new to board, bought '94 740iL

[krogers42]

Just bought '94 740iL black/black with 100K miles on it (dealer-replaced alusil block at 40K miles). On 12-hour trip home, noticed a few things I need to check out:
1.A/C makes very musty smell - any ideas?
2. hum/whirr coming from back of car between 50 and 70 mph? Can't tell if tires or something else - ideas?
3. Manuals include keyless remote entry booklet, but car did not come with a remote - any way to tell if it has a built-in remote entry, and if so, where can I get a replacement remote.
4. dash pixels are fine, but radio/CD pixels are very bad - suggestions for fix?

Thanks.

[libertylover]

Originally Posted by krogers42

Just bought '94 740iL black/black with 100K miles on it (dealer-replaced alusil block at 40K miles). On 12-hour trip home, noticed a few things I need to check out:
1.A/C makes very musty smell - any ideas?
2. hum/whirr coming from back of car between 50 and 70 mph? Can't tell if tires or something else - ideas?
3. Manuals include keyless remote entry booklet, but car did not come with a remote - any way to tell if it has a built-in remote entry, and if so, where can I get a replacement remote.
4. dash pixels are fine, but radio/CD pixels are very bad - suggestions for fix?

Thanks.

I have a 1993 740iL with 120k miles; your 1994 with only 100k sounds like a good find, especially with only 60k miles on the engine. Probably though the dealer changed the old Nikasil engine to an Alusil engine.

Here's some ideas about the other problems:
1-You probably need to change the cabin microfilter. Here's a link of how to do it: http://www.nmia.com/~dgnrg/page_2.htm. See "Microfilter Change". Be forwarned, it's a pain in the butt, but worth it.

2-Humm/whirr from back of car: Could be the tires but check and/or change the fluid in the differential. Could be a wheel bearing too I guess.

3-You can tell if the doorlocks are power or not by operating the driver's doorlock; you'll hear the locks engage. My '93 has keyless remote so your '94 almost certainly came with it. You can order new remotes from the dealer-probably not toooooo expensive.

4-If you mean part of the backlighting for the radio is out, the bulbs can be changed. I did the write-up but have no pictures. Again, it's a PITA. If some of the pixels for the display of the radio station/CD and track selected, etc., are not lit, probably the only reasonable fix is the replace the radio. These are plentiful on ebay but you'll need to know the exact part number for what you're looking for. Email me at [email protected] for more info.

These are great cars and there's lots of help available. Here's a link to a list of BMW parts vendors: http://home.earthlink.net/~hainesinutah/bmwvendors/