Inspection, Diag & Repair On Auction Bought E61 BMW 535i Wagon! Its Mechanically Totaled? SO WHAT!
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2023
- Back by popular demand, the Green 535i Wagon I bought from the auction a few months ago! If you didn't catch the first video on this car, you can find it here: • WHO DID THIS? BMW Wago...
This car has had a rough life in the hands of the previous owner(s). Since I'm bringing this car home, I'd like to make it as mobile as possible AND know what parts I'll need to start stashing away. That's why I decided to do a complete once over of the car, try to fix a few things, diagnose a few things to get a better idea of what I'm up against once I actually start to dig into this project.
This particular car grabbed my attention because of its color and options. With few exceptions, this is exactly how I'd want one of these particular wagons. The goal with this car is to convert it to a 6-speed manual, and rear-wheel drive with help from a donor car in my yard. I'll be doing all of the "while you're in there things" in that process including cleaning, resealing, and a bunch of new parts.
The brutal honesty here. These cars aren't for everyone. They are incredibly cost prohibitive if you don't do your own work or don't want to. They are by no means a reliable car but I really like them, and with the industry I'm in, owning them is not a burden. Maybe I'm just a glutton for punishment, but if it doesn't need work, I don't want it.
I really hope you enjoyed this mid-week update. There will be more in the pipeline soon!
As always, I love all of the comments, feedback and even the criticism.
Catch you on the next one!
-Eric - Авто та транспорт
When we bought my wife's E36, one of the rear license plate lights wasn't working. I did some research on it and found out about that problem with the harness through the trunk lid. She bought it from the dealer and the indicator switch was broken, so we had to take it back to have those two problems fixed. I told my wife that they were just going to splice into the working license plate light, which would potentially create a short in the harness. Sure enough, when we got it back I checked what they had done, and it was exactly what I told her. I had to pull apart that loom and solder the wires together and heat shrink the wires.
The car just past 500,000km last month and the only major thing that's been done is a head gasket, and a timing chain while I was in there, last year.
As a fellow masochist (I currently own 2 E61 wagons myself, and 7 Bimmers) I must say, I am thoroughly enjoying the videos on this wagon. I bought both of mine for $2400... for both. And they were both equally affected, or infected, by poor work by previous owners. I daily one of them now, a lowly 530xi nearing w/ 198k miles... after putting $5000 and ridiculous amounts of time into it to make it a reliable vehicle. Still needs a DS axle (leaking boot), oil pan gasket, and rear main seal... but I'll get to those eventually. The other one has a blown N54 in it (windowed the block) and is getting a 550i drivetrain swap. I have the 550i sedan already. I should finish the swap sometime in 2050. Anyway, just wanted to post to encourage you. You are not alone, and misery loves company. Thanks for your videos, even the non-BMW stuff.
🤣😂🤣
And then you have to reminisce about the good old days of straight sixes , super reliable with the bonus of sounding awesome 😎
@@newagetemplar6100 An n62 v8 can be reliable... And sounds great. Just takes a complete engine out, reseal, while doing valve stem seals and then $2000/yr in additional maintenance. 😂 As I said... Self admitted BMW masochist.
@@crystalworks1 tend to agree , some of the v8’s and 10’s sound awesome. ESP N/A . Just high maintenance when highly tuned . Road car / fast road their ok but for motorsports their just a bit too heavy, expensive and suffer reliability issues. We were looking at an S63 for our car but going s58 , cheap reliable power rather than spending 15k on an s54 .
Will miss the induction howl from the air box lol 😂
As a former e61 535xi owner, watching this video has brought back a lot of memories, mostly nightmares lol. Everything on the car is a common problem and breaks regularly. But one of the biggest pains has to be the hatch wiring. It caused so many issues. Replaced all of it, both sides, with the German silicone wiring and spliced it all together. Still works to this day. For all the issues these cars have they’re really great when everything is working properly. They’re fast, fun, comfortable, and practical. The perfect all around car. I miss that car but I don’t miss working on it all the time.
That what I was thinking of, silicone wiring. I've used it once before on a dual point distributor and it worked perfectly. That stuff is very tough and super flexible. I think it was kind of expensive, IIRC, but it would probably beat any alternative.
