2004 E53 Project!!

[Ricky Bobby]

Originally Posted by crystalworks

Agreed, especially with running boards. Those are $500-800 by themselves to the right buyer.

Local dealer gives me ridiculously good pricing on parts - Currently retail is $1230 for OEM RB's and he can sell them to me for $950

Price has went up substantially in the past 4 years

Sigh. someday i'll find a good used set

[williamx5]

Originally Posted by tmv

^looking good. 2001? Look to be Anthracite.
My old anthracite 525i.

It is indeed... 2001 and Anthracite... Yours is how I wanted mine to look... PERFECT!! I looked high and low for this color with the manual trans. I was disappointed when I got it home to find nearly no compression in cylinders two and three... This one cost me way more than I had initially planned on spending on my third 540i sport. $4K for the car, another $1500 for dealer parts, maybe $200 in tools for timing set-up... Tires, rims, steering wheel, block, heads, more gaskets, intake, battery, bumper, interior lights, and the list goes on and on... I tried to put it back to stock as much as possible, except for a few minor power tweaks... I got this one going, but it isn't perfect like I had hoped when I purchased it... I'll enjoy it until I find a better example to restore... Until then, I get to enjoy the new X5...

Cheers!!!

[zukgod1]

I'm going to follow this along you journey. I just bought a 04 e53 with the 4.8 and the PO removed all the air suspension and installed Bilstein Sports with H&R Springs. While these are good o would rather have working air.
Is able to get all the old air suspension parts but haven't been able to figure out why is been removed.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

[zukgod1]

Ugh, should have proof read that. Sorry.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

[williamx5]

Originally Posted by zukgod1

Ugh, should have proof read that. Sorry.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

That post was very understoodable!! I've gotten use to figuring out messages with my better half's talk-to-text...

I can't see why anyone would remove everything if they were just doing a conversion... Unless they just wanted to get rid of the weight... it would be super great if they left the wiring and module... I think it is less hassle to keep hard parts working correctly than it is to have a computer module constantly adjust everything... I want to experience the air ride before I toss in the towel in favor of hard parts...

Thanks for the following!! I will attempt to get the title cleared up this coming week... Keep your fingers crossed it works out for me to keep and drive this one when I'm done with it!!!

Cheers!!!

[williamx5]

Good day all!!

I figured I was looking for a small, credit card size module for the air ride. Upon further inspection of ALL the modules behind the glove box, I found this:



And this is what it looks like inside... If it matters...



So, now I get to figure out if this is the issue or something else...

Cheers all!!!

[williamx5]

Good Day All!!

So I am trying to figure out the title issue and getting nowhere fast... So, short of going crazy over it, I figured I would look into the DVD for the NAV. I pulled it apart and could not confirm what the problem was. So, I hooked it back up and just listened to it. I popped the cover off and took a closer look as it was trying to read the DVD I just put in the unit. The noise was isolate nearly perfectly center of the unit that was not associated with the disc spinning... This is what I found when I pulled it apart the second time..... Unfortunately, I have not figured out how to correct the issue...

This is the laser drive... (Without the broken plastic part)



This is how the plastic part sits (without the drive screw in place)...



These are the two parts that work great together when both are complete. Since the black plastic is broken, it doesn't supply enough grip on the drive screw...



So, how do I get the screw drive move the laser assy without the plastic piece that is obviously not cutting it?? I was thinking about wrapping the screw drive with threads of 550 cord and putting them through the arm of the laser assy... But I don't think I could get it tight enough to make a difference without distorting the screw shaft...

Anyone?!!?

OH, I'm guessing this is a common problem?! If I figure out the fix, that would be super great for those than can fix their own instead of buying one for a considerable amount....

Cheers!!

[williamx5]

Good day all!!

Well, I got it... I figured out the issue with the drive and I came up with a near completely free fix for it... The issue was there wasn't enough down force on the plastic part... So, I put a little foam in between the smooth circuit board and the arm... It worked...

I was only working with about an eighth of an inch. I used a piece of foam from my old computer case. It had a cloth like tape around it which made it perfect for sliding on the bottom side of the smooth circuit board...

Hard to see, but this is the 1/8 inch I had to fill...



And this is what it looks like before I put the board back on...



So, I figured I'd turn it on and see what happens... I can't believe how out-of-date it looks... Do I need to just update the DVD or am I stuck with what I have?!

Cheers all!!!

[williamx5]

Good day all!!

Well, it was driving me crazy to have a beautiful SAV in the garage that needed my attention and not do anything with it. So, I figured I would get it running and if the title didn't work out, I would have a running motor to sell too...

This is what I did yesterday... I tweaked my back this morning, so I may take it easy today... I hate getting old!!

I took this because I couldn't get the balancer off and figured I missed something. It was just stuck, so be aware if you need to take this off...



Alt is out... It was easier to take it out connected... I could have left the other connector in place too, but I pulled that to move the wiring harness out of the way in prep to pull the motor.



The fan, radiator, reservoir and bracket, water pump, hoses and lower oil pan is out. PS pump, A/C compressor are off...









Wiring harness out of the way!! Would pull it, but don't feel like dealing with all the trans wires!!



And all the stuff!!









And I love these little bags I got from work!!



Next is getting the motor out... A few more steps, like pulling the front diff and unbolting the torque converter/trans... Small stuff... Ahem!

Until then!!

Cheers!!!

[williamx5]

Good day all!!

Great news!! I stopped by the previous owners house and he was super nice and signed the title for me. So, all is great and I don't have to tear the X5 apart!! Well, short of fixing it... Which is going to happen rapidly now! Stay tuned as the fun is just about to begin!!

Cheers!!