My 2006 project...

[williamx5]

Good day all!!

Well, I have another project going since my others are almost complete... The 2004 (better half's X5) is still learning how to shift... I'll be updating that thread soon after some more drive time... And, of course my 4.6is is going strong after only replacing the front driveshaft... I did finally find and replace the bumper support and got the bumper lined up... Gotta do a deep clean, polish compound, and wax... Take some pictures of the BMW fleet my son and I have for you all to see... I have the three X5's, one 540i6, and he has the 03 330i sport...

This one is concerning my latest purchase... The 2006 4.4L X5 with panoramic sunroof and tiny 17 inch rims... It looks odd!! Like a 3.0L with the bigger motor... Non-sport trim and base everything...

So, I got it for a steal at $2500, but I am not so sure I got such a good deal on this one, like the other two... I rebuilt the 04 motor, but I got it for $2000 and it had running boards on it already, and sport package stuff!!

I pulled the stuff to get to the valve covers... My son and I got the covers off and noted the exhaust cam on the drivers head was out of time... We pulled the chain cover and loosened the cam bolt for that one... We got the cam in a spot where all the valves were closed and proceeded to spin the motor over... It still felt like I was hitting something... I pulled the plugs and looked in all the cylinders... Nothing... I rotated the cam I loosened and it turned in both directions indicating the valves on that cam were not the obstruction... I also noted there was a squeak when turning the crank, but figured it was the belt still on the motor... Once I pulled the belt and still had the squeak, I knew the rod bearings were toast... Maybe even the crank bearings... So, why did just the drivers exhaust cam move? What caused the oil failure? The motor looks super clean, so I'm thinking something catastrophic had to cause the oil pressure to drop, and the owner didn't heed the warning to stop the motor until it did it on it's own... OR the oil pressure was good and something else got in the system locking down the bearing... I can't wait until my next few days off when I can pull the motor and open it up!!

I did a search, but "OIL" is too short and won't give just results concerning oil... OIL PUMP gives all pump related issues... OIL FAILURE gives all failure related issues... UGH!! Oh, CCV also doesn't turn up any results... Think my issue could be the CCV??

Pictures are to follow!! Might need a new photobucket account... Mine are about full...

Cheers for now!!

[squidzilla]

One day I hope to have your skill to take this kind of project on. I see your BMW collection is growing.

[williamx5]

Good day everyone!!

Well, I have finally pulled the trigger on getting this motor out...

To recap a little... My son and I pulled the valve covers and we found the exhaust cam on bank 1 not in time... I got the cam in a spot where no valves were depressed... I loosened the cam bolt and attempted to spin the motor to the correct position for the cam to bring it back to the proper location for timing tool lock down for precise timing... I had lots of resistance turning the motor... It wasn't a blockage, like the piston hitting a stuck open valve... This was true resistance... And a squeaking noise... Crap!! Spun bearing!! We'll see tomorrow when I pull it and attempt to tear into it before work... I have it ready to pull, but with everyone asleep, I'd rather wait... Gravity is the only thing keeping it in...

So, I figured I would need to get a replacement block at the minimum!! That would mean I'd have to pull one from a 745i since 04 and up E53's aren't in the PIY yet... 745i's are... The blocks are the same...

----- OR -----

I could pull a running perfect motor I have in "4" and put that in "6" to get one normal vehicle... Then I can figure out what to do with "4"... The trans in it is still giving me issues... I'm trying to make one good one from two incomplete vehicles... I may pull the motor and trans from "4" to facilitate the conversion on it... It is a near perfect vehicle... Driver seat is a little worn, and of course the trans, but otherwise it is a really amazing solid vehicle...

So, pictures tomorrow... The wiring for the 04 to 06 incorporates the trans wiring and the motor wiring in one bundle... I'm not sure about the 02 wiring, but it would be great if the trans was separate from the motor... Otherwise I will have to completely remove the wiring harness from the vehicle to pull the auto trans wires from the harness when I do the 6MT conversion...

Oh, I had to cut the half shafts out since the PO put aftermarket shafts in it... The bolt they used did not have a washer and it looked like they used an opened end wrench to tighten it... I'm going to get OEM used half shafts from the PIY the next time I go... They rarely get touched...

