Greetings.
Two weeks ago i picked up a '95 E38 IL, Oxford Green/Tan at 140K mi. I really like this car! Great power, solid driveline, very capable handling given its size and lots of luxury gizmos for me to figure out. It has really changed
my driving style from my Japanese hatchback days. I feel and drive more like a grown-up and my insurance company agrees.

My wife and kids like it too. My daughter (8) said she is giving up her room and wants to go live in the car. When I told my wife we were getting a BMW I think she though it would be a 3-series. I brought the car home and parked in the garage. I told her to come outside to see it. Nothing could replace the look on her face as I slowly backed out my 201 inches of land ship (Size matters).

The only concern that has come up is an intermittent power steering fluid leak. I have topped up the resevoir and the pump isn't groaning too much at full lock. My research has told me it may be the $236 high pressure power steering hose. The leak seems to disapear when the car is warm. Is the hose the most likely of causes? If so, from which end should I expect to find the leak. Or are the pumps known to leak as well? The dealer and I worked out a deal to replace the part once diagnosed. The rear window curtain is stuck in the up position. I found E38.org and believe the fix is within my mechanical means. The A/C could use a recharge but other than that everything on this car works (<headlight washers to CD changer>).

I do have a few questions for those of you who may already know.
At 140K miles...

...Do I need to warm up this car in the morning?
If so how long?
Which is better 5W-40 or 5W-30 Synthetic oil?
Would you recommend a K&N air filter?
If so how would it affect milage?
How long until I can post a photo of my car?

Congrats ... thats a great car. Hoist up some pics after you get enough posts.

I bought the same car 4 years ago with 70,000 miles. I now have 135,000 miles and it runs like new.

I have had to replace a window motor, control arm bushings, fuel pump, water pump, belts, manifold rear plate and of course a brake job and a set of tires. (btw, i highly recommend the bridgestone turanza LSH tires). All told I probably spent $5,000 on top of the $15,000 I paid for the car. So I don't have a car payment, spend a couple thousand a year on maintenance and i have a 740 that really drives like new.

Congrats. Pics please :)

Greetings.
Two weeks ago i picked up a '95 E38 IL, Oxford Green/Tan at 140K mi. I really like this car! Great power, solid driveline, very capable handling given its size and lots of luxury gizmos for me to figure out. It has really changed
my driving style from my Japanese hatchback days. I feel and drive more like a grown-up and my insurance company agrees.

My wife and kids like it too. My daughter (8) said she is giving up her room and wants to go live in the car. When I told my wife we were getting a BMW I think she though it would be a 3-series. I brought the car home and parked in the garage. I told her to come outside to see it. Nothing could replace the look on her face as I slowly backed out my 201 inches of land ship (Size matters).

The only concern that has come up is an intermittent power steering fluid leak. I have topped up the resevoir and the pump isn't groaning too much at full lock. My research has told me it may be the $236 high pressure power steering hose. The leak seems to disapear when the car is warm. Is the hose the most likely of causes? If so, from which end should I expect to find the leak. Or are the pumps known to leak as well? The dealer and I worked out a deal to replace the part once diagnosed. The rear window curtain is stuck in the up position. I found E38.org and believe the fix is within my mechanical means. The A/C could use a recharge but other than that everything on this car works (<headlight washers to CD changer>).

I do have a few questions for those of you who may already know.
At 140K miles...

...Do I need to warm up this car in the morning?
If so how long?
Which is better 5W-40 or 5W-30 Synthetic oil?
Would you recommend a K&N air filter?
If so how would it affect milage?
How long until I can post a photo of my car?




Congrats on your purchase!! You will absolutely love your car, hopefully for a longtime to come.

It may not be the hose which is causing your P/S problems. For some reason, BMW decided to not use conventional hose clamps which one may remove with a simple turn of the old screwdriver and instead opted for what they call "permanent" clamps. Unfortunately, these "crappy" clamps need to be removed from time to time to make general DIY repairs and the only way to remove them is to "permanently" destroy them. Check your clamps, they are notorious for causing leaks. Even if they aren't leaking, it may be worth your while to replace the main two clamps on the hoses coming out of the reservoir before they do cause problems.

Good luck with your car:)

Congrats on your purchase!!

Thanks,

So if the leak is at the clamp, could I snap them off and replace them with the reusable screw kind?

