Green Valley Lake (Southern cali)

Not challenging your particular gauge being off, just that a properly working gauge doesn't sit at noon when the coolant temp is 140. And, that your issue is not a chronic problem with e53 coolant gauges. Needs to be put into perspective. I assume there is some margin of error for the gauge but not 50 degrees. More perspective, if you are driving from Racine to Chicago and the temp problem ran up the cost hundreds of dollars it must have been by way of Denver. I would be fixing the problem before I got to Chicago the first time if I was in a cabin cold enough to kill bacteria, better cold tolerance than me.

I could tell if engine was below 150 or maybe even 160, the problem was it never got to operating temp unless the ambient was about 90°F. For many months the ambient temp was high enough for the engine to hit the magic buffer zone of 160° to tell me "all good" but the engine performs poorly at 160F.

I bought the car in April and the problem didn't show up until December when ambient was cold enough to keep coolant temp below 160 but by then it couldn't even keep it 100. I drove dozens of times between child of and Racine not knowing my coolant was 20-30° too low because of the buffer on the temp "estimator" on the dash telling me the engine was at operating temp for multiple 1000s of miles.

I managed to knock out a handful of things this weekend:

• Installed the auto-open hatch mod
• Got PA Soft working and recoded my headlights
• Interior detail
• Used Mother's back to black on my roof rails. Awful results (streaking, spotting, poor color) but enough scrubbing got me back to my starting position.

Oil change, new air filter and tire rotation.

Hey man - Mike posted some great results and I've been using it on my engine for about 25k miles and absolutely floored with it. On our trucks I think a 40w does better since the motor is moving a heavier vehicle - phenomenal additive package, and extremely awesome oil - don't let the price and the availability at Walmart fool you! This is one of the best oils out there. Getting out of the 5w-30 also keeps it running quieter too imo.

I also use it in my 2011 Triumph Thunderbird 1700cc (great for wet clutches!) and I will start using it in my wife's E70 35D*

*GASP - omg it's not LL04 approved by BMW! Well I could give 2 shits as I don't do longer than 7500 mile intervals anyway - and the SAPS/ash is at 1% (the BMW oil is at .8%) so it will keep the DPF happy for a long life.

Don't want to get in a pissing match about oils or BMW's LL spec but the LL spec is more about long intervals so that they can do bare minimum maintenance under warranty and less about long term engine protection IMO.

I used some wet and dry and cut my headlights as they where in a really bad state! Really yellowy and misty. I spent about two hours on each light and cut them back with 1200, 1500, 2400 and finally 3000 grit. Then used a polishing compound to bring it back to clear. After this, I used some wax to seal it with a bit of rainx in the mix. I would have sprayed them with clear coat anti UV if it where not -2c and I was very cold and tired after all the sanding. Like a dumbass, I don't have a before, but I do have an after pic.

New intake filter - previous owner had some aftermarket filter in there that looked terrible. Never looked to be serviced, worst filter I've ever seen. Replaced with OE Mann intake filter.

Also added trunk springs for the automatic trunk opening option. 2 springs, 10 mins DIY, no rattles.

Replaced the Alternator.

2002 BMW X5 E53 Estoril Blue 4.6is
 

After a few months collecting and searching for this item "parts"
Its time to install them ...




SuperSprint catback exhaust
Dinan intake with K&N filter
BC coilover
Axle both left n right
Ball joint
Tie rod
Control arm
Window shade clips

Well I found an extremely gently used OE Hella ballast with 5k miles on it for $190 - yes its more than aftermarket but I like my low beam ballasts to fit like OE

This should cure my random intermittent low beam going on and off (about 3 times in the past 4 months) as I've found its isolated to just one side, but sometimes will freak the LCM out and it shuts down both sides temporarily -

estorilx53, please add year and engine to signature, helpful to others.

I finally got past the 14mpg mark with my X5 4.6! I calculated 14.2mpg at my last fill up (calculated at the pump, not the OBC number). This is with driving it pretty gently and not racing anybody. My commute is still mostly traffic though, so I can't see it getting much better than this. I get about 300 miles out of a gas tank before the gas light comes on.

I recently rebuilt the chain guides + vanos + OSV, as well as installed new spark plugs and a new engine air filter. I'm wondering if getting a new MAF and new O2 sensors would increase my gas mileage— I have 214k miles as of now, no idea whether the MAF or O2's have ever been replaced.

I'm impressed. I don't ever think I've hit 300 miles on a tank even when running it down to the bone. My gas light is on at 250, and that's with everything I can think of in solid shape.

Wow. In the city I'll hit 300+ on our 4.8is. Best tank to date was all highway on a road trim bringing the truck home after purchase from California. 490+ miles. Could have hit 500 according to OBC, but I didn't want to risk running out of gas. :D

I think I could hit 400 on a long road trip, but since my commute is mostly streets and congested highways I'll never get great gas mileage regularly. That's fine with me though, the X5 4.6 only gets 2mpg less than my 540i Touring so it's not that much of a difference in gas per week— maybe like $10 more per tank for the X5.

The 4.8 should theoretically have better mileage than the 4.6 since the N62 is a newer and more advanced engine with Valvetronic and full Vanos. The 6-speed transmissions helps with efficiency quite a bit as well. That being said, I'd rather have my much simpler M62 and 5-speed because I know them very well.

Huh. Guess I need to investigate my mileage. :/

In other news, itscoo2pyopants and I (mostly him if we're being totally honest) put on the OEM tow hitch last night. It took a few hours to get it on but couldn't be more satisfied with the results. I have a sudden urge to tow everything.

Here's a shot with her pants down.
https://dgfg4w-sn3302.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

On the heals of OrangeFurios' hitch post. I too have some OE hitch goodness to share. Just picked up a used one, had some minor surface rust. Just had them powder coated. They look brandy new!

By the way, the correct screw to use to connect the Pollak trailer electrical connector is M5.80 20mm. The screws pictured are 10mm they are too short.

Nice! Do the install yet? I'm really impressed by how thorough the mounting is.

Unicorns are everywhere!! :rofl:

Nice working with you orange, hope to see you around. I'd love to check out that 750 ;)

I get pretty good gas mileage. Usually around 350 before the light turns on. I do mostly highway cruising for my daily commute. City / traffic driving brings that figure down substantially.

Finally finished my driveshaft rehab. Washed the X5's wheels and wheel wells while I had the truck up in the air. Also added a fakey AC Schnitzer rear lip spoiler. It's very subtle but extremely cool looking. The Ebay seller did a pretty darn good paint job as well for only $125 total. Bought the fakey Schnitzer logos from another seller for another $10. I'm digging it...

http://i370.photobucket.com/albums/o...125_152405.jpg

http://i370.photobucket.com/albums/o...125_152423.jpg

http://i370.photobucket.com/albums/o...125_152356.jpg

http://i370.photobucket.com/albums/o...125_152341.jpg

Look really nice...

I know I'm repeating myself, but man I love those wheels in combination with imola red - and the E30 convertible :)

I did this:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/NL...=w1176-h882-no

What a mega PITA pulling that Fakra harness and other couple of cables from the rear near the battery all the way up front on my factory NAV vehicle :pullhair:

Mike

I'm digging on those upgraded running boards. If there is a DIY and parts list somewhere for a retrofit, someone please let me know.

Thanks,

Mike

Thanks. I do enjoy it every time I look at it and drive it.

