JDM Black Sapphire Metallic BMW E39 530i Touring!
Discussion
I’m a little bit addicted to estate cars think I have owned 60-70 cars now and most of them have been estate cars I have actually been looking for a nice low mileage e36/46 touring but when this came up on Facebook I couldn’t resist, I have a b5 a4 avant pd130 sport daily with a steady 207k miles, and just sold my E61 535D touring (pic below if anyone cares).
Anyway sorry for waffling the reason you clicked this post little back story on this car, it was up on Facebook market place really badly advertised it’s been stood for 2 years, was imported in late 21/22 the owner that imported did around 8k miles then it was sold to the lad I bought it off, he drove it for a few months and then couldn’t afford the insurance so it has been parked on his drive for nearly 2 years, picture of when I picked it up tonight, did a VX check before I bought it to confirm mileage so auction photos below too it came from Osaka 2 Japanese owners from new.
It was advertised with a misfire and an alternator issue, and no mot, so when I picked it up it was running fine but idling rough when revved it’s smooth but idle is rough and when revved and back down to idle it stalls occasionally, it was much worse when I picked it up, I stuck £30 of v power in it at the services and when back at the unit it runs much better but it’s not quite right and the alternator is giving a solid 13.7v so no issues there and as the car nearly cuts out on idle the lights dim so I presume that’s why the lad thought it may of had an alternator issue, I’m thinking possibly the lower intake pipe is split super common on this engine or maybe the ICV or maybe both, I haven’t had a chance to read the engine code yet so that might enlighten me somewhat.
So at this very moment I’m back in the unit.
So the plan is fix the idle/running issue, previous owner has drove a lawnmower in to the passenger door and rear door have a dent but no creases so hopefully pointless dent man can get rid of those for me, I’m under no illusions I’m sure there will be some sort of issues for a car been stood for a few years, have taken it up the road and it drives straight brakes good and feels pretty nice.
The car itself is not a huge spec car but has some pretty nice options, and most importantly the underside is immaculate the jacking points look like brand new, and the interior has pretty much no wear the seats and steering wheel etc look like brand new, anyway we have:
A nice low 58K miles
Optional black sapphire metallic paint
M sport with shadow line
Individual wheels style 66 i think but maybe wrong on that
Full alcantara interior electric with memory and rear airbags and isofix
Electric roof (sunroof)
It’s got the better sound system in but not HK, pro nav with TV but it’s got an aftermarket android unit in will be keeping that.
Xenon’s with auto lights
Auto dimming mirrors (strange bronze colour mirrors)
I’m very very happy with the car just need to get on top of all the niggles and get a mot sorted and not that money isn’t an object I’m just very ocd and this will be getting the parts bin thrown at it id like it as OEM fresh as I possibly can do within my means.
Anyway sorry for waffling the reason you clicked this post little back story on this car, it was up on Facebook market place really badly advertised it’s been stood for 2 years, was imported in late 21/22 the owner that imported did around 8k miles then it was sold to the lad I bought it off, he drove it for a few months and then couldn’t afford the insurance so it has been parked on his drive for nearly 2 years, picture of when I picked it up tonight, did a VX check before I bought it to confirm mileage so auction photos below too it came from Osaka 2 Japanese owners from new.
It was advertised with a misfire and an alternator issue, and no mot, so when I picked it up it was running fine but idling rough when revved it’s smooth but idle is rough and when revved and back down to idle it stalls occasionally, it was much worse when I picked it up, I stuck £30 of v power in it at the services and when back at the unit it runs much better but it’s not quite right and the alternator is giving a solid 13.7v so no issues there and as the car nearly cuts out on idle the lights dim so I presume that’s why the lad thought it may of had an alternator issue, I’m thinking possibly the lower intake pipe is split super common on this engine or maybe the ICV or maybe both, I haven’t had a chance to read the engine code yet so that might enlighten me somewhat.
So at this very moment I’m back in the unit.
So the plan is fix the idle/running issue, previous owner has drove a lawnmower in to the passenger door and rear door have a dent but no creases so hopefully pointless dent man can get rid of those for me, I’m under no illusions I’m sure there will be some sort of issues for a car been stood for a few years, have taken it up the road and it drives straight brakes good and feels pretty nice.
The car itself is not a huge spec car but has some pretty nice options, and most importantly the underside is immaculate the jacking points look like brand new, and the interior has pretty much no wear the seats and steering wheel etc look like brand new, anyway we have:
A nice low 58K miles
Optional black sapphire metallic paint
M sport with shadow line
Individual wheels style 66 i think but maybe wrong on that
Full alcantara interior electric with memory and rear airbags and isofix
Electric roof (sunroof)
It’s got the better sound system in but not HK, pro nav with TV but it’s got an aftermarket android unit in will be keeping that.