Thanks in advance.

congrats...ive been told only real BMW enthusiasts drive oxford green e38s ;) once you get 20 posts, put some pics up!!!

Extended warm-ups are not necessary, but take it easy for the first quarter to half mile. By that time, your car should be at operating temperature.

Read your manual about the types of oil required. If you don't have a manual, go to e38.org and download a copy. Synthetics are the way to go, and generally, the lower the number, the easier you engine will work, but, change it often.

Stock air filters work fine and don't cost that much. If you live in a dusty area, change more frequently. No need for gimmickry. Take the filter out of the case from time to time and vacuum the larger rocks out of the bottom. Mileage will be around 16.5 in the city, and up to 26 plus on the open road at 70 mph. Keep your tires inflated, and use cruise as much as possible.

You can post pix after twenty posts. Some will demand it..... Expect to see the dreaded "This thread is worthless without pix" icon pop up if you step one post over the line.

Congratulations on your new ride. Spend a lot of time with her...these cars demand lots of TLC. Feel free to chime in, especially on those long holiday weekends when no one else is at home across this beautiful country and others have questions needing immediate replies..... :)

jake

...I do have a few questions for those of you who may already know.
At 140K miles...

...Do I need to warm up this car in the morning?
If so how long?
Which is better 5W-40 or 5W-30 Synthetic oil?
Would you recommend a K&N air filter?
If so how would it affect milage?
How long until I can post a photo of my car?

First, congrats...now an admonishment...PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE read your owners manual...you will not figure everything out AND you will miss some really important features the car has. If you don't have one (like Crewdog suggested)...go to www.e38.org and download one (there's even a link to the introduction video there)...if there's not a 95 manual there...everything in the 97 manual will explain how stuff works in yours. You may not have some of the upgraded stuff like DSC...but ASC+T works the same way minus the newer technology that DSC has.

Personally, I wouldn't use a K&N filter on these cars...as you read the forum...you will see that the MAF (Mass Air Flow sensor) is sensitive and the problem could be exacerbated (and possibly contaiminated) using the oiled and eventually restricted (airflow) K&N filter. The BMW engineers did a really good job in designing the fuel supply system...with all the highly advanced direct fuel injection, air mixture, and computerized combustion/timing/adjustment etc.

Follow the chart in the owners manual for what type of oil to use...it varies on the driving and temp environment in which you live...this is an international board...so there is no ONE type of BEST (same thing goes for tires and any other things that are enviromentally influenced).

Here's some info from the owners manual which will hopefully spur you to read it...and shows that many questions you may have are covered/answered therein: :) :)

(see text highlighted in yellow about starting the engine)
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/1/web/433000-433999/433594_155_full.jpg

Thanks,

So if the leak is at the clamp, could I snap them off and replace them with the reusable screw kind?

Thanks in advance.

Possibly...you will need to look closely for where the leak is coming from. Cleaning off the reservoir and hoses may help too....when you clean them off...you can come back and inpect them later and possibly see where the leak is coming from.

Sometimes the hose has cracked around the clamp and cutting the clamp off (and the bad piece of hose) can fix the problem. But sometimes you won't have enough hose left.

Have you gone to the online parts database to see all of the hoses etc for the PS system? Click here: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=GJ63&mospid=47530&btnr=32_0694&hg=32&fg=20

And you might want to let us know if you have the conventional suspension system or rear self-leveling (which is tied into the PS reservoir). If you have rear self leveling you will have a larger PS reservoir and it will say CHF 11 S on the reservoir lid or on a sticker. The conventional system uses a smaller black plastic PS reservoir that has ATF engraved on the lid and it has an integrated dipstick underneath.

Look at this diagram...the conventional PS reservoir looks like the one on the left (uses ATF oil)...and the rear self leveling system PS reservoir looks like the one in the center and uses Pentosin CHF 11 S (hydraulic oil). Its very important that you DO NOT mix the two different types of fluids: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=GJ63&mospid=47530&btnr=32_0691&hg=32&fg=20

OK, I have found and downloaded the '97 manual and the video at E38.org. With over 200 pages and an hour long video, I took the entire day to do my homework and figure out the entire car. My favorite find has been the DSP reverb in the EQ. It makes my live Hendrix CDs sound cool.