The e30 unfortunately, like my other 2 e30's, will be for sale soon. I'm selling off my e30 collection as I just didn't drive them very much, especially with 2 small children now. I sold my 2 coupes as they were driven the least... and soon the convertible will be on the block as well. :(

I can always buy more toys later when I have time to enjoy them again. It didn't make sense to pay insurance, taxes, and maintenance on vehicles that were driven less than 1000 miles a year. Shoot my turbo 318is was driven less than 250 miles in 2016.

It's off to my friendly neighborhood dealer for a new radiator, new valve cover and an oil change. Very impressed that his initial quotes indicated close to my FCP prices for the OEM parts, so I don't mind paying for his efforts that give me the two year warranty on everything. (The things I'll do for a free car wash!)

2002 X5 3.0 316,200 miles
2014 428i 24,800 miles

2004 325i sold at 123,600 miles
2001 325i sold at 66,000 miles

1970 Firebird Under restoration

Those wheels are perfect. Bravo.

Supposed to be installed this weekend, along with a number of new gaskets, cooling tube, water pump, t-stat, VCG, etc.

Today after a 350 mile trip, the trans started a 'rough' 2-1 downshift at lights.

FCP now has unlimited warranty on parts. https://www.fcpeuro.com/page/lifetime-guarantee

I know, but with 316,000 miles and 15 years on the radiator, I'd rather the dealer technician cope with potential breakage of related components than myself or an indie who might not have the same level of experience.

Yes those running boards are sure nice feature set for the X5. Even a better score when the previous owner had them installed as original equipment. They are readily available it will just take a few BMW $ to get all the related components. Still a worthwhile upgrade.:thumbup:

Much appreciated. Took a decent amount of time to select this particular wheel style/size/fitment. Got a smoking deal on them too during a Black Friday deal as they are currently running $1000 more than I paid for them. :yikes:

+1 on perfect wheel match

Joseph - I also got the "Taiwan special" knock off ACS roof spoiler a few years back, color matched in Topaz Blue, shipped, for $120 or so. Phenomenal subtle mod and the paint match is excellent. Thoroughly pleased with it and it adds a nice touch to the X.

Absolutely love the lip. You mentioned you're using mounting tape, da? Any prep or concern about the paint under?

Drivers side front axle.. Looks like passenger side outer reboot is next.. :banghead:

Did some coding on pa Soft. Comfort closing, seatbelt warning, and some others.
I tried to start a subforum about pa Soft since I didn't find one on this e53 forum. Not sure why I can't


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No prep other than IPA wipe down under spoiler. Clean X5's paint but no IPA... wanted to leave wax to aid in removal if ever desired, though I doubt the spoiler will ever be removed. It certainly isn't going anywhere without some effort with a heat gun that's for sure.

Totally agreed RB. Cheap and subtle mod that makes a big difference visually.

Can pa soft code out ehc?

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

What did you do to / for your E53 today??
 

ehc?
Edit: electronic height control, got it. I'm not sure. There is an option for air suspension, but mine does not have air. Coding HC probably involves editing the EEPROM. I'm not sure if it has been done.


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1. Installed new blower motor resistor/final stage; fixed sporadic fan behavior.

2. Installed new heater control valve; one of the solenoid coils was bad.

3. Coolant change and new drain screw. Bled cooling system and cleaned the forward undertray.

Since it was in for a valve cover (not just the gasket this time), radiator and oil change, the technician was kind enough to find a leaking OFHG and VANOS hose which somehow contributed to a deteriorated alternator-to-starter cable :dunno:. Oh well, other than a couple more oil changes this year that should be all it needs for at least the next 25,000 miles.

The surprising thing was that my "broken in" vehicle still felt like a better drive to me than the 2016 X3 I had as a loaner. I wouldn't mind having that 8 speed transmission though. :thumbup:

2002 X5 3.0 316,300 miles
2014 428i 24,800 miles

2004 325i sold at 123,600 miles
2001 325i sold at 66,000 miles

Broke out the back glass
 

:banghead:

No used glass available locally. Safelite tells me it'll be $975.00 from the dealer and 3 day wait.

:banghead:

Installed front passenger door carrier. tip: when the carrier is in place and hooked up attach the battery back and then try the function of the door. While the battery was disconnected it appears that the door lock was in some type of intermediate position. When I went to open it with the new carrier it would not open. I pulled it from the inside it opened and closed it again and would not open. This time I opened from the inside, hooked up the battery locked and unlocked by the central lock button. Then the door opened from the outside. What intricacies !!!!

Ordered the bits for my brake refresh today - pads, rotors, sensors, caliper paint, misc tools and ointments. I ended up going with a BrakeMotive pad/rotor kit based on the good reviews, price and local/US shipping. I was very tempted by StopTech but I don't drive it hard enough to use the power and have read they are suboptimal for city/casual.

OOF. How'd you do that?

+1 and insurance? My ded. was $100 but after my windshield broke when I bumped it with my PALM I had the deductible dropped to $0 (for $3/mo). Best part about old car: cheap insurance.

Upgraded the rear door speakers.

JL Audio tweeters and Dayton Audio woofers

Very good upgrade, IMHO, to my ears to match the front door upgrade to JL Audio woofers and JL Audio tweeters and Memphis Audio mids in the dash. :thumbup:

Mike

You will be happy with the BrakeMotive gear. Works perfectly for my 4.8 so I'm sure it will be good on it's semi twin. :thumbup: A little less initial bite, but more total stopping power, and waaaayyyy less dust.

Be very careful when doing the fluid change or a trip to an indy will be in order. Don't let the master cylinder run dry. I swapped mine for ATE Blue during my brake job. I always alternate between gold and blue so I know when I get a full flush through each caliper.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...f42a8a66de.jpg

Just got back from offshore and took the X for a quick detail.... It still need a full body paint job....

Will be parked in 2 days as I'm flying to Az..... shopping spreeeeee[emoji48][emoji48][emoji48][emoji48]


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What did you do to / for your E53 today??
 

My DD also came for a wash.... pardon, it's not an e53[emoji5][emoji5][emoji5]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...1f50e8e49a.jpg


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Good call on the fluid - very clever. :thumbup: I have high hopes for BrakeMotive and, all going well, will swap my 750il to them also.

I also picked up paint for the calipers though it's going to be too cold to do it for a while. Color should be close to BMW fire orange. I wasn't thinking of your gold calipers at the time but one more step to half-twinsies.

Had my bass cabinet in the back after a gig. Left it in the back overnight out of shear laziness. On the way home from work the next day, it rocked just right going around a corner and hit the glass when it rocked back.

I got conflicting responses about coverage at first, but it turns out i'm covered under comprehensive, so it'll be $100 out of pocket. Still have to wait until next week with a plastic wrapped window. It's amazing how suddenly glad I am to spend $100 I hadn't planned on.

I was following my brother during a move to witness the nearly identical situation. In his case a 27" tv. Lucky for him much less expensive car/glass. Was about $200. The bummer for him: was our dad's car!

I hear ya. I received a $100 rebate as a Visa card from DIRECTV the same week I broke my front windshield I just handed the Visa card to the glass repair guy.

After which I called my insurance and dropped the deductible entirely for $3.30/mo. (Takes 3 years to break even). I thought my insurance had an exception for windshield so I was surprised.

