How do you like the latest and greatest from Dynavin? I have an Avant 4 in my 3.0i & I hate how buggy and unreliable the connection to it is (Wireless carplay). I love the look of these units but I can't help but want to go with one of the major HU brands just for the connectivity & reliability.

Avin is pretty reliable if you use wired.

As my keyless entry gets flakier and flakier every day (one key never works and the other works about 50% of the time), of course my driver's key cylinder broke this weekend. Fortunately I did not get locked out. I found that there is a repair kit on ebay for $10, gonna try that first and if I can't get the cylinder rebuilt then I'll cough up the cash for a new one.

So far so good! A few notes:
1) Once I paired it the first time, my BT (iPhone) begins auto connecting to the Dynavin once car is on. This is pretty seamless, BUT usually takes 30-45 sec to “activate” the Carplay
2) The BT signal is basically flawless once connected. [Disclaimer: I have yet to read the manual :stickpoke and I probably should] But I do have to say besides Carplay I really have not explored the capability of the Dynavin beyond this.

Photo attached. The install was VERY straightforward. I was somewhat hesitant at first as there is incomplete walkthroughs, but having gone through it, I can say that it was more friendly than I expected. The fitment of the unit is perfect, but I added some foam tape to cushion the unit - thus the bottom edge sticks does not sit flush. (In case you spot this and think it is a design issue - it is not - just me being weird)

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d5...f2r1Ut6Tw=w800

Keep us posted! This seems useful… :D

Will do! $10 on ebay is a lot better than $150+!!

Thank you for the input! Interesting it takes that long for the carplay to "activate" even on this junk Avant 4 its pretty quick when it wants to work. I'm still deciding. I want to do it once and never again lol

Got the parts today and put them in. I broke one more part while putting it back together. Then had to deal with the flaky locking mechanism itself. Took about 3 hours but it is working now, as good as it is ever going to. Just bad engineering is all.

I used to have Dynavin N6 for about 3-4 years, happily managed to sell it and bought Avin4. From my experience the Avin is so much better in terms of quality and usability. I quickly got tired of Dynavin with its closed system (can't install new apps) and it would frequently lose sound requiring disconnecting the unit from DSP in the trunk under the spare wheel. Jeff tried to solve it with a replacement unit and other devices to no avail. It was so frustrating to lift the spare wheel to get at the DSP connection. Someone without DSP bought it and was all good. Avin4 has never had such issues and I'm very happy with it.

Let us know if you find the cure for the keyless entry, I still haven’t fixed mine. Sounds exactly like my situation but it has got to the point it doesn’t work at all.

Okay, another parts cannon was fired. All four corners have new rotors and pads. Two new sensors and e-brake adjustments were made. The hand brake begins to grab on the first clicks. Now it doesn't have to go to max pull to hold it from rolling. The previous owner stated brakes had been done with two years of purchase. Well, they didn't last long. Austin traffic soon proved it by steer shaking under hard braking. The shaking is what started a front suspension refresh. Finally all out replacement with an oil pan gasket fix. The rear pads were okay. The fronts were unevenly worn out. One pad was really bad. It must have been the one causing steer shaking on hard braking. All four corners and new 255/60R17 tires stop the X5 hard and fast. It was so hot I had to pull out a canopy for shade plus use a box fan. I need to finish cleaning my garage out to have work room. :confused:

Plus I used 6-7 cans of brake cleaner. 3 new full cans and some partial cans I had around the garage.

Last week a small clunk could be heard on bumps. Right side. Definitely suspension. Three days and no luck finding it. Finally on the last try, the suspension stopped perfectly on ramps. I grabbed the antisway bar link. It moved. :wow:
I grab a 6mm, not a 7mm like a YouTube video says, and an 18 mm offset wrench. Sure enough it turned maybe 1/2 turn. All other four connections were tight. Lesson learned, don't trust an inexperienced though good helper. An Impact doesn't work well all the time on links. Annoying that it took 1700+ miles for it start clunking a bit.

87s installed
 

Suffered a slow leak from a drywall screw in one of my 132s. There are home construction projects all around where I live and picking up a screw or nail every now and then has become unavoidable.....

Went to patch it but my tire mounting machine went suicidal. One of the 8mm pneumatic lines broke off a nipple and every time I fixed one line, another one would burst as soon as the pressure got to 100 psi. I gave up and ordered a roll of 8mm tubing and 20 quick connect nipples to replace the cone style ones.

