Changed better mirror for drivers side.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/65...mtdwBhXmw=w768

How much do you compensate for torque lost from the wobbles?

The wobble joints only loose torque by roughly the sin of the angle. I have to add about 20% to the spec to get the proper torque at the bolt. I have a torque adapter that will register peak torque I will do a test next time to actually measure what comes out to set the torque wrench.

As we are talking about a square connector at an angle doesn't it account at what rotational position it is (same like a universal joint)? Not that I would personally mind the small difference with a reasonable angle used.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...670e0bbddd.jpg

Wobble extension allows the socket to pivot up to 10° or so.

They are much better than universals. Especially when using impact (though with impact they do suck up torque).

Added to my tool want list! :thumbup:

Love wobble extensions. They give you just enough give without going to a universal.

I also have ¹/₄ , ¹/₂ , ³/₈ impact flex joints but they take up a lot more space so the wobble is option A.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/mG...3PQsg-2w=w1024

Put winter tires on.

Blind spot mirrors.

Temporary hack until the GMIII module is repaired. :wow:

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

[mention]X5chemist [/mention]

If you attach a photo vs. place they come though as broken links on phones:

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...24fdb0ff27.jpg


I've been wondering what causes that. You can attach a photo as inline picture and they will show large and inline with text as my example here.

They do have to be resized to fit. I use tapatalk app for that since I also take the pics with the same phone can't be more convenient.

I like the wide bubble mirrors and logical position outside low.

Look into the "aspherical" (panoramic) mirrors. Way better and I'm combing from experience of using very similar bubble mirrors in the past.

Rebuilt another widescreen navi and tested it in my e38https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...92e8d51330.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...660e038c12.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...2e6fee4a76.jpg

Yea, it's weird. Iphones or computers have that problem. Phone pics look correct. When it's transferred to a PC, it's turned over or upside down. I'll see if I can edit or rotate the pic to the correct orientation.

I did try the bubble round mirrors. They were too big. The smaller round one would probably work. I wanted to try these longer ones since they take up only the lower mirror part.

Just ordered new rear tires due to their affinity for sex with porcupines.

$506.00 USD for both [emoji849]

Not sure how to hide more tires from the wife [emoji848][emoji28]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...5979d37a7b.jpg

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You have them delivered to the install shop.


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Looks good. Did you only replace the LCD?

Yes only the LCD was swapped.

I bought a used rear wiper motor. Last weekend I noticed it was really wobbly and loose outsude the car, and it has not been working well. Lo and behold the plastic frame of the motor is completely broken.

I tried that on mine before I swapped the head unit for an AVin unit. The viewing angle was wrong even though the seller said it was supposed to work on an e53. Based on the viewing angle the LCD was probably for a sedan where the screen is lower. On mine I had to lean forward to get a clear view of the screen. Sent it back said screw it and bought the Avin. Glad I did. Some of the best money I've spent on my truck.

I think there is an adjustment procedure I have seen somewhere. I think it's on the unit not the LCD. Mine did not require any adjustments. I just did this for tinkering purposes. I purchased the unit with the bad LCD for $30 and had a spare good LCD. It's good for keeping my mind at peace in these current times. I do want a widescreen NBT looking android unit for my X5. I do have an NBT setup but the retrofit wiring is expensive...

https://www.m5board.com/threads/adju...-screen.97271/

Ya, I found that too, but it is for older model LCD's. The ones for the 2006 don't have the adjustment.

Ahh good to know. I was not aware of a difference...

Pro move right here

It's the goto if you order from TireRack: they ask at checkout which installer you want to have them sent. Kind of handy when talking 4 SUV tires they aren't small.

Four 235s fit perfect in back of e53 I seem to recall I couldn't fit four 255s in behind the back seat.

I have the rack on the back so it's no prob to carry four wheels rims or not. I took seven tired rims to recycle the other day. (about $19.50@ FYI). It was 20¢ less a pound for the chrome played ones but those were 20s so the price per was about the same.

Yeah but APO postmaster is total twatwaffle and no oversized pkgs are accepted. I can also tell you that a USPS large flat rate box is $68.00 USD up to 5lbs, so I had to order from Al Nahgi BMW services. [emoji90][emoji90][emoji2959]

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

I had a helluva time to ship four mounted tires from PA when I won an eBay "local pickup" when I convinced the seller to ship if I made all the arrangements.

Bought four perfect rims and three very good condition tires (70% tread) for $201.50 (she didn't have a reserve price).

It cost more to ship ($250 or so) but by finding a discount shipper I saved over $100 vs. FedEx or UPS directly (which was a hoot because the discounter used FedEx).

I can't figure out how the big sellers ship tires for shipping included!

Fortunately I found a replacement for the one rear toe shredded tire for about $100.

So 201.50+250+100=551.5 for a full set of rims and Dunlop Winter tires was an incredible deal.

The seller included the original receipt of $3600 in the sale.

I almost spit out my coffee there. Something about a fool and his money

Volume shipping discounts are *massive*.

Quite obviously but $350 to free is not just massive it's ludicrous.


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If I paid for shipping to Saudi Arabia my wife would be shipping a rolled up "carpet" to shitholastan...

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Have you ever bought a new set of rims for an X5? Or a new X5? They are both expensive items to be sure. I am hoping you aren't add ignorant as thinking the original sticker price had any bearing on my decision to buy. I was after the rubber that happened to be on the rims. The rims were a perk and a helluva perk at that.

2400 for a set of good rims is probably a fair price with install and TPMS. I wouldn't know I let somebody else pay the depreciation. I know for certain $250 with shipping for $2400 new is a FANTASTIC price for perfect condition e70 rims.

I believe he was thinking that the seller paid that for the tires only.

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Indeed I was, and I'd call anybody who spends $3600 on tires a fool (unless they are campaigning a race car or owning a Ferrari)


Since you spent $550 on tires I was most definitely not calling you a fool.

I've spent the last two days doing surgery on my rear doors. Both windows have been displaying clip and/or regulator failure for many months, to the extent that I've put them both on the list of switches not to operate in the car. I also needed to repair some plastic bits on both door cards. The factory glue has gotten so soft that the black plastic bits that hold the panel clips end up breaking away and staying with the door when I pull the door card/panel.

Additionally, the rear side impact door air-bags have been unplugged since the car was new. I vaguely remember that since our kids were in car seats the dealer said they would deactivate them, then re-activate when they were out of the car seats. We moved long before that and the car became the dog and airport car so I never bothered. I figured I'd plug them back in since I was in the doors anyway and I have a Foxwell now to reset the codes. No luck on this one. It looks like the dealer coded them out of the software. Yet another reason to get and learn how to use ISTA I guess.