It paid off in the end. I also added roadside assistance and that refunded me $150 for a tow recently saving me more than my deductible

I had to read that twice as I wondered why you had fish in a cabinet :confused: it must be time for me to catch up on some sleep this weekend :yawn:

2002 X5 3.0 316,900 miles
2014 428i 24,800 miles

2004 325i sold at 123,600 miles
2001 325i sold at 66,000 miles

1970 Firebird - Under restoration

Had OE trailer hitch installed, VCG, throttle body gasket, upper timing cover gaskets, eccentric sensor gaskets, vanos thingie gaskets, coolant, water pump, T-stat, pulley, new front wiper blades.

Replaced: batteries in both keys, 2 leaking washer fluid pump grommets, mesh grill insert in front bumper, front & rear wipers, license plate lamp lenses. Steam cleaned all carpets.

Can you recommend a model steamer?

Did you use OEM mesh grill inserts? I (like many others) need to do this too but don't really want to spend a lot on OEM grills only to have a bird smash through them again a few days later...! :confused:

I have some alloy mesh I want to use but haven't yet found the time to look at how it might be mounted in the bumper.

PO had bad wear on inside of rear tires. Checked all rear suspension ball joints and bushings. Looked good so going in for an alignment this week.


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There was just enough of my original remaining to read a part number. I cross referenced it to 51117005800, and ordered this inexpensive aftermarket version on ePay:

New Bumper Cover Grille for BMW x5 BM1036145 2000 to 2003 | eBay

It fit fine, and I don't imagine it will be any less fragile than the obviously flimsy OEM version.

I used my invaluable little Bissell portable, which is very similar to this currently available model: https://www.bissell.com/little-green...-cleaner-14259

Perhaps I should clarify though: I used the word "steam" since it's commonly associated with any form of carpet cleaning, but my little unit only heats the water vs. boiling it. That said, I couldn't imagine having dogs, kids, or used vehicles without one.

Thanks for the tip. I have a facelift model, which has three seperate mesh grills, so it's a lot more $$ to fix (all three are broken). :confused:

My 4.8 loves to hate me - Code P0305, Misfire on cylinder 5. Engine shaking like a quivering purse-dog, but less powerful.

I called around a bit and it looks like Amazon is my best bet. Today's shopping list for ignition plus some odds and ends:

• Bosch ignition coil ($25)
• NGK (4294) IZFR6H11 Laser Iridium Plugs
• K&N Air Filter ($45)
• Castrol 03085 EDGE Extended Performance 10W-30 Synthetic Motor Oil ($26)
• Misc tools and antiseize

I think the NGK Iridium Ix Spark Plug (BKR6EIX) you want is #6418? Advance Auto had it for $5.99 or something when I bought mine a couple wes ago.

I'd also stay away from those oil intake filters. But that's personal preference. The normal filter does it's job and without the oil mess that can lead to MAF issues.

I won't get into an oil debate so i'll leave it here.

I did some additional digging on the plugs - according to NGK my 4.8 needs either the 4294 or 6441. Either way, the ones I ordered where an Amazon fit not OEM. Thanks for pointing it out - order tweaked and $30 saved. :D

Who Haah!!! Installed Dinan stage 3A engine software and Engine Trans Software. My X5 is a totally new X. I have never met this character before. OMG. the trans is such a better shifting program then the stock software. 50% off on Dinan software this was a no brainer.

^^That's amazing! I wanted the Stage 3 engine software but the $850 for the throttle body not worth it to me

^I have the TB... just recently found that out during a service actually. I think I have the engine and trans software as well, but am not sure. @ 50% off now seems like the time to upgrade if I don't... hmmmmmm.

:thumbup: Same (stage 1), transformed the beast now.

Looking at Dinan's website. Anyone know how much the stg3 software upgrade is supposed to give you with the intake and throttle body?

I don't know. But I do know that the stage 1 tune on the 3.0 is good for an astounding 4hp. How did they even measure that? Surely that's within the margin of error.

Having been to their facility, I'm sure if they are stating 4hp... it gets 4hp. Their dyno setup is pretty gnarly. They limit the variables much more than your average speed shop.

But the more I think about it, my X5 has the Dinan badge on it which means the original owner bought enough stuff to get 10 points. I've got the high flow intake, throttle body, front sway bar, and mufflers. I don't know if that's enough for 10 as Dinan no longer lists how many points the bar and the mufflers were worth. So I'm guessing mine has a good chance of having the engine software on it already, especially since it has the TB on it. :dunno:

If it has the rest, I'd also guess it probably has the tune. Who would spring that much for all the dinan stuff and not get the accompanying tune.

3 points for the mufflers, 2 for the brace.

https://www.dinancars.com/the-dinan-badge/

Best I can do is stage 3A for a 4.6. All stages require Dinan low restriction exhaust. Stage 3 performance numbers include Dinan throttle body, High flow air intake system and transmission software. The stock 4.6 is 340HP/371TQ. Stage 3A took it to 363HP/378TQ. A guess would be to take the same increases for the low side and figure the percentage of increase for the 4.6 and apply that percentage as the high side. The numbers will drop significantly without low restriction exhaust. Transmission software reduces 0-60 time because of faster and crisper shifts.

I suggest asking Dinan.

Got mine registered and road ready for the storm tomorrow. Put three new washer pumps in as they were clogged with some nasty brown algae mess.

Replaced the right rear wheel bearing today. :D

Sheesh. What a way to spend six hours. :rolleyes:

Car drives like a new one. I'm hearing noises I've never heard before, like road noise from the tires and wind whistling in the roof rails. And that's a good thing! :bustingup

Used an FAG part (NZ $170) along with about about NZ$400 worth of new tools.

The other three wheel bearings in the car are quivering in fear and I expect no more trouble from any of them... ;)

Great job on diy bearing swap. I have to do that same one on wife's car soon. I re-engineered my bearing press to use 1" bolt up from 3/4 after I stripped three sets of 3/4 " bolt swapping the front right bearing on mine and wife's E53.

The 3/4" bolt is good for about 23,000# force the 1" is designed for 62,000#.

The math worked out to about 25,000# to install and 35,000 to remove the front bearing. Brutal, and destroyed the bolt and nut that came with the kit and the stronger replacement bolt as well.

The rear doesn't seem nearly as big and explains why you likely didn't have a problem just be aware if your kit like mine has 3/4" bolt it will likely not have the power to remove and replace the front bearing.

Very astute to realize good thing and the new noises. It's very bad when some constant noise masks the other telltale sounds of slow destruction.

The one negative of my new positively bad ass tires is that from 15mph down to about 5 they make a 500Hz down to about 100Hz hum that will mask some telltale sounds like scraping brake pad etc. it sounds very much like a worn gear in a transmission but it's subtle and only noticeable on deceleration so hopefully if I ever to get a new wearing part sound that will show itself on acceleration also.

The fact I can accelerate and brake with half the rate of dry pavement on slush makes up for it however. (I was able to achieve nearly 0.5g braking on wet slush)

I'm trying to figure out if I can use my bearing press to replace my rear bushings which are shot. They have a specific tool to do that swap but only that job. I'm not sure if the cups are big enough but I digress.

Awesome on the diy bearing swap sharing your post will definitely encourage others to do the same. Also *others*: this swap can be done without special tools, you can hack together a bearing press with some pipe flanges and large sections of galvanized pipe. For $20 or so vs $100 kit designed to do the job.

Itsbrokeagain - Matt from ACM ?

What did you do to / for your E53 today??
 

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...cb37b23e29.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...a1211bc42c.jpg

Replaced the sliprings on my alternator.

