Good stuff, Crystalworks!

Love the lower DRLs on the E70. Sweet. :thumbup:

Been trying to figure out what is drawing battery on the e65... It is going to be nightmare to find.:rolleyes:

Thank you sir. Still trying to locate another cabinet to throw on the wall... :rolleyes:

Thanks OB. Unfortunately they look better than they are built. This is the second set and you can tell there is a dim/blown LED on the driver's side. Will have to order another set before I sell the truck. That is, if I ever get a stupid ICOM to be able to reprogram the DDE so it will start again. The E70 was the "inspiration" for the winch...

Pull one fuse at a time and check drain on multimeter. Be sure it is in sleep mode. If you have recently done any work on it check your work first.

Do you mean check drain by using an amp clamp on the main battery wire, or do you mean pulling the fuse and putting the multimeter leads in place of the fuse? Just curious, I'm sure I will never have to chase parasitic battery draw on my 20-y/o german car.

E65 power module had a code that even after both front and rear fuse box has been cut off the circuit by it, bus remain active. I had a spare power module and swapped it last night and still had 12,8v today evening on the battery so we will see. But gotta check drain with multimeter soon, if it still continues.

I shed a tear over the new 4.6 harmonic balancer that showed up with a hairline crack in the lip of the outer pulley. I didn’t notice it until I put a light on the motor so I could start torquing all the parts and accessories I’ve been sticking on it. Oddly the box didn’t look overly smashed, for something that came from Germany. But clearly it had been dropped, or otherwise smashed into.

I had hung the thing on the motor a couple weeks ago and was expecting a hassle, but to their great credit GetBMWparts.com ordered a new one, no questions asked.

I bit the bullet and ordered a bunch of parts for the X:


All the power steering hoses ($$$) which are leaking

Oil filter housing gasket and VANOS oil line, also leaking

Spark plugs and oil filter

German Auto Solutions DISA repair/upgrade kit


I say this a lot but we were hoping to get four years of reliable use out of this old BMW. We are 5.5 years in now, and I like this car a lot more than I thought I would. So we are committing to keep it running well for a bit longer. Our family car got into a fender bender a few weeks ago, so we are going to take this on a 1,000 mile road trip for the holiday as well.



Anyone have any specific experience with the GAS DISA repair kit? It seems like a good product/upgrade.

I did the DISA upgrade. Happy I did. Much better than the original crap BMW used. Great idea to use a stud that can come loose and get sucked into the engine and destroy it BMW. :(

Should pick up 1 coil for the trip. Easy to replace if you need to and having one on hand will prevent the uber price markup having to buy local to wherever you are.

I've still got my eye out for a manual (5 or 6spd) x5 that needs saving. Think it could be a very fun experience.

That's a great idea crystalworks. I have been trying to decide whether to replace them all or wait, but that's probably a good stopgap measure. They are still original, I think. (Only 118k miles)


I think it has a really good clutch and transmission. It drives very much like a tall car, and the engine, clutch, and transmission work well together. I bought it because it was the least truck-like vehicle that could tow my trailer, and while it is not a hot rod or even a sportscar by any means, it's fun to putt around in, and tows very well. I almost bought a $1500 broke-down 4.8iS last year to steal all of the fancy interior goodies from too. That one still stings, if it wasn't right when COVID started, I would have got it.

Should the webasto water pump/aux water pump also work as actual aux water pump while car is running and not only with webasto? I have coded IHKA aux water pump enabled, but pump only runs with webasto.


It gets quite cold in Finland, so would be nice to have it running controlled also by ihka. One time I had aux water fault code and I bought new one and changed it but I kinda thought it can't be broken since webasto has been working.

I think the aux water pump should run all the time on the 30i models but someone with a 30i car might have more info. - Andrew?

Yeah, might be ihka panel related issue... Those did not look too cheap on ebay.

Fantastic. However mine needed a little bit of filling to fit perfectly.

I just repaired wife's with 16¢ worth of parts on hand so I would look at that thread first

Pretty much continuous unless there is no call for heat. If the temp is set all the way to the bottom end, 60 degrees on our US models I think, it shuts off. Otherwise it runs all the time.

Unless 2000.5 model like wife's old X5. It would turn on and off.

once again, working on my projects in secret
 

I received my GAS DISA Repair Kit in the mail this week, but haven't used it yet. Furthermore, I've still not removed the DISA valve from my X5 yet; I'm hoping for two things:

• 1) the DISA on my X5 is a factory OEM BMW valve, not an aftermarket copy, and
• 2) the steel pin is still in place, and hasn't fallen into the intake manifold.

Why haven't I checked it yet?

• 1) I've got one car down (for 9 months, so far) for repairs (waiting for my back to let me crawl under it, again),
• 2) had to make minor repairs on another, prior to inspection this week,
• 3) had to assist my wife with projects that had to be done ASAP (she's trying to compensate for the passing of her father, recently), and
• 4) preparing, in secret, my repairs for the X5 (not permitted to find/fix the P0171, P0174, P0313 codes until the first car is done).

She left for the weekend to babysit dogs for a highschool chum (actually gets money to do so), so I am completing my home-made smoke device, to find the vacuum leaks

• 1) sauerkraut jar,
• 2) two tire valves,
• 3) siphon pump,
• 4) tiki-torch wick,
• 5) silicone tubing,
• 6) mineral oil, and
• 7) a soldering iron

Attachment 81322

It makes smoke, but kind of wispy, so I probably need to add glycerine for thicker smoke. A larger jar and a better heat source would be of benefit, too, but this was all I had on hand.

I'll be pulling off the DISA tomorrow, to see if it's genuine. If not, I'll have to buy a used BMW DISA on E-bay (in secret); I'd never willingly install a DISA without the GAS kit, after reading of the pin falling out.

I wonder if the S536 option rules it out somehow, or thenmy ihka panel is shot.

pulled my DISA, after a month of procrastination
 

I finally pulled the Disa valve, without smoke-testing it first, since my smoke machine is still under construction (sealing two leaks with epoxy). It's been almost a month since I parked the X5 with three recurring codes
https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...-codes-me.html

I just pulled the DISA as the sun was setting, and plugged the hole with a towel, having wasted the day fixing the garage side-door (to be able to use it again, after sealing it shut 15 years back; new threshold, locks). I was surprised how easily it came out, practically zero resistance while pulling. I would say that surely the flattened O-ring was leaking, but I haven't finished my smoke machine to verify that.https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...s-codes-4.html

I was glad to see that the steel pin was intact, that the valve still worked when tested, and that the BMW logo and part number were on the housing, so I can install the GAS repair kit (and not worry about the DISA again). I'll fix the DISA and re-install it tomorrow!
Attachment 81329

P.S. I decided to overhaul the DISA after I posted earlier. It took me just short of two hours, since I had to find tools in my home computer/activity room (sorta mixed-up between projects) without going out to the X5, or my truck, where most of my proper tools are). Getting the old O-ring out and the groove cleaned-up took the longest time; I made some micro-grooves in the slot, but I used a lot of Superlube grease to try to compensate.