In the mean time, strapped the 87s on the car. These are soooo good looking and without the flare extensions there is no need for spacers in the back. The front could do with a 10mm spacer but my smallest is 15mm. So, decided to go without any spacers. (Not a fan of Bridgestone tires but the ones mounted on these 87s are pretty decent, sufficient grip and not noisy despite being a bit older) They will stay on the car until Thanksgiving when the winter tires go back on.

A few weeks ago I installed fresh front shocks, new spring pads and strut bearings. This has improved ride quality significantly. It passed the emissions inspection a few days ago. Overall it has been running well as a daily driver for the kids' college commutes.

Replacing missing trunk items. Evilbay to the rescue! :p:

had the gearbox flushed yesterday. It shifted fine except for a harsher downshift from 1 to 2 on a hot engine. That didn't change, but the oil coming out was absolutely filthy so hopefully it will prevent issues in the future.

Swapped out my stock taillights for some new LED units.


https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...7a281e32_b.jpg


https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...3bdd4227_z.jpghttps://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...1821714a_z.jpg

Nice!

Finally got my new headlight lenses installed..[emoji3060] They look great!!

Cracked the tab on the drivers side front clip..[emoji25] I am now looking for a replacement clip and have a paint guy on standby. [emoji28]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...95f5bd3d36.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...3c6bd36140.jpg

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Looks good. The old ones get "sand blasted"?

Spare Tire
 

I’ll feel a little better in the X with a spare tire again, especially on my long drives.

I was a bit skeptical of how secure the hitch mounted swing out arms would be, but the 6 Monkeys piece I went with is super solid and doesn’t have any play in it. The company focuses on Jeeps, but 6 Monkeys added a a little length to some key dimensions to ensure clearance of the bumper and hatch. Almost no visibility issues out the back window either as the tire sits very low. I still need to splice the LED provided with the kit into the trailer hitch power, but beyond that I’m pretty happy with this setup.

Up next are brakes/rotors and a transmission service. FCP parts inbound.

https://i.postimg.cc/9Q81f4bW/C24-F1...-A7-BD0-B9.jpg

Thanks and if by sandblasted you mean that they looked like a back-lit onyx countertop...

Then definitely. [emoji1787]

The lenses only cost 100 USD, so I said why not give it a shot?

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Do you mean you just replaced the lens and not the whole headlight? Very cool

Yeah, just the lenses. I was a little concerned about fitment but it was just a matter of making sure every single piece of sealant was removed and cleaned up to get it right. I'm thinking about getting a second set just in case something goes tits-up or gets damaged...

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I saw lenses for sale and was contemplating that option, but I figured it would be a pig of a job to get the old lenses off? Do you have to seal them with something?

On a positive note... I found a loose vacuum hose and taped it on as a temporary solution... the CEL went off a few days ago and hasn't been back. so it's either that or me pushingthe engine a bit every ride to get the vanos moving a bit.

I used a high temperature silicone, time will tell if it holds up..[emoji28]

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you probably need some asbestos bond over there :D

I'd been hoping that the blowing sand would just turn into clear glass, but nooooo..[emoji1787]

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I noticed a couple of weeks ago that my third brake light was only working on the left side, so I found a good replacement on ebay and swapped it out this morning.

Mine worked. Fixed it anyway. :bmw:
Incase you see mine running down the highway and hit the all new brakes and rotors. :rofl:

Nice BWM X2 you have there sir

I think it was August of 2002 that lens went from an adhesive that released when the housing was heated to a permanent seal. I had one of each.

Some bake the pre permanent seal housings in an oven others heat the removable lens seal and cut through the adhesive with an Exacto type knife as they go. I didn't use the baking method. The permanently sealed lens can be removed but it is a terrible painstaking ordeal. I did one and will never do another one.

Unless the lens are extremely pitted they can be refurbished. I didn't find a kit that worked that well. I removed the housings so I didn't have to worry about harming paint. I wet sanded in stages and used plastic polishing compound. All by hand. I used a sealant that remains pliable in case I have to do it again. Key is to spray a protective coating after they are looking good to make them look great and keep looking great for a long time.

cheers for the info, that's what i thought as well. My car is from 2002 so i can expect the worst... i refurbed the bad lens with a kit that made it look much better, but I'm expecting it will probably get bad within a year or two.