Regarding the broken plastic on the panels, I've found that JB Weld plastic two part (brown tube) seems to work best of what I've got to choose from at Auto Zone and it sets in about 15 minutes.

The left door was a broken clip but the right door was a failing regulator, which exploded off the rail for good after I detached the window and was troubleshooting it. Good timing. I'll cut a piece of wood to wedge the window up with and order a new regulator. I'd love to meet the team that engineered that crappy system and see if any of them ever owned an X5.

Bought E83 LCI heated steering wheel and clock spring... Now I need find airbag for it.

Wife found the tire receipt. She can't read Arabic except for numbers, so let's just say that I rather piss off the Ginsu Chef at Benihana's instead of explaining more X5 purchases [emoji28]

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you havent figured out how to send them to a coworker :rofl:

Completely understand. The “budget” for my project has come under intense scrutiny from global headquarters recently. Unfortunately I’ve still got a few expensive pieces to buy for the new motor too. Namely a crank pulley, alternator and steering pump. Maybe I’ll get a harmonic damper for Christmas!

http://www.fakereceipt.us/sales_receipt.php

[emoji848]

Wish I had known about this earlier!!

But I guess I'll chalk up the tires as birth control....

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:rofl::rofl::rofl:

Which Engine are you working on? I think I have HB from an m62 in a box somewhere.

Which Engine are you working on? I think I have HB from an m62 in a box somewhere.

I'm building up a 4.6. I'd like to stick with a 4.6 balancer as I think its is an underdrive pulley as compared to the 4.4. I read somewhere it gives about 8 more HP.

Part number is 11237513336

Thanks for checking!

The e53/e83 Sport steering wheel uses the same airbag. 100% interchangeable. Those things are everywhere, especially the non-heated versions.

Yeah definitely from 4.4 but I will will try to track it down. Two xo threads have had to replace while I have a functional one in deep storage somewhere


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I have parts sent to my office.

I used to have a wife like that.

I got around to taking off the front bumper since the right side was a bit loose and found several more hack jobs....the previous owner of this thing sucked. He installed these ridiculous horns with terrible wiring everywhere. He literally stripped the stock wiring and twisted some new wires together with it and applied electrical tape around them...that's apparently how you splice wires. I removed the stupid horns and installed new OEM ones and repaired the wiring. But the fun didn't stop there. He managed to break nearly everything plastic on the front bumper. Clips, brackets, and the base on every headlight washer. There were also missing bolts. I've got an order in to FCP for all the broken parts before I re-install the bumper. Sigh...

You are super nice to her, BC. Who buys their wife a red X5M here? Nobody.

I could not find anything else heated than this basic E83 LCI steering wheel, hence the problem of finding an airbag for it but I got it from UK.


https://www.steeringcover.com/media/...8820102_4_.jpg

Guess who "grenuked" a water pump?

This guy! New pump on the way for 174.00 USD and doing the thermostat and belts too.

I knew I shouldn't have read any threads with problems in them!![emoji28]

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haha I know your pain :D

My pump looked like the little boy fountain statue peeing all over the place [emoji1787]

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oh that's not good. Mine decided to seize up and burn through the belt, a big cloud of smoke is always a good reminder you need to pull over :D

On the plus side I found that 245k km is the maximum limit for water pumps in Saudi Arabia [emoji848]

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My water pump blew up the day I got my E53 in the middle of the desert at 2am on a Sunday... hahaha. Pretty much the worst possible scenario. I was 1000 miles away from home near a town that had no rental cars/trucks and no parts.

You must have not been trying :D

I just scored a set of winters for the wife's car and they juuuuuuuuuust fit

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

https://i.imgur.com/Az7yYYR.jpg

Nice look - four abreast! I got 4x 275/65/16s in my E53, but one had to go in the front seat.

I had a chance to finish my last window refurb today. I've gone through each door over the past month replacing clips, two regulators and re-gluing various internal door panel parts back on with JB Weld plastic formula.

The thought of pulling them back off to install new speakers makes me ill, but I've decided to upgrade the the speakers and amp in the near future, to go with the new Kenwood receiver. Nothing too cosmic, but just about anything will beat the 20 yr old OEM stuff. I'm leaning towards a 4 channel Kenwood amp in the OEM location and using the stock speaker wires, a powered Kicker 8" sub in the opposite (fuse) cubby, a set of two-way Kicker 6.5" speakers for the back doors, a set of component 6.5" Kicker woofer/mids for the front with tweeters for the stock dash location. The a-pillar tweets and rear door upper mids will be unplugged. The kicker sub is 14 1/4 x 3 1/4 x 9 3/8, which I think will just fit in the right trunk cubby with the fuse box.

I'll have to run RCA cables from the receiver to the amp and powered sub, which I'm not looking forward to, but I will be able to cut out the line output converter that I'm currently using to make the stock amp play nicely with the Kenwood receiver.

^Good plan. Much easier than the hell I'm putting myself through. :thumbup: :D

Some test the volumetric capacity, while I tested the weight capacity with 375 pounds of walnut and walnut plywood. It held fine.:cool:

Factory BMW crossbars?

That's only 70% over rated. As long as you don't hit any bumps that subject the load to more than about 1g I wouldn't be too concerned.

The roof rack is rated for 100kg IIRC. I'm quite sure they test to to deal with hitting a pot hole and subjecting to 2-3g so 200-300kg.

If you drive like a rental and have 400#. Dying be surprised when you arrive with a dented roof. However clearly double the rated and cautious will not be a problem.

I was looking for a photo of when I had about 8-10 16' wet 2x6 on my roof. Don't want to even know what that weighed but it did flex my cross bar to touch my sunroof a couple times in the 1.5 mile trip.

I think that it also has to with putting a lot of weight very high up. SUVs have a very high center of gravity already and by adding weight on the top of the car, you can actually move it up to the point that avoidance maneuvers can cause rollovers. I mean, most SUVs you can roll in an avoidance maneuver already, without even hitting a curb (I would expect that the E53 falls into that category).


The reason I say that is because in newer SUVs in the past 10 years, they are subject to much more stringent rollover tests, which require the roof to be two or three times stronger, but the roof cargo ratings have not gone up from SUVs made 20 years ago. Most new SUV roof load limits are still around 200 lbs even though the roof is required to support like 3x the car's weight, which wasn't a requirement for the E53. So that is partially conjecture on my part.

Solid observation on center of gravity and similar to the description of g forces up and down they also apply side to side.

Replaced a CV boot (after installing it slightly incorrectly four years ago). $27 - job done.

