Don't mean to sound like the sky is falling, but the filter pictures appear concerning. :/

How does the other side of the filter look? Once junk is in the system, like Ian said, it's time to tear the motor down all the way (or swap in a lower mile lump). The screen before the pump seems like it did it's job in not letting things big enough to wreck the pump get through. As far as the crank/rod bearings & other small oil passageways, being wrecked by the really really small junk..... time will tell. I would HOPE that the BMW filter catches things small enough to wipe out bearings but that might be wishful thinking. This line of thought kind of reaffirms how important the tensioner/chain guide maintenance is. The cost of tearing apart the motor for a full-on rebuild is probably more than swapping in a used lower mile unit. (You could source and maintenance prep that motor now though.) Then, you can just sleep easy at night and when it fails it fails and the freshened lump gets dropped in. They all will fail at some time, heh. But it's still no fun to sit there and watch for a pot of water to boil.

I would run through a few oil changes and filters, inspect them and go from there. The pump itself is likely fine (IMO). With a decent gauge you can monitor it. A canton Accu-sump could be fitted to give you a few more seconds to do an emergency kill. If you do drop the driveline to do the oil pump job though, IMHO, just have a fresh new OEM unit w/ new chain ready to swap in. The rationale is that the internal shaft and twin-screw gears & external cog and chain wears too. And it makes for a less downtime, ya know? That's always a good thing. :D

Best of luck man, hope to hear updates with good news!

edit: and if it's any consolation, I (and one other X5 owner here) get to be the guinea pigs for the E53 version of the VAC Motorsports oil pump "fix" that they offer for M62's. If it's not "fixed" properly it will wipe the motor for sure. Not that I expect it too at all, but things happen sometimes.

Fluid Pressure Sensor Module - PLX Devices Inc - USA
DM-100 OBD II - PLX Devices Inc - USA

For your consideration.

Hi J.Belknap,
Thank you for your posting.
Do you think I would be OK with connecting a 100 psi pressure gauge to the pressure switch inlet of the oil filter housing? The manual specifies 0.5 bar (7.25 psi) at idle run and 4.5 bar (65 psi) of regulated pressure. I could use compressed fittings to connect steel tubing to the oil pressure gauge on one side and to the M12 x 1.5 threaded hole (for the pressure switch - item 23) of the oil filter housing. All together - for $51.00. I could run the tubing with the gauge inside the cabin and mount it temporary to monitor the oil pressure in the system while driving. ??
But I have a question: since the pressure switch (item 23) would be pulled out of the lube system and not able to detect any pressure would the board PC allow to run engine/drive the vehicle? :dunno:Any ideas?
Thank you.

Hi Sergei, afraid I cant help you with the running pressure, maybe you could ask your local dealer? I would treat the oil pressure light as a 'time for a new engine light' as by the time that comes on its a bit too late

Hi Sergei, here ya go bud. M12x1.5 goodness.

Oil Distribution Block JTD 900

I would call JT Designs to verify fitment of the JTD-900 (or JTD-901) for our platform. For reference, here's a few pics of the supercharger oil distribution block.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...346iSSCODB.jpg

Different setup and port sizes, but you get the idea. Oh, and yes I would agree with ya on a 0-100psi range if you're fitting a mechanical gauge. Easier to calculate the needle position imho.

Have a good weekend dude!

- J

Hi IanP,
I think the "running" pressure is what they called "regulated pressure" of 4.5 bar (or 65 psi). There must be a pressure relief valve in the system maintaining a constant 4.5 bar pressure (after it is reached) of a running engine. I am going to run a simple mechanical pressure gauge inside the cabin to monitor pressure while driving.

Hi J.Belknap,
Gotcha... I will try to tee the line (...tight in there) and keep the pressure switch along with the new installed 8 mm tubing feeding the pressure gauge inside the cabin.
It looks like my parts got stack over the weekend in the deliverer's local distribution hub and the weekend is going to be easy. I am planning to press in a new front crankshaft seal and really can not do anything else until Monday (according to the tracking number).
Thank you for your help.
Have a good weekend, too!

...the new seal is installed...

M5James, when you were in DC area, were there any decent indy guys who could do this type of work on a 4.6iS?

I wish I could dive in to the DIY but I don't think I have the technical ability - I have changed rotors, pads, managed to replace a thermostat on E39 528i - but those are band-aids and triage in comparasion to an open-heart surgery!!!

it seems that my X5 has taken the plunge and got those plastic rail (and who knows what else) busted up.

As the car is becoming a money pit at 147K miles, (the Russians started the mess, when they were looking for the engine serial number to register the car in Moscow. They took half of the engine apart just to get to the nameplate, and that is when the problems started to snowballing).

I am thinking about giving it a quick fix and get rid of it (hopefully in favor of latest production run of the E53 4.8iS, something like 2006 model)

Back then, I hadn't seen the light AKA I wasn't a BMW owner :) I was driving a SC'd 2001 Toyota Tacoma, which I traded for the 740iL6 that I have now.