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01-09-2006, 11:05 AM
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BMW X5 Hitch Installation Tips
BMW X5 Hitch Installation Step by step instructions You may want to disconnect the battery – I did not Inside the X5 Disassembly 1. Remove spare tire 2. Remove the trim for the retractable cargo floor 3. Remove the plastic trays around the spare tire 4. Remove the 6 x 16mm nuts on each side (3 on each side) 5. Disconnected the Park Distance Control connector on the left hand side of the cargo area 6. Push the PDC connector through the hole in the rear 7. Remove 2 x 13mm nuts toward rear of dome underneath the spare tire 8. Remove 2 x 13mm bolts toward front of dome underneath spare tire 9. Push the dome (self leveling suspension) out of the way 10. Remove 3 screws to access the battery 11. Remove 4 screws that hold the plastic tray where the tuner is and or PDC module Outside the X5 Disassembly 12. Remove the exhaust ring trim – normally would not be on a 02 4.6is…I added these 13. Remove the lower 8mm bolt from inside both rear fender wells 14. Remove 2 T55 bolts that hold the bumper in place 15. Remove the bumper – remember to disconnect the 4 tabs underneath where the bumper is mounted to the lower part of the vehicle 16. Remove bumper shocks 17. Remove the front and rear exhaust hangers at rear of body (both sides) (4 X 13mm nuts on each side) Also there are 2 additional 13mm nuts to hold the ground strap in place 18. Remove the heat shields from each side (2 x 10 bolts and 2 x 10 washer nuts on each side) 19. Remove 2 x 13mm bolts that hold bumper shock frame to rear of body 20. Remove 8 x T45 bolts from bumper shock frame 21. Remove bumper shock frame Assembly 22. Run the wire harness through the opening in the middle of the rear of vehicle 23. From the cargo area run the harness to the rear left and connect it to the empty connector in the spare tire well – there is a cap on this that must be removed 24. From the cargo area where the battery is remove the large L shaped plastic tray that holds the tuner module and PDC module and insert the electronic control module for the hitch wiring. 25. Plug in the connector to the electronic control module 26. Mount new hitch support bracket in the pentagon shaped opening (1 on each side) 27. I also re-installed 5 of the T45 bolts back into the holes – this is probably not necessary but I did it anyway. 28. From the bottom of the X5 where the heat shields were, install 1 x 16mm x 85mm bolt and washer in to the rear (closest to rear of vehicle) hole into the hitch support bracket (1 on each side) *** Finger tighten 29. From the bottom of the X5 where the heat shields were, install 1 x 16mm x 30mm bolt and washer in to the front (closest to front of vehicle) hole into the hitch support bracket (1 on each side) *** Finger tighten 30. On the hitch assembly insert 2 x 16mm x 40mm bolts in each mounting location and take a hammer and bend down the tabs that hold the bolts in place (2 on each side) 31. The hitch assembly is very heavy, but one person can do this…lift it into place (it is obvious where it goes) and from the lower portion of the bumper support finger tighten 1 washer nut on each side..I hope you ate your Wheaties in the morning. 32. From inside the vehicle, tighten the top bumper mount with 1 washer nut on each side. 33. Once all 4 of these nuts are in position, you can tighten all 4 down to 55 lbs using a good torque wrench. 34. Mount the wire harness and plug assembly to the hitch assembly – use the 2 x 10mm bolts and 4 screws included in the kit 35. Find both bumper support brackets and install 2 x 16mm x 120mm bolts into each one (total of 2 brackets and 4 bolts) hammer the tabs down to hold the bolts in place 36. Mount the bumper support brackets to the hitch assembly with the longer part of the tube facing down 37. From inside the vehicle finger tighten 2 x 16mm washer nuts – You will not tighten these down until you mount the bumper 38. Tighten the 2 x 16mm bolts that you installed (bumper earlier from the bottom of the rear of the vehicle. (2 on each side @ 55 lbs) 39. At this time you can re-install the heat shields and the muffler supports – remember to install the ground strap on each muffler hanger 40. Re-install the bumper on the X5 carefully and align the 2 tabs on the side where the bumper meets the fender wells – don’t forget the PDC wiring harness 41. Re-install the 8mm bolt from inside the fender well (1 on each side) 42. Re-install the 2 x T55 bolts back into the bumper and tighten to 55 lbs Time to align the rear bumper 43. Use a hydraulic jack or something suitable and position the bumper to the right height and position – Use a protective cloth or towel to protect the underside of the bumper 44. When the bumper is position correctly tighten the 4 x 16mm nuts from inside the cargo area (tighten to 55 lbs) (2 on each side) 45. Lower the jack or remove whatever you are supporting the bumper with and it should not move out of place Bumper Disassembly 46. Remove all the plastic rivets that hold the bumper support beam to the bumper 47. Disconnected all the PDC connectors (total of 4) Only if you have PDC 48. Remove bumper support beam