Was tempted to replace the power steering pressure hose while I was under there (I have all the parts on hand) but by the time I'd finished the boot task, I was pretty much done being under a car for the day! :rolleyes:

Rear right camber has been -2,15 degrees and I want it to be better. All of the camber kit's for rear are expensive so I had to think a little bit. Then I found that W124 mercedes front axle eccentric bolt has a lot bigger eccentric, yet it's still same M14x1,5 size bolt. I had to modify the bolt a little bit, because it was way too long and not much thread on it. Also the bolt hole had to be modified.


Mercedes bolt in:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_d...uUBr8_Tcg=w512

Got the rear end looking better.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/WG...2wUye5n8w=w512

probably needs the bushings in the lower arms replaced, and yes they can be replaced.

They don't look bad at all and I have lowering springs (that is one thing to add more negative camber). I have replaced those bushings on both of my seven's so will probably do them for the x5 also in future.

yea, if its lowered, you will never get to spec unless you do something to fix it :P

That's a smart fix - thanks for sharing that!

I ended up going the hard race adjustable arms on the rear. Mine is lowered via software as I still have the bags on the rear.

Depends on how much it is lowered. I lowered mine with H&R lowering kit. Added 18mm spacers and can still still get it into specs.

How much did it lower?


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I got Vogtland -35mm springs.

So this past week I....

Installed a new water pump. [emoji2955]
Installed a new thermostat. [emoji2955]

Found a new appreciation for my new driveway being out of the sun all day![emoji3060]

First drive not leaks, no temperature problems, so everything was good. [emoji848]

Nope! So I had my front passenger side DHC break, so I slapped my spare in and drove to work the next day [emoji3060]

Got home and went to the commissary and.... killed 2 tires on a bent steel expansion joint [emoji90][emoji90][emoji90][emoji90][emoji2959]

Now the White Witch has new shoes although I got NITTO, I could only get NITTO 421's.


I am finding that I was incredibly smart to by comfortable patio furniture and have the ability to act nonchalant in front of my wife... [emoji28][emoji1787]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...32b07e319c.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...f6fc1b3f06.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...2b5e6b33ce.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...bba4fe436d.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...5ad1ad0699.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...e89fc91980.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...ffee29dd87.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...37108c281f.jpg

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Hi zener, I'm new to BMW scene, well the X5 would be more appropriate. have the 3.0d version and whilst it is for towing a caravan as we call it in Australia it looks like it is on steeroids sitting up so high. What I would like to kow is how much lower your X5 now sits in comparison to its previous stance?


I do like your camber fix idea, simple and straight to issue. Did you have to do this for all four wheels or only the rear?
Thanks, Jeff

Still learning the nuances of X5ing it

I got around to doing some small fixes that jst had to be done, the sort that don't mean much until you do not have them.



When I got the car, the previos owner tried to fit the inner rhs carpet to door rubber cover with a hammer. EU plastic does not like any sort of pressure let alone a metal tap so I eventually got a replacement and fitted it carefully. I know why he used a hammer :doh: nothing lined up because he had routed the wiring above the clip line. Once sorted it all went smooth as.



Next was the lack of somewhere to put my ph. I use some fancy brand that has a ball swivel mount and magnetic hold. With the replacement head unit being Andriod, I can run everything via my phone and 100gb of data each month is not going to caue problems so a phone mount is now in and out of sight.


Another job that was doubled up on, thanks to my first few posts on here some members gave me the info on the digital display and why it was not showing, or possibly why. The five T5 globes along the bottom of the instrument cluster. I bought eight white LED's to replace them but when powered on it gave a strange shimmer, so I took one out and put a normal globe in and all is good. While I had the cluster just connected and not back in I figured it was as good a time as any to fit thos damn chrome rings for the guages. :wow:They were the tighest fit ever and each one managed to pinch a small peice of my finger each time it finally locked in. So four little blood blisters later and they look great.


The last thing is this ceramic type of polish, my X5 is that Saphire Black and the weather here is perfect one day hailstorm the next followed by a 60 MPH wind that just puts crap everywhere. So, I decided to try some of these wonder polishes and see if I can just use the pessure washer to get rid of the daily crap. I'm starting to think a quality cover is in order now, but I gotta say I love that shine when the sun hits it, there are blue, gold, green and silver specks in that black colour.


Next will be Tyres and maybe a play with the exhaust. :thumbup:

This is stock
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Km...N7xORXLg=w1024


With -35mm Vogtland's
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Su...M09vlYRQ=w1024

I would like to go lower with this, but then it would need coilovers, so for now it's good.

Only the rear adjustment is the usual culprit on these. Front camber is easy to adjust from the front shock absorber lower mounting point.

I put coilovers on my X and lowered it 2". This required putting adjustable control arms on it so it could be aligned to spec.

Now that I got the trans working, got it through emissions and finally got it titled and registered....I got some new tires on the clapped out hooptie. Nothing special. Discount Tires house tire called Rocky Mountain all seasons. Went with 245/65/17s, cost me 475 bucks with the tire warranty they have. They actually ride really nice. But then, anything is nicer than the bald tires that were on there.

Progress. Nice to see you brought a decent car back from the edge.

I am having trouble finding these items anywhere online. Maybe Australia does not have them. I can get a full set of Coil oers that allow me a 3" lower or raise of the car.
Thank you for sharing though I appreciate all information.
If you lower on coil overs, would that make the springs softer as they are in a less compressed state on the front?
Do you have a picture of the 2" drop profile?


Cheers, Jeff

Thank you for taking the time to show me those pictures. I think it makes a nice difference. Did you change the rims from the factory 19" to brand name 20" as well or just different 19"?
I am looking at putting on the factory 20" staggered "Y" style of an E70. My current fit is all the same size rim front and rear five spoke 19".
My suspension change will be either a full set of coil over or just springs as you have done. Depends greatly on the shock absorbers condition when we look into it.
How far do you think your modification would work as in past a 35mm lower spring?

I know, many questions and I am probably a PITA, but help is where you find it.


Thanks Jeff


Oh, you mentioned some modifications to the W124 bolt and X53 hole, can you tell me what needs to be done?

Both of the set's in pictures are 20". Going more lower than the 35mm, W124 bolt won't be enough, then camber kit's come in...


Mercedes bolt is way too long for starter. I had to do more thread for the bolt and lengthen groove for eccentric washer. Bolt hole need's to be widen to make room for the bigger eccentric to work.

Finally got around to installing a new power steering pressure hose. Was easier than I expected, since I could access the steering rack end banjo bolt after removing the right front splash guard (above front axle). I was thinking I would need to remove reinforcement plate.... but nope. :thumbup:

Here's a photo showing the drop. I used BC Coilovers. I got one of the control arms from Russia. The other, toe arm I got was Megan Racing. I purchased both on Ebay. FCP sells the BC's, but so do a lot of others. I think you can buy direct from BC, but the shipping is probably a killer to Australia.

