Thanks for the heads up, will definitely check that out!

I was surprised at how light that bumper skin is!

Good eyes, that's indeed an ol' RT sharing the garage with the E53 (there's a black 05 E53 3.0 on the other side ... because apparently I'm a glutton for punishment.)

I'm relatively new to four-wheeled BMWs, but have been enjoying the two-wheeled variety for about 30 years now. Mostly old airheads.

Chris

Washing day today

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/H6...NxK2-jJw=w1024

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/8C...Hotlw7rA=w1024

Wow looks great. Nice color nice wheels.

Indeed! :thumbup:

Thanks. Skid plate replica is ordered, now I'm thinking wide wheel arches too.

Skid plate replica?


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This: https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-...e/82110021339/

But mine is gonna be fiberglass replica.

Nice. Thought you were talking about the stiffening plate. Ihave a couple spares.


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When you get the "Check brake linings" on the dash, is there any way to tell which axle it thinks is low? I have been searching for a half an hour trying to figure this out. Not even the foxwell will tell me apparently.

Both brake pad wear sensors are wired in series so there is no way of knowing which one has failed without manual check or measuring.

Replaced leaky motor mounts.
Replaced bad and leaking oil level sensor.
Replaced torn intake boot.

Fun day. :)

If you push your car, when the fronts are worn you will notice less braking power.

Visual check is the way to go: sensors are front left and back right.

Lisle 81850 Combination Brake Lining Gauge Set,9 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OJG327E...NWSRZZGPWWGD9C

Best way to measure.


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Just look through the wheel and see which end is touching the pad sensor. No pad left, you found your fault. :dunno:

The sensor is pretty pessimistic. Comes on at 3mm. If you drive a lot of highway miles that's 10,000 miles left.

10,000 miles with "Check brake linings" on the dash. My OCD kicks in and couldn't make it 3 days.

That's what tape is for. (or just twist the wires to the sensor). I've definitely driven at least 4-6k miles after a sensor lit up.

No way. I just can't ignore the obvious. I'm too much of a gearhead to ignore that warning.

If I have any warnings on my dash, I fix the problem.

It's just the "start" of pads are low. You can measure how much is left after you get the initial warning.

3mm is a very pessimistic pad wear value.

If you have 3mm of pad left, they are DONE. Some people might see that as "start", I see it as "end".

I will take a closer look this week. When I put the snow tires on a couple months back they had plenty of meat left. But I didn't look closely at all eight pads.


I also spent some time on my rear light housings. I was getting "check lights messages" for both sides. Mine have a couple of the metal tab things loose, so I used a soldering iron to melt some of the plastic in order to hold the tabs more solidly, then glued them back in as good as I could. Then I applied dielectric grease to every connection. We will see if that fix lasts, otherwise it might be time for new taillights. It looks like both of the taillight seals have shrunk too, letting a bit of water in, but does not seem to be damaging anything.

Even BMW calls that the start of the end. I think you get 1000 mile countdown from when the sensor trips. (will change to -600 if you try to reset the light with the sensor already tripped).

LOOKS GREAT!

:iagree: Sorry Andrew. I know your pragmatism and desire to get your full money's worth, but I have to change pads as well 3mm. :rofl: If I ever have to put a piece of tape on the cluster... it's time to sell the car or send it to the crusher. :D

Looks beautiful. Now how do you keep it clean on the way home with all that white stuff around? :D

Haven't done anything with the vehicles this week what with the vid running through the family. But I have done some work on the garage. Organizing, adding some cabinets, and garage vacuum. Still have some work to do, and want to sheet rock that wall still. But it's coming along nicely I think.

Attachment 81624

Attachment 81625

It was -15c on that day, so roads where nice and dry. :D

Oh I see the light on dash as "front of the line" priority. I'm just pointing out that if they start at 10mm thick you've used 70% of the pad material when the light comes on. They are maybe 90% worn as some thickness is of course just to hold the thing on.

I have worn pads far enough they were for sure "overdue" and I don't recommend pushing it. It is definitely "time to get into rotation" when the light comes on.

ASAP once the light comes on is for sure the best plan especially since only one of four pads has a sensor.

What I did? I sent an email to the admin of this forum asking why I keep seeing this:

"Xoutpost is currently undergoing a planned server migration.... stay tuned for new developments.... sincerely, the management"

No answer so far...

The big question with the pad wear light is how the pad material is adhered to the backing plate?

If it's riveted, then you need to change asap or else you'll trash the rotors. Not really a big deal if you plan to replace the rotors with the pads, of course.

If it's just bonded (basically glued) in place, then you can pretty much keep going all the way to just before the backing plate. Unfortunately, it's not always obvious which is which.

It's worth noting that pads don't always wear evenly and as Andrew pointed out above - four pads, one sensor. It's a crap-shoot.

I've only seen glued in the past decade but I've also seen a couple examples of worn completely to zero (not mine personality) recently. Always one of four is far more worn.


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This doesn't have to be complicated. As has been mentioned you can see if pads are worn out. Depending on wheels you won't even need to remove the tires. Look at the pads from both the front and rear of the calipers.

I have never found that the pads didn't need changing when the brake warning light came on. They were not good enough for any significant number of miles before changing. I also replace the rotors and the sensors each time. If the pads on one side are bad I replace the other side at the same time.

I don't take any chances with losing stopping capability. I don't know why anyone would. If it were a budget issue I would cut the budget somewhere else. You never know when you might need all the stopping power it has to offer. Never wise to compromise safety.

The only reason to delay is waiting for the parts and coordinating the repair with other items that might be in the queue.

My point in that it's not "urgent" is that literately it's not urgent.

3mm is a very nice alert to geterdone but you can visually inspect the pads to confirm the other three aren't more worn out than the pad with the sensor, then make an informed choice if you need to use a different car while waiting for the parts.