$20 versus $325? Yesplease

I have noticed that only one polarity (pos or neg) takes all the beating. Switching the polarity at say 125,000 miles would likely double the life of the slip rings. I'm thinking I will do that on my wife's rather than wait for it to self destruct and require new brushes and slip rings.

Anybody ever heard of this.

I know in arc lamps the anode takes all of the abuse so I'm betting the top ring is the positive and is bombarded by electrons. Anybody know?

Replaced the air filter and #5 ignition coil, then realized I didn't have the socket extensions required to do the plugs. Oh well, runs like a champ again. I'll do the plugs when its not raining. :)

New tires on my stock 18" rims, replaced MAF and Door Carrier on front passenger door.

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Added these to the back of my 4.8 after coding out voltage monitoring for the plate lights using Carly. They are BRIGHT. This shot was taken during mid day with the X's rear just at the garage door opening.

http://i370.photobucket.com/albums/o...170545_HDR.jpg

Mine weren't monitored. Which one did you get? 36mm or 41mm? Looks great

Give us the lead an where one can acquire such nice license plate LEDs???

What did you do to / for your E53 today??
 

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https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...f20534650e.jpg

Replaced slip rings and brushes on my alternator (finally!) and took in for testing (passed) before reinstalling.

At the parts store where I had it tested, they had to look up the same part to know what code to use with the test machine and the refurbished model of my alternator was $250. The kit to do 80% of the refurbishing diy was $19 on eBay. I think the full kit that also replaces the bearings (unneeded in my case) is about $35-40.

Tuesday should finally get time to put back in. Thanks to Metra Amtrak and Lumba2 I've been able to avoid working on BMWЯ in the subarctic temps of southeast wi. It will be great to be a two car family again though.

When I have a chance I'll post the video of my tips for swapping the slip rings. My method to remove the old slip rings is a lot easier than the chip away with screwdriver and crush in a vice method of the muse I copied to fix mine. In the photo you can see the gray epoxy that is covering the new wiring.

36mm. Thanks. I think they add one more touch of modernity to help keep the e53 chassis looking fresh. It's a little thing, but they add up.

I linked them in the original post, but admittedly, not very obviously. Here you go:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have used these for both interior and exterior festoon applications on my E53 and am very pleased with the pure white light

http://www.ebay.com/itm/381780610222

http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/SR8AAO...3Uc/s-l400.jpg

Some expansion of one of the pins in the bulb holder may be necessary and I was OK with that.

Mike

I used the same kit with great results for my interior and plate lights, plus a few other LEDs for the puddles. Funny enough I had to compress the pins, not expand, to get everything to fit. For the interior I really like the overhead lighting effect, but the foot wells are a bit too bright IMO. I'll eventually swap those to dimmer red bulbs which I think will be a nice combo on a red truck and lower the clinical brightness I'm getting now.

On a related note, I just ordered LED backup and fog lights. Will post some details once I see how the install goes.

I am using an interior kit and am mostly pleased with the results. The overhead light has an LED that flickers that I have been meaning to replace. I have to say though that the 36mm ones I just put in my license plate lights are worlds brighter than the festoons (even the larger ones) that I got in my interior kit.

I am going to try some more of the same company's LEDs and see if they are as good as these.

Orangefurious can you provide a link of the specific leds that you used for the puddle lamps? Did you have to use a resistor in the circuit to make them function correctly?

Regards,

Jay

Personally, I'm rather fond of the clinical white brightness :rofl: but that's just me being me.

I also used T10 LEDs in my center overhead fixtures and really like that as well.

I got one mirror puddle light to accept a T10 but haven't yet figured out why the driver side mirror won't accept a T10 LED :dunno: :dunno:

Mike

So are my wife and I. And not just in our cars either. Our ENTIRE house has been converted to 4300k-5000k LED bulbs. If it's "soft white" (3000k) we want it gone.

A resistor in each puddle lamp will probably be needed to get the driver side LED bulb T10 working correctly.

Likewise :thumbup:

And a great efficiency choice as well.

PS: The other day I installed these in all my rear tail lamp positions (got the 1157 version for the brake lamp bulb) and also my backup lights.

Loving the full brightness and NO bulb out triggers!

https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1hOHXP...6b8c76c5d6bee2

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/TC-X...790337152.html

I have an account with them so I didn't pay that price but they are awesome in my view and I've tried a lot of LED 1156 and 1157 candidates.

I will try to upload an actual night pic. Here it is:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/rv...=w1211-h870-no

Mike

Rebuilt the rear suspension. Since my X5 has always been in Texas there is no corrosion. All the bolts came loose with no trouble.

Replaced the transmission wiring harness due to erratic shifting- problem solved.

Discovered a passenger side drive axle boot failure :pullhair: just after passing 100K miles.

Ordered drive axles and front suspension components because my SOP is "Touch It Once", so I'll use the drive axles as an excuse to refresh all the ball joints, tie rod ends and install PU bushings in the tension strut.

AT 100K miles, those pieces don't owe me anything :dunno:

PB Blasted everything tonight.

Evenings this week I'll disassemble the passenger side in preparation for installing the parts as they get here. Will make the weekend work a little less.

Mike

Replaced the rear sub-frame bushings. Replaced the front and rear control arms. Replaced rear ball joints. Replaced integral links. Replaced swing arm bushings. Replaced rear torsion bar links. Wheel alignment tomorrow.

Phwoar! Someone has a car that'll drive like a new one! ;)

I'm hoping so. Wheel alignment is scheduled for tomorrow morning. We'll see then for sure. Right now the rear end is a little squirrely. It's definitely riding much better other than that.

How did that harness connector look? Mine had enough dirt and grime in it to make a nice mud pie. Dealer tech said he'd seen several transmission harnesses and a lot of engine harnesses for the '02 model year that had no dielectric grease in the connectors - an apparent supplier "oversight".

Have to agree on how corrosion free the undercarriage stays in Texas though.

2002 X5 3.0 317,700 miles
2014 428i 26,000 miles

2004 325i sold at 123,600 miles
2001 325i sold at 66,000 miles

1970 Firebird - Under restoration

I replaced the harness that is inside the transmission. The oil temp sensor that is part of the harness failed.

Dropped it off at the dealer to get the airbag replaced finally.

I also got a new X3 loaner. I am pretty unimpressed. Although the NBT, parking sensors, and 360 degree parking camera are nice.

full wheel alignment today. The "squirrely" rear end is gone and the car is driving like new. Its been raining here so I haven't been able to really put her through her paces, but it certainly seems waaaaaaaay better.

Who did you use for your alignment? I'm having a difficult time finding someone who actually knows how to do a good 4 wheel alignment locally.

I have used both the dealer and more recently the Firestone tire store near me. Newer stores have the equipment. Alignment is guaranteed for 12 months. Both show you the before and after so you can see how they did. Was just there yesterday for final step of rear suspension rebuild.

Five Points Tire in Redwood City.

Thanks, may give them a shot.

Unfortunately, I wouldn't let the local Firestone stores here even attempt to fix a flat tire. They are not known for good work here.

You can make an appointment. They'll do it while you wait.

Last night I began the teardown of the passenger side front suspension and drive shaft. Stopped at the point just shy of whacking the drive shaft out of the differential and getting the front tension strut off its ball joint and removing its ball joint from the spindle.

Today got the drive shaft out. The only way to really get a tool on the backside of the driveshaft to whack the inner shaft out is to remove all but ONE BOLT (I chose the forward driver side to remain) of the skid plate/stiffener and slide the skid plate forward. This gives enough clearance and angle to get a big bar or screwdriver on one of the several flanges on the inner coupling combined with a BFH for the whackings.

