Bought 03 4.6is
 

So...
Yesterday, 03 4.6is with 150000km just came up on craigslist without any pictures.
The owner was saying the car is somewhat drivable, but there is loud engine knock, hence will take any reasonable offer.

As soon as I saw it, yeah.. chain guide is gone... will cost 4-5k to fix and probably owner doesn't what to spend too much money onto it as these cars are money pig if you don't know how to fix yourself.

Anyhow I drove by and it was silver exterior with imola red interior! Body was little dirty but was in good shape. No rust, nothing biggie.
Generally speaking, interior needs alot of love.. I mean really need some LOVE, but nothing has been ripped or burnt, etc..

Grabbed the VIN and found it has every single options except 4 axle air sus.

Hesitated little since with the loud knock, I cannot really test drive it and I didn't want to snap the chain which will cause more damage.

I asked him how much he will take... he told me 1k will do.
Huh?? 1k? Heck, I can sell front/rear and running board and that will make up 1k. ha...

So... I offered him $800.... and... bought the car. :wow:

Plan is to revive this car and in the end, sell my current 02 X5 3L.


Here is option sheet.

Vehicle information


Type code FB93

Type X5 4.6IS (USA)

Dev. series E53 ()

Line X

Body type GEFZG

Steering LL

Door count 5

Engine M62/TU

Cubical capacity 4.60

Power 255

Transmision ALLR

Gearbox AUT

Colour TITANSILBER METALLIC (354)

Upholstery TEILLEDER W.N./IMOLAROT (N5IM)

Prod. date 2003-02-26




Order options
No. Description
205 AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

328 ALUMINIUM RUNNING BOARD SILL

342 TITAN LINE INTERIOR

386 ROOF RAIL

403 GLAS ROOF, ELECTRIC

417 ROLLER SUNBLIND, REAR SIDE WINDOWS

430 INT/EXT RR VW MIRROR W AUT ANTI-DAZZLE

441 SMOKERS PACKAGE

464 SKIBAG

496 SEAT HEATING FOR REAR SEATS

508 PARK DISTANCE CONTROL (PDC)

521 RAIN SENSOR

548 SPEEDOMETER WITH KILOMETER READING

609 NAVIGATION SYSTEM PROFESSIONAL

620 VOICE INPUT SYSTEM

672 CD CHANGER BMW FOR 6 CDS

677 HIFI SYSTEM PROFESSIONAL

691 CD HOLDER

761 INDIVIDUAL SUN PROTECTION GLAZING

818 MAIN BATTERY SWITCH

838 CANADIAN VERSION

896 DAYTIME LIGHTS FUNCTION




Series options
No. Description
216 SERVOTRONIC

220 SELF-LEVELING SUSPENSION

226 SPORTS SUSPENSION SETTINGS

249 MULTI-FUNCTION FOR STEERING WHEEL

255 SPORTS LEATHER STEERING WHEEL

302 ALARM SYSTEM

321 EXTERIOR PARTS IN BODY COLOR

354 GREEN STRIPE WINDSCREEN

459 SEAT ADJUSTM., ELECTR. W. MEMORY

473 ARMREST, FRONT

481 SPORT SEATS F DRIVER/FRONT PASSENGER

488 LUMBAR SUPPORT DRIVER/FRONT PASSENGER

494 SEAT HEATING F DRIVER/FRONT PASSENGER

502 HEADLIGHT WASHER SYSTEM

522 XENON LIGHT

533 AIR CONDITIONING FOR REAR

534 AUTOMATIC AIR CONDITIONING

640 CAR TELEPHONE PREPARATION

645 RADIO CONTROL US

775 INDIVIDUAL ROOF-LINING ANTHRACITE

785 WHITE DIRECTION INDICATOR LIGHTS

840 HIGH SPEED SYNCHRONISATION

845 ACOUSTIC BELT WARNING

853 LANGUAGE VERSION ENGLISH

876 RADIO FREQUENCY 315 MHZ

992 NUMBER PLATE ATTACHEMENT MANAGEMENT

Wow! Great find. Good luck!

Wow, $800 for a 4.6? Nice find! Hopefully it won't cost you too much to get her running properly again! Did it come with any maintenance records?

Damn that is a deal!

Part it out and sell me the is trim and Rick Bobby the running boards.

