BMW E28 5 Series: What do I need to know?

Going to look at an '87 528i 5 speed tomorrow. I know nothing about these. What do I need to know?

If you sputter to a halt or find one morning your E28 won't start, i would start looking at your crank position sensor and reference sensor. Sometimes a little notch falls off the fly wheel and the reference sensor can't find itself. ECUs sometimes cracks on the board. Automatics scare me. The M20 is rather indestructible.

Don't expect A/C as you might have always known it... It's more of a speed-sensitive cooling device. They have a reputation for electrical gremlins, but it's a simple fix, if deserved. Check the fuse box; terminals get grody over time and all sorts of crazy E36 M3 happens (you'll know you have a problem if you see heat damage to the fuse sockets or warping in the box, but a quick clean and you're good to go). Also, relays probably need to be replaced, but if you have a side-of-the-road problem, throwing them on the ground usually provides the needed attitude adjustment until you get around to it.

Best car in the world. Seriously.

Margie

That's probably a 528e with an eta engine, not an 528i (which was a euro car with a totally different engine.) Not fast, but torquey. They're generally reliable cars if they've been taken care of. Ask for service records, check everywhere for rust - in particular in the floor pans by the jacking points, in the bottom edges of the doors, around the rear license plate lights under the lip of the trunk lid, and bubbles around the front or rear windshield gaskets.

It's generally assumed that unless the car's maintenance is up to date you'll have to spend a grand or two to get everything up to snuff - new water hoses and gas lines, suspension bushings and brakes, tires, etc. Also, unless there's proof it's been changed recently put in a new timing belt right away, you may as well replace the water pump while you're at it.

I can't tell for sure from the photos but those may be TRX wheels, if so the tires are obsolete...the only source for replacements is Coker Tire, they're very expensive and not very good anyway. If that's the case a much better choice is to get some 15" or 16" wheels and tires off a newer 5 or 7 series car, they can be had cheaply.

The main source of online information and support is www.mye28.com. There are some crabby people there who will tell you to "Do a search!" if you just come in blind and start asking questions, but for the most part you'll find help there for most any problem that could occur. It's worth going there just to look through the tech FAQ section, which covers many of the common problems and solutions.

Don't worry too much about miles, 200,000 is no sweat and they can go a half million miles or more.

re: the air conditioning - a quirk of the e28 a/c system is that it's designed to run with all the HVAC control sliders closed (pushed all the way to the left) so you're recirculating cabin air. Also, it will only blow cold air out of the mid level vents, not out the bottom or out the defroster vents.

I had one that came with my M5 and I used it for four years as a Chicago winter car. It had well over 400k when I sold it on. That one was an auto which I swapped out with a junkyard unit when I brought it home, in the long run I had more fun than with the m5. All the weird things that it may do won't kill it.

It's advertised as a 528i. It looks like the rear emblem is missing. ow can I distinguish an eta engine from an i?

The eta cars had a 2.7 liter M20 'baby six', while the euro 528i cars had a 2.8 liter M30 'big six'. The M20 engine will look like this:

An M30 engine is physically larger, and will have the air intake on the passenger side. Also the eta engine has a really low redline on the tach - I think it was only 4700 rpm.

Also, since the 528i was a euro car, they almost always have the smaller euro bumpers instead of the big US spec ones.

Wikipedia has a useful description of the various models: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_5_Series_(E28).

Simple cars, with a few little quirks. But if you're willing to wrench, they will go anywhere, all the time, forever and ever.

Oh...and this guy has the nicest one. http://mysite.verizon.net/vze7aq8e/

As a 528i owner...if it has those bumpers it has gotta be a 528e. Nobody would ever swap a beautiful Euro car to US bumpers, at least I hope

My 528i, before the accident:

I'd bet on 528e rather than 528i. This is an m30 engine. Those do look like metric wheels so you could have a bunch of spare hose reels.

Things are pretty well covered. Just a real good check for rust underneath the body, lift the trunk carpet. Ground by the battery can get corroded and cause a bunch of weirdness. ECU solder joints can age/crack. You can just re-flow the joints. From there it's typical electrical things - gakked up window tracks/motors, seat adjusters, headrest adjusters. On 5spds the pedal hanger bracket is known to crack and cause shifting problems. New brackets are available from the aftermarket. Bonus points if all the tools are present.

Sooo....in terms of US spec cars then, 525i > 528e?

Depends - the 528e is probably the better commuter, the 525i the better BMW.

US spec cars were the 528e, 535i and 535iS, and of course the M5 which was a whole different animal. There was a 525i euro spec car (along with the 528i, 520i and 518i euro cars) but you rarely see them in the US.

The 535i/535iS had a 3.4 liter M30 big six engine. They had a lot better performance than the M20 eta engine, but mileage wasn't as good (although they will still get decent mileage on the highway, just not as good.) The 535iS has the same drivetrain as a 535i, but comes with sport seats, an air dam and a trunk spoiler.

edit: I forgot to mention the 524tD which had a diesel engine, and the 533i which preceded the 535i.

This is my ranking, M5>m535i>535is>535i>533i>528td>528e

assuming all are manual. Automatics of any of the versions are less desirable in my book. The m535i i believe is gray market only (is spoilers/seats and a little more power, but not m5 power). Back in the day Comforti/Turner or Dinan chips were a popular tweak. Regardless of ranking, these were some of the best built cars made - a luxury sport sedan when virtually no one else built them and before accountants got a hold on them. A nearly $40,000 car in the 80s = $85,000 in today's dollars.

edit - are those hood pins or am I seeing things?

oldtin wrote: The m535i i believe is gray market only (is spoilers/seats and a little more power, but not m5 power).

My car is an M535i - it's essentially a euro spec 535i with a specific body kit, sport seats and a specific suspension. The euro non-catalyst euro 535i cars were rated at 218hp, compared to a US 535i rated at 182hp.

oldtin wrote: This is my ranking, M5>m535i>535is>535i>533i>528td>528e assuming all are manual. Automatics of any of the versions are less desirable in my book. The m535i i believe is gray market only (is spoilers/seats and a little more power, but not m5 power). Back in the day Comforti/Turner or Dinan chips were a popular tweak. Regardless of ranking, these were some of the best built cars made - a luxury sport sedan when virtually no one else built them and before accountants got a hold on them. A nearly $40,000 car in the 80s = $85,000 in today's dollars. edit - are those hood pins or am I seeing things?

Thank you.

They're not hood pins, just a sloppy repair on a hood that needed to be repainted or replaced anyway.

I never paid attention to the 5 series back in the day. I'd have fewer questions about the E30s. The fact that this car must be an eta means I'll probably pass on it.

Depending on what you want to do with the car, an eta is still a fine vehicle - it won't have the acceleration of the bigger engines but the handling, driving quality and everything else will be the same, plus you'll get good mileage.

I've always loved the E28s. Wonderful drivers, stone simple and bulletproof.

I've never experienced one that didn't have a growly rearend, but they don't seem to get any worse once they get noisy.