Heat in the form of a propane torch on the tension strut at the ball joint combined with my Harbor Freight http://www.harborfreight.com/media/c...mage_12294.jpg

popped the linkage free.

Then removing the ball joint was a real joy as well. Heat around the spindle area surrounding the joint with generous PB Blaster followed by impact extensions and whackings from my BFH persuaded it to release. Thankfully the E12 torx bolts removed easily without damage. (pre-PB Blasting probably helped).

Another mega PITA was the ABS wheel sensor. This was totally corroded into the bare steel of the spindle, even though the sensor housing is plastic. I removed the wiring harness from the frame and when the spindle was finally removed was able to back tap it out with a drift punch without damaging the plastic.

Cleaned all the joint openings with a wire brush and applied liberal doses of anti-corrosion product for reassembly.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/xr...A=w668-h890-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/xa...Q=w668-h890-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/7E...Q=w668-h890-no

Put a new seal in the differential and waiting for drive shaft and front suspension parts to arrive today.

Will need to find a press to remove tension strut bushing and install PU bushing.

Will battle the driver side tomorrow and maybe a piece of Saturday. Will also change the front diff fluid since the drain plug, I believe, is only accessible with the skid plate out of the way.

Mike

^By drive shaft do you mean the CV axle? I was trying to picture what was happening in my head and got all confused... lol. Not that it's a hard thing to do to me these days. Averaging 4 hours of sleep for the last 2 months due to newborn has not been kind to my cognitive abilities. ;)

Yes, sorry, Lots of times I just refer to them as the "front" driveshaft. But yeah, the CV axles.

Made more progress last night. Got the new CV axle installed, the wishbone ball joint arm and the tension strut ball joint and starting to snug up the suspension components. Tie rod remains immobile, despite heat and PB Blaster and I have to find someone with a press to push out the old bushing in the tension strut arm.

Looks like the PO had this changed in 2009????

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/VF...=w1187-h890-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/bb...g=w668-h890-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Gz...g=w668-h890-no

Will look up torques for when I put the WOW (weight on wheels).

I may just give the new tie rods to the wheel alignment guy and have him wrestle with it. :dunno:

Big thanks to Hal72 for his torque spec summary and I added the tension strut ball joint spec and converted to ft lb for convenience of anyone using ft lb torque wrenches.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Jf...g=w800-h600-no


Mike

For the thrust arm bushing (2009 part) you can melt it out: heat the metal hotter than the melting point of the rubber and it will pull out with little effort. Search YouTube for an example video.

For removing impossible rusted parts that are being replaced anyhow my goto is either my bandsaw or my right angle grinder. Cut a slot through the nut right down to the threads and the effort to turn will drop 95%. (If the nut is too close use an old fashioned nut-breaker: inexpensive tool that works like a log splitter and presses an anvil through the nut and breaks it in half)

Thanks andrewwynn!

I found an indy shop in my town that has a press and was willing to press it out and the PU unit in.

Not an easy task to put the PU into the tension strut. A little creativity was required but we got it.

Nuts are coming off easily, driver side CV spindle is being a PITA and it caused breakage to my BFH :wow:

Off to Auto Zone for a claw gear puller/presser and then a Fish Fry and I'll call it a night and finish up tomorrow.

The indy is going to do the driver side Tension strut bushing tomorrow morning. :thumbup:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/2w...A=w668-h890-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/VH...w=w668-h890-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Uh...A=w668-h890-no

Mike

Those Powerflex CA bushings can be done without removing the arms, or using a press......

Cool tool. Where'd you get it?

X2

Mike

Sorry, what's X2?

Sorry

Times 2

As in multiplied by 2.

Mike

It's a pulley puller from Harbor Freight, around $70.

^Big a$$ 3 jaw puller too. What's the force that thing is rated to? Must be incredible.

Nice CA bushing tool.

It's the 5 ton unit.

Needed EVERY bit of it to remove the OE bushings.

Those considering a purchase should go with the 7 ton puller (around $20 more then the 5 ton).

Thanks for the info.

Most welcome.

Looks like my trusty X wants a new alternator for its 13th birthday :(

That's another of those joyful jobs down under :rofl:

When I had to tackle my alternator (after it seized upon shutdown and when restarted it shredded the serpentine belt) I was touching nearly 100k miles hoses, tensioner and belts so I made a Touch It Once project out of it all the way back to the rear engine hoses, heater hoses, heater control valve, tensioners, water pump, thermostat, idlers, fan clutch, fan and belts.

No more worries for me about any of those components in my ownership lifetime with this vehicle.

Mike

I'll be doing belts and tensioners as well :thumbup: Already did my hoses, waterpump, T-Stats, expansion tank, fan clutch, etc... about 40K miles ago - don't think I will have to touch those for another 40K miles or so.

Just had the same problem. Replaced the voltage regulator on the alternator. Good as new! There are brushes in the voltage regulator that wear down and cause loss of power from the alternator.

Great fix, but where did the now powdered brush material go? :dunno::dunno:

In the aviation world this is what can happen when folks just change brushes in their motors

http://www.csobeech.com/images/GearM...ushDebris.jpeg

Mike

Looked like most of it was stuck in the voltage regulator housing which got replaced. Since the housing is at the back of the alternator, I'd assume some also just gets blown off.

Didn't work on the X5 but wrenched on the gf's e46 doing the M56 valve cover conversion. Went pretty smoothly so looking forward to doing it on the truck.

Taking out the old CCV was a pita considering it has nowhere near the room the X5 does.

It's more than likely that the brushes are
Just worn out. I just replaced my slip rings and brushes for $20

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...53bf85413a.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...7ae094a156.jpg

In response to the question of where all the carbon goes: the design is open frame and in my case most of the carbon apparently ended up in my fingerprints as I disassembled the thing.

Noticing that only one side of the slip ring wears I'm thinking of reversing the polarity on the regulator brushes to flip the wear to the other side and add 50-100,000 miles to the lifespan of my wife's alternator.

I believe I figured out a simple way to do the flip and of course will share if I can pull it off.

got into a little accident a couple weeks ago. i was rear ended on the freeway, hit and run. Damage was not too bad to begin with so i decided to try to fix it myself. i have never done body work before but ive always wanted to learn the process.

http://i1359.photobucket.com/albums/...psxkqxisyb.jpg

http://i1359.photobucket.com/albums/...pslqkufalt.jpg

http://i1359.photobucket.com/albums/...psv0spiiqr.jpg

http://i1359.photobucket.com/albums/...psrsxnkc8c.jpg

http://i1359.photobucket.com/albums/...pszm33pdgc.jpg

http://i1359.photobucket.com/albums/...psqursiwnj.jpg

http://i1359.photobucket.com/albums/...psfrkdvi61.jpg

http://i1359.photobucket.com/albums/...psedhf7v3k.jpg

http://i1359.photobucket.com/albums/...pslhx6uinh.jpg

http://i1359.photobucket.com/albums/...psmp3dm18h.jpg

it is not 100% perfect. bumper reinforcement was slightly damaged and it is hard to source a replacement that will work with the tow hitch. so i did the best i could to straighten it out. overall i am pretty happy with the results.

it feels good to be back in the E53..

http://i1359.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0vreebga.jpg

So sorry to hear about that, but your end result looks amazing. I see you got LEDs too, they look amazing.

About how long was the whole fix?

Nice dude! I'm glad you were able to get it back together. It looks great!

