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BMW 7-Series Maintenance and Repair

831 messages,  Last post on Feb 17, 2013 at 11:00 AM

You are in the BMW 7-Series Forum.

What is this discussion about? BMW 7 Series, Electrical, Engine, Sedan

Messages Page 27 of 84

#254 of 831 1990 735iL questions and upgrades? by joyrider147

Jun 05, 2005 (7:08 am)

Before I get into discussing the mods I have in
mind, there are several questions I have about my
BMW. I have a 1990 BMW 735iL that has a 3.5
litre inline 6 and a standard automatic. I only
have 1 key for this car, and I'd like to get a
spare key and a "Valet Key." I'm not sure, but I
think this has a transponder chip in the key. Do
I have to call a BMW dealership and special order
for these keys, or could I get these from a
locksmith specially dealing in transponder keys?
Would the ignition still work if you have a key
that fits the lock, but has no transponder chip?
Also, I'm not sure whether or not this particular
year of this car has an alarm on it. Is the
alarm remote inside the handle of the key or do I
have to order that from BMW as well? As for the
unlock codes for the BMW 7 series radio, does
anyone know the factory issue codes? A guy who
used to work for BMW says the codes are simple:
1414, 4747, 3636, etc.
  
Also, what is the approximate value of a car like
this in very good condtion with a few dents,
clean engine bay and well maintained vehicle with
only 105,000 miles?
  
As for the mods, I was thinking of either
modifing or having a special made engine (M Sport
intake and 4 valve/cyl. design and twin turbo or
supercharged) with BMW parts and a stick shift.
  
Is it possible for me to either mod the inline 6
with parts from a M5 or should I upgrade to an 8
cylinder? If so, would it be cost efficient for
me to have a special made M Sport 8 cylinder or
should I just buy an engine from a '95 540i or M5
or an 8 cylinder from a 740i? Is there any turbo
headers or supercharger manifolds available for
this car or will that have to custom made? What
type of turbochargers or supercharger can I use
that is adjustable but provides top-end
horsepower?
  
When mating the engine to the car, what types of
chips and/or modules will I need to install or
remove from the vehicle? The rev limiter and
engine governor is the only 2 I can think of for
now. If I remove these modules from the harness,
will the car still run without these limiters, or
will I need limiters from a M Sport Edition/
manual transmission BMW? What about Dinan
Performance Parts- - Do they have anything in
performance upgrades for a 7 Series? How do I
contact them?
  
As I said before, I want to drop the automatic
and go for the stick shift. How do I go about
adding a clutch and gear shifter? I wanna
install a getrag 5 speed manual from a BMW 5
series, but I heard that these may have syncro
problems. Is there any way to counteract this?
Would the trans. from a 540i manual work best, or
since they are rare, should I just get one from a
525i or a 535i? As with these types of mods,
what else can I add to this car to prevent
excessive wearing or destruction of these parts
during high speeds? Should I upgrade the oils
and fluids to a different viscocity?
  
Thank you for your input.

#255 of 831 Re: 1990 735iL questions and upgrades? [joyrider147] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Jun 05, 2005 (8:11 am)

Replying to: joyrider147 (Jun 05, 2005 7:08 am)
Hi,
 
Your question has been addressed already in detail in the Speed Shop Board. Try not to run duplicate posts if you can avoid it. We'll see you over in Speed Shop then, okay?
 
MrShiftright
Host

#256 of 831 2001 740iL door locks by aciampi

Jun 06, 2005 (12:41 pm)

I have just purchased a used 01 740 and was wondering if someone could help me in respect with the door locks. I remember in my 2000 740 when I turned off the ignition the doors would automatically unlock yet with my 01 this does not happen. Is there a way for it to be programmed? Or is this just something BMW discontinued? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

#258 of 831 I need some help with my situation by taichi2

Jun 07, 2005 (6:13 pm)

I need to have a new engine put in for my 01 740i due to a cracked radiator and the car is still under extended warranty. The problem I'm having is that the dealership that I took my car to has informed me that I have to pay for it since I drove the car for an extended period while it was overheating and that was not the case. The cost for the new engine parts and labor is around 16k.
 
