540i to buy or not to buy?

[monag]

Howsit all?
Great forum for us local BMW fanatics, thanks to all who contribute.

I've caught the 540 bug!
I'm in the process of getting a 2001 sportpack tiptronic. the car has 114K on the clock and drives beautifully. It's been very well taken care of. One problem though is that the engine check light is on and i'm told its the cat.
How easy/safe is it to delete the cats and how to get rid of the codes from the post cat o2 sensors? and where's the best place in jhb to randfontein area to do this?
Is there anything in particular that I should be weary about on these cars?

All comments are welcome and appreciated.

 

[Moe]

sorry, dont know much on this

 

[msm]

Howsit all?
Great forum for us local BMW fanatics, thanks to all who contribute.

I've caught the 540 bug!
I'm in the process of getting a 2001 sportpack tiptronic. the car has 114K on the clock and drives beautifully. It's been very well taken care of. One problem though is that the engine check light is on and i'm told its the cat.
How easy/safe is it to delete the cats and how to get rid of the codes from the post cat o2 sensors? and where's the best place in jhb to randfontein area to do this?
Is there anything in particular that I should be weary about on these cars?

All comments are welcome and appreciated.

Get the codes read - it should tell you what triggered the engine light.

Sounds strange that it should be the cats, as the mileage is fairly low - UNLESS the owner through in leaded petrol.

 

[P1000]

Yes, don't trust the report, get the codes read to make sure and make sure you know what it will cost to get fixed. You will most likely need to replace the control arms, unless its been done recently, so budget for that. Other than that, I think a facelift sportpack is an awesone find!

Cats should be easy to delete, and it might be possible to code the ecu to ignore the post cat lambdas, otherwise, two resistors will do the job of fooling the ecu (post cat lambdas are narrowband)

 

[monag]

THANKS GUYS, I drove the car and it seems solid. The only thing I noticed is that it doesn't give you that kick. It seems to accelerate quite smoothly. Maybe I'm trying to compare it to my brothers e92 M3 which I had for a while.
I believe clogged cats can hamper performance. no?
What about dead pixels on the dash display. Is there anyone that can repair that around gauteng?

 

[SonGoKu619]

Hi, Also just bought an e39 540ia...160K on the clock...great condition however the engine light went on so I took it in for diagnostics, o2 sensor (bank 1 sensor 1) problem and im getting hOrrible fuel consumption...18-19l/100km mixed driving (driving like a granny too)...

I've heard that the o2 sensor problem can cause a big jump in fuel consumption...any ideas?

 

[Sankekur]

Yup, a problem with the O2 sensor can indeed be the cause of very bad consumption.

 

[P1000]

Hi, Also just bought an e39 540ia...160K on the clock...great condition however the engine light went on so I took it in for diagnostics, o2 sensor (bank 1 sensor 1) problem and im getting hOrrible fuel consumption...18-19l/100km mixed driving (driving like a granny too)...

I've heard that the o2 sensor problem can cause a big jump in fuel consumption...any ideas?

You wont find it cheaper anywhere else:

http://more.take2.co.za/moreusa-bosch-13477-oxygen-sensor-oe-type-fitment-b000gzek00.html

Also see my post in this thread:

http://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/showthread.php?tid=16563

 

[zaleonardz]

+1000 on what everybody said...

Keep in mind that an M62 engine you are looking at is vastly differant from the S65B40 (guessing its that engine on the M3), total differant configuration, so there is no comparison.

However, the M62 is a work of art, if the car is well looked after, and you budget for a gearbox repair, I would say buy the car.

And yep, have codes read...

SonGoKu, sort out those O2 sensors sooner rather then later, if you cause a rich/lean condition in your engine for too long, she may go poof, the light is there for a reason.

 

[P1000]

zal, failing O2 sensors will cause the engine to run rich, which will do no harm to the engine, as long as you do a lot of longish highway trips so the petrol can evaporate out of the oil, or change the oil often enough.

 

[zaleonardz]

Fully agreed,

However my point was ignoring the EML is not the smartest thing you can do. :thumbsup:

 

[monag]

+1000 on what everybody said...

Keep in mind that an M62 engine you are looking at is vastly differant from the S65B40 (guessing its that engine on the M3), total differant configuration, so there is no comparison.

However, the M62 is a work of art, if the car is well looked after, and you budget for a gearbox repair, I would say buy the car.

And yep, have codes read...

SonGoKu, sort out those O2 sensors sooner rather then later, if you cause a rich/lean condition in your engine for too long, she may go poof, the light is there for a reason.