I may or may not have the RB's covered Josh but thanks :)

(See my WTB thread in the subforum) :)

I won't be parting it out. Just too much work and don't have enough space for that.
I'll do my best to revive this car. :D

As for maintenance records, there isn't any..... I didn't expect much either for $800. haha

There are few things wrong with the car that I know so far other than engine.
1. navi works but no radio or CD
2. Side mirror folding not working. worn out gear I suspect
3. PDC not working, couple blown sensor.
4. cracked front windshield.

$800 buckaroos with a clean title?

That's a steal!

Kindly post pics.

Nice find. I would keep your current x5 and take you time rebuilding the 4.6is. That way you can take you time finding the parts as cheaply as possible.

Hopefully the engine does not need a complete overhaul.

Nice find....pics please.

WOOOW! In for pics and progress...

Drop an S62 in there :D

Bore scope time.

Finally able to take some picture.
Just replaced battery and found few more wrongs.
Adding on from previous list.

1. navi works but no radio or CD
2. Side mirror folding not working. worn out gear I suspect
3. PDC not working, couple blown sensor.
4. cracked front windshield.
5. front CV boot
6. telescope steering wheel not moving, suspect driver power seat switch
7. driver side lower door seal missing

Pretty solid project. Best of luck.

I know pics can hide a multitude of flaws, but it looks really decent! It looks like it'll clean up nicely. Can't go wrong for what you paid.

That is a score

Nice Xis Please restore this to its former glory.

x2

For the price you paid, you have plenty of pad to work with there to make it a great vehicle and still not pay more than it is worth in terms of overall value after repair. Excellent find and great pickup. I can't even find E30's in half decent condition (not running) for that price anymore.

This looks awesome. Love that red interior.

If the radio and PDC no longer work, this could indicate the alternator isn't charging the battery. As the car switches off "convenience" features to preserve power.

Wow, Definitely a steal for the price!
Best of luck with the project!

Have done compression test and result is not good.
Wet test was only done in bank 1.

Cyl Dry/wet
1: 165/210
2: 185/240
3: 120/180
4: 180/190
5: 205
6: 200
7: 210
8: 210

Performed vacuum test and air was blowing out by oil cap. So.. I guess valves are good, but either piston rings and/or cylinder walls are bad. Pretty much whole bank 1 is bad.... :(
Looking at exhaust tips, which are covered with black exhaust gas, even if I replace timing chain guides, it will either run rough or burn a lot of oil.

Looking at these results, instead of rebuilding bottom end of this motor, I'll have better chance swapping the motor.

Now on the new engine following items will be done before it goes in.

1. vanos rebuild
2. timing chain guide
3. water pump / thermostat
4. upper/lower oil pan

and because front axle need to be removed, it's good time to replace inner/outer boot.

The question is, is there any seals need to be replaced where front axle mates oil pan?

Thanks!

No, just the diff seals.

Is that #8 in this link?

RealOEM.com - Online BMW Parts Catalog

Thanks!

yes, and 9 also.

Updates, on what I've found faulty and fixes

1. navi works but no radio or CD
-> BM53 radio was soaked in water and partially rusted. Replaced it with newer radio from 06 4.8is and bluetooth module, antenna, mic. Price was too good to pass. :D Working great now.

2. Side mirror folding not working. worn out gear I suspect
-> this can wait for now

3. PDC not working, couple blown sensor.
-> this can wait for now

4. cracked front windshield.
-> this can wait for now

5. front CV boot
-> this will be fixed with new engine going in

6. telescope steering wheel not moving, suspect driver power seat switch
-> bought driver power seat switch from ebay and replaced. Telescope steering is working now.

7. driver side lower door seal missing
-> found seal in trunk, but all clips were broken. bought clips and placed seal back on.

8. infamous cluster dead pixel
-> bought cable from ebay for $4 and my God, it looks 100x better with all pixels working

9. MK4 navi v32 update
-> done

10. 2015 HIGH navi map
-> got it as ISO file. couldn't get it to work on DVD-R. Tried on DVD+R DL and it worked.

11. missing/broken misc interior pieces
-> picked them up from donor 4.8is and fixed

12. burn out tail light contact
-> this is well known tail light problem with e53. fixed with some soldering. I personally cannot stand a car with burnt out bulbs.

