My 4.6is project!!

[williamx5]

Good day all!!!

Here is the update I've been wanting to post for some time... I finally have a few hours to deal with photobucket loading pictures and such... So, lets get started...

I had a clunk in the right front after I got the drive shaft installed... I dug in and found the outer CV joint boot was completely split all the way around... Grease covered everything... I had a little play in the lower control arm as well... I decided to get the whole assembly from the pull-it-yard... Both control arms, spindle, hub, and axle shaft... I am not sure why, but I unbolted the sway bar end link... I didn't need to touch the sway bar end link to get the parts I wanted, but since I had it half way out, I took it home with me... Good thing I did too!! It ended up being the clunking noise... The original was about ready to let go on me...

All the parts I grabbed that day!! OEM running boards and fender parts to go with it... Water pump with fan and clutch (interesting story on that in a few), two in-dash CD players, right front assy I needed, rear bumper hitch cover, headlight mounting for my 540i, water cooled alternator, air intake (mine was broken), and various other smaller items...



Not a lot of clearance here... I pulled the strut assy forward a little to get the axle out easier...





And the two, side by side... The one pulled from the yard had the 4.4L, but smaller brakes... The hub had two locating pins that I needed to cut off and grind smooth... I couldn't hammer them in or pull them out...



Okay, here is the story on the water pump... I pulled it knowing mine was toast... And for 7 bucks, it was worth the effort to have a spare... And I pulled the fan and clutch with it... It isn't as hard as some would think... Well, I got my brand new pump the next day, so I didn't use the aftermarket one I pulled from the yard... HOWEVER, my original pulley was cracked and I didn't want it tearing up my new belt... Or worse, exploding and taking a lot more out with it... So, I had a good one on the pull-it-yard pump I got... I tried to get the clutch off the pump for about 30 minutes... I know it has left-handed threads... So, I'm guessing the mechanic that installed the pump figured it needed to be tightened beyond removal... I had to cut the fan to get the clutch opened up to cut the shaft so I could get the pulley... I later took my 1/2 drive IR impact gun to get the nub off the pump... It took a constant trigger pull of the impact about 45 seconds to free the nub... Insane!!!







Here is the plastic tube replacement I did... I was installing the top radiator hose and pulled the air bleed hose to the tank when it just snapped on me... It broke a couple more time just pulling it from the mounting points on the tank... Very brittle!!! So, I pulled the clamps and broken parts from the existing hoses and installed this NON-FUEL INJECTED fuel line... Able to hold 50PSI, so I figured it would be good... We'll see!! There was just enough space to route in between the tank and the holder...



And now for the kidneys... Here are some of the originals and one I tried with shiny black and finally what I settled for... I need to take some better pictures when it isn't so gloomy outside... Maybe tomorrow morning...

Original with chrome being removed... Not difficult, just time consuming...



Cleaned of chrome... Gray not that appealing...



Bad picture of shinny black... Didn't take well and I didn't like it at all...



OEM and then with the new look!!! Need better pictures!! My apologies!!





Well, that is all I have for now... I want to pull the front bumper next to find out how much damage was done in the right front corner... I'll try to get to that in the next couple days!!

I did find out yesterday that I can roll up the windows from my house with the remote... PO must have programmed it because I don't think any US models were allowed to do that option... Additionally, my son just got a 330i that also has that feature active... It is indeed quite useful!!!

Cheers for now!!!

[dannyzabolotny]

Nice junkyard haul! I never see any X5's in the junkyards here, haha. If one ever shows up it'll likely get destroyed by the junkyard vultures in a day or two, they just use crowbars to get everything out.

I'm glad you got the clunk all sorted out. The black painted grilles look a lot better with the Imola Red, that's for sure.

The window roll-down and roll-up are features that can be programmed by a dealer or by yourself if you have PA Soft/BMW Scanner 1.4. I have that on my laptop and the option is called "convenience opening/convenience closing" in the IKE section. I disabled that on mine, along with the daytime running lights. I don't like having the windows roll down if I accidentally hold down the unlock button too long— the regulators are made of cardboard already, no need to stress them further!

[williamx5]

Originally Posted by dannyzabolotny

Nice junkyard haul! I never see any X5's in the junkyards here, haha. If one ever shows up it'll likely get destroyed by the junkyard vultures in a day or two, they just use crowbars to get everything out.

I'm glad you got the clunk all sorted out. The black painted grilles look a lot better with the Imola Red, that's for sure.

The window roll-down and roll-up are features that can be programmed by a dealer or by yourself if you have PA Soft/BMW Scanner 1.4. I have that on my laptop and the option is called "convenience opening/convenience closing" in the IKE section. I disabled that on mine, along with the daytime running lights. I don't like having the windows roll down if I accidentally hold down the unlock button too long— the regulators are made of cardboard already, no need to stress them further!

Good day!! Oh, they do the same to the vehicles here too... It is a shame!! The X5 I got the right front parts from had been on the yard for one day... Looked like it had been there for a month...

I have the computer and software with just my K+DCAN cable... I'm waiting on my ICOM so I can program all the modules... I was just surprised to see it already had that option coded... I have to code or program my LCM... The PO replaced it without programming... It is interesting... My lights work, but I don't have status on the cluster and I don't have to turn the lights off when I shut the car down... Nothing stays on... My hazards blink one slow, two fast, one slow and repeat... Different!!

