E38 740 Maintenance and FC

[Hartge]

Sorry for starting a new thread , but i notice threads regarding FC for E32 , but not E38 740 / 740iL.Can the sifuus here share a light regarding the annual maintenance for the E38 740 and the Fuel Consumption ? km/litre , town/highway driving.What should the initial budget for servicing ( apart from the purchase of the car ) . Rm10-15k ? Thanks

 

[Don Franco]

Welcome to the Club Hartge.

You would need to go to the Newbies section first and do a proper introduction of yourself before posting. Then the 'sifus' here would be able to share and help you out.

Here's the link to speed you up.http://www.bmwclubmalaysia.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13258

Cheers

 

[redbaron]

Bro if u dont mind can you intro yr good self at the newbie section first before posting further. Thank you.

 

[elwine30]

If your E38 is with EDC, you just need to watch for it.

Else, the M60 just need frequest oil change and also watch out for Nikasil problem. Most cars are sorted out after 1997. So, need not worry. Look for the facelift E38.

As for fuel consumption, i don't have figures but you are paying for a 4L petrol engine. It's not going to be easy on the town use. But it should be ok for highway driving.

For 2nd car, its very hard to judge on the amount you need to pay. It's not like new car, whereby they can fix the amount to pay as it's still under warranty for most parts.

But usual thing for modern 2nd cars, you need to do the following

1) plug in to MODIC to check on the engine diagnostic. This is to see any sensors fault. There are quite a few sensors around i.e knock senor, 02 sensor and etc.
2) check for suspension. This can be an expensive affair for E38. But it makes a lot of diference in the ride. If you have EDC, either you retrofit when it spoils or change NEW.

So, basically it's the engine/gearbox and suspension you need to worry about.

Good luck in your E38 hunt. FYI, 740i is the James Bond car.

 

[Hartge]

If your E38 is with EDC, you just need to watch for it.

Else, the M60 just need frequest oil change and also watch out for Nikasil problem. Most cars are sorted out after 1997. So, need not worry. Look for the facelift E38.

As for fuel consumption, i don't have figures but you are paying for a 4L petrol engine. It's not going to be easy on the town use. But it should be ok for highway driving.

For 2nd car, its very hard to judge on the amount you need to pay. It's not like new car, whereby they can fix the amount to pay as it's still under warranty for most parts.

But usual thing for modern 2nd cars, you need to do the following

1) plug in to MODIC to check on the engine diagnostic. This is to see any sensors fault. There are quite a few sensors around i.e knock senor, 02 sensor and etc.
2) check for suspension. This can be an expensive affair for E38. But it makes a lot of diference in the ride. If you have EDC, either you retrofit when it spoils or change NEW.

So, basically it's the engine/gearbox and suspension you need to worry about.

Good luck in your E38 hunt. FYI, 740i is the James Bond car.

meaning to say cars after 1997 have no nikasil engine problem ? or if i get a pre-97 car and perform an engine swap , shd it be more economical ?

And what to look out for in the self-leveling suspensions , Issit that aftermarket shocks will spoil the mount ? Thkx

 

[elwine30]

aftermarket shocks are build for BMW. If you go for brands like Bilstein, Boge or KW, you would be fine.

yes, they rectify the nikasil problem. Engine transplant on E38, well.. i don't think that's economical compared to the facelift one. Facelift for BMW is not just about engine, but it's a evolve version. BMW do not make same cars every year. That's why BMW have the VIN code to identify the exact model and build to obtain your parts.

For the SLS, you can check if it's working. Sympton can be viewed from outside, if your SLS failed, it will sag behind and your car will ride like a boat. But if it's fix, it will ride like a magic carpet. When I mean retrofit, means putting in the non-EDC BMW E38 shocks and springs into the car

 

[Hartge]

I am very new to Beemers , but do you know roughly whats the cost if i change all the rubber parts, valves, seals , hoses , belts. along with the lower arms and bushes.

I was also exploring the option of swapping in a 2JZ engine if the cost of repairing the engine would be too high ; which i did on my mercedes when i was quoted a Rm30k ++ bill for repair of the Bosch ECU and overhauling the engine.
.

 

[elwine30]

ok, no worries. that's part the function of the forum to share knowledge.

To be honest, i don't know the exact price. But a rough indication if we change ALL bushes and suspension parts for E38 (non SLS), could set you back to 10k.

As for the engine hses, belts, i think it's not that expensive even it's for a V engine.

And putting in a turbo engine inside, to me. It will take away the heritage of the BMW engine. It must be BMW engine and BMW body to inherit the BMW dynamics accordingly. But again, it's all up to you.

But if you ask the possibility of putting in turbo engine inside, yes you can do so.

