Checked out a 5 speed 3.0 today
 

A 2001 3.0 5 speed has been listed for sale locally to me for several months now so I decided to go check it out.

It was listed with a bad head gasket and the owner stated he cannot drive manual anymore. After discussing about how the diagnosis of the head gasket failure came to be I suspected that it may have not been the problem. Owner stated he saw the temp gauge going up and pulled the car over and shut it off. After their local mechanic replaced pretty much the entire cooling system (besides thermostat which is Motorad) it still kept climbing up in temp.

When I took a look at the car, it started up and ran fine after three months of sitting. A little bit of lifter tick but I believe it went away after a quick test drive. I’ll get to that later.

Couple things I was curious about:

The car has the singe axle air suspension in the rear. The car was very level, no rear suspension sag. the front shocks did not look to be leaking, but the car seemed to ride very stiff. The air suspension warning light was not on either.

The oil dipstick tube was completely loose. I went to check the oil and I pulled the dipstick out and there was nothing on it. That’s when I realized the tube wasn’t secure. This was a bit concerning and looking under the car it looked like there was some leaking from below that area, this could be oil filter housing gasket too, but it was visible immediately after the drive.

The clutch was a little unforgiving. The car has 215k miles on it, but the clutch was said to be replaced about 3 years ago along with a new flywheel. It felt very abrupt when it would engage and the bite point felt high compared to my ZF E46. Shifted great and didn’t seem to slip, so maybe no big deal.

I watched the coolant temp through the OBC menu on the test drive. Once it hit 100 degrees I hit the defrost on assuming the heat was on as well, but it didn’t really seem to have any impact on the coolant temperature increasing. It reached 120 right as I shut it off in their driveway. Not the brightest idea but the temp increased quicker than I expected. Engine felt completely normal otherwise. CEL was on for P0117 for coolant temp circuit low. I cleared it and it didn’t come back.

Should probably get it pressure tested huh? I’ll probably just take the risk with it since I’m looking to expand my engine repair knowledge and a head gasket is the next level. Just thought I’d document my experience checking out this rare gem!
If anyone has any advice on my concerns I’d love to hear them.

Vehicle options
Titanium silver metallic
Grey Montana leather
Birch poplar wood trim
Sports package
Cold weather package
Self leveling suspension
Xenon lights
Rear sun blinds

I’ll post pictures later, my phone won’t let me upload

Temp doesn't climb on the non gauge until it's already overheated.

You need to monitor oil temp ECT and radiator output temp to diagnose the reality of the coolant situation

He said he used the obc menu to monitor engine temp. Good thinking not using the dummy gauge op.

Check the coolant with a cheap dip strip test kit. Or better the color changing fluid one for more accurate results. Sounds like a fun project. If the price is right... Hard to lose on a manual. They're selling on cars and bids for as much as 4.8s...

Interesting…

Not really a surprise. There's no alternative to a stick shift E53.

For the is, you have to want an E53. Otherwise, there are plenty of newer, more reliable alternatives for similar to not much more money. Yeah, the 4.6/4.8is is unique and interesting in many ways, but then again, E70 X5Ms can be found under $20k now. If you wanted the is, you probably wanted grunt, and an X5M has a LOT more grunt.

That kind of thing really holds down the value of the is, especially when you consider the cost of upkeep.

Your alternative to a manual E53, though, is either a really unreliable 1st gen Cayenne, or a really expensive 2nd gen. There were also about double the number of 4.6is and 4.8is trucks built. (Way more 5MT than 6MT.) That's why I'm here. I didn't particularly have any desire for an E53. I just wanted an inexpensive manual wagon-ish vehicle with AWD. And it had to be reasonably reliable and easy to work on. The E91 isn't big enough. The E61 is so hideous that I don't care how well it would fit my requirements. Old VAG products? :lol: So yeah. E53 6MT it was.

