Recently purchased an E53. Have questions! - Page 3

Qsilver7 · #1 02-20-2017, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SineDeviance

I have noticed a buzzing sound that seems like it's coming from the climate control panel after I shut off the car (and sometimes when I get back in the following day.) It kinda sounds like a cabin fan on the lowest setting. I just assumed it was the timed vent fan. My MID has a ton of missing pixels so I currently can't check/change the settings on that module.

There's a little fan inside the IHKA control panel that is included in the 16 minute consumer cut-off feature.

This little fan turns on as soon as a wake-up call is made to the P-bus. It begins to draw cabin air in across a thermistor which facilitates maintaining the temperatue set on the IHKA. This fan continues to run up to 16 minutes (if no calls are made on the P-bus) in case you come back to the vehicle for more driving.

So when you unlocked the vehicle with remote key or lifted the door handle...the little fan turns on...and if you're sitting in the car...it will stay on after shutting the engine off for 16 minutes. If no calls are made on the P-bus...then the little fan will shut off. If you activate anything on the P-bus...then the fan will continue to run.

SineDeviance · #2 02-20-2017, 08:31 PM

It turns out that the windshield is an aftermarket unit, so I'm boned on the rain sensor. Oh wells :/

Quote:

Originally Posted by Qsilver7

There's a little fan inside the IHKA control panel that is included in the 16 minute consumer cut-off feature.
...

That is all great info, thanks a bunch! I now know for a fact that the vehicle isn't going to sleep. I just looked in the window after the car has been parked for an hour, and the park LED along with shift indicator lights (P, R, N, D) were all still lit.

I looked up some guides on how to perform a parasitic draw test in these cars. I'll try to do some over the next few days.

Quote:

Originally Posted by srmmmm

Your vehicle has the GM 5L40E transmission.

You sure? According to this, X5's were equipped with the A5S390R (which is BMW's part number for the GM 5L50.)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_5L4..._.28A5S390R.29

The 5L40-E is rated for a max 4,000lb GVWR, while the 5L50 is rated for 5,000. It does make sense considering the X5 3.0i's curb weight is pushing 5,000.

Quote:

Originally Posted by srmmmm

Considering the mileage on the unit, I would strongly recommend no fluid change. Instead, look into the firmware update. Mine was done in 2006 at 54,000 miles and I have not experienced any shifting issues at all.

I guess I'll look into it some more, thanks! I'm thinking I'll probably need to flash it myself if there's an update. I called Hendrick BMW's service department last week and asked about transmission firmware upgrades after reading about it, but nobody seemed to know what I was talking about. They wanted me to bring it in for a diagnostic instead (meaning they wanted to make a quick $200 for doing absolutely nothing at all.) I declined for obvious reasons.

Quote:

Originally Posted by srmmmm

I would recommend you inspect the front driveshaft splines going into the transfer case though. AC evaporator condensate dripping on the driveshaft, combined with inadequate lubrication from the factory caused rust and eventual spline failure on many E53s.

That's not good. I'm guessing I need to remove the front driveshaft to check? How involved a process is that, roughly? And will I need any special tools?

Overboost · #3 02-20-2017, 11:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SineDeviance

It turns out that the windshield is an aftermarket unit, so I'm boned on the rain sensor. Oh wells :/

I guess I'll look into it some more, thanks! I'm thinking I'll probably need to flash it myself if there's an update. I called Hendrick BMW's service department last week and asked about transmission firmware upgrades after reading about it, but nobody seemed to know what I was talking about. They wanted me to bring it in for a diagnostic instead (meaning they wanted to make a quick $200 for doing absolutely nothing at all.) I declined for obvious reasons.

Yeah the Hendricks service advisors have told me countless times my retrofits will not work and it couldn't even be done. When I retrofitted the auto lights and auto wipers, they told me I had to buy a brand new LCM from them at $800 and spend another $200 for the VIN/mileage coding to eliminate the tamper dot. And because my car did not come from the factory that way, the wiring was non existent and would not be possible. LMAO, I just smile and offer to show them how I did it. You should have seen their faces.

Front Windshield Replacement Parts - E46Fanatics

srmmmm · #4 02-21-2017, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SineDeviance

You sure? According to this, X5's were equipped with the A5S390R (which is BMW's part number for the GM 5L50.)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_5L4..._.28A5S390R.29

The 5L40-E is rated for a max 4,000lb GVWR, while the 5L50 is rated for 5,000. It does make sense considering the X5 3.0i's curb weight is pushing 5,000.

As I read it, the 5L50 was used on the diesel engine. The torque capacity of the transmission is what is critical, not the vehicle weight. The 2002 E53 3.0 weighs about 4400 lbs.

That's not good. I'm guessing I need to remove the front driveshaft to check? How involved a process is that, roughly? And will I need any special tools?

My understanding is you can do it by removing the qiubo (flex disk) bolts, then drop the front of the driveshaft to get enough clearance to pull it out of the transfer case. Mine was inspected when it failed

2002 X5 3.0 317,700 miles
2014 428i 26,000 miles

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

1970 Firebird - Under restoration

Qsilver7 · #5 02-20-2017, 11:23 PM

Just an FYI to complicate things....I'm not sure why your fellow 02 model year e53 owners haven't spoken up....there are many past threads about how early build e53 X5s orange gear shift light does not go out.

For example...here's a thread from 2010: https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...in-issues.html

Overboost · #6 02-20-2017, 11:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Qsilver7

Just an FYI to complicate things....I'm not sure why your fellow 02 model year e53 owners haven't spoken up....there are many past threads about how early build e53 X5s orange gear shift light does not go out.

For example...here's a thread from 2010: https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...in-issues.html

Thank you for the knowledge Qsilver7. I have an 04 so it definitely goes to sleep and the park indicator goes off as does the rear window lock light on the door switch. This provided a quick peek into my sleeping issues when I had them. I could just look through the window and see if she was sleeping or not. From reading the post you provided it looks like this change occurred in 2003 models. Learning everyday!