Most often you have a good 1000 miles as I believe BMW programs into the wear pad alert (if you bring up the lifespan alert you'll see 1000 miles left).

I don't know what you mean by not urgent. You don't have to pull over and call a tow truck if the light comes on if that's what you mean. But under no circumstances would I drive another 1000 miles. I would order the parts that day and as soon as they came in, do the work. Since I have other transportation it's not likely I would drive it at all. Preventative maintenance for brakes is best practice. I've never seen the light.

If you do regular maintenance very good chance you'll never see the light. BMW designed the wear sensor with some cushion is my whole point. You should not be trying to push it, but you can definitely drive to/from work a few times while waiting for the parts.

I check my pads enough I've only gotten the pad warning once in 80,000 miles but it did happen once.

I drove with mine on/off for a long time. The pads were fine, but the sensor itself was faulty.
Now I have the reversed problem, there is no light but my front rotors are warped and rusty.

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

Bought a partial steering column for a heated steering wheel slip ring (is that what it’s called) for retrofitting a heated steering wheel.

Anyway, checked to see if if my X is ready for the add on and it is! Luck is on my side.

Next weekend is go time!

So, I got what I wanted and now I have extra parts that I don’t need, like, two keys and the ignition lock, the partial steering column with motors (I’m assuming the motors are for the telescoping part) and one used heated steering wheel (not bad condition. Has a one inch scrape on it, plus controls).

Anyone looking for any of that?


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Replaced fuel pump.

Fuel pump nipple snapped off while backing out of the drive today. Thankfully I had a new one.

Anybody else ever feel like, you're already in this deep, why not go deeper down the rabbit hole? (The rabbit hole of huge, aging, unreliable, and terrifyingly expensive to own kraut wagens, that is)


https://bringatrailer.com/listing/20...ayenne-gts-32/

Nope.

I would rather deal with a dozen e53's than that.

+1


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Anecdotal evidence suggests that these earlier Cayennes are pretty well made. The V8s need their oil changes on time but then so does any other car. I am not sure if that BAT listing is the right price for an '08 but this car looks pretty well maintained and relatively low mileage. However, if I were buying one of these, I would insist on plugs out and bore-scoping the cylinders. Everything else is going to be less of an issue than replacing the engine core. Remember these things are VAG cars (Q7, Touareg, heck even the Lambo Urus is supposed to share the platform). Lots of the non-visible parts have equivalents that you can pick up at the VW or Audi dealer. Also, the 957 was a pretty mature model by '08.

When I was looking for a replacement for my e70 35d it was the service manager at a nearby BMW dealer who suggested looking at the Cayenne..... Took his advice (and that of a German friend) and my '15 CS has not given any trouble (60k mls) since acquiring it early 2019. Nevertheless, the 958 in general, is plagued by a transfer case issue that doesn't seem to have been addressed to date. So, I decided to change the TC fluid every year along with the annual oil service. Cheap insurance. :) Also, I think the TC fluid volume on all these cars is way too small, incl. BMWs, but that is a different story.

So, mutatis mutandis, I think the Cayenne is not worse than the e53 or e70 and a well maintained one might be slightly better.....at least judging by my history with the e53 and e70 diesel. I think I have fixed pretty much every failure ever documented on XO....love these BMWs, but boy-oh-boh, they are maintenance hogs!

Bought two remanufactured rear axles for my X. Left rear boot is torn (20 yrs and 150k), but I think it happened relatively recently as there isn't any sign of grease sprayed around the underside. I noticed it when it was up on the lift last week and I was doing my final inspection, torque-check, etc. Made me want to cry, but the self flagellation is not unique to the E53 I suppose, and had I done a better job of maintaining the car over the past 7 years of neglect, I wouldn't be facing another axle change.

The inner boot(s) look pretty miserable too so I opted for Cardone remanufactured OEM units. Anyone in the market should definitely look at RockAuto (I know, they can be very hit-and-miss these days, but....). They are having a fire sale on E53 OEM remanufactured rear axles right now: $29.79 each, and two Bosch ABS sensors for the rear. Not a typo...$29.79, and no core charge. I bought two and am crossing my fingers that the right part number will show up, unlike the fan clutch I bought from them.

I saw that axle sale. I tried to order a set for the front, but for whatever reason RockAuto won't ship the sale axles to California. I ended up buying the regular Cardone axles. Parts were good quality and a perfect fit.

Yup, RockAuto had a flash sale on X5 stuff. I emptied my cart and reloaded it with flash sale stuff. I got all four shafts for about half price! Once the no sleep issue is diagnosed tomorrow, it's getting a major refresh on suspension and drivetrain parts.

That's amazing about the 1L of TC fluid but 8-9L of crankcase oil.

TriX5, thanks for your detailed post. I actually posted originally because I am completely intent on buying one when the X kicks the bucket. All of yall don't realize that you are already 98% of the way from normal person Corolla ownership to towing 7700lbs with a german flat-plane V8.

That sounds like an oxymoron... ;)

something about a Cayenne towing a plane ???

https://youtu.be/q8pYEW_p0WY?t=48

:D

I have a 2004 Cayenne S, which is great. They tend to be extremely reliable except for the chance of cylinder scoring, which would effectively total most Cayennes.

I bet the GTS in the auction will go for WAY higher than the 20k it is showing now.

Glad to see I'm not the only one mixing it up! (Also have an M-B GL parked in my garage but, despite having owned a 2000 ML430, that is more coincidence than intent.)

Yes, the low mileage combined with a 6-speed is going to be a runner!

I'm looking for a manual of some make/model as it long ago since I owned one. Mostly to make sure the kids know the joy of driving one and for myself to enjoy as well. But hard to find these days.