Exactly the same for me too. This was my first German car and was quite a stretch for me, coming from a life of owning reliable Toyotas and Mazdas. But the combo of manual transmission and 6500lb towing capacity is almost impossible to find.

I would buy that. 500 to 1000 bucks. Maybe more if body and interior are really nice.

Engine swap on these is easier than doing a head gasket and there's plenty of decent running m54b30 motors out there. While the motors out freshen up the trans.

Vehemently disagree. The E61 is one of the prettiest wagons ever made. Right behind the E39 touring. Volvo has some very attractive wagons too. E61 doesn't suffer the Bangle Butt visual problems it's sedan brethren suffers from. And the functionality can not be beat. We've loaded Christmas trees, transmissions, all kinds of stuff in ours. But that's just my opinion obviously. Beauty is supremely subjective.

The 4.6/4.8's will have their day. But it will take some more attrition to bring the numbers down as nick325xit pointed out, they made a ton of them (at least the 4.8). The same generation M cars are now having their day, so within 10 years I think we'll see values increase. Not collector car values obviously, but increases. Bottom of the depreciation market has passed IMO. If someone wants a 5spd or a 4.6/4.8 now is the time to buy.

I never really had a problem with the back end of the E6x. I can't stand the headlights or the slab sides.

It is absolutely subjective, of course! But IMO, the E53 has aged a lot better.

And while I'd like the N54 power, I don't really want to deal with N54 maintenance. (And I have no reason to get the N52 wagon.) I have enough cranky engines in my life already. ...and the thing is that I don't like the way that modern turbo engines drive. So I'd have to change the turbos to make it drive the way I want. And then we're talking about a whole other can of worms. You can see how I ended up in the E53. :)

Yep, your powertrain reasoning makes a lot of sense. Which is why I have a 550i carcass that was in a slight front impact sitting out front as a donor for the N52 powered wagon whenever I have $$$ to burn doing the swap. :D Though I must say the N52, while slow, still drags the E61 around without feeling unsafe. Has enough torque to merge and drive normally. Just not enough to be spirited in any way. Plus it's very smooth. Quietest cabin of any vehicle we own, which is saying something being a wagon.

Checked out a 5 speed 3.0 today
 

The above reason is why I initially had the blower installed on my E53. I felt like I was a sitting duck at times, lacking primarily merging power. I feel pedal to the floor pretty much most of the time, for basic maneuvers was a bit unsettling.

I'm not going to say that I wouldn't like more power. Of course I would. But I've never felt that way at all in the E53. :dunno:

If I ever need to pull the head, though, I think it'd be pretty funny to install the Turner World Challenge M54 head and Schrick cams that I've got sitting around, though. :)

I bet you don't have that problem anymore Happy. ;) How is Archer doing? Still at the doc's office?

Checked out a 5 speed 3.0 today
 

I lived in Southern California during the time I felt that way. Very unforgiving drivers to say the least. I swear they were going to run right over me at times. Plus, I generally had all 5 seats filled, because our E53 was our family ride at the time.

The ZHP setup for the E46 with just cams alone, bumped up the power a bit. I would assume a head, Schrick cams would definitely bring up the power. Although, I believe a tune would be necessary. Headers for me would be a must!

Yeah that’s the truth! But now it’s, how the heck did we get this far in? LoL..

Yeah Archer is still shacked up. All the parts are in, and the motor should be coming out soon. I miss that E53 already!

Ole’Girl has been shacked up as well. Their installing those headers, and doing some general maintenance.

I feel neutered right now! LoL.. :lmao:

Tune+headers+head+cams is good for 35-40whp in an E46. Presumably a little extra drivetrain loss in an E53, but it'd definitely be noticeable.

And yeah, the stock M54 headers would not cut it.

As for SoCal drivers, well... I never have issues out there. They seem friendly and slow to me. But I'm an East Coast driver.

Socal drivers friendly and slow? Which Socal are you referring to? Like, South Carolina or something?

lol. it’s all relative. they’re a lot friendlier than I’m used to in the northeast corridor. and traffic in LA moves slowly.

