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

[bcredliner]

Originally Posted by guntherrex

I saw lenses for sale and was contemplating that option, but I figured it would be a pig of a job to get the old lenses off? Do you have to seal them with something?

On a positive note... I found a loose vacuum hose and taped it on as a temporary solution... the CEL went off a few days ago and hasn't been back. so it's either that or me pushingthe engine a bit every ride to get the vanos moving a bit.

I think it was August of 2002 that lens went from an adhesive that released when the housing was heated to a permanent seal. I had one of each.

Some bake the pre permanent seal housings in an oven others heat the removable lens seal and cut through the adhesive with an Exacto type knife as they go. I didn't use the baking method. The permanently sealed lens can be removed but it is a terrible painstaking ordeal. I did one and will never do another one.

Unless the lens are extremely pitted they can be refurbished. I didn't find a kit that worked that well. I removed the housings so I didn't have to worry about harming paint. I wet sanded in stages and used plastic polishing compound. All by hand. I used a sealant that remains pliable in case I have to do it again. Key is to spray a protective coating after they are looking good to make them look great and keep looking great for a long time.

[guntherrex]

cheers for the info, that's what i thought as well. My car is from 2002 so i can expect the worst... i refurbed the bad lens with a kit that made it look much better, but I'm expecting it will probably get bad within a year or two.

[Henn28]

I sat in the drive way early this am with that sinking feeling as the the X cranked for 15 seconds but didn’t fire. Turned the key off for a few seconds, tried again and she fired up immediately. The 4.4 that was in the car used to do this occasionally as it got older (130k miles-plus). Nothing special about the morning, 60 deg, just a bit humid, a nice fall morning in Louisiana.

Fuel, air or ignition, and I would suspect the fuel pump, but it’s virtually brand new (Delphi). I’ll pop the code reader on it later today and see if any set and spend some time on the Outpost looking for similar posts.

Off to pick up the new-to-me sand beige seats I bought from 5s0NG and shipped down to me. Condition is way nicer than my OE seats as they are right now, and I’m having them recovered in new leather (sand) with anthracite uberkaro center inserts bottom and back. I’m excited as they have adjustable lumber and heat, neither of which we ordered when we bought our X in 2002. I’m hopeful that the wiring for the heat exists and when I buy an appropriate center console switch insert with heat switches, it will all come magically together. I’ve read several posts herein where guys upgraded there seats, some plug and play, some challenging. I think it’s a good sign that the rear relay/fuse block has wiring to the heated seat relay position, just no relay. Is there no front seat heat relay?

[nick325xit 5spd]

Originally Posted by Henn28

I sat in the drive way early this am with that sinking feeling as the the X cranked for 15 seconds but didn’t fire. Turned the key off for a few seconds, tried again and she fired up immediately. The 4.4 that was in the car used to do this occasionally as it got older (130k miles-plus). Nothing special about the morning, 60 deg, just a bit humid, a nice fall morning in Louisiana.

Fuel, air or ignition, and I would suspect the fuel pump, but it’s virtually brand new (Delphi). I’ll pop the code reader on it later today and see if any set and spend some time on the Outpost looking for similar posts.

Long crank followed by immediate start probably means that the check valve isn't holding pressure. I *believe* that the check valve is built into the pump.

Check valve failure has no impact other than the long crank, so it's not worth buying another pump to fix. You can also buy an external check valve.

[sandbagger]

If it is the check valve you also dont have to even crank it, just turn the car to run position a few times, then to crank and should prime the fuel system.

Originally Posted by nick325xit 5spd

Long crank followed by immediate start probably means that the check valve isn't holding pressure. I *believe* that the check valve is built into the pump.

Check valve failure has no impact other than the long crank, so it's not worth buying another pump to fix. You can also buy an external check valve.

[Henn28]

Thanks gents, that would make sense. I replaced the fuel filter when I did the motor swap, but I’m doubtful that mine has the check valve in it. It’s the older style. About half the size of the larger, newer style. I’m not sure when the swapped, but I read that the old one doesn’t have a check valve in it. Internet info however, so it’s could easily be incorrect. I did a reasonably deep RealOEM dive however and couldn’t find a separate check valve assembly or fitting.

Seats survived the flight down and are in the back of the X. The smarter me would swap the driver’s seat out to make sure it all works as hoped, before recovering them. Or I could just assume I will be able to work through any issues that come up!

[Maruzo]

Originally Posted by bcredliner

I think it was August of 2002 that lens went from an adhesive that released when the housing was heated to a permanent seal. I had one of each.

Some bake the pre permanent seal housings in an oven others heat the removable lens seal and cut through the adhesive with an Exacto type knife as they go. I didn't use the baking method. The permanently sealed lens can be removed but it is a terrible painstaking ordeal. I did one and will never do another one.

Unless the lens are extremely pitted they can be refurbished. I didn't find a kit that worked that well. I removed the housings so I didn't have to worry about harming paint. I wet sanded in stages and used plastic polishing compound. All by hand. I used a sealant that remains pliable in case I have to do it again. Key is to spray a protective coating after they are looking good to make them look great and keep looking great for a long time.

I used the 3M headlight restoration kit to refurbish both OEM lenses. That's 3 years ago. I just recently polished the lenses with Meguiar's Ultimate Compound and they turned out great!

[EODguy]

New brakes and wear sensors, replaced DHC on passenger side and then found a leak on the transfer case motor flange/plate (whatever the correct name is). This will have to be fixed next weekend.

I then left the White Witch with dirty handprints as a sandstorm was moving in....

Sent from my SM-A528B using Tapatalk

[X5chemist]

The X5 had a TLC detail package done. The guy took over 5 hours! He worked slow and steady. He's new to the business. So he's slowly getting faster. His longest clean was 7 hours. Yes, on a BMW sedan.
The kid drives an Audi V8 sedan. So he knows the pain of maintenance.
The interior has not looked so good since new. The seats have some nice glow to them. The trim looks great. I'll to have snap a couple of pictures. Ceramic wax looks great. It still had some wax on it. Water did bubble up on the hood. Now, rain should just slide off.

It's time to clean the extra set of headlamps! Plus order some trim matching paint for a few scratches.

[ToadFMB]

Installed BlueBus on the X5 yesterday afternoon.