Anyone have experience with a BMW 524TD?

[fspGTD]

What are your guys experiences with BMW 524TDs?

I may have a line on buying one of these bad boys...  thinking about it for my daily driver.  

[QuickTD]

Absolutely fantastic performer. The things just love to run. Quiet, smooth and powerful. With some tweaking 150hp would be easy. The wail of the 6 at full throttle is awesome, nothing from VW even comes close.

Cold starting isn't great, but you're in Washington, so you don't know from cold... Down to -10º C is not a problem, much colder and you'll want a block heater.

 Average reliability. Head gaskets can be troublesome, like all diesels of the period. Do allow it to overheat, EVER. The head WILL crack. Mechanical tappets require adjustment, but its done with eccentrics and not shims, so its just time consuming.

 Parts are scary expensive, makes 1.9TD stuff look cheap... When I retired mine an oil filter was nearly $50, that was 5 years ago...

[VWRacer]

Jake, IIRC they only came with automatic transmissions. And BTW, this is the same engine/trans that came in a Cadillac of the same era. Very smooth engine...very refined for an IDI...nice daily driver...decent fuel economy (not great IIRC)...parts are pricey (as noted) and hard to find...but a much, MUCH, MUCH[/b] better driver than a MB 300TD.

[fspGTD]

Thanks for the feedback on this guys!  If I buy this, I'm gonna post up some pics.

[745 turbogreasel]

Driving experience is far above a contemporary MBZ, and it is snappy even with the autosuciding transmission.  Europe got an intercooled model.
the Yank tank with that engine is actualy a MK VII Continental, which seems to have some loyal fans.  I bet with the right later SuperCoupe parts, That too could be a very nice car.

[QuickTD]

My experience comes from the drivetrain in the "yank tank". I'll agree with that description. I had a MK VII, decent looking ride, but it was also available in the 4 door continental "Givinchi"(Sp?). Hideously ugly car...

The ZF4HP22 auto is a good unit as auto's go. Very solid snappy shifting, always in the right gear and no tendency to "hunt", totally unlike a domestic auto trans.

All this talk about it makes me wish I could afford to fix it...

[vixentd]

I guess I am a sucker for fun!! I drive a bmw 524td as well as a Vixen td.  THe vixen used the 524td motor.
vixenrv.org

I am up in Vancouver area if you are ever up here.

[VWRacer]

Yep...Conti, not Caddy. My bad!  :lol:

[shwartzbewithyou]

I went and googled (not really google, dogpile but nonetheless) a BMW 524TD.  Now i want one.
   :cry:

Were these ever released in Canada?

[QuickTD]

Were these ever released in Canada?

Yes, in 84 and 85 at least. You're going to have to look hard, there were less than 500 I'm told, most of those will have decomposed by now...

[745 turbogreasel]

search google video for BMW diesel, somone near me has posted some clips of his.  there is also one of the BMW Alpina D3 hmmmm

[caddy]

as i know on this engine, head will break easy under big power.
so the 524td is a good car, but in europe there is  525tds 325tds, intercooled version with 143hp instead of 115hp.  engine is stronger than the 524td.
i have a friend who have the 524td he buy it brand new in 1988, and have no head probleme. we play with the chip and do some custom one for it and no probleme.
this car is a good one for highway, very long ratio on gearbox, high mpg on highway at 130km/h than small road at 90km/h.

[shwartzbewithyou]

as i know on this engine, head will break easy under big power.

Does this mean when it's under heavy load?  Or when you mod it for higher output than stock?

[fspGTD]

Well I checked this thing out, and I passed on it.  I am not in need of yet another project, and it was actually pretty beat up.

[shwartzbewithyou]

Ahhh, that sucks.....soooo what's his number? Ya know...just in case I need his number for something.