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

[X5only]

Originally Posted by Whitecat

2 years ago I've changed my valve cover gasket and i have to change them again both !! ... there is oil coming out of the valve spitting on my alternator... plus Alternator brush are quit finish - got the battery light ON and of course my dear friend SES light ON as well....starting to think to send the X to the retirement land....

When changing the valve cover gasket, apply a thin layer of pliable/non-hardening sealant on both surfaces. Also make sure to use the correct torque to tighten the bolts. If over-tightened, you risk crashing the gasket and it therefore start leaking sooner.

[Joshdub]

Originally Posted by X5only

Changed all the belts, tensioners and pulleys. The cricket sound (crickety-crick-creticky-crick) when the car is cold is now gone

Lucky. I did that and it's still here. It's intermittent but mostly when it's cold.

[Scott ZHP]

Bought a new Hella xenon headlight for $1 on eBay from a dealer a couple of months ago. It was advertised as "parts/not working", so I took a chance for a buck.

I swapped the ballast and bulbs over and installed it. Light worked great, but noticed it wouldn't adjust vertically using the manual adjustors. The auto-level stepper motor worked fine, but the light was clearly out of adjustment. Pulled it back out and discovered the base plate was separated from one of the adjustor balls inside the housing. I removed the bulb holders and the stepper motor and, using a set of pick tools, snapped the ball back into the adjustor socket. Neither the ball or the socket were damaged, just dislodged. Put it all back together, re-installed it and it holds adjustment just fine. Win for $1!

[Pekelicious]

Replaced transmission oil.. 129k km with the factory one, was about time to change it


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[X5only]

Originally Posted by Joshdub

Lucky. I did that and it's still here. It's intermittent but mostly when it's cold.

What was the torque value you used to tighten up the two spring tensioners to the engine block?

[Joshdub]

Originally Posted by X5only

What was the torque value you used to tighten up the two spring tensioners to the engine block?

I have the hydraulic one (which I replaced along with the pulley). I did whatever the Bentley manual states which I believe is around 40 something ftlbs.

[OrangeFurious]

Today I performed the largest and most complicated X5 upgrade/mod ever attempted on this forum. Avert your gaze lest the brilliance of my automotive genius blind you forevermore!

I ordered a BMW Cargo Net, OEM Part# 51 47 9 410 838 from Amazon.

* I really wanted one for a long time, and like the one in my E38.

[StephenVA]

OHHH oooo

https://www.amazon.com/BMW-Luggage-C.../dp/B006Z1YOOG

Just jerking your chain.....

[OrangeFurious]

Originally Posted by StephenVA

OHHH oooo

https://www.amazon.com/BMW-Luggage-C.../dp/B006Z1YOOG

Just jerking your chain.....

That's the exact one I ordered! I'll do a full build/install thread when it arrives.

[wpoll]

Finally made time to sort out my front control arm bushes...



Also changed the front diff oil while I was under there. Boy, there sure are a LOT of screws/bolts to undo to get at the diff!!

Actually, the control arms were a little tricky to get at too - at least on the left side. The cold air inlet duct is a real pain to remove and re-fit.

Because I was "pottering" and cleaning as I went, the whole job took about 6 hours, including taking the arms to an auto engineering place to get the old bushes removed and the new ones pressed in.

All in all, a good day's work. Car feels much firmer in the front now.

Next task - engine breather/oil separator replacement and air filter. Many more screws to some out!