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Well....the inevitable happened today....UPDATED - IT RUNS AGAIN....eventually!!!
....@ 122850 miles...my chain guides failed and I now have an engine that sounds like a bag of spanners!
On Sunday evening I noticed a different whirring noise coming from the engine, a noise that you would usually associate with worn bearings in the alternator or power steering pump for example. Video here... https://youtu.be/-x12IE6o-tI After some investigation with my stethoscope I concluded that the noise was coming from the behind the chain cover on the right hand bank (as you look at it) of the engine. This to me could only mean one thing....the right hand chain guide had failed or at least was failing. Unfortunately (and admittedly unwisely) I had no choice but to continue driving it until I could sort a different car out for using to work since I work 25 miles from my home. All my other cars happen to be off the road atm too unfortunately. Anyway....120 miles on from Sunday evening on my way into work and the chain guides properly failed and now my engine has developed the full on death rattle. No video yet but I'm sure you can imagine what it sounds like! Fortunately it's still running on all 8 of its cylinders. On the plus side....least I get to tear down alot of the motor and do all the jobs thats needed to keep it going for another 100k+ and give it a well needed clean up at the same time. Off now to collect a list of parts required....anything else people would do at the same time? I remember reading something about a part for the CCV system? Full timing chain kit including guides and tensioners and seals Valley Pan Gasket Kit Oil/Filter Copious amounts of brake cleaner Water pump, alternator & aux belt tensioner have already been replaced recently. |
Sorry to hear brother. Let this be a lesson to all. If you can afford to do this work before the guides fail, DO IT!
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Every time I see one of these posts, I am so glad I picked M54. I got 187k out of it before it really became un-drivable on a daily basis. That said, if you can do the work and you have the tools, how bad really is the timing overhaul on the M62 or N62? What's the cost? Assume no cataclysmic valve/piston contact, is it that terrible? The timing overhaul on the M54 costs a higher percentage of replacement engine cost, I would think, given what M62s and N62s still go for in the secondary market. I see a ton of 740s, X5s and even some Rovers with those engines for sale that say they have timing chain rattle, but the rest of the car is in good shape. They can be had for very cheap. EDIT: I just watched the vid, that sounds awful. |
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That sucks. I must admit I worry with mine, had you changed chain tensioner at any point?
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Yeah you definitely do not want to keep running it once you hear the slight sound of the timing guides with chain wear. Mine started with the slight whine which sounded like alternator or a/c compressor bearing. it was the beginning of the guide failure. Ripped it down and took care of it. |
you sound like an intelligent guy and not afraid of jumping in. Just do it, take you time, don't cut any corners and you will be up and running in a week and you won't have to worry about it again in your ownership! Keep us posted.
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Think the hardest part of all of this is swallowing up the large parts cost. I've given my friend who works for BMW here in the UK a list of all the part numbers I believe I need so I can pick and choose what I get that's OE and then parts I could save some money on and get alternatives I can do. Tensioners ,guides themselves and chains are pretty much a given that I will probably stick to OE parts - gaskets etc however I maybe able to get Victor Reinz, Elring etc will be just as good just considerably cheaper.:thumbup: Does anybody recommend a reputable brand for the Vanos repair kit - it seems BMW don't do the kit themselves although they are happy to sell you a full Vanos hub or 2!! :rolleyes: |
Sorry to hear about this V8 00USH. :wow: :wow: :wow:
Here is a list of parts from Danny's timing guides rebuild BMW Timing Chain - Iwis (OEM) 11311741746 BMW Camshaft timing chain - Iwis 11311747437 (x2) BMW Center Crankshaft Bolt - Genuine BMW 11231736585 BMW Cylinder Head Oil Check Valve (E38 E39 E52 E53) - Genuine BMW 11121706921 (x2) BMW Timing Chain Guide Upper - Genuine BMW 11311435028 (x4) BMW Valve Cover Seal Washer - Elring 11121437395 (x16) BMW Valve Cover Seal Washer - Reinz 11121721879 (x6) BMW Camshaft Solenoid Gasket - Reinz 11141435023 (x2) BMW Valve Cover Gasket Set Left - Reinz 11120034105 BMW Valve Cover Gasket Set Right - Reinz 11120034104 BMW Oil Dipstick O-Ring - Reinz 11431707164 BMW Distribution Housing Gasket Left (Cylinders 5-8) - Reinz 11361705579 BMW Distribution Housing Gasket Right (Cylinders 1-4) - Reinz 11361705578 BMW Water Pump Gasket - Genuine BMW 11511731372 BMW Timing Chain Guide Left Lower - Genuine BMW 11311745406 BMW Timing Chain Guide Rail - Genuine BMW 11311741777 BMW Timing Chain Guide Rail - Genuine BMW 11311741236 BMW Timing Cover Gasket Set Lower - Reinz 11141436978 BMW Crankshaft Seal Front - Elring 11141275466 BMW Timing Cover Seal Strip (Cylinders 5-8) - Reinz 11141741128 BMW Timing Cover Seal Strip (Cylinders 1-4) - Reinz 11141741127 BMW Coolant Pipe O-Ring - Reinz 11531710048 BMW Coolant Pipe O-Ring - Reinz 11531710055 Beisan Systems M62tu Vanos Kit Beisan Systems Pick Tool Set (optional but extremely useful) BMW Timing Chain Tensioner Lower - INA 11317531813 BMW Oil Pan Gasket - Reinz 11131436324 (540i/740i) | Elring 11137500261 (X5) BMW Oil Level Sensor O-Ring - Victor Reinz 12611744292 BMW Seal Ring - Genuine BMW 11141736758 BMW Oil Filter Kit - Hengst 11427510717 Motor Oil - 8+ quarts (I used Mobil 1 0W40) Coolant - 2+ gallons (I used a 60-40 mixture of BMW coolant and distilled water) * Things you may want to replace while you're doing this job:* Oil Separator - Genuine BMW 11151705237 Valley Pan Gasket - Genuine BMW 11141742042 Intake Manifold Gasket - Reinz 11611433328 (x4) NGK BKR6EIX Spark Plug (Iridium IX Resistor) - NGK 6418 (x8) BMW Mass Air Flow Gasket - Genuine BMW 13711747985 BMW Vacuum Hose Silicone (Blue With Black Stripe) - CRP 11747797082 BMW Serpentine Belt - Contitech 7PK1635 BMW Serpentine Belt - Contitech 5PK1004 And here is his thread: https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...ml#post1095737 Good Luck! I'm not looking forward to this job on my 4.4 and hope that I have some life left in mine at just turning 100K miles. Mike |
Thanks Semcoinc but that list came about an hour too late haha. It was useful to compare against though and I don't appear to have missed anything which is good.
Looks like I'm going to need to use another alternative for the Vanos repair kit as the import costs make it too expensive. Same with the locking tool that Danny used - I wanted to get that one (and not just because it was anodised red and looked fancy) but it looked easier to use too. Problem was with import costs it came in at around £200 more expensive than the kit I ended up getting. This Vanos repair kit looks comparable though and the o rings are made from viton so I think I'll go with this. BMW V8 M62TU M62 VANOS seals repair / upgrade kit - Range Rover, Land Rover v8 | eBay |
Vanos info Beisan Systems
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So the strip down started yesterday. I'm in absolutely no rush to complete this job since I've got another car to run round in for the time being. So this is what the sound developed into after just over 100 miles or so..... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oi57...ature=youtu.be Not the best I'm sure you'll agree. So let surgery begin... http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...pst565yuwe.jpg Few pics to show just how dirty the engine currently is. Really want to give it all a proper good clean up during this job. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...pskqlwnibg.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...psla611wrb.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...psfbx0scbb.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...psqgnxr21j.jpg This is what I found when I removed the right hand bank valve cover.....hello guide piece you really shouldn't be there! http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...pstq17cf7b.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...psiijijahd.jpg This piece of guide was very brittle as you can see in this video.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAa1oKDmAwQ Got to this point and I'm glad I made the decision to do the valley pan gasket too....severe leaks here. Definitely where my coolant has been going recently. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...ps6ccbza4e.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...psxkjbw51u.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...psmwnbsa7k.jpg ...this is the stage I'm upto at the moment. I have removed both valve covers but rested them back in place for the time being in this pic. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...ps6v1wfycp.jpg I've also had a quote for all the parts required from BMW....needless to say I won't be getting them all from BMW since the price is over £1000 (circa 1200USD).....I'll probably get alot from Land Rover instead. Over here in the UK (perhaps abroad too?) They used the 4.4i variant of this engine in Range Rovers so parts are interchangeable between the manufacturers/engines. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...pswbim56ys.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...pspaj7v2ra.jpg Hopefully at the next visit I'll have the timing covers removed so I can check the timing hasn't slipped before I strip everything else apart. Going to get the valve covers recoated - unsure what colour yet. Perhaps silver or crackle effect black. Also looking at removing useless the secondary air system too as part of this exercise. Couple of comments so far which I'm sure others can relate to that have done this job...... 1. Removing the oil level sensor and flywheel sensor cables is a fiddly job! 2. Main wiring harness gets in the way when you try and remove the inlet manifold. Used a bungee cord to keep it out the way as others have. I definitely think BMW could have designed that much better. 3. The washers that form part of the fittings that retain the valve covers have mind of their own and like to disappear either down the sides of the engine or in the centre of each bank if you're not careful. 4. The little black covers that conceal the coilpack cover retaining bolts are extremely well camouflaged and you wouldn't know they were there unless you knew what you were looking for. More updates soon.... |
+1 follower [emoji1] i finished this job on my -03 4.6 this winter. Good luck [emoji106]
Skickat från min iPhone med Tapatalk |
Awesome, I'll pay you to do mine when you're done :p
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So unfortunately finding the time to carry on with the poor X5 has been very difficult of late. I've now got it more or less stripped down. Just a couple more parts to remove and clean up. I have spent a considerable amount of time cleaning everything...mainly the bay and around the engine/steering rack area etc because it was absolutely rotten. In hindsight maybe I should have just dropped the engine and box instead as it would have made cleaning much easier.
