BMW E31 Buyers Guide P4 - Steptronic tricks and Interior Controls

[@creatyve]

Thank you for all these videos! Been so handy when working with my 850i my dad had sitting around for a while - just got it rolling but alot of work to do

[@TimmsBMWRepairsandInformation]

Glad to help!

[@TheHeretic435]

I love the secret menu in my E39. Very useful for keeping an eye on voltage, coolant temp, etc.

[@TimmsBMWRepairsandInformation]

Unfortunately, although the E38 and E39 got coolant temperature, the E31 didn't!

[@TheHeretic435]

@@TimmsBMWRepairsandInformation May as well crush it then.

[@Begbietheradge]

Thank God for your videos Sir! Been really sulky at trying manual changes as I was afraid to increase wear in the old gearbox. When heated up, I noticed slight kick when stop at a light and the gearbox goes into 1st. Will be using manual more often as thats what I was always thinking about when looking after auto-box fitted 540i:)

[@TimmsBMWRepairsandInformation]

Always my pleasure!

[@swright2514]

Tim fantastic work have an e89 z4 3.0Msport lots of things for me to learn here thank you. Steve

[@TimmsBMWRepairsandInformation]

Glad to help!

[@vw133s]

does ist show M1 until M5 or just M2 M3 M4 and then D?

[@TimmsBMWRepairsandInformation]

Yes, M1 to M5

[@kayodekomolafe1235]

Thank you for these wonderful comprehensive information and the videos. I have 2 problems with the E31 1995. 1. Electronic controls for the seat and mirrors, work in reverse. 2. The air conditioning for both passenger and driver side work in opposite, even though are set to the same level, one goes hot while the other goes cold. Any ideas on what to look for? Thanks Kay

[@TimmsBMWRepairsandInformation]

Thanks! Yes, the back-to-front problem is something I am seeing more often. This is often caused by a period of low battery-voltage and unfortunately this sometimes upsets the processor in the seat module (which is sited under the driver's seat) - and it re-programs the flash memory (or, more likely just corrupts it) . The flash memory holds the options for the module - and one of the options is to reverse the operation (the same module is used in other models and the reverse direction is needed for them). And, that's it, love nor money will get it back the right way again! The HVAC problem is quite likely to be the NTC device which samples the air temperature (it is behind the small grille on the front of the panel). Shogun has a fix for this (on an E32 but the same for E31 and E38) - so, have a look for that,

[@jimbojagv8541]

Thanks again. I've had my E38 750il for 9 years and never regassed the air conditioning, it works and blows cold air. How would I know if it needs re gassing. Thanks

[@TimmsBMWRepairsandInformation]

It stops working is the short answer!

[@joelfildes5544]

First in ! I’ll watch this later Timm,as in the pub surrounded by philistines with Fords...

[@TimmsBMWRepairsandInformation]

Tut-tut, you should have left!

[@King_Sok]

Thank you very much for the time and effort you have put into all these informative videos. I would like to ask however.... I recently test drove an E34 M5, great car other than the 'vague' center steering when going straight. Does the E31 also share this 'dead on center' feeling. Very un-nerving at higher speeds... I don't think its something I could get used to. I have yet to test drive an E31... Many thanks once again.

[@TimmsBMWRepairsandInformation]

The M5 should not have felt vague when cruising on the straight - I would suspect tyres, suspension wear or poor alignment. The E31 has no vagueness at all!

[@King_Sok]

@@TimmsBMWRepairsandInformation it had significant steering play when holding center, no tyre feedback. I was told ' it's a 90's thing ' ... Thanks for clarifying the E31 isn't like that. But you're probably right... something else was most likely to blame....

[@TimmsBMWRepairsandInformation]

@@King_Sok It isn't a 90's thing, my 7's and 8's (all but one a 90's model) have been tight and direct, there was definitely something wrong with the M5...

[@jbaroli]

If the M5 had tie rods in good shape and good alignment It could be wear on the steering box, it can be adjusted a little bit removing center play though making it a little bit harder to steer.

[@ThePerfectionOfLexus]

Hi Tim, I've got a 735i e38 Steptr. from 2000, and could use your expertise. The transmission has lately started to develop a hard upshift in 2. gear on take off in both Drive/Manual, but only after a really cold start (between -5 and -10 celcius on the outside), while engine still is in beginning of the blue section. If I use the steptronic feature and downshift to 2. gear, and up again, it shifts smoothy, so this issue only happens the first shift after a very cold start, which in this case is the shift from 1. gear to 2. gear. All other gears are fine, no problems. If I let the engine warm up 10 min on idle before take off, the issue is not present at all. So something tells me, the weather has a big influence in the transmission behaviour. I however never noticed this strange behaviour in my 2 years of ownership until now. Have you experienced any related with your steptronic gearbox at very cold weather? I've also noticed in this video, that you take off in 2. gear with your E31, does this cause any kind of wear in the clutches or torque converter or what so ever, as I would like to try to do the same to avoid the hard shift until engine is warmer?

[@TimmsBMWRepairsandInformation]

Hello - and a great question! The ZF 5HPxx gearboxes and engine have a warm-up phase that means you reach higher revs before the change from 1st to 2nd - and that can mean quite a clonk has it hits 2nd. I hate that phase and have always avoided it by using the Steptronic to pull away in 2nd gear so that I can pull away quietly without reaching higher engine speeds - it's quite automatic now and I don't really think about it any more. No damage is done - and you can pull away in 3rd gear as well without putting undue strain on the drive train. In an emergency situation the gearbox reverts to 4th gear for everything! If your gear-shifts are especially harsh the root cause is usually the MAF rather than the gearbox.

[@ThePerfectionOfLexus]

​@@TimmsBMWRepairsandInformation Thanks for the reply. Yes I fully understand the warm-up phase in these boxes, but I can feel the hard shift at as low as 1000 rpm when ushifting to 2. gear during the warm-up phase. Never any problems after this. Could this still be a MAF issue? Thanks for your input regarding the steptronic, I'll definitely stick with the idea of pulling away in 2. gear, as this will eliminate the hard shift.

[@aidastiskus4550]

Hi Tim I wonder what exaust you 8 has.Sounds really good

[@TimmsBMWRepairsandInformation]

Sports cats, X pipe and Longlife rear boxes - very loud - too loud sometimes!

[@TheKeenMechanic]

Good video

[@TimmsBMWRepairsandInformation]

Thanks!

[@kathybonner8520]

Timm, why is the speedo 3% to 7% too high?

[@TimmsBMWRepairsandInformation]

The speedo is not that accurate - so BMW added a few percent to allow for variations. A speedo that under-read may allow a driver to break the speed limit - and the driver could lay the blame with BMW. So, BMW added a percentage increase to ensure any variation would always be 'safe'. This situation was true until around 2004 when they dropped the percentage down to around 2%. Still, speedo's are only as accurate as the tyres are within given limits.