Xenon’s with auto lights
Auto dimming mirrors (strange bronze colour mirrors)
I’m very very happy with the car just need to get on top of all the niggles and get a mot sorted and not that money isn’t an object I’m just very ocd and this will be getting the parts bin thrown at it id like it as OEM fresh as I possibly can do within my means.
Danny4494 said:
I m a little bit addicted to estate cars think I have owned 60-70 cars now and most of them have been estate cars I have actually been looking for a nice low mileage e36/46 touring but when this came up on Facebook I couldn t resist, I have a b5 a4 avant pd130 sport daily with a steady 207k miles, and just sold my E61 535D touring (pic below if anyone cares).
Anyway sorry for waffling the reason you clicked this post little back story on this car, it was up on Facebook market place really badly advertised it s been stood for 2 years, was imported in late 21/22 the owner that imported did around 8k miles then it was sold to the lad I bought it off, he drove it for a few months and then couldn t afford the insurance so it has been parked on his drive for nearly 2 years, picture of when I picked it up tonight, did a VX check before I bought it to confirm mileage so auction photos below too it came from Osaka 2 Japanese owners from new.
It was advertised with a misfire and an alternator issue, and no mot, so when I picked it up it was running fine but idling rough when revved it s smooth but idle is rough and when revved and back down to idle it stalls occasionally, it was much worse when I picked it up, I stuck £30 of v power in it at the services and when back at the unit it runs much better but it s not quite right and the alternator is giving a solid 13.7v so no issues there and as the car nearly cuts out on idle the lights dim so I presume that s why the lad thought it may of had an alternator issue, I m thinking possibly the lower intake pipe is split super common on this engine or maybe the ICV or maybe both, I haven t had a chance to read the engine code yet so that might enlighten me somewhat.
So at this very moment I m back in the unit.
So the plan is fix the idle/running issue, previous owner has drove a lawnmower in to the passenger door and rear door have a dent but no creases so hopefully pointless dent man can get rid of those for me, I m under no illusions I m sure there will be some sort of issues for a car been stood for a few years, have taken it up the road and it drives straight brakes good and feels pretty nice.
The car itself is not a huge spec car but has some pretty nice options, and most importantly the underside is immaculate the jacking points look like brand new, and the interior has pretty much no wear the seats and steering wheel etc look like brand new, anyway we have:
A nice low 58K miles
Optional black sapphire metallic paint
M sport with shadow line
Individual wheels style 66 i think but maybe wrong on that
Full alcantara interior electric with memory and rear airbags and isofix
Electric roof (sunroof)
It s got the better sound system in but not HK, pro nav with TV but it s got an aftermarket android unit in will be keeping that.
Xenon s with auto lights
Auto dimming mirrors (strange bronze colour mirrors)
I m very very happy with the car just need to get on top of all the niggles and get a mot sorted and not that money isn t an object I m just very ocd and this will be getting the parts bin thrown at it id like it as OEM fresh as I possibly can do within my means.
Welcome to the JDM BMW import club Anyway sorry for waffling the reason you clicked this post little back story on this car, it was up on Facebook market place really badly advertised it s been stood for 2 years, was imported in late 21/22 the owner that imported did around 8k miles then it was sold to the lad I bought it off, he drove it for a few months and then couldn t afford the insurance so it has been parked on his drive for nearly 2 years, picture of when I picked it up tonight, did a VX check before I bought it to confirm mileage so auction photos below too it came from Osaka 2 Japanese owners from new.
It was advertised with a misfire and an alternator issue, and no mot, so when I picked it up it was running fine but idling rough when revved it s smooth but idle is rough and when revved and back down to idle it stalls occasionally, it was much worse when I picked it up, I stuck £30 of v power in it at the services and when back at the unit it runs much better but it s not quite right and the alternator is giving a solid 13.7v so no issues there and as the car nearly cuts out on idle the lights dim so I presume that s why the lad thought it may of had an alternator issue, I m thinking possibly the lower intake pipe is split super common on this engine or maybe the ICV or maybe both, I haven t had a chance to read the engine code yet so that might enlighten me somewhat.
So at this very moment I m back in the unit.
So the plan is fix the idle/running issue, previous owner has drove a lawnmower in to the passenger door and rear door have a dent but no creases so hopefully pointless dent man can get rid of those for me, I m under no illusions I m sure there will be some sort of issues for a car been stood for a few years, have taken it up the road and it drives straight brakes good and feels pretty nice.
