e34 question

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jon3171

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Aug 2, 2008
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174
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hi there i have some questions about my e34...firstly i have some strange issues with overheating...it happens occassionally in traffic jams...i've checked most things...new hoses, radiator service, new water pump, new clutch fan, checked electrical fan is running 1st and 2nd speed, new thermostat and fanswitch,...i dont really know what else to check...but it happens in extreme heat and traffic jam situations only so i just manage it as best i can but can't seem to solve it.Aside from that, when the temperature goes past middle...the steering starts making some sort of noise as though its rubbing against something...but as soon as temp comes down, noise disappears...i've changed all steering hoses and flushed the powersteering system and changed all the belts as well...but it still happens everytime the temp goes past middle...i don't know if anyone else has ever encountered this but it seems really strange to me.Lastly i'd like to know where i can get a used but working m20b25 MAF for e34 because mine seems to be screwed up...it guzzles up so much of fuel despite frequent CO adjustments...the setting keeps going off. Anyone got one for sale?Any info is appreciated...thanks alot.
 
this might be hard to swallow. I think your car is suffering from the Infamous cracked cylinder head. Stop driving it, and send it to get it checked ASAP.

Do a compression test. And if it is caused by a cracked cylinder head, you might just need to change only the cylinder head. Scared if you continue driving it, and overheating occurs one too many times, you might kong the engine all together. Thus here come the expensive bit; Overhaul or Engine Transplant.
 
hey thanks for your reply....yea i considered that....but i think it would be more severe if it were....its been more than 6months already with this issue...and the car doesnt overheat often...only during prolonged exposure to hot day traffic jams...like in the mornings it doesnt overheat in jams....still cracked head doesnt explain the link with the steering noises...but im not willing to change the head...if it gets worse i will just dump this engine and put in something better.
 
jon3171;641143 said:
hey thanks for your reply....yea i considered that....but i think it would be more severe if it were....its been more than 6months already with this issue...and the car doesnt overheat often...only during prolonged exposure to hot day traffic jams...like in the mornings it doesnt overheat in jams....still cracked head doesnt explain the link with the steering noises...but im not willing to change the head...if it gets worse i will just dump this engine and put in something better.

yes i agree on dumping it for something better... do u lose a lot of radiator coolant? this is also a sign of a cracked cylinder head.
 
not really, i havent topped up in at least 2months and there was still just over half level in the spare tank
 
whats a good engine to replace? i was looking at the 1jz vvti auto...cheap and economical yet powerful...all the bmw options seem overpriced
 
have you tried bleeding the radiator? could be air bubbles stuck in the radiator..

1jz seems as rather good choice, if your looking for economical yet powerful engine. But it all boils down to you, some may not opt other than BMW due to heritage reason. It's your own pocket, you should have the final say.

If you want to go for BMW; it's either the newer 2.5L M50B25 or the next thing close to it is a 3 litre engine. Which is a clear cut case of not being as economical as your current M20B25
 
my m20b25 is so not economical....im lucky to get 350km on a full tank with very careful driving....i have an e28 with a 1jz turbo...and even while whacking it i get way better fuel economy....i don't really see much point to the m50...i think the 1jz is the way to go...even if im willing to spend on the beemer engines...they require so much of maintainance...even my current m20...the toyota engines are pretty bulletproof and maintainance free based on my experience...and the 1jz auto gearbox is a dream...cant even feel the shifts...its like a constant pull...its amazing!

Just did a little research and can't believe it...the 1jz ge vvti is more powerful than even the m52b28....and is a fraction of the price...i wish the m50 proved a more competitve option...i myself would have liked to keep it bmw...but seems like a no brainer now.
 
btw do you happen to know if the new model e34 instrument clusters are interchangeable with the first batch e34s?
 
Dude, 350km is quite bad FC.

I'm driving around in an E32 730i, and quite heavy on the accelerator, but my weekly FC for city driving is around the 400-450km mark.
 
jon3171;641172 said:
btw do you happen to know if the new model e34 instrument clusters are interchangeable with the first batch e34s?

Yeah I guess so, as long as you get the one meant for 525i.
 
haha yea tell me about it...im so pissed off about it....but i can't seem to find a used MAF for this particular model m20....seems to be a rare type coz m20b25 is normally from japan spec...i have no idea why the previous owner converted to this crap engine. in my opinion he might as well have left the standard 2litre...at least road tax would be cheaper.
 
Iylia H;641174 said:
Yeah I guess so, as long as you get the one meant for 525i.

do you know this for a fact? coz my odometer just stopped running and i thought better the get the new type meter instead of repairing the old one.
 
jon3171;641177 said:
do you know this for a fact? coz my odometer just stopped running and i thought better the get the new type meter instead of repairing the old one.

The only thing I can't confirm is you can't use 520i meter cluster.Other than that, I'm not too sure. Maybe you could try borrowing from one of the forummers here who are driving the latter batch of the 525i.
 
jon3171;641172 said:
btw do you happen to know if the new model e34 instrument clusters are interchangeable with the first batch e34s?
Jon..I'm looking for my m20b20 instrument cluster for years now..nope it won't fit 24v in general, but in some model, they do...asked my mechanic about this, his answer is simple, if we go to realoem.com, to find a right part no.,we have to key in the year of make up to the month of make..it shows that bmw got lot of variances!...the best way is to pull out your meter, and try to find replacement that have exactly the same socket as yours...I got 1 meter for e34 525 12v, but it won't fix mine, the socket is different...if you want to try it please let me know..
 
Here are the pictures of instrument cluster that I bought, but it doesn't fit mine...:stupid:
pictures789.jpg

pictures786.jpg

Look carefully at the sockets...is yours like it?
pictures788.jpg

pictures787.jpg

Hope it help...regards
 
anakin;654634 said:
Here are the pictures of instrument cluster that I bought, but it doesn't fit mine...:stupid:
pictures789.jpg

pictures786.jpg

Look carefully at the sockets...is yours like it?
pictures788.jpg

pictures787.jpg

Hope it help...regards

I think this one for M50B25, look same like mine.
 
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