 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
Car Forum / BMW Cars / April 2004Buying 1992 535i - Expected Failures?
I'm about to purchase a 1992 535i 5-spd manual with 82k miles. It has only had one owner and is in great condition (apparently). What items are most likely to fail in the next 30k miles (2 years)? Timing chain? Head gasket? Are either of these jobs ones I can do to save money? I'm proficient at changing disc pads on VWs. Thanks. Mike Seattle "Michael Brophy" <michael.brophy@comcast.net> wrote > I'm about to purchase a 1992 535i 5-spd manual with 82k miles. > It has only had one owner and is in great condition (apparently). > What items are most likely to fail in the next 30k miles (2 years)? > Timing chain? Head gasket? Are either of these jobs ones I can do to save > money? I'm proficient at changing disc pads on VWs. Brakes and rotors are easy on BMWs - don't buy them from the dealers, they just charge too much. Search the web for PBR Deluxe pads, and the rotors, too - you *usually* need to change the rotors rather than re-finish them. The most likely things that will need changing (in a car that old) are the suspension components - upper-and-lower control arms and shocks. IMHO, this is *not* a DIY, since the struts and front end is nasty and tight, with big rusted-on bolts, etc. The motor should have new rubber components - hoses and belts. But nothing else should happen to that motor for a long time. Floyd ('91 525i M50) > "Michael Brophy" <michael.brophy@comcast.net> wrote > > Brakes and rotors are easy on BMWs - don't buy them from the > dealers, they just charge too much. Search the web for PBR Deluxe pads, > and the rotors, too - you *usually* need to change the rotors rather > than re-finish them. Also good advice. > The most likely things that will need changing (in a car that old) are the > suspension components - upper-and-lower control arms and shocks. > IMHO, this is *not* a DIY, since the struts and front end is nasty and > tight, with big rusted-on bolts, etc. Huh? Floyd, even on my (older) E28s, this isn't all that hard. In fact, BMWs tend to have really nicely-preserved suspension bolts whenever I've taken them apart. While it's really nice to have a lift, these jobs can still be done without it and without too much agony. You want to see big rusted-on bolts, go crawl underneath a Chevy or, in your locale, a Fiat. -- C.R. Krieger (Been there; done that) > "fbloogyudsr" <fbloogyudsr@nwlink.com> wrote > > The most likely things that will need changing (in a car that old) are the [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > agony. You want to see big rusted-on bolts, go crawl underneath a > Chevy or, in your locale, a Fiat. Well, the main problem for me was that my spring compressors didn't fit well, and I didn't want them to slip off. On the E34 (not sure about E28), you have to disassemble the axle(s) completely to gain access to the lower control arm bolt. My local garage run by Hungarians (?) only charged me $240 for both fronts - well worth it IMO. Floyd To get to the lower control arm bolt on an E34 you just remove the thrust arm first, then the lower control arm. There's no need to remove the front springs for anything unless you're changing them. If necessary, you can put a piece of pipe over the end of the socket wrench in order to tighten or loosen it. Spraying penetrating oil on every few hours also helps. It's a much easier job on a BMW than on bigger and older cars. E34 suspension and steering components usually need replacing every 70-80,000 miles but it's worth doing for the great handling. Also check the plastic trim around the front and back windscreens - it's very prone to coming off, especially when you drive fast. Steve > > "fbloogyudsr" <fbloogyudsr@nwlink.com> wrote > > > The most likely things that will need changing (in a car that old) are [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > > Floyd > To get to the lower control arm bolt on an E34 you just remove the thrust > arm first, then the lower control arm. There's no need to remove the front > springs for anything unless you're changing them. If necessary, you can put > a piece of pipe over the end of the socket wrench in order to tighten or > loosen it. If you want to replace the strut cartridge, you have to remove the spring. I don't know what the terms are, but on my E34 you have to remove an assembly from the bottom of the strut (2 or 3 17mm bolts) to get to the lower control arm's outboard bolt. Floyd > > To get to the lower control arm bolt on an E34 you just remove the thrust > > arm first, then the lower control arm. There's no need to remove the [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > If you want to replace the strut cartridge, you have to remove the spring. The only difference being the three bolts at the top and freeing the brake lines and antiroll bar links from the strut. Personally, I found the last to be the worst. These damn things *do* seize up and the narrow fit for the 15mm(?) open-end wrench makes it almost impossible not to tear the boot in there. Otherwise, yanking the struts for a cartridge replacement isn't a big deal - and your spring compressor will *always* fit! > I don't know what the terms are, but on my E34 you have to remove > an assembly from the bottom of the strut (2 or 3 17mm bolts) to get to > the lower control arm's outboard bolt. Correct. But those 3 17's are relatively easy to break loose, remove, and replace. Even if you're repeating the process because you forgot something. Not that I ever would - or at least not that it was something I remember at the moment. ;^) -- C.R. Krieger (Been there; broke that) > I'm about to purchase a 1992 535i 5-spd manual with 82k miles. > It has only had one owner and is in great condition (apparently). > What items are most likely to fail in the next 30k miles (2 years)? > Timing chain? No. > Head gasket? Only if you overheat it and ignore the symptoms. > Are either of these jobs ones I can do to save money? Let's put it this way: if you're dumb enough to *need* to do either of these on an M30 with that many miles, you're too dumb to do the job properly. That engine is damn near bulletproof except for two things: overheating (which you should notice) and poor oiling in the cam area (Didn't they get this fixed by '92?). FWIW, of the three I've had (2 '87s and an '88), I've never owned one that had any of these problems. The lowest mileage was 125K and the highest was double that. > I'm proficient at changing disc pads on VWs. Then you'll enjoy working on these brakes. Should be all you need to do in the next 30K. -- C.R. Krieger (Been there; done that) |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2009 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.