David - wow how great to know a previous owner of the car within days of buying it... don't think it would happen in the case of many other cars I can think of..
Re timing chain, I'm going to check the bills I have for the car as I think it was done not too many miles ago, although maybe a couple of years..
Re front suspension - that clearly needs investigation, I'm onto it!
Did you sell the car to Colin from Newcastle?
Are there any other issues you remember that you didn't have the chance to rectify?
Thanks for the CPC recommendation, I'll take it to them for a once over in the next few weeks.
Batmobile - thanks for the temp sensor idea, funnily enough the problem seems to have stopped (for now at least!!), I've been letting the car rev a little more freely when driving in town rather than just trying to roll around in 4th/5th for economy which may have something to do with it.
Also, the car has hardly done any miles in the last couple of years so it may be her way of saying thank you for finally getting some use/abuse
Finally managed to put a couple of pics up for y'all!:
I think I will replace the temp sensor No.11 and see if that makes a difference.
O/T How is your E28 M5 restoration coming along? I am sure we would all love to see photos of your progress, if you have started it.
Regards,
Bayerische
Unfortunately time and crisis have stopped the project, i'm actually collecting the parts, but the big expense (badyshell painting) is foreseen in winter, when i should have time and money left for this...
Wonderful car! I like more the coloured M5s, but your lokks stunningly good for the miles!
It's great to see another one of these cars looking good at such a mileage. I can't think of many other high performance cars that hold together so well over the years. I own #16 which, had it not been subject to Hartge mods, would be identical to yours externally but with a black leather interior. I wonder how close to each other they were built? I think mine was a May '86 build although was not registered until the end of the year.
Good luck with sorting the niggles. On the idling question I got stuck in a 90 minute traffic jam coming out of an airshow a couple of weekends ago. I had long periods of not moving when I switched off but was concious that the car was getting harder to start as it got hotter so began to leave it running (air temp was 20-25 deg C but the outside temp readout was showing 48 deg C at one stage!). It behaved for about an hour then the idle would start racing up to 2000rpm and only return after several hefty blips of the throttle, eventually I cold not get it to come down at all. The marshalls either took pity on me or thought I was trying to ram my way out of the jam as they managed to get me out quicker than the surrounding cars! Once the temperature dropped she started behaving herself again and has been OK since. I guess hot traffic jams are not the ideal place for a 23 year old Mcar but I do try to find every excuse to drive her.
Hi Blackfox, I'm amazed at how these cars seem to stand the test of time... I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that the M Cars were made on a separate line and screwed together by hand? The thing which really stunned me is how the little systems which usually go first on younger cars like the OBC, electric seats, mirrors etc all work like new... cliched I know but they certainly built them differently in those days...
The gearbox in mine also baffles me - I've got no bills for any work done to it other than linkage/bushes a few years ago and after 191K with all that torque going through it, it seems to be just perfect. No hints of synchro or any other kind of wear whatsoever, in fact it seems to positively like being 'rushed'! I've just realised I'm tempting fate here...
I'll find out the build date of mine and post it.
Interesting to hear that yours seems to misbehave like mine when its subjected to stop-start hanging around... I've also occasionally had to resort to blipping the motor like I'm trying to keep some sort of angry old racer running in the paddock at Goodwood... fine in the paddock at Goodwood but you don't half get some funny looks when you have to do it at a busy set of lights in London
You mentioning the outside temp reminds me: is it normal for the OBC outside temp to read high like that? Where is the sensor? Does it only give an accurate reading when on the move and not distorted by engine heat etc etc? I noticed mine giving some very high readings...
Had a flick through the bills/history lastnight and David is right - there is no recent record of the timing chain having been replaced. Only a bill from the early nineties when the car was at around 50k. The tensioner and guides have been seen to but no new chain (as far as I can gather from the history anyway..)
Needless to say, after all the timing chain stories I've read and the fact that the car has done 191k I'm a bit worried to say the least..
The previous owner assured me that the chain had been done last year, the ad I found the car on stated "It has had the timing chain changed last year by the previous owner, at which time the valve clearances were reset and the valves were reshimmed", we were in contact for a couple of weeks before the sale and he gave me no reason not to believe what he was saying. However, I can see the bill for the head/valve work (which was done under David's ownership) and there is no mention of a simultaneous chain replacement which David has confirmed in this thread...
When I picked the car up, I did check the history and couldn't find the bill I was expecting to see showing the chain work had been done, he said that this was because the guy he bought it off had done it himself - he also gave me his number so that I could call him and ask what he had done to the car... which I now definitely will!
If I do end up needing to do the chain, how large is the dent in my wallet going to be? I know that the head has been recently sorted so that is not an issue.. Is there anyone imparticlar who has done the job without having the engine out? That must save a lot of time/cost??
Seems that my e28 honeymoon period may already be over!! All I can say is thank you David for forcing the issue to my attention..
If I do end up needing to do the chain, how large is the dent in my wallet going to be? I know that the head has been recently sorted so that is not an issue.. Is there anyone imparticlar who has done the job without having the engine out? That must save a lot of time/cost??
It can be done without the engine out of the car. But I am not 100% certain that it can be done without removing the head. I advise against fitting a new chain without replacing the sprockets. Parts cost for all requireed parts (timing-chain, oil-pump chain, tensioner, tensioner rails, sprockets, needle bearings etc is close to 800 Euro ex VAT; most of which is needed for the sprockets and the tensioner-rails.
If the head needs to be removed (consult a specialist), you also need a new head gasket set and head-bolts as well. Add 400 Euro ex VAT for that as well. It is a time consuming job, and you should budget 20-30hrs for it.
I am doing that work as part of a full engine rebuild so my engine already is out of the car and fully stripped and the labour involved is negligeble.
Your car looks great #13, sorry to hear you were misled about the chain when buying the car.
Worst case scenario to get this job done is approx £2500 from Munich Legends or Birds. Other specialists will be cheaper. I have been told that the job can be done without removing the head if you have recently had a new head gasket fitted.
Thanks Raymond and Batmobile for your replies about rough Idle. I am going to start a new thread on this subject as this thread is going off topic.
On the plus side your car has had a new gearbox in the recent past , even if the receipts don't show it .
My mechanic may be willing to carry out another timing chain replacement without the additional expense of removing the head and we are based in Suffolk .
Unfortunately , we cannot believe all that we hear from some sellers as you have just discovered .
I still believe your particular car to be a lovely example nevertheless !
D
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