BMW 5 Series E34

The iconic car replaced the E28 model on the assembly line. In the next year for BMW 5 series E34 design specifications were chosen, and by the end of 1985 the car was fully developed. In the early fall of 1987, serial production of the BMW 5 series E34 and its implementation began. In 1991, the German automaker began to launch both touring and all-wheel drive cars with the designation at the end of IX.

Production continued until 1996 and more than 1 million 330 thousand cars were produced.

Appearance

In the body of the BMW 5 E34 the engineers of the concern have combined the traditions of the manufacturer with modern technologies. Combination of a six-cylinder engine with rear-wheel drive made it possible to distribute weight well and more smoothly transfer the power of the power unit to the car. The E34’s body was more streamlined than its predecessor, but not rounded like its competitors. As a result of smoothing the corners, the aerodynamic properties of the sedan have improved.

The designer also managed to keep the aggressive exterior of the car. This is promoted by the size of BMW E34 disks. For all years of production, the car was equipped only with 15/16 inch products, based on the equipment.

The height of the 1992 BMW 525 E34 is 4.72 meters, width – 1.751, height – 1.412. The last parameter is increased by 5 mm in the cargo-passenger version. There is 120-millimeter clearance between the bottom of the body and the roadway.

Interior

The dimensions of the car are excellent, even, chic. With such sizes leather interior of BMW E34 is obliged to be spacious. However, it can be called roomy with a stretch. The reason is in large longitudinal power units. Exactly they take away a part of space from the salon. Therefore, inside, despite the impressive dimensions of the car, it is a little cramped.  This inconvenience is compensated by excellent control. However, because of the raised rear part it is difficult to see behind and there are “blind zones”. The dashboard of BMW E34, by tradition, is turned relative to the driver. The four-spoke steering wheel is adjustable in height.

The seat has 5 electric adjustments in the more expensive versions. Side support is provided in M Series/Sports Package seats. In BMW E34 heated seats are provided. Since 1992, a monitor has appeared in the cabin. Power windows are available. A telephone is offered as an option.

The dashboard can be of two types: high and low, the difference is that the first is a simple version, the second – with on-board computer. Naturally, the wiring is also different.

The interior upholstery has three types: leather, fabric or their combination (for example, the trim of the seats is fabric, and the headrests with side parts – leather). The main color palette is black and white. Sometimes – beige interior and very rarely – red shades. Recaro is allowed.

Noise insulation is at a high level.

There is a heated rear window on the BMW E34. The air ducts in the doors and front panel prevent the door windows from freezing/misting.

The interior lighting of the BMW E34 is good. It comes on when the door is opened and goes out after half a minute. If you lock the car with an electronic key/transmitter, the lighting automatically turns off after a few seconds. If you stop the engine and stay in the passenger compartment without taking any control actions, it will turn off after 20 minutes.

Equipment

The basic equipment has the level of almost business class. In the “base” model was equipped with air conditioning, driver’s airbag, radio, cassette recorder and fabric upholstery. Leather interior and a power sunroof were options.

Luxury versions of the 525i came with airbags for all, separate armrests on the first-row seats, soft plastics and wood trim. There were also air ducts for the second row passengers as well. They could supply warm/hot air.

The heater is mainly available from BEHR. But there may be products from other manufacturers as well. For example, the 520 model may have Siemens or Valeo heater.

Technical specifications

Engines BMW 5 E34 we will consider in the section “Model range”, and here we will touch on other technical characteristics of the car.

The suspension of the car is quite stiff. If the road surface is of good quality, there will be no discomfort. In a complete set there was a servotronic. At BMW E34 the power steering developed full power at maneuvering, and with increase of speed the action decreased. There are no claims to the ABS system. It functions accurately and softly, so the brakes rapidly slow down the speed of the auto. The set of power units are high-quality six-cylinder gasoline engines with “Bosch-Motronic” injection system.

