I did the 2nd method (breaker bar with a pipe on it) and used a set of huge channel locks to hold the crank pulley. To tighten I used the same method. That was the hardest part for sure, the rest was fairly easy. Also, as long as the chain doesn't slip a tooth, you don't need to re time the cams. The grills should be chrome surround with black concave slats. As long as your glove box isn't locked, you can just reach under and pull the cable to release it. Somebody probably pulled the handle too hard, if you're lucky and the plastic didn't break, you can pop it back in place once the box is open Image Unavailable, Please Login
Channel locks, as in vice grips?! Wow, surprised they have that kind of bite/strength. I have a link at home to a copy of the BMW tool that bolts onto the crank for ~$30, seems like a reasonable investment. Looks like a good opportunity to change out the rad hoses and even the rad while they're all out. And I hope you stripped and painted the cam covers while they were off. Just about every single BMW V8 of that vintage I've seen (including mine) has the bubbly/peeling original paint, even though they MUST have been off for gasket replacement at some time. Thanks for the tip on the glovebox, will give it a try. Last night I ordered a pair of OEM chrome/black grilles for $120 along with a new BMW hood emblem to finish off the front end. Also an OEM armrest tray for $15 to replace the phone cradle. Took the guys to lunch today. 2 of them now want to buy an E38, and I bet other one that just ordered a 2016 Mustang GT is now thinking "my monthly payments are going to be HOW much again?!"
I bought mine two years ago with about 83k on the clock and I just passed 95k. I'm the third owner but the 2nd owner only had it about a year and was a manager at the local BMW dealer. There he had the engine resealed, water pump replaced, and a few other fixes. I just replaced the blower motor and resistor myself (that was an ordeal due to a small plastic piece breaking). Major: I currently have a leaking driver side gasket and thermostat that is on the way out. Minor: headlight washer nozzle is broken, cupholder and rear driver side ash tray also broken. So, like all BMWs of this era there is always a list of things to do on it. Knowing that German reliability is a myth helps me accept this. My sound system is stock as I have DSP and upgrades are all but impossible. Your kidney grills should be all black. This is the set I bought: BMW E38 740i M62 4.4L - BM01-3801-B - ECS Kidney Grille Set - Matte Black - ES#1892443 Hope you enjoy your car. Even with all the issues I think the E38 Sport is one of the greatest and most under appreciated cars ever made.
Oh and I'm sure you already know this but use this site frequently: e38.org BMW 7-series information and links Lots of good DIY stuff in there.
Channel locks like these: Channellock 12 in. Tongue and Groove Pliers-440 - The Home Depot I think those might the exact ones I have, they're big so provide a lot of leverage and I believe I was able to situate them against the a/c compressor so that the harder I pulled on the bolt, the harder they gripped. Once I figured all that out it came off fairly easily, but it probably took me an hour before I got it all situated properly. Then tightening was fairly easy as I knew how to do it. You can see in the above pic how I zip tied the chain to itself so it couldn't come off of the sprockets - I did that before removing the old guides. That way the cam timing was not affected. I didn't bother with the valve covers tbh. They were peeling a little but not too bad. My current car is the same, a little peeling but not too bad. Here's a pic of the 740i sport back in the day, grills are chrome surround with curved black slats. Both of my sports came like that i and il. I replaced the i grills with all black and liked the look on that car (orient blue metallic), but I think I prefer the chrome/black on the silver car. http://driving.ca/bmw/7-series/reviews/road-test/road-test-2001-bmw-740i-sport-2
The way I look at it, is that these are pretty darn complex (and tightly packaged) cars. The fact that 90%+ of the systems are original and work is damned impressive, considering the heat, cold, vibrations, use and age. I certainly wouldn't have a 15 yr old BMW as my only car, depending on it to get me to work every day! Nice! Well, I’m glad that I didn’t pay more than I wanted to for the 740! Drove it all last week to work, then on Friday get a “low coolant” dash message. Overflow tank took ~1/2L to refill with distilled water. Since there isn’t any visibly drips from the radiator, tank, hoses or waterpump I suspect the dreaded valley pan gasket. No way I’m tackling this in the current 100F+ temps, so we’ll see how often I have to top off the system before working in the garage becomes bearable again. I will be toughing out the fearsome heat and replacing both front control arms (ordered Lemforders and new lock-nuts for $440 from FCP Euro) weekend after next. Front brake pads have ~1/2 left so will hold off doing a brake job until the fall/winter. Also noted a slow power steering drip. May just be failed 0-rings at the cooler, have to wipe everything down and try to see where exactly it’s coming from. Right now the car is up on jackstands, and it’s nice to still have the 528 to drive. Will keep it around for a while, though it hurts to have to park it outside.  In addition to the control arms waiting on a bunch of small parts to arrive: taillight socket & bulbs, new PS reservoir ($15 sounded cheap enough to replace the gunked up original one, will likely do the lines at the same time), valve cover bolt trim bits, floor mats, OEM grilles, wipers, cell phone delete armrest tray etc).