New driving lights (nice color)
New lower water pump hose.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...e1d4e47520.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...9793aba36b.jpg

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Looking at the wds, it sure looks like with s536 aux water pump is only wired to webasto. Gotta look more in to it, since wds doesn't tell pin number or wire color behind ac panel.

The water pump is controlled by Webasto but it works as auxiliary water pump if IHKA is activated and there is temp demand (pump controlled by K-bus command from IHKA even if Webasto itself is not started). If you check the live status on Webasto with for example INPA you should see this.

Wds shows that without webasto pump is controlled from pin 9 blue 26pin connector from ihka. With webasto, wire goes only from webasto to the pump...:confused:

Or does it needed to be coded as aux heater to this work? (But even that really doesn't resolve what i'm after) :D
But even when I set ihka temp to 32c, pump isn't running, until I start webasto.

I already forgot you are talking about 3.0i, not the typical 3.0d with mandatory Webasto. If there is a separate voltage supply wire from Webasto to aux water pump (this can be clearly seen on Webasto wiring Pin 1), it must be controlled by Webasto and bus signal from IHKA. If the voltage comes directly from IHKA then it must be coded as active on IHKA.

Yea, just was thinking this. So I will try to code aux water pump not enabled from ihka.

Changing the alternator bracket gasket, and it’s a mofo’ing beach!! Not fun!


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Isn't it wonderful? :) I think I could do it again much quicker, but that first time was a pain. And it doesn't help that everything is covered in oil/dirt while you're working down there.

And another member joins the Mickey Mouse (gasket) Club.

*Do not recommend
TripAdvisor [emoji1787]

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Added bonus; what the hell is the point of that gasket? It goes nowhere.

Because German! Ve love to over-complicate things!

Welcome to the club! :rofl:
Make two long studs to align it to put it back on. Saves time. Since the battery is disconnected, with the oil bracket on, pressure wash the entire area. I cleaned off so much gunk off mine. Grab a mechanic mirror with a light on it. Harbor Freight has them. Check the bracket seal all the way around.

I went through about 4 cans of brake cleaner on mine haha. Pressure washing inside my garage would have been some kind of messy!

Water cooled alternator or oil leak from the alternator bracket. Hmm, kick in junk or punch in the lips. Take your pick.

I finally started my motor swap today. I’ll update the overland thread with some pics as I go along.

Today was a half day devoted to prep. I pulled the cowl, drained the fluids (other then the front diff), labeled and detached lots of plugs and vacuum tubes, pulled the intake track entirely, pulled the splash guard and other subframe covers and dropped the middle exhaust section (headers back).

Things went smoothly other than one of the copper header nuts decided to strip. 45 min of surgery with a sawsall paid off and I was able to pound the stud back through/pry off the nut remnants.

Lots of broken and/or very fragile vacuum tubes to sort out and the need for a giant hex bit (22 mm maybe?) to pull the front diff drain plug were my lessons learned for today.

Tons of oil all over the bottom end. I suspect the oil pan covers and the rear main for starters. I also think the front diff is leaking from the casing, but can’t find a gasket on realoem for it. Anyone done this work?

In our X5s? Nothing. But some iterations of the N62 have an oil cooler coming off the alternator bracket I guess. I don't know which chassis utilize that, but that's why the gasket it there. :rolleyes:

I am still "looking forward" to having to do this gasket in the future. I was going to knock it out when I did my motor mounts. I took a look at what was involved and said, nope, hard pass. Kicked the can down the road...

Per realoem, it looks like the 4.4i is set up the same as my 4.8is with the oil cooler thermostat exiting out of the alternator bracket. I had to replace that dang thing because the threads for the oil cooler line mounting bracket were stripped :(

https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sho...diagId=11_3338

Oh, well duh. There you go. At least I feel better about it being there. I guess. :bustingup

Maybe. MAYBE. I mean, why not just put that oil cooler connection directly into the block and cast an alternator mount in the block as well to eliminate the stupid bracket? Lol. But then that wouldn't create oil leaks and cause people to come into the service department and pay thousands to fix!

It's nuts to combine the oil cooler with alt bracket. Makes me wonder if there isn't a faster fix. Possibly loosen the thing enough to put a metal plate with rubber face that can go in from the side without having to remove the whole thing. It's a disaster of a job. Glad I have m54. OFHG is our version but it's 10% the effort


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It's fixed! Which is good, because the wife made it abundantly clear I would not be buying another amp to replace it in the near future.

I could not find a suitable RCA terminal to replace this one so had to repair. Below I'll give more detail than anyone will probably care about... but I have some time on my hands so here we go.

https://www.caraudiojunkies.com/atta...9&d=1638982907

https://www.caraudiojunkies.com/atta...0&d=1638982907

First steps above were to extract the terminal + signal center barrel. The heat gun and some needle nose made quick work of that. Then I had to use drill bits to extract the plastic that usually holds the center barrel in place inside the terminal. The way these are made, as it seems to me, is that the + signal center barrel is melted into the plastic that keeps it centered inside the RCA jack. The center barrels have "teeth" or "grabbers" that get formed into the plastic which holds it in place. That assembly is then inserted into the jack and the front of the jack is rolled inwards to clamp the plastic in place. There is a step to the RCA jack (you can see it in the second picture) that provides a stop to the assembly when inserted and clamped. The clamping prevents the plastic inside from twisting/rolling in the jack when an RCA is inserted or removed. The problem jack on this amp had broken free of that clamping and was allowing the inner assembly to rotate. That then shorted the center + on the blob of solder that the original "repairman" had placed to hold the ground barrel in place on the cage that gets soldered to the board. He had done a rather sloppy job of that, but it should have been functional had the inner signal barrel not been allowed to turn/rotate.

https://www.caraudiojunkies.com/atta...1&d=1638982907

https://www.caraudiojunkies.com/atta...2&d=1638983761

The next step was to find a suitable replacement for the center plastic that holds the center + barrel in place. Not wanting to make a mold and pour my own, because time and effort involved were way too high an investment to make, I grabbed my Harbor Freight kit of O-rings. Found a suitably sized O-ring and determined 4 of the #4 rings in the kit were almost perfect approximations for the inner/outer diameter and the depth required. Almost too good to be true really.

https://www.caraudiojunkies.com/atta...3&d=1638984071

Next I needed to lock the assembly in place inside the outer barrel of the jack, as it was supposed to be originally. I mixed up some potting epoxy and let it sit for 10 minutes so it wouldn't run so easily when inserted into the barrel. I removed the o-ring/inner contact assembly and coated the inner barrel before the step with the epoxy. Then, inserted the assembly into the barrel and put some additional epoxy in the back to support the center pin and prevent any possibly future shorting/touching of the outer jacket of the RCA.

