BMW E39 540i - We Bought a Junkyard 540i for a FREE Drivetrain Swap

This E39 540i is more special than it seems, and the aftermarket parts are going to pay for a future drivetrain swap … probably.
Special aftermarket parts include:
19" AC Schnitzer Type III Wheels (restored on this video: • Restoring AC Schnitzer... )
AC Schnitzer body kit
Brembo GT brake kit
Dinan intake
Dinan throttle body
Dinan sway bars
Dinan springs
#e39 #e39540i #acschnitzer #mechanic #bmw #mariemotors #m62 #m62b44tu
Music by BenSound.com

[@OaksCU1]

I'm glad I watched this video before I had lunch, that coolant tank was wild! It would be interesting to see a tear down of the whole engine, just to see what it looks like inside, but I don't think it's gonna be worth the time and money to fix it up, especially given the high mileage. If you sell the special parts and scrap the car it'll probably be a good deal still. A V8 in the E24 would be sweet, but personally I'd try to fix up the original engine, given how well preserved that car seems overall.

[@HB-lj6nk]

I have an e39 with the m62 and e70 with the n63. Immediately subscribed as soon as I saw your lineup and how you speak about your projects. Good stuff 👌

[@JGV_IX]

I absolutely love the E39! Such a timeless design - but…this one is a criminal offense 🫣 Glad you can make something from it!

[@wolz256]

Looks to me like everything on that car is good except for the engine the body and the interior.

[@xzing7]

I was just randomly stumbled upon this channel Whilst watching Bmw e39 540i video's. WOW you've just earn't yourselves an subscriber. LIKED AND SUBSCRIBED 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥

[@mariemotors]

Thank you!

[@javarithms]

What an absolute gem she is, the car is ok too.

[@boriss187]

Good thing is you have a Getrag 420 6-speed and all associated manual car bits. That's easy 2000$ right there.

[@mariemotors]

Unless I keep it 😬 Lol

[@boriss187]

@@mariemotors I solved this issue by having both rebuilt M30 and M60. Works good so far:))))

[@briangreen6602]

Great engine to put in that chassis, will be silky smooth after.

[@dekabwerks]

Wow, that stop leak is wild

[@eldon6944]

I’ll buy the kit with side mirrors !!😊

[@francispowell1811]

Hey Abbey, going with the M62 is a wonderful idea. Check the rod bearings and then rebuild using the M60b40 heads, with the duplex chain, sprocket and guides to make it unburstable, while eliminating the vanos complexity. That'll absolutely fly when you're through with it! Good luck.

[@gunthermayer4193]

Looks like you have another project car.

[@Vatabg]

holy shit i have never seen one of those in such a poor condition.. will be so satisfying to see it repaired

[@michaeldebrou8767]

I had to look away when you were excavating the coolant! Enjoying the content nonetheless..

[@kogaerusaru5171]

the ticking might be lifter tick, the heads are pretty prone to getting all messed up internally. you'd have to pull the cam cover and inspect what's in it. and if the m30b34 is a non-cat motor, i'd keep that tbh lol. i want a non-kat b34 for my e28

[@johnnysmith863]

Jeez, that's shafted.

[@angevsdemon5707]

J'adore les 540i un truc de fou big UP to France 44 peace

[@nater258]

M62/60 and N6x engines sound great and can work great if fully rebuilt and well maintained afterwards. I also bought an e39 540i msport for swapping into my e24. After 6 months of research and inspecting I've decided against it and will be selling my euro e24 after I fix the headgasket. PO of my e39 left the sunroof open for a year under a tree and ruined interior. So basically selling the wheels makes me back my money and will instead swap it into one of my e36s. It's a doable swap by all means. I think the biggest issue is the frame rail and transmission tunnel clearance on early e24s like ours. The oil pan actually doesn't have to be modified, but doing so will help the engine sit lower. I would encourage an s54 swap actually. There's a lot of support for the swap, once maintained it's a wonderful engine just like an m62 and I believe it would help the value of the car over time compared to the m6x swap. Who knows it could be totally different in 10 years. Again, m6x doable, but I think s54 is headache free, although twice the cost once you have it all done compared to your great e39 find. I'm excited either way, m30 refresh or m62! I'm be tuning in.

[@mariemotors]

Thanks! I’m still not decided on the swap and tossed around the idea of putting the M62 in an E36, too. I already have 2 S54 powered cars and I’m not sure that I want (or need) 3.

[@1234mikechris]

Hi Abbey the comen problem with the 6 cylinder, that is from (E30) 320,323,325 & so on of that period is the oil feed pipe to the camshaft gets slightly blocked & so the cam & rokers wear lack of oil of oil change. Answer is: 1. Cylinder headset with cylinder bolts 2. Camshaft with rokers 3. Check timing chain & tensner 4. Check roter arm , distribute cup & leads speak plugs. I like What you are doing pls keep the original engine it's better than the v8 by far, that v8 is done it's not worth it 👍MJ

[@zeroyon4562]

It seems right to put a V8 in the E24, but the M62 is just so wide and tall. I don’t know how an E24 engine bay compares to an E46, but I worked on an E46 with a M62 and it took a lot of work, I had to fabricate a dry sump to get it as low as we wanted.

[@mariemotors]

It will fit, but now I get to waffle over this for months while I decide what I want to do. I’ve changed my mind 3 times in the last 24 hours alone.

[@Z3NBluster]

Hello, just some feedback. The text on your thumbnails are a little hard to read. Emelia Hartford's thumbnail text are Yellow, outlined in black. The black outline makes the text POP a little more, making it more legible. Love your content and would love to see you make more videos!!!

[@papatwon]

Save that e39 too lol

[@Slowcarfastbeans]

Is it a red flag when everything in the car works and is in good condition?

[@dobryanskiy]

Lowkey hoping the M62 is gonna be trash and we'll see you fixing the M30 instead. :D

[@mariemotors]

Honestly the M30 might be totally fine and this was for no reason … but then again, V8.

[@davidgreicius1021]

are you guys selling any of aftermarket parts ?

[@thrty8street]

Are you sure the ticking is rod knock? Maybe the top end just needs to be rebuilt? Like the lifters or the cam may be worn.

[@mariemotors]

Am I sure? Not even a little. Did I overreact with an impulse purchase anyway without investigating the issue? Seems likely.

[@5wagn]

Do you still have the wheels?

[@spburns74]

4 Pot Brembo calipers in the front of that 5401?? Will those transfer over?

[@mariemotors]

Nope, far too big. So they were cleaned up transferred over to another home.

[@QuitzeMartinez]

Did you sell the M30 engine? It sounds normal to me, M30s should sound like sewing machines. Do a compression test. These motors are really hard to break unless you seriously overheat them or run them dry. V8 swap would be awesome though.

[@mariemotors]

Still in the car, should be getting back around to engine work within a month or so to make a ruling on whether it’s OK or not.

[@QuitzeMartinez]

@@mariemotors Cool! Well if you ever need any help hit me up, I have a shop in Fredericksburg, Tx and I specialize in e24s and e28s. I know the M30 very well. Cool car, been watching your channel for awhile, keep up the good work!

[@zshadows]

That E39 is a heap of shit, but the exhaust sound makes it borderline worth it.

[@tonybrown9875]

Just start a scrap car business and sell parts X- D

[@jwester7009]

I wouldn't recommend an engine swap. It would reduce the value significantly of the car. The E39 is a great car on it's own if you find a good example