Found a donor transmission at the airbase and even got the troops to raise the e53 with a forklift. [emoji1787]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...dcedefed62.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...57b67e8f4c.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...f78b279f30.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...9cd819221e.jpg

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Skid plate replika arrived. Not bad for being fiberglass. Fits decently.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/zj...ob8BG6utg=w768

Looks good! :thumbup:

Love the hammer hold solution


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Nice one! [emoji106]

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I love the way these look. Especially on a TiAg body color. Very nice.

Link?

Yes, please!

Yep, gotta sand it, paint it and clear coat it. And use sikaflex to glue it on.

Link: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Performance...-127632-2357-0

Dang, last one! Purp, that’s all you.

I offered seller 80usd + shipping and got accepted.

By all means, please purchase it! This is not a priority for me right now...

Major work done e53 sport 5sp manual
 

my 2002 E53 Manual trans was leaking oil at a rate of 1 qt per 500 miles. It did not smell but the bottom was getting a good coating of oil. I figured I might as well see what else I could replace whilst doing the oil pan gasket change. It was not as bad as we thought. With 237K miles on the clock we were expecting some bolts and nuts to give us a fight. So here is what was replaced during this process. Front controls arms, outer tie rod ends, cleaned, scraped and repainted the sub frame, oil pan gasket, oil sending unit, rotors, pads and e brake shoes all around, backer plates on the rear, valve cover gasket, and installed bluetooth, all drivetrain fluids changed. I could not have done it without the help of one of my best friends. as soon as I can figure out how to put pictures in posts I will.

Use tapatalk for photos any other method is much more work.


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+1

Can confirm. Kind of a pain to do it otherwise. But I also don't have the tapatalk auto message either... which triggers my OCD like crazy. So I'll continue to manually resize my images using paint.net to keep XO happy. :D

Painted and clear coated skid plate replica. Hopefully soon I have time to fit it.


Got it decent. I'm not a painter by any means. :D


https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Ca...BOWGFQIg=w1280

Replaced both front shocks/struts with Bilstein B4. Wow - what a difference in the handling! ;)

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

Finally installed my heated steering wheel. Works like a champ and turns off when the car turns off!

Anyone looking to upgrade to the sport steering wheel? Controls, used cover, no airbag



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That's a nice upgrade! And much easier and cheaper than the route I took; upgraded my non heated e53 wheel into a heated e70 wheel.

I got a good look at all four corners this weekend while changing the oil, and there is tons of meat left on the fronts (at least 6mm) but the rears are definitely low, probably around 3mm. Never changed pads with this little meat on them before, but I will do the rears before camping season starts, just because it's a tow rig.



Question for the brain trust: are vented 4.4i rotors a direct swap on? Do they require adjusting of the e-brake or any other hassle?

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

If the parking brake was used enough you may have a lip worn into the drum. You usually have to back off the adjuster before you can get the rotor off.

You then have to adjust the adjuster to get the appropriate tightness on the hand lever. Not terribly difficult. Finding the adjuster nut through the dust shield the first time is the hardest part.

If you want to install thicker vented rear rotors you would also have to change the calipers.

I haven't adjusted the E53 (yet, I need to do this), but on every other BMW, I've always adjusted through a wheel bolt hole from the outside.

Yep. I did this on mine. Note that it seems to be surprisingly hard to buy the wide calipers for a reasonable price. If you want to save a few bucks, you'll probably need to pick them at a salvage yard.

Sounds like unvented rotors are back on the menu, boys!

I just could not bring myself to buy solid rotors. It pisses me off on an E30, much less an X5.

Just run the pads all the way to the backing plates and you get the same look for free. :)

This is the way... ;)

Fixed the failed door lock. Getting all the parts of the lock back aligned correctly was surprisingly time-consuming but all good now and functioning like a new for a while atleast.

I used to have to rebuild mine every 9 months like clockwork. Do you open with key blade or fob ?

With little bit of both, the fob has been acting up so have had to use the key at times. Ever since the lock failed last week I haven't locked the car since the fob couldn't be trusted as a backup. Maybe this all works as a reminder to start proceeding with fixing the remote access next. :D

Been running fine after maf dilemma. One day suddenly felt it run weird few seconds... Did not think of it much at that moment but today looked fault codes and misfire cyl. 6... Maybe it going towards needing new coils soon.

Washed, paint correction, and ceramic coat. 6 hrs. Only you know Lord how I garnered the strength!

Sorry Ole’Girl for scratching your gear. I’ll be more careful next time. :doh:

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

Shining! [emoji3]

:thumbup:

Looking good Happy. :thumbup:

Side note. Imagine how much quicker that thing would be with some non-chrome 20's on it. :D I think you're rocking 21's right?

Chrome for less friction :-).

Thanks!

Yeah they are 21”. They are Genuine BMW style 128 wheels. They are a bit heavier, but the 10” on the front, and definitely the 11.5” on the rear is what I wanted. 325’s on the rear, with no spacers, or hub centric rings. :thumbup:

The chrome, meh.. One day I will address some curbing, and refinish gloss black. But….. As a horsepower junkie, fashion goes out the window 99.9% of the time. LoL…

You would think though that style 87 would be my preferred style for performance. But those 128’s bite hard! She just feels so stable, with the larger contact.

:bustingup

I was just kidding. Your truck has the power to drag those things around just fine. I think BMW offered the 128's in silver as well as chrome. And I prefer chrome to gloss black any day. Black wheels are the devil. :D

And I feel you on the 325's... though mine are of the 20" variety. Yours are infinitely cheaper and easier to find in 21".

I forgot to post this but I found these on CL about 3 months ago and picked them up for the E61 5er. They aren't staggered as I would prefer, but they'll look just fine with a small spacer in the rear. Pretty rare so I couldn't resist picking them up...

Attachment 81648

Attachment 81649

Attachment 81650

Attachment 81651

Yeah they have the silver, but they also have like a black chrome (rare to see them) that looks kind of smokey in my opinion. I would have preferred those, but I got the chrome 128’s for (if I remember correctly) $150 a wheel. So no brainer moment.

