I may be wrong, but I'd have thought that if there were problems with the liners, they'd have been found by now.
IIRC, the "test" for this was to let the car idle, and open both front doors as wide as possible. If the edges of the door move up & down, the idle's lumpy, and there could be a problem.
Pete.
The V6 is probably a little risky on the reliability front - although mostly that was caused by Alfa over-estimating the cambelt life. 72k for a cambelt.... you must be joking. I'd certainly never risk that long!
So long as the belts are done every 36k miles (including tensioners) and you keep an eye on the oil level, it shouldn't be any worse than any other V6. However, you don't know if the previous owner has been checking the oil......
They're a single-spark lump, only the 4-pots got TSparks.
However.....
I wouldn't have a V6. OK, they sound awesome, but the extra weight over the 4-pot upsets the balance of the chassis. As a driver's car, the TSparks are better. Unless you're buying a Sportwagon, in which case the extra weight of the estate body more or less fixes the balance of the V6.
Wouldn't buy Nuvola Blue either, even though I love the colour. It's impossible to get dentmaster / chipsaway in to sort minor body damage as the whole car needs spraying if you need to paint a single panel.
A couple of questions regarding both of these:
Is the 3 litre engine in the E34 530i (I'm thinking possibly a real early one, spurred by seeing an absolutely immaculate E reg 530 just down the road from me the other day) a V8 or straight 6? If it's a V8, does it suffer from the Nikasil cylinder liners problem, or was that just with the later 4 litre engines? I ask as ISTR someone mentioning the 3 litre ones were generally pretty bulletproof.
Onto the Alfa 156 2.5V6 24v? Are these a twin-spark engine, or is it only the 4-banger ones that get the twin-spark technology? What are they like reliability wise? I'm almost vaguely, maybe, maybe not, possibly considering buying one of these in Nuvola blue, or just any car in that colour, as I really like the colour. It'd help if it's a decent car, and I've heard good things about the V6 156s.
Oh, and also the Audi (A6 Avant 2.5TDI) had quite a bouncy nose - not bouncy bouncy knackered shocks bouncy, but just when I put my foot down from standstill the front end rises a bit, and then when I dip the clutch to change gear it drops again? I've heard there are different types of shocks, some which are better than others (gas filled vs liquid????) - would uprating the shocks go any way to improving this, or is it just my tough shit for choosing a FWD car? :-) There's a wuattro version of my car for sale with a fair few less miles for what I'd consider to be a bloody good price (not super-cheap, but definitely a very good price), that I may well consider, though I do like the extra economy the 2WD brings over the quattro.
I'll throw this open to the floor.......
Peter
snipped-for-privacy@WithThanks.com
That's a bit of an odd test. What if the engine mounts were just on their way out?
Chris.
Early E34 530s are sixes, and they don't come any earlier than E reg.
For the Nikasil problem, you need to start with ally bores. The six is cast iron, and one of the strongest engines ever.
Early '93 was the start of the V-8s.
I'm not sure whether the Nikasil issue is still current - given it's a long time since high sulphur petrol was on sale in the UK, and I'd expect any engine still running well to be ok. If a V-8 isn't running perfectly - run, don't walk, away. Personally, I'd not have one unless running it on a business account.;-)
Hmm. I've never known a V-8 with a perfect idle - R-R included. You need a six for that.
IIRC, the correct method is a leak down test - rather like a compression check but longer. ;-)
Unless you're some sort of clumsy oaf, then that's a complete non-issue :)
1987-1992: in-line six (M30B30), 188 bhp (the one you're looking at) 1993-1995: V8 (M60B30), 218 bhp
Then from 2000-2003 in the E39, and 2003-date in the current E60, the engine is a straight-six again, this time with 231 bhp (M54B30).
Yes - the 3 litre and 4 litre engines were affected equally. As were all Nikasil-lined six-cylinder engines from 1995-1998. The only engine configuration not to suffer some fundamental design/operational flaw in the last ten years has been the V12 - its massive complexity being quite enough for most owners. (One of the four-pots had a self-destructing gasket from 1989-1993).
Sure, if you don't regard the engine rotting from within as a weakness :).
Hmm. I've not been responsible for any of the many dings on the bodywork of my 5 Series. Do you live on a desert island?
Another SteveH here
dentmaster / chipsaway what's their costs like i.e stone chips etc?
Ta >
Presumably only if the correct coolant isn't used?
You make it sound like all these engines will be effected. But it was caused by 'inferior' petrol which wasn't sold everywhere. And isn't sold anywhere in the UK now. If a Nikasil engine is in perfect condition still, I'd say it will last as well as any. Nikasil isn't exclusive to BMW.
From what I've seen, V8's tend to be _very_ smooth at idle. You could=20 _almost_ balance a coin on its edge on the plenum chamber of a friends Rove= r=20 V8 Landrover.
I'm only going from
Only the M60 and the European M52 are affected.
The M60 is easy =96 it was fitted to all the E34 530i and 540i V8 cars. It = was =20 not fitted to the earlier E28 5-series or the later E39 5-series. Also the= =20 early E34 3.0 cars (pre-1991) were M30 6-cylinder cars and were not=20 affected.
Basically, it looks like a Pre 1991 (which E reg would be) 530 uses the 6= =20 cylinder.
Pete.
--=20 NOTE! Email address is spamtrapped. Any email will be bounced to you Remove the news and underscore from my address to reply by mail
You *can* balance a coin on edge on a good six...
The easy way is does it have an ally block.
I'm sure they will have been, but I don't know, that's why I'm asking! I know it's a well known problem on the 4 litre V8s, but wasn't sure about the earlier 3 litres (or even whether or not they're V8s!).
Cheers - useful should I ever seriously consider buying one!
Peter
Heh, that's sort of what I said. I wouldn't let it put me off though. I'd just avoid crashing it, and any minor dings/scratches would have to stay.
Peter
Must have been the straight 6 ones then.
Peter
AFAIK, that's the reason. You need to 'flow' all the paint the same way, and it's impossible to do it on a single panel. A bit like Nissan Cromaflair.
In news: snipped-for-privacy@davenoise.co.uk, Dave Plowman (News) decided to enlighten our sheltered souls with a rant as follows
Lexus LS400, and amusingly the 4.6 Ford V8 in the Lincoln / Mustang / Rover
75..
indeed it is..
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