Many Problems! e34 worth keeping?

[stodman]

Eee Gads help!!
just recently bought an 89 520i, being young and stupid spending my hard end cash on my "dream Car"!! Ive since discovered that its had an engine replacement ( to a 2.5i). All was well until.... the front shocks went, im also getting a squeeking sound from the nearside front wheel when driving,
the car also seems to choke itself at low revs( fuel/air mix?),
also noticed that the car overheats when stationary or stuck in traffic( according to the temp gauge), but the a/c doesnt blow hot air!?
just yesterday, i started her up, and as i pulled away i heard a nasty metallic grinding sound( just once and briefly)WTF???
and now the battery light wont go off and the break fluid light wont go off!!
She starts first time and sound ok when running!

being stupid, im really hard up(insurance etc) and i dont know what to do
Is she worth keeping? or should i scrap her???

Gawd this hurts

Thanks guys

[Paul in NZ]

you have bought 15 yr old car,and ANY 15 yr old car will have maintenance issues.None of the problems sound terminal.Most pressing is the overheating....you dont say you re getting coolant level warnings so it will be radiator blockage,water pump or thermostat...Shocks went???again its an old car,if you dont do long /high speed trips you n wait a bit and save up for replacements
Check brake fluid and or check /clean the level switch/connections,take your car to a auto electrician he will check your charging system for a nominal fee.
For the "choking" make sure you have no leaks in the intake system,that the oil dipstick is secure,and change the sparkplugs.If that doesnt do the trick maybe a visit to a knowledeable garage is in order.Your 5 series will require a little more input than a vauxhall,or japper,but all cars esp older ones require work/maintenance...thats a fact.Only you can decide if it is worth it.If you can do your own work it makes it more economicaland there are plenty of places in the uk for parts besides the dealer....

[Mr. BILL]

Ditto

[Scott C]

The car will likely be expensive to maintain - that is only my humble opinion. The shocks are expensive ($90 each + labor), the front end is expensive ($300 control arms + labor) and your water pump may be failing (plastic impeller $100 + labor). The brakes should be easy to fix (fluid and pads maybe rotors). Hopefully your battery terminals are just crappy - clean them and get the system looked at by Autozone? They check for free if I recall.

Not to discourage you (the 525 is ball when it works well and has been maintained), but you are looking at either becoming (hopefully you are?) a good mechanic or paying for one. Parts are still going to require your cash. And as pointed out, ANY 15 year old car is going to need maintenance. The E34 is a complicated beast and this board can help you tremendously, but never expect a 15 yr BMW to be like a Honda or Toyota (which is good and bad)

Good luck,
Scott

[Jon K]

a 2.0L to a 2.5L swap? Hrm... sounds fishy. Not something you go out to do with extra money, else it'd have a 3.5 or M60

[stodman]

Yeah thats what i thought, The engine thats in has only done 97K, wondering if the cylinder head went on the last one.

Done a search and found a few dealers in spares, gonna see what the story is!
Dont know if it would be worth puttin a 2.0 back in it, i dont know what the guy has done( changed gearbox ecu etc) could either of those affect the way the car runs?

Once again thanks very much guys!!!!

[Paul in NZ]

it wont be worth going to that trouble.If you have trouble with that sort of thing it would prolly be esier to get the proper ecu from a wrecker......i think the engine will be the same as the e3o 325 so there will be plenty of knowledge on that swap.....the vin number or chassis number should reveal the specs of the original car,the engine number should reveal the specs of the "new " engine

[Jon K]

it wont be worth going to that trouble.If you have trouble with that sort of thing it would prolly be esier to get the proper ecu from a wrecker......i think the engine will be the same as the e3o 325 so there will be plenty of knowledge on that swap.....the vin number or chassis number should reveal the specs of the original car,the engine number should reveal the specs of the "new " engine

His car is an '89, but if it got a new motor... lets assume the PO put a motor in at LEAST two years into owning it... that's a '91, that means it is more than likely a M50. Sounds like a Euro car anyway (2.0L original). No, it is not worth putting a 2.0 back in. Of course the labor entailed when doing a motor change could perhaps affect the way the car runs... but with the info provided, no one here can diagnose.

[stodman]

Cheers for the advice guys, As far as i can tell you ( based on PO) the engine was replaced 2 years ago from a 92 J'reg 525, ( rear end write-off he said), i'll have a look for the engine numbers etc.

[Jon K]

Cheers for the advice guys, As far as i can tell you ( based on PO) the engine was replaced 2 years ago from a 92 J'reg 525, ( rear end write-off he said), i'll have a look for the engine numbers etc.

Right, and thus its an M50 non-vanos... so you will need to look specifically for a 91/92 525 or 92* 325 (E36) parts car... kinda a tough find, most M50's are 1993's which are M50tu