https://www.caraudiojunkies.com/atta...4&d=1638984071

https://www.caraudiojunkies.com/atta...5&d=1638984071

Next, went and installed the cured RCA jack onto the board after curing for 24 hours. I know the solder job looks a bit dodgy but those pads are so large I could not get solder to stay in place. It kept running down through the circuit board. So I got it as good as I could up top and made sure the solder job underneath was better in terms of full coverage. Which I was able to do, and it all tested out great with an RCA plugged into the jack when using a multimeter. You can see I also had to "mount" the RCA jack to the ground cage by using solder as the original guy did. That's because these jacks are originally held to the cage by use of some folded metal over the cage. My jack had none of that and so required a solder mount. Hopefully it's a little cleaner job than the first guy left...

https://www.caraudiojunkies.com/atta...7&d=1638984796

https://www.caraudiojunkies.com/atta...6&d=1638984796

https://www.caraudiojunkies.com/atta...8&d=1638984796

Lastly, I reassembled the amp. Put some new heat sink paste on. Ordered some new white silicon paste instead of using my computer paste as the silicon stuff seems to last basically forever. And I don't see computer thermal paste making a big temperature difference anyway. Reinstalled the amplifier and crossed my fingers. No more interference screeching and noise. Success! Victory is mine! Externally, except for losing a tiny piece of the rolled end on the jack, you can't even tell there was a repair. The O-ring does an amazing job of approximating the black inner plastic visually.

[mention]crystalworks [/mention] awesome job love to see the rare actual fix vs. replace!


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X5 passed the Texas safety/emissions test. I've not even tuned it yet! One full year of ownership coming up. The new 255/60R17 NEXEN Roadian HP tires arrive tomorrow. Installation on Sat.

Motor swap progress
 

Updates with Pics on the Overland thread. Cliff notes are: last two days spent finishing the breakdown of the oil soaked and tired 4.4 in my X5. I'm spending time while I wait for an open bay at the garage I'm a member of (on the lift currrently) swapping parts, brackets, etc. to the new motor, after a good cleaning. I've never seen a dirtier motor in my life ... layers of oil gook measured in MM in places. The stiffener plate hides all manners of evil! Out of sight out of mind I suppose.

I'll reposition it tomorrow into a spot where I can put it on jack stands which will allow me to pull the axels and then the motor. Short story is that the lift is shared so I decided to use the time I had breaking the 4.4 down completely and pull it out of the top, without the transmission, when the lift was needed by other members. Its ready to go, including unbolting the flywheel from the torque converter and pulling the wiring harness, starter, every hose and fluid line, etc.

My plan is to try to pull the axles, bearing carriers and diff/left axle support as single units since they are just going to get bolted on to the new motor. No sense asking for trouble by pulling the axles out of the hubs and the carrier and diff if I don't need to. Fingers crossed.

Use "Oil Eater" and you'll have to throw dirt on it to say it's not new.

Be careful as it dissolves asphalt too...

Nontoxic and biodegradable.

Keep off aluminum when HOT and off glass always.

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I see you talk about this stuff from time to time. I'm going to have to give it a try one of these days. It's available on Amazon so easy to get. Do you use it full strength or dilute it?

I used it full strength and have completely degreased an excavator that we were using on a radiation remediation job and it ate ALL the old grease. I've also used it to take 25+ years of oil stains from the concrete driveway at the house.

NOT KIDDING about it eating asphalt, it left loose gravel in the spot I had spill from a loose spray bottle neck. [emoji2958]

It only stains HOT aluminum and streaks the hell out of glass (don't ask)

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https://youtu.be/TpTRpP0wPro


Dallas TX

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Thanks for the tipper. My new motor is clean enough to eat off of, but I'll order some Oil Eater when I eventually dig into building a M60B44 from my old 4.4.

[emoji106]

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So yesterday's adventure in the White Witch Chronicles....[emoji25]

Came out to go to work and had a black eye (L. Headlight) so, yeah it's 0400 and I'm not "feeling" it for anything but a cursory check.

Coming home I start hearing a flexing noise while driving, and guess what that Witch had done.... killed another F'ing ball joint.

So today was ball joint replacement and new socket on the headlight due to an arc killing the previous one.

On the plus side I got the wife her Christmas present and got it wrapped, she'll be so surprised!![emoji1787]



I am planning on new fluid and filter change for the transmission anytime after Christmas as I'm sure the wife won't be bothering me for awhile.....[emoji57]
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...013a359261.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...b331cefd96.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...bbf365d050.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...701b2ff9ac.jpg

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Changed brand new valve cover. Old one was cracked.

You sure like living dangerously don't you? :rofl:

I was gonna say the same thing! The man is treading on dangerous ground...



I changed my plugs yesterday, and checked my coils -- they have a 2005 build date. I went through my maintenance log from the PO and they were replaced under warranty at that time. Instead of replacing all of them, I ordered a brand new one from FCP Euro to keep in the car should one end up failing. I think this was a recommendation from crystalworks, and a very good one.



Then my better half called to tell me that she listened to the radio for an hour and the car wouldn't start. Sounds like she killed the battery. It is about four years old and has been drained several times. So I am going to head out and get a new one tonight. I was probably pushing it at that age anyways. This car will be seeing road-trip duty for the holidays, and will be the primary family car until our Mazda is fixed (fender bender) so it'll be money well spent.



I also received all of the new power steering hoses (every one) as well as an OFHG and the GAS DISA valve rebuild kit. I will be starting on that project on Saturday.



We also got our first real snow this weekend, which made me happy that I invested in a set of Blizzaks last year. Winter is coming late but we should be getting even more this week.

When I had a coil go south on me a few years ago I said screw it and replaced them all. I figured at nearly 200,000 miles if one was croaking, the rest wouldn't be far behind.

That's my opinion too, but rather than shelling out a few hundred for all six, I am just going to carry one around in case one fails, so I don't get stranded, and then replace all the rest of them later.

The spare one idea Is good. Similarly for fuel pump.

That's a good plan too. :thumbup:

I ended up with a nice Interstate AGM H7 battery from Costco for $176. Anyone else use AGM? I haven't had one in a long time but I had a good experience many years ago.

I never have used an AGM battery in any of my daily drivers or my backups, but I have used one in my old restomod '69 C-10, then another in my '66 Chevelle ( while it was still streetable, before having to use dual batteries with the big block drag race engines). I also tried a Gel battery, but fried it recharging between rounds.

I found that STD lead acid batteries were better when no alternator was used, and dual batteries were quik-charged several times a race day.

But, currently I've been using an Optima Yellowtop AGM in my home-built trailer for 12v power off grid since 2012. I charge it constantly whenever at home in the garage, or when camping at state parks, using a desulfating maintainer. Good battery.

