Just recently done a bunch of maintenance on my mom’s old 1995 BMW E34 525i.
Thermostat Housing
It started with a minor water leak which turned out to be the thermostat housing seals. I replaced the shaped seal and thermostat o-ring with spares from BMW. All prices are including VAT
Shaped Seal – R51
Thermostat o-ring R5.00
Water Pump
Then I’m guessing the return in pressure after fixing the leak forced water past the water pump seal where the housing had corroded away. So a new water pump from Goldwagen, a Vaico for R435.00. Vaico is supposed to be German quality but the impeller is a poor aluminium sand casting and overall it looks like it was made in China. I suggest buying another brand. [I read quite a few posts online that suggest replacing the water pump as a precautionary measure because the original impeller is plastic but I must say the impeller was still in perfect condition.]
In fact the water pump had corroded enough to let water bypass the seal. Some excellent advice from a friend is to make sure you use a mix of anti-freeze and distilled water to minimise any corrosion in the water system. Coolant is R59 per liter from BMW and you need 5 liters + 5 liters distilled water.
[The 2 surfaces have to be smooth, perfectly flat and clean to make a proper seal and the engine body where the water pump bolts had some pitting. So I mixed up some Pratleys Steel putty and filled in the pits with enough to be raised just above the surrounding surface, let it dry, then water papered it down flush. It looked super cool, wish I’d got a picture.]
Whilst working on the thermostat housing I noticed that 2 of the vacuum pipes had perished, actually the consistency of licorice. So I got generic air hosing from a local store as well as new vacuum hosing for the brake booster which was looking a little worse for wear.
I decided not to remove the manifold and expose more worn seals but I’ve got small hands so I managed to get into the small spaces to re-attach hoses.
Both lots of hosing and 4 hose clamps R100
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/diagrams/c/n/7.png
I replaced 3 & 5
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/diagrams/d/g/8.png
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=HD68&mospid=47405&btnr=11_4931&hg=11&fg=35
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/diagrams/k/t/22.png
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=HD68&mospid=47405&btnr=11_4814&hg=11&fg=40
General Service
From BMW: 6 x Bosch F7LDCR, replacement plug is now the FR7LDC+ R49 from Diesel Electric
Oil Filter
Oil, decided to use Shell HX5 25W-60 instead of the recommended Castrol Magnatec
Resetting the Inspection Lights
- Remove DLC cap
- Ignition OFF
- Bridge pins 7 & 19 (make sure you have the correct pins, any others will do harm)
- Rotate key to POSITION 2 (OFF is position 0, 2 is just before start and Start is position 3)
- Remove wire after 5 seconds for Oil Service and 10 seconds for Inspection (my 1998 BMW 540i resets only when the wire is removed after the correct time, too long and nothing happens)
- Replace DLC cap
- Turn ignition off
- Test by turning back on – lights should all be green and Oil Service and/or Inspection should be off
Images here http://netisak.lpru.ac.th/bmw_e34_diy/reset_oil_service_en.html
BMW e34 Part Pricing as of 12.07.12
- Belt Tensioner – R1299
- Idler Pulley – R617
- Oil Cap – R187
- Throttle Body Seal – R325
- Inlet Manifold Gaskets – R746.15 for 6
- 1L Coolant – R59
- Washer Pump Grommet – R21.65
- Heater Unit / Auxiliary Water Pump – R2196
Thank u very much 4 the tips,they came in handy.especially the one about reseting the service lights.