Ordered all the parts today - I only used a handful of genuine parts since I couldn't justify the cost of getting everything genuine - plus I got a little bit carried away with the 'whilst I'm there I might as well do that' syndrome too. Hopefully it will be worth it though in the long run and I shouldn't need to touch any of this again in my ownership. I'll put a list up of all the parts & part numbers I purchased together with Land Rover cross reference part numbers too as it might helps UK people. I think if I'd gone with genuine everything it would have ended up costing me around £1700 ($2150) - parts really are not cheap over here for this job. I ended up spending near enough £1000 ($1300) on all parts, this also included the timing locking kit too though. Some more notes to add with regards to the how the job is progressing which may help others when they come to do the job. 1. Dipstick - don't waste your time trying to remove it completely from the hole in the air conditioning mount - no matter what you try it doesnt seem to want to come out. Also...ensure that you drain the oil before removing the dipstick otherwise you'll have a large oil slick on your floor...yes like I did :rolleyes: 2. The locking kit that locks the cams at the back is absolutely horrible to work with. Infact you can't really call it a locking kit because it doesnt really lock them at all. If you move either of the cams even slightly they start to raise out of position and as what happened with me popped out and thus rotated the cam out of the locking position. These caused me no end of issues and cast proper doubts on whether or not they are actually in the correct position or not. After triple checking however I do believe they are - only time will tell. I'm considering making a locking plate that bolts down to the head and goes over the top of them to hold them in place when I come to re-assemble everything. 3. If you do have guide failure before you do the job ensure that when you drop the sump to remove all the bits that you thoroughly check the oil pickup and also the small gap between the upper and lower and where the oil pump sits for stray pieces of guide. I fished out 3 small pieces from there. 4. The 'Jesus bolt' - I managed to snap the end off a breaker bar removing this bolt. If you can get a 3/4" socket/ratchet combo to undo this. Anyway....few updated photos of where I'm currently at and what I've got upto. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...ps6keyfb8t.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...ps0wkidmec.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...pshb7f2oqc.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...ps8tpdvedu.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...psywdvcuz1.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...psl2xoif9m.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...psl2xoif9m.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...pso3bn5cc4.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...pshzgmflve.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...psi15z7cht.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...pshfi88nec.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...ps5tt3xdh3.jpg ...and this is currently how it stands... http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...psiqy2k6j7.jpg I've also ordered these too....shame you won't be able to see them all that well either once they are fitted but still! https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/xCMAA...QyR/s-l500.jpg More updates soon with any luck as I am really missing driving it now! |
Great progress V8 00USH :thumbup: :thumbup:
Looks like you narrowly dodged a bullet with the oil pickup being partially blocked. One more sizable bit of chain guide and that could have been a very bad engine day. Wishing you continued success on your engine refurbishing journey! Mike |
Excellent progress! I definitely hate the generic cam lock block tools... that's why I invested in the GAS timing tools. The GAS ones actually bolt down to the head, using the camshaft valve cover studs. It's far more secure than the flimsy lock blocks, especially when you have to torque the camshaft bolts to 92 ft/lbs and 81 ft/lbs.
Good call doing the valley pan as well. The extra labor is pretty minimal so it's definitely worth doing. I also did my OSV and some rubber lines for it, as they were all rotted and falling apart back there. |
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Not much to update except I removed the camchain tensioners and noted that on the banks 1-4 the tensioner wouldn't fully compress unlike the other side. These are getting replaced anyway. Also cleaned up some more gasket faces and removed the VANOS housings too. Picked up some new (overpriced) parts from the local BMW dealership and now just waiting on the reminder of the parts being delivered from Germany before I can start reassembling. Taking my rocker covers and timing covers to a powdercoaters too this week to get them refreshed. I also quickly fabbed up a couple of locking plates to lock the camblocks in place too. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...psvalh6auo.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...psvalh6auo.jpg Installed in place.. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...pssezgdrem.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...psq0ydjlfl.jpg |
Brilliant work with those cam block plates! That's definitely the biggest weakness of that style of timing tools and you've just about eliminated it. Good idea powdercoating the valve covers— they get so nasty with age. I did mine with my guides as well.
I'm really glad to see you're doing everything the right way and not cutting any corners :) You'll be rewarded with a smooth and wonderful engine for a pretty long time. It'll sound absolutely terrifying when you start it initially though— the engine will be dry and the fuel trims will be completely messed up from the intake manifold being removed. It'll take about a minute for it to settle into a smooth idle which is definitely nerve-wracking for a first start. You'll also have a bit of a lifter tick for the first few minutes until you drive it. A freshly rebuilt M62tu can make some terrifying sounds, but after 15-20 minutes of driving it should sound quite nice. |
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Are any of the cam bolts one time use only? I've got a new crank bolt just wondered if I need to replace any of the others? |
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I did a two-tone silver vein, here's a picture of how it turned out: https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/275/31...93340bdf_b.jpg (Don't mind the lack of valve cover gasket, I was using the valve cover to clamp down the timing cover for alignment purposes) I used assembly lube for all of my jobs but I still got a bit of a racket upon starting. It's just part of the job I guess. The cam bolts are all reusable because none of them are torque-to-yield. The only time I replace them is if I strip them out during disassembly. |
Little bit of an update but unfortunately nothing particularly major.
I can't believe it's been almost 6 months since I've been without the X5. I am definitely missing it but other commitments such as other peoples cars and other types of work has gotten in the way of me getting much further with it. So the good news is all the parts have arrived for the rebuild as well as the VANOS tool that I had to wait weeks for. So I've got a couple of piles of goodies waiting to be installed when I can get to it. https://i.imgur.com/mx4WiuH.jpg https://i.imgur.com/vAAsfQS.jpg I've also had my timing chain covers and rocker covers powder coated...... https://i.imgur.com/5PkVLiG.jpg https://i.imgur.com/HMgzwoK.jpg ..yes they look amazing until you turn them over and realise that the powdercoating company didnt clean them out properly after blasting and also let the powdercoat go in places it shouldnt... https://i.imgur.com/JXZIG2X.jpg https://i.imgur.com/1rfMAZ1.jpg I had a go at cleaning out one of the rocker covers with various items but gave up as it was never going to be as spotless and fresh as it should be. I've complained and sent these back to the company to sort out themselves - it may even end up being the case that they have to purchase another set of everything and start from scratch which I think is the best idea. Anyway....X5 is currently sat here with another one of my 'projects' underneath it.. https://i.imgur.com/CmPCKlI.jpg Hopefully more updates soon. |
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So......I woke up last Thursday with the realisation that a year had past to the day that my X5 had thrown it's chain guide towel in....which meant it had been 365 days since I'd had a V8 in my life. I decided this situation needed rectifying.
The rocker and front covers have been back to the powder coaters and have been redone again so are now perfect. I've started by getting all the parts , both new and old laid out together on a bench to give me a clearer idea of the task in hand. It's truly ridiculous the amount of parts that are required considering this is only really a front of the engine rebuild. https://i.imgur.com/lqgQ4Ma.jpg?1 I also need to try and remember what bolts go where since I've misplaced the piece of paper that corresponded these storage tray locations. https://i.imgur.com/mzQU07O.jpg?1 First jobs on the list are to finish rebuilding the 2 Vanos units and paint the solenoid valves. More updates to follow shortly..... |
Glad to see your back at it. :popcorn:
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Great way to organize the bolts. Unfortunate you lost the paper. One of those DIY things--at some point what seems like great organization at the time done will fail miserably.