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

That sounds like nearly identical to the Duracell I got for my car. Nearly identical price good job.

AGM puts up with bumps and jolts much better and I'm a little rough how I drive.

I use AGMs in my Yamaha watercraft with the 1.8L engine, and found Odyssey brand to be the best, usually lasting 4 years. I tried Duracell's one time and barely got two years out of it. It didn't have as much reserve as the Odyssey and when it failed, it was within 3 start cycles.

I have had an aFe intake for about two years, and have blown out the filter a few times with compressed air, but it's about time to get a new one. Anyone have any preference on a cone filter or should I just buy another one from aFe?



https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001ABOZUY



I bet it's rough when you only drive on wet leaves or oil slicks all the time!

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

It's more the full off road on quad tracks and driving over curbs but nice call back even if "missed by a mile" from reality. Those same oily roads however often have rim bending potholes and that definitely counts as rough driving. I have had to replace more than one rim after a chiraq pothole incident.

I have gotten airborne more than once. E53 is a very fun car to drive where there are no roads.

(Meausured 37° down and 15° list at one point on the ATV trail). The biggest problem with taking steep obstacles is either hitting the bumpers when the initial attack is over about 23° (bent the crap out of my license plate forgetting it hangs below my back rack) or far more common: lift a front wheel off the ground when coming over a steep ridge.

So not oily, definitely rough. I've been on three wheels many times. Most will group that into "rough"

Oh: the wet leaf tires work amazing well on wet grass over sand base where all season will dig an instant rut.

Out with the old…
 

Quick update - on my 6th day of this motor swap. My first one so the curve is pretty steep. I guess the good news is that the next time I swap a motor into a 2002 e53 i will be quite a bit faster.

Last Thursday, Friday and today (Monday) we’re spent finishing the prep work on the old motor, pulling the axles with the steering knuckles, hooking up the hoist, supporting and disconnecting the tranny , and finally pulling the motor out of the top. Initially I used a motor hoist but it ran out of throw with the lower oil pan still in the car. I could have lowered the car off the jackstands, but the shop has a forklift which did the trick. Hooked that mister up to the leveling bar, took the weight and disconnected the hoist. A few bolts on the tranny were a real challenge, especially the ones with nuts on them at the UK starter flange. Awful to get to. Having the intake and cowl off allowed for easier top access to the upper tranny bolts. I did have to remove the diff as well because it wouldn’t clear the power steering rack where it connects to the steering shaft.

Today was spent pulling the mounting brackets, compressor lots of wiring and hose brackets, headers, flywheel and installing all the above after a really flood clean. A little logistics shuffle with the forklift, hoist, and engine stand and its ready to go in tomorrow. I expect lots of BMW drama however.

Second crank pulley didn’t make it past the vendor as it apparently showed up damaged too from Germany. Motor will go in without it.

Pics when I have some more time.

Me:
What do you mean?[emoji848]

Her job is cooking, cleaning and taking care of the kids.[emoji28]

She even sa....[emoji856][emoji879]

Her: free BMW and rolled up carpet![emoji1787]



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I went hunting*

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...7e79e84a2b.jpg


https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...623ee16c47.jpg

More accurately deer played chicken with me.

Turns out 6000 ≥ 95. Poor deer.

I have a rule though; you dent my car I get to eat you. Last time was about 1997 in my Z28 Camaro.

This one caused a bit more damage. Will be fun accessing that tomorrow.

Been there, done that.
Although it was 2 different rental cars and the "covers everything" insurance was the cheapest deer tag I ever had. [emoji2958]

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My comprehensive has $0 deductible. I could come out ok.


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The damage looks significant. I wouldn't be surprised if the insurance company claims it a total. I see a hood, fender, bumper and xenon headlight. Our cars just don't have any real value anymore.

Aftermarket headlights $220 a pair.

I don't require good as new fix so we will see. I'll have the adjuster figure out what parts are damaged. Body cleared the bumper the damage is to the frame around the radiator and the hood mostly. Didn't see any fender damage.

Deer was running so fast it just appeared as if teleported. It came out of non illuminated into headlights maybe 2' in front of me I was going maybe 35 she was going maybe 20.

Momentum carried her about 25' into a driveway across the street.

ouch :( Guess you have some venison for chrismas :D

started doing some work about 17 days ago. started out as just a cooling system refresh because my thermostat was stuck open with a CEL for thermostat. had been driving like that all summer putting it off.

then i noticed more and more wrong as i tore into things. axle boots ripped on both sides, engine mounts bad and decided i also wanted to install the factory air suspension back.

so i ended up just having an FCP euro shopping spree

- cooling system: radiator, water pump, all hoses, expansion tank, both temp sensors
- both motor mounts
- passenger side outer CV axle boot replacement
- complete driver side axle replace
- reinstalled air suspension system: air lines, air pump, air accumulator and wiring harness
- new front and rear arnott air bags sport air springs
- 4 new level sensors
- lemforder front Suspension kit - full tie rods, thrust arms, control arms, ball joints, sway bar end links
- lemforder rear suspension kit - lower carrier ball joints, upper control arms, toe arms, sway bar end links, integral links

im so tired, 16 days of working on this on and off (life gets in the way as always) and i still have to do other things for oil leaks etc.... but it feels great go get so much knocked off the list.

i love this X5, its our family car we all love it.


https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...1c37053111.jpg

You're lucky you live in a state that lets you keep your road kill. In California it's illegal to take a deer you hit. So, some freeways here have lots of deer carcasses on the shoulder. Total waste of food.

That'll wake you up!. The hood looks like it can be pulled back into shape.

Holy smokes man, that sounds like 16 days of work too! Great to see when people reinvest in these old cars though, you probably just ensured that you will keep that car on the road for another 10 years.

:iagree:

:iagree: x2

Nice work. I've been working on everything but my X5 lately. Hah, maybe I should count my blessings. *knocks on wood*

What's the reasoning behind that law? They trying to curb that "zombie deer" thing from spreading to humans I've heard about?

Duuude.....[emoji54]

You know better than to say that!![emoji28]

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Post from CW about something going wrong with Red in 3, 2, 1....[emoji1787]

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:rofl::rofl::rofl:

I have a solution to that. She's under cover and hasn't been driven in a week while I rebuild my Dad's F10 front suspension. I find they behave very nicely if you never drive them. :D *still knocks on wood just in case*

* Just NOT the wood trim in your BMW. [emoji1787]

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Very minor bend at the nose.

I haven't started looking into what would need to be replaced yet.

The frame for the radiator was pushed back far enough to damage the coolant reservoir. Hood latch still works.

I may have had some fortuitous luck with the fact I had my mechanical fan off so it didn't fit the condenser/radiator!

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

Law changed a couple years ago.

https://thecounter.org/california-le...ting-roadkill/

Download an app resister your roadkill in California now.