Thanks to such technical characteristics, the BMW E34 was considered a reliable luxury vehicle of its time. This fact is confirmed by the 1991 ratings from Intellichoice. The car stands out in terms of safety. Protection of the driver with passengers at traffic police is provided by airbags, antilock brakes, rigid body, systems ASC (auto stability control) and ASC+T (traction control).

We recommend changing the resistive pump to an inductive pump. Because it is not chipable and almost no parts are available on the aftermarket.

Model range

One curious fact should be noted here. BMW has always sent models with richer equipment to the American market. But the choice of engines was more for the European market. Only models 525i (sedan and station wagon), 525i Touring, 530i (sedan and station wagon), 535i, 540i and M5 were delivered to S. America. These were powerful cars, and Europeans had the opportunity to buy and economical models with low-power engines. That is, the European market was offered BMW E34 with a wider choice of engine volumes.

Let’s start with them and review the model range.

518i

At first, this model was available in a sedan body. Then there was a touring, 518g, working also on natural gas. Under the hood of the BMW E34 518i/g was a four-cylinder 113-horsepower motor M40B18 with a volume of 1.8 liters. AI-95 consumption in the combined cycle is 8.6 liters/100 km. Acceleration takes 12 seconds, the top speed is 194 km/h. The engine was combined with a five-speed gearbox. It was produced until 1994, and then it was replaced by 115-horsepower engine M43B18, which has digital control Bosch-Motronic. Also for the 518 model was offered the “Executive” package.

The motors worked in tandem with a 5-band “manual”. A similar “automatic” was an option. The gearboxes could be installed on both sedan and touring.

520i

There were two body styles here as well. BMW E34 2.0 M50B20 had different power. 129/150-horsepower unit accelerated the car to “hundred” in 12/11 seconds, reached a top speed of 203/211 km / h., and fuel consumption in the BMW E34 was, on average, 10/8.9 liters per 100 km. If you feel that the engine does not pull, and you need to increase the power of the motor, you can install a turbo kit.

Engines were paired with MKPP/ACPP. The suspension of special design was equipped with ABS system. Cars could be not only rear-wheel drive, but also all-wheel drive. The models were produced in the period of 1988-1990.

525i/ix/td/tds 

If the previous models were considered economical (volume of 2 liters), and the subsequent models were for sporty driving (from 3 liters), the 525i model was the “golden mean”. Perhaps that is why it became the most successful in this series. At first, the cars were equipped with M20B25 motors (2.5 liters, 170 “horses”). But feedback from owners of BMW E34 showed that it is clearly not enough to meet their expectations. Therefore, at the end of spring 1990 at BMW E34 there was a motor M50. It was a unit with a volume of 2.5 and 192 hp. Acceleration to 100 in 8.6 seconds, top speed of 230 km/h, and fuel consumption was, on average, 9 liters per 100 km. The powerful engine required effective braking. Therefore, the front wheels of the model were equipped with ventilated brake disks.

Then came the all-wheel drive model 525 ix, moving confidently on the plain and on serpentine roads. But its indicators were worse: 10 sec, 217 km/h, 9.5 liters. This BMW E34 was equipped with a unit M50B25, combining with a manual transmission and an automatic transmission. The car was equipped with computer-controlled differentials. Therefore, the differential between the axles was changed based on the road situation. In standard form, 36/64% of torque was transferred to the front/rear axle. A little more than 9 thousand cars came off the assembly line, so it is difficult to find such a model today.

A station wagon was available for family outings.

In parallel with the gasoline engine, customers were also offered BMW E34 diesel 2.5. In early 1993, the concern instead of BMW E34 524td 2.4 diesel offered to customers BMW E34 525td with 2.5-liter 116-horsepower turbodiesel engine M51, working in tandem with automatic transmission/MCPP. Fuel consumption in the mixed cycle is 7.1 liters/100 km. Acceleration takes 13 seconds, the top speed is 194 km/h. At the same time, the BMW E34 525 TDS model with M51 engine with direct fuel injection and turbocharger cooler went on sale. The 143-horsepower unit accelerated the BMW E34 to a maximum speed of 200 km/h., and “hundred” reached in 11 sec. Fuel consumption in combination – 7 liters.

