Who knows E34's?

Probably looking at one for a friend tomorrow. '93 525i, (allegedly rebuilt) slushbox. What trouble spots should I be looking for?

I believe StrikeZero has an unhealthy amount of knowledge concerning E34's.

All I know is they are sexy and, if I had the proper sized wallet/cojones, I'd own a 5-speed 530i.

I believe that has the M20 which has a reputation for toughness.

I've heard tings... but I could be wrong.

Edit: And I was wrong.

The_Jed wrote: I believe StrikeZero has an unhealthy amount of knowledge concerning E34's. All I know is they are sexy and, if I had the proper sized wallet/cojones, I'd own a 5-speed 530i.

I've driven one of those before- MAN that was a good car.

I wouldn't call myself an E34 expert, but I do own a '95 525iA, and I've done a good bit of wrenching on it over the past 2 years.

BMWe34.net has a lot of useful information.

A '93 should have the non vanos m50 engine. They are good engines, but cooling system maintenance is critical, as in around every 100k miles most of the cooling system components need to be replaced.

From what I've heard a cooling system failure & related overheating & meltdown are the only thing that will kill an m50 engine. In fact, the 525 that I bought had a bad engine due to this. The seller thought that it had a bad HG, but I tested the compression and found that it was much more likely a cracked head. It would run long enough to confirm that the trans shifted good, so I made a low ball offer and the seller took it.

My cost to get it on the road, including the car, a junkyard engine (with a warranty ), and a bunch of maintenance parts was under $2k. This past summer I rebuilt the front suspension due to badly worn bushings. Its a common normal wear problem, it cost me around $600 in parts. I did all my own wrenching. Here's a word of wisdom learned the hard way: don't buy cheap suspension parts for BMW's. You don't need OEM, but you do get what you pay for.

There is a common oil leak problem with the oil filter housing, its a PITA to fix, but only needs a $6 gasket and $2 worth of o-rings. Come to think of it, I've heard that the non-vanos m50s don't have that problem because its vanos related.

Aftermarket parts are plentiful and fairly priced, just stay away from the Chinese made stuff.

The automatic transmission in a '93 525 should be a GM 4spd electronic OD trans. Its not a bad unit, and nowhere near as costly to maintain as the ZF transmissions in other models.

That's all I've got for now. I'm sure that there are several members of this forum that know alot more than me.

Thanks for the info. A friend (and former 540 owner) clued me in on the front end stuff, and I'll be on the lookout for the cooling system stuff. Honestly, unless the seller has record those areas have recently been addressed, I'll probably advise my friend to pass on this one. That's the kind of upcoming expense she should be looking to avoid.

Well, just heard back from the seller. Struts, tie rods and ball joints done about a year ago, radiator recently replaced. Not bad. I'll check the records for that stuff, of course.

In reply to The_Jed:

This is for you

That's only because I've had mine apart mine apart WAY too much.

In reply to alex:

93 525i would have the M50B25. The usual BMW stuff apply.

Cooling systems should be done no matter what the seller says unless they can produce current receipts. The next would be the front suspension.

The E34 suffers from the 50mph shimmy when stuff gets worn. FCP Euro has some great, complete from suspension kits. Just remember to place weight on the suspension when tightening the thrust arms or it will have to replaced in very short order.

The rear suspension will probably need trailing arm mount bushings. Jakeb makes an AWESOME bushing removal/installation tool.

I'm not too familar with the auto trans. I believe it's the ZF A4S310.

It's an awesome car . . . It feels WAY lighter than the 3400-3700 lbs curb weight.

I put ~$1k in new parts (suspension, cooling system, driveline junk) and merciless beat on it at AutoX and track days.

530i

In reply to Strike_Zero:

I love the sound of a poorly muffled, pushrod Ford 5.0 but I LOVE a snarling BMW V8. Makes the Ford sound almost lazy in comparison...unless it has an x pipe.

I worked with a guy who had an E39 M5. That thing had the perfect growls, burbles and pops to make any male gearhead's pants snug.

I was amazed at how good it sounds with just removing the muffler. I used the flexible exhaust pipe to get the length correcfor the tone and get rid of "sharpness". It growls when started, free revved, and under load.

In the video, it was cut off right at the muffler. I think I added about 13-15" of flex pipe + some cheapy tips.