540 V8 200k+ service

[choccibicci]

I'm lucky enough to be spending a couple of months away this winter and was planning to get my 540 serviced whilst away.

Its a 1994 (UK) model and has now done slightly over 202,000 miles. There are no major problems with the engine to speak of, aside from a few cold start issues, and an occaisional 'tappy' sound when cold.

As i'll be away for a while, I was also thinking of getting the engine stripped down and rebuilt, replacing some of the components along the way....

What would you recommend was looked at and/or replaced on an engine thats done 200,000+ miles?!

The car has had some service history, but most of this was in its early years where most of the mileage built up.

Thanks

[Ross]

Which motor? Nik or Alusil?
I used to maintain a small fleet of delivery vans and if any of them were lucky enough to make high miles without being crashed they got new oil pumps and bearings when the bottom end got a little loose and oil pressure started falling. Usually .001 oversize bearings and the pump made a world of difference.
Just a thought if you plan on keeping it a long time.

[BillionPa]

send your engine to bavarian auto recyclers or korman and have them do a performance rebuild. i will assume new valve lifters will be part of the package, as they are only 12 bucks a piece.

go for iridium spark plugs and high power ignition coils.

if you want the best, have the pistons thermal barrier coated, and if clearances allow, tungsten disulfide coated on the sides and piston rings.
also coat any sprockets in tungsten disulfide, and the valves thermal barrier coated.

if the service history has nothing about the fuel pump in there, get a new one, as they tend to fail suddenly, especially with low sulfur fuels.

you can have your oil pump rebuilt at vac motorsports or even get a $5000 stage 3 cylinder head with all new valves and stuff. i guess it all depends on how much you want to spend, be it a few hundred to replace the obviously worn parts, or many thousand to have the engine back to new or to a whole new level.

[mikell]

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Better to have it examined thoroughly (by someone who is competent) to find out what it might really need. If it runs well and doesn't use oil, just do the routine maintenance - have the injectors cleaned, the rubber parts replaced if they need it, new plugs, replace any leaking gaskets, etc. As a preventive measure, maybe look at the water pump and the radiator, since if they go while you're unable to immediately shut down it could become very expensive. My M60 is going strong and it has a few more miles than yours.