from the bumper 49. Remove PDC wiring from bumper support beam (5 white tabs) Bumper Assembly 50. Inserted white tabs for PDC wiring into the new bumper support beam 51. Placed new bumper support beam into the bumper 52. Replace all plastic rivets 53. Reconnect all the PDC connectors (total of 4) Reassemble the inside 54. Put everything back together on the inside by reversing steps 1 - 11 Test drive for fun and to make sure everything is tightened down Check for PDC functions Test trailer brake lights Installation Pictures:        <HR style="WIDTH: 100%; HEIGHT: 2px"> BMW X5 Hitch Installation Instruction Annotations by Bill Barnes Introduction After reading the feedback on the Bimmer.org X5 message board, I decided that installing the factory hitch was something I could do myself, even though I'm not particularly mechanically inclined, and I've never done anything with a car more complicated than change a tire (and that only a few months ago). I've never even changed my own oil. My experience was that the process was lengthy (about four and a half hours) but straightforward. With a few exceptions, noted below, the instructions were clear and correct, and told me everything I needed to do. I had a friend help me with a few heavy lifting tasks, and just generally to compare notes about ambiguous or unclear instructions. I chose the BMW factory hitch (which FYI is made by Holland Hitch: Westfalia then adds on the extra parts to complete the package) largely because I needed their wiring harness anyway, and the cost of a third party tow bar and the wiring harness wasn't much less than the BMW hitch. And frankly it just seemed complicated and that a third party hitch might not be quite as sturdy or well-attached as the BMW model. After this installation I am convinced that a third party hitch would have to be a pretty good clone of the BMW model to do as good a job, especially in the area of retaining superior crash protection. My next step is to get a electric brake controller installed, I'll amend this document at that time. I definitely recommend reading through the entire BMW instuctions along with these annotations before doing anything. I also recommend going through all the parts and looking at the vehicle itself and doing a mental walkthrough (or visualization, if you like) of the process the day before.  You don't have to be as anal as this, but it helps Note: These instructions assume you are installing the BMW hitch wiring harness. However, they should be useful even if you aren't 1. Important Information Required Tools and aids In addition to TORX screwdrivers T20 and T55, a T45 is required. I recommend a four inch (or so) ratchet extension. 2 Retrofitting Tow bar  Before 2.1 Necessary preliminary work Disconnecting the battery requires lifting the floor cover and unscrewing several items and covers above the battery. I waited to do this until I started working on the wiring harness, when those covers need to come off anyway. However since several cables need to be disconnected before then, you may wish to be conservative and do so in the beginning. To disconnect the battery, disconnect the negative terminal. The "luggage compartment trim" refers to the molded plastic pieces to the rear left and right of the spare tire. Note that "rear" refers to rear of the vehicle, thus the "rear panel" refers to the small vertically placed plastic panel between you and the spare tire when you are standing behind the tailgate. Removing the rear panel is your first experience with an annoying plastic fastener. I had the best luck with these by using a knife or thin screwdriver to pry the top part of the fastener out, then using pliers to remove that top part, which usually brought the bottom part along with it. Otherwise use the pliers to remove the bottom part. No doubt there's some fancy tool to remove these, but I don't have it.  Spare tired removed and left (but not right) luggage compartment trim removed. To remove the bumper, undo the two brass-colored T-55 TORX screws under the bumper. Lying on your back with your head under the bumper, you will see small indents beside each exhaust (or set of exhausts in the case of the 4.4i). The screw is directly above this indent, in fact the indent allows you to remove and replace the screws. You will also need to remove the two small hex bolts on the bumper side of each rear wheel well, and sort of dis-interleave the wheel well plastic from the bumper plastic. If you have PDC, you'll need to disconnect the PDC cable before removing the bumper - you can see where the cable goes into the rear of the car. Having two people to remove the bumper is helpful but probably not necessary.  The bumper is removed Removing the metallic impact absorbers entails removing three pieces, which together form the black-painted steel bolted to the body behind the bumper, two inserts and one plate. This requires that T-45 screwdriver I mentioned previously.  Left impact absorber is removed. The large black piece with the hole in it also needs to be removed. The instructions call for removing the mufflers, but simply dropping them about 6 inches (by removing the four frontmost nuts holding it up) sufficed. Make sure you have something to rest them on, as their tubes probably can't stand being dropped all the way to the ground. The heat shields are held on by two nuts and two screws, both hex bolts. Pull the heat shields out carefully so they don't deform.  