Glad it wasn't the cat!

Breathing a big sigh of relief since after plugging the heater core supply/return on the 4.6, it has not blared check coolant level at me.

Been having to add coolant every 3rd drive or so, and a pressure test to 20psi showed the system not holding pressure with no external leak.

Was worried it would be the head gasket and/or head, which would be pretty hard to find now.

It's still on distilled water from all the coolant loss, refilling, and testing, will do a radiator drain in the weekend so I can put some OE coolant in and have a proper mix.

Well the dog was constantly treading on the cup holder slide curtain and it eventually broke so today I removed the center console, dismantled it on the kitchen island and replaced the broken part.
Easy to remove and take apart but what a pain it was to get it all back in.
Then I noticed that the hinges on the glove box were slightly loose and could potentially rattle whan driving which is not acceptable. I whipped it out and plastic welded the hinge caps back in a tighter spot so there was almost no movement laterally. Now I'm having a beer.

My sliding cover disintegrated well before I bought this thing. I have a replacement from a guy on YouTube who 3D-prints them, but the thought of removing that center console and reinstalling it has kept me from doing it for about two years now. It looks like a gigantic pain in the ass.


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It is a pain in the ass, but on the scale of PITAs for this vehicle it's not that high. Pulling the dash waaaaay higher. Oil pan gasket change waaaaaaay waaaaay bigger PITA. Do it, you'll be glad you did.

It's appropriate that I learned about PITA scales on a BMW forum lol!

Drove the 4.6 on some slightly winding roads today. The Servotronic steering hardening up when putting some power down in the sweepers is still fun for a people hauler.

OK, I guess it could be a lot worse. But I need to fix a busted window regulator and clean/replace the IAC valve first.

Idle control valve isn't too tough. Easier than the center console.

Me too! I've had to pressure wash two of my folks cars with such an issue. It was not pretty. :( I tell them to honk before starting up their vehicles.

I'm driving my truck to pick up house remodel packages after work all week. The X5 will get a few days of rest. I washed it. It's annoying to wash it then not drive it for a few days. It has been dry with no rain. So much dust collects being parked. After washing it, I pulled out the OEM BMW cover. It will be nice and clean when I get to drive it again. :bmw:

It wasn’t easy. Got about 12 new cuts. Found that sliding the rubber ring off before reinstalling AND pushing the gray grommety thing into the intake first made it a lot easier.

It’s probably the original IAC. barely made out “MADE IN GERMANY”. But it seemed in decent shape, a little sticky. Cleaned with MAF cleaner and put it back. Seems to idle more smoothly. We’ll see if the fuel trim codes come back. And the old rubber parts were stillI in good shape so I didn’t replace them.


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