Some recent photos of my E34

[Rus]

Hello all!

It has been nearly a year since I've acquired my 535iA. She's gotten a little over 1000 miles put on her after the purchase, but a lot has been repaired and replaced. Starting with the cooling system and working down to the rear muffler hangers the list of repairs spans more than a page. I recently installed clear front turn signals (TYC) with amber bulbs (I like the way these bulbs give the lights a slight orange tint). That about does it for mods. I still need to repair an oil leak at the front of the engine, replace the rear dog bones, and sort out the rough shift from 1st to 2nd in the tranny. Here she is on her first trip with new thrust arms, engine mounts, and center bearing:

http://zakm.hotbox.ru/BMW/081106/081106-Front-4.jpg
http://zakm.hotbox.ru/BMW/081106/081106-Left-4.jpg
http://zakm.hotbox.ru/BMW/081106/081106-Left-5.jpg
http://zakm.hotbox.ru/BMW/081106/081106-Right.jpg


Thanks to everyone for making this site such a wonderful resource!

[Jehu]

Nice, Bronzit is a cool color. Only 1,000 miles? I;ve had mine for just two months and already put 3,000 on...

[Rus]

Nice, Bronzit is a cool color. Only 1,000 miles? I;ve had mine for just two months and already put 3,000 on...

The car has been a garage queen since I drive my economical Honda to college (30 mile commute per day) and because there were many repairs being performed on it. Plus the brand new paint job would probably not fare too well in the parking garage on campus (how many times have you had the urge to kill some people who simply cannot fit their 5 foot-wide car into an 8-foot clearly marked parking space?) She is finally in a condition that I can drive daily without worrying about something breaking. And I agree with you on the color :)

[Jehu]

The car has been a garage queen since I drive my economical Honda to college (30 mile commute per day) and because there were many repairs being performed on it. Plus the brand new paint job would probably not fare too well in the parking garage on campus (how many times have you had the urge to kill some people who simply cannot fit their 5 foot-wide car into an 8-foot clearly marked parking space?) She is finally in a condition that I can drive daily without worrying about something breaking. And I agree with you on the color :)

If possible i park far away in wide open areas. I get a little extra exercise and peace of mind that only very strange people will go out of their way to park near me with so much other free space... and there aren't many people this strange, right ?

[mamilapon]

Nice car. I've got the same issue with my tranny.. rough shifting 1-2-3-4. One tranny guy told me it could be the TPS on the throttle body.

[Alan_525i]

Hello all!

It has been nearly a year since I've acquired my 535iA. She's gotten a little over 1000 miles put on her after the purchase, but a lot has been repaired and replaced. Starting with the cooling system and working down to the rear muffler hangers the list of repairs spans more than a page. I recently installed clear front turn signals (TYC) with amber bulbs (I like the way these bulbs give the lights a slight orange tint). That about does it for mods. I still need to repair an oil leak at the front of the engine, replace the rear dog bones, and sort out the rough shift from 1st to 2nd in the tranny. Here she is on her first trip with new thrust arms, engine mounts, and center bearing:

Thanks to everyone for making this site such a wonderful resource!

Nice car.

The rough shifting can probably be cured with some Redline in the trans.

[Gayle]

If possible i park far away in wide open areas. I get a little extra exercise and peace of mind that only very strange people will go out of their way to park near me with so much other free space... and there aren't many people this strange, right ?

Not true. Anytime, no matter what vehicle I am in including the F150, if I park by myself at the back of the lot, when I come back, there is always a vehicle next to me. I think people like to huddle together. And I think it is really weird.

[Jehu]

Not true. Anytime, no matter what vehicle I am in including the F150, if I park by myself at the back of the lot, when I come back, there is always a vehicle next to me. I think people like to huddle together. And I think it is really weird.

i was being facetious my dear...i tried to include the eyes rolling smiley but not offered..

[Rus]

In the case of the parking garage where I am forced to leave my cars, there is simply no space left by about 8 am in the morning so parking in a far remote area where only weird people park is impossible. I do try to select "protected" parking spaces...basically park next to a concrete column leaving a lot of space for whoever parks next to me. People tend to need some extra room to swing out the car door, fall out of the car, etc. etc. (many a time I've discovered my side mirrors folded in by what I suspect are individuals with an excessively wide gluteus maximus :().

As far as the transmission issue goes, I do believe that fluid changes will help. I've already replaced the filter and cleaned out all the gunk from the pan, but the fluid in the transmission is not quite the pink/light red color that comes out of the bottle, most likely due to mixing with the remains of the old fluid. Shifting quality did improve since my last fluid change.

Thanks for the kind words :)

[Gayle]

i was being facetious my dear...i tried to include the eyes rolling smiley but not offered..

Duh.

And Rus, sorry about hijacking your thread. Your car is beautiful. New paint job. I am jealous. Really jealous.

You get my nomination for most anal for doing all that work on it while only putting 1000 miles on it.


