01 X5 4.4I 6spd Manual

[Gregory891]

Would the manual conversion be complete? More photos? Comments? Test drive yet?

[Nick P]

Originally Posted by Gregory891

Would the manual conversion be complete? More photos? Comments? Test drive yet?

http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...ed-manual.html

[Gregory891]

Congratulations!

Could you please summarize what

• what year is your X5 (E53), iDrive or pre-iDrive
• components you used
• what was needed to make the transmission & transfer case mate
• changes / modifications to drive shafts
• same for shifter (if so)
• reprogramming of ECU (at minimum so it knows not to talk to the former automatic)
• flywheel & clutch you used
• other key points

Did you need to certify the car in the CIS (as you would need to do in most Western European country) something like TUV?

[Nick P]

I described everything very carefully in my posts - just do read it.

Wegen dem TÜV - es steht ja nicht in den Fahrzeugpapieren (weder im Biref noch im KFZ-Schein), ob man einen Schalter oder Automatik hat, deswegen gibt's da auch nichts einzutragen (was und wo denn?). Selbst wenn es irgendwo stünde, eine Einzelabnahme wäre kein Problem!

Aber wie gesagt, ließ bloß meine älteren Posts genauer durch - da steht alles genau beschrieben, was und wie gemacht wurde.

Grüße,

Nick

[Gregory891]

Thanks Nick,

I did the same on an E34 525i touring, it was more plug & play as all the elements exist (from a donor 525i sedan in this case). The only ECU reprogram was to tell the ECU not to look for the automatic and you need to disable the neutral safety.

I agree that TUV would look at your car, you'd give them a list of donor parts and they would look, drive, test and do some calculations and then update your registration. Swiss would be similar.

I read your posts, the parts & process makes sense (based on my past conversion project). 540i box, flywheel and clutch. Pedal cluster from a manual X5. Shifter is a logical hybrid of X5 3.0 and 540i (you see it in the photos). As you state in many posts, the hard part are the housings so that the transmission mates to your NV125 as well as the output shaft.

Your BMW programmer likely updated the engine softward to "forget" the transmission, hopefully to tell the ECU that the cruise control should be disengaged when you push on the clutch pedal, not to look for park, neutral, etc. before starting the engine and a few other things.

I drive a 2002 3.0 d (5 speed), so I recognize some of the parts - but no all.

Nice work, persistence pays off. Contact Koala Motorsport in Ohio if you want to market the key parts for the conversion to a wide audience (US & Canada). For Germany I could give you a good contact as well.

[lo_jack]

Rise from your grave!

It has been three years...mileage and depreciation have been doing their work. I think an m62 with a manual should not be quite as expensive to do these days. I have a 3.0 with a 5 speed. I just dumped my firebird and have been obsessong about 4.4 with a 6 speed manual. I guess the trans Nick used is best, bit I wonder if you could use a 420 out of an e39?

I want to go back to Weasel's idea of selectable rover transfer case. Nv125 might as well be a cut rate np203...awd but you don't even have gear reduction.

Anyway, old 4.4s look pretty cheap, some transmissions as well. I want to know what the state of the art is on this kind of project now. A lot happens in 3 years.

[Roman D]

Hey guys, while having a more power than V6, 3.0 is understandable ( i just sold my beautiful 2006 3.0 6MT few month ago, if you want more power with manual gear box, do you know that there are choice of supercharchers exsist for m54 engine? I mean rather go in to unknown, solving fitting and computer issues, adding pedals and clutch hydrawlic lines, etc to V8, Why not get 3.0 6MT and throw supercharger in it? The 3.0 engine is one hell of easier and less expensive thing to maintain. Once VCG (and there is only 1 of it) and OFHG replaced, there is pretty much nowhere else for oil to leak, pain in the butt Crank Ventilation Valve will be deleted and solution is part of the supercharger kit...

[Helihover]

Originally Posted by Roman D

Hey guys, while having a more power than V6, 3.0 is understandable ( i just sold my beautiful 2006 3.0 6MT few month ago, if you want more power with manual gear box, do you know that there are choice of supercharchers exsist for m54 engine? I mean rather go in to unknown, solving fitting and computer issues, adding pedals and clutch hydrawlic lines, etc to V8, Why not get 3.0 6MT and throw supercharger in it? The 3.0 engine is one hell of easier and less expensive thing to maintain. Once VCG (and there is only 1 of it) and OFHG replaced, there is pretty much nowhere else for oil to leak, pain in the butt Crank Ventilation Valve will be deleted and solution is part of the supercharger kit...

Ding ding ding ding!

Imo this is the way. Could seriously be a Saturday diy project for 1/2 the price and 1/100 of the labor for almost the same result.

[lo_jack]

I have a pair of turbos and all the paraphernalia in a box somewhere. That's not the point of this thread. Torque is, sort of.