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My new ultrasonic cleaner turned up today so I got started getting things clean ready to re-assemble. I was absolutely made up with how these parts came out.
Before... https://i.imgur.com/YRtgRwR.jpg Straight out the cleaner... https://i.imgur.com/Dgkot6g.jpg ...and then after a wipe and dry off... https://i.imgur.com/ZKMf7IQ.jpg Notice what it dislodged from the oil pickup... https://i.imgur.com/qv7R43q.jpg I had purchased a new pickup anyway at the extortionate price they are so I wasn't going to be using this one anyway but I was just curious to see how it came up after being cleaned. Annoyingly the answer was very good indeed - I could have saved myself some money. Hoping to start the rebuild this weekend with any luck.... |
Ok so didn't get quite as far as I was hoping to this weekend due to realising that I'd only been supplied with 2 of the camshaft seals instead of the 6 required....picking the others up tomorrow with any luck.
https://i.imgur.com/aC5rm1H.jpg So what I did get done is the Vanos rebuild.....and what a nightmare that was. First O-ring flew in.....however the 2nd teflon ring was an absolute nightmare and admittedly I killed 2 trying (good job I bought a second spare kit!) https://i.imgur.com/igyzpHi.jpg https://i.imgur.com/1aQgaFu.jpg https://i.imgur.com/03bpCCE.jpg Then I stripped down the inlet to clean it.. https://i.imgur.com/zr6kFbV.jpg https://i.imgur.com/VipJtSs.jpg https://i.imgur.com/kTx1laJ.jpg https://i.imgur.com/2veXAzD.jpg Once I'd got that done I set to cleaning up more parts and fasteners and painting a few parts... https://i.imgur.com/TCbmT5C.jpg https://i.imgur.com/LhJpsKz.jpg https://i.imgur.com/Ou6Al8E.jpg https://i.imgur.com/am4hs8s.jpg https://i.imgur.com/EFWucjd.jpg https://i.imgur.com/cWcCWCI.jpg https://i.imgur.com/PKslFHQ.jpg https://i.imgur.com/UqSaQfp.jpg https://i.imgur.com/srRnGOa.jpg https://i.imgur.com/iaudgrH.jpg https://i.imgur.com/6PKxEip.jpg Lastly I fitted the new valley pan gasket. https://i.imgur.com/uPUOlEm.jpg More updates to follow soon... |
Great job V8! :thumbup:
Mike |
So onto tonights updates. Had a couple of hours this evening so got another few bits done.
Deliveries today were the other 4 camshaft seals and a selection of black coated stainless fastenings. All about the little details....right? https://i.imgur.com/CZ0Zlrd.jpg So first job I decided to tackle was re-assembling parts of the inlet manifold. Rear breather plate with new bolts (old OEM bolt in the pic for reference). Not sure why I even went with black bolts here as no-one will ever see them since they are at the back of the engine!! New rubber gasket too. https://i.imgur.com/7901smq.jpg Then I assembled the front of the manifold and throttle body, with new gaskets and new black bolts.. https://i.imgur.com/thL0y4I.jpg https://i.imgur.com/ftI4sPk.jpg https://i.imgur.com/Wm9zJAZ.jpg I couldn't go any further on this as I'm waiting on new injector pintle caps to replace these rather tired and potentially brittle looking ones. https://i.imgur.com/BwZPX0G.jpg I also cleaned up the injector retaining clips and gave them a quick coat of paint. https://i.imgur.com/WnA0ZPg.jpg Onto some engine assembly next...first off the non return valves.. https://i.imgur.com/fJpl6CH.jpg Next it was onto the fitting of the cam sealing rings and vanos distribution housings using some assembly lube as recommended - everything torqued down to spec. https://i.imgur.com/IAleUWC.jpg https://i.imgur.com/DVu5V8U.jpg Then onto the rest of the timing setup which included 3 brand new chains, 2 brand new tensioners and the 3 brand new chain guides all with new o-rings etc. https://i.imgur.com/fwcAbza.jpg Just need to torque down the timing guides next visit as I couldn't for the life of me find the torque specs for them - will have a hunt tomorrow. Worth noting that the Febi tensioners I used look to actually be made by INA which is the OEM supplier for these - pic of OEM and Febi tensioner next to one another to compare. You can actually see where the BMW part number has been removed. https://i.imgur.com/BS09dBs.jpg Next visit I'm hoping will have me fitting the nice freshly coated timing covers and associated gaskets and hopefully will also have me finalise and setup the timing properly. |
Since I've had the car I've never really been a fan of the way the LPG kit was fitted 10 years ago - whilst undoubtedly it works well (and saves me a fortune in running costs) it literally looks like it was just thrown on top of the manifold. The only thing securing the injection modules was all the piping and it looked too haphazard for my OCD liking. So whilst it's all apart I took the opportunity to refit it more to my liking.
How it used to be... https://i.imgur.com/IuhzPXi.jpg New aluminium brackets I made up and rubber mounting bobbin https://i.imgur.com/ZiQJ4EN.jpg https://i.imgur.com/UE5lsfM.jpg These brackets will of course be painted black to match the rest, I've also ordered some more black fixings and black jubilee clips too. Also I wasn't overly happy with the condition of some of the hoses either - the date on them showed as 2008 so I'll be replacing them all. Chances are they would probably be fine for another few years but when it comes to LPG why risk it - I'd rather be safe in the knowledge it's all fresh. https://i.imgur.com/9mqAVWi.jpg Will be back onto the engine side of things tonight with any luck whilst I wait for some more parts. |
Nice progress, are LPG conversions big on the other side of the pond? I only know about them from Rock Crawlers.
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Fuel here is currently around $1.70 / litre :( |
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:wow: :wow: :wow: Texas premium pricing is roughly $0.72/liter I have always wondered how the E53 V8 fuel consumption was able to survive over there :dunno: In tune with no codes, properly inflated tires and synthetic fluids I can barely muster to 20mpg on highway open cruising. However, the speed limits in Texas are very generous so going 80-85mph keeping up with most traffic shows in the 16-17mpg range. Below 65mph my 4.4i will do better and closer to the highway rating value. Yes, I do understand that parasitic drag value squares with a doubling of the speed, so a massive drag penalty is paid for the higher speeds. Mike |
Crazy cheap - to be honest if fuel was that cheap over here I'd get rid of the LPG kit altogether.
To put it a little into perspective....LPG here costs around the same as your normal fuel does over there. It costs around $60 to fill the tank and I get anywhere from 250-300 miles from it depending on the type of driving/journey - so that's around 14-16mpg which ties in with the notion that when running on LPG you achieve around 2-3 mpg less than petrol. Anyway....back to the rebuild.... Found all the torque specs I needed so got all fasteners all torqued correctly. The cambolts were a little nerve racking but there was no hint of movement from the cams with me holding them properly as I torqued them up so all good there. Quick pic from setting up the trigger wheels. https://i.imgur.com/0Gjtji2.jpg All locking tools were then removed and I liberally applied assembly grease to the camlobes as they hadn't turned in well over a year. https://i.imgur.com/OPEVU2w.jpg Then I manually turned the engine over by hand around 5-6 times, engine was making all the right compression noises and everything lined back up properly afterwards too.....huge sigh of relief there! https://i.imgur.com/CZ2Bkib.jpg My new pintle caps had arrived yesterday in the post so next job was to give the injectors a good clean and fit these and new Viton seals... https://i.imgur.com/F330fdY.jpg https://i.imgur.com/fAKQkGM.jpg https://i.imgur.com/AWAsqNX.jpg Then they were refitted back into the manifold together with the rail which had just been put through the ultrasonic cleaner. https://i.imgur.com/clTrfSW.jpg Finally I remembered I hadn't cleaned the timing cover bolts so I made a note of their lengths on the cardboard diagram and put them through the cleaner. https://i.imgur.com/FpsdgNp.jpg https://i.imgur.com/p4v6SVP.jpg I wasn't happy with the way some of the bolts had come out, whilst the ultrasonic is good at cleaning it won't remove rust...mores the pity. So I wire wheeled all the heads of the bolts and gave them a quick primer and will paint them next visit. https://i.imgur.com/q4LhEQD.jpg Starting to see a light now at the end of a very long tunnel which is helping keeping me motivated to get it finished. More updates over the weekend hopefully. |
Been otherwise engaged with other issues I've had to deal with - my broken down car transporter needing some love and my parents Gen2 Prius with HV battery issues but now that they are all sorted I'm back on the X5 again.