I don’t get it, is it a bmw thing? How could you miss it if you had to work on it all the time?
I used silicone jacketed wires for the e46 and e38 trunk loom as well. Works great
@@artfranz2273 Driving dynamics. Sense of fun.
Part of being a perfect all around car is reliability, unfortunately. But yes on paper these cars are great.
"Probably bad gas."
- Father in Law (Everytime something runs rough)
That 2/0 wire you tossed in the recycling was probably about 70 dollars worth of copper. It could be OFC which is 100% and worth much more. You should also pull your radio out and find out what you cut back there. You might have cut off a wire from the factory radio which can cause other issues with BMW and Merc. They like to run modules and power through the radio/climate systems to make things worse. Most likely it's a simple bluetooth module going to a removed amp in the rear so they could use their phone to play music.
Love that green on that wagon body! Gonna look good going sideways 😎
This video is a nice change of pace. Normally it’s a detailed analysis of what went horrifically wrong. This is a chance to get to those issues of neglect before they become catastrophic. Really enjoying the videos, keep up the awesome work. 😊❤
I mean... really it's just an analysis of a different kind of "what went horribly wrong" xD
@@MDBenson just called working on a bmw😂
Still too late for this car
I've been enjoying the project videos too.
🤣🤣🤣"That's how you know it has fluid in it, only when it stops leaking you need to check everything" 🤣🤣🤣
The hatch wiring problem is solved by using silicone insulated, fine strand wires. Here in Germany the aftermarket supplies them in a kit for each side. We are on our 7th 5 Series Wagon and all of them needed this repair, E34, E39 and E61. In all the years BMW has learned nothing. Otherwise a great car - 525d LCI manual trans. Full M Package. Love the car.
My dad had same problem with his e61
BMW has learned one thing: 🤑
That is the sort of cable used for test leads on electronic equipment, which is exactly what I was thinking the manufacturer should have used in that sort of situation. I guess German engineers know better though.
@@stephenw2992 I does seem like the issue is really about the wire cladding. I used sections of speaker wire because of the pliable cladding in bendy parts of the harness and it's been holding up no issues for about 7 years now.
As my old boss used to say (30+ years ago, when I first started the company), "There's absolutely no substitute for knowing what you're doing."
Obviously, where BMWs are concerned, you do. Amazing to watch, really.
I like this car. I'll like it even more when it's a manual RWD. I like how you think. Take care. Good luck. Keep 'em coming.
Maybe BMW needs to hire people that are knowing what they're doing. I've never heard of any car from a Pinto to a Jeep to a Lexus have hatch wiring issues, yet BMW's are all affected by it.
You can put back steering feedback, AWD or RWD. Get 2 part polyurethane mix at 60 or so durable rating, pour into cavities on NEW control arm rubber bushings. It will stiffen up a little and get you the feedback you need. M5 control arms are easy upgrade
I love the manual swap idea. Looking forward to seeing it come to fruition!
I own a 2008 E60 535xi. I had regular misfires and fouled plugs after the car sat for more than a few days. It turned out to be the early-model fuel injectors, which are famous for leaking down onto the piston crowns after shut-down. (They are like an old man that always leaks a few drops into his shorts after peeing, no matter how many times he taps his tool hahahaha) This results in over-rich running at start-up due to that un-metered fuel, and the DME goes crazy trying to correct the problem.
Get a set of series 12 fuel injectors (mine were series 8) and then get them coded to the car's DME. The code number on the injector is the flow rate of that particular injector. By coding them to the car, the DME knows the flow rate of that particular injector, and the fuel trims can be accurately be corrected to each injector. It's complicated, but its also pretty cool, and I predict it will solve several of your cold-start problems
Watching these videos, about that Bimmer, reminds me of my E46 320i. Seems like it had the same owners as that 535i!! Same crappy wirings, "aftermarket" (More like "st**id") audio installation, leaks EVERYWHERE, tons of RTV all over (and beneath) the car. Hell: Even the camshafts were out of syncronization by 1 tooth. The PCV valve was broken in two (put together with like a whole tube of RTV), and the oil drain of it was blocked with the threaded part of a bolt so all the oil ended up in the intake manifold, and had the original shocks (18 years old units) In short: A nightmare. Today I drove it to my job and back, after 2 years fixing most of the stuff and, while it won't pass as a late-model car, feels solid!! pulls nicely, smooth, good mileage. Only needed some TLC. Fix that 535i, Eric. Give her the home she deserves.