Well done sir. Well done.

http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view6/352...ker-clap-o.gif

CODING FOLDING MIRRORS
 

Hi to all
I need same help please if someone know about coding the mirrors on x5 e53 4.4is. I buy carly coding program for this car. I arrive to code almost everything as per carly say, except the folding mirrors(when i lock the car the mirrors must folding in and when unlock mirrors fold out) is not working.
Can someone know why ??????
Thanks for any help
(With the button inside the car the mirrors working fine):dunno::dunno::explode:

Changed my central console button from 2005. to my 2002. X5! Full of buttons! I had non heated seats...have to check now how to switch them on :D

There is no such option for E53 to fold mirrors with remote! But there is a possibility to make it! U will need to install new wiring system for it! If u r living in south it is ok.... if it is very cold outside during winters...it is not a good idea to fold them every time! They could brake!

CODING FOLDING MIRRORS
 

thanks for the info. where i can get this new wiring drawing
regards

That wiring can draw any specialist who has knowledge... anyway it will be individual! It depence which system u want to use! For example u can take window system closing and opening and make it common... or try to combinate something with that mirror button wiring!

Washed up! Fixed head lamp washer and take off mistake from parking lights!

^^^That iS diffuser looks amazing on your Topaz!

It took me a couple weeks to get it fixed. Hard to find time after work and on the weekends to get anything done. overall, id say about 8-10 hrs of real work.

thanks bud. it feels so good to be back in the e53. I was driving a e63 the past few weeks. got stuck in parking lots when we had some snow. def the wrong time for the x to be down. feels like im driving a tank now compared to the e63. gotta get some boarding in before the season is up

Congrats!

Installed led high beam lights H7! Of course with error now! No possible to install retrofit because of location of plugins...have to unprogram signal and that is it!

I used this TCX H7 COB LED in my High Beams and have no errors :dunno: :dunno:

https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1MK7fN...b941a830b01540

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/TC-X...749600835.html

Mike

I did a mistake...in ali I did not write error free...now I see those led lights!

2016 New Error Free Super Bright Car Headlights H7 H4 LED Auto Front Bulb Automobiles Led Headlamp Kit 6000K Car Lighting
http://s.aliexpress.com/VnEnEzYz
(from AliExpress Android)

Yeah, I think you have to be sure to get Canbus or "Error Free" bulbs.

:dunno: :dunno:

Mike

I swooped some iS front brake calipers for cheap. Now I need to rebuild them and find some rear calipers.

http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/v...psawkaooeq.jpg

Replaced my hood shocks/struts on my 5mt. No more having the hood slowly go down in cold weather. Took about 5 minutes using a thin pick and straight head screw driver for the clips.

I like Josh! iS brake upgrade would be great and very OEM+ on your X!

On that note, I did the pads and rotors on my 4.8is this weekend and ran into a problem - the right-rear caliper carrier has a stripped bolt hole. Replacing the entire caliper was faster than buying the carrier alone.

That means in the next couple days I'm going to have a spare RR caliper from a 4.8is with one stripped bolt hole. PM me if you're interested. :)

I'm looking forward to it. I am also going to do brake lines. Do I remember you saying that the original brake lines on ours are braided ss with a rubber exterior coating?

I was also looking into the brass slide pins, but I can't seem to find ones for the iS calipers.


Damn, that can be pretty frustrating. I may be interested in it. I'll PM you.

Im looking for some advice! I just got my E53 4.8is back from a service appointment. When I arrived they handed me a piece from my oil pump that they found in the oil filter. It is the oil pressure relief valve. Now, they want nearly 5,000 CAD. to replace the oil pump. Im wondering how important this is, and if i can drive without it? To my understanding its not important until i need it! but i don't full understand its function either. Any one that does?


Thanks!

Just refresh the iS calipers with all ATE parts IMO - bushings, pins, bleeders, seal kits (if you have a seized or scored piston, Centric sells the replacements on RockAuto) - I have the ATE assembly paste if you want to borrow it when you are ready, the hydraulic paste that costs $20 a tube (its a huge tube) and is the actual correct assembly lubricant for reinstallation of pistons -

Not sure on the hoses, but either new OE / ATE hoses or getting a set of Stoptech SS lines would be great (I have a set of Stoptechs waiting to go in.)

Thanks RB. I'll hit you up about the past when I am ready to reassemble them.

I was looking at the stoptech SS lines, they seem to be priced reasonably. Now I just need to hunt down rear calipers and figure out what to do for rotors and pads.

I sorted out my brake carrier issue tonight and got the brakes wrapped up. Very happy with brakemotive pads and rotors. $250 for everything, all four wheels. Look good, stop good, high quality.

Picked this up not to long ago. Needs a few small maintenance things but nothing major. Got it for a decent deal too. :cool:

^Sport Package and Factory Running boards looks great!

Josh, I went with the Centric High Carbon Alloy coated rotors - I didn't do cross drilled or slotted - I also went with Power Stop Z16 ceramic pads from RockAuto, and the Stoptech SS line set (all from RockAuto)

ATE parts I got all from FCPEuro (slider pins, bushings, bleeder screws, front seal kits) - for the iS calipers I am not sure, but on my 3.0i calipers, the rear seal kits I could not get from ATE brand so I paid $20 per side for the Genuine BMW - I couldn't source the rear ATE kits anywhere -

Let me know when you get the job started - I will squeeze out an ounce or two of the hydraulic paste into a small baggie, and mail it out to you for your caliper reassembly - There is probably 6-7 oz in the whole tube (its like a toothpaste size), and you know how little it takes to lube up a piston, seal and bore per caliper (those small packets I usually use one per axle from the big box store) so I'll squeeze out a decent amount for you to finish the job :)

The tube has enough to probably do 50 brake jobs lol


Oh and btw - while you are in there, might want to look into your parking brake assembly if its original - BMW sells a "Value Line" kit which includes new shoes, adjusters, all hardware, springs, etc for like $80? Also purchased from FCPEuro, I figure when the rears are off I am going to take care of the entire rusty parking brake assembly as well

This is all on the spring to do list, once I get my car back from the body shop for all the PDR as well as the repair of the rear door rust on both sides -

I'm still very happy with my brakemotive hardware as well. :thumbup: And $250 for a complete front/rear setup is a steal. I forget what I paid but it was right around there. Did yours come with stoptech carbon pads? Those are the pads mine came with.

Get depo head lights with white angel! Put on 4.6is pack and black grill

Thanks for the reccomendations guys. I'll look into those brakes.

RB, it looks like rebuild stuff for the is calipers doesn't have the same selection as the rest of them unfortunately. It's either centric or genuine.

I'll get the stoptech lines for sure. I am not in a huge rush. The X5 doesn't even need brakes at the moment so I am just accumulating unnecessary parts haha.

Finally got my Karen edit that I refurbished back in. Very tight fit to get that sucker squeezed in: couldn't get it the last 1/3 of an inch until I figured out to poke the likes of a nail set into the bolt hole to pull it in the last bit.

I also had to replace air boot : it was torn through in the flex part. Unfortunately it was originally installed from under the car so I had to razor knife the thing in half to remove. Only to discover the cheap copy I bought wouldn't bend so I sent back the crappy one, super glued the cut one to get me working until the OEM replacement came.

That's when my alternator dies and my wife's camshaft sensor died. So I got to put in the new boot the new camshaft sensor and the refurbished alternator.

I couldn't get the boot off without taking off the disa valve fortunately that is second to the oil cap the easiest thing to remove on the M54 engine!

