bought me a bimmer.. 95 540i/6 :)

miekedmr

mkiii in hibernation
Jul 12, 2005
513
2
18
Upstate NY
4.0L 32v v8..
hmm... sounds kinda like the 1uz I have waiting to go into my supra.
6 speed manual.

200k on body, well maintained, ~100k on the dealer replaced [edit]shortblock. (not entire engine)[/edit]
there's two spots of rust on the doors, otherwise paint is gorgeous.
almost everything works. underbody looks great.
no rust in the trunk.

280hp / 295 ftlb
traction control.

The only thing I don't like about it is the weight, but honestly, I can hardly tell when I step on the gas. :)

pics of car in post #10
 
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GotBoost?

I do
Nov 25, 2005
318
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By My Computer
I have my eyes set on a 540i (the next model), but currently have too many cars :-( I want to know how reliable it is. Not holding my breath, tho'....
 

miekedmr

mkiii in hibernation
Jul 12, 2005
513
2
18
Upstate NY
So I just corrected my thread title. It's not a 540i SPORT, but at least has a 6 speed which were pretty rare in this car. (about 1300 made according to wikipedia?)

My biggest plans are maintenance-related.
One of the gas tank straps needs to be repaired or replaced.
I have a rough idle which needs to be diagnosed. The bushings in the front 'thrust arms' are torn up which is probably the cause of a little vibration at ~55mph. Those can get upgraded to arms from a 7-series which have heavier bushings

The second gear synchro was not in very good shape upon getting it. At first doing the 1-2 shift at anything above 3000 rpm would cause some clunking/grinding. I flushed it and filled with some MT-90 in and it made a HUGE difference.

Aside from that I'd like to lose some minor weight off of it, starting with some manual front seats. The power ones both weigh what an mkiii's driver seat does.

GotBoost?:
I can't offer any advice on the e39 as a whole (if that's the model you're referring to,) but I believe these engines are reliable. The block only had to be replaced in mine because of a well known problem where the alloy originally used in the cylinder walls was reacting with cheap gas.
I can also tell you the parts are expensive.
 
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miekedmr

mkiii in hibernation
Jul 12, 2005
513
2
18
Upstate NY
here it is, by the side of I-90 in NY.

540_1.jpg


540_2.jpg


You can see there is a missing foglight and the lip around it is damaged.
Also, the roundel on the front hood is messed up but I replaced it with a new one. :)
 
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shaeff

Kurt is FTMFW x2!!!!
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Mar 30, 2005
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Nice looking car! :) I was up I-90w two weeks ago, went all the way out to Lyons. I averaged 27mpg in my M3.
 

miekedmr

mkiii in hibernation
Jul 12, 2005
513
2
18
Upstate NY
nice. Believe it or not I pulled 27.4mpg according to the computer between Rochester and Jamestown! 26.4mpg on the way back. Having a 6th gear and 2.93:1 diff keeps the cruise rpms super low.
Of course around town I get more like 15. It doesn't help that every time someone new gets in the passenger seat I feel the need to show off.
 

shaeff

Kurt is FTMFW x2!!!!
Staff member
Super Moderator
Mar 30, 2005
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Sweet! Yeah, I'd love to do a 6 speed swap, but I've got other maintenance issues to take care of first. I'm doing a full bushing refresh in the rear, and have to start earlier than I planned. I have a bad right rear upper ball joint, it's clunking like crazy. :( (And took forever to track down!)