Replaced wife's coolant reservoir. A couple weeks ago replaced her thermostat when the car wouldn't maintain 90c core temp.

A week later I checked the level and it was a little low I figured I just didn't top off completely after three job, but a couple days ago I noticed low cabin heat then the next day wife texts me a picture of the temp idiot needle on red.

I had her pull over and meet her with a couple gallons of distilled water, pour in about 2/3 gallon before I get it topped off but the engine is still quite warm so it manages to boil some of the water and I get some bubbles, I put the cap on and drive in circles to get some cooling through the radiator and park and check things out.

I hear a very odd sound, like a rattle I can't figure out until I notice it also sounds like water boiling and then I noticed the side of the coolant reservoir is peeing a pretty healthy stream out the corner not even at a seam.

Local parts place had a knock off for $77 including the thermostat which self destructs on disassembly. I used the same on my truck a year ago and it's still going. I had no problem installing mine but wife's would not fit over the o-ring: something was out of tolerance but enough pushing and pulling I got the thing on and it is working, wife reported getting cabin heat in a short time this am. Have to check when cool to get the level correct and hope no other leaks.

Yep, I just did the Dorman kit myself because of the trip the next day and had to have it NOW. (I read your thread when you did yours) Mine fit fine on the bottom but I struggled to get the clip to seat on the upper hose expansion tank fitting. It just would not seat. I ended up "deburring" the clip slot on the expansion tank and it finally seated. Took it out for a 1095 mile test drive and everything was fine. :bustingup

Three top was also a tight fit but by removing the clip I was able to use a small screw driver through the clip slot to pry the fitting over the very tight o-ring

On the bottom the bigger fitting did not have the captive o-ring so I removed the o-ring and put on the car side and it worked out better.

I almost started filling the coolant before I realized the middle hose wasn't actually snapped on talk about dodging a bullet!

Well poop. I've been away for a month. Got the tranny sorted just before I left and took off. Wife tells me on Tuesday the "coolant low" message popped up.
She couldn't get the cap open, someone passing by helped her get it open and it was really low. I guess it took a lot. She says there's no sign of coolant or leaks of any kind on the ground or anywhere in the engine bay.

I'll have to check my receipts, but I'm pretty sure the valley pan tube has been replaced with an expandable one.
I'm really hoping it's not the cap at the back of the motor, but I think that one would leave stuff on the floor wouldn't it?
Anyway, gotta go investigate this shit when I get home.
It's always something with this damn thing.


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Remember, we have different engines and expansion tanks so YMMV. When my low coolant warning came on, I didn't see any coolant leak either. Spent an hour under there looking at everything. Once I filled up the tank and ran it again, found the crack in the expansion tank pissing coolant.

My coolant level had dropped below the hairline crack in my tank so no visible leak when it was low. Have her look around now that the system is full and engine warmed up.

That's great news.
Just went and looked at the records on my phone. Entire cooling system done at 88k.
WP and coolant pipe were done again at 110k. Now at 138k I think.
I really hope it is the expansion tank.
I also just ordered two 1.4 bar radiator caps and a pressure test kit too. Hopefully I can find the issue when I get home, I hope it is as simple as yours was. Expansion tank is often neglected when changed. Especially with like the N62 where it's away from the engine and radiator and not subject to crazy heat like the inline 6 cars.


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The expansion tank in my 4.8iS failed the day I bought it :rofl: (at 135k). The seam where the top and bottom halves of the tank meet was leaking near one of the corners.

You guys don't know how much I'm hoping for and looking fwd to a busted expansion tank. lol.


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

When the expansion tank fails it will typically have a hairline crack you often can't even see, the coolant leaks so slow you won't get drips because it will evaporate. Eventually you get low coolant message or weak cabin heat output.

The danger is that the idiot non gauge will be in the danger zone very quickly if you have a rapid release of your coolant!

When wife's blew recently she texted me a picture of pinned high temp (I had her take a reading of the temp and it was 260!). Fortunately the oil temp was a far more modest 217 so I'm sure ECT sensor was dry allowing it to spike but no warning at all because of the moronic non gauge.

The day after I replaced wife's, helped a fellow xoutpost member via text tried his on a 4.4: the new one did not come with a level sender so he had to move the old one over: problem was the new tank had only one bayonet hole and the old sender has or I did say HAD two bayonet ears. He cut off one ear and it worked. Knock off part because only local option of course.

E30 1.4bar cap boys. Give the coolant system a break with that 2.0 bar bullshit they install from the factory. 30k miles and like 6 years on mine.

I have a few of those here from my e30's I'll throw one on when I do the cooling system refresh. :thumbup:

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

Yep. 2 in the post right now. One for the X5 the other is going on the M3.

I want to get that Logic7 90c thermostat too.


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Installed an O2 sensor
 

Bank 2 upstream. Runs even smoother now! Maybe I'll even get a little better mileage too.

Replaced all 4 of mine a little while ago. No change in mileage for me. :banghead:

I didn't get better mpg in fact worse and bonus: SES every drive until I reset fuel adaptations now my car is getting much better mpg than ever.


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Where did you find the fuel adaptations reset? I couldn't find it so I reset ALL adaptations. No change.

Yeah on nt510 it doesn't say fuel just adaptations but my long term fuel trims went to 0.0


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Got it on a lift at my buddies shop.
Got to see progress of the E39 M5 wagon he's building. I can't wait. Engine is out of the donor M5 and the touring is gutted. They're currently trying to figure out if they can use the touring harness, or if a harness transplant will be necessary.

Anyway. X5 shows no sign of coolant at the back, around he bell housing, and no sign of leaks from the weep hole by the pump. So all things point to the expansion tank. I'm telling myself I spotted residue on the tank. But my boy isn't so sure.
I'm home for a few weeks before I deploy, so I'm gonna monitor it and see if it goes away. A part of me really wants to just replace the damn thing, but I hate throwing money at shit that doesn't need it.



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Started changing my Shawdowline trim from the donor parts car.

Tiny clips all broke coming off, ordered replacement clips some a ridiculously expensive for tiny little clips. Total was like $90 smh


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Put UV dye in it and get a black light flashlight. That's how I found my leaks.

Just buy it at the auto store?
Do I need coolant specific dye?


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Disappearing coolant; could the coolant be seeping into the cylinders, burning?

Oh man... don't jinx him like that. :D

Like a blown or leaking head gasket?
There's no reason to think it's doing that. It's never overheated either. The wife isn't a motorhead, but she is 110% clear on the dangers of that needle hitting the red.


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The UV will help find the leak. Both times mine and wife's expansion tank leaked it was so subtle at first never saw a drop just magically low on coolant.

The crack on wife's was not on a seam, but on the rounded corner. Absolutely invisible crack until I filled to top and the car was still over 212/100 and boiled created pressure and a 5mm stream poured out of the now barely visible hairline crack.

Put some paper towel around the reservoir and drive until you get full temp you should get enough pressure to make the paper damp and show a little color.


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Thanks man. I'll do that.


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Some auto parts store carry it. If not you can order it on line. Yes, coolant specific dye. They make them for coolant, oil and AC.

What kind of oil? I use Lucas oil stabilizer myself. I didn't realize you would go that heavy and oil. Definitely interested. I'm located in Florida

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Just a simple wash after 2 days of solid rain here at the lake. Black looks so bad when it's dirty...

But looks the best clean! Nothing is more rewarding than a detailed Black paint.


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For about 2 minutes. :D

Worked on my headlight lenses.
 

Buffing and compounding and sanding (in reverse order) so now I can see that I have bulbs in there! Makes a big difference in appearance too.

Woke up to a small puddle/mark of coolant, on the driver side headlight.
Got to investigating.
Front cover had a good bit on it. Some on the serpentine. Shit.
Took the fan out. Thermostat is wet at its seals. Behind it, the pump, the weep hole. All bone dry. I start it after cleaning off the wet.
It appeared to get wet at the T stat seal again. But the. It all evaporated.
Nothing from the weep hole. I poke a cotton swap on it. Dry. No residue, nothing.

So it appears my thermostat o ring has failed. I don't know how rare that failure is, but I'm waiting to see if my guy can order the logic7 95c thermostat, before I snag one off eBay.



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Glad you got it sorted. Once the fan was off on my M54, it was a 3 minute job to replace the thermostat housing and thermostat. :thumbup:

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

Yeah thanks. I'm hoping I'm right. Gonna probably wait a few days before I order it, so I'm 100% sure.
I'll likely do the hoses too, since on my 330, they started leaking once I put a new thermostat on. With the 1.4 bar cap and the lower temp thermostat, the whole engine and tranny should run cooler, and hopefully extend the life of many of the shit rubber seals and gaskets in this motor.



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Finished passenger side gloss black shadownline trim replacement.

In the process I found out that my rear passenger window regulator was broken, it was working fine but noticed the clips that hold on to the tracks had cracked, pure tension was holding it in place.

Luckily local autozone had a Dorman replacement and just swapped the motor over. Fitment was perfect and actually looked exactly like the oem unit.

Also had replacement vapor barriers as the old one was all torn up. I initially went to a BMW service center and when I called the guy told me the price for the butyl tape was $11 for the roll which I found it extremely cheap but once I got there they wanted $11 per yard LOL.

I had a chance to see it in person and ordered this one Amazon instead with same day shipping:

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

It looks exactly like the BMW butyl tap, super tacky and easy to work with and dirt cheap!
__________________

Took the X to the police and did my fahas inspection (it passed) and started the process for registration (3 year) by an infidel.

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Finally took some pictures of an ambient lighting idea I tried out. Need to play around with the lighting in the centre above the stereo to get it lighting evenly and add some footwell lights to finish up! Some pictures of the front:

https://i.imgur.com/bF3c47x.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/ttN9CGM.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/dJBmC6f.jpg

This was achieved by running an led strip on the top side of the woodtrim inserts, and some foam weatherproofing on the bottom. When re-installing the trim, I didn't press it in fully so that there is a slight gap for the light to escape (Will try using washers to get the spacing consistent). Power was taken from the interior lighting wires in each door. Pic of the install on the trim pieces:

https://i.imgur.com/nIHgbrd.jpg

Nice! :thumbup::thumbup:

Looks good!

Damn. U fancy huh.
Looks great


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fitted new fog lights at the front , as mine were foggy on the inside , refitted battery , and cleaned off the bird poo of the windscreen :)
then fired it up for the first time in a week

Literally just discovered this feature today. Lol. Laughing at myself.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...e6dc351107.jpg


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Finally got to doing the cooling system. Thermostat has been stuck open for months and finally bought everything from FCPeuro and did it in a couple hours. Filters too. Side note. The stupid radiator drain plug snapped off when I touched it so that was fun to remove. I’ll get a new one from the stealer tomorrow. 125K miles. Other than the thermostat there were no leaks and no cooling issues. Just wanted to be cautionary.

Put a stewartperformance water pump in.


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I just put in OEM. I drove 4K miles last year. Should hold up quite a while.

The Stewart ones don't die.


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Been a busy Christmas Eve!

First off, I tackled my intermittent rear end squeal - found the brake pads polished by the lip on the rotor. Spot the polished edges. :rolleyes:

http://i63.tinypic.com/10s6610.jpg

Kind of a smoking gun... As I'll be replacing the rear rotors and pads in a few months, for now I just filed a big bevel on the top and bottom edge of all four pads, so they don't touch the lip. :thumbup:

Man, this thing is quiet now! There was more than just the squeal - I just didn't realise how noisy the rear brakes had become... :D

Next up was this... no comment needed (other than to say what a PIG that ball joint is to get back on!!)...

http://i63.tinypic.com/2i93tkj.jpg

This is the old one - fractured on the pivot but the piece is still there...

In the 3 1/2 years I've had this car, the drivers door has always had a small squeak when you pull it shut. I always figured that the last muppet in there had not connected the centre retainer correctly. I was right - the centre retainer was missing entirely (and the handle LED was snapped off, the vapour barrier had been cut open behind the air bag and three door clips where missing... :rolleyes:).

Being Christmas Eve, I figured I would have to Heath Robinson this but I needed a small block of plastic to make a new centre retainer, so I "cast" a cube of "plastic" using hot-melt glue, let it cool for a bit then "carved" this little doodad...

http://i64.tinypic.com/2w2iir6.jpg

Works great! I had more door clips (knowing I was going in..) and so now the door opens, is secure and quiet. :thumbup:

Merry Christmas to one and all...!! ;)

Wash & Turtle wax!


Buffed out the sun roof; most of the water spots are gone.


Dumped a can of Sea Foam into the tank.

Repalced O2 sensors banks 1+2 upstream (3.0l). Trying to get rid of an SES light that says the O2 is bad (seperate thread).

Well, today after dropping the pup off for his surgery. I was napping with the kid and was awakened by a car alarm that sounded very familiar.
Heard the wife go check and it went off again.
So this frikin thing just decided it's gonna start going off at random times after being locked.

I was about to be pissed. Did some quick googling and saw on binmerfest, one guy said it's the hood sensor. That these and the E39s are notorious for that.
Quick check by disconnecting the hood sensor. If it still goes off, it's something else. If not, there's your sign. So mine didn't go off. So I pulled the sensor from the ole E46 M3. It doesn't use it. No alarm. No smg.
Quick swap and bam.
Ales gut.
The sensor from the X5 has seen better days for sure. I'm not sure why it looks like it's been exposed to the elements and the older M3's did not.



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Today I finally removed the centre resanator and got a h pipe installed.
I love the sound...have been pissing about since I got the beast two years of ago about doing this mod.
If your thinking of doing an h pipe or x pipe...just do it...you won't regret it.
Big thanks to magoo mufflers in Invercargill; New Zealand.

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Changed engine oil and filter.
Tried to change the fuel filter, but was sent the wrong filter...30 minutes to realize that...

Installed heated wheel. Install wasn’t bad at all.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...153312dc8c.jpg


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:thumbup: I know the rest of your winter is going to be warm!

I'm envious. Wife's has it not mine

After loosing any windscreen washer pressure (it just dribbled) I removed the washer tank, tested the pumps (all OK) then removed the small grommets with integrated filters.

Yerrrggg! What IS that shite...!! Sheets of grey, slimy nastiness!! I nearly hurled...

All cleaned out, re-assembled and working well. Seems to me that you good suffer a premature washer pump failure if you don't clean these out occasionally.

I worked on this getting it to fit properly for the last couple of days. Takes a lot of trimming of the lower brake ducts to get to fit. Still a fairly sizeable gap at the headlight corner but from what I can find on the web of other trucks with the aero kit. This is expected. I'll probably use some black trim between there. Can't wait to get the rest of the kit back from paint...

https://i.postimg.cc/FFJgnjyD/18.jpg

Just removed the rear door trims in prep for installing the rear door flare portion of the new kit. I am excite. I know this kit is not everyone's bag... but I dig the rarity and do like the lines. I am not adding the door pods and am keeping the black door trims so as to maintain some of the red/black contrast. I think this will keep it from being too monochromatic.

Looks great! Can't wait to see all the pieces. What did you do with the original 4.8 front bumper? Looking for one... ;)

Installed Osram Night Breakers. Took about half an hour. Can't wait to see the results tonite!

Did you pull the front bumper or do it with headlights in place? I have done it with headlights loosened but it is tricky getting the bottom outside torx back in with out dropping it into the abyss...

Overboost.

You're supposed to say you are asking for a friend... [emoji38]

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I did it with them in place. I removed the airbox which gave me lots of room behind the drivers light. That lower right screw is a PITA. Came out easily enough and even was able to put it in my pocket (no abyss for that one). The passenger side I just moved that thing with the hose on it, don't even know what it is. Some emission component maybe? This side I did have one casualty. It fell on the way back in. When I finished I turned the lights on and only one worked...:dunno:. Then I realized I hadn't plugged that side back in.:bustingup. Rookie mistake. Anyway they both work now. Just waiting for darkness...

Wow. Looking great so far man.
Sort I haven't been able to come help. The woman isn't letting me out her sight much since I only have a couple weeks before I jet.



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I spent 6+ hours cleaning the inside of the (new) X5. I started at the rear, pulled the spare tire and worked forward, long but good day of de-funking. Something had made a nest in the spare tire area between the air bag pods, so this thing got a full cleaning. A lot of dust. Shampooed the carpet and got all the dog hair out, or most of it. Still smells a bit like a doggo, but much better. Going to lysol it until it goes away. Used about 100 wipes, still more to do - but glad the inside is habitable. Popped an odor eater in the rear cup holder to help rid the smell. Added a can of seafoam to the fuel cell.

Waiting on the 750 buyer to show up Jan 12 so that I can get this transmission project started, then start working out whatever bugs are causing the SES light. Ordered a 20 pin female to 16 pin OBD2 cable so I can use my laptop. (DIS, INPA, PROGMAN) Does not seem to work with my current plug - but while getting a new bulb at Autozone they read my codes without issues, so I know thats working.

I bought a Benz S 550 that had a “people” funk. I cleaned it and it didn’t help. What I finally used that worked great was Turtle Wax 50819 Power Out! Odor-X. It comes in a spray can and you use it like a bug bomb. Start the car, turn the ventilation on full then set off this spray can inside the car. It automatically sprays till empty. Let the ventilation system run for the prescribed time. I then let it sit closed for another 20 min. It smelled like the pleasant bug bomb smell for 3-4 days but then all odors we’re gone. Worked great.


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VERY pleased with the night breakers. Sharp intense light, no blueish or amber tint. The work on the lenses and these new bulbs has improved night vision tremendously.


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The associate at Advance tried to sell me one, maybe ill give it a go if its still there after awhile. Leaving the windows down as much as possible.

Did it fog the windows up?

I've used them to really works to get odors out.


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Looks good bro!!!

Got the two rear door pods on. Eventually going to order new black side door protector trims as these got pretty beat up removing the adhesive residue. They are really designed to be one time use. Check out how much adhesive tape is used! I ordered 2 15ft rolls... going to order more after typing this because there is still A LOT of stuff on this kit that uses tape.

https://i.postimg.cc/sX4tnhsw/20.jpg

Before:

https://i.postimg.cc/FFJgnjyD/18.jpg

After:

https://i.postimg.cc/br64PfGn/21.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/fyW11RbZ/22.jpg

I'm getting pretty anxious now... I'm really digging it. :D I've got an interesting idea that I am going to pursue after getting the whole kit on too... we'll see how that goes. Will elaborate if it looks possible.

Major maintenance day, two days to get all of this done actually:

Cooling: belts, bunch of hoses, t-stat, rad, expansion tank, tank mount, trans cooler.

OFHG: viton seal, vanos line

CCV: cold weather version, all hoses, cold weather dipstick and o-ring

Other: Valve cover gasket, plugs, intake boot, air filter

All went fine, until I went to refit the trans cooler lines. They seemed to seat, and sort of "clicked" but I could pull them back off with moderate force. These lines use the dreaded quick release connectors on the ends. I have the little $20 Assenmacher (copy) tool to release them, and they came off no problem.

I pulled both lines back off and had a good look at them; inside the fitting is a spring steel collar with 4 notched teeth that grab the raised ring on the cooler itself. The plastic outer collar releases these teeth when compressed. After staring at it for 10 minutes to figure out how it worked, I discovered the teeth were bent outward too far. I carefully bent each one inward with a pick and they snapped back on with an audible "click". Couldn't pull them off.

Simple fix, and a reminder to grab each line and give it a good pull to ensure they are REALLY seated.

I changed a blinker. Just "check lic plate" left to deal with, then the SES light..and transmission rebuild.

Can anyone point me to a link for the 20 pin round female to 16 pin male adapter for my laptop? I found one on eBay with the description correct, but photo wrong. Seller has not responded in 3 days, so here I am.

I have a 20 pin round to OBD2 connector cable (new) you can have but you pay the shipping.

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Just shot you a message! I'm game if it's the right one. :)

My understanding is that you don't need the 20-pin adapter, even on the early cars, as long as the 20-pin cover is installed and you add a single wire to this cover. Then ALL the modules in the car can be reached via the 16-pin interface.

See this thread... (and specifically, Overboost's post about the cover mod... post #9)

https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...t-working.html

Right, but as I understand it - no e53 - or at least my 2002 - does not have the round 20 pin under the hood, only OBD2 inside, which is why I need the adapter - unless Im missing something.

Sorry - my bad - I didn't read your post carefully. You have a laptop cable that only connects to a 20-pin socket and you want an adapter the will allow you to use this cable with the 16-pin interior port?

That's a rarity... it's usually the other way around. I guess you have some history with older Bimmers....

Easier to get a new cable?

And yeah, the very early e53 cars had the 20-pin as well as the 16-pin. The internal 16-pin did emissions only. This was changed in early 2000 sometime... to 16-pin for everything....

Changed July 2000. Wife's 01 has the 20 pin port build date of 7/00 mine is 5/01 build date and only 16 pin. Very annoying to need to use the inner hood port for most things on Lumba2.

I read the is a trick to jumper pins to use the 16 pin port on the older models anybody know?


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Yep - see the link I posted above (referring to OB's post #9).

I will add that jumper asap. It's a total pain to deal with the under his connector vs under dash.


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I used the X to bring 3kg of flat nosed beef to my Villa for New Years dinner[emoji38]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...42664d2366.jpg

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And we digress to a new depth.

[emoji38] You have to understand that where I'm at getting flat nosed beef and then transporting it 5hrs while cold through 7 major armed checkpoints where they even look under the hood as a kawaji (foreigner) is a major accomplishment.

Happy New Years everyone!

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Where did you get it? Lol.


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Bahrain and I used a busted thermoelectric cooler to make a chill mat in the spare tire well.

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[emoji23][emoji23][emoji23] good ole Bahrain. I see the cloud is still intact and hasn't moved. Lol.
That's some slick stuff with the sore tire well too.


