sharkfan

Try a different make light bulb, perhaps even an OEM one. It's lost in the mists of time/mists of my mind but I seem to recall some E34 LCM's are sensitive to the resistance on some aftermarket light bulbs. Edit to add; if it's blowing it might be because its drawing too much current so check the earth from the bulb/light unit for corrosion as this will increase resistance and hence draw more current.

London is a big old place - where roughly are you looking? I'm just outside the M25 and I trek to just the other side of Farnham to a guy called Lee Shannon; impeccable work at a good price.

Good to know you're still in an E34 Richard; I still have mine but was nearly forced to put it up for sale a few years ago when needs almost became a must - luckily we weathered that financial storm and since then it and the B12 are now safely garaged.

Well today is well earned (imho) day off from doing what everybody else wants me to do so I'm taking the opportunity to sort a few bits out for myself for once - starting with not taking my E39 'van' on the school and supermarket run but instead taking the E34 to clear the cobwebs, loosen off all the fans, motors, servos, joints and anything else that usually stays still in a garage and moves about a bit on the move. To say it sounds raspy and throaty after the somewhat subdued rumble of the E39 V8 is a little bit of an understatement - it is simply glorious. Everything seems to work, central locking, windows, AC, gearbox, engine etc so that's all good, and no leaks of any kind on the garage floor. I came out of the shop to find a couple of guys having a good look around it and asking what it was and how many were made, but also to find a splash of bird poop upon it - so it'll get a wash later in the day. Any other E34 owners taking their cars out this weekend now that the torrents of rain have abated?

Damn, wish I'd spotted these.

All good then - have you actually got a dipstick? I'm pretty sure the wifes 435d doesn't.

I would get this checked out really quite soon. I can't remember the specifics but a slowly increasing engine oil level can point to a leak somewhere from the diesel fuel supply through a component (HP injection pump?) into the engine oil. The effects of this are obviously dilution of the engine oil but also a situation whereby the engine can possibly fuel itself from diluted engine oil and be unable to stop. With 'F' series cars you can use the iDrive to do a quick check or a more accurate check of the engine oil level (wife has a 435d) so do the accurate check (engine running, car level, in neutral, no pressing the accelerator) and see what that says.

