Newbie picking up a turbo'd 1989 535i 5-spd

[Zackb911]

Zack

[Zackb911]

s

[mzarifkar]

good luck, all i can say when one picks up an used bmw with no history and a modded engine.
keep us posted!!

[Zackb911]

Thanks! I've owned porsche's (turbo's), jags, mercedes, saabs, etc so I am not afraid, yet I can do any and all work myself but seemingly it doesn't need much. This is just a "toy" to detail up and play around/tinker with. At the price I am paying It could part it out and make money...

Zack

[Fastx525ixGuy]

If your knowledgable, it seems like a good deal. Where in Mass?

[Zackb911]

I'm just south of Boston in Weymouth, you? I'm not worried at all, I'll be able to evaluate it better when i get it home. I am amazed at the overall condition though being an 89 there is no rust or dents and the interior is pretty clean. Judging by the condition and dry rot of the tires, I think the mileage may be accurate at ~110K and has just sat for the past ~10 years. When I get the paperwork I may go through the old receipts and try calling one of the previous owners to get more info on it. I will also go nuts with the detailing and get some really nice before and after pics!

[angrypancake]

looks pretty sweet, I'm a sucker for '89 535's in red though

usually the turbos are hard to see since they're bottom mounted (yeah yeah Jon, we know), I'm interested to see what the setup looks like

[Fastx525ixGuy]

I'm just south of Boston in Weymouth, you? I'm not worried at all, I'll be able to evaluate it better when i get it home. I am amazed at the overall condition though being an 89 there is no rust or dents and the interior is pretty clean. Judging by the condition and dry rot of the tires, I think the mileage may be accurate at ~110K and has just sat for the past ~10 years. When I get the paperwork I may go through the old receipts and try calling one of the previous owners to get more info on it. I will also go nuts with the detailing and get some really nice before and after pics!

Sounds like a good plan. Im on Cape Cod, theres not many BMW people down here.

[Zackb911]

Thanks guys, I've always wanted a BMW to mess around with... I was actually searching for a 87-93 BMW K75s motorcycle to buy when I came across this. It just seemed like too much of a diamond in the rough to pass up! When I saw the boost gauge in the center console I knew I had to have it

Fastx525ixGuy- Any chance you've done the capacitor replacement before? Also if you would like to check out the car sometime it would be great to meet some local and more familiar guys!

I should have some descent pics on Tuesday as I will be picking it up late Monday night... Then I have A LOT of work ahead of me, complete oil, coolant, PS fluid, brake fluid, etc and air, fuel, & oil filter replacements, check compression, new tires, check ignition system & plugs, extreme detail, etc, etc....Stay tuned! Any good all inclusive maintenance pages and OEM and Aftermarket part suppliers for these bad boys?
Zack

[genphreak]

We tend to use www.bmaparts.com. Members even get a discount and they have other parts you might need to.

If you imagine the 535 to be a little like a Porsche but more solid, less sporty but much better thought out (since BMW had the benefit of mass production) you won't be unhappy. The turbo could be real good or a lot of work/checking. It could be bad too, depends of course how it was done and driven afterwards. M30 engine's should have forged pistons and additional oilers in the bearings if done to factory turbo spec. However as they are 9:1 a lot of people just bolt the 'dryer on and wait for it to fail, which they seem not to but perhaps this prevents people using too much charge.

If it is a KKK turbo the motor is likely to be a 745i engine from an earlier e23, the only turbo i6 BMW ever made for production. Or it might be the original engine with a 745 turbo setup bolted onto it. If a 745i (older block, M102 or M106) it will have 4.5 on the Left side. If it is an orginal e34 (M30B35) engine it will say 3.5. The M30 is 3.43L, the M102 is 3.2 and the M106 is 3.3L (I think).

These engines are essentially the same as those built (and blueprinted with an extraordinary mechanical fuel injection) by Schnitzer in the 3.0CSLs from BMWs extaordinarily succesful 1970s racing days. These motors did a good 470-850BHP. However the M30B35 had the largest stroke, bore and single OHC head. M5 version is called an M88 which is also known as the S38- this came in a 3.6 and 3.8 L version. Euro ones had more eager cams and were slightly less regulated so were a little more powerful. At the factory the M30 block came stock with a turbo in only one model, the e23 chassis 745i. So its easy to see how to approach the job when upgrading one's own car. Am not sure if you can turn an M30 block into an M5 spec motor, (M cars had a forged crank and pistons, but the 745 may have that too, I can't recollect). However all the peripheral parts are M-spec too so you have to add an oil cooler, 2 knock sensors and different timing gears, induction equipment, ECU and so on.

If this car has a stock Motronic ECU you can gain a lot by going to a MegaSquirt which will give you fantastic control, monitoring and economy. Plan to add knock sensors to keep everything under control and extract some serious power. You can also delete the AFM and distributor when doing this asthe MS has a MAP sensor and you can add sequential injection using standard Delco/GM parts.

Is it a TCD turbo, a 745 motor 'drop in' or home-made? We'd love to see and iut sounds like a great deal. Be sure to expect to do suspension work (cheap to do) but the electgrical glitches aren't bad in these cars despite their relative complexity.

Weak points usually are front suspension, (shimmies under strain), general neglect and battle scarring. Rear ends are bulletproof and brakes fantastic.

Welcome aboard the board, I suspect you will have much fun with your new '4-door Porsche'. Nice colour too