'01 X5 3.0i engine replacement project

[Eric Giles]

As mentioned in my post here http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...ck-x5-3-a.html , I am replacing the M54 in this X5 with another M54. The original motor has a cracked head/bad head gasket, so it is easier, quicker, and cheaper to swap in a known good motor than to fix the current one.

The motor was purchased from a salvage yard that sells on ebay and has good feedback. I was able to get the engine out of a '02 530i with 107k miles that had been rear ended and totaled. The motor was tested before removal and has a 6 month warranty. Price with freight shipping was $890, which isn't a bad price for a relatively low mileage M54B30.

Not much to show as of yet, since we just started the process last night. First thing to do was get the replacement engine prepped.



Valve cover removed...things look nice and clean.


Intake manifold, all wiring, and oil filter housing removed.


So far I replaced the valve cover gasket and installed new spark plugs. The hard plastic coolant lines have been removed, and we degreased the engine the best we could. Tonight I will install the new coolant pipes, new water pump and thermostat, replace the oil filter housing gasket and reinstall the housing. The Vanos solenoids will be removed and cleaned liberally with carb cleaner to prevent any sticking.

While I am dong this, my friend that is part owner of the shop we are using will be prepping the X5 for engine removal. Our goal is to have the new engine in and running by this Sunday evening. i'll try to take plenty of pictures and keep the thread updated on our progress as time permits.

[Emory39]

That a good price for that engine. You are going to have lots of fun. Keep us posted on the progress

[lo_jack]

This sounds fun....and something I was hoping to do starting in Dec. Post lots of pics. There are many interesting interchange and upgrades you could do as well, particularly if the thing is out of the car.

[Eric Giles]

Update on the project: We worked from 6pm Friday evening to 2am Saturday morning, then started again around 11am Saturday and had to stop around 4:30 that afternoon. We actually got a great deal accomplished, although we aren't yet finished. I think we made the correct choice of dropping the subframe and removing the engine and transmission as a unit, however it definitely is difficult to move everything around and get it into position. I wish we had a better system, but all we had were two floor jacks and a transmission jack. It works, but I wish it was easier. Now, onto the pictures.

We got started Friday by putting the X5 on the lift, and removed the exhaust, disconnected the driveshaft, disconnected the shifter cable and the brake calipers.



We then disconnected all of the wiring harnesses from the e-box and laid it on top of the engine. The radiator and all associated cooling components were removed. I had hoped we wouldn't have to open the AC system, but even with the compressor moved in every direction it wouldn't allow the engine to clear the body. Not a huge deal, as we used a Snap-On AC recovery/recharge system to pull all refrigerant before removal-and will use it again to refill the system when done.

Once everything was disconnected, we lowered the lift to put the subframe on jackstands, removed the 6 bolts holding the subframe to the chassis, and the bolts holding the transmission crossmember to the body...and then unbolted the upper strut mounts. It was now time to lift the body from the subframe assembly.




And, it's out.




Once that was done, we immediately started pulling the parts we would be swapping from the original motor to the replacement...such as the intake manifold assembly, alternator, pulleys, etc.

This is the replacement engine with some of the swapped parts installed.


Next, we separated the transmission from the engine.


We then removed the old engine from the subframe so we could make room for the replacement engine when the time comes.


With that, we called it a night...or rather morning, as it was almost 2am Saturday morning.

[Eric Giles]

We got started today around 11am. The main goal was to get the oil pan swapped over, all wiring back onto the replacement engine, reinstall the transmission onto the engine and get the entire assembly attached back to the chassis. We almost reached our goal...

Oil pan removed from the original engine. This is actually after cleaning most of the milkshake out of the pan...it was terrible.


Oil pan cleaned and ready to install.


But before we put it on, we decided to quickly weld the oil pump nut to prevent it from coming off. This is a problem on the M54B30 engines, so best to take care of it while you have access.


Oil pan installed.



After that was finished, we finished up installing the engine harness and other items on the engine. We put it back on the subframe and re-installed the transmission.



And this is where we had to end. We got the assembly positioned under the chassis, and lowered the X5 back down but weren't able to bolt everything back together today. We plan to start back on it tomorrow morning, with the goal being to drive it out of the shop tomorrow evening. Keeping our fingers crossed!

[Joshdub]

Solid work. I'm glad to see you are making good progress. What are you doing with the old block?

[Eric Giles]

Originally Posted by Joshdub

Solid work. I'm glad to see you are making good progress. What are you doing with the old block?

That's a good question...it really depends on a few things. Once all of this is completed and I have some time, I am going to remove the head from the block to see what is cracked, warped, etc. If the block isn't warped, and if the rod and crank bearings don't show signs of damage, then I will reuse it. I may have access to a good cylinder head shortly, and if that's the case I may install it on this engine and have it around as a spare.

If the block is too far gone, I will probably scrap it for the aluminum. That would be a shame, as I the only time I have been able to drive the X5 was the 2 miles from my house to the shop where we are doing the work. It ran perfectly fine...no odd noises, no vibrations, and the power was fine. I would surely like to reuse it if possible.

[Emory39]

that's a lot of progress. good job .

[80stech]

Great post and great pics! Do you think pulling it out from bottom with subframe was easier than pulling out from the front ?

[Eric Giles]

Originally Posted by 80stech

Great post and great pics! Do you think pulling it out from bottom with subframe was easier than pulling out from the front ?

Overall, yes I think so. I got the idea from Nathan's DIY Garage YouTube channel, where he was pulling a motor in an E53 4.4i in his yard. He said he's done it both ways and this way was the best.

The only issue is that it is one big assembly, so you need a large area and a few jacks to be able to make it work. Having the use of a shop with a lift, engine hoist, engine stand, and every tool you'd ever want made it easier in this instance...but it still wasn't really easy regardless.

I'll have an official update later as I'm about to reinstall the exhaust. Yes it's running and it's running perfectly! It will be tomorrow before I can drive it but so far this are going well.

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