What have you done to your E70 today?

[Nyc Dito]

Today I finally did the XHP Trans download with Rod Sutphin's tune. Havent even taken it out yet for a spin, but looking forward to it. Rod was super helpful and helped make the process super easy. Should pair nicely with xDelete, which I already have.

Tuesday the E70's going to the shop for the top oil feed line replacement.

[Nyc Dito]

Took my time and did the oil feed line as opposed to taking it to my Indy. My buddy who also has a 35d and did this like a month ago helped me with some tips and a torque wrench. Sunny J's vid along with Newtis were my go to references. Not as bad as I initially thought and could easily do this again.

[B4_685]

2012 E70 N63 transmission filter and fluid changed - downshift 2-1 noticeably smoother after a short warmup run.

Used ZF 8 Fluid (about 4.5 quarts) with ista + and a laptop (to monitor fluid temp). Turned out to be a pain in the butt because the fluid temp goes above 40 deg C in less than a minute after engine start and takes about 30mins to cool down from 43 to 40 deg C.

I flushed 4L of fluid through the system for about 5mins then realised I had put 1 Quart of DTF1 X-Drive transfer case fluid in with 3 quarts of ZF8....doh......they were in the same box and in my rush to get the job done before lunch, the wrong bottle of fluid got put in.

At any rate, did the drain and fill again to flush out my mistake and was surprised how dark the fluid that came out was considering I had just put clean green/blue ZF8 in!

Plan is to do another drain and fill in about a month to further dilute the mistake I made....short of a full flush, I’m hoping the mismatch wont be a fatal one....although I highly doubt 1 quart of transfer case oil in 8 quarts of transmission oil will do much harm....




2012 E70 50i

[B4_685]

Did the ATC 450 transfer case fluid today and reset/recalibrated the VTG with ista+. Fluid had 125,000 kms use without any issues : replaced as a precaution.








2012 E70 50i

[Toothbrush]

Most of the work below was done last week from Sat night to Sat night (full week to complete).

1. Found some ignition coil covers on ebay for $80, cleaned 'em up and installed them. Before I owned it, somewhere along the way, previous work was one and they were never put back on for whatever reason. It's the little details that make a difference. Drivers side runs ~$400 brand new.

2. Replaced the last original windshield washer pump, looks like I finally fixed that leak.

3. Was having voltage issues and everything pointed to the alternator or voltage regulator, so decided it would be easiest to just replace the whole thing. Picked up a new Valeo unit from FCP, installed it.





4. Figured since I was already going to be there and I was going to remove the headlights (see below), figured I might as well take care of the oil cooler thermostat. I couldn't actually tell if it was leaking, but based on the maintenance the previous owner did, I suspected it was original. New thermostat, BMW gasket (based on everyone's recommendations) and oil line seals.

5. Tons 'O Cleaning ... lots of old oil and grime in those not so easy to reach places from previous leaks. Cheap labor!



6. New water pump, thermostat (didn't go with 90/low temp version, still wondering/debating), temp sensors, expansion tank (finally started leaking) and a couple hoses I hadn't already replaced

7. Finally got around to replacing the stock tail lights with Depo facelift style - did this about a month or so ago.

8. Was having increasingly intermittent Adaptive headlight issues, code/s pointed to the left stepper motor, but the lights moved properly on start-up (every time) and using INPA (90% of the time). The light output was also extremely terrible due to issues with the lens covers on the inside. No visible moisture, just lots of 'scratches'. Of course, you can't polish the inside, so replacement was the only way to go. And the passenger side shutter wasn't working, so no full beam on that side. using a pick I carefully moved it around, very easily - codes pointed to a voltage/wiring problem. Pulled the lights out, two-fer one on removing wheel liners for washer pump (passenger side, kinda I guess), oil cooler thermostat (driver side)!

Turns out after some testing/part swapping the ALS controller appeared to be bad on the drivers side and one of the shutter wires was completely snapped in two on the passenger side.

I pulled everything out of both lights, heat shrink wrapped most of the wiring, fixed that shutter wire, replaced both ALS controllers (kept the original for a 'spare'), added new lens covers and decided while I was in there might as well replace the angle eyes with something a little different.