So: cps sensor in, DISA OFF, boot off, alternator in, boot back on, disa back on, air intake in, fan and shroud back on.

Started right up. I did have a charger on the battery while working to make that go smoothly.

The symptom showing alternator failing was that dsc/brake/abs lights. Poking around with dash command showed voltage dipped below 12v at idle (when it felt like it).

So once running even though it was two full months in hibernation, my BMWЯ didn't forget that the dsc trifecta was lit. I was really hoping it would reset itself and sure enough I didn't even get to the end of my alley and dashboard cleared!

Now I have to purge my brakes. Apparently when the level got low a bit of air got in. It's way overdue for flush anyhow so I bought the pressure bottle to bleed and learned a couple tricks for workaround with abs. I will post results.



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What did you do to / for your E53 today??
 

Finally got my alternator that I refurbished back in. Very tight fit to get that sucker squeezed in: couldn't get it the last 1/3 of an inch until I figured out to poke the likes of a nail set into the bolt hole to pull it in the last bit.

I also had to replace air boot : it was torn through in the flex part. Unfortunately it was originally installed from under the car so I had to razor knife the thing in half to remove. Only to discover the cheap copy I bought wouldn't bend so I sent back the crappy one, super glued the cut one to get me working until the OEM replacement came.

That's when my alternator dies and my wife's camshaft sensor died. So I got to put in the new boot the new camshaft sensor and the refurbished alternator.

I couldn't get the boot off without taking off the disa valve fortunately that is second to the oil cap the easiest thing to remove on the M54 engine!

So: cps sensor in, DISA OFF, boot off, alternator in, boot back on, disa back on, air intake in, fan and shroud back on.

Started right up. I did have a charger on the battery while working to make that go smoothly.

The symptom showing alternator failing was that dsc/brake/abs lights. Poking around with dash command showed voltage dipped below 12v at idle (when it felt like it).

So once running even though it was two full months in hibernation, my BMWЯ didn't forget that the dsc trifecta was lit. I was really hoping it would reset itself and sure enough I didn't even get to the end of my alley and dashboard cleared!

Now I have to purge my brakes. Apparently when the level got low a bit of air got in. It's way overdue for flush anyhow so I bought the pressure bottle to bleed and learned a couple tricks for workaround with abs. I will post results.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Arrived M PERFORMANCE letters

Please don't

I don't know if you've seen the other mods, but it already looks like tron rolling down the street.

+1 if meaning on the door like the photo. Very tacky. Coolest thing is bumping into the rare M-sport and seeing the special grill.

It's very apparent that an x5 is M sport the second he decides to change lanes and pass somebody.

On the toolbox in the garage is a better place for it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

:iagree:

+3. I don't even dare putting that on my ///M car (which already have a gazillion ///M badges STANDARD), let alone an elephant of an SUV (I mean SAV).

What did you do to / for your E53 today??
 

My car came badge free. I didn't even know if it was a six or an eight cylinder until I got the oil changed. I really like it I will continue that trend in my future cars. I would leave the three stripes in the grill if I had an //M.

My wife's car came standard with the badges. My car had the sport package with the air suspension in the back. After driving her car for two months while mine was on blocks waiting for me to put the alternator in, i'm very happy to be back in my car which handles a lot better. In addition to the sport suspension and an extra centimeter width on the tires and extra inch diameter of the tires, I also have five extra psi in my rear tires because they carry tools a lot.

Makes for a very scored a field especially when I don't have tools car drives just like a sports car. The amazing thing to me is how little the handling is affected when I have 1000 pounds of tools in the back. It does smooth out the bumps a little.

No label on the pads - just shrink wrapped to a cardboard sheet. From the feel I'm thinking they're not Stoptech. I'd expect them to grab earlier/harder if they were - these are pretty mild in the first 1/4 of the pedal motion.

Wut

you didn't even lift the hood before you bought it?

Or look at the title? Registration? Hear it?

I thought that was just the nature of carbon pads vs metallic. Mine are mild bite early as well. Not sure if it's 1/4, but definitely less initial bite than OEM were. Either way... amazing value and good braking performance. The corvette guys track these. Not that I would do the X5, but I probably would not feel unsafe doing so on a fresh set of these.

What did you do to / for your E53 today??
 

I bought my x5 via auction. It was the only one in about 700 cars that was in my budget that I was interested in. I didn't have x5 even on my radar because I made my list based on historical service records literally i used a top ten most reliable used car list. Not surprising to anybody reading this: X5 is not in that list!

I actually didn't even know what engine options existed until I got the car.

In the end: $5800 for 128,000 3.0 with a nearly unused interior: the drivers seat had been replaced and apparently the car was used for commuting mostly solo. Sport suspension.

In addition the engine didn't have a single speck of oil on the block or on the skid plate. I've literally never seen an engine so clean in my life. (I did of course check out the engine bay, but with no knowledge of x5 and no badges it was not obvious)

The check engine light was on, so I figured that suppressed the price but we got in a bit of a bid war that cost me $800 extra could have had for $5000.

The SES light was from CPS which cost me $105 and solving introduced me to xoutpost. It took about two hours to install because it's a bitch to thread that sucker under the intake manifold it likes to get stuck.

Having no payment and averaging about $80/month in repairs means that I effectively get about 80mpg by having no car payment and $40/mo full coverage insurance with $0/250 deductible. I love my car.

Even today when I had an insane roller coaster day:

I forgot to tighten the output terminal from my alternator I just refurbished. The symptoms were exactly the same as the malfunctioning alternator before I replaced the brushes and slip rings!

So just about every light on the dash came on in sequence including two new ones: the TRANSMISSION was the scariest but the EML eventually came on.

The high resistance of the loosely hooked on but no nut had so much power & voltage lost that I was only getting 12.5 volts and at some points more like 11.8.

I wiggled wires and got normal ish voltage so started driving with voltage shown on dash command real time.

Got to Home Depot and took the air box off so I could get a better look. I dropped my flashlight and it turned off and I saw an orange light down behind the alternator. I thought it was just light leak from running lights coming though. I turned off the lights and the glow was still there.

I discovered what the glow was "the hard way" when i grabbed the output terminal and burned the inverse of the threads into my thumb and finger! (The glow was the terminal and/or the wire eye glowing From being that hot !)

So after ten minutes I gave up trying to determine the size of the damn nut and took an educated guess: M8-1.25 FYI.

Ecstatic that I solved it and with voltage clamped to 13.6 above 1500 RPM and holding 12.5 at idle, I head on home.

On the way home engine stuttering at idle even stalled. I had to use two feet to drive so could keep From stalling.

EML light came on! Aaaaarghh!

No SES but a scan shows about six pending codes including speed sensor intermittent and the classic bank one and two lean.

About 20 min. drive home and park and open the hood and it only took seconds to determine the problem: to reach the alternator connections I had to pull up on the air intake hose and I managed to pull the air intake boot off the intake body!

It is darn near impossible to get to the hose clamp for that boot: the previous mechanic installed from under the car! I literally had to cut the older one in half to remove so I could get to the underside clamp.

It's infinitely easier to work on intake boot with DISA valve removed.

Here is the magic how i tightened the boot clamp:
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...080ce26bbe.jpg

A long straight extension and TWO flex connectors!

Also you have to remove the small boot connector to get to the big hose clamp.

So: once the alternator actually was ATTACHED electrically and the air intake boot was likewise attached to the car everything came right back to life and engine is working perfectly!