I also cheked my tire pressures, battery level, vaccumed
the air filter, topped up with some Mobile-1 synthetic 5-30 and the coolant and brake fluid levels looked good. My car came with no service records, which I factored heavily into the final price. To my suprise the water pump looks to be new and the serpentine belt also looks new and has no stress cracks but shows good tension.

At 104 degrees it was a little too hot today for me to get underneath her and source the PS leak. So I gave it a wash and a wheel brake dust clean (which seems to accumulated very quickly).

My reservoir looks like the self-leveling kind. As far as I could see there was no leak from its hoses.

congrats...ive been told only real BMW enthusiasts drive oxford green e38sonce you get 20 posts, put some pics up!!!
Green wasn't my first choice, but I like it more every day. Its nice to have an environmentaly friendly color on my environmentaly unfriendly car.

I noticed a small leak (atf) on the garage floor which gradually got worse. When I checked under the car there was atf all over the left front suspension (the wind was blowing it around). It turned out to be the power steering pressure hose - there is a metal connector in the middle of the hose (if you look down next to the valve cover on the drivers side you will see the connector and a metal clip that keeps the hose from moving around). The leak was on the bottom side of that metal connector so I couldn't see it from above, it is very crowded below so I couldn't see it from underneath either.

I got the pressure hose at a Car Quest store for $107.75. The invoice shows a suggested list price of $150.85 (I think there is some discount because I've been going there for over twenty years). I was also quoted $236.00 from the local BMW dealer for the part. The hose was very easy to put in except for starting the bolt on the steering box (I could see it but I couldn't get my large hands down in there). With my neighbors help it only took a few minutes.

Also, I washed the engine bay at a car wash so I could find the leak and ruined the oil pressure sensor - so be careful.

I noticed a small leak (atf) on the garage floor which gradually got worse. When I checked under the car there was atf all over the left front suspension (the wind was blowing it around). It turned out to be the power steering pressure hose - there is a metal connector in the middle of the hose (if you look down next to the valve cover on the drivers side you will see the connector and a metal clip that keeps the hose from moving around). The leak was on the bottom side of that metal connector so I couldn't see it from above, it is very crowded below so I couldn't see it from underneath either.

I got the pressure hose at a Car Quest store for $107.75. The invoice shows a suggested list price of $150.85 (I think there is some discount because I've been going there for over twenty years). I was also quoted $236.00 from the local BMW dealer for the part. The hose was very easy to put in except for starting the bolt on the steering box (I could see it but I couldn't get my large hands down in there). With my neighbors help it only took a few minutes.

Also, I washed the engine bay at a car wash so I could find the leak and ruined the oil pressure sensor - so be careful.

Thanks X,

I found the leak yesterday in the same exact spot! The upper clamp looks like a skinny coat hanger and it must be digging into the hose. My regular tech who employes alot of ex-dealer techs has ordered the hose at $185. If it comes today I'm going to leave the car with him rather than do it myself. Why? Not only do I not have the time; I just left the smog station where the car failed! :(

15 MPH mea 756 Fail
25 MPH mea 608 Pass

It turns out the land ship could use some TLC (Despite no check engine light & current service lamps). Fuel filter, air filter, plugs, oil and a tune will be done in hopes of not needing a new catalyst. I only drove the 5 miles to the station before the test. After searching this site I'll be sure to get a good hour of driving in before my next attempt. Wish me luck.

Good luck! You most definitely will want to warm up your car and get the cats red hot before you test. You don't need to drive around for an hour but a good 20 minutes should work, 5 is far to little. When you get there, leave your car running as long as possible and keep a little weight on the throttle to keep the RPMs up and the cats hot. ;)

My power steering system has a small leak my indy said when I got my last oil change. They said it was too small now to worry about but will eventually need attention. They didn't look into it much but assumed it was the high pressure hose, glad to hear it is easy to replace and I can do it myself. Might just do that this weekend.

Green wasn't my first choice, but I like it more every day. Its nice to have an environmentaly friendly color on my environmentaly unfriendly car.

i also heard a person who is condidered a genius chooses green in cars too...well, according to robert deniro in "meet the parents" anyways!!! and yeah, green wasnt my choice either...i like blue...a lot!!! and if i had my choice in 7ers, i would get imola red!!! yeah, those are pretty :)

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k109/screenlin/81906-10.jpg