Got the correct grilles installed, and a new hood emblem now just waiting for the suspension parts to arrive. Over on bimmerforums a Brit just posted pics on a 750iL "Individual" he just picked up. Holy crap, one of the most beautiful interiors of any car at any price I've ever seen. What a treat that must be for lucky passengers! Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Congrats!! I've had E38s for over 15 years. I love them. I'm still on the hunt for a low mileage 2001 750il to complement my 98.
Have any of you E38ers changed out the main fan and/or viscous coupling? I've heard that if the fan breaks it's a REALLY big mess, but not sure how to tell when the coupling is getting old. Mine is fairly stiff to turn by hand. Is this one of those "when in doubt, change it out" deals? Thanks! A small part of me is wishing I got a 750iL, mainly just to say I've owned one V12 in my life... but it would have been a really tight squeeze in the garage and the V8 isn't exactly a slouch. This one looks pretty sweet, would have been tough to justify ~double the price of mine though: 2001 BMW 750 iL, $10,995 - Cars.com How many have you owned in total? Have a favorite? Last night I installed the new floormats, center armrest tray (was a cell phone cradle), changed the air filter and cleaned up the PS lines as well as I could to track down the leak. Looks like it may be coming from where the lines clamp onto the bottom of the reservoir. Pretty nice that new OEM parts are still available, usually at reasonable prices. The full set of floor mats with velcro hold-down tabs was $115 and the armrest tray $15. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I'd love to have an L7 even though it's really made to be driven around in and not driven. Too bad they didn't import any of them into the US as far as I know. The 750iL is pretty cool in that it comes with all the options basically, but the engine power isn't much different. I wonder if an S62, which uses the same subframe as the M62 in the 740s, could pair up with an auto trans to maintain the luxury car drive but with 394hp. Putting in the M5's 6-speed would make an iL seem not like a luxury sedan. The 740i shorter wheelbase could pull it off...
oh yeah, any of you guys put in a recent Navigation DVD? There are sellers on Ebay with Mark IV 2015 map discs; assuming they work wondering if I'll ever even use the nav with it's ~15 year old interface. Do need to do something about the speakers, eventually. Unless you've got an M5 motor laying around I'd just supercharge the M62 for more power. Was looking hard at this SC'd 540iT, but I just can't justify $16k right now on a what's basically a toy. 2000 BMW 540 iT, $15,650 - Cars.com The V12's interior is insane though. Leather covering dash and more trim than the 740, extra wood trim, massaging front seats (though I hear these aren't that great), heated and reclining rear seats (awesome), etc. A shame that even the top dog E38 never came with ventilated seats. That's one thing in Houston that would get a lot of use.
Yes, it would be easier to supercharge, but having an actual S62 in an E39t or E38 just seems cooler.
Spent some time on bimmerforum, and found at least 2 guys that have swapped in S62 motors. This one is especially nice. M5 LSD, new drive shaft, late E39 sport steering wheel, 6 sp of course, the works. I see your point now Just listen to how quickly and easily that 4300lb+ thing gets up to speed. Meanwhile I changed out the control arms on my car's driver's side today. Thrust arm fluid bushing was shot, as were both ball joints. May have been original parts with 125k miles on them. Tomorrow the passenger side. Will make a HUGE difference in front end feel. BTW - yesterday around noon I ordered a new fan clutch, cabin air filters and spark plugs from OEMBimmerparts. They were dropped off on my porch TODAY at noon. Even only coming from San Antonio to Houston that's very impressive. https://youtu.be/eGKVYW7etdQ?t=1m5s Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
7 Series - Enthusiast Auto Group Performance BMW?s For Sale for sale at Enthusiast Auto EAG sold a nearly new 740i M-Sport recently. Asking was $45,000. Not sure what they got but knowing them it had to be close to that. It has a few Dinan goodies but isn't a fully loaded car. Yet, it's probably the closest to new as you can get these days.