Wow when wife's car was that low was when the air spring popped.

Since I don't go off road with it, I decided I would improve the handling by lowering the center of gravity. She is much more "planted" like this. Ramps I used to take at 80 mph would be close to the edge with the higher ride height. Now, it's like riding on rails. Someday when I have the money I want to put 18" wheels and wider tires on it.

I have a spare set of 18s. Nice model also. I bought for wife's old e53 but I put on stock tires before we sold it. I may use for a second set so I can upgrade tires and keep the current set for emergencies but I could see turning the spares into down payment toward the tires.

mind pm-ing me some photos?

Wow, I thought the factory rims were 19"... Thank you for all the rest of the information. Does the hole go wider in towards the diff centre or out towards the wheel hub? I assume it only needs to be a rounded rectangle shape.


Jeff

Now that is a very nice ride height and I can understand how you mean a planted feel. I can get a full set of coil overs that will give me a good range of adjustment, (3" down/up) but as you say the adjustable control arms with freight from overseas... the two will cost as much as the full set of coil overs. Postage was quoted as three times the price of the item and they would not combine them as a single package. I'll keep on looking, maybe if I can get them first, then anything is possible.
What size rims are you running if you are wanting to put 18s on?

Thanks for the picture, Jeff


This is a picture of my RH Drive X5 on 19", you can see what I mean by riding high!
https://images2.imgbox.com/87/9f/Bb4bl8rj_o.jpg
https://xoutpost.com/<a href=https:/...Bb4bl8rj_o.jpghttps://xoutpost.com/<a href=&quot;<...st&quot;/></a>
https://imgbox.com/Bb4bl8rj

I had 17inch factory rims on it when I bought it, but now I got 20" for summer and winter.

Hole need's to be widened to diff side.

I'm running 17" wheels right now. Would like to go to 18" for a little lower profile. Wife's X that we sold had 20" wheels and they were too low profile. Rough ride and because they were 9 and 10 inches wide they tram lined like crazy.

I snagged a complete alcantara interior with imola trim, cluster, and all 4 calipers from a 4.6is at the JY. Going back this weekend to possibly grab the engine and diffs. I'm assuming the chain guides failed since there was no body damage.

I was surprised how clean the interior was. Not bad for $300

https://i.imgur.com/m1QtryG.png

$300?! Wow! :thumbup:

Wow! I have the same imola trim minus the shifter trim piece that came with my imola 4.6is. The center console teim piece is sold at over $300 alone. Those seats look immaculate as well! Huge score! Did you grab the door panels too?

Question about the Imola paint. Is it two stage or single?

The trim paint? Not sure its factory BMW and has a gloss finish...

I took the door panels too, but I left the console trim. It was broken at the corners around the button panel. My titanium trim is broken in the same place. I may grab a wood console and wrap if it I decide to install the red trim. A lot of the dash trim retainers were broken, but I took it anyway. I also left the steering wheel; I have an M3 SMG wheel with paddles already installed.

The alcantara was in great shape on the seats. I was really surprised it wasn't really worn. The bolsters are worn, but I intend to refinish them with Colourlock. One of the door panels has the alcantara lifting and quite a few of the clips and top retainer came off of both rears.

I was really surprised it hadn't been picked over. I don't think the yard knew what it was since it wasn't in the premium area and was out with all the other junkers.

My trim has a crack around one of the buttons too. You should grab it anyways and try to repair it. Those are valuable and if you plan to install the impla trim the silver comsole will look out of place. Did you take the shifter knob and or trim?

Now that... is a score. :thumbup:

I did take the shifter knob. I was surprised the cup holder roller cover on the console wasn't broken. Hopefully the stuff I left isn't worked over this week and will still be there Saturday. I had the rear flares on my strip list but ran out of time. I already have style 87s on my 4.4. Might as well add the flares. Looks like I'll need to find the 4.6/4.8 spare if I install the bigger calipers

I was disappointed it didn't have running boards or a factory tow hitch. That really would have been a jackpot. It did have the rear load floor. Someone had already messed with it, and I didn't think it'd give me that much utility.

Score of the freakin' year.

That's for sure!

Drove it... and I cannot believe how much better it is after replacing the power steering pressure hose.

And I don't mean the steering.... :rolleyes:

While I had the engine acoustic cover off to replace the PS pressure hose, I noticed the EGR had significant oily blow-by on the outside of it. I removed the charge hose that runs up from the intercooler and cleaned the seals, the charge pipe and the EGR body etc.

(Not my image - you can see the blow-by on the EGR body at the bottom right... mine was worse.)

https://www.pieseauto.ro/poze/motor-...-0-0-0-0-0.jpg

After reconnecting the charge pipe to the EGR, I realsied that it was sitting better and appeared to be fitting correctly. It seems that it wasn't sitting quite right when I removed it.

And.... I've got my low-end boost back. :thumbup:

TBH, I hadn't really noticed it was gone, except the car seemed a bit flat under 1,500rpm and I was starting to think the turbo boost control pressure converter was on the way out or the VGT vanes in the turbo were getting clogged/jammed. It wasn't bad enough to make me go looking but I guess it was noticable.

Anywho... it's so much nicer to drive around town with all the low-end boost as it should be.

I installed a Bosch rebuilt alternator on my 4.6 motor. 10 minute job with new bolts, bit of dielectric grease around the pre-installed water jacket seal and a drop of blue threadlocker on the M6 bolts. I couldn't find a torque value anywhere for those bolts, which seemed odd, so I turned them to about 15 or 20nm with my crappy torque wrench.

Backorder parts and long shipping times are really slowing me down on my engine build. I have some time off in early December that I'm planning on doing the engine swap during, assuming the rest of my parts come in.

I did get a huge box of hoses in, but I'm waiting on a dipstick tube, one hydraulic belt tensioner (the AC came fully assembled, including the bracket, but no tensioner or bracket on my "refresh" kit on the water pump side), a second CCV valve (first was broken from ECS/Turner) and a bunch of bolts and a ton of misc fasteners. I'm still trying to decide if I want to spring for a "new" LUK steering pump, or try to find somewhere to rebuild the pump from the 4.4.

Since I'm in a holding pattern for parts I decided to fully build the long runner intake I bought on ebay. I cleaned and painted (flat black) the intake and ordered a used fuel rail complete with injectors from an ebay seller I've been using. It will be drop shipped to Injector RX in Houston who will clean and test the injectors, and fully clean the rail so I can paint or powder coat it flat black too. I expect to have to buy an injector or two, but hopefully the majority of them will be good and I can save $60+/ each.

I bought some black stainless nuts and bolts to mount the rail and intake as my goal is to leave the cover off the motor. The secondary air pump delete and perhaps some re-routing of other vacuum lines should make for a nice clean look with the flat black intake and rail.

