Free Negative Camber for the E53 BMW X5

UCrewX5 · #1 01-09-2006, 11:05 AM

Contributed by: hayaku

Free Negative Camber
for the BMW E53 X5

by hayaku for xoutpost.com

Scope:

This DIY article will address how to add more negative camber to the
front of an E53 X5 with the macpherson front suspension (not for air
suspension equiped X5's produced in 2004+).

Subject used was my wife's 2002 E53 X5 4.4 with sport suspension. I
do not know if this can be performed on an X5 equipped with front air
suspension.

After the adjustment, your car's alignment may be out of spec and
will require an alignment. The steps to perform an alignment will not
be covered in this article, although we did perform one on this car
immediately after installation. Please take your vehicle to a qualified
alignment shop after you have installed these plates. It is quite safe
to drive after installation to the alignment shop, chances are you only
have a little toe out up front.

Effort Required:

Skill Difficulty: 2 out of 10.

Much THANKS goes to my crew, Zivago Lee and Danny Lee, for the
assistance while my right wrist was suffering from severe tendonitis
and a possible fracture. They actually performed most of the work while
I took pictures in this session.

Time Required: 30 minutes depending on experience.

Disclaimer:
This is what worked for me. If you
are not sure nor comfortable doing any of these steps, please DO NOT
attempt to perform this procedure. Rather take your vehicle to a
qualified mechanic for the work to be done. Do not take your vehicle to
a friend that does not understand this document either (2 confused
minds will not make it better). You cannot hold X5World nor me
responsible for any damages YOU may have caused on YOUR vehicle (we
weren't there and didn't do any of it, thats the story and I'm sticking
to it). But seriously, it ain't all that hard to do.

Camber Adjustment Range
Stock Left Camber	Adjustable Left Camber	Stock Right Camber	Adjustable Right Camber
-2.0 degrees	-1.9 to -2.3 degrees	-2.0 degrees	-1.9 to -2.3 degrees

Tools Required:
	10mm socket
	13mm socket
	4mm allen socket
	rachet with various extensions(3" and 6")
	low range torque wrench
Optional Tools:
	19mm socket and breaker bar to remove the wheel
	flat blade screw driver
	Flashlight
	work gloves

You will obvious need to lift the vehicle. You can lift one corner
at a time as you work or you can lift the entire front end. You do not
need to lift the back end at all. You can use any hydraulic jack with
jackstands or even the scissor jack in your trunk. This article will
not cover how you lift your vehicle but if you need more instructions
on how to lift your X5, please submit a request on the forum at
www.xoutpost.com.

What ever you do, PLEASE do not work with a hydraulic jack alone/without jackstands!
You cannot depend on a simple rubber seal to hold the weight of any car
up safely as you work underneath it. Please use jackstands to securely
and safely hold the vehicle up.

Step 1:

Loosen the strut bolts

Open the hood.

On each strut tower is a round

black plastic dust cap. Simply pop the dust cap out to remove. Use a
flat blade screw driver to pry it out if you have to. I was able to
pull it out with my fingers.

With a 4mm allen socket remove the small silver alignmnet pin.

With

a 13mm socket, loosen the 3 nuts that secure the strut. Do not remove
them completely. We backed them out till they were flush with the bolt
thread on top.

Work only on one side at a time. If you are on the driver side (LEFT side - USA SPEC), skip to Step 2.

On the passenger side (RIGHT side - USA SPEC) you will have to move the windsheild washer resevoir.

With a 10mm socket, remove the 2 black plastic nuts that hold the windshield washer resevoir on the strut tower.

Pick up the resevoir and sit it on the engine valve cover as best you can without spilling it.

Step 2:

Slide the strut inwards

Push the strut body inwards as much as you can. Its about 1/16th inch inwards for me.

Tip: the strut body is easier to push if the wheel is off, less weight but not necessary.

If you still have the wheel mounted, pull on the bottom of the wheel and push on the top of the wheel.

When you have moved it as much as you can, reach over on top and tighten down 1 or 2 of the strut nuts by hand.

Ensure that the strut has moved in all it can.

Tighten down the 3 strut nuts to 18 ft-lbs.

Step 3:

Install the round dust cap

Pop the round black dust cap back onto the strut tower hole.

If

this is the RIGHT side (Passenger side - USA SPEC), place the
windshield resevoir back into the 2 bolts and use a 10mm socket to
secure the 2 black 10mm nuts to hand tight.

Do not over tighten these as they are plastic nuts. Just hand tight is good.

All Done

Wrapping Up

Once done, lower your vehicle. Your toe alignment should have moved
outwards a little. I would recommend a fresh alignment to maximize the
effect.
Enjoy your better aligned X5!

References:
Rogue Engineering Camber Plates
for the BMW E53 X5

BMW E53 X5 Camber Options

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