I sat in the drive way early this am with that sinking feeling as the the X cranked for 15 seconds but didn’t fire. Turned the key off for a few seconds, tried again and she fired up immediately. The 4.4 that was in the car used to do this occasionally as it got older (130k miles-plus). Nothing special about the morning, 60 deg, just a bit humid, a nice fall morning in Louisiana.

Fuel, air or ignition, and I would suspect the fuel pump, but it’s virtually brand new (Delphi). I’ll pop the code reader on it later today and see if any set and spend some time on the Outpost looking for similar posts.

Off to pick up the new-to-me sand beige seats I bought from 5s0NG and shipped down to me. Condition is way nicer than my OE seats as they are right now, and I’m having them recovered in new leather (sand) with anthracite uberkaro center inserts bottom and back. I’m excited as they have adjustable lumber and heat, neither of which we ordered when we bought our X in 2002. I’m hopeful that the wiring for the heat exists and when I buy an appropriate center console switch insert with heat switches, it will all come magically together. I’ve read several posts herein where guys upgraded there seats, some plug and play, some challenging. I think it’s a good sign that the rear relay/fuse block has wiring to the heated seat relay position, just no relay. Is there no front seat heat relay?

Long crank followed by immediate start probably means that the check valve isn't holding pressure. I *believe* that the check valve is built into the pump.

Check valve failure has no impact other than the long crank, so it's not worth buying another pump to fix. You can also buy an external check valve.

If it is the check valve you also dont have to even crank it, just turn the car to run position a few times, then to crank and should prime the fuel system.

Thanks gents, that would make sense. I replaced the fuel filter when I did the motor swap, but I’m doubtful that mine has the check valve in it. It’s the older style. About half the size of the larger, newer style. I’m not sure when the swapped, but I read that the old one doesn’t have a check valve in it. Internet info however, so it’s could easily be incorrect. I did a reasonably deep RealOEM dive however and couldn’t find a separate check valve assembly or fitting.

Seats survived the flight down and are in the back of the X. The smarter me would swap the driver’s seat out to make sure it all works as hoped, before recovering them. Or I could just assume I will be able to work through any issues that come up!

I used the 3M headlight restoration kit to refurbish both OEM lenses. That's 3 years ago. I just recently polished the lenses with Meguiar's Ultimate Compound and they turned out great!

New brakes and wear sensors, replaced DHC on passenger side and then found a leak on the transfer case motor flange/plate (whatever the correct name is). This will have to be fixed next weekend. [emoji25]

I then left the White Witch with dirty handprints [emoji870][emoji870][emoji870] as a sandstorm was moving in....

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The X5 had a TLC detail package done. The guy took over 5 hours! He worked slow and steady. He's new to the business. So he's slowly getting faster. His longest clean was 7 hours. Yes, on a BMW sedan. :confused:
The kid drives an Audi V8 sedan. So he knows the pain of maintenance. :D
The interior has not looked so good since new. The seats have some nice glow to them. The trim looks great. I'll to have snap a couple of pictures. Ceramic wax looks great. It still had some wax on it. Water did bubble up on the hood. Now, rain should just slide off. :thumbup:

It's time to clean the extra set of headlamps! Plus order some trim matching paint for a few scratches.

Installed BlueBus on the X5 yesterday afternoon.

Demo please! Feedback? Do all steering wheel buttons work? :popcorn:

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

Nothing like a fresh and clean ride!


E53 RiPPeR
XOuTPoST jUNkiE
ReVELaTiON 22:21

Quick install, I just plugged in two harnesses to the BlueBus. Sound is really good, the only buttons I've used on the steering wheel are the volume and "up/down" and those work, I primarily have used Spotify. The text scrolls on the radio (I have the business CD player). Apparently if you press the button with the icon of the "guy talking", it activates Siri/Alexa.

Let me know if you want to know more.

Two questions for those who have fixed key fob issues:

1. If I replace the battery in my diamond key (which works sometimes but not all the times), will the key just work or will it require resynchronization?
2. If I have a diamond key that has never worked, can I synchronize it using either a Foxwell or BMW Scanner? Or do you need something more powerful?

