Which 6 in the E39 ?

[Zeuk in Oz]

A friend is looking at a E39 touring '98 528i or '01 530i. (At my urging, I must add :D )

Were both of these engines double vanos ?

Shogun listed different engines and their specs somewhere but an hour of searching hasn't found it.

Any other differences / things he should know ?

Any help appreciated.

[Paul in NZ]

look at this (http://www.imagef1.net.nz/files/e39guide.pdf)
They are very misguided tho....we all know the real 5 dont we

[Ausmpower]

"On the other hand, the 530i had one of
the finest petrol engines money could buy,
smooth, powerful and it just loved to rev."

a snip from Paul's link.
Go the 530 not the 528.

[Bellicose Right Winger]

In the US , E39 528's didn't get double vanos until 9/98, making the M52 an M52TU.
Like the E34's, E39's have their own set of quirks. The one I fear most is the that all the expensive electronic modules need to coded/programmed by the dealer before they will work, so you can't take a junkyard ABS/DSC module, DME, inst cluster, plug it into your vehicle and expect it to work.

Paul Shovestul



A friend is looking at a E39 touring '98 528i or '01 530i. (At my urging, I must add :D )

Were both of these engines double vanos ?

[Zeuk in Oz]

In the US , E39 528's didn't get double vanos until 9/98, making the M52 an M52TU.
Like the E34's, E39's have their own set of quirks. The one I fear most is the that all the expensive electronic modules need to coded/programmed by the dealer before they will work, so you can't take a junkyard ABS/DSC module, DME, inst cluster, plug it into your vehicle and expect it to work.

Paul Shovestul
Thanks for the replies guys.

This guy will not do any work himself - I will need to get him organised with a good BMW specialist. He needs a safe tourer with space but has no appreciation of any details about anything automotive.

[mamilapon]

I reckon a 530d would be the go, considering the price of petrol.

[ILoveMPower]

go with the 530! i've heard the engine is amazing :)

[tim]

In the US , E39 528's didn't get double vanos until 9/98, making the M52 an M52TU.
Like the E34's, E39's have their own set of quirks. The one I fear most is the that all the expensive electronic modules need to coded/programmed by the dealer before they will work, so you can't take a junkyard ABS/DSC module, DME, inst cluster, plug it into your vehicle and expect it to work.

Paul Shovestul

This is great advice, and quite true. From what I have heard (and personally seen), the ABS/DSC module WILL fail on virtually all of the late 98/99/early'00 5 series. It had to do with an engineering error within the module whereby the input stage had an insufficient wire diameter for the amperage, leading to excessive heating and eventually, failure.

There is a way around the coding dilemma. I posted about a year back about the failure of my module in my '99 540iT. I sent it out to a module rebuilder ("Module Master" in my case, but there are others), drove for 10 days without the module in the car at all, and then when it came back, dropped it back in- fixed. If you use your own rebuilt module, it does not have to be recalibrated.

Paul is correct in pointing out- a parted module from another car WILL NOT WORK without recalibration, which is an expensive ($500+) procedure if you can find anybody these days who is even capable of doing it.

Be warned. Acquaint yourself with the symptoms of this problem if you own, or are looking at, a car in the affected years.

[Zeuk in Oz]

look at this (http://www.imagef1.net.nz/files/e39guide.pdf)
They are very misguided tho....we all know the real 5 dont we
Thanks Paul,
That was one of the articles I remembered seeing and thought I had saved but couldn't find.
Cheers,
Bo

[Zeuk in Oz]

"On the other hand, the 530i had one of
the finest petrol engines money could buy,
smooth, powerful and it just loved to rev."

a snip from Paul's link.
Go the 530 not the 528.
Not to be a pain, but would a 99 528i in Oz be double vanos ? Paul's article implies that (in the UK) the change happened in '98 but here it happened in 2000-2001.
Similarly, would all 523i cars in Oz be single vanos or was there a change in '98 ?
Any other reasons for saying go the 530i ?

Cheers,

Bo

[Zeuk in Oz]

I reckon a 530d would be the go, considering the price of petrol.
I wish !
Never released in Oz in the E39 - only just released in the E60.

[Zeuk in Oz]

Bump. :D

[rob101]

trivia for you, our 528i HAS NIKASIL.
cue evil organ music and ghoulish laughter!

[Paul in NZ]

AFAIK NIKASIL has never been an isue in NZ or AUS

[rob101]

AFAIK NIKASIL has never been an isue in NZ or AUS
I know, i am only scare mongering. Thats why it was trivia and not a "DANGER DANGER WORLD IN CRISIS" warning. I am spreading more anti-e39 pro-e34 propaganda. Bo, please send your friend to fUKeM5's house for "re-education." That is the final solution for his e39 sympathies.

[Zeuk in Oz]

I know, i am only scare mongering. Thats why it was trivia and not a "DANGER DANGER WORLD IN CRISIS" warning. I am spreading more anti-e39 pro-e34 propaganda. Bo, please send your friend to fUKeM5's house for "re-education." That is the final solution for his e39 sympathies.
He has no BMW or E39 sympathies at all. He just wants a safe wagon with ESP, side airbags etc which has low kms.

He currently drives a Tarago.

[rob101]

He has no BMW or E39 sympathies at all. He just wants a safe wagon with ESP, side airbags etc which has low kms.

He currently drives a Tarago.
sounds like a candidate for a volvo if i ever heard one.

[Zeuk in Oz]

sounds like a candidate for a volvo if i ever heard one.
Now, now, please retract your claws. :)

Some people are born enlightened, some achieve enlightenment and others have it thrust upon them.

Funnily enough, he has been talking about Volvos and I just ignore him !

[filip00]

i suggest trying the 528i. the engine has enough power, yet the consumption is moderate.

[Hal]

My wife drives a US 528iT (automatic) and I find it to be a very nice car, if not for the enthusiast. We get typical fuel consumption in the 22-24 mp(US)g range for mixed city/highway driving and nearly 30 mpg on the highway at reasonable speeds.

It seems that the 528's are significantly less expensive to buy than the 530's here in the US, which may be a consideration for your friend.

Hal
94 530iT Nikasil powered 155k mi
99 528iT 95k miles