Ahh.. the black wheels.. Well…. The reason, one day maybe… I may wrap her up in a matte laguna seca skin.

Maybe… Just a thought. :huddle

:thumbup:

Had some Rota’s (very similar style) on a DC2 Integ. They look great!! :thumbup:

Skid plated installed.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/H4...vaB6bbOw=w1024

Nice look. What model tire? They look pretty good for snow.

Those are 275/40R20 michelin x-ice north 4.

I've got an eye for tires. Those are awesome.

I've been running michelin for winter past couple of years now. For this winter I bought 245/40r20 and 275/35r20 nokia hakkapeliitta 9 for E65.

That looks fantastic!

I actually rarely have any problem with them. But i can also appreciate where that thought comes from. I suspect they go from 0-100 very quick when they do strip

Yesterday, while browsing a major retailer, came across some Rain-X wipers and promptly bought them. The Bosch icons were well past their technical life. With the continuous rain today already had a 60 mile run to test them. Nice and smooth, they clean the glass decent enough. The passenger side seems a bit long.

This morning ordered two Michelin Latitude Tour for my Style 132 wheels so that I have something to strap on the car when the weather turns. Still have two of these in the garage with decent thread that went to Europe and back on the E70. The Blizzaks currently on the E53 performed well enough in the snow these last weeks but they howl like mud tires when driven at speed. As soon as the temps rise they go back into the garage!

Still looking for a set of 315s for the 87s that are not going to break the bank.....

Tomorrow have an alignment coming up as well. This weekend a new set of brakes will go on the car.

I would've bought 315 for the rear also, but I work at tire shop and these 275's came in as trade for non studded tires. These's michelin's where driven for about 400miles and got them stupid cheap. :D


For the summer I have 275 and 315 for rear.


Also ordered six new bosch coils.

Installed 8 new coils and both valve cover gaskets.

Alignment failed. UUUGHH, rear inner bushings, AGAIN!
 

The guys from S2Dynamics called me late on Friday and said they couldn't quite hit the camber number on the left rear as the inner bushings are toast.....again! Unbelievable, I swapped those only 13k back..... I guess the incredibly rough surface streets in the area are really taking their toll!

Ordered another set of four inner bushings from FCP Euro and they'll be here on Tuesday. With colleges starting up and the kids going every day, the X5 is in daily use. So, that job will be up next weekend along with the postponed brake job.

At first I thought I had to take both hub carriers off again, a job I don't relish too much. But then remembered it is only the three main bolts, the integral link, the sway bar link and the ride height sensor that need to come off. Actually not too bad :). I always use anti-seize before assembling to keep things from oxidizing too much.

What brand did you use and I dunt know what "inner" means do you mean the one in front of the axle or back of the axle. The one in back is the usual suspect also known as the wishbone


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Hi AW, these bushings are in the rear axle Lower Control Arm and they are supposedly Lemforder. These are at the inboard end of the rear LCA (FCP calls the LCA "swing arm")

Originally I had camber set at 1 deg. Over the past year I slowly saw the LR camber increase and I think one of the bushings simply collapsed, I will see once I pull the LCA out of the car. The RR didn't seem too bad. The LCA is #15 in this image.

https://www.realoem.com/bmw/images/t.../ng:webp/ngcb2

I guess I will have to accept that these are high frequency maintenance items for now..... I have my own 20t press so at least it should be a one day job to pop them out, replace the bushings and put them back in.

Just feeling dumbfounded that this happened in such a short interval.

Did you torque the bolts for the bushings at ride height? Torqueing the bolts in the air will twist the bushings when lowered down. :dunno:

This is why I buy this kind of part from FCP. Just replace the whole arm. No worrying about trying to preserve the balljoint boot, etc.

Yes, I always make sure that the suspension settles before torquing up. I'm hoping that removing the old ones will give me a clue what went wrong.

Eh. E53 suspension bushings are clearly underspecced for the job they are required to do. I wouldn't worry too much about it.

I've been stuck in a vicious cycle

issue pops up

I address the issue and give it a few days to make sure the fix "sticks"

just as I'm getting ready to post about my victory...something else goes to shit.

So I think ok, we'll do something nice and easy on one of the other cars and get solid victory...WRONG!

One thing I know for sure is:



https://i.imgur.com/ib5aBDK.jpg

+1 on the vicious cycle.

What's wrong with torx fasteners?

Wood trim cracking, so decided to start wrapping it in a gray microfiber. Never was a fan of light wood trims, so digging the muted gray on slightly-different-gray look.

I wish my handles looked as good as yours..

I bought a set of leather covered handles from Europe. It was like $200, which felt stupid, but now my door handles don't piss me off when I see them.

Starting to think, should I get F10 520d... Gas prices here in Finland are high already, and still going up. So another diesel would be nice option... But E53 is nice too, hmm.

Put on a curt class III hitch so I can take the bikes to the trail. Winter in socal :)

Nice hitch use. How easy is an installation? I'm looking for a hitch. A few OEM ones are too far away. Since it won't see heavy use, an aftermarket hitch will work. OEM wiring will be used for lights.

Fixed the OEM regulator with new clips. The temporary China made has made it a year. It's starting to roll up and down too slow. Plus, something makes a loud cracking noise when it changes directions. The OEM one will be installed asap.

Hitch took about 3 hours to install moving VERY slowly and reorganizing the garage at the same time. Didn't have to lift the car, just crawl under to remove the bumper and drill a hole. If you're good at removing the rear bumper, it shouldn't take you more than an hour. Only gotcha for me is that the curt hitches require a 11/16 drill bit to set a rivnut. I bought an 11/16 bit but didn't realize it was for a 1/2" chuck, whereas all my drill/drivers are 3/8th. Quick trip to a friend's to drill out the pre-marked hole and everything went smoothly.

nice rack indeed :D

I'm kinda envious of your winters there, here I usually end up like this after a ride

https://i.imgur.com/sNSbns3.jpg

you can go through a set of pads in a month :confused:

Bike riding is boring until you go over the handle bars! I've done it a few times.