Okay, that is all for now...

Cheers everyone!!

[williamx5]

Well, I got it to work... I'll have to change it up later, but I'll redo the pictures tomorrow... This is what I have for now...

This is the aftermarket half shafts used... I didn't notice this spacer on my 2004... It is chewed up on the inside a little... Very odd!! It has a 40mm nut on it that barely fits in the spot for the original collar nut... I didn't plan on keeping anything, so I cut the half shafts out, leaving the outer CV joint housing in place... I'll use them for my initial test run of the conversion...







Here is the initial picture before tear down with the covers off...



I managed to get all the wiring out this time... I didn't mess with it when I did the 2004... I think this will be easier to work with...







This is where I left it last night... Ready to pull, but waiting until tomorrow morning...
Cheers all!!

[williamx5]

Good day all!!

Well, I got the motor apart as far as I can... I can't get the front crank bolt free with the block out of the vehicle... To make matters worse, I got the bracket made to hold the crank but can't find my 3/4 breaker bar... I found a 3/4 in drive air impact gun that needed rebuild... Got it cheap and the rebuild stuff has been ordered... Figured that would get it... We'll see...

So, I'm not sure how, but the cylinders had a bunch of carbon debris in them... figured that stuff would be stuck to the head, valves, or pistons... Anyway, I got the pistons out and all the bearings look great... The block looks good, but one cylinder has two very faint lines that I can BARELY feel running my fingernail over them... If this was a race motor, I'd replace the block, but I think these won't even affect the vibration at idle... I will be pulling the pistons off the rods to balance everything... I am getting new rod and main bearings... I don't think the oil was changed as much as it should have been... The last main cap bearing has a good amount of wear... I pulled the oil filter cap off to find NO filter... Amazing... There was also an oil bottle seal caught in the oil pick-up screen...

I'm going to rebuild this one and re-install... This is not the quick answer, but it's all gotta get done anyway... So, it is what it is... The 2004 is still driveable... This does put the MT6 conversion off for a few more weeks... Sorry guys!!

I'll get pictures posted as soon as I get them loaded up...

Cheers all!!!

[williamx5]

Good day!!

Well, I promised pictures... So, if photobucket will cooperate, I'll get them posted today...

The update thus far is that I have the pistons and rods cleaned, weighed, and ready to go back together, all balanced out as much as possible... "There is always one!!" That is one of my sayings... And as it turns out, there is one with this motor too... I can't see it being a product of design, but just odd chance... I have seven pistons that all weigh right at 370g.... But, I have one that is 374.2 and it is throwing all my numbers off... I got the 2004 motor deviation down to 2.1g from highest set to lowest set... I don't think I will be able to get it that close for this motor...

I do have the $1800 worth of new parts ordered... I can image how big that box will be...

Okay, pictures...

Pulling the motor... I took the biggest risk ever with pulling this... I got my engine hoist used... The previous owner had pulled the cylinder apart and for some reason took out the main pressure cup... The secondary washer was holding all the pressure and I didn't know it... I got the rebuild kit when it wouldn't hold any longer... All is well with the cylinder again... clean and new seals and fluid...






Here are the dirty pistons... I have since cleaned them up new... Weighed and such... Not sure how I am going to get around the one that is four grams over the others...






Here are the cylinders... Not bad considering I figured the motor was toast when I initially pulled it...





and the scores in the cylinder... Again, not as bad as I figured the block would be...



Here is the block info and the rear water passage with the cover removed...





Here is the bracket I made to hold the crank... There are two spots... One for the M62TU and the other for the N62... They share one bolt hole...



Here is the crank with pretty rod journals...







And the worn No. 5 main cap... Part of the 1800 bucks includes all new bearings (rods and mains)!!!



Weighed...



I do have the complete list (as far as I know) for the complete rebuild if anyone wants it... This is for a 2006 N62 as I did note there were some differences in 6/2004...

Cheers for now!!

[williamx5]

Good day all!!

Well, I haven't gotten any requests for the list of parts... I hope I'm not boring ya'll with my projects...

I can't post any pictures yet since photobucket isn't working well with others... I'll try again in the morning... I got the motor rebuilt and I did a few things differently than what I did with the 2004...

