I'm finally declaring victory after a two-week bout of my e53 being out of commission. I loaned the vehicle to my youngest (adult) son so he could sell his aging Toyota from college and save up to buy something newer/nicer as both he and his new bride had only beaters to drive.

The saga started when my son called me stranded along E470 in Denver on his way to DIA for a work flight. Based on what he told me (he's a mechanical engineer, but not as experienced with auto mechanics as Dad) I was confident the alternator had died on him. I happened to have a spare H9 battery, so I grabbed it and headed up there (a bit over an hour away) to rescue him. My rescue attempt didn't go as planned, so we ended up towing to my middle son's house in the Denver area. Once there, we got it sorted out and running, so I could drive it home - switching batteries halfway to make it.

Once home in my driveway, I ordered new brushes for the alternator (Valeo 140) and after installing, set out to fire the beast up. It was getting dark, and I had to access the disconnected battery from the back seat since the rear hatch couldn't be opened. Fumbling in the dark, I made a HUGE mistake and connected the battery cables to the wrong posts. Sparks flew and smoke rose from the alternator. I was SOOOO disgusted with myself!

Long story, short... I ordered a used alternator, swapped in the new brushes, tested every fuse and relay in all 3 fuse boxes (75ish?) replacing several that were blown, and I'm happy to say that all is well once again.

Since I had to wait on the used alternator, I decided to go ahead and replace the OFHG since the alternator would be out. I also found the hoses to the PS reservoir were leaking, so I replaced both hoses and the reservoir.

Of course, while I was working on the E53, I gave him his mom's E83 to drive and the TC actuator gear gave up the ghost on him (148K miles, so not unexpected). I don't think he's impressed with his dad's choice of automobile brand!

AM.

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E70 2010 3.0 M57 AT Titanium Silver with Black Leather
E53 2004 3.0 M54 AT Toledo Blue with Gray Leather
E83 2008 3.0 N52 AT Silver Gray Metallic with Black Vinyl
E46 1999 2.8 M52TU 5MT Black with Tan Leather 250K+ miles (Sold, but not forgotten)