Mufflers dropped and heat shields removed 2.3 Installing tow bar D Although the instructions call for adding the wiring harness before proceeding (and I did) I suspect that simply pulling the wiring harness cable through to the car will suffice at this point, and that you could finish the wiring after the hitch is installed and the bumper replaced. But that's just a theory. Getting everything positioned just right is probably the only part of this process that absolutely requires two people, unless you have a large assortment of positioning devices to help you.  Tow bar installed, wiring harness attached F Here is your next opportunity to interact with that magic annoying plastic fastener. Here it's easier because with most of them you can push out the top part of the fastener by poking something through the bottom part. If you have the PDC you'll need to remove your cable from the old bumper carrier, the just unplug and the cable holders pull out easily. G If you have the PDC, reinstall the cable.  New bumper carrier installed - detail of the PDC wiring H  Mufflers and heat shields reattached - ready for the bumper! "(Previously removed TORX screws (12) are now screwed to the tow bar. Tightening torque: 55Nm)" I puzzled over this for a while before realizing they were just talking about the two brass T-55 screws. Looking at the illustration makes that clear, but somehow I didn't get it. They just screw back in the same way they came out. When replacing the bumper, make sure you slide it in right so that it is even on both sides, and correctly aligned with the wheel wells, and that the wheel well plastic and the bumper plastic gets interleaved correctly. This is another place that having two people is helpful, as there's a certain amount of jiggling back and forth to get it right. If you have the PDC, don't forget to route the PDC cable back in to the car (making sure that seal is attached just right to keep it waterproof) and plug it in. I forget to plug mine in at first, necessitating a small amount of unnecessary disassembly before I was done.  All done- the proud owner (and installer) and his new hitch receiver 2.4 Installing additional wiring harness Because I hadn't yet disconnected the battery, I actually did this in the following order: A B E F G Disconnect the battery here. H The only tricky part here is realizing that the X609 connector has a moving part - it slides to one side, allowing you to align the trailer module next to the plugs, then it slides back, which actually plugs the trailer module in. Very neat, actually, but I stared at it for five minutes before I figured that one out. C Don't forget to reconnect the battery when you're done! <HR style="WIDTH: 100%; HEIGHT: 2px"> Additional advise is don’t tighten up the bumper support brackets unit the two T55 bolts that hold the bumper on are in place and secured, then align the bumper and tighten the bolts that secure the bumper brackets. This step is about the hardest and you will need someone to hold the bumper while you tighten the bolts. This will make more sense once you reach this step. <HR style="WIDTH: 100%; HEIGHT: 2px"> 'nother Newbie Hitch Install http://www.xoutpost.com/../../../imag...ine=1114291435 diogenes! Picked up the install kit from Hank Aaron BMW Friday afternoon and started 'bout 10:00 Saturday morning. From backing up on the ramps to driving off was a little over 6 hours. A few things I learned that I didn't know(or completely understand) beforehand:
A few observations:
mulch for the lovely wife. The X did a fine job pulling the trailer. With the light load('bout 1,000 lbs.), the 3.0 hardly noticed. Thanks to everyone that answered my questions and convinced me to go with the OEM kit. Maybe someone will find my notes useful. Patrick <HR style="WIDTH: 100%; HEIGHT: 2px"> MikeB I did the OEM hitch install last weekend, too. I have an 04 4.4 with the Sport Package. Here are some pointers that should be helpful to the next person: 1. Before attempting to remove the T55 bolts, loosen the two rear sets of muffler brackets until the exhaust tips just touch the bottom of the opening in the plastic valance. I completely removed the rear-most brackets and backed off the nuts as far as possible on the next brackets forward. This provides more room to get the T55 bit and ratchet above the exhaust tips and into the bolts. 2. The two brackets that supported the original bumper are held in place with three studs/nuts. Looking at the rear of the brackets, you can see the where the studs are welded to the brackets. The nuts are inside the trunk space. You will see rectangular ridges/protrusions in the body running from the vicinity of the brackets to the front of the trunk space. The nuts are above and on either side of the rectangular protrusion. The one above also holds the black bracket. You have to feel around between both sides of the protrusion and the black bracket for the other two. 3. There are heavy plastic sleeves inside the bumper brackets. The T55 bolts pass through them. You will need them for the new bumper. 