Almost finished the LPG system bracketry - just need to give it a quick paint of satin black now. All LPG pipes are fresh and new as are the clips. Black fasteners all round to match the others on the manifold. Swapped to 2 smaller rubber mountings to stop the lower LPG injector unit bracket from being tempted to swivel - in reality it probably wouldnt but the potential of it doing so was annoying me!! :blink: Anyway...some pics.. https://i.imgur.com/ZBJgJ3O.jpg https://i.imgur.com/aRrCABY.jpg https://i.imgur.com/kvent8Y.jpg https://i.imgur.com/UUw5ZNN.jpg https://i.imgur.com/wo0CIOW.jpg More updates soon. |
So sticking with the LPG system I turned my attention to the rather scruffy 10 year old vapouriser and decided that in it's current state it had no place in my engine bay. In addition to this I didnt believe the seals had ever been replaced in it and since the recommended interval for doing this was 50k it was definitely overdue. I do remember there being some traces of coolant coming from this too at times.
Current state.... https://i.imgur.com/zuOC90E.jpg https://i.imgur.com/Nn2mK4C.jpg So I started off by stripping it down... https://i.imgur.com/7tN0WEY.jpg https://i.imgur.com/5J4ERAh.jpg https://i.imgur.com/tFDIZWm.jpg https://i.imgur.com/KlOQhMk.jpg All the old seals - majority of which had as suspected hardened https://i.imgur.com/zN883za.jpg Then I popped the parts into the ultrasonic cleaner for 40mins https://i.imgur.com/JO3upsk.jpg ...which resulted in.. https://i.imgur.com/HNBtuyR.jpg I wasnt overly happy with the results of this even though they were much better so I media blasted it and the engine cover mounts which had them coming out like this... https://i.imgur.com/9dZud3q.jpg Next job....yes you guessed it is to bring out the satin black paint again to match everything else. Also ordered some more black bolts for reassembly, a new full seal kit and a new LPG coolant temperature sensor since I was having issues with the LPG kicking in when it wasn't properly up to temperature sometimes. More updates over the weekend - and providing all the bits arrive I might even get to start it!! :P |
Ok so got a few more hours in over the bank holiday weekend in in between other bits and pieces - getting close to first startup - unfortunately the lack of one o-ring stopped me getting any further - it's a particularly critical o-ring too as it seals the oil feed from the head to the hydraulic tensioner that sits in the top left chain cover - I did still have the old one which to be honest wasn't in bad condition but I couldn't bring myself to re-use it just for the sake of waiting a couple of days - I ordered it from BMW this morning and I'm picking it up later.
So on with what I did get done.. LPG vapouriser all painted.....I painted it with the housings bolted together as it saved on masking times. https://i.imgur.com/UJsghC7.jpg https://i.imgur.com/xxiSZlk.jpg https://i.imgur.com/bmbesTS.jpg https://i.imgur.com/zxU4P1n.jpg https://i.imgur.com/9ZD5OUh.jpg https://i.imgur.com/hDPv5rz.jpg Engine cover brackets and new LPG brackets also painted.. https://i.imgur.com/Mkdb6MW.jpg https://i.imgur.com/Z51T9xH.jpg Then I split the painted vapouriser apart and got everything lined up ready for reassembly with new seals https://i.imgur.com/yfmVTTy.jpg Then fitted the new seals... https://i.imgur.com/HaGFOdO.jpg https://i.imgur.com/AQEE7Gv.jpg https://i.imgur.com/AQWDsvO.jpg https://i.imgur.com/tACdxGC.jpg The finished article.....(and yes I'm going to have to touch up the little bit of brass showing). Bolts used where black coated stainless steel ones again and not the ones that had been painted over. https://i.imgur.com/3qy4MVu.jpg So with that done I then turned my attention to re-assembling the newly painted bracketry for the inlet manifold which turned out like this.....really happy with this. https://i.imgur.com/Y2OD8pi.jpg Next job.....front lower timing chain cover. I unwrapped my freshly blasted and powercoated cover and ran a tap down each bolt hole to make sure I wasn't going to have any issues further along the line....tedious I agree but a necessity for anything that has been powercoated or blasted. Water pump bolts can have a tendancy to seize/shear at the best of times. https://i.imgur.com/Ohn6PeW.jpg https://i.imgur.com/KM30XLQ.jpg https://i.imgur.com/qdZOa6A.jpg https://i.imgur.com/adZE2B4.jpg All ready to go on with it's new gaskets. https://i.imgur.com/d4U4G3Q.jpg I also ran some sealant (Dirko) where the cover meets the upper sump to give it the best chance of sealing. There is a metal gasket here as standard but unfortunately it requires a whole load of other work to swap out (lowering subframe etc) so I'm trying to avoid it if possible unless I absolutely have to do it! Not my best icing work I'll admit but it's a tricky place to get to deep in the engine bay together with the end of the crank being right in the way...excuses excuses I know! https://i.imgur.com/Nsih51K.jpg All fitted... https://i.imgur.com/JMnekqC.jpg At this point I was able to see how much of the crankshaft pulley was visible which turned out to be all of it so I was able to give it a lick of paint... https://i.imgur.com/UsHnFH0.jpg Next job....the sump.... Old breather drain removed https://i.imgur.com/9qs9qwn.jpg ...given a lick of paint and fitted with new vaccum and breather hoses and fresh heat shielding and new o-rings for the banjo bolt. This was an absolute mare to refit back into place again. Seemed to take me forever! https://i.imgur.com/EL3PLZJ.jpg Brand new pickup from BMW (not cheap) https://i.imgur.com/Li38wr8.jpg Fitted in place with new o-ring and bolts torqued to spec https://i.imgur.com/aVP185s.jpg Bead of sealant applied to sump - why sealant when there's a gasket available I hear you ask (and if you're not asking that you should be!!)....well in a couple of hundred miles I'm going to be taking the sump off again to check for rogue pieces of chain guide that may have still been lurking since it fell apart so I will refit with proper gasket then. https://i.imgur.com/pl8EbCo.jpg Sump all in place https://i.imgur.com/bBZWOjj.jpg Next job.....upper timing chain covers...it was at this point I realised I didnt have the o-ring I needed. Again...ran a tap through all the bolt holes.. https://i.imgur.com/i9KgUzO.jpg Including the tensioner mounting hole too... https://i.imgur.com/gWS9QDy.jpg I couldn't install the left hand cover as previously mentioned but I fitted the right hand side one instead with a new gasket.. https://i.imgur.com/cyhxdgK.jpg Next I got out the freshly crinkle black powder coated rocker covers....ran the tap down were required.. https://i.imgur.com/0FmghcH.jpg Fitted new gaskets.... https://i.imgur.com/p4FcYYK.jpg And placed it onto the engine - looks very good I'm sure you'll agree. The upper chain covers haven't been fully secured yet as this gets done after the rockers are bolted down to ensure the underside rubber seal seals correctly. https://i.imgur.com/HcpOSOy.jpg So basically this is how it currently sits... https://i.imgur.com/Mc9NWAl.jpg Still a fair amount to do......ideally need this running this week though so I can carry on with other projects that are waiting. More updates soon... |
Ok so got a few more hours in over the bank holiday weekend in in between other bits and pieces - getting close to first startup - unfortunately the lack of one o-ring stopped me getting any further - it's a particularly critical o-ring too as it seals the oil feed from the head to the hydraulic tensioner that sits in the top left chain cover - I did still have the old one which to be honest wasn't in bad condition but I couldn't bring myself to re-use it just for the sake of waiting a couple of days - I ordered it from BMW this morning and I'm picking it up later.
