What to replace before the 100+ mile commute ?

[RobPatt]

Getting ready for my 100+ mile commute daily w/the black beauty E34.
She's got 175K miles, but months ago the board, and my daily driving pleasure, convinced me to keep her well into 200K miles.

Fuel pump? My fuel pump is 5 years new... but buzzes loudly... on its way out or not ?

Radiator and exp tank - no problems ever... replace the radiator AND the expansion tank... or just the tank.. ?

All hoses go without saying.. .will do 1 part ordering on that from BMP design.

Alternator ? thoughts? only lights that flicker are my OBC...dim/bright/dim/bright

Volt Regulator ? thoughts? again, no issues.

I'm very PRO preventative maintenance... but not for burning $$$.

Much appreciated.
Cheers,
Rob.

(she got new belts, tires, brakes...compressor, evap, h20 pump, t-stat, pulleys, tensioner...alu t-stat housing...coils....... thanks much!)

[MBXB]

Belts

[MBXB]

Whoops.. didn't see the last line..

[Tiger]

When is the radiator last changed? Usually last about 6 years or 100,000 miles.

What fuel pump did you install? OEM or cheap?

Hoses usually do last alot longer... just feel and squeeze it... does it feel extra soft or hard when cool?

Alternator can be easily tested and free at Autozone. They put a load on it to see if it can handle it. Volt Reg is tested at same time.

That cost you nothing.

[Russell]

i would consider hoses and fuel pump. Both can go without warning and leave you stranded. I am considering both on my daily commuter e34.

Your car has never had the radiator and tank replaced? Seems unique for an e34. Mine is now on the third. BTW, a new radiator comes with a tank. mine did. First radiator neck snapped at 72,000. Metal to plastic seam let go at about 150,000. I now have 183,000 miles. See the pattern.

One more thing. if yours is a daily commuter car in an area with snow/ice I would consider a second set of wheels and high quality winter tires. Made a world of difference for me.

BTW, your cars sound wells cared for. Just keep your AAA paid up and your mechanic's phone number and address handy :)

[ScottyWM]

I would add that you should replace the rubber grommets between the master cylinder and the brake fluid reservoir. That seems to be a common failure at about 175k miles that causes a mess.

I'm on my third radiator, and my 5th or 6th water pump (don't ask). But it sounds like you got a damn good radiator that you might want to stick with! If you're going to replace hoses, don't forget the ones underneath the intake. And if you take off the intake you'll need new seals when you replace it. While you're there, wouldn't hurt to replace the fuel line hoses. Get good hose clamps.

I'll cross 200k miles with mine next week!

[ryan roopnarine]

http://www.autohausaz.com/search/product.aspx?sid=s1dadt452ii2feq51fwpijbo&makeid=800003@BMW&modelid=1012082@525I&year=1995&cid=18@Electrical%20%26%20Vacuum&gid=4884@Voltage%20Regulator


Cheap f'ing insurance. Even if my alternator were in good working order, if you can't remember the last time you replaced an alternator (if ever), change this part by yourself, and leave the old one in the glovebox. The bosch alternator looks well built, IMHO, and you should be able to get multiple brush changes out of it in 200k miles. It isn't like a ford 3g alternator that burns out and won't take brush changes every 70-100k miles. Seriously, just do this and you won't have to worry about an alternator failure.

PS....if you do nothing else, hit this part and change the hoses. I don't know what condition your battery is in, maybe that as well if it is getting up there. You know how hot FL is and everything over 4 years on the same battery is borrowed time.

[RobPatt]

it was an OEM fuelpump, don't recall exact brand, bought from BMA... I don't buy the cheap stuff unless there's no alternative....

I've had the car 8 years and not changed the radiator... so it's at least 8 years old... only trouble I ever had was I broke the plastic bleed screw once, had to replace....

Hoses are soft and plyable... but for aobut $120 a set, might as well do it.

HOT here in South Mississippi come summer.

What else....ah the alternator...

Ryan, you posted the url for the regulator... is that enough, or should I do the whole alternator ?

You all rock.

[ryan roopnarine]

What else....ah the alternator...

Ryan, you posted the url for the regulator... is that enough, or should I do the whole alternator ?

You all rock.

Have you ever changed the alternator in your time of ownership? IIRC you said something about pulsing OBC at some point, I'd take the alternator off of the car and take it to autozone/advance, et cetera and have them test it. The Bear (sp?) on car tester has screwed me over twice now. If you do take it off, remove the voltage regulator from it and take a picture of the shaft (if you are so inclined) and post it here. The voltage regulator on that page is probably the 70+ one. Autohauz has bosch rebuilds for 218, IIRC with 100$ core and 1 or 2 year roadside assistance. It would be up to you if you wanted to change the whole deal or replace the regulator.

[Tiger]

Get it tested... no need to replace unless something is wrong with it... easily checked when tested.

[Scott C]

Sounds like you are thinking well - let me hit you with one more - go HID on low beams! If you are driving that much, it really makes a difference. I went 35W and now there are more powerful (but might need relay).

Scott

[RobPatt]

Great point Scott.
Will put it on the list after getting all the higher priority preventative maintenance squared away !

I have the option of doing about 90% of the commute on the interstate... OR doing 90% of the commuet on a little 2 lane country road with twists, etc (through the Pascogula swamp)... on that route, quality lighting would be a MUST !


Sounds like you are thinking well - let me hit you with one more - go HID on low beams! If you are driving that much, it really makes a difference. I went 35W and now there are more powerful (but might need relay).

Scott

[Russell]

Great point Scott.
Will put it on the list after getting all the higher priority preventative maintenance squared away !

I have the option of doing about 90% of the commute on the interstate... OR doing 90% of the commuet on a little 2 lane country road with twists, etc (through the Pascogula swamp)... on that route, quality lighting would be a MUST !

I put 55w 4500k HIDs on about 18 months ago from DDM tuning. Big improvement on my 2 lane daily commute. Plug-n-play. Had to adjust my lights to reduce glare. Also has the infamous bulb out warning. Built a resistor fix to take care of that.

[Scott C]

I put 55w 4500k HIDs on about 18 months ago from DDM tuning. Big improvement on my 2 lane daily commute. Plug-n-play. Had to adjust my lights to reduce glare. Also has the infamous bulb out warning. Built a resistor fix to take care of that.

I have to admit - I love driving my car at night with high beams - they are so awesome (4 lights on). The HID low beams help but are still not what I would call good. I have new reflectors...

Make sure you glass lense is pretty clear and clean your reflector (you can take the assembly apart - no big deal) if you haven't done it. It is a pain to get the light assembly out but if you have original lights, the reflectors may be nasty dirty.

[MBXB]

A really cheap insurance move would be either ProGold (for gold contacts) or DeOxit (for other connectors). Go over all the fuses and relays you can get to. They have them at The Shack.