Good thing you have the parts necessary to fix it handy. I can see why they totaled it even though it's still a good car. Probably just fixing the rear hatch and sunroof did it in. Glad to see you giving it a second chance.
It's got to be fun to work at or own a business in the salvage industry. All challenges aside, for me, it'd be like getting to play with adult Legos.
Years ago I worked for a guy that would have me pull the tuners on the 7 series and what he had me do with them was to modify them for an auxiliary input. I actually hated doing it. It entailed opening the tuner and finding and removing a couple of the micro diodes on the board and then wiring in RCA cables along with a switch so you could switch between tuner and aux. Watching you pulling out all that stereo wiring just reminded me of all that work I used to do. Luckily I don't do that kind of work any longer.
Your living the dream my friend. I have several vehicles that are projects as well. I seek perfection much the way you do. But finding the time to put into working on them is a major challenge.
I’ve worked on plenty of cars in my time, but never a bmw, Porsche or a Miata. I do like seeing it done because who knows 👍
Wish I had the where-with-all to take on a project like this. Love this car and what you plan to do.
Working on vehicles is a lot harder than it looks. You make it look simple my man! I do this type of stuff on the weekends as a hobby, as I couldn't take that from myself being a full time job. Love the content man, keep it up!
Hey Eric, for the sunroof try pushing the button up and holding for about 20 seconds, it should start moving, then keep holding it as it cycles through all its positions. That will reset it. At least that worked on my 330xi, which was doing similar weird things. The window regulator probably has the same issue, I don’t know how to reset it though, but it looks completely electrical/module related not a mechical problem
1 of these days you'll actually finish a car and I wanna be here for that, especially that C4, we getting an update on that soon?
One must always have 17 half baked projects and no complete projects
Thats a sick project. The green wagon frame is a special one. I hope you're able to make it a manual rwd conversion. It'll really be a special car then
Another excellent video & especially the e61, the broken tailgate wiring has brought back some memories of broken wires that i too faced. Chin up & keep up the good work. 👍
"Sir, I'm sorry to say your BMW is mechanically totaled; the cup holders are broken."
Im afraid you wont pass inspection....your ashtray is filled to the brim
😆
That's OK. I've learned to do without turn signals from day one. I can live without a cup holder.
The cup holders on my 2008 328i were like 400 dollars to replace. Fixed em myself for nothing. Just some tine.
A mid-week video is always appreciated!! Thanks!!
Awesome potential project. Really like the diagnosis.
Fascinating breakdown of all ailing this BMW!
@40:30 I've done my own car audio installs and the one here reminds me of some of my very first sloppy attempts on fortunately crappy cars in my late high school and college daze. Sadly I can relate from times I've spent an hour or few snaking wires or installing an amp and speakers and whatnot and then encountering some BS in the design or whatever that suddenly made best practices stand down in favor of zip tie mania. Great walkthrough and good luck with the final product once all is said and done! 🤞
I daily my 535i xdrive e61 with 114k miles 🤣 and have for the last five years since getting her with 73k miles. Car never left me stranded
Didn't have boost for 5k miles after wastegates failed, but car still got where it needed to go.. just with 200 hp. Eventually replaced those turbos with pure stage 2 (quick tunnel blast on my channel) 😁 it helps that I can do DIY the simple shit like plugs and coils
I think these cars last longer the MORE often you drive them. Nothing guarantees your BMW gaskets are toast than leaving the car sitting for a while.
Thanks for this video. it's nice seeing the raw "Oh what's going on here" that we don't normally get to see from mechanics.
You’re a brave man! Just watching this is triggering my BMW PTSD! 😂
Love the channel. It's not called Big Money Wasted for nothing.
A few years ago a 2007 530xi touring with an honest-to-goodness 6-speed manual appeared on my local Craigslist. Very clean, two owner car but I passed on it because I've heard these E61s have gremlins everywhere. I don't know if I should be upset for letting a true unicorn slip through my fingers or breathe a sigh of relief for dodging a bullet that was heading for my bank account.