The units were combined with a five-range automatic or with a five-speed “manual”. Combining engines of BMW E34 2.5 with transmissions, body variants and drives, the concern released more than 15 completions of E34 525, focusing on different buyers. The td configuration was produced for 2 years, 1993 – 1995, and tds – for 4 years.

530i/535i

In mid-autumn 1988, 530i/535i models equipped with 218/211 hp M30 engines with 3/3/5 liters displacement went on sale. AI-95 consumption in mixed cycle is 11 liters/100 km. Acceleration takes 8.6/7.7 seconds, the top speed is 227/235 km/h. The engines were combined with a five-speed gearbox.

540i

540i models were equipped with high-tech motors M60 V8 with a volume of 4.4 liters and a power of 320 “horses”. Combined with a six-speed manual, this engine accelerated the car to a hundred in 6 seconds and allowed to reach 260 km/h.

The car’s body and suspension were lightened thanks to the use of aluminum alloys. Everything that was previously considered a fantasy became a reality. The model was literally stuffed with all kinds of control and management systems. It is on this model E34 designers achieved almost optimal ratio between comfort in the cabin, excellent driving dynamics and refined controllability.

М5

The M5 version was produced for 7 (1988-1995) 7 years. The six-cylinder engine S38 originally had a volume of 3.6 liters and 315 “horses” of power. Then there was a modernized version, the engine S38B38, in which the first parameter increased by 0.2 liters, and the second – by 25 units.

In later editions, the M5 was also equipped with a 6-speed manual transmission, which was later put in the next generation of cars in the E39 body.

After reading this section, you have learned what kind of gasoline you can put in your BMW E34 engine.

Difference between restyling and prerestyling

The first restyling took place in 1992.

The exterior and interior are almost unchanged. Differences between the prerestyling models and restyled cars are mainly in power units. Instead of the M20, the cars began to be fitted with the M50, and then there were 8-cylinder units designed for the BMW 530i/540i. The M51 diesel engine was installed on the 525tds model, which replaced the 524td model.

After 2 years, in 1994, minor changes were made to the interior and exterior of the car. A slight restyling in the exterior was manifested in a wider grille. New shape received mirrors and hood. New seats have appeared in the interior. Driver’s airbag with ABS system is already offered in the basic configuration. The power unit M50 has been modernized. It was equipped with a Vanos system and TU prefix appeared in the name.

On the 518i model, the M43 replaced the M40 engine. The 525td, complete with M51 engine, was added to the model range.

At the end of 1996, the E34 was replaced by the E39 model. But the car was so popular that there was and still is a demand for it in 1997, 1998 and nowadays.

Faults

Eternal cars have not been created yet. Therefore, you should be ready for breakdowns and malfunctions, and errors of BMW E34 can be downloaded from the network. The body is subject to corrosion, electronics can fail. You also need to know what oil to pour into the gearbox of the BMW E34 (if the box has a plate ATF OIL, you should pour oil with Dexron II, otherwise – 75W90 Gl4/Gl5), what gearbox should stand, how to change the fluid in the GUR (filter element).

In general, the power units of the German concern were characterized by phenomenal survivability. But time spares nothing. Now, when they have high mileage, there are problems with under-hood wiring, DMRV, cooling system. That’s the reason for the high fuel consumption. Plus, if the motor is powerful, it will consume 13-15 liters of fuel in normal condition.

If there are problems with turbine pressure, a sensor is used to check.

Of course, tuning will restore many parameters of the car, but only for a certain period. After all, the age of the youngest E34 is from 20 years.

Generations and configurations

Sedan 3rd generation – restyling

03.1994 – 12.1995

Sedan 3rd generation – restyled

03.1994 – 12.1995

Station wagon 3rd generation – restyled

03.1994 – 06.1996

Station wagon 3rd generation

09.1991 – 02.1994

Sedan 3rd generation

01.1988 – 02.1994