You can use the Foxwell to delete keys. Use the Foxwell to identify how many keys have been coded. Foxwell can identify keys numbers too. Synchronization is a simple procedure.

Cool. Can use your phone music app and steering wheel buttons to scroll through songs? If you can, I'm sold on buying one! :thumbup:

The shift boot has probably never been so clean since new! The wood trim is all shiny. I need to cut stitching that hangs out. I need a towel now to keep rear stuff from sliding off the seat. Next, fix the pano roof forward headliner. :(

All of you guys should really look at Grom Audio because it works the same way you guys are talking about these other systems but with 95% less effort. Looks the same on the dash as the bluebus, uses the steering wheel controls, and it's plug-and-play.




OK, great! I think I will order a couple of batteries and see if I can R&R my key that doesn't ever work, and replace the battery in the key that sometimes works.

[QUOTE=Bdc101;1225519]All of you guys should really look at Grom Audio because it works the same way you guys are talking about these other systems but with 95% less effort. Looks the same on the dash as the bluebus, uses the steering wheel controls, and it's plug-and-play.

The effort to install BlueBus is almost ZERO. You plug in two existing harnesses into the BlueBus. Steering wheel controls work and you get the added "comfort" features of auto lock and auto unlock, "comfort" blinkers and the module is continuously supported with updates. The price is virtually the same and the BlueBus is specifically made for BMWs. To each their own.

I think I was mixing up Bluebus with Avin or whichever one people use. My bad.

The reason to use AVIN is as follows:
1) Replaces a failing MID or head unit. (My MID's display was ruined.)
2) Sounds VASTLY better than the original head unit.
3) Added functionality such as CarPlay may be desirable.
4) If you DO NOT have DSP, the installation is pretty much direct drop in.

As a general rule, I'm not a fan of built in navigation, but the AVIN makes a lot of sense in the E53.

I went to great lengths to avoid nav in my E90, though. Can't stand that double hump dashboard.

My MID DSP display is failing as well. However, the sound output now, with the addition of the 13th channel is like sitting in a sound room (studio).

The android unit with JL audio stealth box in my 4.4iS cannot even compare. And that system sounds strong. That speaks volumes to the sound quality of the DSP system, when the proper low end frequencies are applied.

I like the factory aux setup because,

1. I can use high end DAC’s on the AUX input with GiG’s of music storage.

2. I can still use my cd changer (I have acquired numerous CD’s over the years).

3. I can disk load MP3’s in the head unit.

4. I can add SAT radio.

The android unit is a nice upgrade with great features, and fantastic sound. The factory DSP system is definitely an audiophile’s project that can reward greatly if properly configured. Plus it keeps the E53 all original. :thumbup:



E53 RiPPeR
XOuTPoST jUNkiE
ReVELaTiON 22:21

Interesting you like the DSP over the aftermarket head unit w/ the JL stealth box. I just bought a Dynavin D8 & was considering the JL stealthbox for a sub.

I don't mean this to come across as rude, but I have heard plenty of DSP E38, E39, and E53 cars, and the sound quality was never better than garbage IMO. It wasn't until the E6x/E9x generation that BMW started shipping semi-tolerable factory stereos. Heavy emphasis on the "semi" part of that.

100% agree

I remember my friend telling me how much more they paid for the "premium" Harman Kardon system upgrade in their e46 and it was TERRIBLE even at low volume.

I've said this many times and will continue to do so: Anyone that thinks the factory system in an e53 era BMW sounds good just hasn't heard anything decent. And when you do, you'll realize how bad it really is.

JL stealth box hits hard! Strongly recommended!

I agree. The 01/2002 E53 DSP was completely unenjoyable from the moment I fired up the sound system. I tried every tune possible to get it sounding something other than ear cringing. I finally found a frequency that was at least tolerable, but the moment you went to crank it up, bleh!

I pretty much tolerated it for 2 decades only because, my E53’s running ambient sound is music in itself. So I pretty much kept the system off, or background noise.

When I added the 13th channel that changed everything! And as a byproduct of all the not hours, years of trying to tune that darn thing, when I gained access to the systems missing frequencies I was able to bring it all together and create a solid sound field. It’s the reverb that takes it to another level and brings it to a studio quality sound.

Everything is custom tuned. The reverberation, the EQ, the 13th channel’s crossover frequency, low frequency boost, gain, and even the fader. All of it is tuned to create a balanced sound. The bass control on the MID is more or less has been converted into a SUB gain control.