Aside from them stripping constantly nothing

Did you lube the clips egregiously and did you get the correct clips, there are two designs, one for double insulated and one for standard glass, the depth of the clip is different. If you have the double insulated clip and standard (thinner) glass the clip will slide around in the glass-hole. I got the Chinese clips which I am yet to install, probably today ($5 for 2 Chinese vs $20 each for OE I'll chance it) sadly I broke the shade when removing it so now I have to figure out how to fix it because I am not paying $700 for a new one.

I have to vehemently disagree with your assessment. I have stripped way fewer Torx fasteners than I have fasteners of any other kind, best part is, usually when you damage a Torx you can still extract it with an Allen. Now allen fasteners are garbage. But to each his/her own.

on the flip side of that coin I have stripped more torx bolts in the last 3 years that in the first 20 of me wrenching on Jap and US cars.

There's literally 3 stripped bolts on the wife's X that are preventing me from removing the bumpers.

Maybe you live somewhere that doesn't salt the roads or my regular technique of using a ratchet is not applicable to fancy euro fasteners :dunno:

Ahhh, the salt may be the operative here. I could see how salt would completely flip the script on Torx fasteners. In the balmy Texas gulf coast the only cars that experience salt rot are ones that spend their entire like on the beach.

I had to drill/cut out several of the bumper cover bolts but it was the fact the spring nuts were fused to the bolt that caused the issue.

On rusty bolts, impact much less likely to strip than ratchet.


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hehehe, funny. Actually I cracked a few ribs during that ride, took me a few weeks to get out of bed in an orderly fashion :D

I'll be interested to see your solution for using the OE wiring. There's no decent place to put a 7 pin connector with an aftermarket hitch. They take up the entire hole.

I have an OE hitch and wiring waiting to be installed, but I'm missing the 2 mounting brackets. Trying to find them has been a challenge.

the bumper bolts are in fact fused...however, I've pulled off the bumper from 3 different Xs that had the regular bolts without any issues. Maybe they updated the design. The Wife's is an 04 and the others were 05+

I guess I'm talking more so in tight spaces. Starter and the actuator motor bolts immediately come to mind. You strip those and the world becomes a horrible place.

I find with the torx if you're not 100% dead on straight they are EXTREMELY prone to stripping vs the regular bolts being more tolerant.

On Thur, I rented a local lift to replace a bad O2 sensor on a Acadia. It's way up high and hard to reach from below. The job was super easy with a lift. Friday, I return in the X5. Using some steel bendable wire, both front drains are snaked. The left side had wet mud. I knew that drain worked okay. The right side was completely dry. Dry dirt was coming out. Next, remove the pillar covers to tie wrap the plastic hose. The right is kinked for sure.

The front lower air cover came down too. The right side has a small oil leak. Sure enough, the common oil pan corner has been leaking for a while. I tightened up all the bolts I could reach. When the front axle shafts are replaced, the oil pan gasket will be replaced. The remaining OEM suspension parts don't look too bad. All the remaining big links are going to be replaced.

Replaced one of the windshield washer pump that was leaking. While at it, I also replaced all the washer pumps rubber grommet. Also replaced the hood gas springs. The hood would not stay up when opened on a steep slope (my driveway).

Just got back in from thawing out the driver's door handle in -18 C weather....again

Just another day of stripped torx...

https://i.imgur.com/77kLD7k.jpg


https://i.imgur.com/vWSd4Ou.jpg

Use a manual punch first! Now, try to fit a hex bit in there. Hit it with a smaller impact.

I never use power tools on Torx....:rolleyes:

you'll notice there's a ratchet there also, same shit although it didn't shear off the tip

I've had plenty opportunities to hone my emergency extraction skills.

I'm just bitching out loud because I can't seem to do the simplest thing without it backfiring

Less likely to strip using impact. But you do need to size for the job don't use 700 ft·lb impact on T40.


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Been in the middle of replacing my transmission and so far the rental bay transmission jack shit the bed and the delivery truck banged the replacement shift lever so hard it killed the seal there...[emoji849]

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ugh that's not a great start to a project...

You aren't kidding [emoji25]

After the fall.....https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...39f6381c0b.jpg

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Made an offer of F10 520d.:stickpoke

Fixed the passenger side wet carpet problem. I can't believe the hose was so kinked. I used metal worm gear clamps to keep the tube open. Easy draining and snaking now. The lower pillar sagging upholstery was also pulled and fixed. The lower pillars look a lot better now.

Did they accept your offer?
How many euro’s?

I really appreciate such great troubleshooting steps with pic! More detailed or larger pics would be really helpful for the future. Thanks for attaching the pics to the thread as opposed to links, which would last for the life of this forum:thumbup:.

We got in to agreement, going to see it in 2weeks because I dont have the time to go and pick it up sooner. It's 11 000euros. If no one else buy's it before...

Picked up the X. I’ve been traveling so there’s been no rush to get it back. The Indy I left it with thinks that the belt kit I used had the 4.4 belt in it, rather than the 4.6 belt. I overcame almost all of my normal ADD tendencies on this project, but dropped the ball by not checking the part numbers in that belt refresh kit. Lesson learned, the hard way!

At any rate it ran like a top on the way home and has a new radiator to boot. I went with the Nissens on his recommendation. He’s been seeing a fair number of Mahle’s fail prematurely over the past year or so. My goal is to upgrade to an all aluminum with an electric fan set up at some point.

I think I dodged a bullet with the overheat, but time will tell. It ran strong yesterday, which is a good sign, and the mechanic thinks it’s fine. On to some interior work.