Just ordered a tail light gasket (left, FCP has it on clearance) and FSR porcupine for Red. Last time I took a trip to Houston the IHKA went dead for 30 minutes, full blower, and full heat came on. Fun stuff. Hasn't done it since... but I want the part on hand anyway.

[mention]crystalworks [/mention] [mention]EODguy [/mention]

You guys cracked me up today fun back and forth.

New icv, trunk gas springs and fan clutch arrive tomorrow. Money pit... Also bought styling 312's for E65.

100% of rain tomorrow. Better check good. Plus park with the rear lower.

Good luck clearing your roof drains; I cleared mine and semi-permanently sealed them, so I shouldn't have to worry about a flooded floor ever again.

I only care for the utility of the X5, though I always have loved the styling; I use the combination of a sealed sunroof and a protective shield/roof rack to protect the sunroof glass from damage, and from roof leaks.

from another thread

The front right drain had water and dirt on the line. I pushed the 0.095 line as far as it would go. Same for the rear. One side, the line went well into the sun roof area. The other side didn't. Even after a few tries. The front left took more line than the front right. I'll have to check the front right better.

Does the pillar come off with one screw behind the airbag cover? Once the screw is off, push up on pillar to remove it. I need to remove both sides anyway. The fabric at the dash portion needs glue.

one and done repair; it probably wouldn't withstand another
 

When I removed the airbag screw on the A-pillar, I pulled the top of the cover away from it, and jerked it up and out. No problem. after unkinking/repositioning the plastic line fully into the metal receiver, I secured the line with small zip-ties.

However, putting the A-pillar cover back on was more trouble; it made serious "plastic-cracking" sounds as I shoved the bottom behind the dashcover, and into place. The fabric covering also came loose, but I tucked it in for now (it, and several other spots on my headliner need re-gluing).

Since I didn't want further deterioration of the A-pillar cover (the other side cover shows even more damage; a PO must've pulled it before I got the X5), it just made sense to me to seal off the sunroof, and pull the fuse, so it wouldn't be a continual problem.

Starting on the Alternator R&R on the 4.8is. After a careful review it is going to be so much fun as you cannot even see the alternator from top or bottom. Oh what fun! Anyone have tips to provide?

Find a good YouTube video.

I haven't worked on that exact motor but m62 water cooled alternator was not a difficult task.

You should be able to disconnect the power at the B+ which is much cleaner than battery ground.

Once the fan and plastic shroud out of the way you should find it pretty easy.

Keep track of screw lengrh I think a couple aren't the same as the rest and use a torque wrench to put the screws back in. No guessing with aluminum.

Lots of removals... fan etc. unless you have little tiny hands, embrace the suck of the Mickey Mouse gasket.

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Just alternator I think this case not the bracket.

Remove the radiator fan setup and you're 90% there. Remember to clearance the sleeves of the alternator bolt holes and you're new one will drop right in. Forget to do that and you will want to burn the truck.

All in, it's a 2 hour job taking your time. One of the easier tasks on the N62. I've done it at least 5 times.

Put new fan clutch in for x5. Also picked up new wheels for summer use on e65. 21" styling 312.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/2D...4iokTDnw=w1024
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/6E...RDZQdGig=w1024

Oh, ok.

Well in that case, it's not a big deal.

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New maf and icv.

No, trying to keep idiots that might do something stupid on a road while cars are whipping by at 75+ from getting killed. At least, that's my understanding.

Ahhhhh, I always forget our society's compulsion to protect people from themselves. Darwin awards exist for a reason...

I agree. If we'd stop protecting idiots from themselves, eventually maybe there'd be fewer of them. I know, wishful thinking.

And we'd damn sure not need labels tell people to remove clothes before ironing...[emoji57]

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You sure about that? ;)

I'd like to say... maybe?[emoji1787]

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

Pretty sure he was saying with some teaching of personal accountability (or enough attrition through natural selection) we would no longer need don't iron your shirt while wearing etc. tags.

Only if we kill all the lawyers.

:iagree: Exactly.

Got my URO door lock pin grommets in. Will install later. Also got my LHS rear tail light gasket from FCP. Don't need one yet, but wanted to lock in my lifetime replacement as they had it on clearance for ~$10 (normal is $30+). Now I wait until the RHS gasket goes on clearance. :D

I was wondering on that gasket.

:rofl:

The apparently monthly suspension work plus rebooting RF shaft [emoji849]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...4de1a8ed16.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...6fe005cf22.jpg

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Replaced thermostat and dual coolant temp sensor. Kept getting DME error DME* -> 2EF4/82 - Engine characteristic map thermostat, Mechanics. Cleared the code, went for a long drive and the error has not come back:thumbup:.

Mounted a set of Bridgestone Blizzak
 

Nearly new winter tires 275/45/20. The old ones were 18" Dunlop Grandtrek winters from 2003! Testament to the quality of these Dunlop tires, they performed very well in the snow and made little noise but were almost down to the wear bars.

I love to hate the Bridgestone winter tires. I did not willingly buy these, they came on my Cayenne and I replaced them almost immediately with Conti DWSs, which are great tires. The Blizzaks are way too loud IMO. But they are almost new and will do a good job on the kidz ride at least for one or two winters.

So, I thought whilst I have the wheels off, I can compress the brake calipers and drain the old fluid that resides in the brake cylinders. Oh boy, the fluid looked dreadful and I decided that I needed to do more, way more! Decided to drain the reservoir first and then do a proper flush. The stuff that came out still worked but it looked horrible. I admit that it had been way too long since I last did a proper flush on this car. My daughter complained my orange juice looked a little suspect :-)

Bought styling 168. Gotta pick them up today.

Dear diary,
Today I grenaded the B clutch.
Damn ZF and their lack of cheap parts in this country. I have decided to go with a transplant vs repair for now as there is only so long I can pretend to be saving money by NOT driving.

PS.
I am sure the wife suspects something but I got her flowers for her birthday and randomly throughout the previous month so maybe she won't say anything.....

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Got them.:thumbup:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/96...ZML5zi-g=w1024

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/BB...VhWol0Hg=w1024

Also the other day I started it ran few minutes at idle and threw me a service engine light on the dash. 4-5-6 misfire out of sudden and lambda limits over... Hmm, probably intake leak is hiding somewhere. Gotta use smoke machine on the intake soon. I cleared codes and no problems yet.

Just got back from a 1300 mile road trip. The X was forced into duty when our family car got into a fender bender. 20.9 was the average MPG for the trip, because we were in CA where everybody drives like they are on meth. The X sure is a gas guzzler and you really feel it when paying $4.60 for gas in Kalifornia. But it made the trip like a champ and the new Blizzaks handled about 300 miles and snow and ice extremely well.



The highlight of the trip was when I was going about 35-40 on a really slick, icy highway, and Mr. Van Life tailgating me finally gets the confidence to pass, and almost spins his Sprinter van as soon as he gives it the gas. He pulled over without hitting anything and we had a good laugh.