 

[Hartge]

Any ideas how much for the hoses etc ? thx again elwine for being such a help



Honestly , i dont really like the turbo engine really much ,

Yes , the torque is there , but the car aint that much faster . And the way it drinks , OMG . My Merc is now clocking me about than 300km for a tank of 55litres , thats about 19l/100km , perhaps i got a heavy foot , but then again , my 200hp Vtec Accord only drinks bout 11l/100km with my heavy foot ( i know cannot compare ler JDM and UDM hehe )

 

[elwine30]

for the radiator hoses, it can be up to few hundred. I m not so familair with the BMW V engines.

But preventive measure would include changing the thermostat, coupling fan, radiator hoses. This can set you back up to RM 800. But less than 1K should be able to kau tim everything.

 

[V-Man]

If your E38 is with EDC, you just need to watch for it.

Else, the M60 just need frequest oil change and also watch out for Nikasil problem. Most cars are sorted out after 1997. So, need not worry. Look for the facelift E38.

As for fuel consumption, i don't have figures but you are paying for a 4L petrol engine. It's not going to be easy on the town use. But it should be ok for highway driving.

For 2nd car, its very hard to judge on the amount you need to pay. It's not like new car, whereby they can fix the amount to pay as it's still under warranty for most parts.

But usual thing for modern 2nd cars, you need to do the following

1) plug in to MODIC to check on the engine diagnostic. This is to see any sensors fault. There are quite a few sensors around i.e knock senor, 02 sensor and etc.
2) check for suspension. This can be an expensive affair for E38. But it makes a lot of diference in the ride. If you have EDC, either you retrofit when it spoils or change NEW.

So, basically it's the engine/gearbox and suspension you need to worry about.

Good luck in your E38 hunt. FYI, 740i is the James Bond car.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the James Bond model was a 750i

 

[elwine30]

yes you are correct. It's a E38 750iL from the Internet.

 

[V-Man]

yes you are correct. It's a E38 750iL from the Internet.

Cheers bro...:top:

 

[june_yap]

If your E38 is with EDC, you just need to watch for it.

Else, the M60 just need frequest oil change and also watch out for Nikasil problem. Most cars are sorted out after 1997. So, need not worry. Look for the facelift E38.

As for fuel consumption, i don't have figures but you are paying for a 4L petrol engine. It's not going to be easy on the town use. But it should be ok for highway driving.

For 2nd car, its very hard to judge on the amount you need to pay. It's not like new car, whereby they can fix the amount to pay as it's still under warranty for most parts.

But usual thing for modern 2nd cars, you need to do the following

1) plug in to MODIC to check on the engine diagnostic. This is to see any sensors fault. There are quite a few sensors around i.e knock senor, 02 sensor and etc.
2) check for suspension. This can be an expensive affair for E38. But it makes a lot of diference in the ride. If you have EDC, either you retrofit when it spoils or change NEW.

So, basically it's the engine/gearbox and suspension you need to worry about.

Good luck in your E38 hunt. FYI, 740i is the James Bond car.

"I like the word James Bond Car!"

 

[forge]

Nikasil Problem

A lot of you guys have been going on about the "Nikasil problem"
For those of you who don't know about it, it refers to the lining of the cylinder walls in the engine. The early E38s with the M60 engine had it coated with a substance called Nikasil (Nickel based). It was found in sulphur rich petrol environments, premature wear occured on the cylinder walls - leading to reduced compression. This problem was predominantly in the US (and some in the UK). To resolve this BMW began coating with an aluminium derived substance called Alusil.

Now to the heart of the matter in Malaysian E38s, the Nikasil material was originally chosen as a superior material to Alusil, but because of problem in the US, Alusil was used in post 96 cars. I have spoken to the AutoBav people and they told me that the Nikasil premature wear problem did not affect Malaysian E38s as our petrol was OK.
In any case the 94-96 E38 here would already show signs by now after 13-15 years by having low compression, but that hasn't been found to be the case - most Nikasil engines are still running strong. So it a problem which DOESN'T affects us here in Msia.
Just FYI

 

[Mabel]

A lot of you guys have been going on about the "Nikasil problem"
For those of you who don't know about it, it refers to the lining of the cylinder walls in the engine. The early E38s with the M60 engine had it coated with a substance called Nikasil (Nickel based). It was found in sulphur rich petrol environments, premature wear occured on the cylinder walls - leading to reduced compression. This problem was predominantly in the US (and some in the UK). To resolve this BMW began coating with an aluminium derived substance called Alusil.

Now to the heart of the matter in Malaysian E38s, the Nikasil material was originally chosen as a superior material to Alusil, but because of problem in the US, Alusil was used in post 96 cars. I have spoken to the AutoBav people and they told me that the Nikasil premature wear problem did not affect Malaysian E38s as our petrol was OK.
In any case the 94-96 E38 here would already show signs by now after 13-15 years by having low compression, but that hasn't been found to be the case - most Nikasil engines are still running strong. So it a problem which DOESN'T affects us here in Msia.
Just FYI

Thanks for explaining the Nakasil issues..:top: