Interesting, could you share a link to the brake fluid tester?

I have switched over to synthetic Motul DOT 5.1 fluids in all my vehicles in the hope that it will be more resistant to moisture contamination :dunno: :dunno:

https://3a663eb0fef48c6d2d60-a88f8eb...85277_x600.jpg

Mike

At a minimum get an Android system with at least 2GB RAM. I was an early adopter and got a 1GB RAM unit which was like a 1976 Ford Pinto 4 cylinder engine trying to get onto a major urban Interstate. :( I was just recently able to get this unit to perform decently (akin to adding a 1Bar turbo boost to the Pinto's engine) with a performance ROM flash of the original factory system. The 1GB is still somewhat limiting but at least the doggy lag and slow cold boot performance has been eliminated.

I understand they are introducing 4GB systems now that should at least perform like a 4.6is or 4.8is with the modern apps. I have a 4GB performance board that I am planning to install into my head unit.

Performance ROMs can be installed which can mod your Android system to even better levels of performance if desired.

Mike

Im using dot 4 I guess. Its what ever was in it when I bought it and I think its supposed to be dot 4.

This is the tester I am using.

http://amzn.to/2DSxr08

Seems to be pretty accurate so far. This one is calibrated to dot 4. I guess you need to go from that one and find the dot 5 calibrated one if it makes a difference.

Yeah I read some of yours and others posts about the long boot up time with the older units. Fortunately all the ones I've looked at are 2GB but wouldn't mind having 4GB. Less is not always more. Thanks for the info.

I liked my used heated steering wheel so much that I bought recently for my X5 that I ordered a new heated steering wheel for it today :)

I will put the used one on my 323i when the new one gets in. The used one was from an e39 and was a tad thinner than the factory non heated x5 wheel I had originally.

That tiny bit of difference was bugging me and since I plan on keeping the e53 X5 long term I figured I would treat myself to a brand new steering wheel that was the right thickness.

Supposed to get here feb 6th.

Upgraded my Eonon GA6166 from 1GB RAM and Android 5.1 to 4GB RAM and Android 6.0 with a Witson board upgrade

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

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

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/M4...=w1187-h890-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/9S...=w1187-h890-no

Mike

Bet that runs noticeably faster now :)

Indeed! :thumbup:

No stress, no strain on memory hungry apps like Spotify and mapping/navigation apps.

Mike

Today I gave my X5 away :(

To the wife :)

So she now has the E53 and I have the E70.

Told her the only stipulation is I get to keep doing mods to the E53 :)

:wow:

She wasn't to happy about the recall notice we got for the E70 with about the killer airbags and no replacement available.

Then we also found out about the electric water pump failure rate.

She wasn't a happy camper so she is in the safe reliable E53 now.

I just completed 100% suspension overhaul all round. Also replaced the brakes and rear air suspension. Taking her for alignment this coming week. Installed H&R lowering springs (front) and bilstein touring all around.

I added 6K HIDs to the fogs yesterday.
Just gotta get matching low beam bulbs one of these days.

Any of you know a trick to opening the port cover for the angel eyes. I cannot get that shit open at all.
Turns about 45 degrees and no more.
Haven't tried the driver side tho.


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Not sure on your headlights. Mine are the adaptive ones and have a flip down door to get to them.

Yeah sorry, the not the cover itself, under that cover the bulb will not budge.


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Hey everybody, new guy here with a 2005 X5 4.4, the problem child N62 engine. Bought her used and have replaced the rotors and brakes all around plus a transmission fluid swap, transfer case fluid swap and doing the differential next.

Good information here.

Replaced the nasty old piston ring on the WABCO air suspension pump with a $14 kit off ebay.

Hopefully this will eliminate my accumulator requests filling errors on the system.

Here is what a 110,000 mile WABCO piston ring looks like.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/cZ...a=w668-h890-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/JB...1=w668-h890-no

The outer surface of the ring was severely pitting.

The cylinder bore had scratches in it so I touched them up with a little fine sandpaper to knock down some of the fine ridges that the old ring had worn into the bore.

Will see if this solves the issue and for how long :dunno:

Update: took a short ride this evening for groceries and gas and the "Self Level Suspension Inactive" code did not appear during the drive. For now the new piston ring appears to have been the solution. (fingers crossed that this continues to be the case ;) )

Update 2/17/2018: after about 400 miles of driving, the air suspension code remains OFF and the air suspension continues to function normally.

Mike

I'm so glad you posted that. I had a single event where I got a light on the dash for the suspension. I turned the car off then back on and it cleared. If there are simple fixes for such problems gives me hope that if mine breaks it may be a simple fix


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My SLSI fault would come on immediately after vehicle start and would not self clear. Once I cleared it with a Creator 310+ scanner it would pump a little then stop. The Indicator position light on the dash control remained illuminated during the fault indication.

It would appear that due to the raggedy piston ring and scored bore condition, the pump was unable to achieve proper pressure or overheated quickly.

Bagpipinandy says the pump in proper condition should make 265psi or about 18bar.

If one has an older air suspension system (all E53s are old at this point...LOL) you may as well do this repair because that old piston ring can’t run forever and the original ring material does not appear to lend itself to a smooth wear, the wear of the ring revealed pitting of the side which ultimately scored the piston bore :dunno:

Mike

My x5 is currently at 250k miles and I’m starting to get squeaks and slow steering... do you know of any tutorial videos to fix the problem?

I reinstalled my custom sub box in the factory location and installed my dash.
camera.

All in all, a good day.

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Any pics? I still need to put a jl stealthbox in the factory sub location and I want dashcams too. Would be nice seeing what others have done.

I did this. I’ll post some pics later. Btw the JL Steatbox sounds phenomenal!

Hi everyone!
This is my first post on this forum.
Re glued the "sound proofing/water proofing liners in the rear passenger doors.
The rear foot wells were flooded after a heavy rain,checked here on the forum and discovered that i am not the only one who had the nasty surprise of having water seeping in.
The previous (idiot)owner did some work on the rear doors and was too lazy to glue back the liners.
I bought my X5 4.4L about a month ago,came with a lots of little defects and one big defect...cracked radiator+swollen water hoses and old serpentine belt.
$1200 later i had all these replaced.
The rear hatch(upper part) of the trunk simply died.
Got the actuator replaced and now is ok.
Topped up the gas in the air conditioning system.
I learned about all these issues here on the forum.
Many thanks to those who wrote those write ups and opinions about fixing these issues!
Andrew

I grew a set of balls and decided to tackle the OBD display repair in my gauge cluster. No big deal right? Just some patience is all. There isn't really one good video or write that I've found the describes the process thoroughly but with bits and pieces from hours of viewing I figured I could get the job done. I got everything down to the cluster and board with the needles still on. I didn't really find one good tutorial on needle removal but saw plenty on how to do it the wrong way. I made a custom tool to line up under the clock spring bushing on the back of the board and proceeded to carefully pull the temp needle off. The whole shaft came off minus the spring and bushing. Ugh! I decided to stop right there.

I can't believe that shaft pulled out of the motor and through the brass spring bushing. Maybe I should have wiggled the needle a bit, who knows but I'm not going to go any further and screw anything else up. I may not have a temp gauge. I won't know until I test it. I did change the bulbs at the back of the cluster so I can actually read the mileage and service warnings. That will be nice. I also installed new xenon filled halogen bulbs in my high beams and discovered I've got HID's in my lows. I never looked that close but they are due for a change as well. Tomorrow I'm going to try and fix my steering adjustment or lack thereof. I can't wait for things to warm up so I can really dig into things. It only got up to 36 today.

Replaced the climate control buttons with ones I ordered off ebay. Now the fan button doesn't fall off ever other time its touched :)

Here's some pics of mine installed. If I recall correctly the install was a breeze as everything you need need is in trunk (factory amp, battery, etc.)

Looks good. I want to do the stealth sub to hide it all. But that doesn't look bad exposed at all.

It's the little things right? Today I tried to figure out why my voice command and bluetooth don't work. Well, you have to have it installed in order for it to work don't ya? Another seller lied, what a surprise. I muddled with my vertical steering adjuster and found that operating the motor while the replacement part isn't fully seated was the wrong thing to do. $50 down the drain. I ordered a new but not before figuring out the right way to install it. It will not happen again. It's only $50 but it still hurts. Especially when you know you screwed up. The cable frayed because it wasn't seated correctly. I replaced my wipers and rear tail lights so the day was not lost.

I priced out the cost of a bluetooth module and voice activation module and yikes! I either need to find a wrecked truck or just buy an android head unit. The trouble is, my factory unit works great and no screen issues but somebody might want it. Time to look at new head units and speakers...again. Tomorrow I might pull the drivers door apart and see why the handle has trouble engaging.

Nice job! Not fun but satisfying none the less.

A proper after market head unit is approx $400
I've done my homework already about it.
I ended up buying a $30 Bluetooth/fm plug in gadget which transforms the bluetooth signal to fm frequency that plays in my speakers.
Does the same job like the purpose made "bluetooth" hands free units.
My i pod is plugged in and i have cd quality sound coming from my speakers for cheap money.

Be careful,after tinkering with the door mechanism, don't forget to re-seal the "sound proofing/water proofing"spongy lining that is behind the inner panel on your door.
I just fixed those,rain water flooded my passenger foot well...

I used wife's X5 to pull a guy out of a ditch who went off on a tangent of a curve on a frictionless road.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...816e1a3a54.jpg

The road: fun scenic drive between tower road and Willow roads about a mile East of Edens in Chicagoland.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...a250ebf447.jpg

Close up

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...97dc7ddaf4.jpg
Bird's eye view of the path the car took

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...1998094cd6.jpg

North up view of the path of the disabled car (red) and the path I took to help the family out (4 large adults and a baby in a car seat)

By large I mean 1100-1200# between the four of them.

The field was about 2.5 meters below the level of the road but the bigger problem other than 5-6" deep slushy snow (above freezing temps for two days) was that he tried to use momentum to drive back up onto the road where it was twice as steep as where he went in..

He dug some serious ruts into the snowbank down to grass.

I didn't have my car (with tow hooks tow chain tow ball etc) I had wife's car with almost nothing didn't even have her tow hook I have to track that down.

I did have a crappy jumper cable so I peeled the two sides apart, tied them into my front control arm and his rear axle and tugged him backwards until he was pointing back the way he came in.

Then I used a folded up sun screen to protect our bumpers and gave him a shove.

Before I pushed him I drove up and down the track to give him a packed snow trail.

It worked like a charm other than the make shift tow cable breaking a few times as the clamps popped off or the knot came undone.

I've got to get a tow strap for wife's car and find her tow hook.

The car performed amazingly on the slushy 6" deep snow in the rough of a golf course. The only wheel spin was when I was trying to gently tug on the car. (So as to not snap the cable)

Before I hooked on I drove back n forth in the arc I planned to pull him about 4 times to pack down the snow. That was very helpful I didn't spin the wheels after that.

A cop saw the action early on and stopped thinking with two cars down in the ditch it was an accident.

I explained the other guy didn't mean to be in the ditch but I drove down in purpose to pull the guy out. Another guy stopped to help he had a collapsible shovel which came in very handy he also had a tow rope but we didn't end up needing it.

The family got on their way, about an hour later than planned but $150-200 left in their pockets so they didn't end up spending their entire going out for Chicago supper budget on a tow truck.

I got to drive my wife's X5 down into a ditch on a golf course rough so that was better then a day at an amusement park to me!

When I first stopped I walked down to the car (whoes headlights are pointing up into the sky) that is almost perpendicular to the road, and after confirming no injuries, said "I'm assuming you didn't drive down here on purpose".

I said "I'll be right back if I can find something to tow you with I should be able to pull you out"

Had I not had the jumper cables I did have a roll of duct tape and 10-12 layers would have worked I'd just have had to figure out how to attach the ends.


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Finished a 600 mile round trip with the air suspension compressor piston ring replacement and all continues to be well with the air suspension. No SLSI code the whole trip. Even had to raise up to high level on the switch to clear a snow covered driveway and all worked as designed.

Also ran this trip with Berryman's B12 fuel additive at start of each tank on start of trip and at fill up for return trip. No codes thrown.

Came through that rain last night that was in Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin and upon reaching FonDuLac the temp went to freezing and the rain began to freeze on the windshield. Made it to destination OK just before the streets & highways totally froze up. The X5 with relatively new all season rubber was sure footed in the rain.

Mike

New front pads and rotors. Akebonos/Zimmerman combo. Practically dustless but definitely less initial bite over the Jurid/Pagid pads.

M56 valvecover is on it's way from Cali. Noticed some idle hunting the other day and gas mileage is in the tank so time to rip out the (prolly original) CCV and delete it all for the much simpler M56 version

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

Bought a new pressure washer and had a chance finally to give BMWЯ a bath (horribly overdue). I used a soft head spin mop for the post soap scrub

➀ high pressure rinse from a distance to remove the gross layer
➁ low pressure soap
➂ light scrub with mop head (it flexes 90° at the end making it very easy to scrub the roof, hood, windshield.
➃ high pressure spray to rinse.

Very quick I should be able to do regular washing now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VF1nBYVmVvA

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not on the actual car, but I stripped the "new" upper tailgate down , removed loom ,spoiler, handle and wiper .then checked "new" passenger front door down , awaiting the big job of changing new panels in a few weeks
just got to find a good front door now

New Redline differential fluid both front and rear. Piece of cake except for which German engineer thought a front skid plate with bolts you can barely access needs to be smacked.

I flipped my skid plate bolts but down. Seemed pretty dumb making them so hard to access. Flex socket to hold the top is good


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How much further down does the bolt stick out that the head of the bolt?

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

Doesn't. Darn near flush and the bolts are resesed.


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Interesting. Looks like an easier way to reinstall for sure.

The only issue is that the nuts aren't flared and the bolts are so ideally swap the nuts with flared nuts to reduce the pressure on the aluminum plate.

Taking my own advice: MY skid plate bolts are pointing down. At least one or two of the really hard to reach could have a little bar welded on and would lock against the frame tube and you wouldn't need to hold the bolt to remove or replace the nut.


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https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...7f69133584.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...fe1eff6012.jpg

Wife's car started having constant misfires on #4. I pulled the plugs on 3 and four and not only they looked like crap the gap was 60mil and spec is either 28 or 40 depending on the brand of one ground plugs.

Those plugs have less than 25,000 miles yikes!

I cleaned the plugs and swapped 3&4 plugs and coils and the car ran great before it didn't: "somebody" forgot to plug the MAF back in. (Me).

Plugged that back in and engine ran great (instantly the idle corrected)


I reset the codes and replaced all plugs with some NGK quad platinum like the car came with and ran fine for 110,000 miles yeesh.

Since all the plugs were about the same level of crappy I suspect the #4 coil just isn't quite as strong so I swapped it with 3 just to see if the problem returns it moves to cyl. 3 and I can confidently call it the coil.

Kudos to the wife she noticed the misfires before it tripped the ses/mil

Now for a good test drive maybe I'll take to Chicago tomorrow. Wife is gun-shy she had to drive the last 20 minutes in fail safe yesterday was not a fan.

Notice the resistor color codes on the coil packs. i wanted to keep track of the original locations.

Oh: a few tips on plugs:

They were so stiff to remove I out copper anti-seize on the threads and torqued to 30 Nm. The original spec said 25 but there was plenty of compression left in the crush washer the last 5 and I read they re-did the spec to 30.

Number six is a bitxh to get the socket on/in/off/out. I use a DeWalt 90° right angle drill adapter for most small bolts/nuts under the hood and it worked great for turning out and in the sockets (on hand tight mode).

The plug socket held the plug too tight and pulled the socket off the extension. I took the rubber grip out and cut three slits 120° apart to reduce the grip and now it works far far better. I can get a new plug into the socket without a pliers and I have some hope of pulling the socket out with the extension.

I have a locking 3/8" impact adapter which I used to "hand tight" the plugs but then I used a digital torque adapter to set the torque for the sockets and the coil packs

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...a77077088.jpeg

what did I do for my x5 today? I got mad and yelled at it.

went to close my cupholder in the center console and the lid literally just pulled apart right behind the handle for no reason. I mean wtf? ugh. what makes me even more mad is I HAD a perfect one that I sold on ebay just last week.

:stfu:

Looks like you could use a valve cover gasket change according to the look of the porcelain part of the spark plug.

I'm sure. I think I'll aim to do that this summer. Needs CCV Refresher as well. There was not a lot of oil in the spark plug holes


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After years of poor backup light illumination (even with the most potent LED bulbs I could find for the backup lights) I found this 54 watt LED light bar that fits absolutely perfectly in the under panel of the E53.

https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1uL9XS...ar-styling.jpg

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/TC-X...720100562.html

Mounted it today.

The hardest part was drilling holes in the stainless steel bracket :wow:

It's powered by the same relay output that isolates the camera from voltage fluctuations in the backup light circuit. The mounting bracket lays perfectly centered between two ribs in the under belly panel.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/22...A=w833-h625-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/3w...Q=w833-h625-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/WX...g=w833-h625-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/e3...g=w833-h625-no

Understandably, not everyone is a fan of my rear camera mount and that's OK, it works for me. ;)

It should really make visibility at night while baking up a real illuminating experience. ;)

Mike

recently had the brake flush done and power steering flush..

I didnt do it yet, but I purchased a few coolant overhaul parts, including the AGA coolant pipe kit.. fun times! lol

I don't know if it was karma, fate, destiny or irony but I'm just hitting 100K and as preventative maintenance I was going to refresh the cooling system on my X as soon as the weather warmed up some... but I didn't make it. About a week ago the water pump decided to give up the ghost - thank goodness I was sitting still and just shut it off as soon as I heard it start making noise.

So, over the last week I have:
- installed a new water pump - and I figured while I had it apart I would go ahead and throw in.

- bimmer fix water pump stint (preventative, mine wasn't leaking.. yet)
- t-stat
- coolant temp sensor(s)
- vanos o-rings and a good cleaning
- (all) coolant hoses & belts
- auto trans t-stat
- ac tensioner
- idler tensioner
- idler pulley (the one below the alternator)
- valve cover gaskets & spark plug tubes
- crank case ventilation hoses, caps and those orange rubber "flappers", I forget what those are called :-)
- iridium spark plugs
- BMW High Performance Coils
- expansion tank (actually done last spring due to a cracked seam)
- fuel filter
- trans filter and fluid (I have to admit, an easy enough process but tough to do and not make a mess...)
- converted my angel eyes to 40 watt led and wired as DRLs
- soldered up my passenger side tail light turn signal pad to get rid of that blasted check tail light warning
- cleaned the throttle body and mass air flow sensor (and air box and air tubes while I had it all apart)
- pulled the radio and added the "aux" input, which I ended up really liking


Totally feels like I'm missing something here, I'm sure it will come to me as soon as I click post.

Phew.. it has been a long week!! :-) I am seriously looking forward to getting it back on the road asap, I've been stuck driving my 2001 Cherokee since she's been down.

Nice work.

Yesterday was the drivers door handle carrier. Today was rear air bags. I cannot wait until it warms up so I can really get caught up. Only 2 faults left and, dare I say, I will be all caught up. Lights will be next week but not sure when I will do the cluster.

Changed the primary power steering pressure line and replaced all PS fluid with new.

Bought a pressure washer last weekend and used it today on the wifes e53. Turned out rather nice.

Also we took the e53 out today in place of e70 and it was sooooo nice. We just wandered around going to different places to keep from heading back home.

I need to get my pressure washing to where I can set it up easy. The X5 gets more spray up from the tires than any vehicle I've owned plus the wheels dust up so bad. I love having a clean car but I'm not washing it every day. The pressure washer would solve that and extend my washings by a few days hopefully.

My driveway is so muddy Im hoping to keep the wheels from getting out of balance from the mud drying inside the wheels. I bought the pressure washer and a 45 degree offset tip for it to get inside of the wheels better.

Seems to be working great so far.

new disa valve arrived Saturday, since I'm removing the disa valve again.. I decided to check and clean the IAC valve and throttle body. Got a surprise when the screws for the clamps are all facing down.. what a PITA to loosen them. Reinstalled them so that they are service-friendly..

replaced the rear differential fluid with 75w90 Mobil1, run out of gear oil for the front so decided to do it next time.

checked the front tension arm and noticed that the ball joint is loose a little bit, decided to order a new one.


https://www.facebook.com/Bmw-e53-2508322126058762/

Took the X5 in for an oil service yesterday and then over to the detail shop today. She still looks and runs really good for 154,000 miles. :thumbup:

Put springs on the rear hatch struts of the wifes e53 today.

So now the hatch opens with the remote like she wanted. Not sure how much she is going to like the added resistance to closing it now though.

Time will tell.

Crowz: My lift gate “soft close” ok but it does not open with remote. Do you have aftermarket struts installed?



Garage:
E53 4.4i M62 born 2003-03-04 [SOLD]
E53 4.8iS N62s born 2006-03-16
E90 325i N52 born 2006-03-28 [TOTALED]
F30 328i N20 born 2012-09-06

Replaced the viscous fan impeller.
The old one had one wing broken and spinning unbalanced,caused a weird vibration.Could have done damage to the bearings too on the long run.
My beast is silky smooth now!Paid $20 + $12 postage from fleabay.

To xbimma : Its just a pair of springs that go over the normal rear hatch struts to pop the hatch up a few inches when you open the hatch. The struts do the rest.

This is what I bought :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDxsgyn42MY

I like it. Thanks for sharing.

Keep us updated on the spring force over time. I read that some types of springs collapsed over time as the are fully compressed 99.9% of the time. :dunno:

Will do. I wasn't going to add them to it when it was mine but the wife wanted them so I got them.

Still need to replace the struts again as the current ones are not doing right. They are new but only go up 1/2 way most of the time if you don't move them a bit yourself then they go up the rest of the way.

Old ones went up all the way on their own.

Your welcome. She likes the way it works now with the springs.

replaced coil packs and spark plugs. was getting an intermittent misfire on 2 cylinders in the AM when it was cold outside. then the misfire became more constant, anytime punching the gas, going up a hill, etc. running smoooooooth now.

seems like these go out between 60-80k miles. replaced all 8, now i have 6 spares ;)

still waiting for weather to warm up before tackling the alternator mount gasket...

Monitor the alternator bracket like a hawk. My buddies went from a quart per 1000 miles to a quart per 1000 FEET (not exaggerating) within two days.

Remove the metal plate on the bottom that will hide how bad the leak is


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I’m already paranoid after seeing a few drops on the driveway. Have all the parts ready, just waiting for a good time to do it. I’ve been adding approx 1 quart between oil changes (7500 miles), but I think it’s slowly getting worse because it’s starting to show on the driveway. I HATE OIL LEAKS. I just did my e46’s oil pan gasket. Took me almost 8 hours start to finish to replace a 20$ gasket..

I just had mine done by the local indy along with some belt pullies and a tensioner.

On another note I installed the OEM Satellite radio tuner. Routing that antenna cable through from the hatch to the body was a major PITA.

Spent the day calibrating and testing the steering angle sensor on the wife's e53 and it looks like I will be ordering a new sensor Monday :(

* Oil and filter change

* New Battery
- Alternator test (passed)
- Battery test (FAILED)

* Outside door handle (rear driver side)

-- Will do heater valve when the weather is warmer :)

I need my SUV for Spring Cycling Race
25th of March - Vandalia, MI
7th of April - Seneca, IL
22nd of April - Hastings, MI

Hand washed it for the first time this year. :)
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4783/...ff252e85_b.jpgIMG_1566 by Al, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4772/...2320c327_b.jpgIMG_1560 by Al, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4786/...5b668be5_b.jpgIMG_1568 by Al, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4785/...277044c1_b.jpgIMG_1572 by Al, on Flickr

That LM is tits.


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If you're talking to me, it's Estoril Blue. One of the few 4.8iS that is.

Ooooohh snap.


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Removing the hack job wiring done by PO to bypass the DSP.

Soldering in extensions for stock wiring to wire to new 6 channel amp.
Fishing RCAs under carpet.
Wiring up new headunit harness and installing a PAC-SW for steering wheel control.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4775/...672be748_b.jpg

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4780/...cdf7e967_h.jpg

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4784/...b1ce32fc_h.jpg

Coolant expansion tank vent bolt
 

A couple of weeks ago the notorious vent plug started leaking coolant.
My mechanic spotted the leak from the middle of the bolt.
He plugged it with a screw for plastic trims.
Today warning in the dash saying "check coolant level"
Popped the hood and for my frustration discovered that the top of the vent plug is completely missing and is coolant everywhere...
I was close to home.
Got home,no rise on the temp gauge.
Managed to get the chunk out from the vent hole.
I am a kinda hoarder when is about odd size and thread bolts and nuts.
I got lucky! Found a 10 mm 0.75 pitch bolt with a large,flat head in my collection.
Used a brand new o ring on it and made a channel with my dremel on the threaded part exactly the same as the original.
Installed the bolt,which is is the proper length and the thread ends about 2 mm before the head of the bolt accomodating the o ring perfectly.
Hoorray it works!
Topped up the coolant vented the system.

Vent plug? What's this, are we talking about the bleeder valve on the expansion tank?


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Sorry my mistake!
Yes is the bleeder valve on the expansion tank.

that is why I have a brass one on my vehicles :)

Rebuilt and installed the ZF 5HP24 in my 2003 4.4i. It actually moved and has no issues amazingly enough.

Congratz ! That first crank and move is always the most tense.

yesterday me and my mate dave decided it was time to fix the beast
so , at 11 am we started ,
with tools in hand we removed both passenger side doors and stripped them down , windows, regs handles the lot...........
5 hours later i now have 2 shiney, no scratched (keyed) or rusty doors,
apart from me having a blonde moment and closing it , without the bowden cable attached, everything was fine
next job the tailgate

Finally warmed up today in Charlotte so I did my annual engine bay service. Spray 1 can of Scrubbing Bubbles on everything and wait 5 minutes and a low pressure rinse with the garden hose. Follow up with Aerospace 303 conditioner and back to new again. For those of you that have never cleaned your engine bay, this is the way to go...

154,000 miles and looks like it has 15 on it. ;)

Damn that looks good.

I tried your scrubbing bubbles trick. It works pretty good, except it doesn't seem to do that well with oil. If you can control any oil leaks it works great. I haven't tried the Aerospace 303, I've used Gumout and it works well. I'm going to look for the Aerospace 303. The Gumout stuff is a little oily and attracts dust.

today , we did the tailgate.
only bit of it that was not as I really wanted is I had to cut the big plug off for the rear wiper motor , cos it wouldn't go through the gap with the rest of the loom .
but all in all , removing the upper tailgate and the doors isn't really a big issue,
but I suggest you don't do it on your own.
if any one wants pointers I'm happy to help

I had a little oil (fluid) leak from the power steering reservoir so I just hit it with a shot of brake cleaner before the scrubbing bubbles. Works like a champ. The Aerospace 303 is not oily or greasy at all. It leaves a semi gloss shine to everything and wiping your hand across any surface feels dry and clean. :thumbup:

:thumbup:

Very nice job! Looks like a new car's engine bay.
You just motivated me to do my one next weekend!

Took out the seat, to give it a good vacuum, and with seat out, it was easy to give the leather some leather paint. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...c5b40f549a.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...7e13254082.jpg


BMW e53 X5 4.6is 02

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Went for a little ride.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/807/2...22b89cbc_b.jpgIMG_1603 by Al, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/801/4...0619d5e6_b.jpgIMG_1604 by Al, on Flickr

Did you have to disconnect the battery to avoid an airbag error?

You don't have to worry about the airbag error unless you turn the key when the seat is disconnected.

Looks like fun!!

Leather paint? Does it fill in the cracks in the leather coating on the seat surfaces?

2002 X5 3.0 339,800 miles
2014 428i 36,000 miles

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

1970 Firebird Under Restoration

First I removed the old coating, and wet sand the cracks just a little.
And then paint, all cracks is almost gone, the paint need to dry 48 hours before I can apply new clear Kote.


BMW e53 X5 4.6is 02

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Finally remembered to order the steering angle sensor for the wife's e53. I thought I had already ordered it and went to see why it wasn't here and I had forgotten too... oops :)

Been busy getting my 2000 323i ready to be repainted and slipped my mind.

I call those "senior moments"... :bustingup

I seem to be having those a lot lately....

That reminds me of when I'll get on an elevator (lift) with a friend or two and wonder for a while "what is taking so long for this thing to move" then finally realize nobody pressed a floor button.


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Put the summer wheels back on.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...866dd44d12.jpg

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Looking good! :thumbup:

What wheels are those. What size and offset?
They look great.


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Thanks.
Lexani Forged
20x 10 front
20x11 rear
Don't remember the ET at the moment, rears have a 30mm spacer.

Last year I ran a 25mm on the rear, can't locate the correct bolts so 30mm this year.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...92607bf7b2.jpg

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They look great.


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Well I swapped out the power steering reservoir/filter and did the 'turkey baster' method to get some of the fluid out. Replaced in with some SeaFoam Transtune and Valvoline Dexron-IV. Little things matter as this beast needs some TLC since I bought it last year.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...fc593f77b2.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...eada9dbecf.jpg

I am upgrading my service area!


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That doesn't suck


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New LCD and ribbon cable to fix my pixel issues on the instrument cluster. Also replaced a couple stepper needle motors that were going out.

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replaced the old and worn BC coilovers that it had with a new set of BC coils and what a difference.. just need to dial everything in and she should be golden..

PO lowered the stance by adjusting the pre-load on the coils which I am sure led to the short lifespan of the struts.

Why not just have them rebuilt?

have you priced out a rebuild on coilovers? To me wasnt worth it. you have to consider not only cost, but down time etc.

Hey, mind if I ask how many miles (roughly) they lasted?

I have not adjusted the pre-load on mine, but I'd love to know either way?

I honestly don’t know.. I do know that when I picked her up the coils were rebuilt with new inserts prior to my purchase. How long before I don’t know. But by the condition of the springs and mounts with the level of rust and I’m not speaking surface rust, they had some miles on them..

Headed down to Atlanta today for the Trans-Am race this weekend. Stopped by the BMW Zentrum in South Carolina on the way for a quick shot...

Pulled the roof racks off the X.
That's about it.

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Wife and I want to go there one day.

Fixed the washer system (rear and headlight).

Installed the Seicane 9" unit. Audio is big improvement and enjoy the apps. Surprised how much I like the backup camera.

Wife got a new car (merc), so i'm taking over dailying the E53 to keep the miles off my 540/6.

Not sure if I shared this in the past but tow hooks save lives:

https://s7.postimg.org/557utjyzv/image.jpg

Do you have a model number for this unit? I had an older Eonon unit in my E46 and I was unimpressed with the sound quality.


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https://www.seicane.com/2000-2007-bm...control-s6942g

FYI, My reference is a 2002 4.6 that I had already upgraded all speakers, have an aftermarket subwoofer with dedicated amp and DSP. I don't know what you can expect from stock speakers.

Thanks! I do have amps, speakers, subs and wiring that I plan to put in too.

I just need to figure out a way to make the sub I have work (12" Type R) and be hidden. I like setups that are as subtle as possible and would like to use a setup as similar to the JL StealthBox as possible.

Does any of the functions on ur original head unit still work? Like the dsp, the time and date setting? And th rest?

I have the same car in estoril blue with factory Navi and dsp, what do you recommend if I want to keep factory for a while? Bluetooth retrofit? Aux retrofit? Screen replace? I also like to replace stock speaker with bsw speaker and subwoofer ( if I can find them) do you think I’ll hear improvements?

My speakers, subwoofer and amp are a set from DSW and were a significant improvement at the time. My suggestion would be to get a quote from a local audio shop for plug and play speaker for comparison. I used the Mediabridge with the Sirius add on for many years to get bluetooth, aux and connect my iPhone. However, based on the time it takes to install something like the Mediabridge and that it is very dated technology and has so many less features than the full replacement I would not take an interim step of any kind. I use navigation frequently and the state of the art navigation alone was worth the investment. The screen features you mention are lost unless you purchase the aftermarket IBUS. IBUS Interface for BMW cars

Finally finally finally changed my battery.

Been having problems where I couldn't start my car if I left accessories on for a very short time.

The final straw was when I left the hazards on for about 8 minutes and that was enough to make it so I couldn't start my car and it was 45 degrees out.

Took about three times as long to move the crap out of my car as to actually installing the battery which was much easier than I anticipated.

After Consulting consumer reports which gave High marks for the Duracell premium AGM I found one at Sams Club for $70 less than in stores.

Fortunately my car is old enough I don't have to mess with registration.

I was originally going to change the battery with a charger hooked up so I wouldn't have to reset anything but in the end I just let my car reset.

Difficulty was about 2 out of 10 very easy. I folded on the seats so I can flip the spare up inside. Took about 20 minutes start to finish.

I had a similar dilemma, I loved the look of the JL Stealthbox but I wanted a larger subwoofer (12" Critical Mass UL12).

After searching I found Janix X5's website/page, and loved his idea. Mine was more on a budget, and I also needed more air space as the subwoofer needed 1-1.2 cubic feet. We made the box in two pieces/chambers to get the adequate space. I can message you pictures of everything if you're interested.

I included some pictures of Janix's setup (Expensive) and my setup (Moderate) compared to just doing a stealthbox (Inexpensive).

I have two HD JL Audio amps, 600/4 and 1200/1 hidden in the left compartment.

Janix Setup:
http://www.janixworld.com/x5/Stereo/AMP%20rack.JPG

My setup mid-way finished, only pictures I had on this computer..

fixed my broken steering wheel motor shaft, it quit going up and down. Seems to be a common issue. Luckily the e39 (which is common on junkyards) shaft is the same as the e53.. quick fix and I didn't even have to open the steering wheel cover, my back ache is back however...

https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...07&oe=5B31BCB0



https://www.facebook.com/Bmw-e53-2508322126058762/

I would love that! I was going to go to a wrecker and pick up a spare side panel cover to play around with. I have an idea that I think may work but I don’t want to hack into something good for nothing.


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Today I had to remove the instrument cluster, for the first time in the life of the car (from what I can tell) to replace a blown backlight lamp/bulb. Not bad for over 200,000kms and 13 years!

I was tempted to replace all five incandescent lamps with LEDs but I figured the incandescent lamps kept the instrument cluster slightly warm and therefore free of moisture - so I'm sticking with the factory set up!

My local dealer had the lamps in stock for $10 each.

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

Not today but last week: I put my WINTER tires on for a fluke exact middle of spring snow storm.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...586147110d.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...fe33ecfe94.jpg

Dunlop Grandtrek WT M2 dug through 10" of snow like driving across 4" of sand.

I pulled a stuck 4wd pickup out of a snow bank.

It was a blast to drive on the side streets that hasn't been plowed with the amazing confidence of virtually no chance of getting stuck

I have thought of doing the LED thing but LED's generally dont dim well. Finding even the right size will be likely impossible too. I have thought about making my own though

Yeah, that too!

Not hard to find on AliExpress - base type is B8.4

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/10pc...ceBeautifyAB=0

Replaced my front lower control arms today with the FCP Euro Meyle HD 4 piece kit. The right side was pretty straight forward once I took the brake rotor off and re-positioned the backing plate so I could get a straight shot with my sledge at the knuckle to free the outer joints.

Of all the videos I watched and threads I read, no one mentioned the left side cooling duct that obstructs the bolt from coming out to replace the arm. I had to take the lower panel off and loosen the duct enough to squeeze the bolt past it.

All in all, 7 out of 10 in difficulty. 4 hours start to finish. Shaking from high speed braking seems to be gone. :thumbup:

https://dyw03owr7vs3n.cloudfront.net...qi.?1496451122

Tried on some Style 214's, and really like the look! I still have the AC Schnitzer's for car shows, but am enjoying the extra sidewall for now.

I also misplaced my original lug nuts, so we kept the 20mm spacers on front and rear until I can get some replacements. The spacers were needed to clear the Stoptech calipers for my 18" snow setup. I will also lower the car back down as we raised it for winter.

Next month I will get the 4.6is front/rear bumpers, running boards, and all the cosmetic work installed and painted.

BTDT... and don't even mention the retaining pin that holds the ext. temp. sensor...:confused:

Ha, I gave that sensor a couple of tugs and said nah... I just loosened the entire front left fender liner and moved it around to get access to the pivot bolt for the arm. :thumbup:

I am freaking sore this morning... :yawn:

Replaced my control arm and thrust arm bushing with poly trying to cure my high speed brake shake. seems to have made the problem worse.

The large bushings in the control arm were very worn. I could see the excessive movement as I moved the upright when I was removing them. They were completely shot after 150,000 miles. The smaller arms seemed ok but still had the same amount of miles.

Found out that my n62 is weeping coolant. So ordering the AGA collapsible transfer pipe. Yippie! Then, after getting her all fixed up, I can properly introduce myself.

P.S. Tried the Bimmerfix but didn't hold up. Still made the 200+ mile drive to get her to her new home, which was cheaper than towing. LOL Nothing against the Bimmerfix, in theory should be a nice fix, just didn't hold up on my end. In it's defense, I didn't allow the amount of time I would have like to let the sealant dry as I needed to make the trip back home. It says 24 hours but I would have preferred at least 48.

Either way, I would feel more comfortable with the AGA method. Seems like a true permanent fix.

;) The benefit of the AGA kit is you are guaranteed to take care of the valley pan gasket at the same time. With the Bimmerfix kit... you don't know if you have a leaky crossover pipe or a leaky valley pan gasket, or both. :D

True, and aside from a radiator and some hoses,(which I'll probably change out at the same time) I'll at least know the cooling system is completely fresh and good for the long haul. Mpg's be damned, I plan on driving it more than the F30. Who knew the e53 was such a fun driver. :thumbup:

I also hope to show off my custom exhaust setup.(Not a delete of any kind either)

Fifty, please update on your vibration. I'm scratching my head on that one.

I'm changing the lower control arms tonight. I'll let you know. If that doesn't work, I'll swap back in the almost new thrust arms and see where I am.

Oh, I thought the lower control arms were already replaced. That may do it. The exact same issue was corrected on my e39 with new lower control arms.

I put new poly bushings in both the lower control arms and the thrust arms. Shaking got worse. I think it could have to do with the design of the lower control arm poly bushings. The flanges of the bushings aren't in contact with the metal of the control arm like they are on the thrust arms. I suspect it is allowing the control arms to move.

Replaced the lower control arms that i had installed poly bushings with stock replacements. Problem solved! As suspected I think it is a bad design for these bushings. The flanges of the ply bushings for the thrust arms rest against each side of the metal arm. The bushings for the control arms only rest against one side with the other side about 1/2" away. It allows too much flex. I could flex the flange with my thumb when i took the poly bushings out.

:thumbup:

Sweet! :thumbup:

installed some ebay springs to the rear hatch to help it pop open. The rubber bumper disintegrated over time and I couldn't just pay BMW $25 for a rubber bumper. $35 for two springs and the hatch pops open and lifts all the way up automatically. Genius.

Yeah did my poly bushings a few weeks ago. left side requires removing the fender liner and part of the air box... but I used a Dremel and cut part of the webbing away and the bolt slid out like a charm... Starting on the left side is the way to go the right side is cake. :)

Mind sharing eBay link?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-E53-X5-...53.m2749.l2649

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDxsgyn42MY

Thanks kind Sir

edited and added the youtube link.

I put those on the wifes x5 last month or so and they work great. But I know its going to shorten the life of the hatch assist motor. But she is happy with the springs so that's life :)

This man is happily married and knows cost:happy wife ratios. lol

Don't worry. If your wife is anything like mine, she slams the lid closed. No use of the motor. Drives me nuts, but like a good husband, I keep my mouth shut.

Ha. Speaking of that. Anyone got a hot tip on something that will keep her from slamming the 2-ton doors hard enough the insides explode. Thx

Let her replace the next broken door handle carrier..... :thumbup:

:rofl: Good luck with that!!

Not today, but earlier in the week I replaced the hood struts.

Replaced the dreadful coolant expansion tank,tank cap,vent plug,and fixed the transmission cooler leak.
finally i have a perfectly working car.
The car was a company car before,used and abused by previous owner...

What's so dreadful about the expansion tank, isnit a pita, or do they not last?


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Nothing engine cooling related lasts Entire system should be replaced after 120k or so. The plastic turns to glass and one crack overheats the engine in seconds.

The mileage mentioned above is correct.
I have 128000 km reading on the dash.
But there were another two problems caused by the previous owner.
1. partially stripped thread in the expansion tank's vent plug hole.
2. Both O rings missing from the filler cap,letting air in the system,creating steam,damaging other components.

I think this was your main problem. Lack of maintenance. When maintained at the correct fluid level and pressure, the system can last a long time.

Last night I put the 5mt X5 up on four jack stands (6 ton) and did the transfer case fluid and the rear differential. I did not have a pump and for the transfer case I used a dollar store syringe turkey baster. This works so much better than an actual turkey baster. The thick needle lets you add or remove lots of thick fluid quickly. I was only adding fluid since I have a slow leak in the transfer case and I just keep topping it off.

For the rear differential all I needed to do was cut the tip off the bottle some and I just squished the bottle and forced the fluid out and into the fill hole. That method only let me empty half the bottle so I did the same thing to my extra. Filled up nice all the way until it started dripping out the of the fill hole.

The 15 year old/ 91k mile fluid came out looking very , very light brown. The new Mobil1 came out of the bottle almost clear. So the lifetime fluid looked like it was needing to be changed. The front was done when I had to replace the front differential last summer.

For the person asking why the need to change the expansion tank:

Bmw engines run very hot and under lots of pressure. The expansion tank is plastic and pressurized, as you know. Those things combined cause the plastic to weaken over time and eventually they crack while in use or even explode. If you have no idea when the last time yours was changed, I would change it so you have baseline.

This must be a 3.0 thing?
My E46 M3 has the expansion tank off to the side and has 150k on it now and it is in great shape.

I am a firm believer, that when they're off to he side and not on the radiator like the M52/54 then they last.


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Just found another thing to worry about on my beast...
Is Saturday here already(New Zealand)
Now is too early,but in 2 hours i will start jacking up the beast and replace the oil in the diffs/transfer case too.

My first week of ownership and had to do a few things that had been neglected by the previous owner (was his extra vehicle so it sat most of the time).

• Changed the rear window washer pump that was leaking out all the fluid.
• Replaced the clip/plug on the driver door airbag that had been broken by dealership when they replaced the broken outside door handle last year. Reset airbag code and light.
• Replaced fuel cap and MAF to clear "service engine soon" codes.
• New cabin air filter.
• My first full exterior and interior detail.
• Installed a cheapo bluetooth to FM transmitter until I can figure out what headunit I want to upgrade to.
• Replaced faded BMW badges.
• Tire rotation and air pressure check.
• Installed Rolo low profile roof rack crossbars.
• Installed Bimmian aluminum running boards.

Up next on the "to do" list:

• Headunit
• Trailer hitch and wiring
• Fix sagging sunroof panel headliner
• Troubleshoot random morning belt/pulley/bearing squeal
• Air intake or high flow filter
• H or X pipe
• Dinan Stage 1 tune

Fishhouse4 I nearly bought one like yours mainly because I wanted the bumpers you have. sadly that guy had zero maintenance paperwork and wanted a premium for it... I haven't been able to find a good aftermarket or OEM supplier for those bumpers.. :(

Also I forgot I vinyl wrapped my door and dash trim to hide the dated wood grain. haven't decided if I want to do the center console as I'll have to rip the interior apart to get it out.. but the flat black vinyl looks good along with the gray interior.

And weathertech floor liners... so worth the money.

Yea man I've been drooling over the 4.6/4.8is for years. :D

I've saw a video of someone who wraps the door/dash trim. Mine are all cracked and I want to do something like that. Did you do it yourself? Would love to hear more about how you did it and how much!

I have had the Weathertech or Husky all weather floor liners in my last 2 Lexus SUVs and they worked great - need to invest in some of those for the X5 as well.

yeah man it was ezpz. just sand the pieces by hand to smooth out the cracks. progressively higher grit yada yada, clean with alcohol and apply your choice of adhesive backed wrap and use a heat gun to stretch it around the edges, trim the excess long and tuck it underneath (in case you wanna remove it and change or repair you got something to pull on... I chose a solid color so I didn't have to match the pattern or I'd lose my shit.

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

I bought the BMW branded models from eBay brand new for about $60 all four and they have earned their keep many times over. From a gallon jug of a&w root beer to Halloween candy + sun shine to of course mud and snow galore.

I transport my Segway mini pro directly behind my seat and the wheels are a mess any time after rain or snow and the rubber mat holds 100% of the slop.

A good friend of mine bought an Audi Q5 and had a $100 voucher from the dealer and one of the options he had to get was a set of rubber mats.

He asked me for which thing he should get of 3-5 options. I sent him back a photo of what my floor looked like that very moment (1/2" thick mud/snow/slush). He got the floor mats of course

Replaced my front left door handle carrier today - the factory unit (which lasted 13 years) was broken last week (no idea how...other than the obvious...).

