Kobe Diesel
03-17-2006, 10:11 AM
My car is now back on the road after spending 2 weeks at 12" in the air on blocks. Did plenty of work to correct some of the problems I had with the vehicle. Im starting this thread just to provide my personal thoughts on DIY work for the E34, and impressions of changes that have been made.
My 525 has an 11/88 build date, I bought it cheap, but I will not say how much I paid. It runs good but not great, needs maintenance and some upgrades, etc. Luckily the car has never been involved in an accident.
And the only rust that I have found was on the exhaust system - nothing on the chasis except for nuts, bolts and screws.
List of work done:
clutch slave
transmission oil change, new mounts, reverse light switch
short shift kit E36 M3 gearshift lever, and renewal of linkage components
differential oil change and output shaft seals
replaced fuel tank and fuel filter, some fuel hoses and tubing
replaced old exhaust with BB catback, exhaust manifold gaskets
temporary fix of rear bumper
engine mounts
removed A/C compressor and components
power steering fluid change
rear brakes maintenance and handbrake adjustment
new guibo, center bearing, regrease CV joint, removed vibration damper
extensive underside cleaning
replacement of worn electrical wiring, repair of ground wiring and fusible link
My odometer reads 183900 miles. Besides this list, I've replaced and/or repaired other items before this project.
SSK - much better but more effort req'd for shifting 1st to 2nd
Throttle response a little better b/c vib damper is removed (less mass)
Old clutch slave would have ****-the-bed any day had it not been changed, BTW, one man bleeding is pretty simple.
Redline oils in tranny and differential, less noise, smoother shifting than before
BB exhaust has nice tone, and not as loud as I thought it was going to be, pain the ass to install, especially when you dont have much room under car.
Overall, easy car to work on, very straight forward, no surprises. I was able to do all the work myself with no physical help. Parts relatively cheap. Going back to work soon so I cannot get involved with my engine project, but that will be for the summer. So far lots of work and a considerable amount of money spent. End result - great car to drive! more fun than my A4. My goal is to get 5-10 years of use from this car. I tired of my A4 after 2 straight weeks of driving it.
I want to thank the forum members for maint & repair advice and tips, and impressions on upgrades that helped me decide on what to use on my car.
My 525 has an 11/88 build date, I bought it cheap, but I will not say how much I paid. It runs good but not great, needs maintenance and some upgrades, etc. Luckily the car has never been involved in an accident.
And the only rust that I have found was on the exhaust system - nothing on the chasis except for nuts, bolts and screws.
List of work done:
clutch slave
transmission oil change, new mounts, reverse light switch
short shift kit E36 M3 gearshift lever, and renewal of linkage components
differential oil change and output shaft seals
replaced fuel tank and fuel filter, some fuel hoses and tubing
replaced old exhaust with BB catback, exhaust manifold gaskets
temporary fix of rear bumper
engine mounts
removed A/C compressor and components
power steering fluid change
rear brakes maintenance and handbrake adjustment
new guibo, center bearing, regrease CV joint, removed vibration damper
extensive underside cleaning
replacement of worn electrical wiring, repair of ground wiring and fusible link
My odometer reads 183900 miles. Besides this list, I've replaced and/or repaired other items before this project.
SSK - much better but more effort req'd for shifting 1st to 2nd
Throttle response a little better b/c vib damper is removed (less mass)
Old clutch slave would have ****-the-bed any day had it not been changed, BTW, one man bleeding is pretty simple.
Redline oils in tranny and differential, less noise, smoother shifting than before
BB exhaust has nice tone, and not as loud as I thought it was going to be, pain the ass to install, especially when you dont have much room under car.
Overall, easy car to work on, very straight forward, no surprises. I was able to do all the work myself with no physical help. Parts relatively cheap. Going back to work soon so I cannot get involved with my engine project, but that will be for the summer. So far lots of work and a considerable amount of money spent. End result - great car to drive! more fun than my A4. My goal is to get 5-10 years of use from this car. I tired of my A4 after 2 straight weeks of driving it.
I want to thank the forum members for maint & repair advice and tips, and impressions on upgrades that helped me decide on what to use on my car.