It is all a bit bonkers - I've valued mine and the Insurance company has agreed - they are not even close to the condition of yours but I reckon I've got the value/replacement cost about right. The E24 is also insured for the same which is about right as it is pretty much immaculate despite the miles and I have proposed a £35k value on the E38 given Old Colonel Cars have sold two B12's recently at £25k for quite high miles and £40k for similar miles. As an aside, did you read about the Jag XK120 that went through Silverstone Auctions recently; The Advert said: SUMMARYA driver-focused XK120, fresh from a two-year restoration, with some choice upgrades.DESCRIPTIONThe XK120 Roadster - as elegant as XK Jaguars can ever beA landmark Jaguar sports car and the world’s fastest production car in its daySourced specifically from the US by Jaguar specialists for restoration/enhancementTwo-year nut and bolt rebuild, now in RHD with added driving enhancements (including power-steering, disc brakes, uprated suspension)Beautiful colour combination of California Sage paintwork with a Biscuit interiorRecently finished, shaken down and ready to enjoyA car-starved Britain, still trundling around in perpendicular pre-war hangover vehicles, glimpsed the future in October 1948 with the launch of the Jaguar XK120 at the Earls Court Motor Show. Production commenced in 1949 in Coventry, and the XK's swoopy shape and stylish occupants would become a common sight on British roads over the next 15 years. It heralded the arrival of Jaguar's famous 3.4-litre twin overhead camshaft XK engine, (the basis of all their engines for the next 25 years) with an alloy cylinder head and twin side-draught SU carburettors producing nearly 160bhp. The “120” referred to the car's top speed which, at the time, made it the fastest production car in the world. Jaguar seems to have always had a flair for marketing and to illustrate that the car's top speed was not a figment of a publicist's imagination, in May 1949, on the Jabbeke to Aeltre autoroute, an XK120 with its hood and side screens in place recorded a speed of 126mph, and no less than 132mph with the hood and windscreen detached and an undertray fitted. The car was in almost instant demand and when on to spawn the famous XK lineage of fast and elegant sports cars.The car offered here is a 1952 Jaguar XK120 OTS (or Roadster) which has been meticulously restored from the ground up over the last two years by long-established Jaguar and Bentley specialists ‘DJB Engineering’ of Northamptonshire. The father and son team that run the company imported this car from the US specifically for this project. The car’s Heritage Certificate tells us that this particular XK120 OTS was manufactured on the 20th of May 1952 and was (unsurprisingly) LHD originally, fitted with a manual gearbox and painted Suede Green with matching interior and a French Grey hood. It was sold through Jaguar distributors, a Hornburg of Los Angeles, to its first owner, the pleasingly named, Mr K McCorkle.Converted to right-hand drive and with fully renewed bodywork, adopting a fast-road/racer aesthetic, the car now looks simply resplendent in Aston Martin California Sage, by craftsman Steve Chandler, with a Biscuit interior by Workshop 77 of Weedon Bec. Knowing the potential of these early XKs as proper driving machines, DJB Engineering also ensured this car has had some sympathetic upgrades beneath the skin. Fitted with a full stainless-steel exhaust, a 5-speed gearbox, adjustable shock-absorbers, hydraulic power-steering, polyurethane suspension bushes, hard passivated suspension components, an external oil cooler, larger volume radiator with an electric fan, and full servo-assisted disc brakes with Coopercraft billet calipers, this car is now extremely capable. Added to this, the lustful 3.4-litre XK engine has been fully rebuilt and dressed, with an overhauled cylinder head fitted with a new composite head gasket and new timing chains installed.During the restoration, simply no corners were cut, and the car features virtually every available improvement to make it most exciting to campaign. Photographic records show every stage of the process, literally from the prepared chassis and up. The car has been ‘shaken-down’ with road trails and performs as well as it presents. Father and son were sorely tempted to hang on to their recently finished car, such is its appeal and ability, however, a new project awaits.The XK120 OTS was hugely influential in period and has an elegance of line that would be completely at home on the manicured lawns of Pebble Beach, however, there is no denying that, in standard form, the 1940’s mechanicals are a touch ‘agricultural’. This superb example, on the other hand, with its intelligent upgrades drives, brakes and handles like a ‘modern classic’ offering, we believe, the best of both worlds. The new owner/buyer said; The Jag is a nightmare. Here's the list. Like I say, be careful buying at auction.1. Within the first four miles of driving, the car came to a sudden halt and would not go. When the differential case was opened, a catastrophic failure was found. The cause was obvious: the differential had not been filled with oil and was dry.2. There is a serious leak of brake fluid at the front of the car. This affects the performance of the brakes and has burned off the paint where it has spilled onto the chassis rails.3. The gearbox is leaking oil.4. The engine is leaking oil.5. The power steering system is leaking oil.6. The petrol tank is leaking from the drain plug, which has been fitted with a home made runner washer rather than a copper washer. Needless to say, the rubber washer has perished from contact with the fuel.7. The exhaust is poorly routed. At the front of the car, the offside branch is not physically connected to the downpipe and also interferes with the clutch cable. At the rear of the car both branches are in contact with the petrol tank along its length, with no heat insulation; the petrol tank, of course, is leaking. At the very rear of the car, the offside branch projects two inches further from he car than the nearside.8. The gearbox does not seem to be properly set up. It is not possible to select reverse.9. The wipers do not work. I have not checked the lights and indicators.10. The speedometer does not work (as new speedo cable was with the car, so obviously at least this fault was known to the vendor).11. The engine block and sump are not original. I do not know about the head. The sump appears to be from the British Leyland era and we assume it comes from an XJ6. It has been somewhat bizarrely cut down and welded up to make it fit. We have not yet identified what engine is in the car.12. The bottom coolant hose is in contact with the auxiliary belt at the front of the engine.13. The bottom of the bodywork appears incompletely painted.14. Overall the car is unfinished in its details. For example, the latch on the driver’s door is hanging off, the passenger door does not fit, various fixings under the car are missing, various bits of bodywork are unfinished.

Not done as much but I got an agreed valuation on my E34 through and confirmed by the insurers, £45k.

I've owned a run of E34 Tourings with two V8's - it hasn't been mentioned so far but there is/was anecdotal evidence of the bolts that hold the V8 oil pump getting a little loose over time - it isn't that big a job as there is halfway sump thing you can remove to check it but if you have the skills or money to do it's probably worth it. One thing I would say about E34 electronics is that they are best off being used - leaving a car months between use might see some cranky behaviour from the electronics but using it every week or so will hopefully remind the electronics how to behave as well as putting a smile on your face. One thing I would lastly add is check for the first signs of rust - check the sills underneath and behind the sill covers - also inside the fuel filler, the bottoms of the doors, the boot/tailgate and the edges of the arches. As others have said - check/change the gearbox/diff oil (is it auto or manual, saloon or Touring?) and check to see all windows, instruments, switches , AC/vent, keys, central locking, sunroof all work so you know what you're getting into.

If you have to swap the oil pan/sump I would strongly suggest you compare the part numbers for the oil pump, oil pump chain, sump pick up pipe etc - the oil pan/ sump won't be the sole difference.

RIP Dave - still missed - hope your girls are doing ok.

Thread resurrection 2.3.something Friends around to raid our dvd collection - drumshando g&t's followed by cava or red wine and finished off with fuck you covid shots of Olmeca dark chocolate tequila with baileys laying on top - Teenage dirtbag by wheatus was playing so the shots are now known as cheeky little dirtbags

Do any E34 owners have any DRL's rigged or fitted? Where might you find a spare positive around the engine bay that's always live when the engine is on?

Not a clue I'm afraid - I just threw money at him and trusted to him to do it well - he does everything well so I'm fairly safe on that front.