BenFenner's 2004 Silver SUV

[BenFenner]

Charge battery | Album

Excuse the absurd update. I'd left the X5 in the garage for a while and it needed a charge. I should get a battery tender on it, or drive it more. One or the other will happen.
It's interesting to see the charger wanted to (and could) output 12 amps at some point.


Pics:

[BenFenner]

Install new OEM floor mats | Album

The car didn't come with any floor mats, so I snagged some OEM units.
Some cars use the keyed bindings, but mine needed the auger type. Both came with the set of mats.

I also took the opportunity to finally take pics of the all-important clutch pedal box and 6MT shifter.


Parts:
$120.64 | OEM floor mats (anthracite) | 82110008635


Pics:

[Salty B.]

I need to find me an OE 5-speed shift knob in the pale wood. I’ve got a crap amazon one on there that pops off the shift rod way too easily and I have yet to come across one from a sedan in the boneyards. But a new OE one is very very expensive.


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[Fifty150hs]

Originally Posted by Salty B.

I need to find me an OE 5-speed shift knob in the pale wood. I’ve got a crap amazon one on there that pops off the shift rod way too easily and I have yet to come across one from a sedan in the boneyards. But a new OE one is very very expensive.


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What if you filled the hole with epoxy then drilled and tapped it to fit the shifter threads?

[BenFenner]

I feel yah. A bad knob can be quite annoying.

Interesting you bring it up, because my stocker is (always was?) separating in an odd way where the wood gives way to the plastic down the right side. There is a seam there which has opened up, and it really bugs me.

So I've been on the hunt for a 6-speed knob that is the same height but just an all-leather affair. I'd love it to be weighted like the ZHP knobs, but I don't think I'm going to be able to pull that off.

So I got hunting, and I found some lesser E46 models with exactly what I want. So some day I'll probably ditch the wood and just go all black leather. I'm not a wood interior type of person to begin with, and I'm not completely sold on the concept of the wood-trimmed knob. If mine were pale wood I'd send it to you no problem.

And for completeness, here's the knob I'm currently favoring:

BMW part number 25117523817.
(ZHP on left, normal E46 on the right)

[BenFenner]

Originally Posted by Fifty150hs

What if you filled the hole with epoxy then drilled and tapped it to fit the shifter threads?

I don't think BMWs have had threaded shift levers and knobs since the 1970s, or maybe even earlier...

[Salty B.]

Oh hey I just remembered that the prior owner had a 6-speed knob on it. Which I have stashed away somewhere and I do believe it is the short one. Unsure if is is a real ZHP one tho.

Also not a big fan of the wood trim which in my rig is all cracked anyway. I wrapped all of it with this matte army green vinyl, except the center console which looks like a big pain in the ass to remove.

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[BenFenner]

Replace front passenger side outer CV boot | Album

At some point recently I noticed a bunch of grease coating areas of the front-passenger side wheel well. Closer inspection showed a torn outer CV boot. I don't know how old this half-shaft or its CV boots are but I would guess they have seen some days. I think this was just an age-related failure for a handful of nebulous reasons.

I know most people just replace the half-shafts these days since it is an easier job, and it's not too much more money. But I'm pinching pennies as always, and I simply refuse to throw otherwise serviceable things into the landfill for environmental reasons. So I'm going to replace the boot (and grease).

Knowing I'd be doing this job which requires the axle not to come off, I finally picked up some properly modern battery power tools including an impact wrench to make my life much easier. Read more about that here: BenFenner's giant tool [thread].

For some reason I guess this OEM repair kit does not come with a new axle nut (most of the aftermarket repair kits do come with one) and I missed that fact when ordering it. So without a new axle nut on hand I would have to reuse my old one (don't have time to wait for a new one to arrive). So, lesson learned there.
When removing the axle nut I wanted to keep it in good shape so I actually tightened it a bit to gently un-peen it, then removed it. THis worked well, and really shows the power of that Milwaukee mid-torque impact wrench. The thing is a monster.

The rest of the job went as expected.
No need to remove anything that would cause the need for a realignment like the tie rod end. No need to remove the lower ball joint, too annoying. Just remove the upper strut bolts and swivel things out of the way.
I didn't own the proper Oetiker clamp pliers at the time (I do have some now), so I made do with some generic pliers and a couple of thick staples (construction nails could have worked as well). See the pics toward the end of the album.
The only other tip/trick I have is to pre-bend or pre-close any new c-clip retainers installed onto the shaft so hugs the shaft and snaps into place inside the transfer case(?) much easier. You can actually crush this c-clip during installation if it is too loose. Don't ask me how I know.
Oh, and I took the time to label each bearing ball and its associated cage location so they could go back where they came because I am an absolute mad man (I don't think for a second this truly matters in the greater scheme of things).


Parts:
$47.08 | OEM front outer CV boot repair kit | 31607507402


Pics:

[Fifty150hs]

This is the best tool I've found for boot bands: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BTYHQQZ3...sin_title&th=1

[BenFenner]

Interesting...

I'm quite happy with my Knipex Oetiker clamp pliers (part number 10 99 I220) but I can see why you'd like yours.