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[QUOTE=EODguy;1150600][emoji38] You have to understand that where I'm at getting flat nosed beef and then transporting it 5hrs while cold through 7 major armed checkpoints where they even look under the hood as a kawaji (foreigner) is a major accomplishment.

Happy New Years everyone!

Sent from my SM-A730F using Tapatalk[/QUOT

For a second I thought I was on Facebook.

With a little help from Overboost, I was able to get the Bluetooth working in the X5. Very excited. The wife was rolling her eyes at me as I jumped around like a kid.
She just doesn't know how awesome this is for an old ass 2004 car.
She takes these things for granted. Lol.


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The next time she is stressing about the low fuel light on tell her to press the face button on the wheel and say >>Gas station at current location<<

all gas stations in your vicinity are listed
on the on-board computer.

She might be impressed :thumbup:

Yeeeeaaaahhh. I'm gonna do that. :)


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Installing AUX jack for my iPhone for music purposes!
 

Well, attempting to anyway. I have my AUX cable and the associated plugs. I have the radio and CD out of the dash. Next steps are attaching the AUX to the back of the CD and locating a place in the dash for the AUX jack. Others have used the ashtray. I may use a dash mount up nearer the instrument cluster as that is where my phone is. Wish me luck! I'll post a pic if/when I successfully finish...:dunno:

Put it on a frame rack to see if I can save it or not.
Still not sure.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...af888d4c42.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...2a5be957e3.jpg

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Oh no! What happened?

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

I would say if you can still get rear aligned even if you have to add the special camber upper front (rear axle) control arms it's worth the effort. Looks like the tailgate might be toast but the body damage under the bumper won't need repair with any luck


I do see a little wrinkle just behind the wheel so a little luck won't help (tailgate align and such). Keep us posted. Hate to see wrecked x5s

This kinda happened.

Then I cleaned it up! Still tempted to either keep it or sell it... depending on the offer :)

I don't like the thought of cutting up my 4.8is valence in case I ever change my mind.

^ Looks good!

I want one of those... but will probably end up buying/flipping a truck that has it to get it. They are too expensive usually on their own. Then I'll have it stripped and powdercoated satin black.

Look for scrap yard valance vs cut ties and store in garage attic. (Or the other way: pick up a replacement that might need paint etc but you'll have on hand)


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Oooooo do it. Dooooo it.


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Mounted and balance new tires
275/40R-20 Michelin Latitude Diamaris
315/35R-20 Michelin Latitude Diamaris

Four wheel alignment
Road tested and burned off all the brake dust/rust from sitting over the last few months.

Back to perfect once again!

It is good feeling that all the new parts on the rear suspension and the rear brake rebuild work all came out good. Now I have to rewash and wax the wheels as they have a ton of crap on them from the above work.

Scrapped my 4.6iS parts car:
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...9ad9c2b424.jpg


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Sad. :( Can't save them all.

:iagree:

Still a lot of good parts there.:wow:

Anything worth while was either sold or went into my 4.8is, basically whichever was in better condition I swapped out.

This 4.6is had facelift conversation but had a blown motor with 190k miles on it but had much less wear on all other parts especially the interior trims.

When I first got it:
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...b418b35cbd.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...37b6307658.jpg

I scored euro lights w/ euro light switches, nav screen with no dead pixels, mint a & b pillars and le mans front flares, mint gloss black shadowline trim (mine were heavily oxidized) among tons of other parts.

My passenger doors were repainted (quite badly) by the previous owner and swapped those out too.

I'm a sucker for oem hardware and mine was missing a few here and there or had AutoZone stuff which drove me insane.

Now I have spares!

Here's another pic while I was waiting for the tow truck:
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...aa434575e5.jpg


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Somebody spent a fortune on that, face lifting it... :yikes:

Hard to look at, but they can't all be keepers. Most aren't independently wealthy after all. And even then it would be a horrible financial decision. :rofl:

Out of curiosity, how hard was it to remove the shadowline trim? I am contemplating removing the trim on my parts truck.

Edit: How much did you get for the carcass? Looks like you sold to a yard, or pro scrapper.

I'm keen to know too and the replacing it bit. I have one (RF door frame) that is bubbling slightly... Considering replacing it.

It's easy and hard at the same time, all the plastic clips will break.

You will need 6-8 of the white ones and I think 8 of the black ones which have orientations so they have two part #s and expensive for what they are:
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...01b774c61e.jpg

You have to be very careful when removing them as they will bend out of shape as it's very thin aluminum as well and have to be removed in proper order or it won't come off easily. I messed up the order putting it back and had to order more clips half way. The order is pretty straightforward but being nervous and excited at the same time I put the wrong part first and had to remove it again lol

Also the front door trim by the bottom edge it's definitely easier to remove with the side mirrors off because 1/4-3/8 of it is tucked underneath but the second time around I managed to do it without removing the mirrors.

The rear quarter ones just pop out, it's just tabs that are slightly bent down holding them in the weatherstripping but again be very cautious as it will bend.

I was lucky enough that I learned how to remove them (the oxidized ones) off the car and learn how to do it with out worrying too much due to the new set I had.


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Replaced the battery in my spare key for Big Red. Remote functions have never worked and the wife had to use it recently and she didn't like having to put the key into the door to open it. LOL!

Turns out the old battery was probably good but was not being charged because the negative solder joint had broken on the circuit board. It read 2.81v on the meter and the replacement I put in read 2.98v. At any rate, I don't have to worry about it again. Re-initialized both of the keys and we now have 2 fully functional keys again. Much cheaper than BMW would charge.

It's almost always the solder joints


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Got 100% verification that my X lived it's life in California.

Mine lived 3/4 of it's life in CA but it definitely sunbaked the car for sure. Guess it's better then rust.


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Mine was also a CA car for a portion of it's life, but I think it started out in Utah.

My old hood!

I bought a lot of pieces off that truck, thanks again Mario!

You're welcome Dblock!

Met up with a fellow Imola owner to hear the stock exhaust in person.

Sorry didn't take a video as it was windy and honestly they never come out right lol.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...8019e48596.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...58256b2762.jpg

But in my opinion stock sounds much better than my car with just x-pipes.

Mine is definitely raspier and doesn't have as good of a tone (deep, bassy tone) as stock.

But sound is all subjective but I will definitely be putting a stock resonator back once it arrives.

As far as volume level goes it's about the same, maybe 10-15% louder with the X-pipe.


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Where’d you guys meet up?


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Target/BJs by Whitestone expwy


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Mdaily needs running boards. ;)

I think these trucks sound better with the factory resonator and deleted mufflers than with mufflers and deleted/swapped resonator. But as you say, sound is subjective.

Having said that my cutouts bypass the resonators and go into the Dinan mufflers only. Love the sound. :dunno: Though I'm sure I'm losing some HP doing it that way.

I was willing to trade my running boards with him but I have a pair of Le Mans flares and only fit with the running boards so guess I’m keeping them for now.

repaired my rear passenger door lock , turned out it was just the plug that had disconnected itself , for once an easy fix :)

These came in a few days ago, can't wait to swap out the BC Coilovers and put these in!

They will be a night and day difference!

Replaced a broken wheel speed sensor socket. It disintegrated in my hand when I changed the sensor. Release the contacts with a pick, insert in the new one, all good.

My son got rear-ended a few weeks ago.
It's been parked at my shop while I figure out if it's worth it or not. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...c228467d90.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...cbd6f77adb.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...60491517f4.jpg

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Finally cleaned up the tips. *just* the tips. :rofl:

Is the bumper gap caused by the stock tow hitch?

I don't think so. Maybe a bad angle since I was on the ground. I haven't noticed it. :eeps: Now that I look at the original, I think that's water reflecting.

Looks like a bit o both. I checked with my pinky finger and I can snug it under the left while it's tighter on the right. Maybe 1/8-1/4" variance. My pinky is 1/2" at the nail. :cool: Odd though that it's just on the corner as the sides are the same gap. :dunno:

Anyway, I'm good with 1/8". I would not have been 20 years ago. I also wouldn't have let it go for over a year without a polish. Or for that matter, washed it today and only done the outside. Didn't touch the interior. :bustingup

Today, I removed the supercharger and will be shipping it off to vortech for new bearings and seal.

I also ordered 4 subframe bushings since I felt a little rear clunk.

Changed the rear diff fluid to Red Line 75-90. What came out was a medium honey color. Unfortunatley I've no idea how long it was in there. I'd like to think it was original at 290K!

My blower should arrive at Vortech today for rebuild. I hope the turn time is quick!

Pulled the exhaust and welded on the angled, double walled, stainless steel Yonaka quad tips. Makes the 3.0L rear look a little more aggressive...

Did the sound improve/change?

Believe it or not tips to change the sound a little bit.

Especially a resonated tip vs none.


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No sound change Mr. R. It was just for aesthetics purposes only. 3.0L had the "ED syndrome" tips. :rofl:

Looks much better ob. Very nice.

Looks good !

Actually, they look super!

Clever mod. I would think I saw an 8 cyl if I came up to this car from behind


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

Replaced PS Pump, new (used pump) still makes noise. A different noise though. The screeching is gone at full lock but the moan is still present and slightly more pronounced. It's the typical PS whine/moan as you turn the wheel while not in motion.

Also pulled the AC belt off to see if the noise I was hearing was the pulley bearing but free spinning it by hand it felt smooth and no noise whatsoever. Then I looked at the belt and had some bits of the rib missing. Never seen belt damage of this kind and wondering what could cause it?! Maybe this belt was the one making noise?
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...618a1e969a.jpg

Are you the one on the xoutpost FB group that cats were saying BCs are nothing but problems causers and I told u I want your BCs when you take them off in the spring?


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I heard a video on FB with a 4.4 with a resonated X pipe, from magnaflow iirc. Sounded really good. The guy said he time was still deep. I think I may go that route.


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Nice, I thought about yours and wondered how it sounded. I sent a video of mine in and the tech said, send it in. Just filled out the email form and packed the unit, waiting on the RMA number so I can get it shipped, tomorrow hopefully.

In other useful information, if I haven't mentioned it - they do not advise running superchargers in below freezing temps. I think that contributed to mine sounding like it did, or maybe just 17 years of spinning. It was garaged, but it gets bone cold out in Montana and your area too.

Looks nice, NC neighbor! My tips look dreadful. DINAN stuff I guess.

I like the single walled Dinan look. I like double walked as well, but the Dinan tips aren't dreadful.

Mine look like they went through a war. Not bent or anything, just the finish is patina'd, to put it kindly. :rofl:

This is my winter vehicle, so I'm not gonna be able to avoid cold temps.
Mine were pretty dirty, but I got them looking nice and shiny again with some Flitz polish.

https://i.postimg.cc/7ZZnzBws/IMG-1131.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/0yXd0pN8/IMG-1146.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/jjW6gLWy/IMG-1148.jpg

+1 Like those

That's me! The BC's aren't as bad as everyone claims, they just need patience and fine tuning to get the best results. I feel like a lot of owners "upgraded" from 4 corner air suspension so the BCs are definitely less comfortable, but handling is greatly improved.