Not a bad job although I had a devil of a time getting the the new carrier seated in the door - it kept fouling on something. I think it was the lower rear edge of the glass trim. Eventually got it seated but then the door handle wouldn't work correctly - felt like it was "locked". Pulled it all out and had another go - it seemed to fit better the next time around and I got it all buttoned up pretty quickly after that.

Did the job with power on the car (hung the air bag to one side - carefully!) as I wanted to check the lock and unlock operation etc. before putting the interior door card back on.

Completed oil change. Service light indicator was on the last green light (or last 20%), “check engine oil level” came up intermittently in the last couple days. Dipstick however was totally dry. Coming from 4.4i, it was a little more time having to deal with oil filter from under the car.

On our x5s, the oil light comes on about 2 qt low. It is at least 1/2 qt below the dipstick when the light comes on. That said since it holds 8 quarts, that's like a normal car being 1 qt low.

Our cars both let you know when oil is starting to get low because it takes a few seconds for the valve noise to disappear on cold start. Full of oil takes 3-4 seconds but about 1 q low starts to take 10-13 seconds, and the oil pressure light takes an extra second or two to go out.

When I can count to 12 before valve ticks go away then I know it's time to get a bottle of Mobil One.

I've done this repair about six times. The trick to get it out or in is to rotate almost 90°. Pointing up and down.

The air bag will attach backwards into one of the mounting points very convenient

When not broken from a stuck lock bar (almost always the cause when cold) it's simple fatigue failure. My back left door carrier just broke a couple weeks ago I haven't had time to take it out and repair yet. I'm planning on repairing the exiting carrier I will post photos

That wasn't the problem - that part is easy. It was once the carrier was up in place and I was ready to screw it down, it "rocked" - if one end was flush with the door panel the other was 1/4' behind it - push that end flush and the other end moved back a 1/4". It was hung up on something I could NOT see. And when I eventually got to sit flush at both front and rear ends and screwed it down, the entire pull latch was jammed, like it was locked. I think the lock cam was hung up on the end of the window runner or something.

Dang odd... but as I said, I pulled the whole thing out and started again. Seemed better that time - no significant issues. other than bruised knuckles from fecking with the ball joint on the cable too many times! :rolleyes:

I see. In that case I've had that happen and sliding into position from the front of the car toward the back would usually get it in within a couple tries.


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That looks outstanding - going to have to do this for sure! Where did you get the vinyl you used from?

I just checked those out - thanks for the recommendation. I usually favor the floor liners because they don't have such aggressive/high tread pattern. I drive barefoot most of the time and the liners are much more flat, smooth and more comfortable in compassion (since they have tall side flaps instead to hold in any mess). Feels good to the feet. :D

amazon... make sure its 3M stuff not china crap.

https://www.amazon.com/3M-M12-MATTE-...adhesive+vinyl

and you can get it in whatever color/pattern floats your boat. Like I said I avoided the patterned stuff because if it didn't match 100% from drivers side to passenger I'd lose it

I'm pretty sure I've driven barefoot and definitely only socks and found the rubber comfortable to step on. I'll try to remember to test that for you. I like the rubber better than the weather tec plastic.

Alternator died on me the other night, so today I pulled that sucker out!

First time doing an alternator job, and got it out in about 2 hours time following a DIY video on youtube!

Gonna have it rebuilt and reinstall it tomorrow.

Mine ended up being a Valeo 140a unit, made in France.

I rebuilt mine with a $20 usd kit. I didn't need to replace the bearings just the slip rings and brushes. Xoutpost and YouTube saved me a ton. Even a copy cat alternator was $300

Links? YouTube and repair kit

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

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...4f6b964de.jpeg

The BMW model is very smooth where your feet go and wouldn't be a problem bare foot. (I did take off my shoe and checked with sock and it feels soft and smooth)

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...9512c681d.jpeg

Saved my floor from some M&Ms note how the broken pieces are all contained.

I spliced in an old O2 sensor on my bank 2 post catalyst (driver side) location I had here lying around. It is older than the one that failed but should work until the replacement sensors get here. It came off a 1991 318is coupe so we'll see if the sensor will give me a few weeks of no CEL until can replace all 4 of the O2's as @ 115k they are all a future point of failure at this time.

Were you getting code P1092?

^I'm not sure, I don't believe so. I was using Carly which gives BMW codes rather than "P" codes. It was code 2c9f for post cat heater element failure. Not sure what the corresponding P code would be.

So far the spliced in sensor is keeping the CEL at bay, but admittedly I have driven it much so there could be a pending code.

Edit: CEL came back after ~60 miles of driving today... doesn't surprise me. It wasn't a big effort to swap the old o2 sensor in so figured I'd give it a shot. I've got a couple of Bosch 15733's coming in for the post cats and already have the two pre cats here ready to go in. Oh well, it was worth a shot to keep that light off as I hate CELs. :dunno:

At last! Access to the brain
 

Yesterday I ordered an Icom tool for my E53 and E83. I also had to buy a new laptop to run the tool. I gave my old laptop along with it's installed Honda factory software tool to my son because he and his sister both have Hondas and I no longer do as I traded my Civic Si for a BMW. The laptop was ancient and needed replacement anyway so I left it dedicated to the Honda tool. Spent about $300 on the tool and $425 for a used laptop. I needed the laptop for a lot of other stuff, so the tool was really only $300 from AliExpress and it comes with the latest 2018 software version. The Icom software comes on a dedicated hard drive which the system boots from, so I am setting the laptop up with a dual boot system so I can use it for other stuff.


AceEngineer :cool:

Replaced the Rear upper control arms and sway bar links. Moving on the complete rear brake R&R this week - Calipers (clean, Rebuild and paint) rotors, pads, lines etc. Should be completed before the week is over.

I snapped one of the parking brake Bowden cables during adjustments. I did not realized It bottomed out and kept turning the big nut and ended twisting it until it broke. Ordered two aftermarket bowden cables and will install soon. It’s a pain since I just replaced parking brake pads, rotors and brake pads. Now I have to take them apart again. Live and learn.

Trailer hitch and wiring install
 

Finally got around to installing a hitch for my small 5' x 8' utility trailer that I use every month or so for lumber pickup.

I used (Curt #13162 Class 3 from Amazon), OEM towing module (used from eBay) and custom wiring to a external mounted 7 blade plug-in (Hopkins #48485).

Pulled the whole bumper assembly off (rather then dropping the mufflers like you have to do to just remove only the bumper cover on a 4.8is - dual exhaust tips are in the way of bolts). Then cut a square hole in the little hitch cover thingy on the bumper and drilled a large hole to mount the external plug. Took me maybe 3 hours but overall not difficult at all.

Before and after pics below.

Mani want a set of those bumpers so bad. :(