The car itself is not a huge spec car but has some pretty nice options, and most importantly the underside is immaculate the jacking points look like brand new, and the interior has pretty much no wear the seats and steering wheel etc look like brand new, anyway we have:
A nice low 58K miles
Optional black sapphire metallic paint
M sport with shadow line
Individual wheels style 66 i think but maybe wrong on that
Full alcantara interior electric with memory and rear airbags and isofix
Electric roof (sunroof)
It s got the better sound system in but not HK, pro nav with TV but it s got an aftermarket android unit in will be keeping that.
Xenon s with auto lights
Auto dimming mirrors (strange bronze colour mirrors)
I m very very happy with the car just need to get on top of all the niggles and get a mot sorted and not that money isn t an object I m just very ocd and this will be getting the parts bin thrown at it id like it as OEM fresh as I possibly can do within my means.
I had an 02 530i Sport touring that hailed from Japan, project here: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
I also had a 540i Sport for all of 6 months in 2002; which was only on 57k miles - great car but wasn't right for me at that time
I'm in a UK E39 540i Sport now
The Jap import touring was my favourite of all 5 E39s I've owned; superb car and the M54 is a peach of an engine, easy to work on too
Idle issues will more than likely be splits in the intake boot from MAF to TB - swap it out for the Z3 one which gets rid of the resonator; and I'd look to replace the vac lines and the bung on the back of the head too; they perish and let air in after the MAF and they don't like it
The issues could also be ICV as you said; or MAF, cam/crank sensors - but start cheap with the intake boot and vac lines etc and go from there
The battery voltages should be c12.4v when engine is off/car asleep and c14.4v when the engine is running; so the alternator sounds like it needs a refresh too
The achilles heel on these engines is the cooling system - easy to replace and maintain and not expensive either; if it's not had that recently or no paperwork to show this; look to replace the stat (Walher), water pump (Meyle), top & bottom hoses (Febi Bilstein), header tank and sensor (Febi Bilstein) and cooltant (Comma G48) ASAP - peace of mind then
Look forward to seeing your thread develop
danb79 said:
Welcome to the JDM BMW import club
I had an 02 530i Sport touring that hailed from Japan, project here: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
I also had a 540i Sport for all of 6 months in 2002; which was only on 57k miles - great car but wasn't right for me at that time
I'm in a UK E39 540i Sport now
The Jap import touring was my favourite of all 5 E39s I've owned; superb car and the M54 is a peach of an engine, easy to work on too
Idle issues will more than likely be splits in the intake boot from MAF to TB - swap it out for the Z3 one which gets rid of the resonator; and I'd look to replace the vac lines and the bung on the back of the head too; they perish and let air in after the MAF and they don't like it
The issues could also be ICV as you said; or MAF, cam/crank sensors - but start cheap with the intake boot and vac lines etc and go from there
The battery voltages should be c12.4v when engine is off/car asleep and c14.4v when the engine is running; so the alternator sounds like it needs a refresh too
The achilles heel on these engines is the cooling system - easy to replace and maintain and not expensive either; if it's not had that recently or no paperwork to show this; look to replace the stat (Walher), water pump (Meyle), top & bottom hoses (Febi Bilstein), header tank and sensor (Febi Bilstein) and cooltant (Comma G48) ASAP - peace of mind then
Look forward to seeing your thread develop
Thanks for the inside info, i think the alternator at 13.7 would be because it was trying to charge a completely dead battery that I d had to jump start also under load with blower fans on and the lights on and interior lights on, so I think on a fully charged battery the regulator should give correct readings I will double check to confirm though I had an 02 530i Sport touring that hailed from Japan, project here: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
I also had a 540i Sport for all of 6 months in 2002; which was only on 57k miles - great car but wasn't right for me at that time
I'm in a UK E39 540i Sport now
The Jap import touring was my favourite of all 5 E39s I've owned; superb car and the M54 is a peach of an engine, easy to work on too
Idle issues will more than likely be splits in the intake boot from MAF to TB - swap it out for the Z3 one which gets rid of the resonator; and I'd look to replace the vac lines and the bung on the back of the head too; they perish and let air in after the MAF and they don't like it
The issues could also be ICV as you said; or MAF, cam/crank sensors - but start cheap with the intake boot and vac lines etc and go from there
The battery voltages should be c12.4v when engine is off/car asleep and c14.4v when the engine is running; so the alternator sounds like it needs a refresh too
The achilles heel on these engines is the cooling system - easy to replace and maintain and not expensive either; if it's not had that recently or no paperwork to show this; look to replace the stat (Walher), water pump (Meyle), top & bottom hoses (Febi Bilstein), header tank and sensor (Febi Bilstein) and cooltant (Comma G48) ASAP - peace of mind then
Look forward to seeing your thread develop
Edited by Danny4494 on Saturday 15th November 12:36
Little bit of an update nothing too interesting I got the original grading sheet, so if your fluent in Japanese like my best mate chat gpt, the auction sheet shows grade 4 so nice grade but has a faulty temp gauge and a leaking radiator, and a “dirty interior”.