I've been driving the 740 for a few months now, going back and forth occasionally with the E39 528i sport auto. Interesting comparison. The E39 is the better car in almost every way; most of it simply comes down to weight I suspect. Even in "sport" guise the 7 just has much more mass to deal with which you feel in every direction change except thrust. The V8 is a little quicker than the i6, but not by that much. A lot thirstier too (~19mpg vs ~25mpg) but with gas so cheap now who cares. The 7s steering is not nearly as sharp or pleasurable as the 5's rack and pinion, except on the highway where it's fine. Where the 7 stands out is of course presence (the E39 is no slouch, but the 7 is just stunning), exhaust noise and a modest increase in interior space. It's a little more luxurious feeling with gorgeous vavona redwood trim but the e39 is so high quality its not a big difference. One thing about the 7 I'm surprised is seating comfort and space. I'm "only" 6" tall but wish the seat went back another inch. And the legendary sport seats fit my upper body perfectly but are a bit narrow in the seat bottom (I'm a 37" waist so not exactly a ballet dancer, but not THAT much of a fatass). I'll keep the 740 for a little while but am considering selling it fairly soon since it just doesn't bring enough to the table over the 528. Still on the lookout for a nice E39 Wagon, but it sucks that only have brought over 528i or 525iT, not the 530. 540 is out because of the weight and inferior steering vs. the i6 models. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Sad but funny story from a guy that attempted to have a shop do the timing chain guides on his 540 for cheap: I Got Screwed By An Auto Repair Shop And It's My Own Damn Fault I've been driving mine daily and am appreciating it more and more. Really a magnificent machine. Haven't driven the E39 in over a month, need to take her out just to keep the battery charged and car happy... This week a paintless dent repair guy came to my office and fixed about 20 dings and dents on the trunk lid, front drivers fender and roof for $200. The next day a rock thrown up by a ****ing pickup 50yds ahead of me smacked my windshield and put what looks like a tiny bullet hole in it. So had that epoxied yesterday for $40. Not in my line of sight but still visible. At $950+ a tricky install for new OEM UV glass I can live with it. Wife and her girlfriend took it to Austin last weekend, thankfully no Thelma and Lousie ending or any hiccups, made it there and back just fine. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Any of you E38ers switch to low dust pads? Mine are going to need doing at some point, and I'm sick of cleaning the wheels already. Willing to sacrifice a bit of stopping power, will still have more than most any vehicle on the road. Got a "Service Engine Soon" light the other day. Code was leak in the Evap system, sure enough the gas cap gasket was perished. Got a new cap for $20 plus some other needed bits (OBD cover clip and valve cover bolt decorative cover) from FCP Euro and all is well in 740 land again. This morning pulled her out and parked across the street so a work truck could get into the driveway, and just had to snap a pic walking away. Such a damn good looking car. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Lookin' good... I'm running cool carbon on the front of the E38...obnoxious squeal and low to moderate dust. I greased the backing plates once- the dumpster is the next move. Running red stuff on front of E46- got close to 50k miles on them with very little rotor wear- first time I've re-used a set of rotors on a BMW. Haven't seen red stuff for front of an E38 unfortunately.
Thanks JL. Definitely don't need any noisy pads... Akebonos and Bosch QuietCast pads look to have mostly good reviews. I've had good luck with Centric "Premium" rotors on my E39. Nice price too for E38 ones at $41 each on Rockauto.
The prices at that place are a complete joke and they should be embarrassed of themselves. E38 is not and will never be a collectible car. Classic perhaps, it is beautiful and the best 7 of all time. Anyone who pays over 10k for one needs their head examined. I grabbed mine for 7k and put about 2 in it, plus a respray, it needed it badly, and yes it is stock imola . I'm in it for about $10,500. I've already got 2 years of use out of it as a daily driver. Next major service is due at 240k. At that point I'll have to decide whether to perform another major or let it go. Should be another 3 years from now by that time. Wouldn't mind upgrading to a Seraph or Arnage at that point, but it would mean sacrificing the sporty feel and uber cool wheels that the E38 has. Another great value buy that often goes overlooked are the 540 sticks. Those things were rockets and a ton of fun to drive. Basically an even sleepier M5, phenomenal cars. Just hit 200,000 miles on it a few weeks ago. Just gave it nice polish and oil change Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
200k, awesome! I assume the timing chain guides were done at some point? When you say that at 240k it'll be due for "another major", what do you consider a "major"? Car looks great, and I agree about the M-par wheels. Washed my silver '01 740 this weekend and damn, those wheels just sparkle. Also replaced the timing chain tensioner. Was getting some rattling on cold start up, probably doing the guides no good in addition to sounding pretty ugly. $50 for the new part (longer spring than the stock one) and ~20 minutes R&R time and now she starts up like butter. Any of you E38ers change the trans fluid on theirs? I've heard different opinions - some say if it's gone more than 100k miles on the stock fluid, and shifts ok don't mess with it. Mine shifts great at 130k, but I'm taking our T&C minivan into a shop today to get it's trans fluid flushed today (53k miles, but these 62TE transmissions clunk from new) so got me thinking again about long term maintenance on the BMW's.
Hey Kurt how are you and the family doing? Kurt are you familiar Bavarian Autosport, https://www.bavauto.com/. Here is the link for ordering your free catalog and they never stop sending them, I think they are quarterly..https://www.bavauto.com/shop.asp?HC1=0&HTarget=sc_cat.asp&HCY=&HCM=# I started receiving their free catalogs shortly after buying my 525i and in the transmission section there is a note that says/suggest that tranny fluid should be changed every 24K for a manual and every 50K for automatics. I am waiting for an email quote from a BMW specialist shop just a mile down the road on Westheimer, Elite Autohaus. They are very friendly and have received nothing but excellent reviews and I have stopped in just to meet the team and say hello, good people they are. Taker easy, Gregg PS, I will probably just wait until I hit the 100K mark and also have the diff fluid changed as well. Image Unavailable, Please Login
I've changed it on two of them. Both went fine but my current car started to leak from the front seal not long after so now requires periodic top-ups (I use the valvoline high mileage stuff as it's compatible with the Esso LT stuff). The TC was not locking up on the highway and after the fluid/filter change it works properly, so was worth doing. It's a pain having to top it up given the fill procedure, though. I have a 6 speed conversion that I want to put in the car so probably won't bother replacing the seal as at that point I might as well put in the stick.