So on with what I did get done.. LPG vapouriser all painted.....I painted it with the housings bolted together as it saved on masking times. https://i.imgur.com/UJsghC7.jpg https://i.imgur.com/xxiSZlk.jpg https://i.imgur.com/bmbesTS.jpg https://i.imgur.com/zxU4P1n.jpg https://i.imgur.com/9ZD5OUh.jpg https://i.imgur.com/hDPv5rz.jpg Engine cover brackets and new LPG brackets also painted.. https://i.imgur.com/Mkdb6MW.jpg https://i.imgur.com/Z51T9xH.jpg Then I split the painted vapouriser apart and got everything lined up ready for reassembly with new seals https://i.imgur.com/yfmVTTy.jpg Then fitted the new seals... https://i.imgur.com/HaGFOdO.jpg https://i.imgur.com/AQEE7Gv.jpg https://i.imgur.com/AQWDsvO.jpg https://i.imgur.com/tACdxGC.jpg The finished article.....(and yes I'm going to have to touch up the little bit of brass showing). Bolts used where black coated stainless steel ones again and not the ones that had been painted over. https://i.imgur.com/3qy4MVu.jpg So with that done I then turned my attention to re-assembling the newly painted bracketry for the inlet manifold which turned out like this.....really happy with this. https://i.imgur.com/Y2OD8pi.jpg Next job.....front lower timing chain cover. I unwrapped my freshly blasted and powercoated cover and ran a tap down each bolt hole to make sure I wasn't going to have any issues further along the line....tedious I agree but a necessity for anything that has been powercoated or blasted. Water pump bolts can have a tendancy to seize/shear at the best of times. https://i.imgur.com/Ohn6PeW.jpg https://i.imgur.com/KM30XLQ.jpg https://i.imgur.com/qdZOa6A.jpg https://i.imgur.com/adZE2B4.jpg All ready to go on with it's new gaskets. https://i.imgur.com/d4U4G3Q.jpg I also ran some sealant (Dirko) where the cover meets the upper sump to give it the best chance of sealing. There is a metal gasket here as standard but unfortunately it requires a whole load of other work to swap out (lowering subframe etc) so I'm trying to avoid it if possible unless I absolutely have to do it! Not my best icing work I'll admit but it's a tricky place to get to deep in the engine bay together with the end of the crank being right in the way...excuses excuses I know! https://i.imgur.com/Nsih51K.jpg All fitted... https://i.imgur.com/JMnekqC.jpg At this point I was able to see how much of the crankshaft pulley was visible which turned out to be all of it so I was able to give it a lick of paint... https://i.imgur.com/UsHnFH0.jpg Next job....the sump.... Old breather drain removed https://i.imgur.com/9qs9qwn.jpg ...given a lick of paint and fitted with new vaccum and breather hoses and fresh heat shielding and new o-rings for the banjo bolt. This was an absolute mare to refit back into place again. Seemed to take me forever! https://i.imgur.com/EL3PLZJ.jpg Brand new pickup from BMW (not cheap) https://i.imgur.com/Li38wr8.jpg Fitted in place with new o-ring and bolts torqued to spec https://i.imgur.com/aVP185s.jpg Bead of sealant applied to sump - why sealant when there's a gasket available I hear you ask (and if you're not asking that you should be!!)....well in a couple of hundred miles I'm going to be taking the sump off again to check for rogue pieces of chain guide that may have still been lurking since it fell apart so I will refit with proper gasket then. https://i.imgur.com/pl8EbCo.jpg Sump all in place https://i.imgur.com/bBZWOjj.jpg Next job.....upper timing chain covers...it was at this point I realised I didnt have the o-ring I needed. Again...ran a tap through all the bolt holes.. https://i.imgur.com/i9KgUzO.jpg Including the tensioner mounting hole too... https://i.imgur.com/gWS9QDy.jpg I couldn't install the left hand cover as previously mentioned but I fitted the right hand side one instead with a new gasket.. https://i.imgur.com/cyhxdgK.jpg Next I got out the freshly crinkle black powder coated rocker covers....ran the tap down were required.. https://i.imgur.com/0FmghcH.jpg Fitted new gaskets.... https://i.imgur.com/p4FcYYK.jpg And placed it onto the engine - looks very good I'm sure you'll agree. The upper chain covers haven't been fully secured yet as this gets done after the rockers are bolted down to ensure the underside rubber seal seals correctly. https://i.imgur.com/HcpOSOy.jpg So basically this is how it currently sits... https://i.imgur.com/Mc9NWAl.jpg Still a fair amount to do......ideally need this running this week though so I can carry on with other projects that are waiting. More updates soon... |
Nice work. The level of detail shows and the end results should be great! Looking forward to updates.
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Is it just me, or does that custom bracket need a logo.
:popcorn: |
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Bravo sir. Bravo. Keep up the amazing work.
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So last nights stint can only be described as being filled with multiple mishaps - felt like a bit of a wasted session but it's not really as it's all good experience. Now that I've made a couple of not really what you would call mistakes more the wrong order of doing things I wouldn't make the same mistake again should I need to repeat the exercise. So started the night at around 9pm by fitting that o-ring I was missing.. https://i.imgur.com/1znMp4n.jpg Then I moved onto getting the hardware together for securing the valve covers down.....which as you can see I was already off to a bad start. 4 rubber seals missing and 1 bodged cap nut that someone had obviously fitted previously from a rocker gasket job. I now know why it was bodged but I'll come back to that later... https://i.imgur.com/1ifjJZo.jpg So...not to be put off I cracked on and fitted the left hand upper guide and rocker cover not before cleaning out the threads as per usual. For those of you that wonder why I bother doing this and may have the attitude 'oh those threads would be fine'...look at what comes out of one hole after running a tap down it... https://i.imgur.com/FjRg4nj.jpg Now if any of you have ever tried fitting new rocker cover seals you'll know that it can sometimes be a bit tricky to get the cap nut fasteners to start due to the thicker newer rubber seals - the additional powder coat probably didnt help matters either. So the best way to compress the rocker down to get the nuts to start is to remove the rubber seal from a couple of the nuts and use a couple of washers instead - one of each side of the rocker which will pull it down which will let you fit the rest of them easily. https://i.imgur.com/Mneg98h.jpg As I was securing the front fasteners I realised I'd made a massive mistake..... https://i.imgur.com/Fng8RB8.jpg ...yes you guessed it they weren't black.....so out came the paint again - I'll refit those once they've dried at the next sitting... Next job....freshly painted and ultrasonically cleaned Vanos solenoids with new gaskets.. https://i.imgur.com/WSPSY1m.jpg https://i.imgur.com/IlD50si.jpg ...and here was my 2nd mishap (only really due to the fact that I'm overly anal!)....the socket that's provided with the ridiculously expensive locking kit I remember being a very very snug fit...so much so that it was in danger of removing the fresh paint.... https://i.imgur.com/1caAfu7.jpg So...I had to go with an alternative option....which meant disassembling the work that I'd already done that night...so that I could use a spanner instead..... https://i.imgur.com/M8BpxcE.jpg https://i.imgur.com/KpTIJ8I.jpg Now onto the 3rd mishap.....the Vanos seals.. https://i.imgur.com/qsu6fvP.jpg Now here in this picture everything looks great.....they look properly fitted with an nice black cap bolt at the top holding them in....unfortunately that is the only bolt currently holding them in - for some bizarre reason I can only put down to the powdercoating getting in the way I could not for the life of me get the lower bolt in. Sooooo....since it was 11:30pm the next session will see me removing (again) the front upper covers and fitting the seals at the bench then fitting them onto the engine over the solenoids. This then leads me onto the final hiccup of the night....the dipstick...the bane of anyones life who's ever done this job before - it's ALWAYS in the way and is seemingly impossible to remove due to the way it's bent. I'm now not 100% confident of getting it back into it's proper home with the left hand Vanos solenoid in the way - you need to get it into a certain position to be able to refit it into the sump with the new o-ring. Again...another job to work out next session. So going back to the reason why someone had probably previously bodged one of the cap nuts....the cost...I rang BMW this morning to order a replacement cap nut to be told that including discount they were....£13 EACH (18$ for US readers)!! So if you had to replace all 16 of them for whatever reason you'd be looking at over £200 (280$) for 16 nuts....which is...absolutely NUTS!! :)) :)) Now to be honest....in the grand scheme of this project £13 is a mere drop in the ocean but I'm not one for spending money unnecessarily. So I've come up with another plan which will allow me to replace all the 16 fasteners (not just 1) for hopefully a bit cheaper than £13 and more in keeping with my current theme. All will be revealed in due course... I've also ordered the other 5 missing seals too. Next installment hopefully tomorrow. P.S. Yes I've spotted the couple of rusty brackets in the above pics which will be getting attended to in due course ;) |
Last nights update, unfortunately I only managed to get a quick hour in...but any progress is progress right?
Started off in a positive manner by fitting a couple of new parts.. New LPG coolant temperature sensor - mine was having issues in that it would kick onto LPG when the engine was still cold. https://i.imgur.com/S3tvNiB.jpg https://i.imgur.com/xCbSsXt.jpg Then fitted the new front crank seal... https://i.imgur.com/ZWwXkl1.jpg https://i.imgur.com/Trm5NKp.jpg That then meant I could fit the crank pulley mounting flange https://i.imgur.com/NzlNOXV.jpg Then it was time to address the dipstick.....removed the LH rocker cover, upper chain cover and Vanos solenoid which then enabled me to maneuver the dipstick into it's locating hole. https://i.imgur.com/aIjhE6j.jpg New dipstick sealing hardware https://i.imgur.com/Up4RsGX.jpg All fitted into place... https://i.imgur.com/M6wkqHu.jpg With the upper chain cover removed I was able to very easily address the Vanos seal issue I had been having... https://i.imgur.com/MpP6WJy.jpg https://i.imgur.com/uIVeiCd.jpg Fitted all the left hand side back together and then finally fitted the new hydraulic chain tensioner https://i.imgur.com/Kuye6uB.jpg https://i.imgur.com/55EW53t.jpg https://i.imgur.com/AjRkIoA.jpg (look at the dirt underneath that.....I'll have to sort that!!!) Repeated the same thing on the RH side bank then got the newly painted rocker bolts and loosely fitted the rockers back on - just waiting on my new bolt solution to turn up... https://i.imgur.com/IUzTB5V.jpg https://i.imgur.com/9Esn7CI.jpg Next visits jobs include.....mounting the inlet manifold, fit up the breather system and loom - then we may attempt a test start before putting any other ancillaries back on again. |
How are you getting the paint to adhere to the fasteners? Anytime I try to paint fasteners, they strip almost immediately as soon as I try to tighten them.