As a Kalifornian, I resemble that comment. But....20.9 mpg is better than the computer has ever said I got. Typically it says 17.9 on my '01 and 18.5 on the '05. And yes, our gas prices and registration fees suck - but our weather, mountains and beaches sure are fine. (In a different century I would have also saluted our women).

Only people that live in the mountains have a clue about driving in the snow out here.

No dispute about the snow. I grew up in the Northeast and Southern Californians are clueless about snow (even rain). But, then again, they mostly can afford to be.

Took the intake manifold out to find intake leak. Also to change those plastic water pipes.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/YF...8p_F6c7nA=w768

Brake booster hose was cracked under the manifold so hopefully there's my leak. Gotta get new hose tomorrow.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/CK...NBc37-x5w=w768

New pipes installed
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Fj...V_T85xHw=w1024

Intake manifold gasket"s where quite flat also. One of the water pipes snapped in to the head, so good time to do this all.

How does the CCV and all the vacuum hoses look while you are in there? It looks like a good time to do the $4 OFHG as well, looks like a bit of a mess.

OFHG? Oil filter housing? It's been done also. Oil in there seems to be from vanos pipe that has been also replaced not a long ago... Previous owner.

I did renew ccv with new pipes few months ago.

Excellent, well perhaps it will be a good opportunity to replace just the vanos oil line then. I think you can get it out without removing the oil filter housing. It looks in the picture like there is a big oil leak back there, but perhaps it is just the lighting.

Oil line is new. I was looking the wetness also... It's just under vanos line on the oil filter housing side, so I think who ever replaced it, did not bother to clean it (since protection plate does not have "continuing" wetness). Usually when oil filter housing gasket leaks it would do it underneath also. Anyways, I will clean it as much as I can and see if there is a leak somewhere. And it sure looks wet in there in pictures because I changed coolant pipes and took pictures.


I'm allergic to any leaks so I intend to keep them off. :D

Got it back together and drove it for 30km and no check engine light anymore. I hope this fixed the issue. :D

Drove more today and codes came back. Probably a vacuum leak still somewhere. Gotta test tank purge valve next.

Colder weather brings new trouble. Took a periodic regular glance under Red today while checking the mail today and there is a small oil drip from... you guessed it... the driver's front. It looks like pretty oil and not power steering fluid so that means it's probably time to do the alternator bracket gasket. Oh the fun times that lie ahead for me. :rolleyes: :nervous: :wahwah:

A good 90 minute workout on local streets in 8 inches of snow :-)
 

Woke up to an impressive snow storm this morning. Wife had an appointment at the hospital that she was loath to miss. So, pulled out the e53 (fresh snow tires as of last week). The county had apparently decided that it was not worth plowing the streets and DC did not seem to think it a priority either. Dropped her off just fine except for being held up by a city bus whose driver appeared to be terrified, we were literally moving at 5 miles an hour...... Also lots of 2WD on summer tires just not moving anywhere. The Blizzaks were quite capable in the snow despite their flaws. (Last week I discovered they are not only noisy, they are also not anywhere near round enough (a lot of "hop") and one has some side-to-side motion, definitely second rate tires. Never seen it this bad on other brand tires.) Also 275/45/20 in the snow is a bit big for the e53 I feel.

Here is the X5 after I got back. She did very well in the snow. Glad that I fixed the ABS last winter (the DSC light was on a lot this morning) and that I just installed the new front drive spline stub! All-in-all it was a fun drive!

Lambda regulating limit's going over on both banks, inpa telling on rich side... still. Car run's fine to me and power is there so not sure if it's running rich. Maybe I'll pop out few spark plugs to see.



https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Xw...WMWL_U_BQ=w768
This is what integrators show on idle... Hella maf not working properly? Ordered good used original MAF to test out.


While driving integrators show +13-16 so way over.

It is not "running rich" if the fuel trims are offsetting the attempt to do so. (why is feels fine).

Too much fuel before trim is usually from sticky injectors or too high of fuel pressure or inaccurate MAF.

Yes, learned last night that code actually means lean. :)

I replaced ultrasonic cleaned injectors, no change. Fuel filter with pressure regulator, no change. Ordered good used original maf so gotta wait for that

Lean from vacuum leak is the most common reason. MAF or dirty injectors also can be related.

Yep, we tested intake with smoke. There was a leak underneath intake manifold and found brake booster vacuum hose broken, changed it. Installed intake manifold with new gasket also, but did not help on the problem. It starting to look like new hella maf isn't working properly.

But gotta smoke test it once more today.

Did you reset fuel adaptations after doing any intake/fuel repairs?

Siemans MAFs seem to be the only reliable way to go. I can remember many posts here from people that used other brands of MAF and ended up with problems.

It's still weird, since I drove the car for few weeks with hella maf until the problem occured. Anyway, gotta wait for the original maf to arrive. Since I need the car I'll have to drive it as is for now. :)

Yes.

When I had similar problems with my M54 I would get a week or two of error free driving if I reset. Do you get any relief ?


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No, codes will come up almost instant while driving. CEL will take some time to light up. Reset will help for few kilometers but not long.

Edit: new smoke test done. No more leaks. Hopefully maf will arrive next week.

It was a nice day between cold spells. Washed the X5 today. Took out the cordless pressure washer for wheel cleaning. Used a drying towel to get the nasty stuff off. It's time again for some Sonax wheel cleaner. I dislike the brake pads. The pads must be low end to create so much brake dust. This spring, each wheel will come off for a thorough clean. Hope get pit wheel dust off chemically. Once the wheels are dust free as possible, a nice wax will go on. Snaking the roof drains worked.

Genuine BMW pads produce a ridiculous amount of dust. One reason I went to ceramic pads. (go ahead purists, flame me for running ceramic. I'll laugh while you're getting dust off your wheels)

I *only* recommend this as an absolute last resort, but if either Sonax or Meguiar's wheel brightener fail (I have both), the last ditch option is literally muriatic acid. You're taking a risk with your wheel finish, but it works. It did NOT damage the finish when I used it, but YMMV. (The risk goes up dramatically if the wheels have been refinished.)

Actually the stuff professional shops use to clean wheels is quite strong hydrocloric acid.

Sonus Aluminum Restore is the best commercial product I've used and very close to professional stuff.

https://www.autonhoitokauppa.fi/imag...ore-1_orig.jpg

I'll sit on the side lines and laugh with you. I only run ceramic pads. I'll sacrifice the initial linear bite for my sanity while cleaning the X. It drops anchor just fine when necessary.

Yesterday finished the front suspension refresh on my Dad's 70k mile 535d F10. I was surprised with how worn the front struts were. Almost no rebound and easily compressed by hand. Bushings seemed "okay" but had micro cracks. None of the ball joints had completely failed, but did feel loose. Did the service because of a squeaking sound at certain times.