I bought it!!! Still so blown away I got my hands on it. I can’t wait to get started on it. Turns out it came with two keys and two window stickers! Lots of dealer records too. I’m going to try to figure out a way to post pictures but the forum says my photos are too big.

Right on! Welcome to the 3 pedal club! ;)

I'm in the PNW too I'd love to hear the story. Where did you find it?

Congrats!

FYI, I learned the hard way that the forum treats .jpeg and .jpg images as if they are different. If you’re outputting files as .jpeg, the size limit is absurdly small. Literally just change the extension to .jpg and you may have better luck.

I'm in Idaho. The car was listed on Marketplace for the past 3 months. listing photos were really bad, it even took me a while to realize it was manual. Description said cooling system parts were replaced and car was still overheating. Also listed that it had 260k when it only has 215k.

My coworker and I talked about how those cheap Motorad thermostats can fail closed, and if it had a cheap one that could be the culprit. Sure enough, Motorad thermostat. Car ran fine for a short test drive after three months of sitting. Radiator was new, fan blade, expansion tank, etc. Owner also told me the pan gasket was recently done too. Valve cover gasket was clean, A/C compressor was also very clean and a Denso unit. All the doors worked, all the windows worked, no dead pixels on the cluster or radio. Clutch still feels a little funny. I'll be replacing the thermostat and some other bits before I take it out for an extended drive.

Finally got pictures resized correctly too! Enjoy

Wow, beautiful! Congrats and welcome to the club!

Use Tapatalk and it will automatically resize the pictures.

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+1


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Are those E70 wheels? They look really good on it.

Looks like a nice addition to an already nice collection. Are they all 3 pedals?

I think they are and the same i just put on wife's 50i.


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The sedan is, the wagon isn’t. A month ago the sedan was down for a while when I replaced the radiator. After I got it back on the road I realized how much I missed having a manual car. The wagon may get swapped at some point in the future. It’s a bit of a basket case of a car, but it looks pretty, and it gets way more attention than the sedan!

They are Style 99, I believe they are original to the car. Window sticker shows 18’ inch wheels included with the sport package, but I thought the originals would’ve been 69s.

I’ll post the window sticker later. $10k in options!

Actually they are E70 wheels. Style 209. They fit the car well but I’ll be on the look out for something larger but still OEM. Preferably some 89s.

Pop one off and make sure it has a hub-centric ring in the the centre bore - E70 are not a direct fit to an E53... (E70 wheels 74.1mm wheel hub bore vs E53 72.56mm hub).

https://c1552172.ssl.cf0.rackcdn.com/1095695_x800.webp

https://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E53-X5...Centric_Rings/

I have a spare set of Style 210s sitting in my shed waiting for a rainy day... and hub-centric rings. Just as a spare set mind, I prefer my Style 131s.

Definitely confirm centering rings. If aluminium change to plastic the aluminum are a disaster if you live where their is salt.


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I’d notice if there wasn’t with significant wheel wobble right? No salt where I live thankfully but I’ll definitely look into this

So Mistah Wynn, if there is no salt, or any other variable involved, would you still suggest plastik over metal?

Cleaned up the interior this evening. Learning what little things it needs while going through it all. Both front door panels are loose, the CD player will cut out for a split second when I close the glovebox. Yep, two A/C control buttons are missing!

A friend of mine told me these door panels like to break when they are removed? I will be ordering some door clips from work.

Found a service record for a clutch and flywheel replacement from 25k miles ago. The bite point still seems super high, and 80% of the pedal travel just does nothing because of that.

I will personally only use plastic. Was not happy with the aluminum solution it corroded badly


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Looking good! Seriously!!

congrats!

Does anyone know if the pre facelift models have the aux adapter in the headunit? I know with the E46 models that wasnt available until 2003, I'm not sure on the E53

Depends on what head unit you have and what firmware is on that head unit.

