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

[mam4.6]

Originally Posted by Ricky Bobby

I could source and install LED AE's for you but its probably not cost effective to do the shipping thing again for you.

I'm hoping to try a bake-job myself, maybe installing LED's eventually, this summer sometime. I don't know how the insides look, projectors, fasteners, etc. How do the projectors fasten inside? Is there any chance of them rotating just a hair. The cut-off on the driver's side seems to be just a bit off, doesn't quite line up with passengers side. I thot maybe I just need to adjust my headlight a bit, but I can't go quite far enough to correct it.

[SlickGT1]

Originally Posted by Ricky Bobby

It has not been proven but since the normal operating pressures is about 1.0/1.2 bar or so, I'd feel better knowing the max pressure isn't 2.0 bar, basically at that pressure your system is boiling and you better be pulling over, your needle pegged into the red, etc.

If the system is venting you know the pressure is getting too high and you have other problems in the cooling system, I'd prefer the system let me know that at 1.4 bar instead of 2.

There's a reason that the E90 is back to 1.4 bar max venting pressure, and the E30 I think started at 2 bar but switched to 1.4 bar.

Long discussion about this on bimmerforums etc pertaining to E39 and E46, regardless, your cooling system should be maintained regularly but no negative effects of swapping to a 1.4 bar cap.

Yup, Ricky knows the whole story. After extensive discussions with a lot of BMW "wrenchers", the 2 bar cap is a joke that BMW is playing on us. If your system starts to boil over, you do not need to see that at 2 bar. You will be quite ok when it boils at 1.4 bar, and might even notice it before you would on a 2 bar system. The other part of the joke, is that at 2 bar, shit is not going to leak, shit is going to explode its guts in a catastrophic manner. The parts brand new from BMW are barely made to run at 1.5 bar, when new. When I pressure tested my coolant system, my tester instructions said to not go over 1 bar. WTF, is BMW doing with a 2 bar relief cap, if not blowing out our expansion tanks and hoses so that we keep coming back for the parts. 1.4 bar for me from now on.

[e30cabrio]

Is it safe to assume if my cap says 200 inside & out it's 2bar?

I just ordered a Meyle e30 1.4 bar cap.

[Ricky Bobby]

Originally Posted by mam4.6

I'm hoping to try a bake-job myself, maybe installing LED's eventually, this summer sometime. I don't know how the insides look, projectors, fasteners, etc. How do the projectors fasten inside? Is there any chance of them rotating just a hair. The cut-off on the driver's side seems to be just a bit off, doesn't quite line up with passengers side. I thot maybe I just need to adjust my headlight a bit, but I can't go quite far enough to correct it.

They attach with four nuts that thread on to studs, there are 4 rubber "spacer washers" between the projector and the studs as well, which can give some play in mounting the projector.

If you're certain the mounting of the headlight itself is not causing any issues (the 4 bolts in the frame rail), if you had the lights open to install AE's, you could play with the rubber spacers by tightening or loosening the adjustments on the 4 nuts, to give some axial or radial play. There is not much, but its there. To be fair I tried my best to line them up with my reference line in the basement, but any slight movement of each headlight when testing could have skewed a degree. Always best to aim the headlights with the lenses off, and them mounted on the car, but I didn't have that option.

PM me if you need anything Matt!

[Ricky Bobby]

Originally Posted by SlickGT1

Yup, Ricky knows the whole story. After extensive discussions with a lot of BMW "wrenchers", the 2 bar cap is a joke that BMW is playing on us. If your system starts to boil over, you do not need to see that at 2 bar. You will be quite ok when it boils at 1.4 bar, and might even notice it before you would on a 2 bar system. The other part of the joke, is that at 2 bar, shit is not going to leak, shit is going to explode its guts in a catastrophic manner. The parts brand new from BMW are barely made to run at 1.5 bar, when new. When I pressure tested my coolant system, my tester instructions said to not go over 1 bar. WTF, is BMW doing with a 2 bar relief cap, if not blowing out our expansion tanks and hoses so that we keep coming back for the parts. 1.4 bar for me from now on.

Slick is correct and e30cabrio you are good to go with the 1.4 bar E30 cap from Meyle. 200 on the cap means 2.0 bar, all E53 came with.

Last time we chatted around here the consensus with most was "if its 2 bar stock leave it alone" but BMW has switched their models in past from 2.0 bar to 1.4 bar, the expansion tank cap is nothing more than a pressure relief valve, under normal operation the system never builds up more than 1.0/1.1 bar of pressure anyway. If you are building up enough pressure that the relief valve on the cap is triggered, your system is running hot or you have another problem in your cooling system, and by then your needle will be pegged to the right as well and the coolant light will be on.

I'd rather that happen to me at 20 psi as opposed to 29 psi in the system to avoid real eruption. Our cooling systems are touchy, no problems going with a 1.4 bar cap. German Auto Solutions makes a 1.2 bar cap for replacement, very nice anodized part, but at less than half the price the BMW 1.4 bar cap is perfectly adequate.

[e30cabrio]

Thanks!

[ProfessorX5]

Filed a Paypal claim against autopartsway for the DISA that went to the wrong address... the fiends told me that they sorted it out with UPS, and then I find out from UPS that autopartsway never contacted them. Just going to get my money back and buy the part elsewhere for $50 more.

[2die4]

Changed the break pads and sensors as well as the wipers cost me 250

Learnt how to remove the brake warming light


1. Leave open driver door

2. Put key in ignition

3. Turn to second position in ignition leave for 30 secs


4. Turn it off hopefully it should be gone


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Peregrin-O]

Originally Posted by Ricky Bobby

You are lucky to get the Spyder housings, really nice housings for the price and pretty good quality too. 20 mins @ 210 degrees will be plenty to get them open, and be sure to swap all your xenon internals to the new units. You have stock xenon right? A new set of D2S bulbs will do wonders as well.

Thanks man. Yeah I like them but no I dont have stock xenon or projectors, just the freeform sport headlights. I did get some hid's and a couple electrolytic capacitors to solder in the harness and avoid the check light message (thats how I got my fogs set up and no errors).I think these projectors will be better than what I have now.
Maybe later when the angel eye ballasts die or I get tired of 'em ill add some SMD led's

BTW did I ever say I like this forum...cause I do

[Ricky Bobby]

If you want a set of stock xenon projectors to fit into your spyder lights I should have a set in a few weeks or a month or so, when I open my housings I'm getting rid of the low beam projectors in favor of an updated bi xenon.

At that point you would just need a set of hid ballasts to power them up I think