Did you corner weigh and balance the X5 after install? I did this on my E39 with (um, like a LOT) bags of sand in the driver's side. If you look sooper close, it is a tad out of kilter visually, but that thing handles like a 3 series.

I *love* the E53's handling and can't imagine it better.. but hooo boy. I'd like to. :eeps:

Prop,

FYI,

Your mailbox is full

;)

Mike

I LOLed...!!!

I went with some 4.6is mufflers I found locally to solve that problem. But I think I like the quad tips better. In hindsight I would have done 4.4i mufflers or just did what you did.

If it makes you feel better, there was no sound change with the 4.6is cans either.

Prop,

If you're ever in the NorthEast please come out and try out the KW's on my X5. A cousin has had them since 2013 and with the adjustability, his car has characteristics of a factory sport E53, but lowered 2.5", severely less body roll and understeer.

I also wanted to thank you; I scored great deals on the Stoptech ST40's and ST22's while they were running a clearance sale on their site (still going on!). If it wasn't for your write ups I would have passed and probably would have gone with a 4.8is factory upgrade.

Only drawback was that the front and rear calipers were different colors. Trying to re-paint both in a custom color with Stoptech decals.

Also, yes, corner balanced and weight added to driver side (160lbs). My shop does mainly track car builds and my alignment guru has been aligning racecars for over 22 years.

Just a note, as I have seen on here, the 4.4 mufflers have the outlet dual pipes too close together to go to 3.5" conversion without angling one of them. The standard single outlet 3.0L muffler was perfect for those Yonaka 3.5" tips. :thumbup:

Exhaust and all Dinan mods installed in 2002. All DINAN products installed have worked flawless, as advertised and still look brand new. Dinan products were pricy but quality has not been an issue.

The flares are removable. And you just cut out the holes on the other plastic, and it fits. There will be holes on the running boards parts though. Which can also be purchased separate.

Treated the leather interior with Griot's leathers protect and slathered on vinyl protect on everything else. Will wait 24 hrs and I get to buff everything and clean the glass and then speed shine the shiny stuff. Another year another treatment.
Had a county Mountie stop and talked at the local post office about the X5. He wanted to know if it was new ?! Way to funny expression when I explained it was a 2005. He owns a Jeep SRT. Nice guy.

loving that sideshot BC. Not sure if I miss the quad tips or not. Truck came with Black Chrome quad sport tips which looked pretty good.

When I had my Dinan's, I went straight to shortening the tips and had 4.6 covers tacked on. I've always like things stealth

The length is one of my favorite things about the tips. :bustingup

No but seriously, I love how they stick out. Looks very fuh raze. :D

Nice shot of yours redliner. Mine look about the same, maybe a little more scratched, but pretty similar. I think some don't like the single walled look and others don't like that they were never designed to be a polished chrome look.

Yeah. Don't forget about me.
I have them (BC) on my projectzhp. I like them a lot. Not max low and a good damper setting.
X5 currently on H&R springs and bilstiens. Bought it that way. Can't even recall what a full air stock e53 rides like. But I will take tighter body control for the sake of some comfort any day.


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Dropped the Euro lights at lightwerkz:

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...933bd8fdb6.jpg


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Ooohhhh. Nice! Going to be a killer set of lights.

Tell us more? What else are they doing? I have euro lights on the car right now but they are not Dynamic so I lost the auto leveling feature. I really want to get
Get my factories cleared out and try and get some led projectors in

I agree.

I don't suppose that if I said in a serious voice that those lights wouldn't look good you'd let me have them....?[emoji38]

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FXR 2.0 Left vs OE Hella Right, look at the difference!!!

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...35a4b7bca0.jpg


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All I'm doing is retrofitting the FXRs and everything else will be left as stock.

The clear lens plus the new bowl will emit much crisper and brighter light with the same light output and have a sharper cut off.

But still upgrading the bulbs to Osram 5000k bulbs.

I'm one of the few who still likes the halogen halos as it's serviceable (and could always upgrade to LEDs back and forth)

These lights are dynamic, according to Lightwerkz the FXR are almost direct fit and still retains the dynamic functions.

Now that’s a tease! :wow:

I wouldn't even be able to recoup anything on these LOL

The retrofit alone is costing me $750 (labor and parts) plus the cost, trouble, and hassle I had to go through getting these headlights from eBay Germany.

Like anything used you buy online, sometimes the seller's aren't 100% about what they sell (intentionally/unintentionally)

Just checking because it used to work when I'd tell the wife that the food wasn't good so I'd "take care of it"[emoji38]

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Well worth it. Since I’ve put the euros on my car I’m getting a lot more compliments. I would post pictures but I can’t seem to shrink the photos enough to fit the forums size requirement. Will end up looking like a thumbnail.

Use the Tapatalk app and it will automatically resize your photos as you post them.

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What is the difference between euro spec lights and ours?


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The major changes were for the LCI models.

Euro headlights didn't have the amber reflector in the turn signals, the US headlights did.

Also, I believe the Euro lights are RHD, while the US are LHD, so the projector beam pattern "shifts" on the opposite side (higher on left, lower on right).

https://cdn04.carsforsale.com/3/1006...1094940383.jpg

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....FL._SX425_.jpg

Yes, except for the RHD part as that's only on RHD equipped cars UK, Australia, Hong Kong, etcetera. My X5 is LHD euro spec.