Looking at you images, you have an MID unit but I can't see what is above that, under the faux wooden cover - assuming it's a radio/CD Player (BMW Business CD?). If it's the original unit, it's not likely to support an Aux input. :rolleyes:

My 2005 has a similar setup but it has the later BMW Professional CD - aka CD54 - and while it should have an Aux. input option, I've never managed to get it going. :rolleyes:

Very nice!

Well shit! Guess I'm doing a head gasket job.

Pulling the thermostat and I discovered this, and the expansion tank is completely split.

Level sensor wasn't plugged in either, I cant even find the connector.

Coolant is green, a little cloudy but Ill be draining the radiator now.

This is my first experience with head gasket failure. I'm curious to know how even with this possibility the car still ran and sounded fine before getting hot.

Low cluster models don't have level sensor.


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Super nice! I feel like I have a somewhat rare manual x5 as well. Topaz Blue, factory air ride. Absolutely love the car. Thought I'd share as well..

Really nice wheel color combo!


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Amazing! Where are those headlights from? I need a new set

ECS Tuning sells a Halo/Angel Eye kit for pre face lift (pre LCI) X5's & 330i's. Inexpensive and rather easy to install DIY. No need for new headlights.

Mine already have aftermarket angle eyes, the headlights are burnt out on the inside so the xenons project very little light. One of them is also letting water in

Yikes, I've been there. I'd look to source a set of good condition factory oems and then add the Halo kit. If I recall correctly, the kit was under $150. Huge difference without breaking the bank.

Well that ain't good.

Very nice. Love the color.

I saw the pictures, but am not sure what the pblm is...A little goo in the cooling system? That could come from somebody using a little grease on o-rings when putting system back together.

What other symptoms of a failed head gasket do you have?

Pull the engine! LS swap time! With a manual!!

Not much other than the car getting too hot, but that could've easily been caused by the cheap thermostat, or almost no coolant in the system. I'll hopefully have it back together tomorrow with a new tank, tstat, tank mount plate, and upper hose.

Before I knew there was no coolant in the car I test drove it. Nothing out of the ordinary drivability wise. No smoke/ steam out of the back, no milkyness on the oil cap. Guess I'll see what happens when I have it back together. I'm preparing for the worst.

FYI that's not head gasket. That's a little water / oil mix from the car likely sitting outside, sitting for extended periods of time, or just not getting hot enough. You see schmoo like this all the time.

Change the oil, flush the coolant, and get the car up to temp and go for a nice long drive.

Get yourself one of those combustion testers to be sure, but I'm 99% certain that's not head gasket.

How is oil getting in the cooling system from sitting? This is all new to me lol so Im here to learn

No head gasket failure! New thermostat and expansion tank and the car runs cool. Got it fixed just in time for a bunch of snow to test it out.

Unfortunately the last person who worked on it botched the cooling system. Ex. tank mount is destroyed and the tank was held on with zipties.

I purchased a new manual specific mount only to find out they had cut the one they used to fit around the radiator... which is for an automatic car.

I'm having the radiator, hoses, and mount replaced next week and then it'll be good to go!

Always love finding effed up stuff done by incompetent dingleberries.

The previous owner of mine really enjoyed cutting into wiring harnesses and just twisting wires back together with electrical tape. Removing the instrument cluster and putting black silicon over all the warning indicator leds. Ripping out the stock speakers and putting in garbage no name speakers using giant sheet metal screws into the door.... also cut the stock speaker wire harness off. Six different bolts on the stiffner plate. Zip ties on the cv boots.

Anyway, glad to see yours is getting sorted out.

Honestly, doing the radiator now is a good idea anyways. Do the WP and fan and hoses while you have it apart. If you want it to be reliable, those things are eventually going to break if you don't replace them.

Sketchy! Electrical problems are the worst

That reminds me I meant to ask, can anyone else verify that the "low spec" clusters didn't come with a coolant level sensor warning light? when I was in there I couldn't find the level sensor connector

Good call on the water pump too. Ill add that to the list

My low cluster had no low coolant light. The reservoir had the sensor or just wasn't connected to anything. When coolant low, the heater stopped working that's how I knew it was low.