My consuption, mixed ranges between 10.8 and 13.2 l/100km. I found that replacing my MAF sensor killed the CEL on my car but I was getting lean codes on bank1 and bank 2 so I thought it unlikely for both sensors to go at the same time. I would however recommend that you do change both as it'll only be a matter of time before the other one goes. They have an expected 160 000km lifepan anyway.
Zaleonards, You mention budget for gearbox. How much?, when and who's the best to do this, from your experience?

 

[Raybimmer]

Consumption 10.8-13.2 l/100km - same as e36 models in town !!! buy......

 

[zaleonardz]

Well, there are two distinct views behind this.

Number 1 is have the oil and filter changed at a professional, you can do this yourself, but there are a few conditions that needs to be adhered too, the gearbox needs to be at a certain temp, car has to be up in the air and level.

A great deal of folk report gearbox failures after changing fluid, but I believe it is due to improper filling methods that they experiance this.

I dont know that gearbox well, but I guess its the ZF 5HP24Z box. If so the filter should be R700 to R1000 for the filter, ESSO LT 71141 oil, 9.9L of oil (I think thats without the Torque converter).

All and all, i guess your looking at a 3 to 4 k oil and filter job using the original oem stuff, then the box might last a hell of a lot longer, theoretically.

However, the going rate on a full gearbox rebuild is about 15 to 25k, with most coming in at about 21k....

Dennis from gearbox den knows his stuff (I use him), Sparklight gearbox's also have a good reputation i hear...

 

[monag]

Well, there are two distinct views behind this.

Number 1 is have the oil and filter changed at a professional, you can do this yourself, but there are a few conditions that needs to be adhered too, the gearbox needs to be at a certain temp, car has to be up in the air and level.

A great deal of folk report gearbox failures after changing fluid, but I believe it is due to improper filling methods that they experiance this.

I dont know that gearbox well, but I guess its the ZF 5HP24Z box. If so the filter should be R700 to R1000 for the filter, ESSO LT 71141 oil, 9.9L of oil (I think thats without the Torque converter).

All and all, i guess your looking at a 3 to 4 k oil and filter job using the original oem stuff, then the box might last a hell of a lot longer, theoretically.

However, the going rate on a full gearbox rebuild is about 15 to 25k, with most coming in at about 21k....

Dennis from gearbox den knows his stuff (I use him), Sparklight gearbox's also have a good reputation i hear...

Thanks Zaleonards, I want to do the oil change but time is a luxury these days. Yes Mine is the 5Hp24 and its done about 128k now.
Any idea where I can get the ESSO oil from locally or Amsoil, as I believe these oils are compatible?
I seem to have the hard downshift when coming to a stop, as the revs drop below 500rpm (I posted another thread on this), but other than that, she shifts very smoothly. I did notice a hesitation at high rpm(about 5k rpm) but the new maf sorted that out.
Any idea what controls the idle/rev speed when downshifting? Could it be a sticky solenoid?
(sorry for the thread hi-jack:thumb

 

[zaleonardz]

heheh... its your thread to jack...

Now theoretically, according to the Liqui Moly Website, you can use

http://www.liquimoly.de/liquimoly/produktdb.nsf/id/en_3680.html

It specifies that it it is compatible with the required LT 71141.

Theoretically, you can just contact Liqui Moly in Midrand and ask them where to get.

Check this out as well
http://www.zf.com/na/content/media/..._1/service_portfolio/passenger_cars/5HP24.pdf

 

[P1000]

I seem to have the hard downshift when coming to a stop, as the revs drop below 500rpm (I posted another thread on this), but other than that, she shifts very smoothly. I did notice a hesitation at high rpm(about 5k rpm) but the new maf sorted that out.
Any idea what controls the idle/rev speed when downshifting? Could it be a sticky solenoid?
(sorry for the thread hi-jack:thumb

It is caused by deteriorating balls in the valve body. They are made of plastic. You will need a valve body rebuild to fix it.

 

[SecondSkynz]

also clean your idle control valve (icv). easy to do. if you want diy guide, just shout.

 

[monag]

also clean your idle control valve (icv). easy to do. if you want diy guide, just shout.

No icv on my car, only '98 and before models.

"It is caused by deteriorating balls in the valve body. They are made of plastic. You will need a valve body rebuild to fix it."

Is there no DIY plastic ball replacement guide?

 

[P1000]

also clean your idle control valve (icv). easy to do. if you want diy guide, just shout.

No icv on my car, only '98 and before models.

"It is caused by deteriorating balls in the valve body. They are made of plastic. You will need a valve body rebuild to fix it."

Is there no DIY plastic ball replacement guide?

Sure, you can DIY, but you need at the very least an ATSG service manual for your gearbox. Oh, and it is quite a complicated piece of mechanics, a valve body, so I suggest you have it done by a pro.

Look here for a pic of the VB:

http://www.bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/482057