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Projector has different cutoff on European and American models.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...5952801634.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...ddaf453641.jpg


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The oe hellas have a lever inside to switch from LHD and RHD.


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Love the euro headlights, but not forking over 2k for them

I kinda like the amber. #ambergang 4 lyfe pootaz.
Nicer cutoff would be a plus, but not at that pricetag. Would be cheaper to retrofit some nicer projectors.
Then remove the amber reflector while in there.


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I don't mind the ambers either but just not on an Imola body.

I wouldn't pay $2k for either for them, the lowest price I found was on umnitza:

https://www.umnitza.com/headlights-p...ight-pair.html

I contacted them and they confirmed it was with dynamic option and LHD.

I bought mine on ebay for $500 shipped (bought left and right separately) but had some broken tabs and the adjuster inside was broken inside which I fixed. The tabs BMW sells repair kits so that was taken care of.

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

Got ambers on my imola red M3. It looks great. [emoji1419]

Are the oem made by Hella?


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Thanks!

And they're done! Gotta go pick them up now.

So far out looks good.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...b26f0693b1.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...1f147a37a7.jpg
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https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...cf8b39ba10.jpg
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And yes the left side has broken tabs but the BMW repair kit will take care that.


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Those look awesome!

:iagree: Jealous of those Mr. R!

Wow they look great. You said lightwerks can replace the covers on these too? Mine are in ok shape, but one has a burn mark in front of the Xenon. Don't know how that happened, so I bought a used one off eBay and refinished it. When it arrived, it looked and felt like someone sprayed clearcoat over it from rattle can or something. Came out pretty decent.

Before:
(if you look at the flash to pass inner light, you can see the uneven texture of the rattlecan clear, or whatever it was.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7910/...6f1c2bb3_b.jpgIMG_3045 by Al, on Flickr

During:
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4918/...a36d4414_b.jpgIMG_3050 by Al, on Flickr

After:
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4808/...696b68e9_b.jpgIMG_3059 by Al, on Flickr

New lenses are like $400 and it's from overseas.


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400 per lens or 400 for both lenses. Then I'm sure there's labour on top of that.

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

$400 for the pair, vendor is bimmerjakes. I just couldn't justify the price when the E70 ones a bigger yet half the price.

That's just for the lens, not including labor.

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Ah ok I thought lightwerkz sourced them.

Changed the spark plugs and sea foamed the MAF.


Test drive OK, but it idled a little rough at a traffic light.


Got home and washed the car, then it wouldnt start...lol


Got a circuit A cam pos sensor code (intake), so I ordered both.


Then the car started fine, but gonna install new sensors anyway.

Lowered the rear suspension back down to stock height. Had it 1/2" higher before and how much difference 1/2" makes.





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

My car had a flaky cam shaft sensor when I bought it. Took me a month to figure out what the problem was because I never got a specific CPS error just random misfire etc and ran perfectly excerpt more and more frequently it would stall on throttle off eg pulling into parking stall or into the middle of an intersection.

Either use the old one as a fish tape or just re route the new one over the top of the intake. It took the majority of the time to run the wire vs everything else on that repair.

By both you mean also exhaust sensor? They seem to be much more robust. Replaced both mine and wife's CPS intake about 130,000 miles but at 165,000 no indication of the exhaust CPS failing yet. Also rarely hear of forum member needed to replace. Maybe because the shorter wires who knows.

I actually have some of that polish, might give it a try on a warm day; or in the spring. Yours look great!

Any word on turnaround time from Vortech? I was going to email them, but felt like I'd asked then enough questions. Mine arrives in Oxnard on Monday. $43 shipping.

My dudes. What is that box on the right side. I see it in pics of euro X5s a lot, but I don't have it on mine, nor have I ever seen it on a us model.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...f462a14245.jpg


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Webasto Thermotop aux. heater. Fitted to diesel models mostly but available as an option petrol cars too.

Ahhhh. That's the auxiliary heat pump?


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Not quite - the aux. water pump is an electric water pump (like a big fish tank pump!) usually mounted in behind the left headlight. I think all e53 cars have this fitted.

The Webasto Thermotop aux. HEATER is an actual fuel-fired (diesel in my case) heater, that heats the engine coolant, to bring the engine up to temp quickly in cold weather. In conjunction with the aux. water pump, it can also be activated when the car is not running (by remote control) to heat the cabin (via engine coolant and the heater core) - great on a frosty morning! :thumbup:

*edit* If anyone is interested, I'll post a video of it's operation. :D

Sounds like the same thing that some E53, 39, 38s have that can warm the cabin using the aux timer setup that's on the radio.


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I know some cars have a "REST" function that uses residual engine heat and the aux. water pump to pump hot coolant through the heater core when the engine is not running (but has been recently).

This is NOT that - it's entirely different. It heats the coolant directly. ;)

Yes, please Wayne. I would love to educate myself a little more on the Webesto heater. We don't get them over here that I have ever seen. :dunno:

*updated * Webasto Thermo Top Z operation
 

Here a quick video description of the Webasto Thermo Top Z operation ;)

https://youtu.be/trPWg1arWFg

Since they run on diesel makes sense you can't find in the USA. I've been working on some way to pre heat our X5 especially when it's -20C. There was a block heater you could buy in Canada for m54 but most promising is a heater that taps into the heater core loop.

I believe you can configure the webasto with a standalone diesel tank to work on gas powered car.

The Webasto Thermo Top Z has a pertol version, and the diesel version (easier to find on eBay) can be re-configured to work with petrol.

alex_j posted a DIY on this retro fit (to a 4.8iS) late last year.. :thumbup:

https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...e53-4-8is.html