I’d be upset, but maybe I’m biased
You dodged a missile
Be careful with water from the roof pooling in the spare tyre location in the trunk. There are two rubber plugs one on each side that get clogged and the water goes inside and stagnates where the electronic modules are (under the spare tyre). I had a 525D Touring and got the air suspension relay fried because of that, fortunately that was all and I relocated the modules on the side and got rid of the stupid rubber plugs. Also got the hatch issue but all tourings have it I guess. Other than that the car was awesome and very reliable. Keep up the great content and humorous approach I love your channel.
He covered that in part one. Its why all the modules were already in bags in the spare tyre well
We scrapped one of those, Sold the Vanos pump for more than what we paid for the car,, we had it listed online for a few weeks just above scrap price, transmission was out, and needed a lot of works, no bites, so we sold the Vanos pump and cut the cats, pulled the wheels and scrapped it. Wasn't worth us holding onto it considering scrap prices were pretty high at the time.
I agree with the others, nice change of pace. Although I did find it mildly stressful when you kept finding leaks and more problems to fix. When you are tearing down an engine for parts etc, there is none of that.
Man, your videos are a treat! I love your honesty and transparence, and I learn a lot from them while having fun at the same time.
hey eric! if it was easy everyone would walk that road your steadfast commitment is medal worthy for sure! can’t wait for the your next video release
"They screwed the fuse holder to the styrofoam." On the bright side, at least there was a fuse...
That 06 330i I bought with 204k miles had broken trunk hinge wiring as well. Was much easier to fix on mine I'm sure.... Good to see I'm not the only one struggling with a BMW related gremlin-fest lol
17:29 I'm the same way, Eric. Any time I see evidence of aftermarket audio work on a car, I just assume that it was poorly installed, because most of the time, it is.
That first pass of codes showed faults everywhere- except the stereo system! I liked my 2006 E60 530i but I am not sad about the repairs. I saw that the right headlight was out and my first thought was, "The wiring insulation has fallen apart." BMW uses biodegradable insulation that lasts just past the warranty period! Good luck with the conversion, I am looking forward to watching it go together.
Man, I was feeling for you here. Yet, after seeing this & many other horror stories, I still want an X3 😅. I guess I’m a masochist.
And these types of videos are the bomb too for weekend tinkerers. Please do more.
You're doing great, Eric! I was honestly worried that I wouldn't care for the project car updates. Now I am really excited to see more on this and your other projects!😊
Looking forward to the gearbox conversion.
Such a beautiful car! I love performance wagons, they’re so unique and rare. I have a 335xi myself and I can confirm that it is a nightmare. Love the car, it’s my first after all, drives great, looks amazing! But my god, I’d be lying if I said the repairs are cheap and simple to fix anywhere. I found myself trying to find a good mechanic for a long time, one that I could trust and let alone have confidence they’d do a good job. Besides that, the problems just love to stack. The N54 is a great engine, but it’s drawbacks are significant. If you’re gonna buy a 35i (N54/N55) please do yourself a favor and have some mechanic knowledge. These cars are project cars for sure. I’ll continue to try and fix things with mine and hopefully restore to a really nice condition. I’ve heard many people regret selling their first car so I want to try my best with this one.
I daily my 535xi e61 with 114k miles 🤣 and have for the last five years since getting her with 73k miles. Car never left me stranded
Didn't have boost for 5k miles after wastegates failed, but car still got you where you needed to go.. just with 200 hp. Eventually replaced those turbos with pure stage 2
I hope B58 swaps become a thing.
Removing crappy aftermarket my favorite automotive pastime too. What's great about it is that its always installed so poorly it is easy to see where it all goes and easy to remove!
Heads up Eric you need the rwd dsc system if it's similar to rwd swapping a 3 series. Dsc pump, brake lines, wheel speed sensors, and repin the connector. Keep the donor as long as possible.
Keep this project going man. Loving the E61 content!
