Alex SBY 0 Report post Posted February 6, 2012 Oh god, yes! £20 off ebay! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anjenha 44 Report post Posted February 8, 2012 It's all happening super fast now Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vard66 1 Report post Posted February 8, 2012 Quick update - she runs! As of about twenty minutes ago, she started first turn of the key... and ran like a bag of spanners. Then she ran beautifully after being switched off and started again, once the other bank had fuel. It appears I do need to wait for the 4.0 airbox to arrive before she'll run perfectly, as the difference in airflow past the MAF really does seem to feck with the running. Only niggle now is that the clutch isn't returning for some reason. Haven't lost any fluid from the system so it can't be lack of fluid. *Edit* According to the Bentley Manuals, the 5er, much like the 800s, shares the brake fluid with the clutch slave cylinder. So once I have topped up and bled the brakes, we should have the clutch back too. Job for tomorrow though, hell with trying to do that this evening! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jhc 28 Report post Posted February 8, 2012 Good stuff Make sure the coolant is bled properly! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vard66 1 Report post Posted February 8, 2012 Good stuff Make sure the coolant is bled properly! Not kidding! I was fully expecting it to be a ballache to start, no idea how pleased I was when it just fired up after cranking over a few times. Another job for tomorrow, the coolant - I don't seem to quite have enough PAS fluid in it atm - and that's before doing the SLS also, so I need to pick a little more up. By the way Joe, I have your axle stand here, do you want me to just hang onto it for the moment, until next we meet? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jhc 28 Report post Posted February 8, 2012 meh, keep it, its shite I wouldnt trust it with your life, let alone mine No reason for it to be a ballache if it was all hooked up right. I dont know why people get so nervous about starting an engine swap... its just an engine. If it has fuel, spark and comppression, it will work! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alex SBY 0 Report post Posted February 9, 2012 Words cannot describe how thrilled I am right now! Wish I was there to have seen it start though... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vard66 1 Report post Posted February 9, 2012 meh, keep it, its shite I wouldnt trust it with your life, let alone mine Unsettling, but thanks. ... I think. No reason for it to be a ballache if it was all hooked up right. I dont know why people get so nervous about starting an engine swap... its just an engine. If it has fuel, spark and comppression, it will work! It's because of all the opportunity we have given for the law of sod to rear its ugly head - and also because neither of us knows the car inside out, we weren't perfectly sure we wouldn't need to do some kind of electronic black-witchcraft to get the ECU matched to the clocks or foglight switch or... whatnot. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Morgan 46 Report post Posted February 11, 2012 It runs!!! I'm thrilled for you, Alex. Well done to the lads involved in the engine swap job, too. I doff my cap to your mechanical knowledge (I'm crap with that sort of thing, so am well impressed by people who know their stuff with a set of spanners). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jhc 28 Report post Posted February 11, 2012 meh, keep it, its shite I wouldnt trust it with your life, let alone mine Unsettling, but thanks. ... I think. It was part of a set. Two stands and a jack, for a tenner. The other stand ended up wedged inside an astra sill, the jack lasted a week. I felt safe with it supporting the e34s exhaust, with you under it. But thats as far as I would trust it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vard66 1 Report post Posted February 21, 2012 Fair enough, imma bin that off then unless you actually do want it back. :-P Little update; the BMW is pretty much finished! She was off the ramps on Saturday... only to go back up on the ramps for us to investigate why the gear linkage was making contact with the prop-shaft - something I suspected quietly when I reassembled it, because I couldn't remember, but I was fairly sure it shouldn't have been just clearing the prop by about 2mm... Also because the new hydraulic clutch arrangement was somewhat... bodgetastic, the union in the slave cylinder having been slathered in Wurths chemical metal in an effort to seal it for good. So now, one fresh piece of copper pipe flanged and fitted, and after some doubts and irritation, finally bloody sealed. No. More. Brake fluid. I cannot state those words clearly enough - if I never feel brake fluid on the back of my hands again, I will be a happy, happy man. So now, she is off the ramps, WITH a clutch, WITH the gear linkage fixed, and going like an