I don't recommend this, and had to have the wife hold the brakes, but this was the only way to get enough leverage to reach the torque angle on the bushings. Needed the breaker bars and to have the suspension loaded for torquing... again, don't recommend this, but thought it was funny enough to post.

Attachment 81543

Attachment 81544

Attachment 81545

Don't ask me why I didn't order the tie rods as well because I don't have a good answer for you. At least they are easy to get to and do in the future.

After that, since the X5 had been outside for a month under the cover, it was time to clean the engine bay. I noticed this green bushing had popped out of its home on the on the steering shaft. I'm guessing this popped out when I dropped the subframe while doing the motor mounts. Just a guess though. It was easy enough to pop back into place, having to sacrifice only a minimal amount of skin to the heater control valve.

Attachment 81546

Glad to have Red back in the garage. At least for a few days until I bring in the E61 to replace the front 4 head bolts that have snapped causing a ridiculous oil leak. Ahhhhh BMW ownership, it never ends. Wish I could be satisfied driving a Honda, Toyota, or Lexus. But neither the wife or I can, we've tried. :dunno: Turning 40 in a few days so hopefully I've got at least 20 more years of wrenching in me before I am forced to drive vehicles I don't have to work on. :(

Crystalworks, I am so jealous. I will own an F10 someday. When we had kids and we were family car shopping, we almost bought a low-mileage 535i with a 6-speed (I think it was a 2012/2013 MY). We ended up with a brand new 6-speed Mazda6 for $10k less, which was maybe the smarter choice, but when the time comes that we can have two sedans, it's gonna be an F10. Such a nice looking car. What other problems has your dad had?

Wow, I don't ever want to see a car on cinder blocks.....

The pads on mine were put on by the previous owner. My choice is ceramic too. I change the pads on my brand new truck just to keep wheels cleaner.

The wheels look stock finish. I assume clear coated. I did use Sonax once. It did a good job. However, corners and deep finish pits didn't clean up as well. It was a quick run. Taking the wheel off to put on a table will be easier to clean. I'll try a good soak by Sonax. Next, a little Sonus on the backside. A little on the face side to get deep pitted Fe rust. HCl dissolves Fe very well.

This is why I have hub stands.

Although the X5 was unplanned when I bought the hub stands, so mine aren't rated for that kind of weight.

He hasn't had many problems as of yet. I do most of the maintenance on it for him. So far, a complete set of brakes, the front suspension, added a couple containers of DEF after the car asked for it, and a couple of oil changes. Right after purchase he did have to have a condenser replaced due to a leak. I had noted the code for low pressure at the dealer he bought it from, so they charged it and assured us it was fine. Bought it during winter so of course 4 months later it has no AC. Dealer was stand up and paid half the bill to replace it. He's had it for about 30,000 miles and 2 or 3 years.

He's kind of hard on his vehicles in an old-man, non-car person way. He enjoys driving, and really uses the power of the N57, but is not mechanically inclined at all. Makes a 3000 mile trip to Florida a couple of times a year in it, gets great gas mileage (I got 700 miles on one tank coming back from Kentucky where we picked it up). Absolutely loves the car and says it will be the last one he buys. I told him to save up some real maintenance money once the emissions gear starts acting up. Been through that song and dance on our 35d X5.

It wasn't ideal in my mind either. Haha. Was just the quickest way I could think of accomplishing what I needed to do.

Yep, those are nice kit... but they are $$$. The X5's are high enough that I haven't had problems with getting breaker bars in there while on the ramps. The torque angle on these was just too difficult to get while on ramps with the lack of access. Car was still too low. I can usually find a way to get jackstands under the control arms or knuckles to get the vehicle high enough and load the suspension, but the F10 just didn't allow for that.

Gotta do what you gotta do. Car drives amazingly now. With the weak struts it felt like a Lexus. ;puke;

Love the Lexus reference.

People will say "you could buy Mercedes or Lexus" to which I reply "yes but then I'd have to be seen in a Lexus or a Mercedes) bwahhaahhaa.

It was -27c and tried to start it. Would not idle until i kept it alive with throttle for few minutes. After that ran fine for few minutes and then it when't all mad and ran with 4-5 cylinders. Scanned codes with inpa and 4-5-6 misfire and lambda control tolerance limits on both banks. Got running with all cylindes after clearing codes. Drove the car for about 30-40km and eml abs/dsc lights where on. This time code was llfs at mechanical/llfs jammed closed. Icv is new, so I doubt it's jammed.

I've been getting intermittant ICV jammed codes along with the car going into engine safe mode and throwing trifecta. Sometimes, like last time, I just shut it off and restarted and it has been fine. Before that I had to clear codes twice. The second time I also pulled the ICV and cleaned it even though it was rattling around as it should. Had codes after that , but the restart cleared them. Hard to chase a problem like that.

I got ICV stuck code turned out to be a missing hose clamp on the intake boot.

That kind of makes sense. Mine aren't missing.

But a leak in disa or similar could cause similar error. Or defective ICV of course. "rattles" doesn't mean it works just means it "could" work.


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Agreed, but I replaced my last one at 206,000 miles, about 60,000 miles ago. I'd have to do some research, but my recollection is that the only thing available was genuine BMW. I'd think it would last longer than 60,000 miles. Hopefully I bought it at FCP.

Received so called tested and working maf from ebay that I ordered and it's broken. Just gives air flow meter code right away. Damn it, I was so keen on testing if the hella maf is the culprit... Well, gotta find another one and ask money back from the one that I got.

I might still have my original.


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Get a Siemans

Try this one: https://www.ebay.com/itm/MAF-Mass-Ai...-127632-2357-0

I ordered one to clean the OEM one. It been running great for a year now. I have the OEM one as a back up.

Thats interesting because the mostplus door handle carrier is the biggest POS ever.

Replaced PDC rear center right. Now working fine. Bought from FCP Euro for $65, so if it breaks again, I get a free replacement under their lifetime warranty replacement.

Just took out cheap no name maf, because car was undriveable. With hella maf seems better, but I wanna get good used original one, before I spend my money on new siemens maf... To see if the problem is elsewhere

Breaks my heart to see my baby sit outside in the snow and ice. At least it is starting to melt.

Damn does she look good out there though OB. :thumbup:

Yeah thats rough (for some at least). I let mine thaw completely out, before I even put a finger on her.

12 degrees F. in Houston, and an ice storm. Gee Whiz!

Heart break is right!

That’s for sure!

I thought it was calling for help with the wipers!! I have a BMW cover ready to use incase it snows in Texas like Feb of last year.

For the almost 15 years I've owned her she was always been tucked in bed in the garage, no elements. I guess my post should have read "How did you abuse your E53 today"

That shot was late today after most of the snow had melted and I had driven it a few miles. You should have seen it yesterday.

She did handle the snow and ice very well running errands though, even with the 315/275 Contis. I'm so glad I have her, I just wish I was a better dad with a 3 car garage.