I admire you and love watching your videos. This comment is probably appropo of nothing, but I solved a broken wire issue with an ‘89 grand Caravan. This involved the electric windows not all working because the wires for the drivers door were damaged. Every time the door opened and closed the wires were subjected to twisting. These were like 12-14 gauge with thick strands. Stiff, in other words, not easily flexed. A bad choice in my opinion. This was a very restricted space to work and I suppose the door should have been removed. Anyhow, I was able to replace a section of most, if not each, wire with instrument test lead wire, which was about 14 gauge, but with lots and lots of fine, flexible wire. Never had another problem with that. I have one other thought. If you can manage to have one or two turns of a coil at the flex spot, like a telephone handset cord, the amount of flexing is greatly reduced as it just elongates and retracts, or slightly coils more tightly or more loosely. FWIW
I give you all of the congratulations 🎉🎉 to you. Thank you you always have great content. Me my self I love the 745 I or 750i.
They are some comfortable rides. Big body car's. I look forward to seeing your next videos.
This was a great video from the tear downs. This was a change of pace of what needs to be fixed. Love your channel and content.
I totally enjoy watching these videos I'm very impressed with the quality of your workmanship and your knowledge Thanks😊
This brings back so many memories of late 90’s to late 2000’s VW’s for me.
Complexity for NO reason.
Best of luck with it, but I kinda detest modern BMW’s because of stuff like this, and it’s still not fixed over 20 years since much of the tech was introduced.
The rebuilt plugs are fine!!!
Great video!! As always!!
Love your channel!!
I love watching you work on the N54 cars! Thanks.
Glad you are back with this car.
I love the higher speed video, the rapid movement and voice pitch change! I laughed my head off not to mention the monologue is hilarious! I love your frightened optimism "It will be OK It will be OK, I'm sure (?) I think"".....Wow very informative and entertaining! Great job.
Gosh, so much to get done. Look forward to seeing them get done.
You are a saint of bmws, this era of BMW seems to have few redeeming qualities. Excited to see the progress however!
I love this project, please update it regularly. Love the channel, been watching since almost the beginning.
Love watching your videos. Keep up the good work.👍
I'm going to hold my breath until you post the follow up video......... Couldn't do it.
But, I can't wait to see the rest of the updates. (Including the others.)
Thanks for everything you do. I know its a weird request, but Id like to see a Ford 4.0 V6 teardown. (Yeah, I know.... But I own one and it still runs)
That’s a good looking BMW Eric. I had the 4.2L Audi Allroad. Great car. Just couldn’t keep it on the road. Now I have a bit more time (+ tools & UA-cam) - I may revisit. What do you think. Barking mad??
Life with a BMW seems so much easier when you have a parts car or two…. Or three.. Or more…. Resurrecting older cars involves some challenges. I’m still trying to find exterior body and bumper trim parts for an ‘84 Coupe GT…. =( Thanks for sharing another great video!
Calling this an older car makes sense because of how horribly it's made it seems older than it is. But still not that old.
Ahh yes, the trans trans series is back
That car is in good shape!!
Why people don’t just fix problems, the correct why?
Blows my mind!!!
Great deal on that car,
Great video!!!
I have a 2006 E61 which I dearly love. It's a beautiful car. I find this video so satisfying. Save her!
Nice job Eric!
Great videos and the commentary is gold 😂
2:06 When you ask her "what's wrong" and she replies "nothing"
LOVE this project! Move it to the top of the list!
Can't wait to see the next video on this project. 👊
The most common failure on a BMW is the instrument cluster screen, which is a result of everything else failing and the second owner smashing it with whatever they can find.
It’s like you were pulling dead snakes out of the trunk! 😂
People hate on the N54 but literally just doing regular maintenance makes them 200k mile engines. I love working on the N54 and no one will ever change my mind!
In general I agree except for two major exceptions :
The turbos.. specifically the wastegates hardly ever make it past 110k. Especially if you drive saucy.
The injectors. Unfortunately I just found out I still have index 5 at 114k miles so keeping my fingers crossed for as long as possible. A set of 6 index 12 oem is $3k right now! this was the one thing I had hoped the previous owners did
Even after my wastegates broke I still drove around for 5k miles no problem just no power or boost. Car has never left me stranded and I have dailied it the last 5 years.
If swapping injectors and replacing gaskets and turbos are regular maintainece yea they'll make it to 200k, not much more after that, but 200k.