Tried to grease the handle cable's because drivers door seemed to freeze when it was -10c few days ago... We will see if it helps or is it the lock itself that freezes.

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

Yikes [mention]Henn28 [/mention], spec is probably 8-11 N·m for 6mm bolt into aluminum. It's 14 into steel.

Lucky you didn't strip them out it's a common occurrence. BMW has "baseline" torque values by size of fastener and location you can Google to find that in the future if can't find the exact fastener.

From newtis I found what seems to be M8 screws with spec of 21 N·m which if you were just off on the bolt size you did a fine guess on the torque.

The X5 was feeling kinky the other day…

Attachment 81208
Attachment 81209

Note:

must’ve been like this since I bought the x. It’s always parked on an incline so I never noticed the fault until the other day when I backed in. Let’s just say the footwell makes for a nice pond.

Dry’d it out the best I can and hoping there’s no permanent water damage to the electronics. The glove box even had a puddle and we all know what’s located above the glove box. Unkinked the hoses and added zip ties to help hold them in place. That A-pillar trim is difficult to reattach properly so watch out and go slowly if anyone has to do this.

Taken it on a couple long trips since then with the heat on blast at the footwell so hopefully the carpet isn’t too waterlogged.

E53Envyy


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Finally pulled the GMIII module for repairs. It's in the mail! Hope to get it back next week! So much stuff not work.

FYI the carpet has open cell foam backing and under your feet its like 4" + thick.... please dont ask me how I know that :(
:banghead::banghead::banghead::bawling::bawling:

Wow! Well if any of my passengers get thirsty I’ll poke a hole through the carpet and give em a straw… yummy


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This happened to me as well kinked line. Came in one day and there was a puddle on the passenger side. The glove box was wet as well. I pulled the carpets so much water was trapped under which also went to the back. I did the same trick with zip ties .... I replaced the carpet with black :). Hope you will dry all the water out, the foam is thick and absorbs water like a sponge.

Yes, they are.

Tramline check and road force balancing [emoji106]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...6f6f8f0d26.jpg

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Thanks for checking…I thought they were M6, but fortunately they were M8s then according to what you saw on TIS. Just dumb luck I didn’t strip them. Thread locker is definitely my friend!

It's been a while trying to find a coolant leak which drains maybe 2L a day; despite replacing the water pump, radiator, pipes, expansion tank, gearbox oil cooler connector plate... something is still forcing the expansion tank cap to leak! There's no leak at the front of the car anymore, so I guess we gotta check through the engine at some point - although there is no vapour at the exhaust :(

Yesterday I spent two+ hours scrubbing into the corners of the rims but the front ones still have little rusty lines in the sharpest corners - I'll try a polishing bit on the Dremel for that, as I guess the laquer will already be breached.

Apart form that, all is good - starting, shifting, AC, suspension, braking all like a champ, CD changer changed (for the older style with the BMW logo as I blew up two of the Alpine changers) with subwoofer and all speakers hot - best of all I managed to pick a HU out of the dusty pile of parts in the workshop and it turned out to have a pixel-perfect screen and working illumination and volume pots :D - I'm praying that todays' passenger door lock and window lifter change will be the last for some good while!

Sounds like a leaking head gasket.

If the engine temp is normal and there is no indication of water in the oil or oil in the water you may just be chasing the weakest link. New expansion tank may be faulty or just the cap.

Greasing door handle wires did not help. Front door's where frozen again. Handle didn't even move until I heated door lock a bit. I think the problem is the old lock mechanism with old grease that freezes...

Search for Andrewwyn door lock fix or DHC fix, repair.

He has it down pat on how to keep them from freezing and many other improvements

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If the door handle won't move it's an external part of the DLA that freezes. Best way to unfreeze is internal warmth. If the window isn't stuck you can usually open the window to use the internal handle to open the door.

30-40 min. drive is usually enough to warm the DLA to defrost the outer handle but beware: it literal takes one drop of water (shown experimentally) to re-freeze the mechanism.

You can put a piece of nylon tape in the magic spot to prevent this and I always do this when I have any door apart.

Never try to force it you'll likely break the hinge on the DHC. FYI BMW thought they fixed the handle freeze problem by changing the cable on the DHC that was not the root of the problem it was the DHC outer handle lever. Find my video.

You can spray some wd-40 into the access hole in the door edge to attempt to help the situation but I can't remember if the problem is open or under plastic.

I have done this by putting a 90° bend in the red straw and aiming straight down about 1.5" into the access hole.

If you manage to pull a frozen handle up you will likely get it stuck open. The door will not latch until you melt the ice. You can do this with a hot air gun or hair dryer into the jaw of the latch but take it slow the metal there is covered in plastic and a heat gun is hot enough to melt it.

Took the door panel off, because I changed dhc. Problem was pretty obvious. Handle mechanism was dripping water... I dried it out and put some gun oil for it, so let's see if it helps.

And yes, it was -6c this morning and handle did not move at all so the mechanism was frozen. I heated it to get it work.


Guess I'm gonna revisit this with the tape method soon.

2L a day sounds like you have something else going on than a leak at the expansion tank.

Get the kit to measure exhaust gases in the coolant.

Your symptoms match a head gasket leak that is allowing exhaust gas to get into the coolant and over pressurizing the coolant systems.

No other symptoms other than loss of fluid? Have you checked for error codes?

+1

Any particular module to check?https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...5fe4b596d0.jpg

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Found out the GMIII module will take longer than expected to repair. The service tech has it on hold. Probably for parts. Should have it back by 11/22 hopefully. In the mean time, a new power steering reservoir and hoses will be installed. The battery is finally fully charged using a trickle charger.

Recoloured the new heated steering wheel. Hopefully installing in on thursday.

What did you use?

Pulled the X5 out of daily driver service to diagnose no charging status. Battery test good. No code lights only the trifrecta codes. Even the battery warning image is unlit.
Off the do some testing after the rain blows through.

Just what I need another BMW with needs...

If the alternator outputs good voltage the trifecta will auto clear if there are no other faults so pull codes for DSC and see. Often a low voltage trip will tag the steering angle sensor and it will stay offline until reset

https://www.ebay.com/itm/273798270422?
This kit, but I have used a better one... Can't find it on sale anymore though.


Got it installed and working.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/C4...ipZXsFgOg=w768
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/TE...WhqSgIFxw=w768

Any reason you couldn't pull a used one from the JY or on ebay and just recode it with PA Soft or NCS? I had to do that in the spring to get one of my side marker lamps working again.

How was that first moment of heat in your hands. I still remember the first time I pressed the button after my retrofit. AHHHHHH

By far one of the best options in a car. I have it on all of my cars.:D

"Your symptoms match a head gasket leak that is allowing exhaust gas to get into the coolant and over-pressurizing the coolant systems."


