First BMW - New Member

[Bluejonny08]

Hi folks,

Thank you for the acceptance in prestige German vehicular ownership!

Already had a look through the forums, seen some very beautiful cars on here and just wanted to say hi and post my own wee motor.

Coming from a manual Chrysler Crossfire, and jesus Christ this z4 handles like an F1 car. Miss my low down torque though, mighty v6.

Anyway, back to BMW's!

Already had her a few months now and absolutely loving life. Only problem I've had is the roof has packed in, as it needs relocated to the boot but I'll get to it one day, it works manually lol.

Previous owner allegedly states it's 1/5 in the UK because of the proper full leather interior, (sun visors too), suspension etc.

Not been messed with as it's all factory, also running the staggered set ups and ditched the run flats.

Only negative, no dipstick. Wtf? Why? I like seeing my oil

2006 E85 2.5si mSport
^correct me if I'm wrong

Jonny, Northern Ireland.

 

[Mr Tidy]

Hi and welcome to the forum Jonny.

Your 2.5Si has the same claimed power output as a Crossfire so you just need to rev it more to go as fast to make up for less torque, and at least you'll get around corners faster with rack and pinion steering!

Don't leave the roof motor too long. Where BMW put them the usually sit in a pool of water so the sooner they are moved the more likely they are to work when dried out.

I struggled to get used to the lack of a dipstick when I got my first one but got into the habit of checking oil level on the dash to make sure the sensor was working, and as it only works when the engine is warmed up I knew when I got a reading it was safe to plant my right foot.

Love that photo on the NW200 course!

 

[Bluejonny08]

Hi and welcome to the forum Jonny.

Your 2.5Si has the same claimed power output as a Crossfire so you just need to rev it more to go as fast to make up for less torque, and at least you'll get around corners faster with rack and pinion steering!

Don't leave the roof motor too long. Where BMW put them the usually sit in a pool of water so the sooner they are moved the more likely they are to work when dried out.

I struggled to get used to the lack of a dipstick when I got my first one but got into the habit of checking oil level on the dash to make sure the sensor was working, and as it only works when the engine is warmed up I knew when I got a reading it was safe to plant my right foot.

Love that photo on the NW200 course!

Cheers!

Speaking of revving it out, trust me I do it and proceed to not get enough of it lol. Thinking of getting an exhaust at some stage for it in the future, but keeping the original set up just incase for the MOT. They tend to be strict over here.

Cheers for the photo compliment! Many more will come with this good weather

I have read that the oil sensor can be useless at times, is this true for the n52 or did I read that wrong and it applies to other engines, e.g. n54?

Funnily enough, the roof motor has been replaced before, by BMW themselves but they never bother to relocate the bloody thing. Fun.

 

[Mr Tidy]

I've had two E86s and am on my 2nd 3 Series with an N52 engine and haven't had an issue with the oil level sensor - yet.

Fitting a new roof motor in the same place sounds typical of BMW dealers. They won't do anything non-standard like replace gearbox fluid, remove the Clutch Delay Valve, etc. Knowledgeable specialists are much better, and cheaper.

 

[Bluejonny08]

Thank you for giving me confidence in the oil, never had much luck with the m112 of the Merc x/fire when it came to oil lmao.

Previous owner has had alot of work done in brakes and oil changes in the past, and that's really it bar the BMW roof repair so I'm looking forward to at least a few things going wrong in the future

Speaking of clutch, what exactly is a delay valve? And does it have any correlation as to why mine sounds like a door needing WD-40 upon every press/depress?

Sorry for the head melting lol, I appreciate it!

 

[Mr Tidy]

The CDV looks like this.




It's in the hydraulic line in front of the clutch slave cylinder and has a smaller diameter than the pipe so the clutch engages more slowly to protect the drivetrain from any stress caused by drivers who are a bit inept driving a manual. If you are competent with a manual it's better in the bin!

There are plenty of videos on YouTube showing how to remove it.

I'm not sure about your issue though, that sounds more like a release bearing problem.

 

[Zedebee]

Hi @Bluejonny08 and welcome to the forum.
N52s don’t tend to burn a lot of oil, although they can leak. A failing oil sensor will throw a code but it won’t trigger a warning light, so it helps to have a code reader and regularly check your codes (good practise as there are sensors all over the car).
You can relocate the roof motor yourself. It’s a PITA job, but some members have become expert at it and can give you advice.
The CDV was included for the US market, where they are less practised at driving manuals. Removal definitely improves the clutch action (more for some than others) but it won’t help your clutch squeal at all. Enjoy your Z4, the 2.5Si does need to be revved to get the best out of it.