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You do excellent work, love the complete documentation!
I have to tell you I cringe though every time I see the intake ports wide open. Throw some shop towels in those holes! ;) |
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Some of the other new bolts I've purchased are specially chemically coated black and they don't strip when torqued. Quote:
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Hows Victor Rienz seals & Gaskets quality???
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So......after looking more closely at the rubber seal underneath the upper guide covers I wasn't 100% happy with the way it was sat as looked squashed and misformed - I worked out that this was due to me fitting the vanos guide seals in place first and then having to pull the upper chain covers in using the bolts due to the tight fit around the Vanos solenoid, so the seals had obviously 'dragged' their way across the lower surface - I obviously couldn't bring myself to leave them like this - chances are they would have sealed fine since they are rubber but I really didn't want to take the risk.
So...off they came again....on removal I found this gasket sitting like this... https://i.imgur.com/WjVQaa3.jpg I had to come up with a solution to get the Vanos seals to line up with the mounting holes so that I could fit them after fitting the upper covers. So I did this.... Chopped a couple nuts up to make them into studs... https://i.imgur.com/jhWkewL.jpg Which then enabled me to do this... https://i.imgur.com/NEj9SYK.jpg ..then this... https://i.imgur.com/uF11ss8.jpg ....then I secured the seal down using the nuts as tight as I dared... https://i.imgur.com/XvCzSqU.jpg ....then I removed the lower nut and stud which meant that the hole was nicely lined up... https://i.imgur.com/949sMgn.jpg I then repeated this for the top mounting bolt which also lined up a treat. Was this worth the extra effort.....well I'll let you be the judge of that...here's how the seals were sat before... https://i.imgur.com/gGS6lzA.jpg ....and here's how they sat after.....absolutely flat and perfect! https://i.imgur.com/GA8ysiB.jpg So then after this I plugged up all the intake ports and buzzed off the surfaces with a air powered wire wheel which brought them up perfect. I also pulled the breather pipe into it's proper place which you can see at the back of the LH bank. https://i.imgur.com/tDPPel0.jpg I then remembered I had a couple more bits to paint that I'd forgotten about - the water pump and the other tensioner. So these were dug out and the mounting surfaces prepped. https://i.imgur.com/j38uvwE.jpg https://i.imgur.com/JCEx7hn.jpg https://i.imgur.com/ji0k1M8.jpg I also got out my new 88 Degree thermostat - 88 degree I you ask...the standard thermostat is an electronically controlled 102 degree item which means the car usually runs at around 104-108degrees. This has always seemed far too excessive for me and I believe won't be helping longevity of various parts of the engine. From what I have read it was more to do with emission control. Either way it's unnerving so I wanted to lower the running temperature of the engine more to a normal more acceptable level. I'm hoping this thermostat will do the trick and allow it to run around 10 degrees cooler under normal operation. It should also mean the electric fan won't be kicking in and out as much as it used to either. https://i.imgur.com/Dtitt9v.jpg Next I got busy with the masking tape... https://i.imgur.com/xOtrRQA.jpg https://i.imgur.com/POef5sY.jpg https://i.imgur.com/9cPrmN0.jpg I also took this opportunity to remove those 2 rusty mounts I'd previously spotted - one is for the standard heater control valve (on the right) which I'll blast and paint and the other crude industrial looking one (on the left) is for the LPG vapouriser which I'll recreate out of aluminium and paint. https://i.imgur.com/Z9qfQjT.jpg https://i.imgur.com/iZdweTP.jpg Unfortunately both of these brackets have left their mark on the paint in the engine bay - something which I'll probably deal with again at some point - BMW really seem to skimp out on engine bay paint in all the cars around this era - they either use a very flat basic paint or they paint it the same colour as the body but don't lacquer it - it's a real shame! Anyway - that was it for the night. More updates over the weekend - perhaps even an engine running video clip! |
Little update from last night.
Media blasted the valve bracket which came up very well indeed. https://i.imgur.com/BNcVU3F.jpg Made up a quick bracket to replace the old LPG one https://i.imgur.com/2Px629F.jpg https://i.imgur.com/ZE81aKn.jpg Today's jobs include lots of painting amongst other things. |
Apologies for the lack of updates people.....this last week has been something of a roller coaster of emotions with regards to the X5.
I shall begin where I left off last week.....painting....and more painting. Everything masked up, cleaned with thinners and hung up ready... https://i.imgur.com/a7YE77g.jpg ...then primered.... https://i.imgur.com/qy4hTXA.jpg https://i.imgur.com/3DZRR09.jpg https://i.imgur.com/loHf9yA.jpg https://i.imgur.com/H4D3QSp.jpg https://i.imgur.com/aR8G6bS.jpg ...then painted... https://i.imgur.com/u3oWxak.jpg https://i.imgur.com/4Dea0ot.jpg https://i.imgur.com/wF8NACU.jpg You're probably going to ask the question 'why on earth paint those coolant pipes when you can't see them?'....I asked myself that question too.....but I couldn't help it. I know they will be in there all nicely painted and that's all that matters!!! :)) So they whilst they were all drying....I turned my attention to something else that wasn't aesthetically pleasing to me. So this then happened....... https://i.imgur.com/F5DOr1z.jpg https://i.imgur.com/c5wwVuz.jpg https://i.imgur.com/nYqOlYg.jpg Now again....you're probably thinking why....well you'll see once the manifold goes back on again - you are still able to see part of the side of the heads. I'll admit to very little prepping of the area I sprayed. I just wanted to give it a bit of freshness....we'll see how it lasts though. Here is is with the plastic valley cover back on and the coolant pipes fitted, with of course new o-rings and also the 4 knock sensors. Looks spot on I think. https://i.imgur.com/F2hhBcD.jpg Not before tapping the holes for the knock sensors too.. https://i.imgur.com/Gel7Q5E.jpg Next job....finish off building up the inlet manifold and breather setup... New separator https://i.imgur.com/Dvi4ZvH.jpg Fitted with new silicone breather hoses https://i.imgur.com/rzCPqeM.jpg New gaskets https://i.imgur.com/tlieQiU.jpg https://i.imgur.com/mXnbxVa.jpg Unfortunately the fully assembled inlet manifold onto engine idea didn't go as planned......as this picture shows it was hitting the underside of the scuttle panel https://i.imgur.com/i3Iorhk.jpg So after removing a few bits it finally went on......unfortunately that was also very short lived because of this part of the procedure....fitting the rear breather separator into the oil drain that goes down to the sump... This, was NEVER going to fit into here with the available lack of clearance https://i.imgur.com/typwoPy.jpg Here's the pipe with the silicone joiner removed https://i.imgur.com/ryYGJc9.jpg Even the physical bore size of each part was dubious... https://i.imgur.com/8Fu9RlP.jpg However perseverance paid off... https://i.imgur.com/Lhfctgu.jpg ...and this was how it had to be.....separator in first then attached to back of manifold later... https://i.imgur.com/vI6aqXc.jpg Next to fix the manifold in place....but oh...wait...disaster...these had to be cleaned and painted beforehand... https://i.imgur.com/84TConX.jpg https://i.imgur.com/FTF8PiL.jpg All ready... https://i.imgur.com/t9lMOec.jpg Then all the coilpacks were cleaned and fitted using new stainless nuts (not black as you can't see them!) https://i.imgur.com/uoZ4dw7.jpg ...and so this is how the engine stood at this point.....I was pretty happy with this. https://i.imgur.com/ryYGJc9.jpg So next job.....this mess of a loom... https://i.imgur.com/IUzNjjb.jpg The sleeving was oily and falling apart in places.. https://i.imgur.com/ZKgbAjA.jpg So we couldn't have that - I had plenty of old car looms lying around so I