13. door, footwell nights not working, suspect GM3
-> When door opens, door, mirror, dome and footwell lights suppose to turn on, but mine doesn't.
This took me some time to figure out and thanks God I have another 02 x5 with working GM3.
So I took working GM3 and replaced. As soon as I installed, I see the lights from door, but VERY faintly, and GM3 was heating up quickly. Removed GM3 and thought, there must be electrical short somewhere. ah.... somewhere..... no one likes electrical problem and I'm one of them. Anyhow, starting to remove all the light connected to interior lighting. About a hour later, found a positive wire that was pinched and peeled for driver side footwell light. Wrapped it with electrical tape, and VOILA, all interior lights are working now! Since it was pinched and peeled, it created short in electrical system and fried GM3. I'll still need to get GM3 replaced, but at least I know what caused it and it's fixed.

That's it for now, until new engine goes it. :)

Nice work. One fix at a time. Best way to tackle bringing a BMW back from neglect.

New engine is here!
After some searching, found used motor from far east with about 120000km.

I was little nervous and hesitant to ditch out $3500 for used motor with sight unseen.
After motor arrived we removed front chain cover and lower oil pan to make sure there is no metal/plastic bits which I couldn't find any and original guides were still intact. That's good news. :)

It's at friend's shop now getting timing chain and guide as well as vanos seal replaced.
Hopefully I can get it running by end of this month.

love the interior between the red & brushed aluminum trim. that's a 2003? I thought up to '03 was still red/amber tails?

and the steering wheel is part of the options? I have the 4 spoke one.

3 spoke wheel and red/clear tails are for all Sport Package equipped 00-03 models - all 04-06 models had red/clear tails, but the 3 spoke wheel was still a Sport Package piece of equipment.

Bloody hell I must have been sleeping the day you bought that. Great find! Anyone want to sell me they're 4.6 Silver on Red for 800 ;) Absolutely love that combo. Good luck with the project and keep us posted. On a side note what were your plans for the original engine?

Long overdue update.

So the engine I've bought came out to be garbage.
https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...i-screwed.html
Paid $3500, and was able to get refund of $2500 and didn't have to ship the engine back.
I felt so sorry for my friend, who performed timing guide, vanos seal, etc.... I just gave him the engine with all new new parts so he can part it out to compensate time he spent.

After that, it was on status quo for a while.
I was tired with it, and didn't want to touch this car. Actually, not quite the true, because I swapped the Red interior with my black 3L X5 interior :D, which was done last spring.

After that, again, didn't touch... just correcting dust in my garage.
Thought about the selling it as is, but was too lazy even to just sell this damn thing.

I guess I've waited too long and thought of repairing came to my brain.
...
...
crazy... right?

Anyhow, bought new parts again. This time, I bought minimal parts to repair chain guide. No vanos rebuild, no "while you are in there" crap.
This is the first time trying timing guide replacement myself.

I must have spent over 40 hours.
Disassembling, cleaning, assembling, timing, assembling remaining.
At first go, it won't start.
It cranks, but won't start. CEL P0347 popped up.
Googled it and found youtube video having the same issue as mine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dCxMefuy30
Intake cam bolt in bank 2 was loose.
shoot, here we go again.
Disassemble, put blue loctite on cam bolt, re-time, assemble.

Today, finally able to start the car!
This car hasn't been running for an year and half, and it runs now... boy...

1st run
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiMuy-nixUE

2nd run
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCcu1l3HlU0

How does the engine sound? Does it sound alright to you?
There are still few remaining work/diag to do, but for now, I'm just happy.. :D

Good work!

Sounds better in the 2nd video, but still a bit rough/noisy I think for a m62.

Curious, why did you swap the red interior?

Good luck tho! Keep us updated.

I swap the interior to my other x5 because I was going to sell this 4.6 but wanted to keep imola red interior.
If I decide to keep this 4.6, I will need to swap back.

Imola interiors are so sexy...
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4235/...044d2502_b.jpgIMG_0183 by Al, on Flickr

I'd swap back.
I'm sure you are finding the 4.6is with it's little extras, better instrument cluster, etc and the extra power ( eventually) for just a few more dollars in fuel a week, well worth it. :zoom:

Another update.

Couple month ago, I've got the car running and about couple weeks later, it started to miss fire with following CEL.
P0363, P1342, P1345, P1347, P1349
Cylinder 1-4 was miss firing. Darn... whole bank 1 is bad.
Swapped around coils/spark plugs between bank 1 and 2. No change.
Performed compression test. Cylinder 1-4 was about 75psi. Cylinder 5-8 was 160psi.
Damn it.
Thought I would re-time it just one last time, but life got too busy, progressed slowly, took me a month.