absolute train. Also, by complete coincidence, we have managed to remove the odd, transverse roof bars. It turns out I could have had them off months ago, if I had been a fidgety, fiddling redneck type. Like Ian. While idly standing around waiting while I had a piss, before I moved the BMW out of the way so he could move Alex's Vitesse Coupé to where the BMW was standing, Ian decided he had a key in his hand, he should find something to poke it into, so he tried one of the locks on the roof bars, because one of the rubber covers wasn't on it properly. And it worked. Turns out you can use a Rover 800 key to unlock the locks on a 5er's roof bars. No, I wouldn't have tried it myself either, and I was equally gobsmacked when he showed me. Yer man Vard is a happy fella. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alex SBY 0 Report post Posted February 21, 2012 And as is Alex! We've got there. There were times I never thought we'd do it, but do it we did. Going by BMW fora, those who attempt this conversion are brave, mechanically intrepid and really know their stuff. Well, I speak for myself when I say that I am none of those things. But it goes to show that the 'smoke and mirrors' that surrounds so many things is simply complete bollocks. I cannot thank enough everyone who has been involved in this. Special thanks to Vard, Ian and Joe, and also everyone here for their encouragement. We've still got minor odds and sods to finish off (like a damn good valet, investigating why the air con has decided to stop working (we were careful not to lose the gas) and looking long-term into a 540 clutch and flywheel) but ostensibly it is done. All these minor bits are details. I drove it earlier, and all I can say is what a car... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anjenha 44 Report post Posted February 21, 2012 Hats off to all you guys!! Sounded for a minute or two that you were disheartened and ready to quit. Now I bet you're so pleased you didn't! I would have cried, when it was finally finished, but I'm a massive girl Only thing is now, we all need to meet this stunning machine of yours Well done Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jhc 28 Report post Posted February 21, 2012 About bloody time. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Morgan 46 Report post Posted February 21, 2012 Well done, Alex, Vard and crew. Top work all round. Alex - you MUST let me have a drive of that beastie! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vard66 1 Report post Posted February 21, 2012 Feck does it go. Currently she's smoking on startup, whistling oddly - a noise I initially diagnosed as a knackered tensioner bearing while we were out giving the car a bit of a shakedown earlier - and hunting/hitching at idle. Ian did his thing again this evening and diagnosed the leak to the PCV by poking his fingers into various gaps in the engine. PCV being changed over tomorrow, worst case it's a new one, but changing them over tomorrow may well solve the issue. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alex SBY 0 Report post Posted February 21, 2012 Does it go fast? I can't say I've really tried to gain full experience of the performance* (* = the preceding statement might be bollocks) As Vard says, it's going fine barring a strange issue with an infuriating whistling sound that comes and goes, which coincides with a terrible tickover, that also is followed by epic smoke on acceleration. It looked like the Red Arrows were in town earlier... Now, as soon as you can say FUCKED NIKASIL (it isn't so lets not go there) I'd also done a google search that confirms the PCV diagnosis. This helpful site shows the issue: http://www.meeknet.co.uk/E38/BMW_E38_Ca ... ocking.htm Given the car was fine initially I suspect that the fact the engine has been out of its donor car for some while, it all dried out. We put it into use (and how), and it probably said "ENOUGH!". So, the plan is tomorrow to fit the PCV from the inlet manifold we saved from the old 3.0 engine. If that is equally as shot, it's off to BMW for yet more fucking expenditure to fit a new one. We will get this fucking car sorted. If it fucking kills me (which is looking likely!)... But by God. Does it SHIFT! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jhc 28 Report post Posted February 22, 2012 those roof bars will fetch a pretty penny on ebay. Or just put them back on, they are awesome. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vard66 1 Report post Posted February 26, 2012 They also... look oddly good on the 420. Far less out of place than they did on the BMW, anyway. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alex SBY 0 Report post Posted February 26, 2012 They are currently in the boot... Well, after about three months since the car shat itself outside Dan's house and it was so ignominiously recovered on the back of a tow truck to Vard's place, the BMW has now returned with me to Devon. It drove superbly on the approximately 100 mile drive back. There are a whole shitload of updates to give, and frankly I'm too tired to write it all out properly now but I will do so soon. All I can say though is it's as done as it will ever be. I simply cannot thank enough the wonderful people who have been instrumental in this project. Vard, Ian, Joe and Dan - you've all been brilliant and it means more to me than you'll imagine. Full update coming soon. But it's back in Devon, driving like a treat and providing mega-smiles. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anjenha 44 Report post Posted February 26, 2012 They are currently in the boot... Well, after about three months since the car shat itself outside Dan's house and it was so ignominiously recovered on the back of a tow truck to Vard's place, the BMW has now returned with me to Devon. It drove superbly on the approximately 100 mile drive back. There are a whole shitload of updates to give, and frankly I'm too tired to write it all out properly now but I will do so soon. All I can say though is it's as done as it will ever be. I simply cannot thank enough the wonderful people who have been instrumental in this project. Vard, Ian, Joe and Dan - you've all been brilliant and it means more to me than you'll imagine. Full update coming soon. But it's back in Devon, driving like a treat and providing mega-smiles. Nice one, Alex. Look forward to the final instalment Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LJ_GQV 115 Report post Posted February 26, 2012 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alex SBY 0 Report post Posted March 6, 2012 Since getting this old beast of a car back from Vard I've concentrated on the stuff which is more my forté; namely detailing, cleaning and doing some of the lighter jobs. I've waxed this car thoroughly, replaced the god-awful "angel eyes" (#one look and you're hypnotised#) headlights with proper original ones, and fixed the split washer bottle. All the latter parts came from an M60B30 engined E32. Amazing how many parts these cars share. Anyway, I diagress. The BM came up a treat, and looked so much better with the new lights in. One strange fault appeared though: The "Angel Eyes" (#You keep thinking, about his angel eyes#) had been fitted by the previous owner, and had seen the headlight leveling adjustment motors long since disappear. The E32 headlights we got had the motors in, so I duly undid all the bodged up lash wiring for the "Angel Eyes" (#he'll take your heart and you must pay the price#) and worked out how to put things back to standard, which I did no problem. I fitted the drivers side lights, tested it all, fine. Proper job. Upon refitting the passenger side light, however, I turned on the ignition to test it all, popped the lights on only for the car to tell me that LITERALLY every single bulb on the car had blown (it hadn't). I cleaned all the connectors, checked, double checked everything, and could find nothing wrong. Resigning myself to the fact this was an XJ40-esque foible I'd have to live with I went in. After a quick google, it transpired that there was a batch of faulty headlight leveling motors issued at some point. If these are fitted to the E34 (and ONLY the E34) they can be prone to throwing up random bulb failure warnings. Thinking this was tosh, I went out to disconnect the motors. Imagine my surprise, when no fault messages came up on the dash! So, for now, it's being left with non-working headlight adjusters (no loss as the car did not have them anyway when bought), and I'll get some as and when I find them. Jobs left to do now include: * Source load cover blind thing for the boot * Investigate and rectify that infernal "clonk" from the rear end. I think it's top mounts. * Source another spare wheel - I kinda buckled one on the car (long story) a few months ago, so we had to fit the spare. * Rectify aircon leak (a casualty of the transplant) * Fit personal plate (I know, I KNOW) * Investigate why it stalls every-so-often randomly. Always when approaching junctions under clutch down. It did this when it had the 3.0 engine in, too so this is rather odd. We suspect it is because it remains running an automatic ECU (the 3.0 engine also was being run by a 4.0 auto ecu) and it could be confusing things. Sadly I did not get pictures this weekend - I hope to soon. On the road, the car is driving splendidly (aside that occasional stalling thing). Power like you would not believe. Fuel consumption is, well, horrific. But I put that down to having a lead right foot. This car is, quite simply, EPIC. I've rambled on enough now and you are probably all bored so I'll STFU. I'll get some pics as and when I can! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LJ_GQV 115 Report post Posted March 6, 2012 Sounds good Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jhc 28 Report post Posted March 6, 2012 Bmw headlight adjuster motors are made from wank. I've never had a set that worked, not even in the e39 The clunk is top mounts. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
