Spec X5 Overland Build

[Henn28]

Been a slow spring and summer for the E53 and its old 4.4 I’m rebuilding. It’s now splitting daily duties with the G80, it’s stinking hot, and frankly, big picture, she’s been really reliable.

I’ve got some long term issues I need to fix though, like a split right front axle boot that I’ve left for so long I may need a new axle, the blower motor is going bad when the heats on, a right front window regulator or clip which made a menacing noise a few months ago so that window has been off limits, and of course the sun roof and water in my rear pax footwells.

The broken sunroof needed to be addressed, and was an easy fix once I figured out it was the plastic drive gear which is part of the motor assembly.

A new one arrived yesterday from getbmwparts.com so I took 30 min amd installed it. Having an allen wrench of the correct size on hand is helpful as working the motor and gear a bit helps get the drive teeth to engage with the roof drive mechanism. You’ll know it isn’t correct as the motor won’t sit flush. Turning the drive gear a fraction with the allen wrench helps the teeth mesh. Three Torx bolts hold it in place, and one of them is a bit shorter than the other two. Makes sense when you look at the motor and mount. Plug it in before you install it….lesson learned.

Take a moment to tighten all the random headliner and other screws you have uncovered, Then plug the mic, garage door opener and sunroof switch in and install the overhead console with 4 small torx screws. One at each corner….circled below.



Of note, if you ever need to remove the sunglass holder portion of the overhead, it comes out with a couple torx screws on the top/backside, so you’ll need to remove the overhead console first. The good news is that it does come out.

Finally, plug in the light assembly and pop it back in, open the sunroof and grease up the tracks.

Next up is the axle rebuild, and I may just use an Indy shop that moved into a space 10 min from my house. They did some wheel and tire work on the M3 so I may get them to do the axle boot (or axle) and the full tie rod on the right side. The left is fresh and easy to get to with a giant wrench, but the right needs a crows foot and more patience than I have when it’s 95 degrees out.

As far as the interior work, I’ve got new vapor barriers for the rear doors, but I’m not sure how to proceed yet as I’ve got broken plastic on my door cards that needs to be fixed somehow, or I need to find “new” rear door cards in tan on eBay, which had been tough so far. I think I could epoxy a circular “doubler” over the below mess, let it dry and re-drill the hole, but it needs to be the correct color and size. Sort of stuck on this.


I’ll likely pull the cards regardless and install the new vapor barriers, which I hope will take care of the leaks. No one rides in the back except my pup, so the door cards can stay off for a while while I think of a fix that doesn’t look crappy.

She got a bath and a ceramic detail job on the hood this morning after I finished the sunroof. The Ford Lead foot gray is holding up well, beyond some small rock dings. The original Topaz Blue is in bad shape with peeling clear coat, etc. My wife actually commented “when are you getting the rest of that car painted?” when she saw the car post wash. Hmmmm. Food for thought.