'01 X5 3.0i engine replacement project

[lo_jack]

Well that is awesome.

I think I might use the wired safety nut on the oil pump instead of welding. I hear if you have to come back in for it after its welded you have to walk it off in some rather long procedure.

Can you tell us what adapter/bolts you used to bolt the engine to the stand?

[srmmmm]

I trust you generously greased the splines on your front driveshaft before reassembly. One of your first photos seemed to show a fair amount of rust there that could indicate advanced internal wear of the splines. Great job with the thread though.

2002 X5 3.0 307,700 miles
2014 428i 21,200 miles

2004 325i sold at 123,600 miles
2001 325i sold at 66,000 miles

1970 Firebird - Under restoration

[Eric Giles]

Originally Posted by lo_jack

Well that is awesome.

I think I might use the wired safety nut on the oil pump instead of welding. I hear if you have to come back in for it after its welded you have to walk it off in some rather long procedure.

Can you tell us what adapter/bolts you used to bolt the engine to the stand?

The longest I could find at the local hardware store was M12 with 1.75 thread pitch, 90mm length. Those worked, but my friend had some that were more like 130mm long. I am not sure where he got them, but they were way more than long enough. The 90mm did work, but I did like the longer length of the longer bolts.

[Eric Giles]

Originally Posted by srmmmm

I trust you generously greased the splines on your front driveshaft before reassembly. One of your first photos seemed to show a fair amount of rust there that could indicate advanced internal wear of the splines. Great job with the thread though.

Actually, I am somewhat ashamed to say that I didn't. I honestly didn't even thing about it..I was more worried about getting everything back together. I will probably have to replace both of the outer boots soon, so at that time I will pull them back out and grease them properly.

[Eric Giles]

At around 4pm today, we officially finished the engine swap. I spent the day reinstalling the passenger drive axle (it gave me fits, so we wound up removing the shaft from the hub and it popped right in), then changing the transmission filter and added new Valvoline synthetic fluid. I had just one oops moment...during the final fill of the transmission, one of the lines popped loose from the transmission heat exchanger. After a few minutes of messing with it, we got it to properly seat and it hasn't come loose since.

The X5 is now running perfectly...I got very lucky with the motor, as it runs super smooth with no issues. I've got one SES code popping up, and it is the evap purge valve. No big deal, as I have a few good spares lying around. I will change it in the next few days. At least it isn't something like a vacuum leak, which can be difficult to diagnose.

Sorry but I don't have any pictures today...there really isn't much to show now that everything is back together. I have a few other items to address soon, as it now needs an alignment and new tires. There are other plans for it in the coming year, but they will have to wait as time and the budget allow.

So far, I have a total for $3200 in the purchase, a replacement 107k mile motor with all new cooling system and other new maintenance parts. Not too bad for a pretty clean '01 X5. But what really matters is the wife is happy with her new ride!

[g300d]

Congrats, good to see you got it done without much drama!

[StephenVA]

Congrats and good posting images. Hopefully it will inspire a few others to join in the E53 X5 ownership experience on vehicles that need a little extra work to make serviceable.

Happy wife, happy life!