What did you do to / for your E53 today??

[SamW]

Originally Posted by andrewwynn

Advance search my user name: andrewwynn and topic awr-fix

I have an icloud slide show with over a dozen photos because it includes how to repair a worn motor as well as freeze-proof the thing.

https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...or-repair.html

Actually i found it. But the search above will find most of my repair threads.

The problem and solution for frozen handles is covered in the DLA repair.

A sliding metal part will freeze solid to the body of the latch assembly woth one single drop of water which usually gets there from condensation.

Some Teflon and low tempn grease eliminated that issue.

BMW thought the cable was freezing and the fix was to add a little rubber nipple at the top. Did nothing as everyone who had their door handle freeze is aware.

Never had a tweaked handle freeze no matter the weather.

Thanks! Will definitely do this when installing the new handle.

[andrewwynn]

I used Teflon sold for putting under a computer mouse or "v" insulation and some low temp grease worked perfectly too prevent ice lock.

Some spray treatment on the door seal also important since that will stick the door shut even if the latch is working.

[Henn28]

Originally Posted by Henn28

I’ve been accumulating new door seals over the past several months to replace all four of mine, which are torn and ripped in too many places. I’ve been finding chunks of seal in the car and on the driveway recently. They are still available (bmw part) and while not crazy money, I popped for one per month for the last several months. They are the seals that run all the way around the door frame, and are friction fitted to the pinch weld. RealOEM lists them as “Edge protection”.

Pop up the plastic door sill with a trim tool, but be careful because in front these are held down at the ends by a tab that fits/locks under a corresponding tab on the plastic pillar/footwell cover. These tabs are very fragile now. Plastic clips slotted into the sill cover pop into the floor to hold them along their length. Somehow these seem pretty sturdy and none broke or failed during this work. My sill pieces are pretty beaten up, so I may replace these in the future. Assuming they are available.





Once the sill piece is off, grab the seal and pull it off of the pinch weld. Note the seam where the old seal is joined to make a continuous loop is “clocked” on the door opening (likely the floor) then start installing new one with the seam at this same point. I’m not sure if this matters, but I figured it couldn’t hurt. It takes some wiggling technique to get the new seal onto the pinch weld, and a rubber mallet to finish it up. It’s also exactly the correct length, but being rubber it’s easy to end up with too much seal to cover the last few inches if it gets stretched at all during installation. After a few attempts where I ended up with too much seal at the end, my technique became to push the seal on, both in a downward and lateral way so that the seal is slightly compressed against the length you’ve already installed, as it goes on. This way you won’t have a bit too much seal for not enough pinch weld. I read that some guys cut the seal to trim it, but there is no need for this as it is exactly the correct size. The fabric part of the seal can be worked over the headliner and pillar covers with a trim tool.

The doors, especially the rear doors, close much, much more solidly now. Time will tell if the wind and road noise on the highway is reduced.

New front door edge protection/ seals went on without too much hassle last week, and new trunk seals went on this week. The trunk seal ‘system” has two pieces, a rubber seal that runs all the way around the trunk pinch weld, 360 degrees:



and a single piece that runs along the lower portion of the hatch and fixes with clips and, at the ends a bit of peel and stick adhesive.

This one is easy to pop on and even comes with the clips pre attached to the seal. I’d buy a couple extra clips however, as two of mine were broken when I took it out of the box. The adhesive on the ends looked like a crappy solution, but surprisingly seems to stick to the trunk lid fine.



I noticed what looked like dried up white lithium grease on all the way around the trunk pinch weld when I pulled the old seal off, so I put a light coating on before installing the new 360 degree seal. Not sure it was needed as the seal goes onto the weld lip much more easily than the door seals. It has a bit more slop than the door seals too, which means more work is needed to not end up with too much seal and not enough weld.

While I was “in there” I put a wrench on the upper trunk lid hinge bolts and was a bit surprised to find several of them loose. Not overly so, but enough that I think they had slowly backed off a bit over 23 years. I’ve been chasing a loud “clunk” as the car flexed over uneven surfaces at slower speeds and that is now, happily gone. The trunk hatch closes much more firmly now, so maybe the new seals did it, but I suspect it was the hinges shifting very slightly as the car flexed.

[Salty B.]

Didn't want to start a new thread for this q: prior owner ran Liquimoly 5W-40 full synth oil every 3,000mi. That's an expensive oil change. Costco has 12qt of full-synth 5W-30 for $35 on sale. The engine has 201,000mi, does not burn oil. Any issue going to the slightly-lower weight? Kirkland oil is made by Warren, same as the Walmart equivalent.

Any experiences with the Costco stuff? Is Liquimoly really worth costing 3x as much for the 8L M54 oil change?

[X5chemist]

Mine burned a bit. Plus leaked a lot too. Fixed all the oil leaks. Switched from Castrol 5-30WT to Castrol 5-40WT. Mostly due to heavy traffic and hot summers. No more exhaust smoke. The M54 runs great on it. With so many miles on yours, I would stick to the thicker oil.

[x5Alpine]

Originally Posted by Salty B.

Didn't want to start a new thread for this q: prior owner ran Liquimoly 5W-40 full synth oil every 3,000mi. That's an expensive oil change. Costco has 12qt of full-synth 5W-30 for $35 on sale. The engine has 201,000mi, does not burn oil. Any issue going to the slightly-lower weight? Kirkland oil is made by Warren, same as the Walmart equivalent.

Any experiences with the Costco stuff? Is Liquimoly really worth costing 3x as much for the 8L M54 oil change?

Just use the high quality oil like liqui moly or castrol. It doesn't make sense to me why people try to save mere dollars when it comes to vital things like quality oil but I guess that's what happens when once nice cars are at a certain price point that attracts certain buyers.

[andrewwynn]

Look up project farm oil test to decide if want to change oil. WM will sell Castrol in 5qt jugs for very reasonable so that's what i buy.

[Fifty150hs]

I run Liquimoly 5w-40 with 5000 mile oil changes. I was on 7500 mile, but changed to a job where I greatly reduced my freeway time. With all the city driving I lowered the interval. I have 288,000 miles and it runs great. The M54 is probably one of the most bulletproof motors BMW built. Proper maintenance and good oil keep them running a long time.

[Salty B.]

Thx y'all, will stick with the 5/40 Liquimoly.

[Masospaghetti]

Not saying all oil is equal but I haven't noticed any real difference between brands. I stick with Pennzoil or Valvoline synthetic high mileage on most of my vehicles and it's been good to me.