Duchess : The long road to recovery

[Providence2]

Which state r u from bro. D4anerzone

 

[d4ngerz0ne]

Expected to spend. But the figures you mentioned kind of scary. So far spent about close to 4k RM. Car's condition is good. No major issues. My mechanic advices me to do a top overhaul as he suspected the water is seeping thru the gasket as I have to top up about a litre a week. The radiator n hoses just replaced. Engine tend to vibrate a little during start up only and after warmed up it's OK. That's what was also told by the mechanic. So for this I expect to spend close to 2k.
Any advice or input guys or ladies. ?

top up oil or water? Both sound very serious! Is there oil residual in your expansion tank? Your cold starts could be a Vanos thing, but i'm not too sure either.

Search the bimmerfest or bimmerforums, theres a lot more information there.

also, from perak. but working in kl now.

 

[Providence2]

Engine died due to internal corrosion. Had to replace with another engine.

 

[antiquer]

Go for 3 litres...

 

[d4ngerz0ne]

Engine died due to internal corrosion. Had to replace with another engine.

whut?! how does that even happen?!

Go for 3 litres...

^what he said

 

[Providence2]

Mechanic opened the engine as there are presenence of water in the chamber. The corrosion at the coolant channels was obvious. Scheeming theblock is not advisable as it loqers the blick n may caused overheating. Replacing the gasket is a tempory one. So in the end the mechanic sold me his 2. 8 m54 engine.

 

[airtube]

Guys, just a note.... don't take what the mechanic suggest blindly. There is internet to do research and if time does not permit, ask a technically reliable person for an engineering explanation. Mechanics here in Malaysia are not highly educated and they work based on their experience and not knowledge. Thus, their best practices in a repair mostly have side effects or may cause issues on other components.

Important is to get explanation before deciding further action.

Providence2: Impossible if the mechanic sold to you his 2.8 M54 engine as M54 only came in 2.2, 2.5 and 3.0. Correct me if I am wrong.... and engine internal corrosion can be cleaned and flushed out. Why need to change engine? Did the mechanic say cannot be cleaned? Did you google it?

Cheers guys

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk

 

[Providence2]

You r right.. Did some research, no e39 2. 8 m54.. So my question is what engine did he put it in.. I know m52 is cable throttled but this engine do not hv a cable throttle.. Hmmmm..
But the performance of this replacement engine is mind boggling. It's very fast acceleration and pretty smooth and quiet. So i may slyly ask the other mechanic there, what they put in. Many tks for yr info n sharing.

 

[Providence2]

i Hv seen the damaged engine. The corrosion is on the coolent channels, very close to the piston. Can show u the pic but dont know how to add in here. Perhaps email or whatapp

 

[moots]

You r right.. Did some research, no e39 2. 8 m54.. So my question is what engine did he put it in..
I know m52 is cable throttled but this engine do not hv a cable throttle.. Hmmmm..
But the performance of this replacement engine is mind boggling. It's very fast acceleration and pretty smooth and quiet.
So i may slyly ask the other mechanic there, what they put in.
Many tks for yr info n sharing.

That should be the M52TUB28.
In 1998,the M52TU ("technical update") was released, adding variable valve timing to the exhaust camshaft
(called dual VANOS by BMW). Other upgrades included electronic throttle control (which uses a throttle cable as backup),
[1] a dual length intake manifold (called "DISA" by BMW) and revised cylinder liners.[2]

 

[Providence2]

Tks, Moots. That's very informative. Do u know this engine was used till which year. What are the advantages or disadvantages of this engine.?

 

[BMW520]

BMW520,
Other than what Moot has said, other causes may be:
Valve stem seals
Piston rings

Check and eliminate the causes systematically.
Hope you can get your drive in good shape once again.

just get a quote to overhaul engine at RM6k...

 

[Providence2]

Read abt the M52TU28. Year of production 1998 to 2001.. My mechanic sold me for Rm4800 including all the swooping, servicing. The engine feels very smooth. Even though it is not a M54, i think it a good deal for the price. Basically he sympathise with my dilema. He upgrade to a M54 3lit for the swop. Indirectly i m financing part of his engine.

 

[Providence2]

Any body any idea how much a half cut for a M54 3lit for a E39

 

[d4ngerz0ne]

After 20k worth of repairs (inclusive of tyres) , this is how she sat. Really didn't like how high it rode and rolled in the corners, so decided to try my luck with a set of second-hand Bilstein b8s paired with H&R spring from a reputable shop. Reason I went with the B8s were because they got fairly good reviews ,and they matched the e39 well. This was also the first mod to duchess.

They looked great IRL , no obvious signs of wear and tear or leakages and decided to go for it. I think i paid RM3,050 (RM2800 for the set , and 250 for installation).

This was after. frankly don't remember how much the drop was, but i really enjoyed the firnness in the B8s. I also had a new found hate for speedbumps.

Of course, there's always more to this story. Front right strut failed barely after a year ,which also led to excessive wear on the front right tyre. see here > http://www.bmwclubmalaysia.com/newforums/index.php?/topic/39189-muffled-crunchingclunk-from-front-end-wheel-hub-bearing/

IF I could do it again, i'd just have gone with a new set. I had to fork out 2.15k for a new front set inclusive of installation. Hit Autofuture Design and ask for Jerron , awesome dude. #

Also, would have gone with the KONI yellows instead seeing they have better reviews and are also adjustable AND cost less.


UPDATE : I actually did all this back in Feb 2015. lol

 

[Providence2]

Looks good. When I hear the amount you spent, sure scares me out of my pants. Lol

 

[antiquer]

Congrats bro.. the mods phase has just begun...

 

[d4ngerz0ne]

Looks good. When I hear the amount you spent, sure scares me out of my pants. Lol

Yeah....in too deep now to go back. NEVER EVER TRUST THE STEALERS (second hand car dealers)

Congrats bro.. the mods phase has just begun...

Thanks bud. Hopefully i stay motivated to keep updating my thread.

 

[Providence2]

Bro. R u familiar with M52TU28. My mechanic replaced my M54525i with that. I paid Rm5k for the total works. Also included is his original air-con. My previous air con was a don't know what brand modified and playing the fool with sometimes cold n not so cold.

 

[moots]

bro dangerzone....I was informed that the B8s have really big piston rod...almost the size of the damper body...?