Picked up a seized engine E70 (N55)

[BergA]

Hi all,

Last week I stumbled upon a pretty clean 2012 E70 35i with a seized N55 engine (73k miles). I recently rebuilt an N54 engine in a 335xi, so this project shouldn't be too different. I don't have a smoking gun as to what caused the failure, but most likely a low oil condition.

Today I worked on it for the first time. Today's goals were:
-Understand the "Vehicle may not go into Park" error message on the iDrive screen
-See whether engine can crank over, as it will be required to disconnect torque converter
-Remove drive axles (they will need to be removed before engine can be pulled)

1. The vehicle displays an error on the screen about not being able to go into Park. Not wanting to have to buy a transmission for this thing, I needed to understand what's causing it. The PO said the tow truck driver created the error by crawling under the car and "doing something" prior to towing it. Turns out, there's no way to put the car in Neutral when the engine won't start. So BMW has built in an override lever to force the tranny into neutral. To do this, you screw-in a socket head cap screw on the passenger side of the transmission all the way. Details here: http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/att...1&d=1341253633

2. To crank the engine, I needed to clear out some stuff in the engine bay. First came the raw aluminum tube-strut with 4 bolts and the power steering lines attached to it. Then the radiator slid directly upwards and out. From there, I used a breaker bar and 22mm socket to crank the engine over. It was stuck at first, but then "freed" up. I put that in quotes because it still took ~100ft-lb to crank the engine.

3. The real project of the day was removing drive axles. I didn't take many pictures, but here is the vague sequence of events:
a) Remove front wheels
b) Remove drive axle nuts with 36mm 12-point socket and impact gun
c) Press drive axles through hub. I used a cheap harbor freight 3-jaw puller around the brake disk. I loaded the puller gently, then hammered on the press pin with a steel hammer. The shafts moved out fairly easily so I doubt I subjected the disks to much stress.
4. Unbolt the brake calipers from the hub with 2x E18 (?) bolts and zip tie it out of the way.
5. Remove the nut at the top A-arm. Then tap the bolt out. At this point spring pressure should automatically separate the joint, otherwise tap it with a mallet.
6. Remove the cast "fork" that attaches to the bottom of the shock. There is one pinch bolt holding it onto the fork, and then a pivot bolt at the bottom holding it onto the bottom control arm.
7. At this point, the hub is flexible enough to get the drive axles out.
8. Get under the car and pry the drive axles out. This was really tough. Just pry with everything you've got and keep your force axial. Don't try to use the drive axle as a slide hammer; it won't work.