The 'Oh crap, I won it' E39 530i

[JeremyH5]

swampy442 said:

JeremyH5 said:

swampy442 said:

I love working on BMWs, they’re so well designed they just come apart so easily.
Todays task was try and fix the non working OBC button. Think there’s a circuit fault ss there’s no continuity between the wires and the plug, new stalk it is then

Did it work? I have the same issue on my E38 and a replacement stalk didn’t solve it. I’m told I need a new slip ring on the steering wheel.

No it didn’t fix it, I tested continuity between the button touch points and the output pins and it was open circuit so I assume an internal fault.
On the E39 the stalks don’t pass through the slip ring, all that does is the airbag and the steering wheel buttons, and they all operate fine

Interesting, all my E38 steering wheel buttons work ok too. Given your findings and that the symptoms are the same, I think it likely that the E38 and E39 use the same wiring logic. Which means what I’ve been told is incorrect and we’re both still lacking the OBC stalk function. I can see all the information on the central dash display but it would be nice to be able to scroll through it on the instrument cluster screen.

[swampy442]

JeremyH5 said:

swampy442 said:

JeremyH5 said:

swampy442 said:

I love working on BMWs, they’re so well designed they just come apart so easily.
Todays task was try and fix the non working OBC button. Think there’s a circuit fault ss there’s no continuity between the wires and the plug, new stalk it is then

Did it work? I have the same issue on my E38 and a replacement stalk didn’t solve it. I’m told I need a new slip ring on the steering wheel.

No it didn’t fix it, I tested continuity between the button touch points and the output pins and it was open circuit so I assume an internal fault.
On the E39 the stalks don’t pass through the slip ring, all that does is the airbag and the steering wheel buttons, and they all operate fine

Interesting, all my E38 steering wheel buttons work ok too. Given your findings and that the symptoms are the same, I think it likely that the E38 and E39 use the same wiring logic. Which means what I’ve been told is incorrect and we’re both still lacking the OBC stalk function. I can see all the information on the central dash display but it would be nice to be able to scroll through it on the instrument cluster screen.

Exactly. I’ve absolutely no desire to see how bad my economy is, but it would be nice to have it if it’s fitted

[swampy442]

Broke out the chassis washer for a winter rinse down. Ground looks like the Exxon Valdez is in town. Great news, that means there’s still oil in it

[JakeT]

It’s got a the old BMW feature, chassis anti-rust.

[swampy442]

You know what I love? Doing jobs twice. I’ve been dealing with a coolant leak for a while, not a lot but it needed looking at. Wisdom says it’s normally the thermostat housing or water pump, so once I stripped the front end down it was clear it wasn’t that





The next culprit was going to be the heater pipes. Why manufacturers use plastic to make pipes that connect directly to a hot engine I’ll never know. Still, stripping down exposed one of the many oil leak sources lol, the oil filter housing

[swampy442]

The culprit pipe, as you can see, totally mullered. Only a 25 quid part, readily available, no dramas. Just a shame you have to put so many hours work in to replace it!





So when this is done I’ll have new rad, expansion tank, thermostat housing, water pump and now heater pipe work .
All the big hitters done

[d_a_n1979]

swampy442 said:

The culprit pipe, as you can see, totally mullered. Only a 25 quid part, readily available, no dramas. Just a shame you have to put so many hours work in to replace it!





So when this is done I’ll have new rad, expansion tank, thermostat housing, water pump and now heater pipe work .
All the big hitters done

You know its still a good car

[Court_S]

swampy442 said:

So when this is done I’ll have new rad, expansion tank, thermostat housing, water pump and now heater pipe work .
All the big hitters done

Cooling systems on this era car are made of chocolate. I had similar with my E46, at least doing it yourself keeps the costs sensible.

[swampy442]

New pipes fitted, I say pipes because I knew as disturbed the lower pipe it would break. Surprise surprise.





Also, when you refit, your alternator, be sure to clear the leaves out of it!

[swampy442]

400 miles later, dry as a bone, coolant level stable, job done

[JeremyH5]