Thanks Andrew - I'm planning on getting one of those kits - this video seems to explain the test pretty well for the noobs like me - grateful for how much I'm learning from you guys!

https://youtu.be/hZPWLuTftBg


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Wife has I don't. I would definitely be ok with doing the retrofit.

On e38 it's best, because it actually gets quite warm compared to newer steering wheels.

I found the e53 got too hot, wife's new e70 is perfect I can leave it on.
I do love having it but the n63 more than heated steering what makes her car the most fun.

Today I got more driving and testing and this e83 steering wheel heats up quite nicely too.

It's been a whole week. The GMIII is still out for repairs. The repair tech says it should ship back on Monday. Since it was not too cold today, I replaced the power steering reservoir and hoses. The OEM clamps were ditched for better ones. I'll have to pressure wash it again later. It was pressure washed while the alternator was out. It needs another good underside wash. Hopefully, all the two major oil leaks are fixed. FOH and old brittle hoses.

Daylight savings is bullshit


https://i.imgur.com/80elYdT.jpg


The weather has been well into the pluses (15 celcius when I took the picture) and I've been getting some wrenching done on all kinds of vehicles but the getting dark early is a HUGE pain in the ass.

Pro tip: Don't use black sockets in the dark

I have definitely picked up Impact sockets in the morning.

Hi BCRed... sorry for the obtuse message before - you're right, I have a bunch of heat/ cooling related error codes; I finally found 'the easy way' to extract the report from INPA!! (although the temporary .txt report files were in the BIN folder, not the SVGDAT....)



================================================== ===========
Variant: D_0056 -1 Error in error memory
================================================== ==================================
Variant: ME9N62_2 7 Error in error memory
Error registration 1 : 0x2EF5: CDKETS 2EF5 - Kennfeldthermostat, Ansteuerung <<<<!!!
Error accurances: CDKETS 2EF5 - Kennfeldthermostat, Ansteuerung
Error code: 2E F5 64 - MAP THERMOSTAT ACTIVATION (SIGNAL)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Error registration 2 : 0x2EEA: CDKTKA 2EEA - Temperatursensor Kühleraustritt, Signal <<<<!!!
Error accurances: CDKTKA 2EEA - Temperatursensor Kühleraustritt, Signal
Error code: 2E EA 02 - RADIATOR OUTLET TEMPERATURE SENSOR SIGNAL

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Error registration 3 : 0x2EFE: CDKMLE 2EFE - Elektrolüfter, Ansteuerung <<<<!!!
Error accurances: CDKMLE 2EFE - Elektrolüfter, Ansteuerung
Error code: 2E FE 24 - ELECTRIC FAN CONTROL

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Error registration 4 : 0x2F71: CDKELS 2F71 - E-Box-Lüfter, Ansteuerung <<<<!!!
Error accurances: CDKELS 2F71 - E-Box-Lüfter, Ansteuerung
Error code: 2F 71 64 - E-BOX FAN CONTOL

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Error registration 5 : 0x2EF4: CDKTHS 2EF4 - Kennfeldthermostat, Mechanik <<<<!!!
Error accurances: CDKTHS 2EF4 - Kennfeldthermostat, Mechanik
Error code: 2E F4 22 - MAP THERMOSTAT MECHANISM JAMMED

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Error registration 6 : 0x29F5: CDKKAT2 29F5 - Katalysatorkonvertierung 2 <<<<!!!
Error accurances: CDKKAT2 29F5 - Katalysatorkonvertierung 2
Error code: 29 F5 E2 - CATALYTIC CONVERTER '2' EFFICIENCY

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Error registration 7 : 0x29F4: CDKKAT 29F4 - Katalysatorkonvertierung <<<<!!!
Error accurances: CDKKAT 29F4 - Katalysatorkonvertierung
Error code: 29 F4 E2 - CATALYTIC CONVERTER EFFICIENCY


I did run the German through Google Translate...

I'm ordering the CO test kit as Andrewwyn recommended - hoping it stays blue... but I noticed for maybe a year that if you accelerate hard and keep the revs up for any period of time, there is a burning oil smell briefly afterward. I'm wondering about the head gasket, unless it's just the smell of gunk under the engine getting hot :dunno:

My family car got into a bit of a fender bender. So the X will be assuming the duties of full-time family car as well as taking us on a road trip. Good thing I finally bought those snow tires last year! I will be able to put some miles on it and maybe break my all-time mileage record.



Best mileage was 22.7mpg for a full tank this summer, but that was at 75-80 mph. I am going on a road trip on rural highways with a 55mph speed limit so we will see if I can top 23mpg. Challenge accepted!

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

Which motor? I have done 23 on a round trip about 350 miles much of which was on hilly 55.

I used cruise and watched the mpg meter. Going up hills I tapped down one mph when the mpg got to about 15 then on the way down the hills I added mph every time it got above 30-40.

It is a 3.0/5spd. What is a night meter?

It's an auto correction of mpg apparently.

Have you cleared the codes and see what returns? Have you troubleshooted the thermostat and the fan control? It doesn't show any misfires or low compression faults but the coolant related faults could have caused a blown head gasket if the engine was overheated. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2q_xL2P104Y

Gotcha. The slow, rural highways are the best for MPG. It is amazing what an average speed of 60mph will do compared to 70mph with frequent slowdowns. Traffic and high speeds are two things which will suck down gas, in any car. I have been logging all of my mileage in all my cars for fifteen years straight now, and the best tanks I've had in all my cars have been on rural highway trips. I bet the X can hit 25mpg in the right conditions. Not sure if I will be able to do it though, mostly due to the huge fuel tank. It is hard to drive so economically for that many miles.

I get the best mpg at about 70-73 level highway. The 3.0 seems to have maximum efficiency about 2500 rpm in my case. On the afformentioned trip, 2/3 of the trip is 70 speed limit but also with plentiful elevation changes.

Nice video!

I cleared the error codes and this was the result with key in position 2 without starting the engine;


E R R O R M E M O R Y R E P O R T
-------------------------------------

Date: 11/19/21 10:19:00
ECU: D_EGS
JobStatus: OKAY
Variant: GS19A
-------------------------------------------------------------

>>>>>>>>>> No errors found <<<<<<<<<<
================================================== ===========
Variant: D_0056 -1 Error in error memory
================================================== ==================================
Variant: ME9N62_2 >>>>>>>>>> No error found <<<<<<<<<<<
================================================== ==================================

The temp gauge does run cool for longer than I remember, so this would suggest the thermostat is stuck open, right? And the fan would be running all the time?