Like I said I went in not knowing what to expect, and was completely blown away. The 2006 CD unit with the AUX input is a cherry on top!


E53 RiPPeR
XOuTPoST jUNkiE
ReVELaTiON 22:21

I guess this is a perspective thing, but in my experience, it's basically impossible for a stealthbox to hit hard. It's not what they're built for.

Are you talking about adding a center channel? I'll agree that a center channel is key to the best sound in a real world automotive stereo.

That said, if you think that the center channel made that much difference in the stock stereo, imagine what it would be like with even mediocre speaker and amplifier components!

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

Haha.. I’ve had Magnepan 20.7 5.1 speaker system. So I’ll respectfully argue your point. LoL.. :bustingup

Like I said I hit the sound lottery with my E53. :lmao:


E53 RiPPeR
XOuTPoST jUNkiE
ReVELaTiON 22:21

It hits for what it is imo. But, it does not hit like my micro JL audio sub enclosure. The micro enclosure is in my hatch consuming space in the 3.0, where the stealth frees up the hatch consuming zero space in 4.4. So there is a trade off of sound for space.



No, I did not add a center channel. The system is still 2.0 HiFi. I added the following missing or underpowered frequencies of 20Hz - 200Hz.

In sound reproduction what sounds bad may actually be good, but incomplete. And that’s what the problem is with the factory DSP. There is plenty of high end frequency. The low end on the other hand is incomplete which creates inconsistent sound i.e. awful sound. You can’t look at it as just, oh he simply added a SUB. I added the missing frequencies, and then tuned them in completely recreating a new sound field. So if you were to hear it, it won’t sound like anything you heard before, because it’s not. It’s been reconstructed.

The factory DSP amp and speakers are more than sufficient. It goes loud enough with out distortion to be unhealthy for your ears. So imo, no need for upgrading. However, I wouldn’t mind getting my hands on a pristine pre LCI DSP amp! Also, I am intrigued by the fact it is a 8 ohm system, and not 4. Car audio is usually 4 ohms.


E53 RiPPeR
XOuTPoST jUNkiE
ReVELaTiON 22:21

Luckily I wouldn't need the JL Stealthbox to hit hard, just clean bass without taking up trunk space. Compared to the sub upgrade I did to the oem DSP sub box it should be lightyears better.

We'll have to agree to disagree on this one. Fill in the bass frequencies and you're still left with a system that has pretty underperforming mid and treble, IMO.

I 100% agree that adding a sub is the biggest bang for buck improvement that you can get in most stereo systems, I just do not agree that the rest of the DSP system is up to par. :)

I think you’ll be pleased with the stealth box. You will need an additional SUB amplifier to power the driver in the stealth box though. The DSP amp will not power a 10” driver properly and could damage the amp.

The factory SUB is awful when solely relied on for low end frequency. Mine is still active, but it’s been tuned for 200Hz - 500Hz. Before it was trying to produce 20Hz - 500Hz. All I can say is, Good Luck With That! LoL..


E53 RiPPeR
XOuTPoST jUNkiE
ReVELaTiON 22:21

Yeah, 20-500 is just dumb. No other way to put it.

TIL the rest of this board takes their stereo system way more seriously than I do

Agreed.

However I noticed in your profile that you have an ‘04 E53. There was a change in audio equipment from the original build E53’s. The schematics show a completely re-engineered harness for LCI. So quality my have changed one way or the other. That may be a factor as well.

The treble on mine is ear splitting! No problem there. It was the Mid range that took hours to balance out. But once I got it, I was left with a solid sound field.

So where I agree to disagree is that the equipment imo is not sub par, but poorly tuned and lacking a complete range of frequencies to produce a balanced and quality sound field.


E53 RiPPeR
XOuTPoST jUNkiE
ReVELaTiON 22:21

I totally agree!! LoL.. :rofl:


E53 RiPPeR
XOuTPoST jUNkiE
ReVELaTiON 22:21

Yeah Pops though it was a wise idea to convert his 8 year old son into an audiophile. I’m not mad, but definitely gained some unneeded ocd. :lmao:


E53 RiPPeR
XOuTPoST jUNkiE
ReVELaTiON 22:21

I currently have in the truck
-Kicker CX800.1 mono amp for the sub
-Kicker CX360.4 for the front and rear speakers
-Wavtech link8 LOC
-Infinity Kappa speakers front and rear
-SkarAudio 1" tweeters
-Earthquake SWS 6.5inch shallow woofers in the OEM DSP box

*Not all the highest end stuff but the previous owner did a lot to make this work without upgrading the head unit. Some quick changes should prove worth it.