I didn't need to replace the main bearings in 4... But 6 needed them... There are a few places you can look to see what bearings you need... BMW uses colors to determine the correct bearing. All mine were "G"... That was pretty straight forward... There is a top and a bottom to those... Pictures will show the difference for the curious ones...

Ummmmmm... Differences with the two years... I had to update the timing guides... Look at the 2004 rebuild and you will see the huge difference between the old and new... The 2006 already had the new ones... SO, I didn't have to buy the new timing guide bolts that delayed me in 4's rebuild... I'll just have them in the event I get another 2004 with the old style... I'm not sure if it is an update or just luck, but the oil valve was still in my oil pump... I pulled it apart to get a picture and see if it was still in place... It was... and it didn't seem likely it was coming out any time soon... Solid!

Things I did differently this time... I did not rebuild the cylinder heads completely prior to installing them on the motor. I put the valves, springs, and new stem seals in on the bench (as most would like to do on the bench)... That is it though... I installed almost a bare head on the block, with the assistance of my better half... I had the intake cam assembly positioned so it wasn't putting pressure on any rockers... An added note is that the intake doesn't move any valves if the variable lift drive motor isn't installed... The minimum lift is virtually zero with no oil pressure and no motor... I put the pistons even in the cylinders just prior to TDC for #1... Once I had the heads completed, I locked the cams in place and rotated the motor to TDC... Never moved anything quickly... Pretty much the same thing I did on the bench, but I had the ability to move the motor under my new bright garage light... I apologize for the blurry pictures... Maybe too much light? Oh, I also primed the oil system on the engine stand... I had to close off the oil cooling ports, but that was easier than I had figured it was going to be... After that, I just put about five quarts of some good Mobil 1 in the pan and spun the motor with my breaker bar on the crank... It did take a good couple minutes to get the pump primed... After that, oil flowed everywhere rather quickly...

Another thing I did differently was installed the motor with the exhaust manifolds on... And both motor mounts, but pulling the pass motor mount ended up being the best idea... It was still a close fit with the front diff and the steering rack on the drivers side, and the exhaust rubbing the firewall on the pass side... Rotating a little helped... Going slow was the best way to do all this! I did it alone, but a second knowledgeable person would be even better...

I found it is best to leave the motor level or even tipped down in the front to get the oil pan past the steering rack... Lifting the front caused more issues than it was worth...

This is where you have to trust your equipment... I rebuilt the ram for my engine hoist... It was leaking down slowly with a motor on it... That didn't sit well with me... It is rock solid now... I needed it to be too! I had to install the pass motor mount hanging in place by the hoist... You could put a jack stand under the manifold for security, but it would get in the way...

Alas, I am not finished with it... I broke the "Y" connector under the intake and the intake manifold gaskets do not come in either kit... I missed them when I ordered everything... They are on the way... I didn't like the way the water pump bearings sounded either... That will be replaced soon too!!

So, it is about an hour away from initial start-up... Once 6 is out of the garage, my new project is going under the wrench for some much needed upgrades... Like a manual 6-speed transmission!! I can't wait... But three more days is a drop in the bucket compared to how long it's been already...

Well, I'll try to get some pictures posted up quickly...

Cheers for now!!!

[jopecasa]

As always....Awesome work!

Gotta admire you for owning more than one X5!......and all V8's too!

[williamx5]

Originally Posted by jopecasa

As always....Awesome work!

Gotta admire you for owning more than one X5!......and all V8's too!

Thanks so much!! Ahhhhhhh.... Well, I'm giving 6 to my sister... I'm keeping 2 (4.6is) for my amusement until I get the conversion perfected... 4 will be my daily driver...

And, would you believe I am getting 1 (2001 4.4L) Monday evening... This one will be the project vehicle that gets converted first... It is having transmission issues now, so it is the perfect candidate, minus the fact it isn't a sports model...

The real fun will begin in about a week!! Oddly, despite the amount of work involved, I really can't wait!!

Cheers!!

[X5UK88]

I have serious envy, I wish I could do all of this. I'd love to be able to go this far on my 4.6.

Enjoy reading your projects!