Watch the temp measurement and oil temp also. Feels like could be bad temp sensor


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In progress valve stem seals, lifters, repaired vanos, spark plugs,valve cover gasket....

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/OE...Ow1x2vzrA=w768

In most circumstances that would be true of the thermostat but I think the fan would be less likely to run unless it was receiving a false signal of engine temp. Does the water temp gauge read normal at operating temp. Also clear the memory. You will have to drive it until the oil reaches operating temp and do some hard acceleration, uphill if possible. Then check for what codes return.

I changed out the thrust arms a couple months ago and the tire on the PF was worn on the outside from the bushing being cracked.

Just got new shoes on the front and had it aligned. Seems the camber on the rear is barely in spec. Not sure if new struts would be needed to get it more centered in spec or if there is an aftermarket kit available for further adjustment in the rear.

Unless the ball joints are shot or you lowered, you can get into spec. Spec ranges well into "that looks broken" however. Measure the angle with a phone app that does 1/10 degrees or take a photo from far behind car lined up directly with each tire outer edge and you can use Photoshop to measure the exact angle.

As long as toe is good it won't wear the tires. I have a few thousand miles on my new tires and with 1.6° camber they are exactly the same wear edge to edge.

The fronts are wearing a bit faster I'm going to swap front and back for a while and maybe before the snow comes swap left and right to address some asymmetrical tread block wear before it gets bad.

(The trailing edge of the blocks is wearing faster than the leading edge; I'd like to get that to wear more evenly but with asymmetric tires that's very not ok for driving in rain or snow!)

Its stock. He said the adjustment was max'd out and even looked for a camber kit but couldn't find one.

Just noticed the caster on the driver side is out of spec. Looks like caster wasn't touched on either side. I'll have to talk to him about that.



https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...59f577c3_z.jpg

It is not unusual for suspension components to wear out around the same mileage. I suspect something else is worn out and needs to be replaced before it can be aligned within specs. The shop should have been able to point out why if could not be aligned properly.

AFAIK no caster adjust on e53


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Got it done, runs silky smooth now and pulls more nicely with working vanos. Valve cover was cracked from two places, so gotta replace that soon.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/hH...mRptZ7nxg=w768
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/be...bpNT6KSLw=w768

Timing was little off...
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-L...IXQ4hdm_Q=w768

The water temp gauge never seems to move - it's always at 'normal'; the engine oil temp is taking longer to reach operating temperature from a cold start, and always shows just less than 100C

Last night I cleared the codes and this is what I got by the time I reached home after work today;

Variant: ME9N62_2 5 Error in error memory
Error registration 1 : 0x2EF5: CDKETS 2EF5 - Kennfeldthermostat, Ansteuerung <<<<!!!
Error accurances: CDKETS 2EF5 - Kennfeldthermostat, Ansteuerung
Error code: 2E F5 64

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Error registration 2 : 0x2F71: CDKELS 2F71 - E-Box-Lüfter, Ansteuerung <<<<!!!
Error accurances: CDKELS 2F71 - E-Box-Lüfter, Ansteuerung
Error code: 2F 71 62

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Error registration 3 : 0x2EF4: CDKTHS 2EF4 - Kennfeldthermostat, Mechanik <<<<!!!
Error accurances: CDKTHS 2EF4 - Kennfeldthermostat, Mechanik
Error code: 2E F4 42

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

so, less than before; minus the fan control error, but still getting errors from the thermostat.

There was a small leak of water when it has been standing in the garage for a few hours - there was a puddle located beneath the expansion tank side, but the tank didn't appear to be wet... again a damp smell when I started it up.

Looks like at least part of the problem is the thermostat. I suggest removing the expansion tank cap. Have someone cold start the engine. If thermostat is stuck open fluid should start circulating right away.

Could you tell where the water came from? You use water in cooling system?

I'll let my daughter start it tomorrow morning - today she noticed there was some vapour from the exhaust on startup, so I guess the lid's gotta come off the engine ASAP...

Funnily enough, I couldn't find the drip under the car at all - something very transient that just dried up to the touch after a few hours. I'm putting regular tap water in for now as it's still leaking, but will go to distilled when it's all sealed. There was a fair bit of limescale behind the water pump when it came off in September!

:iagree:


I found 2500 RPM to be the magic number also. One trip from San Antonio to Arlington yielded 26mpg. It was about 65 degrees F so no A/C was needed, and I had a slight tailwind of about 8mph. I typically observed 22-23 mpg as long as I kept speed below 75mph on other trips.

Good to see you back around Steve! :thumbup:

On my 500 dollar baller ride I just replaced every cooling related component there was to replace.

Also all the tensioners, idler pulley and replaced plastic PS pump pulley with aluminum one.

Also replaced plastic transfer case motor gear with a brass one.

Also new thermal oil level sensor.

Next up...
Tranny flush and fill
Diff flush and fill
Outer CV boots
Rewire inside of the facking headlights......cause biodegradable effing insulation

I threw on the JY 4.6is calipers this weekend along with new stainless lines. Went with BrakeMotive pads/calipers. They shipped direct from PowerStop with branded z17 pads. I assume the rotors are PowerStop too. Hope I don't regret drilled/slotted. I did last time I used them ~15yrs ago.

I'm curious if anyone with a 4.6/4.8 has ever used a spare from a Land Rover 322?
They're 19"with the same bolt pattern/hub bore and much more available than the BMW donut spare.

My 340,000 miles of E53 history have to be worth something! And I'm pleased to report my father got hooked on the F15 after riding in mine so he just joined the BMW family with a 2017. You just can't beat the X5 for size, performance, safety and fun.

I want to know the same answer. Looking for a spare for wife's e70

I still officially owe you a case of beer (or favorite equivalent). You saved my sanity with the rusty water filled transmission connector!

Just as I ordered lot's cooling stuff coolant reservoir started to leak. Well, that one I already got new, so guess I'll have replace it today and do the rest later when they arrive.

And now back to news on my (previously) crack(ed).... OBD2 block [emoji28]

Just had my OBD2 b/t shit the bed and start sending junk data to my Torque Pro [emoji849]
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...231472bd20.jpg

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I think the e70 would be an issue since it has a 1.5mm larger hub bore. LR stuck with the 72.6mm e53 hub bore size through present

The best deal I've found on an E70 spare is this combo. You'd have to install the tire yourself, but under $200 for a new and fresh spare...

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-...e/36116768861/

https://www.discounttiredirect.com/b...spare/p/104184

AM.

Thanks that’s exactly what I was looking for


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Someone fixed coolant reservoir in the past. :D


https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/h8...3UKMl6vIA=w768

What a joke. I hate people that do shit like that. :(

Is that a bumper sticker?!


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Looks like someone cut open and flattened a beer can.