Unfortunately this is all run through the OEM stereo, I just ordered the Dynavin D8 Pro head unit today & will run RCA cables directly to the amps & Sub. I should probably do that first before the JL Stealthbox but I get a little ansty.

That factory sub enclosure is definitely holding you back. You’ll definitely gain sound improvement with the stealth box install. Most likely even running the factory head unit.


E53 RiPPeR
XOuTPoST jUNkiE
ReVELaTiON 22:21

I'm somewhat of an audiophile myself - which is why I don't bother with stereos in cars. Cars are a "sub-optimal listening environment"! :rofl:

For seriously listening pleasure, I sit at home in front of Magnepan speakers driven by Perreaux mono-blocks.

With the lights off. And the phone on silent. And everyone out of the house.

That's OCD! ;)

Right..!!

Bryston powered Maggie’s for me. Serious sound, period!

Indeed the cabin of an E53 is not an ideal environment for superior quality listening. But it seems Wayne you know, that I know what sounds good. Now granted, I am not comparing the E53 DSP system to Maggie’s in a dedicated sound room, power by individual Bryston amps. I’m saying I am shocked that I can hear the instruments and vocals in a way that is a bit perplexing for a 20 year old sound system, which is in the cabin of a motor vehicle. Anyone who knows Magnepan, knows what I mean by actually hearing the instruments and vocals properly.

Definitely OCD! LoL.. :bustingup


E53 RiPPeR
XOuTPoST jUNkiE
ReVELaTiON 22:21

[QUOTE=nick325xit 5spd;1225545]The reason to use AVIN is as follows:
1) Replaces a failing MID or head unit. (My MID's display was ruined.)
2) Sounds VASTLY better than the original head unit.
3) Added functionality such as CarPlay may be desirable.
4) If you DO NOT have DSP, the installation is pretty much direct drop in.

/QUOTE]

So an AVANT4 is almost plug and play?

The CD/Bluetooth wire option increased sound quality. The OEM wiring changes are noticeable. The plug in Bluetooth adapter through radio frequencies doesn't compare. Next year, I'll go for an upgrade to use all the steering wheel buttons.

It's almost plug and play if you do NOT have DSP. Steering wheel controls work out of the box.

My plan to take a couple hours and "pop" on new front pads and rotors in the driveway ended up being a bit of a hassle. The brake work went fine and aside from noticing the rubber dust boot on the right caliper piston was working itself free, the TRW ceramic pads and Zimmerman rotors went on hassle free. I'll need to address the dust boot with a rebuild eventually.

My initial runs up to 40 or 50 mph to bed the pads and rotors seems to indicate that the vibration on braking I was feeling between 60 and 30 mph or so was gone. I haven't had the car out on the hwy though to test for sure. Frankly though I'd be surprised if the brake job fixed the vibration since I wasn't feeling it in the steering wheel. It feels like a classic worn control arm bushing, however, both arms on the front suspension are new and I just had an alignment. The tie rods also check fine, but I do need new front struts soon. Perhaps worn struts can cause vibration on braking? The indy who works on the X occasionally also thinks that the lift, 275 tires, etc. may simply be overcoming the stock bushings. I'll update this when I get the car on the highway. Regardless, it is quite livable and my plan is to keep replacing worn parts over the next several months (struts next probably) until unitl I eliminate everything but bushings at which point maybe I'll switch to stiffer bushings in tension struts first.

At any rate, true to form, the X decided to start rubbing the back of its calipers on the inside of the 16" wheels when I first took it out to bed the pads. I had already taken about 1/32nd off the back of the calipers with a grinder to get the new 16" wheels to fit after the lift, but I supsect they got hotter than normal during the bed down process, and perhaps also the brackets and calipers shifted a nano-fingstrom during the brake change. Back out with the angle grinder. Seems to be fixed, until and unless they get really hot ever I'm sure. I found myself googling brembo X5 conversions and thinking that those massive calipers might work better as they don't look nearly as deep. In fact, the ones I saw don't even have a back to them facing the inside of the rims. Zero point zero chance I will be spending 4k on brakes for the car though!