This is where it gets slightly more interesting but this is just a theory of mine, when I picked the car up I got a load of paperwork but he’s lost the rest and has it on pictures on his iPad (yeah I know we have all heard that one before), anyway woke up this morning to about 20 photos of uk service bit and bats and some major work that has been done.
So my theory is it’s boiled up and ruined the head gasket with the temp gauge not working and been sold to auction in Japan and been repaired before it was registered in this country.
A month before it was registered on the road it’s got a £1500 bill for the head skimming, pressure testing, new head bolts and head gasket and valve stem oil seals replaced I would imagine the latter is purely preventative maintenance, then a month later another £1500 bill for a dash out and heater resistor and heater motor and heater wiring loom replacement.
Late 22 just before it was parked up it had a coolant expansion tank and thermostat housing and a full service it did around 7k miles then was parked up for 2 years.
Now I don’t have any record of a radiator been replaced as per the import sheet showing it as leaking, I would assume it has been done as the temp gauge works and it’s had thousands spent on it since.
I have read the codes and they relate lean on all banks it’s almost a definite indicator of some sort of a vacuum issue, going to check the common bits as said above possible do a smoke test if there’s nothing obviously jumping out at me and see where we go from there I’m off work all next week so will be cracking on next week and getting it running right fingers crossed.
This is where it gets slightly more interesting but this is just a theory of mine, when I picked the car up I got a load of paperwork but he’s lost the rest and has it on pictures on his iPad (yeah I know we have all heard that one before), anyway woke up this morning to about 20 photos of uk service bit and bats and some major work that has been done.
So my theory is it’s boiled up and ruined the head gasket with the temp gauge not working and been sold to auction in Japan and been repaired before it was registered in this country.
A month before it was registered on the road it’s got a £1500 bill for the head skimming, pressure testing, new head bolts and head gasket and valve stem oil seals replaced I would imagine the latter is purely preventative maintenance, then a month later another £1500 bill for a dash out and heater resistor and heater motor and heater wiring loom replacement.
Late 22 just before it was parked up it had a coolant expansion tank and thermostat housing and a full service it did around 7k miles then was parked up for 2 years.
Now I don’t have any record of a radiator been replaced as per the import sheet showing it as leaking, I would assume it has been done as the temp gauge works and it’s had thousands spent on it since.
I have read the codes and they relate lean on all banks it’s almost a definite indicator of some sort of a vacuum issue, going to check the common bits as said above possible do a smoke test if there’s nothing obviously jumping out at me and see where we go from there I’m off work all next week so will be cracking on next week and getting it running right fingers crossed.
Danny4494 said:
Thanks for the inside info, i think the alternator at 13.7 would be because it was trying to charge a completely dead battery that I d had to jump start also under load with blower fans on and the lights on and interior lights on, so I think on a fully charged battery the regulator should give correct readings I will double check to confirm though
.
Ah yes, that will cause a big pull... Hopefully it's ok then.
Batteries are cheap enough for the E39s thankfully; standard battery and no coding needed
I've just ordered the Bosch 110Ah battery for my 540i; same as a lot of the M5 owners run. So should do the job nicely, more so before winter kicks in!
Lovely - I do like straight 6 BMWs!
Strange that there is no mention of a new radiator though. It was the radiator leaking that prompted me to have the cooling system refreshed on my E46 325ti at 80K miles. The radiator was bent like a banana at the bottom, so definitely worth checking.
I know it's unnecessary when you have Climate Control, but I really like having a glass sunroof in my 330i.
Strange that there is no mention of a new radiator though. It was the radiator leaking that prompted me to have the cooling system refreshed on my E46 325ti at 80K miles. The radiator was bent like a banana at the bottom, so definitely worth checking.
I know it's unnecessary when you have Climate Control, but I really like having a glass sunroof in my 330i.
Danny4494 said:
Little bit of an update nothing too interesting I got the original grading sheet, so if your fluent in Japanese like my best mate chat gpt, the auction sheet shows grade 4 so nice grade but has a faulty temp gauge and a leaking radiator, and a dirty interior .