Originally Posted by E53cruiser

nice buy. I was looking at this to buy but purchased another from Fayetteville, NC.

Thanks!! Let's see yours!! Probably doesn't need as much as this one!

Originally Posted by E53cruiser

what junkyard are you going to? I'm Greenville local and there aren't any x5s here to pull from

I found one in the Greenville yard a couple weeks ago... Guess they move their inventory out faster... There are either two or four in the Greer yard... LKQ pull-a-part... Little more expensive, as far as pull-a-parts go... But!!

Cheers!!!

[E53cruiser]

nice buy. I was looking at this to buy but purchased another from Fayetteville, NC.

[E53cruiser]

what junkyard are you going to? I'm Greenville local and there aren't any x5s here to pull from

[bmwfan296]

Wow! We aren't too far away. I'm in Anderson SC. Nice X5 BTW. I just checked out the u pull it yard and it looks as if they have a few 525i's. I need to get up that way and see if there's anything good left on them. I need a couple of replacement wheels for my 528i so I can get mine refinished.

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[williamx5]

Originally Posted by bmwfan296

Wow! We aren't too far away. I'm in Anderson SC. Nice X5 BTW. I just checked out the u pull it yard and it looks as if they have a few 525i's. I need to get up that way and see if there's anything good left on them. I need a couple of replacement wheels for my 528i so I can get mine refinished.

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Absolutely!! What wheels do you have or do you need any replacement wheels available? I'm going out there again on Wednesday... I can look for some wheels... and anything else you may need...

I'm pretty sure I need the bumper frame... It is great that they are all the same!! I actually pulled a perfect one off the X5 I got the water pump from...

Originally Posted by E53cruiser

wow really small world. I live in Simpsonville and used to live 5 min from LKQ. ill start a thread soon on mine

That would be great!! What did you end up getting??

Cheers!!!

[bmwfan296]

Originally Posted by williamx5

Absolutely!! What wheels do you have or do you need any replacement wheels available? I'm going out there again on Wednesday... I can look for some wheels... and anything else you may need...

I'm pretty sure I need the bumper frame... It is great that they are all the same!! I actually pulled a perfect one off the X5 I got the water pump from...



That would be great!! What did you end up getting??

Cheers!!!

I need some tan seat control bezels for the sides of the seat and I need two of the wheels that it looked like they had in the pics on that 525i on the website. I unfortunately haven't had the time to get up there and pull some stuff. I just ordered some rotors and pads along with some tie rods and boots from fcp euro. I am going to be on the lookout for either a 3 series to work on next for a daily driver or either an x5 like you've purchased there pretty soon. I bought the 528 for my wife and fell in love after driving it for a short distance. It's been some work though. I've already put a new fan shroud on, intake gasket, replaced the vacuum lines, changed the oil and filter, and put some new plugs in. I'm going to do a suspension refresh next and windshield molding. I want to get the wheels repaired or replaced soon too. So much stuff, but I want to have a nice car that I intend on driving for quite a while. Ppl say they sink money into these cars,but after driving one, i can see why.
Thanks to all on this forum for all the help for sure. It's a great group of ppl around here with alot of knowledge, thats for sure. Good luck with your x5. I'm subscribed so I can keep up with yours to see what I'm getting into if I decide to go with that over the 3 series.

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[williamx5]

Originally Posted by bmwfan296

I need some tan seat control bezels for the sides of the seat and I need two of the wheels that it looked like they had in the pics on that 525i on the website. I unfortunately haven't had the time to get up there and pull some stuff. I just ordered some rotors and pads along with some tie rods and boots from fcp euro. I am going to be on the lookout for either a 3 series to work on next for a daily driver or either an x5 like you've purchased there pretty soon. I bought the 528 for my wife and fell in love after driving it for a short distance. It's been some work though. I've already put a new fan shroud on, intake gasket, replaced the vacuum lines, changed the oil and filter, and put some new plugs in. I'm going to do a suspension refresh next and windshield molding. I want to get the wheels repaired or replaced soon too. So much stuff, but I want to have a nice car that I intend on driving for quite a while. Ppl say they sink money into these cars,but after driving one, i can see why.
Thanks to all on this forum for all the help for sure. It's a great group of ppl around here with alot of knowledge, thats for sure. Good luck with your x5. I'm subscribed so I can keep up with yours to see what I'm getting into if I decide to go with that over the 3 series.

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Good day!!

Apologies for the delay reply... I've been trying to catch up on my to-do list... I will look for those seat parts... Mine were broken on my 98 540i6, but my 2001 540i6 are still holding fine... About the wheels... As it turns out, I happen to have a set of staggered five spokes that came stock on my 2001... They are NOT, repeat NOT perfect... I got a cheap set of identical wheels that were in better condition to use... You wanna use or buy them to use until you get yours repaired or whatever?? I gotta go back to the PIY as soon as they get another X5!! I need that headlight and bumper frame support that I missed out on the last time I was there...

Cheers!!!

[E53cruiser]

wow really small world. I live in Simpsonville and used to live 5 min from LKQ. ill start a thread soon on mine