Drove BMW to RadioShack. Found CR1220 batteries.
8) Drove home, replace with new batteries - this time paying attention to the +- matching. Time between 4) and this step was at about 3 hrs - was running other errands.
9) Remote doesn't work - can't unlock/lock.
Questions:
a) Do you think I fried the circuitry on the key fob with the mismatched +- when I reinserted the old batteries?
b) I read (from div2) that if one takes too long to replace the battery (as I did in this instance), I'd have to re-program. I read through the manual but found no instructions. Anyone here has those instructions?
c) Do I need a new (master) key?
Thanks.
This really has me stumped can you provide any further guidance given these recent revelations?
As always, any and all information is greatly appreciated.
BookedUp.
Can you try the paper towel test on the rear floor as you wash the car? Maybe you can keep checking as you wash and see what part of the paper towel gets wet first? If it's the side of the towel facing the door, then it might be a window squeegee that's leaking. If its the rear of the towel facing the back seat, it could be leaking from the trunk. Maybe you could leave water off the roof while you do this testing.
BookedUp
So if you haul anything in your trunk, make sure you don't spill anything. I may cost you big time.
I recently purchased a 1994 530i with 178,000.
Ran beautifully but had a little white smoke coming from exhaust. Now, 3 weeks later, so much smoke (white) when cold, I'm unable to see out of rear view mirror. Oil and filter/plugs have been changed, compression 180+ on all cylinders. After engine warm......there is less smoke.
Possibly pvc valve? valve seals? other?
Any suggestions helpful......thank you.
Given the high miles, a bad head gasket or cracked cylinder head is possible.
You should also be aware of this potential engine defect in your car, which may or may not have anything to do with what you are experiencing.
"The Nikasil problem"
BMW used Nikasil, an aluminium, nickel, and silicon alloy, to line the cylinders of the M60 engines. The cross-hatched Nikasil linings react with the high sulfur content found in lower-quality gasoline, such as that used in parts of the United States. This reaction causes damage to the very top of the cylinder bore, where there is the most contact of the burning mixture and the cylinder lining. The damage prevents a good seal from forming between the piston and the cylinder wall, causing a loss of compression in the combustion chamber. This "leak down" will cause M60s with worn linings to exhibit a rough idle, and if the problem continues unchecked, the engine will not start.
The only permanent fix for this problem is the replacement of the short block with the equivalent block using Alusil linings, which do not exhibit this corrosion problem. After the problem was found, BMW issued an extended six-year, 100,000-mile (160,000 km) warranty to cover these engines at no cost to the owner.
The composition of the engine can be found by checking the serial number stamped into the engine block:
M60B30:
* 1 725 970 - Nikasil
* 1 741 212 - Nikasil
* 1 745 871 - Alusil
Thank you for such a quick response.......very grateful.
Coolant level remaining constant. Very little oil used in the last 1500 mules (not enough to add more yet)
Although smoke is white (not white-white)there is a slight smell of oil in the exhaust. No smell of anti-freeze.
It has been suggested that the pvc valve is not working correctly but, I would expect more smoke as the engine got warmer, not the opposite. Another suggestion was to change the oil for 20/50 in case the 'thinner' oil was running down onto the cylinders overnight. As a note, when replacing the plugs, the 2 'rear plug wells' on each head were full of oil, which I guess means the rocker gaskets are leaking slightly. Compression remains good at 180+ on all cylinders which I hope eliminates the sleeves.
Again, thanks for your response.
A good test for valve guides would be a cylinder leakdown test.
Compression tests really can give you as much bad information as good. You can get very good compression readings on a very worn out engine. You can have good compression rings but bad oil rings and very worn guides and your compression would look fine.
A cylinder leakdown test can't be fooled.
Another test for bad valve guides would be to coast downhill with foot off the gas, or coming off a freeway ramp, where you let the engine really 'suck' as the revs drop while in gear....then you punch the gas and you'll see a burst of blue smoke out the back. (of course, do this with nothing in front or behind you).