re-used some of the convoluted tubing I had to replace the old sleeving with.....much better https://i.imgur.com/Y6DlnxA.jpg So with that all sorted I fitted the cam sensors with new o-rings....and of course new black bolts.. https://i.imgur.com/0t15lFk.jpg https://i.imgur.com/GgJg9ds.jpg So the last thing before first startup.....just over 8 litres of the good stuff... https://i.imgur.com/tRiegoK.jpg As I am going to drop the oil and sump again after a couple of hundred miles I had contemplated using some slightly cheaper oil and filter combo but then soon dismissed that idea as completely insane due to the fact the engine hadn't been ran in well over a year and I needed the best filtration and lubrication available incase there were remnants of chain guide still floating around. Besides....the price I pay for 20L of the Fuchs Titan oil meant I would have only saved myself about £5 by getting some cheap Tesco oil or similar! Definitely not worth it! Then......well.....disaster struck!!! The 2 post ramp that the X5 has been occupying for the past year or so decided to fail on me and left the X5 stuck right at the very top! The main load nut had failed and the emergency system had kicked in and left it inoperable. I then spent the next near on 2 hours manually winding each side down by hand to get it to a level where I could carry on working on it. This I admit was not good for my motivation. So finally the X5 was at a decent level to work with and first start was attempted.....and unfortunately failed miserably! Turned the key and there was nothing, not even a click or an attempted turn over of the engine. Not a good start. So time for some fault finding. There was power going to the starter and the engine would turn over by bridging the solenoid and the main power terminal. So then I turned my attention to the ignition system, immobiliser and DME/EWS - got my scanner out and checked for faults, resynced everything but still nothing. Then.....then I realised my stupid mistake. This connector....the one I thought was for the secondary air pump that I hadn't plugged in yet as it's not required for a startup...well...turns out it's not at all for the SAI pump. It's the signal wire subloom for the starter motor!! Well...it was well over a year since I'd disconnected it and to be honest I had completely forgotten I had to. The connector plugs in just in front of the starter motor under the left hand bank. https://i.imgur.com/j3iufpZ.jpg So after wasting a ridiculous amount of time on this it was time for the 2nd attempt at starting.......alas though...it wasn't to be. Engine turned over a treat...sounded normal but it just wouldnt fire. Very very occasionally there was the odd pop but nothing close to actually starting. By this time it was 7pm on Sunday evening and after the days events I was admittedly on an all time downer which to be honest really isnt like me. Time to do some more investigating. This was beginning not to make sense. I immediately ruled out timing as I'd locked everything and properly secured with the the proper locking kit. Engine had turned over by hand successfully and I heard compression whilst doing so. Fuel....check, plugs were wet and I could smell it, spark...check - earthed a coil pack out with a spark plug in it - yes all good there, compression...yes tested and all ok. This wasn't adding up at all. Then whilst more cranking attempts I received a throttle adaptation code - this confused me as I could hear the throttle opening and closing normally using the throttle pedal with the ignition off. I asked a question on the E53 Owners Facebook page if someone could kindly test and see if the engine would start without the throttle body plugged in - a couple of people kindly confirmed it wouldn't. So in my mind this could be the cause - a faulty throttle body. Strange because it worked perfectly before however it had been sat around for a year so who knows. So I resigned myself to the fact that it wasn't going to start that night so went home. I found myself a used throttle body on eBay that evening so got it ordered. So the following day I was constantly sat going over what I'd done over the course of the rebuild and thinking could I have done anything wrong. I turned my attention to the timing aspect even though I'd dismissed it earlier and did some research....and low and behold I found this... My locked cams (top) versus Besian Systems locked cams (bottom) - on both sides they were in different positions - how though, everything had locked down perfectly. I'd even made the additional locking plates to make sure the locking blocks wouldnt come out and accidentally move. https://i.imgur.com/UhLZQBR.jpg https://i.imgur.com/piOZJ8P.jpg Anyway, what was clear was that there was definitely an issue somehow. So that night I went back down to the lockup and got cracking on tearing everything down again to reset the timing. With the rocker and upper covers off I locked everything in place again which went very smoothly so it would appear that all the cams had been done right. I loosened off all the front pulleys again then got underneath to put the flywheel pin in place thoroughly expecting to not be able to do this and that I would have to rotate the crank. To my surprise the pin slid right in without even having to touch the crank. This then made even less sense....ok so the timing was absolutely spot on.....despite on the photos from when I originally locked it it appearing incorrect. Maybe there's 2 timing holes on the flywheel and I'd used the wrong one. After some more research this wasn't the case. This then properly confused me. Then......it finally dawned on me...it was like a ray of light!! I'd originally locked the engine at 180 degrees rather than 0 degrees. Hence why the cam blocks fitted perfect and the crank locked in place fine and the crank had shown TDC. The reason why it hadnt started was because I'd followed the procedure for when the engine was locked at 0 degrees - therefore the cam trigger wheel was effectively 180 degrees out when I'd used the special tool for timing this part up. https://i.imgur.com/EniEKCy.jpg So basically the injectors were injecting fuel when the piston was at it's opposite phase i.e. moving upwards on it's exhaust stroke rather than its compression stroke. I couldn't believe it something so daft. So that night I set everything 100% correctly and left it like this ready for reassembly the following evening https://i.imgur.com/jhQSLRM.jpg So the next evening I went down and carried on re-assembling. I had learnt a few more things whilst doing my extended research into the timing issue... One was the existence of these markings on the cam to show when the cams were in the correct locking position...5 8 and 1 4 and also A & E to signify exhaust and intake cams. https://i.imgur.com/RH1j2Pz.jpg I also found that you are supposed to use a small blob of sealant at various places as well as the rubber cam cover gasket.. https://i.imgur.com/nSyokJS.jpg https://i.imgur.com/9ktVVhU.jpg This made refitting the rocker cover gaskets a proper challenge...specifically the right hand bank one due to the heater pipes being in the way in the very right hand corner. I also went round all the studs as some of these had backed out... https://i.imgur.com/ADFklXH.jpg So then...with everything finally refitted and in place it was time for the 3rd attempt at starting..I was feeling confident at this point...3rd time lucky... For the sake of transparency this video wasn't taken of the very first start - I completely forgot in my excitement to film it....however this was the startup directly after this a few minutes later. Excuse the loud exhaust blow the secondary air link pipe wasn't fitted as I am removing this system. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CiksjON728 Success at last. It runs!!! I have definitely missed this noise! So this is where I am currently at. I need to continue refitting ancillaries like water pump, power steering pump, tensioners and aux belt. I also need to finish the LPG system too. Then it's MOT time and I can start enjoying it again. More updates soon... |
Apologies for the lack of updates people.....this last week has been something of a roller coaster of emotions with regards to the X5.