Beer can's for sure. :D it snowed last night so it's been dsc off and 4x4 fun.:nanana:

Got the JY 4.6 cluster back from having the memory replaced by Fixels. Also had the yellow leds swapped for white. Paul is supposed to have a DME flash that gets the warm up and oil temp lights working

https://i.imgur.com/Xu7JrRs.jpeg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_A...jPKd5ZwJw=w768


Got something from the mail.

Android 10.25 unit? If so, which one did you go with? Do you have DSP?

Pure ebay find. 8-core, 4g, 64gb unit. No I don't have DSP. I have sub box that fit hidden in the trunk, all I need is sub and amp that I will get from my friend soon.


I wanted to give it a change so we will see how it works. Currently my right side front speakers don't work so it's one thing I wanna see if this one fix.

That's a slightly newer version (though same hardware specs) of the unit I am running. Has been pretty solid over the last couple of years. But only recently started using it for audio signal to full aftermarket setup. The RCA output voltage sucks (<2v). Went with speaker level outputs instead.

Txyaloo,

Are you saying you had the cluster reprogrammed to work with your current mileage on your X?


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Installed android unit, but someone has been messing around with radio wiring and forgot my soldering tools at home (as I was installing radio at work), so I will have to fix wiring first so did not fully mount it yet. Unit seems to work nicely and quite fast too.

Coded the GM module today.
 

Finally got around to coding a few things in the replacement GM, plenty frustrating as my desktop PC is completely unable to access these modules on the e53. My laptop was giving me some trouble but eventually got it to work. (My E70 used to be a breeze, connected easily to either, not sure why the e53 is so much more finicky.)

Coded the GM to unlock all doors with one push of the remote. Some time back I messed up my GM in a low voltage incident and decided to get another one rather than try to reset at the dealer (it reverted to transport mode....) The replacement module had the selective door unlocking enabled which was starting to bother us. There are 5 settings, one for each key plus a general one.

Also coded the GM to allow window auto up/down function to work when door is open and open/close windows with the key remote.

Lastly, with some trepidation, coded the LCM. Some have had some trouble after coding their LCM but all I wanted was the Fog Lights to come on with the High Beams. It is a bit scary as after the coding completes, the trifecta is on, all the settings on the nav screen revert to factory. But resetting all of these was no trouble.

It is too cold today to be in the garage and installing new brake pads and mounting the winter tires will have to wait for slightly better temps.

Intake
 

Assembled the intake for my 4.6 motor finally. Details and pic on the Overland thread.

Yes- I sent it off to Fixels. He replaces the rom chip on the cluster that sets it back to a "virgin" state. Once you plug it in, it syncs the vin and mileage from the DME and LCM. He also has a DME flash that enables the warm up lights and oil temp. The cluster had 165k on it before I sent it off.

He does great work. I've got a pristine late model E53 cluster in my 2002 4.4i with everything working. He even swapped the DSC/traction control warning light for the proper 4.4 display.

Towed it home to Louisiana from Virginia over the weekend... dang thing left me stranded again so I had to fly home, get my truck and make a 2300 mile round trip to get it home. I swear, I'm going to make a successful road trip in this 4.8is one day!

I haven't diagnosed it yet but I think a bearing went out on the front differential. Makes an awful noise when I'm rolling unless I'm accelerating and gear oil is leaking from the diff. I was cruising along at 60 mph when I heard/felt a pop and then noticed the obnoxious noise.

https://i.imgur.com/QRdHpFA.jpg?1

Finally, after oh lets just call it 10 months I resolved my crazy timing issue. The issue was me, more specifically me putting it in the wrong hole, it being the TDC lock pin. I devoted all day yesterday to getting it put back together and buttoned up. This week taking her in to get an alignment since I refreshed the front suspension while she was down, getting a state inspection, and getting the registration re-upped. Then back to getting 12mpg daily.

Took out my JL 1000/1 v1 from Red. Had a problem with major noise introduction whenever the left RCA input was connected. Found someone had been in there before and goobered up a "repair."

https://www.caraudiojunkies.com/atta...1&d=1638080305

https://www.caraudiojunkies.com/atta...8&d=1638080261

https://www.caraudiojunkies.com/atta...0&d=1638080305

https://www.caraudiojunkies.com/atta...7&d=1638080261

https://www.caraudiojunkies.com/atta...3&d=1638080319

Looks like the solder blob they added on top was being contacted by the center pin after they twisted an RCA upon insertion/removal. Quality work. :rolleyes: Will repair this today.

And made a few garage upgrades over the last month. Added a Harbor Freight upper cabinet. Been trying to add another one but apparently the supply shortages have kept these things in the Pacific. I grabbed the last one from a store a distance from me because the closer ones were out. On the wall I mounted my power supply for coding, programming, testing, etc. Got tired of it sitting on the work bench and the cable is plenty long to reach most areas of the garage so I made a mount for it. Used some audio box carpet to dress it up before throwing it on the wall.

Attachment 81303

Attachment 81304

Attachment 81305

I'll be 40 next month and am tired of pushing vehicles up a sloped driveway to get to the garage. So I added a winch, naturally. Went with a 12v because they are substantially cheaper for more pulling power vs 120v. This setup works awesome and had no problem pulling the E70 up the driveway. I need to add another set of anchors in the front of the garage so we don't have to push at all, but for now this will work.

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Those are the anchors/bolts I ordered off Amazon. Also pictured the N52 timing tool set that I need to repair the commonly broken 4 front head bolt problem on my wagon. It's puking oil out of the front after warming up. :rolleyes:

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Made a plate to mount the setup on. I wanted a nice chunk of steel, but holy crap are those expensive. Ended up sandwiching some quality ply between 1/16" (maybe 1/8"?) steel plates. Works fine.

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I'm going to mount all of this on wall next to the garage door in the future. Only having the power leads for the motor coming down. This should help the range of the wireless remotes too (nice feature to have). But for now...

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That battery is an old dead POS (keep it as a core) so had to use the power supply that's mounted on the wall to supply 14v to use the winch. I have another battery that will be better suited to this purpose. Will need to load test it, but it seems to hold voltage after sitting on the shelf.

I ended up with 22.8mpg for the first half of the trip. Only slightly better than my previous best tank. I haven't filled up for the return trip but since that included 4,000 ft of elevation climb, I doubt it will be any better.

I think part of it is that 5th gear in the 5-speed is shorter than top gear in the automatic. Probably doesn't help highway cruising. My car is at about 3,000 rpm at 65mph.

I also found out that all the local body shops are probably not going to get my family car fixed until next year, which means my X is going to be seeing full-time family hauling duty for a while, as well as a 1,000+ mile road trip. And I am going to be putting a lot of miles on my bike.