With the miles you have, and if the cylinder head hasn't been off, you most certainly have worn valve guides and/or hard valve stem seals.
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My 535i 73.K mi. has not been started in about a year. I will not go into the details; suffice it to say, I was called away on business and regretably made no arrangements to start and maintain the car.
Of course the battery is dead. But when the battery is replaced, can I start it? What should I do first.
Please tell me all is not lost. :sick:
Always Beamer
I think if you can afford $500 or so, I'd have it towed to a shop and let them revive it. Ideally, they'd put in a fresh battery, change the oil, change the fuel filter, remove the spark plugs and squirt some oil in the cylinders, rotate the engine by hand or with starter but not fire it up until oil pressure is obtained, put in fresh gasoline....check coolant and brake fluid for contamination.....pump up the tires and check them for flat-spotting....and there you go.
Now some people will just call Uncle Fred, jump start the battery, which will not blow up as it should with a dead battery being violently re-charged, and the engine will not break a piston ring from having rusted to the cylinder wall, and the gasoline will not have turned to varnish screwing up the injectors, and they will get away with everything.
This could also be you. Like I said, the one year mark is really the cusp for trouble but not a real certain danger point.
There, was I indecisive enough for you---LOL!
I am suddenly advised it has been more like 18+ months, but will go with your suggestions. I will not call Uncle Fred. He blew up the mailbox with his welding torch, and the toaster oven he "fixed" shuts down wireless computer connections for three blocks and makes the cat very nervous...
Your suggestions are well founded, so its off to tow we go.
The prayers will continue, I will keep the Beamer faith. If you hear a loud scream, later this week, you will know we seized-er up... or something worse... will be in touch.
Wanna buy a toaster oven?
Thanks,
Always Beamer,
Houston, TX
Thank you so much for your reply and reassurance. Will advise outcome...or what comes OUT!
Uncle Fred says Hi.
AlwaysBeamer
Please do, and good luck. Many a fine tune's been played on an old (or inactive) violin.
I have 61,000 miles on the car, and have only brought the car in for it's scheduled services, I am also due for one right now. This car has been a dream, with no mechanical problems.
I am cheap, I do not actively maintain my cars, I will, if I need to. In past cars it has usually been a trip to Oil Stop after I got sick of looking at the check oil light for a few weeks.
These are my questions:
How much would a typical person expect to maintain this car driving 30,000 miles per year.
How many miles do these cars last for?
In my mind paying $30,500 seems like a good deal for this vehicle, am I wrong, or are the cost going to be so great that I should pay my $6,000 penalty for miles, and start new.
I recently installed a M5 dead pedal in my 530i (2003). All went fine untill I tried to reinstall the plastic floor trim (2 feet in length) that goes along the floor of the vehicle on the left side of the drivers seat. To confess, I took on this project last night and it was getting dark on me. I removed this trim peice by pulling up on it. That might have been an incorrect way to remove it. Looking at the peice now, there is a long "track" on the bottom of it that runs the length of the peice. On the vehicle floor there are 3 white plastic gromets that are rectangular in shape. They appear to go into this "track". Do any of you knowledgable folks know how to properly re-install this trim peice? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Mr. Shiftright, I found my leak. Many thanks!
Rob
I also have the exact same problem that bookedup has been describing. Car is a 2002 530i Manual (same design as your 03 as far as I know). My mechanic thought it was a drain in the cowl of the car that was clogged but that didn't seem to fix the problem. All the seals and holes,drains that I've looked at appear clear. It's really frustrating. One thing I've just recently noticed is that the car had a roof rack that was taken off before I purchased it. Maybe you can look at your roof towards the back and see if you have the two holes where the roof rack used to be. Could be a common them between our two vehicles....any help would be greatly appreciated.
All you have to do is line up the three rectangular retainers and pop the trim strip back on. It may be a bit fiddly and require several tries, but it can be done.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
Best Regards,
Shipo
And forget the Active Steering as well...
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
Thanks!