Noticed that the OBD2 port was not secure, while trying to attach the cable it just moved upwards so was unable to make the connection. Removed few dashboard panels and it turned out that the wire harness was not locked to its case. After some time I figured out how the locking mechanism works and reassembled the dashboard, always such a pain trying to line up all the pieces.

Replaced the clutch fan with electric fan several years ago. Replaced one controller that I damaged but other than that no problems. Have it wired so it also runs after the engine is turned off to address potential heat soak. Very worthwhile mod. FYI, there is a thread in how to section to help with install.

So you’re replacing your transmission with a used one? Are you going to rebuild the used one? What is wrong with your original?

Cant find the how-to. I'm sure it is user error...one has to be 10% smarter than the thing they are dealing with and the search function kicks my butt!

Would love to pick you brains on how you wired it, and if it works well and keeps your x cool in the summer.

Forum search engines are often a liitle lacking...

Best way to search this form (or any site....) is to use Google with the "site:" tag...

Use a search term like...

site:xoutpost.com bcredliner electric fan

First result is this...

https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...ch-delete.html

Which leads to this...

https://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-for...ctric-fan.html

I had a rebuilt one ready to go but the moron driving the little Toyota pickup dropped it as it was being unloaded and the shift linkage besnt to shit enough to start leaking from the connector.
I picked up a transmission from a sand dune rollover and will be test driving today, but I have my old one to rebuild it. I think I can get a good kit including solenoids with friction and steels cheap enough (400 USD or less) then we'll see....

My old one had a nuked B clutch.

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I bumped the thread so you can see it.

I think all your questions are answered in the thread but if not just let me know. Fan works great. As you can see from the thread the install was many years ago. I still have the same fan. Texas summers are hot. X5 has never overheated even sitting stopped on freeway for an hour when it was 105. I have it set so it comes on just before the electric pusher fan comes on and continues to run until the engine has cooled to below the setting after it is turned off. Hope this helps.

Arranged some time. Going to pick up F10 on monday.


E53 got new coils and wipers.

I love the cool down function.

We idle our cars a couple minutes after driving to cool the turbos and more or less drop the core temp "heat soak" but I love the fan after off idea. BMW had it set up like that on early n63 but disabled in software after it was killing batteries.


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Thank you, I appreciate you digging the thread up, and the write up. It’s looking more like my belt problem was caused by a crappy plastic pulley on the Bosch rebuilt alternator I got from FCP Euro. It looks to be deformed on the front lip, and is already shredding the new belt. Once I sort this out I’ll turn my attention to the tired headliner, then the fan!

As far as what I did for my X today (yesterday actually): I installed two new rear hatch bump stops. Mine were 20 years old and the rubber was long shot. The new ones have a spring function that allows them to compress a bit when the hatch closes, thereby cushioning the impact. Very nice.

I still need to come up with a solution that keeps the hatch grip from loosening up and the rubber gasket from dislodging. I installed 4 new plastic inserts to screw the torx screws into but they suck and don’t hold well over time.

BC, you know how bad I need this modification. I am just so burnt out modding this E53. I am older now, and it is just harder now to make things happen. The headers were really a shock that it happened.

Henn28, do you have a part number for the rubber bump stops?

Yep: 51247171558 and 51247171557 off of RealOEM. “stopper, trunk lid Cpl right/left”

I can’t recall where I got them from but they were (I think) about $50 each and took a while to come in (from BMW). Install wasn’t too bad but the right side is a bit of a pita as the fuses block hand access. So either pull those fasteners or pull the trim on that side to make things “easier”. You’ll also need a 30mm socket as the things are held in by a big nut that really wants to cross-thread.

Never runs long enough to impact the battery at all. Will run about 1 minute and then shutdown then in a minute or so it will run another minute or so, sometimes a third time and thats the max.

a device to prevent over-discharging the battery
 

I installed my electric fan using the switched-power that usually charges the glovebox flashlight (never was installed in mine), so it goes off as soon as I turn off the key. I wanted to run my fan awhile longer, unattended, but feared having the battery drained by the fan (the thermal switches fail sometimes).

I was going to get and install a device to prevent over-discharge, but got side-tracked into other tool, parts, & projects, and was content to monitor the real coolant temperature (not the gauge in the dash) as long as it stayed within limits (fan cuts on at 183F, coolant temperature maintains at 194F).

But, this last conversation reminded me to search my Amazon "save for later" list (sometimes up to 125 items on it) for the device I was going to use: the BlackVue Power Magic Pro. I ordered it just now. Attachment 81697

I also remembered another thread about possible problems with the "sleep" function working if using that device https://xoutpost.com/1016742-post25.html. But that in that thread the quoted poster/user? of the device was wondering if his dashcam, hooked to the device, would affect the sleep mode. I didn't see the conclusion.

However, since the device will be used in conjunction with the thermal trigger for the fan relay, when the thermal switch says OK for the fan shutdown, then the device will not draw any power, and sleep should follow. If the thermal switch fails, then the BlackVue device will shut itself off at the set voltage (I plan to set mine to shut-down at 12.5v; the timed settings of 12 hours and up are not applicable to the fan usage, so they won't be used). I'll report my results (perhaps in a week or so, after the next cold wave passes).

I wasn't actually concerned but BMW removed the feature and then caused actual engine problems.

I would love to be able to turn there function back on.

I imagine you could code that back on with the BMW software suite? I've noticed a ton of codings available for the e70 now that I have an ICOM and have been doing more reading on the subject.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/PP...4pc_TrJA=w1186
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/G6...ts-DFYLZQ=w512

Got the F10 home.

Nice looking car Zenner. I like the colors too. Hope it has heated seats!

Heated seats yes. Heated steering wheel needs to be retrofitted.

looks a bit chilly up there!