4. It helped to test fit the new metal bumper on the bumper brackets using the T55 bolts before installing the plastic outer shell. I think this makes it easier to do the final installation. 5. The new bumper can be installed by one person using a tie-down strap (nylon with hooks on either end). I ran the tie-down from one of the rear door supports to the top lip of the metal bumper. I used it to hold one side up while I threaded the plastic outer bumper onto the tongue-and-groove bracket on the other side. Then I removed the tie-down and threaded the other side. Piece of cake! Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences. They were a huge help to me! <HR style="WIDTH: 100%; HEIGHT: 2px"> JMDXX5 Here are some Tips. Between the Mfr's instructions, and the instructions here on X5world,...plus common mechanical sense, you will be alright: 1) Do not start late in the evening if you desire to finish that day. 2) You'll need patience in spades, as this is moderate surgery, as there will be parts everywhere. 3) Glance over the mfr's instructions first,...then read the instructions on X5 World. Now procede to dropping that bumper. 4) For rear inner wheel weld screws (I think they're 8mm), you only need to remove the bottom screw on each side. Trust me. 5) Best already have a T20, T45 and T55 Torx drivers, or you'll be looking at that bumper for a very long time. I used the T20 once, but forgot where in the sequence of things. 6) Don't even think about removing the bumper until you have done the following: A) Remove the rear floor deck B) Parcel tray too if you have one C) Tire chocks and holder D) Left and right aft trim pieces. They have 10mm black plastic nuts securing them. E) Once the left aft trim is removed you can then unplug the PDC connector - if applicable. F) remove spare tire -....duh! G) Remover battery cover and refer to Mfr's instructions for installing that control module gizmo. H) While you're in that area,...you'll see a large black connector - that's the male end of the tow harness - remove the black filler cap. I wasted 30 minutes on that stupid plug. I) Disconnet the PDC connector - Remember that BMWs have those self-disconnecting plugs. Once you unlock the lever, the level will disengage the connector. *) Say what you will, but I did not disconnet the battery - your call on yours. 7) After you have removed the T55 bolts, the bumper will come off,..a bit stubborn but it'll bulge. Hint,...pull hard, but slow,...be ready to support the bumper's weight. Beer friend up! 8) No need to remove mufflers - Once you remove the 13mm nuts at the hangers, the mufflers will hang low enough and out of the way. Same for the heat shield. Hint - place nuts, bolts, and screws, etc near outside of rear tires, as all work will be done aft of the tires. 9) You'll need a 6" and 3" 3/8 drive extensions to get the 3 nuts off of the bumper shock absorber assembly bolts. I forget get the socket size. Where are nuts? Just look at the bolt pattern from the rear and follow the line to the interior. That's where the bolts' nuts are. Also, see those 2 holes on top of the uni-body frame rail(s). That's where 4 (the short ones) of those large silver assembly bolts will be inserted into the tow frame supports. -2 per side. 10) Remove the original support hardware from the X. Everything should come right off. Also, go ahead and analyze how the bumper cover fits,...as you will need this knowlege going the other way. 11) Now, to install the heavy-azz tow hitch. Install the frame rail supports ("L" on left side, and "R" on right wide. You can tack them down with the bolts that mount above the heat shields and the 12 o'clock and 5 o'clock bolts. Insert the other long bolts into the bumper mounting brakets. Place the long end of the bracket down (Here, BMW could have marked with an "L" and an "R" and an arrow (or a dowel). The 4 other long bolts secure these. Those nuts with washers attached fasten to the 9 and 3 o'clock bolts and the 12 o'clock bolts of the main hitch mounting points. 12) Most everything here is academic, as you should now have a clearer vision of the assembly process. 13) Mounting the new bumper reimforcement - Don't even think about using the old one - BMW ensured that it won't work. May have been a weight saving issue - who knows. Once you eyeball the way the bumper reinforcements is asembled, you'll quickly grasp the process to remove the old and install the new one - It's secured with a ton of push-pins. 14) Once you have all bolts hand started, you'll need a 17mm socket to tighten them down. Make 'em tight, not tight 'til the bolt sheers. The torque specs was 55ft-lbs,...if I recall correctly. 15) Some things I didn't mention as they are easy to figure out. That said, with the DIY instructions on X5 World, the OEM instructions, and these few words, I wish you much success. Lastly, I'll leave you with this, you'll be an expert when you're done. JMD ...not that I will, but it can! References: BMW Towing Airstream - http://www.xoutpost.com/showthread.php?t=640 Differences between OEM and Aftermarket hitch - http://www.xoutpost.com/148951-post7.html |
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