I shall begin where I left off last week.....painting....and more painting. Everything masked up, cleaned with thinners and hung up ready... https://i.imgur.com/a7YE77g.jpg ...then primered.... https://i.imgur.com/qy4hTXA.jpg https://i.imgur.com/3DZRR09.jpg https://i.imgur.com/loHf9yA.jpg https://i.imgur.com/H4D3QSp.jpg https://i.imgur.com/aR8G6bS.jpg ...then painted... https://i.imgur.com/u3oWxak.jpg https://i.imgur.com/4Dea0ot.jpg https://i.imgur.com/wF8NACU.jpg You're probably going to ask the question 'why on earth paint those coolant pipes when you can't see them?'....I asked myself that question too.....but I couldn't help it. I know they will be in there all nicely painted and that's all that matters!!! :)) So they whilst they were all drying....I turned my attention to something else that wasn't aesthetically pleasing to me. So this then happened....... https://i.imgur.com/F5DOr1z.jpg https://i.imgur.com/c5wwVuz.jpg https://i.imgur.com/nYqOlYg.jpg Now again....you're probably thinking why....well you'll see once the manifold goes back on again - you are still able to see part of the side of the heads. I'll admit to very little prepping of the area I sprayed. I just wanted to give it a bit of freshness....we'll see how it lasts though. Here is is with the plastic valley cover back on and the coolant pipes fitted, with of course new o-rings and also the 4 knock sensors. Looks spot on I think. https://i.imgur.com/F2hhBcD.jpg Not before tapping the holes for the knock sensors too.. https://i.imgur.com/Gel7Q5E.jpg Next job....finish off building up the inlet manifold and breather setup... New separator https://i.imgur.com/Dvi4ZvH.jpg Fitted with new silicone breather hoses https://i.imgur.com/rzCPqeM.jpg New gaskets https://i.imgur.com/tlieQiU.jpg https://i.imgur.com/mXnbxVa.jpg Unfortunately the fully assembled inlet manifold onto engine idea didn't go as planned......as this picture shows it was hitting the underside of the scuttle panel https://i.imgur.com/i3Iorhk.jpg So after removing a few bits it finally went on......unfortunately that was also very short lived because of this part of the procedure....fitting the rear breather separator into the oil drain that goes down to the sump... This, was NEVER going to fit into here with the available lack of clearance https://i.imgur.com/typwoPy.jpg Here's the pipe with the silicone joiner removed https://i.imgur.com/ryYGJc9.jpg Even the physical bore size of each part was dubious... https://i.imgur.com/8Fu9RlP.jpg However perseverance paid off... https://i.imgur.com/Lhfctgu.jpg ...and this was how it had to be.....separator in first then attached to back of manifold later... https://i.imgur.com/vI6aqXc.jpg Next to fix the manifold in place....but oh...wait...disaster...these had to be cleaned and painted beforehand... https://i.imgur.com/84TConX.jpg https://i.imgur.com/FTF8PiL.jpg All ready... https://i.imgur.com/t9lMOec.jpg Then all the coilpacks were cleaned and fitted using new stainless nuts (not black as you can't see them!) https://i.imgur.com/uoZ4dw7.jpg ...and so this is how the engine stood at this point.....I was pretty happy with this. https://i.imgur.com/ryYGJc9.jpg So next job.....this mess of a loom... https://i.imgur.com/IUzNjjb.jpg The sleeving was oily and falling apart in places.. https://i.imgur.com/ZKgbAjA.jpg So we couldn't have that - I had plenty of old car looms lying around so I re-used some of the convoluted tubing I had to replace the old sleeving with.....much better https://i.imgur.com/Y6DlnxA.jpg So with that all sorted I fitted the cam sensors with new o-rings....and of course new black bolts.. https://i.imgur.com/0t15lFk.jpg https://i.imgur.com/GgJg9ds.jpg So the last thing before first startup.....just over 8 litres of the good stuff... https://i.imgur.com/tRiegoK.jpg As I am going to drop the oil and sump again after a couple of hundred miles I had contemplated using some slightly cheaper oil and filter combo but then soon dismissed that idea as completely insane due to the fact the engine hadn't been ran in well over a year and I needed the best filtration and lubrication available incase there were remnants of chain guide still floating around. Besides....the price I pay for 20L of the Fuchs Titan oil meant I would have only saved myself about £5 by getting some cheap Tesco oil or similar! Definitely not worth it! Then......well.....disaster struck!!! The 2 post ramp that the X5 has been occupying for the past year or so decided to fail on me and left the X5 stuck right at the very top! The main load nut had failed and the emergency system had kicked in and left it inoperable. I then spent the next near on 2 hours manually winding each side down by hand to get it to a level where I could carry on working on it. This I admit was not good for my motivation. So finally the X5 was at a decent level to work with and first start was attempted.....and unfortunately failed miserably! Turned the key and there was nothing, not even a click or an attempted turn over of the engine. Not a good start. So time for some fault finding. There was power going to the starter and the engine would turn over by bridging the solenoid and the main power terminal. So then I turned my attention to the ignition system, immobiliser and DME/EWS - got my scanner out and checked for faults, resynced everything but still nothing. Then.....then I realised my stupid mistake. This connector....the one I thought was for the secondary air pump that I hadn't plugged in yet as it's not required for a startup...well...turns out it's not at all for the SAI pump. It's the signal wire subloom for the starter motor!! Well...it was well over a year since I'd disconnected it and to be honest I had completely forgotten I had to. The connector plugs in just in front of the starter motor under the left hand bank. https://i.imgur.com/j3iufpZ.jpg So after wasting a ridiculous amount of time on this it was time for the 2nd attempt at starting.......alas though...it wasn't to be. Engine turned over a treat...sounded normal but it just wouldnt fire. Very very occasionally there was the odd pop but nothing close to actually starting. By this time it was 7pm on Sunday evening and after the days events I was admittedly on an all time downer which to be honest really isnt like me. Time to do some more investigating. This was beginning not to make sense. I immediately ruled out timing as I'd locked everything and properly secured with the the proper locking kit. Engine had turned over by hand successfully and I heard compression whilst doing so. Fuel....check, plugs were wet and I could smell it, spark...check - earthed a coil pack out with a spark plug in it - yes all good there, compression...yes tested and all ok. This wasn't adding up at all. Then whilst more cranking attempts I received a throttle adaptation code - this confused me as I could hear the throttle opening and closing normally using the throttle pedal with the ignition off. I asked a question on the E53 Owners Facebook page if someone could kindly test and see if the engine would start without the throttle body plugged in - a couple of people kindly confirmed it wouldn't. So in my mind this could be the cause - a faulty throttle body. Strange because it worked perfectly before however it had been sat around for a year so who knows. So I resigned myself to the fact that it wasn't going to start that night so went home. I found myself a used throttle body on eBay that evening so got it ordered. So the following day I was constantly sat going over what I'd done over the course of the rebuild and thinking could I have done anything wrong. I turned my attention to the timing aspect even though I'd dismissed it earlier and did some research....and low and behold I found this... My locked cams (top) versus Besian Systems locked cams (bottom) - on both sides they were in different positions - how though, everything had locked down perfectly. I'd even made the additional locking plates to make sure the locking blocks wouldnt come out and accidentally move. https://i.imgur.com/UhLZQBR.jpg https://i.imgur.com/piOZJ8P.jpg Anyway, what was clear was that there was definitely an issue somehow. So that night I went back down to the lockup and got cracking on tearing everything down again to reset the timing. With the rocker and upper covers off I locked everything in place again which went very smoothly so it would appear that all the cams had been done right. I loosened off all the front pulleys again then got underneath to put the flywheel pin in place thoroughly expecting to not be able to do this and that I would have to rotate the crank. To my surprise the pin slid right in without even having to touch the crank. This then made even less sense....ok so the timing was absolutely spot on.....despite on the photos from when I originally locked it it appearing incorrect. Maybe there's 2 timing holes on the flywheel and I'd used the wrong one. After some more research this wasn't the case. This then properly confused me. Then......it finally dawned on me...it was like a ray of light!! I'd originally locked the engine at 180 degrees rather than 0 degrees. Hence why the cam blocks fitted perfect and the crank locked in place fine and the crank had shown TDC. The reason why it hadnt started was because I'd followed the procedure for when the engine was locked at 0 degrees - therefore the cam trigger wheel was effectively 180 degrees out when I'd used the special tool for timing this part up. https://i.imgur.com/EniEKCy.jpg So basically the injectors were injecting fuel when the piston was at it's opposite phase i.e. moving upwards on it's exhaust stroke rather than its compression stroke. I couldn't believe it something so daft. So that night I set everything 100% correctly and left it like this ready for reassembly the following evening https://i.imgur.com/jhQSLRM.jpg So the next evening I went down and carried on re-assembling. I had learnt a few more things whilst doing my extended research into the timing issue... One was the existence of these markings on the cam to show when the cams were in the correct locking position...5 8 and 1 4 and also A & E to signify exhaust and intake cams. https://i.imgur.com/RH1j2Pz.jpg I also found that you are supposed to use a small blob of sealant at various places as well as the rubber cam cover gasket.. https://i.imgur.com/nSyokJS.jpg https://i.imgur.com/9ktVVhU.jpg This made refitting the rocker cover gaskets a proper challenge...specifically the right hand bank one due to the heater pipes being in the way in the very right hand corner. I also went round all the studs as some of these had backed out... https://i.imgur.com/ADFklXH.jpg So then...with everything finally refitted and in place it was time for the 3rd attempt at starting..I was feeling confident at this point...3rd time lucky... For the sake of transparency this video wasn't taken of the very first start - I completely forgot in my excitement to film it....however this was the startup directly after this a few minutes later. Excuse the loud exhaust blow the secondary air link pipe wasn't fitted as I am removing this system. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CiksjON728 Success at last. It runs!!! I have definitely missed this noise! So this is where I am currently at. I need to continue refitting ancillaries like water pump, power steering pump, tensioners and aux belt. I also need to finish the LPG system too. Then it's MOT time and I can start enjoying it again. More updates soon... |
Awesome! Glad to hear it started.
I worked on chain guide on my 4.6is not too long ago. Had to time it 3 times to get it perfectly. What a pain! |
Quick update before I head back down to the garage to carry on with the X5.
Blanked off the secondary air system yesterday which meant the exhaust blow was removed. It was at that point I realised it wasn't running right - lumpy and throttle not as responsive as I remembered it was....even though that was well over a year ago. I found that the cylinders on bank 1 weren't firing properly - smooth running values on all those 4 cylinders according to my Snap On scanner, cylinder 1 being the worst at around 8/9 @ idle. Basically that means there's misfires. The exhaust wasn't even getting hot on that side as opposed to bank 2 being red hot so proper combustion isn't occuring as it should. Dug out my laptop and INPA so hopefully should have answers shortly. Gut reaction is vanos issues but I really hope I'm wrong. It's certainly making me work for my first drive!!! |
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