Last week, after re-time started the car, runs beautifully 160psi in all cylinders, but battery light came on.
After quick OBC test, alternator is toast not charging at all.
Drain the coolant again, replaced alternator then refilled coolant.
I must say water cooled alternator is stupidest idea from BMW. So much work just to replace alternator.
Knock on wood so far, but I'll drive around it little more before I get into suspension work. Pretty much all (front and back) rubber bushings need replacing, especially rear subframe bushings.
Also, trifecta is going on as well and will probably require rebuild.

I'm guessing it now sounds better than in the videos?

Cannot really tell at this moment because all my belts and pulley started squeaking.
Also I'll need to start replacing most of bushings if not all.

This should be an easy fix compared to the timing chain...

As long as there are no rusted bolt/nut.... should be easier tho.

Rusted bolts? on a BMW? are you sure its a thing?

So over the holidays, I was able to do few things.

1. replaced spark plugs
2. replaced both belts
3. replaced rear subframe mounts

But found radiator is leaking... Darn it.. need to drain coolant again.

Here is video of how it runs after all the engine work done.

https://youtu.be/v4ceqQufTmo

seems to run fine, funny the intake noise with the middle pièce missing.

Did you hook it up to an OBD tool or INPA to see if all the numbers were good?

For the intake middle piece, I have the part, just didn't installed it back yet.
I haven't hooked up OBD nor INPA, but will be doing next few days since I'll need to code used ABS module I've bought.

Trifecta is resolved now.
Replaced to used ABS module from another X5.
Code it by INPA.
Calibrate steering angle sensor by DIS.

Trifecta light remains off. :)

Next up is replacing leaking radiator.

Just for an update.

Replaced radiator with Denso 2219382. Fits great with half price of Hella/Behr.
Replaced few hoses connecting to radiator as well and it is good now.

Next up is ALL fluids change with necessary filters.
Engine oil -> Castrol Syntec 0W-40
Power Steering Fluid -> Castrol Transmax Full Synthetic Multi-vehicle ATF
Transmission oil -> Castrol Transmax Full Synthetic Multi-vehicle ATF
Transfer case oil -> Castrol Transmax Full Synthetic Multi-vehicle ATF
Front/Rear Diff oil -> Castrol 75W-90

The castrol website gave me différent oil for the gearbox and transfer case but the same for the transfer case and power steering.

How do you search for that?

https://applications.castrol.com/oil...en_gb/c/search

Just follow the form to select the 4.6is

oh... I have to go through EU.
I was going through Castrol Canada and couldn't find e53 at all.

I admire and salute your great love of this car! It's always amaze me, great job and thanks for the wonderful story on bringing this car back to life.

Thank you Junster.
All fluids are replaced.
Next up is swapping red interior back from 02 3.0 x5 to this 03 4.6is x5... why did I do that before..... sigh....

It’s because you can

Nice work!

All interior pieces are swapped back. So much work....
Also picked up face lifted heated sport steering wheel + airbag + clock spring + relay for $150. Price was just too good to pass. :)

New heated steering wheel is installed.
Sold my old 2002 x5 3L, was pretty sad to see her go, but now I've got 4.6is to drive.
Insured and drove around block, puts smile back on my face. :)

What was the cause of having the engine fall out of time when it was timed right a couple of weeks before this happened? I am curious since I have the same engine.

I'm not too sure, but I think I didn't torque the cam gear bolt properly since it is reverse thread.
Also my cheap T55 wasn't holding torque well, in fact it broke off so I had to get new T55.
With the new T55, I was able to tighten the cam gear bolt further.

You can flip a one-way torque wrench with a short wrench and a socket adapter.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...f34ea54278.jpg

I bought a torque adapter that works up to 200 Nm. That works both directions so next time I won't need the hack

Just another update.
Had to replace radiator again due to leak.... also busted one of coolant hose that runs from water valve to back of engine. Man... when will this ever end?
Most of coolant hoses are replaced now. 3 more to go. ha.. and then probably time to replace valley pan gasket.

Anyhow, I've owned this car since June 2016 and on the road from April 2018.
During the time, never washed it until yesterday.
Looks so much better now.

Looks fantastic! Throw some 25mm spacers on the rear. Made a nice difference on mine.

Thanks!
I'm holding off cosmetic stuff till later. Until I fix all mechanical issues first. :)

Looking good!