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

My snarky brother from Tampa posted this the other day.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...8b515a6ace.jpg

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

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...b5651ae7ca.jpg
April 15th the exact middle of spring in mid Wisconsin 2018. That's an e53 inisde there.

That was 15" single storm snowfall. Lucky timing I had my special 235s with me and had no problem plowing though the 20-30" snow drifts. I was impressed with being able to drive anywhere before the plows came though considering the snow was 8-10" higher than my ground clearance!

I just had to go and check.... nope, no snow on the mountains... ;)

https://i.ibb.co/N3grRgb/20220101-144853.jpg

Enjoy your summer Wayne. :thumbup:

I will - and more so once I get these struts swapped and the '5 back to good operating condition again!

I do miss the snow though... just a little... ;)

*Liked* I do miss the snow though... just a little... ;)

I knew you would get a chuckle out of our 6" storm Andrew. But here in the South with maybe 3 plows in our state, it becomes a challenge. We had no UPS/Fedex/Amazon deliveries, schools closed, trash collection, etc. The struggle is real. :rofl:

Actually i was quite shocked to see the height on the ruler! I've been in places where the locals couldn't navigate 1/4" of the wrong kind of snow.

In fact that was Wisconsin a few weeks ago. Passed seven cars spun off the road in about 18 mile zone of i-94!

:rofl:

Tabuk, Saudi Arabia

Drivers in the south are professional comparatively. [emoji15]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...06f653b1a0.jpg

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Hey. After last year, I'll be happy if we don't see snow down here in San Antonio for another 25 years. ;)

Though we did have a helluva windy day Saturday. Constant 20mph and gusts of 50+. The neighbor's blue tarp on his roof never had a chance. Maybe this will motivate him to fix it... no, probably not. He's had packages of shingles on his roof for the last few months. :rolleyes:

haha.No snow here though with the first frost I had a similar problem to last year where my lock mechanism froze and the door won't close any more. Since I had an appointment I had to drive, so drove for 15 minutes holding the door closed... bloody thing gets heavy after a while!

after 15 minutes pulled over and the door closed no problem. Lets hope tjhat's it for the year :D

Tornado's here in SWFL on Sunday. Sunny the next day.

The X5 3.5d remained snuggled in under the carport....

Brad

Bought replica front skid plate for 119usd.

Bought new. Never been driven on ice or snow (they use Brine and sand for the two days a winter). Never even had ice or snow on it.

I wish I could say the same but the X5 is my daily and workhorse for me.

They never use salt or brine here, thank goodness!

Damn that's wi equivalent of 20' pile of snow!


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Round 2 coming Friday. The South is just getting hammered by Mother Glacier this year

Well it's time to give my X5 some love.

I took the passenger roof rab bar off, and now I want to repaint this portion.
Does anyone know what's the best paint to use?

Then I need to work on leaks...I have an oil leak on the passenger side, an oil leak on the driver side and a coolant leak in the middle...this is going to be fun. It's been leaking for a very long time so it's not easy to pinpoint.

Also, both window trims on each side have a little gap at the end. Does anyone have a link or trick to fix that?

Thanks!

Ok, now received a working original maf. Drove it 20kilometers and it seems happy. No lean codes and lambdaintegrators were in the correct area pretty much all the time. With hella maf they where over the limit pretty much all the time. :D
But gotta drive it more... Looks promising.

Took my newly minted "4.6i" for a (mostly) highway shakedown cruise of around 100 miles round trip, to chase after some woodcock with my pups. Since the motor is new I tried not to camp out at the normal 2300ish at 70mph and would downshift to 4th for a few minutes, then back to auto. It behaved great on the trip and pulled strong. I can tell already that the 4.6 has a prodigious thirst for gas however. The 4.4 wasn't very efficient either, but the first tank of gas is going very quickly with the new motor. I'm sure the bigger wheels/tires and the Thule box on top of the car don't help.

I've put around 200 miles on the new motor and it is nice to have it back in working order.

It's great to see from this end also. I wanted to get a 4.6 so bad. Life has a funny way of working and I ended up with an n55 35i instead.

Got about 24 mpg on my first tank though so it's an ok trade off.

The exact same thing has happened to me also. Other nice one is when the door handle just gets loose and doesn't do anything, neither from the inside or outside. Had to climb in and out of the car through other door. At first I thought that something had broken mechanically inside the door like the typical outside door handle carrier, but thankfully it was just something related to the freezing. :dunno:

Speaking of cold, just got the gasoline powered Eberspächer heater finally working in my car. Do you others living in chillier climates have any separate heaters installed in your X5? Not sure how typical this in for example in the USA?

If you look at my door lock actuator thread I have videos showing exactly how they freeze.

Typically and if you don't break anything, the mechanism will freeze latched but if you pull hard enough but don't break anything the latch is held "unlatched" until it thaws out.

There is a way to treat the DLA so it will not freeze in the future.


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Nice...I'd be super happy to touch 20 mpg, but I think it will be in the 17-mpg range on the HWY, max. Much less around town. I've cleaned the MAF and the injectors were cleaned and verified at OEM flow rate, so short of a couple Jerry cans on the swing out spare tire carrier I'm not sure there is any other answer. It seems that a 10 gal+ aux tank would fit very nicely where the charcoal canister is under the left pax side tho...might be worth some brain cells to think about how that might work.

I've found myself on the BMW website lately looking at the X5 4.5e. My wife's Grand Cherokee has been great but will need to be replaced at some point in the not-too-distant future. I've learned the hard way that she should have the one reliable car in the family. The 4.5e is advertised at 50mpg hwy and 20 mpg around town. I'm sure that is optimistic, but even at an average 30mpg the dinky 18.2 gal fuel tank could get allow you to touch 500 miles from the car. Stupid money for the car, but I can smell the new bmw interior when I close my eyes!

Finally got around to replacing the auxiliary electric fan on my 02 X5. it wasn't a job I was particularly looking forward to, but everything went smoothly. I didn't even end up having to raise the front of the car to slide it out.

-Chris

All I can smell is the small fortune I would be spending on maintenance when the car is half as old as our E53s!! A sum that could run a small country!!

Replaced both belts, the belt tensioners and pulley. Had bought the old ones from FCPEuro so now getting my money back when I return the old ones. The squeaks on cold mornings is gone now. Yes, I should have taken the time to root cause the squeak - which belt or which tensioner or pulley. But given that I pay for shipping costs to send the faulty items back, it makes sense to just replace everything and bear only one shipping cost! Also, shipping is free if purchases is above, I think, $200.

By the way, here's a great DIY for this service:
https://bmwrepairguide.com/bmw-e63-p...-series-8-cyl/

That's great news


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I was "afraid" of removing the bumper too - done it twice now - no drama. :thumbup:

Nice looking E53... and RT... ;)