My 86 535i

Just wanted to drop by and post pictures of my 535i.

Right now I have a couple of problems with it and it would be nice to get advice on it.

So its leaking coolant and the tank is completely dry, is there any suggestions on which hose its coming from? or should i just replace all of the hoses with new clamps?

the instrument panel doesnt work, i can only read the speedometer and everything else like temp, MPG gauge, and rev meter doesnt work, plus I have a yellow and red light popping up with oil service lighting up. I tried resetting the service light but it doesn't seem to go away.

Sometimes when its raining (had this happen to me about 3 times over the course of winter) I would hit a big puddle and the power steering would go out for about 5 or 6 seconds. I have no idea whats causing this and it was frankly, very scary.

I suspect the control arms are going bad, when i steer the car while stationary, I hear a loud CRACK noise. Plus i get a lot of vibration lately when im hitting 65 on the freeway

I plan to try and do DIY fixes and learn more about my car, luckily enough the last owner gave us a Bentley manual so any advice or comments can help me a ton

Try to determine which hose is leaking. I just had to replace the small diam. hose to the expansion tank because of a tiny intermittent leak. Many times they're easier to find when the motor has been running and everything is hot and under pressure. They make pressure testers that you may be able to rent at Autozone, etc. The instrument panel is probably an electrical issue. Check the fuses and battery connections very carefully. When your SI board goes bad it can contribute to this kind of problem. I would guess your steering problem is a loose or bad PS belt. Get a new one and make sure it's adjusted properly. Check the fluid level while your at it. Changing the fluid might be a good idea. The crackling noise could be from the control arms, struts or strut mounts. I just had that problem and replaced all of those parts along with the sway bar links. Now it's quiet and smooth, the way it's supposed to be.

Originally Posted by FissionMailed

Just wanted to drop by and post pictures of my 535i.

Right now I have a couple of problems with it and it would be nice to get advice on it.

So its leaking coolant and the tank is completely dry, is there any suggestions on which hose its coming from? or should i just replace all of the hoses with new clamps?

the instrument panel doesnt work, i can only read the speedometer and everything else like temp, MPG gauge, and rev meter doesnt work, plus I have a yellow and red light popping up with oil service lighting up. I tried resetting the service light but it doesn't seem to go away.

Sometimes when its raining (had this happen to me about 3 times over the course of winter) I would hit a big puddle and the power steering would go out for about 5 or 6 seconds. I have no idea whats causing this and it was frankly, very scary.

I suspect the control arms are going bad, when i steer the car while stationary, I hear a loud CRACK noise. Plus i get a lot of vibration lately when im hitting 65 on the freeway

I plan to try and do DIY fixes and learn more about my car, luckily enough the last owner gave us a Bentley manual so any advice or comments can help me a ton

Looks just like mine except for the wheels.

Originally Posted by catso

Try to determine which hose is leaking. I just had to replace the small diam. hose to the expansion tank because of a tiny intermittent leak. Many times they're easier to find when the motor has been running and everything is hot and under pressure. They make pressure testers that you may be able to rent at Autozone, etc. The instrument panel is probably an electrical issue. Check the fuses and battery connections very carefully. When your SI board goes bad it can contribute to this kind of problem. I would guess your steering problem is a loose or bad PS belt. Get a new one and make sure it's adjusted properly. Check the fluid level while your at it. Changing the fluid might be a good idea. The crackling noise could be from the control arms, struts or strut mounts. I just had that problem and replaced all of those parts along with the sway bar links. Now it's quiet and smooth, the way it's supposed to be.

Found out that the water pump is leaking, still need to find out if its just the seal or I might need a brand new pump. I might as well swap out all the belts and pulleys for it too since they squeak alot.

Originally Posted by FissionMailed

Found out that the water pump is leaking, still need to find out if its just the seal or I might need a brand new pump. I might as well swap out all the belts and pulleys for it too since they squeak alot.

Don't know about a 535i, but on a 528e you can't replace the seal separately. Might as well replace the pump and check the hoses carefully. Better to replace any suspect hoses a little early than to deal with a breakdown. Pulleys I wouldn't replace unless you can see some wear, damage, out of round, etc. Newer BMW's use alot of plastic pulleys, that's asking for trouble. The E28's should be good quality metal though.