Replaced the drivers side door handle carrier. Used a Febi replacement. I had to do the same thing with this one as I had to with the passenger side. The socket on the bowden cable is just a little bit too large so it won't stay on the door latch lever. I put a double piece of teflon tape on the end of the lever and the cable stays in place. Very frustrating until I figured out the fix last time.

Nice looking car! Love the color.

Those F10s are really beautiful. I almost bought one with in the 35i variant with a six-speed instead of a practical family car about 7 years ago. But sense got the better of me. Someday I'll own one!

x2

My Dad loves his diesel variant. Just put another 2000 miles on it over the last couple weeks taking a trim to FL.

Welp its come time. I've listed the E53 for sale. After doing so much freaking work to it too, I can't stomach paying $90/fill up twice a week.

I came up with this fact too. Gas prices are just going up all day. It's a shame since E53 is nice car.

Pricing here is going mad too - premium petrol is over $12 gallon now!

Fortunately (for me) diesel is still cheaper (~$7.50 gallon) but it's increasing at the same rate as petrol. :(

Yep, petrol is just around 2€ per litre here. Diesel is pretty close too, around 1,8-1,9€ per litre.

over 2€ per liter here now (about 9$ per gallon). Good thiong the salt is off the roads so I can go back to using the bike again. (allthough yestersdays blizzard was no fun on the way home haha)

What's going to replace it?

I'm going for the fuel mileage. The prices will be what they will. The replacement will hopefully be a 535d. I'd love a Toyota D4D equipped Hilux or Nissan diesel but we dont get those here.

Only $90?

I live in Houston $90 for a tank is A LOT, especially when you're doing it twice a week. TO contrast, my wife spends $90 per fill up for her F15x35d once every 2 to 3 weeks and her commute is double mine. So anyone want a gas hog to add to their stable? I'll give you an XO deal.

Two windshields today. Had to get a fresh one installed in the in-law's old X5 thanks to an eighteen inch crack. While the windshield dudes were here, I figured I'd do the beat up original glass in mine.

mpg? or gpm?
 

I used to commute 120+ miles every day to my job clear across the DFW metroplex, for over 23 years. Previously, it was only between 45 miles (5 years) and 75 miles (4 years while in college, and 10 while living at other addresses), to two different plants over the years. There were only 5 years where my commute was <15 miles a day.

My vehicles included my worst gas hogs:

• 1) '67 Dodge Monaco 500, 383ci/325hp/323 gears,
• 2) '66 Chevelle 327ci/350hp/3.36 gears, then with 427ci/500hp/3.73 gears, occasionally,
• 3) '69 Chevy 1500, hotrodded with a 350ci/370hp/3.73 gears,

but mixed in were several four-cylinder cars and a small V-6 pickup.

I drove a V-6 '86 S-10 for at least 14 of those years as my DD, and it got 18 mpg. My last DD pickup was my '04 Chevy 2500HD WT 6.0L/300hp/4.10 gears, which (still) gets between 11-14 mpg; at the lower range in traffic, of course.

When fuel rose in 2008-2009 to $4 around here, I bought a '09 HHR Panel 2.2L/155hp/3.91 gear, for increased mileage at lower cost. Even with my lead foot, it averaged 27 mpg. That beat or matched my other, past cars ('73 Volvo & three VW's) that had shown good economy.

So, there've been times where I was spending up to $200 in a week for my commute, and $100+ seems to have been normal for me in the past two decades, but I never had an X5 to drive before. The cost of premium fuel would add to the cost by a bunch, though the first three cars listed used premium (or even race fuel mix), but even now, short-hopping my X5 (with recurring lean codes), I'm getting 15.1 mpg overall. That'd be within the range I was accustomed to. I would never buy a car just for mileage...I have to at least like to drive what I've got; this X5 is a pleasure to drive, so it would've worked for me.

Just curious, do you get a christmas card from the Saudi royal family every year?

OPEC Award!

I do..... [emoji1787]

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no Saudi friends, nor oil/gas stock...overtime was my friend
 

I generally made sure that my gasoline expenses were covered by extra overtime or double-time & special fees for doing outside jobs for/thru my employer (at their other plants around the state). I averaged 10 or more hours OT for over half of my 46 years working for them, and was the go-to guy (on call 24/7/365) for two decades. I refused salary because I made more money my way.

Unless I was assured of enough extra income to cover my expenses, whether doing my daily shifts, or on a 2 or 3 times-a-year lucrative side-trip to fix machines at another plant (no outside jobs in my last ten years, though), I would not drive the gas-gulping '66 Chevelle or '69 Chevy pickup, unless the '86 S-10 was down for maintenance.

Later on, during the majority of my 120+ mile commuting years, the '69 Chevy pickup rotated with the S-10 ('til the S-10 got T-boned), and the (replacement) '04 Chevy 2500HD was used exclusively prior to the acquisition of the economical '09 HHR in Dec.'08.

Not mentioned previously, I drag-raced from March thru October, for 14 of those years, towing my Chevelle to races in two states, and paying for 116 octane gas to power the 10-second car. Not cheap. After I closed-down one plant & took a position at the old plant in 2010, I lost some income (I saw it coming in '08, so I retired from racing then), and limited my driving as best I could, up until I really retired 1/1/16. My only hobby now is camping (in my home-built trailer), once or twice a year, adding maybe 750 miles a year (down from 3-4x, and up to 2000 miles per year).

The X5 came in May '21, and I'm only on my second tank of gas (driving only just under 450 miles). Gasoline expense isn't a problem, now, and hopefully won't become one.

You and I lead different lives sir. I love driving my 4.6 but it's far from an ideal DD. If I were buying a car purely for mileage I'd be looking at civics and corollas but I do live my bimmers and the N57T is an excellent power plant I experience it all the time in my wife's F15 so an F10 525d is more than just a mileage car. I have a very powerful vehicle already which as a result of owning so.manu bummers I havent touched in years. A lot has gone into the decision, but the driver is definitely the cost and efficiency of the commute.

no criticism intended
 

My story concerning how much $$$ I was willing to spend driving over the years was not intended as any form of criticism of your choice to divest yourself of one of your cars. I was just telling of how I paid for my folly, and what I drove during those years.

