2006 3.0d with 240,000k's - Things to look for?

[Salty_Dog]

Our 2006 3.0d is humming along nicely, just took her on a 2500k road trip and everything was sweet.

But, i am starting to get paranoid.
Whilst reading about other 4WD vehicles (Toyota Prado, Nissan Patrol, VW Amarok), you hear all these horror stories regarding common rail diesels, injector issues, injector seal issues and engine failures.

So, what is the story with our E53 3.0d engines?

As mentioned, ours has just clocked over 240,000
It starts perfectly, no smoke
Idles smooth (no rattles, but it is hard to tell, as it does make the distinctive diesel rattle)
Gets 1050k's from a tank
It does purge some black smoke under hard acceleration (the first time you do it)

I know i need to replace the Auto Trans fluid
I do the Engine Oil and Filters every year or 10,000k's

But is there anything engine related that needs attention?
Timing Chain? Tensioner? Injectors?
Should you run an injector cleaner through them? And do they even do anything?

Or should i just leave it alone?

[ants_oz]

Apart from oil and filter changes, I would leave it alone mate. You are at a point of rapidly diminishing returns with a vehicle of that age - as I'm sure you know they are worth next to nothing once they hit 100,000km in Australia - yours is over double that. Enjoy it, drive it, keep the fluids fresh.

Injector cleaners - am not a fan. Not in diesels. Direct injection injectors cop a hiding, but once their time is up it is a better bet to replace the injectors.

[Salty_Dog]

Thanks ants
Yeah, you are probably right.
The vehicle is at the point, where if the motor fails, i might as well just leave it on the roadside.

[basicm]

1050 from a tank! Keep it my friend, hardly 600 out of mine.


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[bandite53]

If it hasn't had one yet.
Mine failed at 215k. Luckily picked it up at low speed. The belt held it together.
My father also has one and changed his at the same time(160k on his)
Had cracks.
Did belts and idlers while there, just because we were there.
The guy at Parts Agent 0427754314 does the bits at a great price (almost ebay price.)
Got his details from another post in this forum great guy to deal with.

[Salty_Dog]

Thanks bandite53.
Yes, belts are a good idea.

We know our time is limited with our 06 X5, but honestly, we just cant fault it
(apart from the radio module).
Quality of finish
Economical
Well Maintained
Luxury Vehicle
Problem Free, Cheap to Service, No common terminal problems.


So we are caught in the situation of keep it, as better the devil you know, and really, it cant drop in value too much more.
Or trade up... to probably a E70 X5, which will cost $60,000 AUD.
For essentially, a vehicle that doesn't do much more than what we have, and will drop in price like a the proverbial.

Which leads me to this thread i guess, how can we best look after our 240k beauty

I am fairly sure the Auto Trans fluid has never been changed, nor either Diff.
So i have them on my list.

EDIT: I found a nice thread on the Harmonic Balancer
http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...-one-Some-pics

Price is scary though: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/BMW-X5-DI...-/320954855812

Thanks for the heads up.

[bandite53]

No worries mate
Just so you know the genuine balancer is over $1200

From what I have researched the M57d is a pretty bullet proof motor.
BMW put it in all the models
Twin turbo and triple turbo (M50d) the platform for the motor isn't changed much.
There are a few things in the uk like injectors, but it looks like the climate and set up (swirl flaps which we don't have and pre-heater which we don't use here) may cause problems and carbon build up .

I am in the same boat as you.
My wife wants an E70 but now the E53 is worth like $15k its not worth upgrading to get the same car basically.
Especially with all the work I've done.

It sits in the garage most of the week. Wife trains to work.
I have a dual cab and a AE82 twincam (toy) so I hardly drive it bar for family runs.

Plus its super clean , ok a few k's but I love the thing.
And they are a great looking car (when they are clean , have noticed a few early ones around lately looking really shabby)
I have done all the service stuff , all oils. Trans oil twice. About to do a third.
Done the balancer, belts and idlers.
Thermo fan
Got a rail and boost chip from the UK (awesome performance)
Done EGR delete.
LED interior lights and Halo's

So yeah would have to all this to an E70.
Going to wait a couple more years till the E70 xdrive 40D 's come done in price.

[Salty_Dog]

Yeah, our 06 E53 X5 is the Premium Sports
So its prolly still worth $22k

Engine is stock
I haven't done the ERG delete (didn't want to go screwing around with it or turbo pressures)

I just wondered if these engines need Valve Clearances checked or Chain Tensioners replaced?

But, by the look of parts and labour costs, i'm probably better to just keep nursing it around.
We never thrash ours, just drive it in the torque curve and let it cruise.
It doesn't tow anything, but the hitch is there.
My days of driving fast are over, if i want to get some where quick now, i just leave earlier
My goal these days is drive it so the economy stays 9.6L/100ks or better.

[jdd]

Mine has just clicked over 210,000 k's without any major dramas.
For the sake of reliability, as well as the belts I would also look at replacing all the rubber components within the cooling system (radiator & heater hoses, etc).
These deteriorate more from age and heat cycles rather than distance travelled.

I think the main issue is that when these engines get up in mileage and they do have a major failure, people normally don't fix them because it's too expensive so we never get to hear what the common issues are with a high mileage engine.

Here are some common issues that you may have already experienced, and if not will likely encounter before long;
Cracked exhaust manifolds on the later models.
Blocked engine breather, but I'd be surprised if any of these were still running the old setup.
Worn suspension bushes.
Torn CV boots.
Cracked radiator overflow tank.
Worn out gear in the transfer case servo motor.
Choked EGR & inlet manifold.
Harmonic balancer.

On the valve clearance issue, I believe they run hydraulic lifters so this shouldn't be an issue.
I would also question timing chain, guides & tensioner(s) but have no experience with this on these engines.

Just on the issue of changing the auto trans fluid, you may want to read up about that on this site.
This has been a hotly debated topic at times, and there are two schools of thought on doing this on a high mileage car.

Injectors are another thing that I would like to investigate myself.
Many diesels need injector replacement/recos at this sort of mileage and mine too is starting to puff a bit of black smoke on acceleration, and I'm wondering if it's due to worn injectors.

I've seen a few E53 diesels around lately that are puffing large amounts of smoke on take off, and from my own experience this has been caused by a cracked exhaust manifold, or chocked EGR & inlet manifold.

[ants_oz]

Yep, definitely hydraulic followers.

And no shims to replace or screw adjusters. Just nice and simple low-revving diesel tech

Worn (etc) injectors will cause smoking issues. Will also affect power delivery and economy. In modern injected diesels, the symptoms (apart from the smoke) are masked quite well, and it often "creeps up" on owners, so they don't notice the gradual degradation in such things as performance.

But injectors are a service part, and do need to be refreshed periodically.

My understanding is that the M57's have an enviable reputation for timing chain and guide/tensioner reliability. There are recorded failures, but they are rare. Again, one of the benefits I guess of comparatively low-revving diesel tech