She is finally in a condition that I can drive daily without worrying about something breaking.
That's what AAA is for, isn't it?

.

[Rodericb]

Very clean car. Alway nice to see another local owner on the board.

[Rus]

Rodericb,

How local are you? I thought I was the only one other than Winfred from LA. I'd love to get in touch with other BMW fans in the area (it seems that if I ever do see a E34 on the road, its beat up and/or "pimped" out :()

I do have AAA but thankfully have never had to use it. I have the tendency to be both anal and neurotic about my cars, which is why so much money and time gets dedicated to both the BMW and the Honda (1989 Accord) My main fear of driving the bimmer was because I really didn't know what condition the less accessible parts of the car were in. The car wasn't cared for by the PO, which was demonstrated by a leaking water pump, a crossthreaded plug on #5 cylinder, dirty transmission fluid, non-operational lock mechanism on driver's door, failing fuel pump, clunks, creaks, and multiple other issues. Until I tore it apart and repaired the issues that I suspected were present, it was a big question mark in my mind as to how far I could take her. Plus the oxygen sensor on the car was not in good condition, so the gas mileage suffered quite noticeably around town and on the highway. She's purring like a kitten now though :)

[Rodericb]

Rodericb,

How local are you? I thought I was the only one other than Winfred from LA. I'd love to get in touch with other BMW fans in the area (it seems that if I ever do see a E34 on the road, its beat up and/or "pimped" out :()

I do have AAA but thankfully have never had to use it. I have the tendency to be both anal and neurotic about my cars, which is why so much money and time gets dedicated to both the BMW and the Honda (1989 Accord) My main fear of driving the bimmer was because I really didn't know what condition the less accessible parts of the car were in. The car wasn't cared for by the PO, which was demonstrated by a leaking water pump, a crossthreaded plug on #5 cylinder, dirty transmission fluid, non-operational lock mechanism on driver's door, failing fuel pump, clunks, creaks, and multiple other issues. Until I tore it apart and repaired the issues that I suspected were present, it was a big question mark in my mind as to how far I could take her. Plus the oxygen sensor on the car was not in good condition, so the gas mileage suffered quite noticeably around town and on the highway. She's purring like a kitten now though :)


I Live in Laplace. I work in Harahan. I used to be big into my E28 but alas it has seen its last days. My E34 is my daily driver. I'm currently getting parts together to get my AC running again. The PO devoted most of his attention to the engine. I also need to replace my Upper control arms which I plan to do after I complete the AC. I have a few upgrades that I'd like to install but haven't had time.

[Rus]

I Live in Laplace. I work in Harahan. I used to be big into my E28 but alas it has seen its last days. My E34 is my daily driver. I'm currently getting parts together to get my AC running again. The PO devoted most of his attention to the engine. I also need to replace my Upper control arms which I plan to do after I complete the AC. I have a few upgrades that I'd like to install but haven't had time.

I'm on the West Bank in the Harvey/Marrero area. Going to college at Tulane, so I commute into New Orleans when school is in. I just got through the upper control arm replacement too. Ended up removing the entire subframe that the control arms mount to along with unbolting one of the lower strut mounts. The toughest part were the balljoints. Hope it goes easier for you :)

P.S.: How active is the BMWCCA chapter down here? It just doesn't seem like there are that many BMWs on the roads, so my guess is that the membership isn't too vast? I wouldn't mind getting involved, if time permits.

Best wishes.

[Rodericb]

I'm on the West Bank in the Harvey/Marrero area. Going to college at Tulane, so I commute into New Orleans when school is in. I just got through the upper control arm replacement too. Ended up removing the entire subframe that the control arms mount to along with unbolting one of the lower strut mounts. The toughest part were the balljoints. Hope it goes easier for you :)

P.S.: How active is the BMWCCA chapter down here? It just doesn't seem like there are that many BMWs on the roads, so my guess is that the membership isn't too vast? I wouldn't mind getting involved, if time permits.

Best wishes.
Cool. My I grew up in Harvey/Marrero. My dad still lives in Woodmere. The chapter is pretty good. If you don't already know about Bimmer Werks in Harahan, they are by far the best Indy in the area. I highly recommend Jim Wheeler. Also, for used parts, you can't beat German Auto in Dehnam Springs. As for the control arms, It'll probably take me a while as I've never done anything like it before but I'm pretty confident that given enough time, I can get it done.

[Rus]

Thanks for the heads up on the Indy. Good info to have even if I do all of my own repairs. I've already visited German Auto about a week back and they've been great to do business with. As I said, the control arms are going to be difficult if you can't pop the ball joints out. Taking the bolt and nut off on the bushing is probably going to be difficult without a modified open end wrench. I found it easier to just remove the entire crossmember and then get on it with my breaker bar. The balljoints required a pickle fork and a lot of effort to separate (pickle fork won't fit unless you disconnect the knuckle from the strut). Let me know if I can be of help. My AIM contact is in my profile.