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Checked out a 5 speed 3.0 today
 

Awesome! I hope you enjoy the new ride! [emoji106]

These cars have oil level sensors right? I’m noticing some leaking from the passenger side but no level light on

They do however, don’t forget the dipstick is a powerful tool.

Haha yup! For some reason my dipstick is loose and it’s not reading anything.

I’ve added some oil but I will be taking the intake manifold off to address the dipstick along with coolant pipes and CCV.

The level sensor should be working since it’s not coming on when I start the car (like it would if it failed), and it’s not coming on when I turn the car off either so it must be happy.

High mile M54s often consume a lot of oil. If the dipstick isn't reading anything, the oil might just be that low. If you really aren't sure, buy a fresh drain pan for like $3, drain the oil in and see how much is in there. You can pour it back in if it's good.

Net-net, I would *not* trust the low oil light.

Edit: Loose dipstick or not, as long as the tube is in the hole, if you push it down (i.e. all the way in), it shoudl read correctly. If you do that and still can't get oil on the dipstick, I'd assume that you need to add oil

Scan it. It will tell you if the OLS is working. If not, no low oil warning. Only trust the dip stick. If it isn't showing oil, you need to add oil.

My oil sensor stopped working on my m54. Discovered when I added 2 qt of oil to get to the middle of the mark (properly full).

This is a good reminder to me to just order a sensor and change it next oil change. I got a couple quarts less than I expected when I changed the oil last time.

Allow time to pull the stiffening plate. You can't get the level sensor without doing it.

Good opportunity to rip out the oil soaked insulation fire hazard.

Edit: Although ideally, I'll have time to pull the pan then. The oil pan gasket needs doing.

I pulled the insulation off mine too. I need to replace my pan gasket too, but that takes a lot of time. Not to mention, when Overboost did it he said it took several days for the oil to stop draining from the engine. Right at the parting lines where you have to put gasket maker.

+1

I've done many BMW oil pan gaskets. I've never had that issue. The key is to drain the oil hot.

It leaked for days, draining it hot would not make any difference. Mine leaked for 4 to 5 days like the picture below. Some have just put the sealer on and moved on without any issues but I wanted to make sure I had no oil contamination on that seal at the seam. I only wanted to do it once.

https://xoutpost.com/attachments/x5-...521_152412.jpg

https://xoutpost.com/attachments/x5-...521_152502.jpg

When I see the undercarriage on your cars I always feel so inadequate.

Same. Though I am trying to get a quickjack from someone local. If I can, maybe I can someday be like OB. Maybe... :D

Draining the oil hot absolutely makes a huge difference in my experience.

As for that spot, if you just stuff a lint free rag up far enough to get any nearby residual oil, you'll have time to put your sealer in and the pan on before anything else gets there.

One *huge* time saver in getting oil pans on is something like the milwaukee 1/4" impact. With the screw shooter setting, it'll put the bolts down to 3-4 ft-lbs. so you get the pan on and tight-ish super fast.

Checked out a 5 speed 3.0 today
 

The "speed one" setting on M18 or M12 hex impact is the very best way to shoot up 20-30 bolts with no risk of stripping. Pay attention to the 2-4 that are a different length.

If it helps, I bought a quickjack and my undercarriage STILL doesn't look like that

The sheet metal screw setting is even better. :) You get the speed of setting 3, but the gun cuts off the second it detects any resistance. I liked the 1/4" hex impact so much that I actually bought the basically identical 1/4" square impact for 2.5x the price. (The 2553 hex impact is the bargain. I've picked up a few of them for $50/per on FB marketplace. Screaming deal.)

I'll try the screw setting next time that would be a lot faster.