Tomorrow: full exchange of brake fluid. Yay.


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Fluid refresh: front/rear diffs and MT @126k. Shifting feels much smoother than before. I ended up using redline ATF but might go MTF or 50/50 in the future.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That may be. I'm going to bleed the brakes just in case it's related to the pedal travel - didn't open the system but had some fluid leak from under the reservoir cap.

That aside, I absolutely agree with the value and performance of the BrakeMotive kit. I'm not tracking the X5 either but I'm comfortable with these handling anything I'd throw at them. Beyond the quality parts these guys were just great to work with - fast and free shipping, domestic company, great communication, etc. I

Installed a Dinan cold air system and replaced the spark plugs as per required maintenance. Looking forward to the results.

Let us know your results. I did a full fluid flush when I did my brake job so I'm curious if you come up with a different pedal feel after the fluid change.

Last year I did a full brake fluid flush with Motul DOT 5.1 when I put my stainless steel lines on the E53.

http://pi.roostin.com/images/items/l...L0003/X001.jpg

Much firmer pedal feel but I attribute that to the SS lines :dunno:

Been running DOT 5.1 in my E46 for several years with no issues and great performance.

Will do likewise with my E90 which is just turning 50K miles.

Mike

rear bearing :)
 

Well, today I decided to do my rear bearings on the e53 , if any one decides to try this at home, trust me its not easy :)
started off with the car on the ground and removed the main drive shaft nut , which came off pretty easily , wohoo I thought I could be on here, jacked car up and took calliper off and then removed disk , and here it went downhill :(
rear disks are knackered, so are the pads, but I've bought new pads, just needs to get new disks now. any whoo.
then you have to remove the driveshaft from the hub flange 2 hours later using a 5 lb sledgehammer it moved. then used a slide hammer to split the bearing (45 minutes).
then after another hour I finally got the old bearing off the hub, easy bit over
then tried to remove the old bearing off the car. following the autodoc video on YouTube started taking the suspension and stuff together, jacked lower arm up then BANG
bloody jack moved dropped everything to the floor, airbag fully extended thought oh FFS. I'm going to have to sort this out , ended up taking the entire inner hub off the car as I couldn't get to the 4 bolts. and then draining the air on the right side bag to deflate it so it wasn't pushing everything down, removed the 4 bearing bolts, so now I got a x5 in bits awaiting parts
I'm hoping the airbag will just push back up into itself I'm thinking reassembly is going to be a pain aswell :)
I took the speed sensor out of the hub it was filthy. should these be clean?
but to top it all , on way to parents, on motorway (70) car jolted threw up a trans failsafe error ,car felt like it was firing on 6 ,juddering ,tick over in D was 400rpm, I thought It was going to stall, no power on acceleration on take off, so needs codes reading on that one , that's ontop of the dsc inactive it threw up last week after the mass rain ( 3 yellow warning lights) (see above regarding speed sensor)
not touching it now till weekend, ill edit this with reassembly :)
nackered Steve

I had all the same errors from bad voltage regulation. If trans goes into limp mode you get gears 3&4 that's it.

Make sure you have 13+ volts and engage parking brake and turn engine off and on a couple times to reset trans.

Speed sensor is hermetically sealed its life is always going to be one of gunk but if it's wacked it will trifecta your dash lights : brake, dsc, abs. (But also voltage dip below 12v will trifecta the dsc). If brake is yellow that's most likely a sensor or voltage blip. If brake is red than low brake fluid (ask me how I know)

I've seen a couple ways to remove the bearing and for diy the easier way is to remove the cv axle from the differential so you don't have to deal with the spring (air bag) pressure which normally is dealt with using an additional jack.

I think it may be possible to get to the e-torx using a couple flex adapters rather than removing cv or dropping the suspension.

Im going to be replacing rear bearing on my wife's x5 within a week or so I will post my solution if I figure out an improved method.

Thanks for the head up on the slide hammer difficulty. I think I will use the method I used for the front bearing an push the bearing apart using some long bolts through the lug holes.

For re installing I've beefed up my bearing press that used to self destruct. Had a 3/4 " threaded rod good for 23,000# but apparently it takes 30-40,000# to press front x5 bearing so I now have grade 8 1" bolts good for 62,000#


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never thought about voltage regulation Andrew. all the warning lights are yellow there's no red ones , I needs to buy another one of the little plastic boxes the connectors all go into. as mine looks like is broken and someone has used silicone to seal it.
the battery is about 4 months old, 90% of the rest of the car is 155k miles and 14 years :)
just like a porn actress, her boobs are 4 months old but the rest is 25 :)

stoves tip for the sledgehammer, place an axel stand about 6 inch from wheel same height as nut then use a long extension bar (1/2) inch place foot on axel stand holding bar in, then beat the crap out of it :)

Sounds like you had a tough time of it - and I guess I was lucky! :confused:

I too watched a lot of YouTube "guides" before tackling mine but I decided that taking the suspension apart wasn't worth the pain. Once I got the splined axle out of the hub (yes, it was tough but only took about 10 mins using a bolt-on bearing puller - the one from the slide hammer kit) and removed the axle by undoing all six drive flange bolts back near the diff (after dropping the entire exhaust system out!), removing the bearing from the carrier was pretty simple.

If I ever do one again I *would* remove the spring first, as this gives you more latitude to raise/lower the carrier (knuckle) to the ideal height/position for operations such as removing the drive shaft or undoing the bearing carrier bolts etc. It was a PITA fighting the spring pressure all the time.

Looking forward to hearing of the successful conclusion to this... :thumbup:

Great feedback. I had decided to use the suspension drop method mostly because my impact wrench can turn 1100 ft·lb so big bolts don't scare me.

I'm thinking of using a spring compression tool like for installing front struts to remove the spring pressure.


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Installed the European warning triangle. Not sure if I will ever use it but I get a kick out of adding cheap little European features we never got in the US models.

We got a blue triangle case in Australia...

Funny story, I bought this red one for my E46 but it did not fit the factory cut out in the rear trunk panel so I replaced it with the blue one that is a bit larger. I bought the mounting brackets for the X5 but they are also larger than the red one so I will eventually buy another blue one for the X5. This smaller red one is for another model, maybe the 5 series that fits in the tool kit...

impact gun :) haha 1/2 inch ratchet and a big sledgehammer, there the only specialised tools you need :)
seriously though one would have been nice. it was more of a botched job than a carefully thought out operation
tbh putting it back together I'm not worried about really , as I know what I'm doing (HAHA) its the limping it over to the garage (20 miles away) and getting her codes read. as to why the gearbox is doing what its doing , :( I'm hoping the not running for a week might reset some stuff?.

Cleaned up!
Tyre foam for engine perfect cleaning! Strawberry spray for dashboard perfect :D
Stick on M small logo!

Agreed to purchase '06 E53 4.8iS with 72000 miles.

Very exciting!
Attachment 71503


Garage:
E53 X5 4.4i M62 born 2003-03-04
E90 325i N52 born 2006-03-28
F30 328i N20 born 2012-09-06

Added a coolant leak, a secondary air injection system that is being temperamental, and my driver's door handle decided to break this morning in the ice/snowstorm we got yesterday and today. Shoulda pushed it open from the inside since I was already in the passenger seat.

Pulled slowly and rapped the door a few times to break the ice and a satisfying crunch followed by a few choice words is a great way to start the morning.

I seriously hate this 0 degree weather. Everything likes to break or stop working...