@@SPAZTICCYTOPLASM nah the engine itself is very hardy it could do 300k easy .. like you said I think the design of these turbos, even the aftermarket hybrids, limit lifetime of turbos to 100k - - unless you go single turbo and are unconstrained for the original turbo design /housing
I agree. The N54 is not that bad to do regular maintenance. Now the turbos is another story, but the aftermarket has this covered when they go.
Just don’t ever buy an x drive! They have steel subframes too, which can get rusty.
I've been waiting for part 2!!!
DS18 speakers are ok, usually picked for SPL cars. Sounds like someone put some monster subs in there and was beating the piss out it.
I'm a fellow lover of wagons, and that's a nice one - I just wouldn't have the patience for one of those and to be constantly fixing it.
Having said that, I am really looking forward to seeing what you come up with. Manual and rear wheel drive would make it something really nice.
Another great video. Keep it going
We suffer from similar 'too many projects' sicknesses. A smart person would finish the occasional project before starting and/or buying another. That's what a sensible person would do but nope. I am not that person. I just sold a car that I loved...until I learned to hate it...a dark green, 2000 Volvo V70. It just fit me. I loved the way it drove, felt and handled. Then I had to change the rad, head gasket, heater core, timing belt, water pump, angle gear sleeve...and so much more. Absolutely nothing on that car, except spark plugs, was easy to work on. The memory of that car being driven away from me, still makes me smile.
I didn't so much learn to hate it as it taught me to hate it. Your BMW thing is probably worse but I admire your commitment to the cause. Good luck and God speed.
Please do that build!!
What a fantastic idea!!
It will be totally worth it !!
Awesome vid Thanks Mate !
I love this, plus I love 535 bmw wagons!
I think I finally figured out why you look so familiar…. I’m almost certain I met you at longhorn in Jeff city when I was the bartender. Lol. Love your videos.
Sweet another BMW video !!!
We're going to give it a little re build here!! Funny as.
Have you considered a ZF8 swap? With a standalone controller (mine's on a TurboLamik) it can run clutch-by-wire, trans brake, b-brake launch control, and can range from super comfortable and refined to ridiculously aggressive and fun.
I'm looking at building an E61 535d next and this is the route I'm thinking to go.
@@TheSurftrailer You won't regret it :) nice and easy for you too, it will bolt right up
17:09 perfect reaction
You keep on going,your going to end up at the emergency room with all that "heartache" your finding, some of this would give me an upset stomach$$$$$$,LOL!.But I know you can handle it!:)
134 codes.
That's just *wow*.
There are probably cars at Pick-A-Part that if you hooked a jump pack to, would report fewer codes.
I dont think that your fuel pressure is low. 50 bar seems pretty normal to me. But I do agree that some of your injectors are leaking it does match with fouled spark plugs sooty exhaust and rail pressure dropping fast after engine shut off.
Agreed. Rail pressure at idle seemed normal, but those wet plugs could be a leaky injector. It’s ok, BMW piezo injectors are only a $1000 each. 😂
So I’ve been watching your videos for quite a long time and just realized importapart is in hazelwood MO. I’m in Jeff so I’m definitely gonna check out your website.
I've got a e39 wagon and it was rough like this when I got it and I rebuilt it totally from pick apart parts and now it's 97 % perfect
Well, at the end of the video you were talking about all the projects you wanna get done we’re gonna have years of videos to watch, which is good for us
Looking at this little series, I'm not surprised these have almost all disappeared already even in Germany despite being not all that old. At least in my region.
Nice car. Wires cracking is very hard to fix but if you can get the whole brain it's better. Great job.
ALWAYS get NGK plugs, their cheapest are better than top models from others. Tested on super rich engine with air leak
I must admit I was waiting for the jump pack to get intimate with moving parts of the engine then the positive lead to fall off , get tangled with the auxiliary belt and booooom ! 😇.
For not a lot of money car manufacturers should put Anderson connectors on as standard .
We do on our race cars and it makes life so much easier .
Now i see why BMW does not sell very well down under here in Australia damn thing breaks more often then a fence during monsoonal season.
Never buy any sort of German electronics. Their Televisions were just as bad as their cars. Luckily Australia got the good Japanese stuff instead of the dodgy European things.
BMW, the ultimate driving machine