I think I used speed two actually when I replaced oil pan I just stopped at the first tap. Then I went around every other bolt just shy of set torque with torque adapter. (odd then even bolts) followed up same pattern at spec

Yeah, that was my paranoia. I wanted to be sure the sealer dried before any oil mixed in. I used Dreibond 1209 and just wanted to be sure I got a solid, uncompromised seal.

Bottom line is there is not a right or wrong, everyone has their own method. I wanted to be sure I would not have to do this twice and gave me some time to clean her up under there. :thumbup:

https://xoutpost.com/attachments/x5-...524_105445.jpg

:wow: :2thumbs:

I'm lucky enough to have several junkyards close to my house, and they all have E53s!

Grabbed some OEM tail lights, HVAC controls with all the buttons intact, and an LCI Sport package heated wheel.

A 4.4 just got put in the yard the day I got there, Pastel green interior! Also has the navigation unit. I was going to take it, but it looks like the retrofit process is more than I want to do. I might go grab it just to have it around or to sell.

UGH and now the forum says my file sizes are too big for the pictures. First it was the sizing and now its the file size lol

That's why three pros use tapatalk. Auto picture sizing!


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Good call! Here’s those pictures

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...8b6cb03f61.jpg
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Wait for a decent android unit to show up in a yard around you. Super easy retrofit if you don't have NAV.

Also, if you see a late 4.4i, steal the rear brakes off it. The unvented rear rotors on the 3.0i and early 4.4i offend me.

I’ll keep my eye out. There was a 4.8is in the yard over the summer. Friend of mine took the rear wheels to have a squared set of rears. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...f517ae58fc.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...404eb513de.jpg


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That makes me sad. :(

But pull the tow setup and other goodies. I keep looking for a set of LCI headlights to pickup at our local yard.

Someone pulled the whole rear bumper and tow setup before it got crushed thankfully. Sent the iS cluster to my friend for his E39. The X5 had 204k on it! https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...40d6b38bde.jpg


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Car no longer goes into gear. Push the clutch in, refuses to go into any gear without force. Tried to force it in reverse and was met with grinding


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Figured it out. Slave or master is failing, and I pulled the clutch pedal out a few inches and now it shifts fine for now.


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The beauty of manual shift: ∞ easier to find and fix problems!


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Have you bled the system? Getting old fluid out / fresh fluid in could help a lot.

Sounds like an issue around the master, then.

I haven't looked under the dash - does the E53 have a separate return spring?

Found a perfect set of headlights and a full set of Style 69 wheels at the junkyard! Along with a quick wash and Titan line grilles she’s looking a lot better! Coolant pipes are leaking and I’m dreading taking off the intake, so no long trips for this thing yet. Once it gets warmer I’ll attack it.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...12edca0061.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...84b0919989.jpg


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Very cool find! I love a good junkyard crawl!

What coolant pipe is leaking on a 3.0?

The two under the intake manifold. Hard lines that fail often apparently, but I’ve never had an issue with them on my E46s. Rest of the cooling system is done too


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Good on you, brother to keep that X out of the junkyard. Love seeing your progress pics!:thumbup:

I'm having a hard time right now NOT picking up an 85k mile 4.8is e53 that is definitely going to the junk yard if I don't buy it. My problem is that I don't have a garage to keep it in while I slowly get it back on the road.

Sucks to see those X's in the yard...

Anyone have any idea how to r move the manual shift boot? I want to take it off as it’s peeling off in the picture and https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...ad5d2ea93a.jpg
It’s fighting me very hard.


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I want to figure out how to design something similar to the X5LM’s. Mine is unglued as well.

If it uses a similar frame as the automatic...

Use a trim tool and pop the ring frame out starting with the flathead looking cutout and pry up each 2 finger clip around the perimeter. Once that's done a heat gun should release the glue bonding the leather to the plastic ring frame.

I will say that the ring frames are flimsy as hell as you can see where I broke it from the old shifter. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...bf96e59999.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...07b31e53e2.jpg

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https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...86b828f475.jpg