I was an hourly-paid employee, who made myself indispensible to my employers, and that alone helped finance my excessive fuel bills. But, I never felt I had enough $$$ to purchase new, or high-end vehicles to play with. I always was a project-car kind of guy.

I only bought 6 of my 25 cars new from dealerships (and had trouble later-on with some their service departments; the 3 Chevrolets '86 S-10, '08 Cobalt, '09 HHR, from one dealer, were the exception...a good dealership among rotten apples), so I bought and maintained used cars as my hobby.

While my friends and co-workers bought & sold their new cars every 2-3 years, spending/losing so much on depreciation, my old hum-drum vehicles cost me comparatively nothing. I also have a habit of keeping them 'til they were beyond repair, or keeping them as I would a pet, unless damaged in an accident (I flipped/rolled a VW, two were T-boned, one was driven into a creek by my ex, one was stolen and totalled by my younger brother); I have let go of only six, to new homes with fellow tinkerers, or traded to one for another project.

As for my latest project-car, I thought I needed AWD or 4WD to aid me with my camping hobby, so I traded for the X5. I almost bought a 2002??, new, back in the '70s, but bought a new '73 VW Superbeetle and then a used '73 Volvo 142 (to assuage my Euro appetite). But, I asked for and received the X5 from my friend, with whom I traded my Chevelle, because it was my final chance to own a BMW (and I've admired, from afar, the E53 for 22 years). Finally, I've got a BMW, an AWD/4WD, and a project-car all rolled-into-one!

I wish I had experienced driving BMW's over the years, as you have, and that my stable was as upscale as yours, but as you said, we've led different lives.

No offense taken and none meant. I ended up with 2 of the 4 bimmers more or less by sheer happenstance. My fast car is a 300zx. I didnt get my first bimmer but 6 years ago. Before it was mainly old 4 runners, hondas, and nissans. I love older vehicles but they take work to keep running so not a good choice for me at this point. Also I would exactly say that having a lot of bimmers is fortuitous hahahha

FYI---Scanners on sale https://www.ecstuning.com/?trk_msg=P...022_CW_mkt2446

Can confirm. Not a smart decision. Only reason to do it is you love the way they drive (which I do), and can tolerate the constant headaches. We own 5 currently so that 2 are in perfect condition (no check engine lights, clunky suspension, road trip worthy, etc) at all times. 2 aren't running at all... though one is a donor vehicle for a future project.

BMWs are a bad habit. I don't recommend anyone get into the "hobby." My wife and I are masochists... :dunno: I've never lost money on one (purchase price vs sale price), but I've certainly lost a lot of time and maintenance costs to them. But we've tried other marques and so far... aren't happy with anything else.

Finished the transmission test drive and adaptations reset.

Drives like new!!

Already got my 1st flashy cam ticket with it....[emoji28]

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Woot! :thumbup:

The white witch terrorizes the desert once again!

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

So good to hear.

My new to me 35i shredded it's serp belt but didn't ingest it though it did wrap around the alternator pulley. I'll be looking at pulley/tensioner soon to figure out if there was a reason besides age that took out the belt.

Died while wife was driving downtown Chicago on the way home after ten 12 hr days working Chicago auto show. She was not happy about the 3 hours delay.

I'm going to get a breaker bar and t 55 for serpentine belt in both our cars. Took an extra 90 minutes because I didn't have the right tool.

"What, doesn't everyone carry a T55 around in their toolkit?"


-German Engineers

I typically have with but my torx set is in my storage garage. Three other thing that will go in the kot is the hex required to put the car in neutral when car has no power.

Picked up a set of virgin headlights! The lights will polish up nice and new. Clear tint will go on to protect them. The current X5 lights have sprayed clear. Someone had previously polished them and clear coated them. After years, the clear is cracking. Once they are off, A small spot will be tested for removing painted clear chemically. Along with headlights misc bolts, folding mirror micro switches, and soon blower motors.

Thanks to TheFixer!!

I'm finally declaring victory after a two-week bout of my e53 being out of commission. I loaned the vehicle to my youngest (adult) son so he could sell his aging Toyota from college and save up to buy something newer/nicer as both he and his new bride had only beaters to drive.

The saga started when my son called me stranded along E470 in Denver on his way to DIA for a work flight. Based on what he told me (he's a mechanical engineer, but not as experienced with auto mechanics as Dad) I was confident the alternator had died on him. I happened to have a spare H9 battery, so I grabbed it and headed up there (a bit over an hour away) to rescue him. My rescue attempt didn't go as planned, so we ended up towing to my middle son's house in the Denver area. Once there, we got it sorted out and running, so I could drive it home - switching batteries halfway to make it.

Once home in my driveway, I ordered new brushes for the alternator (Valeo 140) and after installing, set out to fire the beast up. It was getting dark, and I had to access the disconnected battery from the back seat since the rear hatch couldn't be opened. Fumbling in the dark, I made a HUGE mistake and connected the battery cables to the wrong posts. Sparks flew and smoke rose from the alternator. I was SOOOO disgusted with myself!

Long story, short... I ordered a used alternator, swapped in the new brushes, tested every fuse and relay in all 3 fuse boxes (75ish?) replacing several that were blown, and I'm happy to say that all is well once again.

Since I had to wait on the used alternator, I decided to go ahead and replace the OFHG since the alternator would be out. I also found the hoses to the PS reservoir were leaking, so I replaced both hoses and the reservoir.

Of course, while I was working on the E53, I gave him his mom's E83 to drive and the TC actuator gear gave up the ghost on him (148K miles, so not unexpected). I don't think he's impressed with his dad's choice of automobile brand!

AM.