My husband just bought me a 2000 528i for my birthday so I could have a car with my initials on the hood. (he doesn't mind driving it either). He usually changes the oil and filter in our vehicles. However, he cannot find a service manual (Haynes has them for other models, but not the E39). Does anyone have tips on changing the oil and filter, or know of a service manual? Thanks in advance for your help. B.M.W.
I would recommend the Bentley Manuals. They have one for the E39 (your car). Not cheap at $100 but you may pick one up used on e bay or Amazon. Search for a Bentley BMW E39 manual. But since oil changes in an in-line 6 are so easy, try this. TOOLS & Parts NEEDED: ½ Drive Ratchet 17mm socket 36mm socket Torque Wrench Floor jack, hand jack or ramps and jack stand 7 qts of Synthetic Oil & Oil Filter kit Tip: Warm up car to operating temperature to make oil drain out smoothly and almost completely. 1. Start by jacking up your car on the front passenger side jack point using a floorjack or you can use ramps. Once high enough to get under, make sure to put a jack stand beneath the front part of the cross member (place it on a point where you can still access the drain bolt). DO NOT TRUST THE JACK ALONE TO HOLD UP YOUR CAR!!!! 2. Locate the drain bolt which will be facing downwards at an angle. The bolt is a 17mm bolt and is facing the passenger side front wheel. You can't miss it! Look from underneath passengerside front towards the bottom of the engine. It's the only bolt you can see. And also, you can't miss it since the oil pan is a big square. Using a 17mm ratchet (I would use the ½ drive socket and ratchet for added leverage), begin by loosening the bolt (counter clockwise). Strategically place the oil catch pan underneath. When loosening the bolt, push on the bolt until you are ready to remove it (what this does is that you don't want to just straight loosen the bolt till it falls off). This will aid in not dropping the bolt in the oil pan and not having oil all over your hand. Let the Oil completely drain for a good 10 mins or so. 3. Loosen the Oil filler cap on top of the valve cover so that the oil will drain smoother. Then get your 36mm socket out and begin to remove the oil filter cap. This should be really easy to find since it is the only 36mm socket type in the engine bay. Look for the big black round plastic cover with a large nut on top. Turn it CCW to loosen. Remove the cap and the filter should come with it. Remove the filter just by pulling it out. Remove the large O-Ring on the cap which is located at the top to seal it. Your new filter from BMW should come with one. Apply a LIGHT coat of oil (oil that you are using in your car) on the O-ring. Install the new O-Ring and Replace the oil filter. Wait till oil drains from the filter housing and then replace the filter and cap and hand tighten. Then take out your trusty torque wrench and torque the cap to 25 NM. 4. Clean off drain bolt and replace the crushable copper washer (new washer is included in your filter kit. Replace bolt and hand tighten (clockwise). Make sure you clean any oil around the bolt and oil pan. Torque that bolt to 21 ft lbs. 5. Pour 7 qts of oil into the oil filler on top of the valve cover. Tigten oil cap and start engine. Make sure there are no leaks underneath or in the oil filter housing. 6. Lower your car off the jack stands and you're done.
Happy birthday, congratulations on your gift and welcome aboard. For BMW service manuals, the name you want is Bentley Publishers. Haynes, Chilton, et al. are a waste of time and money (if they cover a given BMW at all). You can get the E39 manual set from Bavarian Autosport or Pelican Parts for around $130...maybe less elsewhere, but those two are good suppliers for BMW DIYers. (Sorry I can't link straight to the BavAuto product page, their site doesn't allow it.) Changing the oil in your car is pretty simple. You could google the many DIY writeups for the job and do fine, but the Bentley manuals really are worth every penny. Edit: Heh, Steven got in there while I was googling and reading. I found those same instructions but I would advise ignoring the recommendation to use a 1/2" drive ratchet anywhere on this job. The oil pan is aluminum and the filter housing cover is plastic--you can apply more than enough torque with just a 3/8" drive to ruin either one. Also, the drain bolt should be torqued to just 18 ft-lb (25 N-m), not 21.
Happy Birthday and welcome to the club! Besides the Bentley's manual I would also recommend google search for advise regarding even the most common service/maintenance items. Pay particular attention to the factory recommendations for all fluids and lubricants. It's also a good idea to have the codes read (they will do this free for you at Autozone and probably other auto parts stores) and if a fault code has been stored you can address any issues now before any surprises show up down the line. The E39 cooling system is notorious for failure after as little as 60,000 miles so pay close attention to any indication of coolant leaks (evidenced by white powdery residue on or around the radiator fittings, hoses, expansion tank and cap). It's probably a good idea to plan on replacing these items along with the water pump and thermostat unless the prior owner's service records indicate this has already been done. There are many, many threads on this and other boards devoted to these and other very common maintenance items for the E39. It is a fine car and with proper maintenance it will serve you well.
Happy Birthday and welcome aboard!!! The e39 is a great car and if you take care of it, it will take car of you for a long time. E39 is the chassis code for 5 series BMWs from 96 to 03. +4 on the Bentley Manual!!!! Buy it!! It will pay for itself in one use and you will forever swear at Haynes manuals. The manual for the E39 is a two volume set, so when buying make sure you are getting both. I found this out the hard way. Bav Auto or BMP Design are safe places to buy it. Radiators, Radiator expansion tank, and water pumps are known fail points on this engine. If you don't know their history you might want to replace them. If your husband is a good DIYer than this is really an easy task.!! The Bentley Manual spells it out quite nicely. Enjoy your new car!!!!!
I've also seen (believe it or not) Bentley manuals on eBay. I found the one for my M3 AFTER I bought it new so that's worth a quick look before purchasing a new one. We had a '00 528i. Great car, you'll enjoy it. Also email Mike Miller of Tech Talk fame (techtalk@roundel.org) for his "Old School Maintenance" for the E39.
BMWBeverly Steven, Thanks loads for such complete oil/filter change instructions. You should write for Bentley Manuals! Bev.
BMWBeverly Thanks for all the helpful info., NTStig. By the way, we watch your opposite namesake and appreciate his/her prowess. You are most considerate as my husband and I join the BMW culture. Bev.
BMWBeverly Many thanks granthr. Your tech. tips are priceless. I appreciate your good wisdom and tips, and welcoming me to the BMW car culture. All the best, Bev.
BMWBeverly Many thanks, dms540i, for the sentiments and welcome. Your BMW wisdom will prove most valuable, I'm sure. I love the car and plan to keep it for years. Enjoy your 540i. Bev.
