r/e39

So I'm finally getting around to pulling the motor out of my 2002 530i manual to do a head gasket and some other things while I have it on an engine stand.

I'm wondering if the dual mass fly wheel and clutch requires any special tooling besides the long torx socket for removal and reinstallation. Are there any tools required with regards to the springs if reinstalling the same clutch and flywheel?

If I absolutely cannot remove it then I will find a way to mount the motor to the engine stand some other way while working on it.

Any information and insight is appreciated. TIA.

need a new steering pump for 540i, fcp has a remanufactured in China TRW for $200 and remanufactured in the US Maval for $110. ive never used anything Maval, are they any good?

Hello, i have a 525i, currently it's all factory spec, with standard suspension and springs. It drives like a dream, but im planning to buy style 42 wheels and i think that the car would look much better if it was a little lower.

Now, here is my first world dilemma, I want the lower look but I don't want to lose comfort. From what I have studied, the best combo seems to be Eibach Pro Kit springs + Sach sport and non-poly silentblocks, but I would like to know more opinions.

When the car is done (first i want to overhaul all the cooling system) I want to travel through Spain, I want to be able to drive hours without feeling tired. Could I do it with this suspension setup?

What do you guys think? Any long trips with this kind of setup? Any more recommendations?

Hi all,

Just replaced the radiator with an OE Mahle/Behr as I thought my previous one either had a small crack on the side or at the drain plug due to some drops from the plug.

I replaced the rad and got a new plug from BMW but it seems like I still have the same drop? Doesn't seem to occur when cold, only after a drive, could there be too much pressure in the system from an overfill maybe and cause it to leak out of the plug or something else entirely?

Hi everyone. Ever since i got the car the AC has smelled pretty badly right after turning off the compressor. No smells are present in fan mode or heat mode. It cools pretty good though. I am guessing 26 years have caked layers of dust and grime in the evaporator. Can it be cleaned without having to take off the entire AC unit (and having to discharge the system), or can it even be cleaned at all?

Since i will be doing an engine swap probably within a year and i will be replacing quite literally everything up front, maybe its worth it to also replace the evaporator and heater core? In that case which brands to go for?

hello everybody, i have a question that i hope i could get a answer to.

i apologize in advance with the paragraph but just wanted to express this. with this summer coming up, i have recently been looking into a new car to buy as a daily. I currently drive a 2013 f30 328i xdrive, but i want something older. To me cars for the most part in my opinion where just built better and had real character to them compared to todays vehicles on the road. Its not that there is anything wrong with the car i currently own mechanically or anything electrical, i genuinely don't want it anymore and are putting it up for sale. every time I'm searching on the internet for a new car to possibly get this summer, i typically browse older bmws and when i come across e39 540is they always strike me as something i would really like to get my hands on as my new daily driver, i personally like everything about them. I've always been a fan of older models and V8s so this would be perfect. (specifically a 2001 so i don't have to worry as much about emissions and obd testing's and very much prefer the facelift models.) I would love to look for a e39 M5 but being realistic since i know i wouldn't have the funds to acquire one and also don't know how to drive stick since everyone i know drives automatics, but I'm finding it almost impossible to find anything up for sale or only end up coming across listing that are already sold but are still up for some reason. the only listings i do end up finding are either completely trashed or pushing well past 200k plus in milage.

so, my question really would be is it possible to find a 540i (2001 preferably - 2003) anywhere for 10gs or less with no extremely high milage on the engine or that isnt a rebuilt/salvage title? If it is possible where do i go to look because i just cant find anything. or is it time to move and look for something else

thank you.

As the title states, I plan on making the ultimate BMW E39 530d sedan, bmw never made.

Some might say - but why. Well it is actually quite easy. My first ever car was an imola red II BMW E39 530d sedan (originally black, but I bought it repainted). I loved that car, had it for few years and rust got to it, to the point where it was just not worth saving anymore. I tried and after many months of working when I can in my free time, I realized, it would not be worth it financially to save the car. It needs new floor, sills, jacking points, rear left light metal part, both front arches and other small bits, just not worth saving. I did not know it was going to be rusted that bad before I started working on it. After around 2 years later I found an E39 shell with almost no rust on it. My plan is to get rid of all the rust and make it the most perfect E39 out there (of course with financial limitations and physical limitations).

What do I mean by this:

Well, for starters, I want to retrofit as many things as possible: soft close doors, electric trunk opening and closing with soft close, full electric heated, ventilated and massage seats (front and back), add adaptive cruise control, etc.

My plan is to make it look like it came like that from factory, to make it so called OEM+ spec, but still modernize it. I know to some it might be - yeah it is too much and what not, but I don't care. I'm making it for myself. I will add photos later, for now this is going to be a long post, so I apologise for all the reading and thank you to everyone who takes their time to read. This is only a beginning to everything, so any help and suggestions, I will really apreciate.

Just to clarify, this is not going to be easy by any means, I've done lots of research and while there are people who have done it before, barely anyone says how to do it. For interior I plan on buying a donor E65 with comfort interior, since I've seen one E39 owner retrofit rear electric comfort seats with all functions from E65 in E39 sedan. Hopefully retrofiting other things from E65. By any means I am NOT rich, I am a regular person from Europe who works a regular paying job and has a special place for E39s. Other than that, I am the same as everyone else. Everything will be done from my pocket and if I can get help from other people I will apreciate it. I know some friends will help me, but lets be honest - life is life and we only have so much free time.

About myself - I'm no mechanic by any means, but I've been fixing my own cars for a while now and while I hate when things don't go the way I want them to go, I still have the satisfaction when I fix things. I love custom jobs, etc, love learning new skills and such.

My plan is to build the car as much as possible myself. That includes - rust work, painting the car, sanding, bodywork, interior, wiring, mechanical stuff, upgrades, custom interior work, etc. I don't really plan on doing anything custom for the outside of the car, other than putting like a custom difuser on it and a lip, but other than that I think E39 has really nailed it with their M look on E39. My last E39 will be as a donor car for this, I've already dissasembled the car completly (interior, wiring, engine bay except for the engine, trunk, etc). The only things that are left are fuel tank, rear subframe and everything attached to it, front subframe with bits and engine. The rest is already off of car. I have some pictures through out the project, I know the car I'm starting from (the donor) is not perfect, but all the things I need I will fix. I have also recently gotten a 3D printer, which I will learn how to make custom 3D parts, wether its interior bits or other bits.

Again, I apologise for the long message. I could keep going and going for days, but I'm sure no one has read it this far.

So my question is - what do you think of my plan and what do you wish to see from this project? I'd like to add, if I can save money on some things, I will do it, if I can do something cheaper and easier, I will consider it, but I will not cheap out on things that are not needed to be cheaped out. The car will be driven in summers and not in winters.

Thank you for reading!

I sent away the ABS control module to someone who said it was not repairable. Now when I try to get a replacement, they have the picture of the sticker on it but say they need a part number beginning with 61.35xx (where x is not known).

I do not have this number and I cannot find it does anyone know where it is?