Retested it all after new parts/fixed wiring was done, but before sealing them back up to make sure everything worked and the difference is literately night and day. Before, I had to 'verify' the headlights were actually on by checking for a reflection in other cars or buildings. One other item I planned on changing but didn't was the projector lens. Picked up two new 3" : ZKW-R from The Retrofit Source. They were definitely sharper than the originals, but didn't fit 100% and I wanted to avoid modifying the housing to 'make' them fit. So... just cleaned the originals really well as they had some sort of dust layer or hazing or something.





Led light strips make working inside or outside the engine bay 1000 times better.



Most of the wiring insulation that was anywhere near the bulb was so brittle it fell off if you looked at it intensely enough.



Little soldering and heat shrink tubing galore...




That weird dust layer, or...?





Freshly baked light, straight out of the oven...






BONUS: I know it's not an E70, but can you spot the problem with this Bimmer?

[crystalworks]

^ Looks good. I'm currently working on very similar headlight mod coincidentally. I went with round halos though.

Nice work on all that maintenance too. Update the final look of the headlights when you're complete and they are back on the x.

[Toothbrush]

Originally Posted by crystalworks

^ Looks good. I'm currently working on very similar headlight mod coincidentally. I went with round halos though.

Nice work on all that maintenance too. Update the final look of the headlights when you're complete and they are back on the x.

I was actually sent the wrong kit, but figured "why wait x number of days/weeks, I might like it anyway..." I was supposed to get a set with one side that went all the way up, like a C with the top missing. Plus, I can always change it out later if it ever bothers me enough. [at least that's what I tell myself]

For anybody who hasn't had new lens covers in a long while, I can't believe just how much that improves the overall aesthetic. Seems strange, but everything (especially the paint) just looks ... better. I think it's like when see people with really bright or clear/colorful eyes. Or something.

Updated pics, though it's hard to get decent pics of bright light. Looks much better in person.

[crystalworks]

Very nice! And will be totally unique to your E70. I 100% agree about the new lenses. I can't wait to get the wife's headlights back on the 35d and finish some trans work that has taken it off the road for awhile to see the transformation outside of the garage.

[Dave00]

Originally Posted by Toothbrush

I was actually sent the wrong kit, but figured "why wait x number of days/weeks, I might like it anyway..." I was supposed to get a set with one side that went all the way up, like a C with the top missing. Plus, I can always change it out later if it ever bothers me enough. [at least that's what I tell myself]

For anybody who hasn't had new lens covers in a long while, I can't believe just how much that improves the overall aesthetic. Seems strange, but everything (especially the paint) just looks ... better. I think it's like when see people with really bright or clear/colorful eyes. Or something.

Updated pics, though it's hard to get decent pics of bright light. Looks much better in person.

Totally agree and great work as she looks amazing. When I first got my X5M, the first thing I did was get the lens protectors from Weathertech (https://www.weathertech.com/lampgard/) as I have the LED lamps and dang these things are expensive. The roads here in Houston sandblasted my previous E46 lenses and I'm very happy with how these Weathertech protectors went on and are holding up. You can't even see them and they'll be easy and cheap to replace when worn out. I'd suggest you get a pair to save your hard work over the years.

[crystalworks]

Originally Posted by Dave00

Totally agree and great work as she looks amazing. When I first got my X5M, the first thing I did was get the lens protectors from Weathertech (https://www.weathertech.com/lampgard/) as I have the LED lamps and dang these things are expensive. The roads here in Houston sandblasted my previous E46 lenses and I'm very happy with how these Weathertech protectors went on and are holding up. You can't even see them and they'll be easy and cheap to replace when worn out. I'd suggest you get a pair to save your hard work over the years.

I might have to order those. I installed Lamin-X film on one of the headlights and am not happy with it. It has a fisheye look to it and thus is not crystal clear. The Xpel film on my E53 is much better but they don't offer it anymore.

Does the Weathertech film have a relief cut for the recess on the headlights? The Lamin-X ones don't, which I like, but with the orange peel look makes that a moot point. A local detailer was going to install another brand but it has a relief cut for that dip/recess in the lights.