Looks great!

I'm actually flying into Vancouver tomorrow and staying until the 22nd!

Hopefully you can enjoy great weather we are having. :D

You gotta do all of the coolant lines and cooling items on the X5 if you ever expect to have piece of mind for a reasonable duration of time. When I purchased my X5 4.6is in 2016 it had no coolant leaks. When I ripped down the engine to do the guides this is when I was surprised with how soft all the coolant hoses were. Definitely cheap quality hoses from US vendors that supply the South Carolina BMW Plant. The hoses were just falling apart. I changed every hose, aux pump, water pump, thermostat, temp sensor, fuel pump, timing chain, expansion tank, tensioner, all new front cover seals, valley pan, clutch fan, etc. I did not change the radiator because the previous owner addressed this a few months before he decided to sell it. Yes its a lot but I like to know that I can drive this vehicle anywhere without much worry/fanfare. Been from Texas to Florida 3 times with this vehicle to visit my parents and has been a joy. Oh and the completely rebuilt front suspension up front and H&R sport Springs has contributed greatly to the awesome ride on long distance.

Yes for sure. I'm in the middle of getting water valve plus 3 more coolant hoses, and another bottle of coolant.
I cannot believe how many bottles of coolant I've gone through.....

Those bolts are very tight! Like on par with lug bolts tight! They need to be torqued with a torque wrench guessing won't cut it.

Couple weeks ago, went to auto wrecker, and fished out all the parts necessary for the trailer retrofit. So much surface rust.

Rust treated and painted with some black paint I had left over from long time ago.
Installed it last weekend.
I must say the most difficult part is removing/installing bumper support bar onto the bumper cover with those damn plastic rivets, and alignment of bumper.
Anyhow, it's all good now, next I'll need to get trailer brake controller, which will be using Tekonsha Prodigy.

it looks nice and doesn't protrude that much... I hope you took the time to clean the tailpipes.



I'm lucky to have the factory removable one but its nice to know there is an alternative it that system ever dies.

Thanks. Yes it doesn't look too bad at all.
Just bought a cover that can cover the hitch hole. Should look better with it.

With all Covid-19 craziness, and pretty much locked up at home, finally had time to polish and wax which I always wanted do, but just never had time.
Took 4 hours and paint is smooth as butter.
Waiting for brand new hood emblem, and will be switching to summer wheels setup in next couple weeks. Currently has winters on.


And of course...
every time I wash...
it rains very next day. lol

Beautiful!!!

I meant of horrible and you should probably just give it to me for free...[emoji1696][emoji1787]

I do miss rain, hell over here if there's water on the road you can only hope you miss the floating toilet paper and brown trout..[emoji2959]

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Gorgeous!

Thanks guys. After hard work, end result is definitely satisfying.

I think you misspelled "sure you can have it..."[emoji1787]

Still got to say how beautiful it is!

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gotta say the silver is one of the best looking colours! :thumbup:

it's beautiful!

Beautiful and nice that you brought it back from an early grave. It’s been quite a journey.
Congratulations and stay safe.

Time for Valley pan gasket. I bought all the parts about a year ago, but never had chance to start.
Since I won't be going anywhere, finally started long overdue project.

I'm doing the same thing as mine blew upon bleeding the system after the pcv, osv and 88c tstat...https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...0e51d9aa42.jpg

Looking good. I guess you sent little further with vcg and upper timing cover gasket?

Well done project, White! You have preserved a beautiful machine! I hope my 4.4 will look as good as your 4.6 some day. Looks like it takes patience and time, and right now I have a lot of that!

Thanks for all of your updates!

Completed valley pan gasket and finally checked off from my to-do list.
Following parts were replaced and total cost was about $200.

11141742042 Febi Valley pan
11141736106 Uro Valley pan cover
11531731833x2 VR Water accumulator gasket
11531710048x2 DPH Water pipe o-ring
11531710055x2 DPH Water pipe o-ring
11511731372 VR Water pump gasket
11611433328x4 Elring Intake manifold gasket
13641437476x8 Bosch Fuel injector o-ring
13547510433 VR Throttle Body gasket
11611729727 Elring Throttle housing gasket
11537500746 Gates Coolant hose

Yeah they were leaking so figured now was the right time to get them done...

Thanks for sharing this journey. It’s great to see where you began to where you are now. Great work! Beautiful X5! Thanks. Stay safe out there.



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