This is where it gets slightly more interesting but this is just a theory of mine, when I picked the car up I got a load of paperwork but he s lost the rest and has it on pictures on his iPad (yeah I know we have all heard that one before), anyway woke up this morning to about 20 photos of uk service bit and bats and some major work that has been done.
So my theory is it s boiled up and ruined the head gasket with the temp gauge not working and been sold to auction in Japan and been repaired before it was registered in this country.
A month before it was registered on the road it s got a £1500 bill for the head skimming, pressure testing, new head bolts and head gasket and valve stem oil seals replaced I would imagine the latter is purely preventative maintenance, then a month later another £1500 bill for a dash out and heater resistor and heater motor and heater wiring loom replacement.
Late 22 just before it was parked up it had a coolant expansion tank and thermostat housing and a full service it did around 7k miles then was parked up for 2 years.
Now I don t have any record of a radiator been replaced as per the import sheet showing it as leaking, I would assume it has been done as the temp gauge works and it s had thousands spent on it since.
I have read the codes and they relate lean on all banks it s almost a definite indicator of some sort of a vacuum issue, going to check the common bits as said above possible do a smoke test if there s nothing obviously jumping out at me and see where we go from there I m off work all next week so will be cracking on next week and getting it running right fingers crossed.
What you can do is undo the rad cowling/expansion bottle so you can move them without undoing them fully (ie so you don't lose coolant); and hopefully on top of the rad there should be a date sticker... This is where it gets slightly more interesting but this is just a theory of mine, when I picked the car up I got a load of paperwork but he s lost the rest and has it on pictures on his iPad (yeah I know we have all heard that one before), anyway woke up this morning to about 20 photos of uk service bit and bats and some major work that has been done.
So my theory is it s boiled up and ruined the head gasket with the temp gauge not working and been sold to auction in Japan and been repaired before it was registered in this country.
A month before it was registered on the road it s got a £1500 bill for the head skimming, pressure testing, new head bolts and head gasket and valve stem oil seals replaced I would imagine the latter is purely preventative maintenance, then a month later another £1500 bill for a dash out and heater resistor and heater motor and heater wiring loom replacement.
Late 22 just before it was parked up it had a coolant expansion tank and thermostat housing and a full service it did around 7k miles then was parked up for 2 years.
Now I don t have any record of a radiator been replaced as per the import sheet showing it as leaking, I would assume it has been done as the temp gauge works and it s had thousands spent on it since.
I have read the codes and they relate lean on all banks it s almost a definite indicator of some sort of a vacuum issue, going to check the common bits as said above possible do a smoke test if there s nothing obviously jumping out at me and see where we go from there I m off work all next week so will be cracking on next week and getting it running right fingers crossed.
That'll give you an idea when it was replaced
Congrats on the purchase OP, and great to see another E39 in what appears to be good hands. I also love estates and have had quite a few over the years used primarily for MTB carrying duties, including a couple of BMWs (an E46 325i Touring and my current F11 535i), but I never did scratch the E39 itch despite coming close a couple of times.
Been bugging me all weekend wondering what the issue was ordered a new febi intake hose but didn’t realise it came in 2 parts I have the top hose and I have now also ordered the lower hose, I’m really hoping I have found the issue…..
Now I found a sensor swinging about and I could not for the life in me work out what it could be, spent a good hour looking thought I’d knocked something out, now would be great if someone with a jdm 530i with hot climate pack could confirm this for me but I have come to the conclusion that this plug is for a CCV heater however my car doesn’t have a CCV heater but must keep the same loom as a car that would have the end of the sensor is dirty so doesn’t look like it’s been plugged in to anything but I could be wrong on that.
Now I found a sensor swinging about and I could not for the life in me work out what it could be, spent a good hour looking thought I’d knocked something out, now would be great if someone with a jdm 530i with hot climate pack could confirm this for me but I have come to the conclusion that this plug is for a CCV heater however my car doesn’t have a CCV heater but must keep the same loom as a car that would have the end of the sensor is dirty so doesn’t look like it’s been plugged in to anything but I could be wrong on that.
danb79 said:
Ah; there'd be splits! Typical; least you've found them
And ignore the plug; it's not used, hence the blocked off end
Brilliant thanks that plug drove me to despair for a good hour or so And ignore the plug; it's not used, hence the blocked off end
otolith said:
Is it not "Japanese export market" rather than "Japanese domestic market", since BMW's domestic market is Germany?
Technically yeah I think your right not really thought about it actually I suppose the best way to describe it would be a Japan spec E38, although anything sold new in Japan I’ll probably always describe as JDM even though it’s not technically correctGassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff