Hi to all. I own an e34 540i auto which I have had for five months. cannot describe how much I love the car (this is my first bmw), but unfortunately I have had many sleepless nights worrying about this car since I bought it.

I am far from being an expert mechanic, but since becoming the owner of this beautiful beast I have spent most of my nights trying to learn what I can about this car, but have only tonight decided to register on this forum as I am blown away by the level of knowledge that appears to exist on this site.

My problems are thus:

Recently fitted a replacement (used) radiator as the old one had slight leak which all of a sudden became much worse. The car started to overheat but I turned off the engine straight away and collected several bottles of water from a nearby pub which got me the remaining 5 miles home with temp guage remaining in centre.

Fitted new rad, and used car for remainder of day with  no probs.

Next morning, car wouldnt start straight away as normal, but took three or four attempts to start.  When I removed the cap to check the coolant level there was a lot of hissing and apparent woosh of pressure, even thought he car was not yet even warm.

left the car overnight(tossed and turned)  the next morning would not start until several attempts had been made(once again), and again coolant seems to be under a lot of pressure. Slight smell of petrol coming from header tank.

I am terrified that this is a head gasket issue, but with limited mechanical knowledge I am unsure - could it be something else like a vacuum leak?

nb. Oil appears normal (ie, not milky or chocolatey), no apparent white smoke coming from exhaust, although there apppears to be more water than normal dripping from exhaust pipe. Engine otherwise runs and  sounds as sweet as ever, other than more vibration at idle than I was previously used to which you can feel through the driver s seat.

Any help would be much apppreciated. I love this car to bits, and hope and prey that its saveable without a huge bill, as ironically, Ive recently been forced to close my antiques business which means Im no longer in the financial position I once was.

Apologies for the long winded explanation.

Hi and welcome to the forum.

I think, (I am no expert on the E34 nor on the cooling system on V8s) you have simply got an air lock in your cooling system.

As you had to hastily refil it from the pub (are you sure it wasn't beer and the car just has a hangover) you probably just managed to get air in the cooling system.  These systems need to be filled very slowly and bled to get the air out, the 6 pot E39 is a real pig for air locks but with patience it can be done.

There should be little plastic bleed screws mounted on top of the radiator, expansion tank, thermostat housing etc which can be un done and air can be bled out.  Failing that remove the hoses at one end and pour coolant into the hoses then couple them back up.

Although I'm struggling to see how an air lock would prevent the car from starting unless the coolant level is too low for the coolant sensor(i.e. the air lock is in the position of the coolant sensor) to pick up the temp of the water so the ECU then has to guess what temperature the engine is at which will make starting the engine difficult.

Have you got any warning lights on the dash? 

It doesn't sound like to me that you have got a blown cylinder head gasket(s).

Keep us posted on how you get on and hopefull someone with better knowledge of the E34 V8 cooling system will be along.

Andrew

Thanks for replies.  Re bleeding the system, couldnt seem to find any bleed screws anywhere but when browsing the web noticed that this system is supposed to be self bleeding? Dont know if this is true or not, but therefore I havent bled the system.

With regards to smell of petrol from header tank, I could be wrong but it appears to be coming from there although I can still smell it when cap is on so perhaps its coming from engine? cant be sure.

Is a compression test something I could do myself? , or would I need to use a specialist garage. As said money for me tight at the moment so Im not afraid to get my hands dirty and Im eager to learn, but this car is far more complex than the vw polo I owned previous to this car, and indeed more so than the porsche 924s which I have done some work to myself successfully.

One of my friends has been telling me im paranoid to think head gasket, but thats whats been going through my mind (a lot!)

Just would seem so unfair as car runs so well otherwise and oil is perfectly normal, and car is not loosing any coolant.

I really appreciate everyones input, thanks.

540 V8 wrote: We all know what you mean when you say you cannot describe how much you love the car, it does get you like that for sure!

Oh yeah, the car's the baby.  Got it bad.second to the wife...

Ok, thanks once again for everybodys input so far. Didnt have chance to touch the car today as I ran out of time (wasnt allowed out to play - lol). Will now attempt tomorrow to remove top hose and top up coolant system in the hope that this may solve the coolant pressure issue.  Also thanks to Sporty for link to block testing kit, which will be my next step after attempting to deal with possible air lock, price seems pretty reasonable too.

With regards to the starting issue, and the suggestion from mike of getting diagnostics done at a local garage, would it have to be a Bmw specialist, or would most competent garages have the equipment available to do this, as this sounds like a good idea - although presumably if it turms out that I do have a head gasket breach this might explain the starting problems anyway, but of course I am hoping not and am feeling a little more upbeat after talking to you all on this forum.

I really hope I can get this sorted and will do my best to follow all of the advice. My partner is sick of hearing about this car as I seem to be talking about it more and more as time goes on. I think the problem is that every time I have a problem with this car it carries an emotional attachment that didnt exist with my previous cars, so much so that it can tend to distract me from concentrating on other things in life, and even result in lack of sleep in my case. Its as if some kind of disease came inherently with the car which is gradually taking me over! lol.

Clean, polish and wax it every week, and to be honest would happily do it every day if the need facilitated it, or I had an excuse to. Do hope its days arent numbered yet. Have yet to see a more elegant and timeless design than the e34, but guess thats just a matter of opinion.     Cheers!!

You should be o.k. going to the local garage for a diagnostic check on a car of that age.  The newer the car the more problems the smaller local garages appear to have with interogating the diagnostics

villman540 wrote: I think the problem is that every time I have a problem with this car it carries an emotional attachment that didnt exist with my previous cars, so much so that it can tend to distract me from concentrating on other things in life, and even result in lack of sleep in my case. Its as if some kind of disease came inherently with the car which is gradually taking me over! lol. Clean, polish and wax it every week, and to be honest would happily do it every day if the need facilitated it, or I had an excuse to.

You are sooo right, except I have formed an emotional attachment with every car I have owned.  I shed a tear or two when I traded in my old Senator for my E39, I shed even more when I was deprived of my first E60.  Cars are not just lumps of metal, oil and rubber.  It's just a pitty women will never understand that.

Hello again everybody. Tried removing top hose and filling that way as suggested.  Unfortunately coolant is under even more pressure now, and cap blew off into the air with the car having been running less than a minute, like a big fountain. Also checked oil filler cap again(which seemed ok when I checked yesterday), and timing chain is coated in a reasonable amount of milky emulsified scum. It certainly doesnt look good for me does it. 

The saddest thing is that it still sounds so sweet when it does start up, which just rubs it in all the more.

Spoke to a local garage today as well, and guy tells me that he feels certain that its definitely a blown head gasket/damaged cylinder head, and that it would be beyond economical repair in his opinion -he reckons it would be easier to lift the whole engine and replace it.

Dont think I will be able to afford these sort of bills now or in the forseeable future (because my business of 8 years has recently gone down), and therefore might be forced to sell it for somebody else to repair, although guess it will probably be more likely broken for spares.

So so so so so sad....

May I thanks everybody once again for their kind efforts to assist me. I will keep a check on the forum in case anybody has any other ideas, but think I would need nothing short of a miracle to help me here. Not feeling good at all right now...

Well, after gradually calming down, have decided not to give up just yet. There may still be hope..  or I could just be building myself up for yet another fall...

Could I take the head off myself? Have only ever really changed/removed things like water pumps, alternators,rads, and most other servicable parts, so if its not tremendously difficult would consider doing it myself.

Part of me thinks Im being ridiculous by even suggesting this, but the other half of me is thinking that if I dont tackle jobs like this then Ill never learn....

Bummer, from your earlier discussion I thought you might have been lucky but guess not.

Would changing the CHG be that big a job on that engine?  Yes it is a physically big job as there is two of everything but there is no complicated variable valve gubbins to mess around with just simple gears and chains.

I would give it a go.  You have nothing to loose.

Does the Haynes book of parodies for the E34 cover the V8 engine?  I know the aforementioned book of tales for the E39 does not cover the V8.

I dare say if you searched on t'interweb you would find all the torque settings and a procedure for doing this on the engine.

Good luck and stay on here.

Andrew

Ok thanks for the reassurance Andrew , will begin searching for info as you have suggested.

 If anybody else  can shed any light on where to find torque settings/procedure info for e34 540i (m60) then that would be great, otherwise I'll post again when I have made any more progress.

Will probably have compression test done first anyway.

villman540 wrote: If anybody else  can shed any light on where to find torque settings/procedure info for e34 540i (m60) then that would be great,

New I'd seen them somewhere.

http://www.bavarian-board.co.uk/forum_posts.asp?TID=46656&PN=1 - http://www.bavarian-board.co.uk/forum_posts.asp?TID=46656&am p;PN=1

Sorry  for delay in replying, have been unwell last couple of days.

Thanks to Andrew and Willy for all the great info, will now spend some time sifting through it all.

Besides that I need to save a few more pounds up yet before I can get all the bits and pieces that ill need.

Ill update everyone once Im ready to get things underway.

Just want her back on the road where she belongs, and Im determined to get her there, even in the face of my financial situation.

Glad that I joined this forum

Sorry, only just noticed second page of thread, so hadnt seen the most recent two messages before my last reply.

Temperature guage began to climb fairly rapidly toward the red. I am always cautious about this sort of thing, so as soon as the guage reached the red zone, I realised that there must be a problem, and pulled over into a layby around 50 yards ahead. When I topped the car up to get it home, the temp stayed just above the middle all the way back. 

Added a lot of water, dont remember exact volume, but I made several journeys back and forth from the pub using 2ltr bottle, and a large jug, I remember being astonished at the amount of water the car seemed to hold.    Didnt fill  with water until car had been resting for around 15-20 mins, then as said drove the few miles home.  Vibration is not excessive, the car is not shaking visibly, but is felt more when sitting in car.

I will make sure that all the tests that have been suggested to me on this forum are carried out before I start wielding any spanners, but thanks for the consideration.  Want to have pressure test done next week, and am planning on buying kit to test coolant. Hopefully beyond this point a clearer picture will begin to emerge.  In the meantime Im going to continue to swat up on the procedure, so that if the worst is confirmed, Ill be nearer to being ready to tackle the next steps. Guess Im hoping at this stage that Ill get away with just replacing the head gasket, without there being any damage to the head or other potentially price increasing areas.

Thanks once again.  ps. I live in Deal, in Kent.

Keep asking the questions when you start to read up on it they guys on here are very knowledgeable.

My E60 doesn't have a temp gauge so I'll never know if my car has a problem until it's too late!  After the rev counter the temp gauge is the most important dial on the car!

If the V8 has 2 heads? . Do a compression test to determine which head to remove. you may get away with replacing one head gasket and one head skimmed. Dunno if you can remove one head at a time. But if you keep your own head screwed well on :) , you could DIY. . remove and label all parts. mark the timing cam pullys and chain before they are removed on the way off. have the head skimmed. replace with a new head gasket. Tork down as per BMW Specs. there is a special routine for this.. reset valve clearances after you replace the cam chain. - assembly is the reversal of disassemble. -or something like that. - allow plenty of time if you are not in a hurry. Somebody knowledgeable can give you advice along the way if you get stuck.

If youve got nothing to loose -y not. Costs = head skimmed and new head gasket (thats if the head is not damaged). borrow a torque wrench and feeler guage at the end when theyre needed.

j

Thanks to everyone for their supportive and encouraging comments.

Apologies for delay in replying on this forum, but we have had an unexpected bereavement in the family to deal with on top of everything else.

Noticed today when having a quick look that whilst sitting there the level of water in mixed with the oil has greatly increased, oil in sump is now a chocolate milkshake and timing chain and surrounding areas are fairly thickly coated in creamy, emulsified scum, so CHG replacement/skimming is now probably coing to be my best case scenario.

Hope I havent cracked the block, but cant help thinking that if id left the car for another twenty minutes before refilling on that fateful day that I wouldnt be in this situation right now, and my baby would still be purring like a kitten (or perhaps recumbent lion is more fitting for a v8). The distinctive and satisfying growl of this cars engine when opened up after a quick flick into sports mode is perhaps what I am missing the most, even  if I did use it as a smooth cruiser most of the time.  I used to even turn off the radio when driving as I preferred to listen to the sound of the engine!

Will have relevant tests done soon - I keep saying it, but money has been that tight, and thus I will have to put up with that sinking feeling every time I look out of the window and see the car, giving me a sharp and piognant reminder of its current useless condition.

Pdf offer of Bentley manual from Bigian would be fantastic. Thanks.

I agree whole heartedly with  Mike that it would be a travesty to let this car die, but with no car on the road, and an increasingly disgruntled and (should I say) slightly nagging wife, can only hope that I will make it out of the other side before I am forced to replace her. I have already convinced my partner that doing this job myself will be cheaper than replacing the car with another, but time will be the main factor involved, as I have a track record of being overly cautious and meticulous, resulting in sure, but often very slowly forged results.

All I can say is that Ill post again when I have any more news, and (hopefully)a bit more cash! 

Sorry to hear about your troubles.

The white stuff you are seeing is not good, oil and water are mixing big style and your CHG is very much blown.  I wouldn't start it up.

Chin up, Sir, we'll all lend a hand when it comes to answering your posts.  Keep an eye in here and fire away with your questions.  I'm sure I speak for others but we would be keen to hear how you get on.

villman540 wrote: I used to even turn off the radio when driving as I preferred to listen to the sound of the engine!

Likewise,

There is nothing like hearing it growl when you press the noisey pedal.

Andrew

I was told off the other for asking my girlfriend to shut up for a bit while we went through a tunnel  All was well though - I got my rush and she got over it soon enough!

I think I wasted the best part of £1500 on my sound system as I never use it either!!

I really hope you get your head gaskets done. Might even give you a chance to decoke, clean up and check for any wear!

If I had a spare £9k I'd buy a new engine for my car and keep it for another 200k miles  Although they don't seem to sell the Nikasil engines anymore, which is a shame. If there was somewhere in the UK that had a machine big enough to rebore then replate the bores then I would buy a second hand engine and slowly build it over a few years, accidentally forgetting to keep a tally of the cost!!

Best of luck, Villman and I've just realised I have a .pdf of the Bentley manual if Bigian can't find it. Also browse over this site: http://www.bmwtechinfo.com/repair/main/741en/index.htm - http://www.bmwtechinfo.com/repair/main/741en/index.htm  for little jobs. I find sometimes the diagrams can explain a little better than the Bentley manual for certain tasks.

Crispin