I was on my way home from a 2 hour trip down south when the warning light "CHECK COOLANT LEVEL," came on. the temperature gauge moved close to the red zone on the temperature indicator and then moved back down. I stopped the car and waited for the engine to cool down to check the coolant. About two hours later, a road ranger came and asked if I needed any help. He poured some coolant in, but the coolant just went straight down the pavement because the radiator was cracked unbeknownst to me. I had the car towed in. The service writer did inform me that there was possible engine damage and the mechanics would have to run a few tests to make sure. 2 days later, I came to pick up the car and drove to work. Everything seemed fine. 2 days later, i had to take a long trip down south. When I turned the car on, it vibrated a little bit and the "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" and "CHECK COOLANT LEVEL" went on. I took the car back to the dealership. The mechanics took the car and replaced the coolant sensor, electric fan and a few other components. The service advisor informed me that the lights may come on again but he told me not to worry. He told me I just needed to come back for the spark plug which caused some misfires in the engine which in turn caused the "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" to come on. He assured me that it was not dangerous to drive at all. I took the car on that long trip. When I got back and as soon as I pulled into my drive way, the lights came on and when I opened the hood there was some hissing sound like something boiling in the engine. I had the car towed in again, but this time I asked if I could take it to another location (same dealership though). I was getting frustrated and wanted a second opinion from a more competent and knowledgeable mechanic They were okay with that. That same day, one of the mechanics called me and informed me that the head gasket was blown and there possible engine damage and they would have to take the engine apart to make sure. A few days later, one of the mechanics called me and informed me that the damage to the engine was just too severe to fix it. The heads and the block are warped. There's no other option but to replace the engine. The mechanic said that he had never seen the block got warped before. My questions are: Is it possible for the engine to sustain that much damage from the initial exposure to the heat? Has anyone else encountered this problem before? Based on my research, I shouldn't have driven the car when it got the blown head gasket. I did write a letter to BMWNA explaining my side of the story, but the representative that I contacted just brushed me off. I asked if I could speak to the regional rep directly, first she said she didn't have the number. Later on, she simply informed me that, "We can't share that information with you. You can speak to the service manager." That was not very pleasant from my end. I hope that I could get some inputs from here. Thanks in advance!
 
Taichi2

#259 of 831 Re: I need some help with my situation [taichi2] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Jun 08, 2005 (11:02 am)

Replying to: taichi2 (Jun 07, 2005 6:13 pm)
If the radiator cracked and caused the overheating, I think you have a plausible argument to be presented to the dealer by an attorney. Perhaps you can reach a compromise with BMW.
 
Yes, once an engine overheats all kinds of mayhem can occur, quickly. While you may have helped to cause the damage, you also may not have---- a cracked radiator empties coolant pretty fast. Also, who's to say if it was the chicken or the egg that came first? Perhaps a defective head gasket or warped head caused the engine to superheat the coolant and burst the radiator? I have no idea.
 
You need to fight for this one if you feel the decision is not just. $16K ain't pocket change. Get an attorney. Maybe a settlement can be reached.

#260 of 831 Re: [nvbanker] by bucks

Jun 09, 2005 (11:27 am)

Replying to: nvbanker (Feb 01, 2004 4:10 pm)
I own a 2001 330ci with similar wheel and steering problems. At 30 to 40 mph, when I let go of the steering wheel, it begins to moves back and fourth quickly (shimmy). When I accelerate past 40 mph, it stops. I just put knew tires on the car without an alignment. Took the car to BMW and they advised me the rear wheels were out of balance. They balance the wheels and told me the problem was fixed. That was a month ago . . . It sounds like my front wheels need to be balance or a four-wheel alignment is needed. Hopefully, it is not the suspension? Any suggestions?
 
Thanks
Buckeye Fan

#261 of 831 Re: [bucks] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Jun 09, 2005 (1:27 pm)

Replying to: bucks (Jun 09, 2005 11:27 am)
Well if you can accelerate past the vibration this is a classic tip-off for a wheel balance problem or an out of round tire. BMWs are also notorious for needed control arm bushing up front so you could check that, but I don't think that would cause quite the problem you are having. But if you have over 60K miles you should check them.

#262 of 831 Re: I need some help with my situation [Mr_Shiftright] by taichi2

Jun 10, 2005 (6:54 pm)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Jun 08, 2005 11:02 am)
Thanks Mr. Shiftright! I did try to see if I could reach a compromise with BMW, but there was no use. "Blame it on the owner" is their motto it seem. I guess I have to go ahead and contact an attorney to get this situation resolved. Thanks again for your input.
 
Taichi

#263 of 831 Re: Knocking Sound at Front End [richo50] by stumped2

Jun 12, 2005 (12:29 pm)

Replying to: richo50 (May 31, 2005 9:19 pm)
Thank you for this information. After several trips to dealership, I was wondering if this would ever get diagnosed correctly. Dealership wanted to replace, among other things, the "thrust arm bushing." An independent place said the bushings look fine. May I ask an approximate cost to replace both ball joints? Was an "alignment" also needed?

Messages Page 27 of 84

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