While under the car trying in vain to check the clearance on my back, I did notice evidence of fluid on the bottom of the bell housing. The motor and subframe stiffener was thankfully clean as a whistle. I was initially getting some oil weeping from quite a few the oil pan bolts when I put the new motor in so I gently retorqued them, which seems to have worked. So unless something oily is leaking down from the back of the motor, I can only assume that the torque converter has small leak. It doesn't seem too cosmic and I'm planning a fluid drain and refresh later this month. More to follow when I get it up on a lift and can take a better look. The last 9 months with a fully leak-free BMW have been heaven, but it was bound to end at some point.

Fully aside, my favorite youtube past time these days is watching the Driftwork guys do major surgery on their BMWs. Specifically their E30 track car is amazing and watching them massage a Drenth sequential gearbox under it is fantastic.

That's the downside of sliding calipers. The clearances change depending on pad wear. You may also want to replace the guide bushings as they allow increased play as they age.

Oil in this location is often valve cover or rear main seal. Rear valve cover leaks can be pretty deceptive unless you just get your hand back there. Generally, it's pretty obvious when ATF is leaking.

Will definitely check the rear valve cover and main. Going to be super bummed if they are leaking as they motor only has 3k on it! Although the packing sheet did say that it was assembled in 2017 so it sat on a shelf in germany for 5 years before I bought it.

The Witch started intermittently making a deep tire skip noise like when an airplane lands, upon inspection I found my rear guibo was shot and since it was only 18 months old I was pissed.

Found that the transfer case oring #27107537631 would leak through #27107539265 and caused oil to come out the output flange and it degraded the guibo. All three changed and so far she's dry.

If you have a strange degradation of your guibo check for slow leaks and just to note there wasn't any noticeable oil wetness due to road dust and it only leaked occasionally when the seal, o-ring lined-up.

See damaged guibo...https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...739add3414.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...ba0c6a9d94.jpg

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lost my left side wheel arch plastic (back side) in the car wash... got mangles up so need a replacement. Anyone know any decent aftermarket suppliers? (it's a 4.6is), BMW wants 175 bucks for it... guess it's not as crazy as the 550 bucks for a little plastic drip tray in the pano roof...

I doubt you'll find an aftermarket supplier other than somebody parting one out that was damaged enough that they can't sell the whole kit.

That said... This is a good reminder to check the rivets on the rest of your wheel arches. They have to get replaced every time someone goes underneath the wheel liner, and I've seen a lot of examples of mechanics halfassing that.

Wonder if someone's regular (not industrial) 3D printer would handle making one?

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It's way too big for any normal printer. Also, the amount of time required to set up, not to mention the time required to print this sort of piece would be prohibitive. Paying the $$$ for a piece of plastic is painful, but it would be more painful to try to produce it that way. Even if you had a ginormous 3D printer.

Just a thought after seeing this vid.
I don't know jack about 3d printing.

https://www.instructables.com/Simple...nt-HUGE-Parts/

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Well...

1) A conveyor belt is a big add on that will cost a lot to do correctly.
2) You'd need to rotate the piece to do a wheel arch. So a conveyor belt wouldn't work as you'd need a fairly complex motion.

Basically, the dimensions are too big for home 3D printing.

And, again, amount of time that it takes to CAD one of these pieces is pretty significant. How many hours is it worth to save $175? How much would you spend to have the ability to do that? Realistically, the kind of 3D printers that *might* be capable of replicating *this* piece start well north of $10k. (It might actually be pushing $100k.)

And don't forget that the 3D printed piece would require finishing after all this. For a one off piece, you'd probably be better off hand fabricating in fiberglass.

Figures I let my excitement get ahead of reality...[emoji1787]

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yeah I replaced the rivet already but the plastic pins going into the body seem to be wiggling loose. I guess I'll bite the bullet and order a new one with a pack of BMW rivets to make sure :D

Finally was able to drain my transfer case.

It's something I've been wanting to do since I first got my car a little over a year ago, but the drain plug was so tight that it started to round off. I put it to the side since I needed to drop the transmission crossmember to really get to the bolt.

So yesterday, I removed the exhaust, dropped the transmission cross member, and tried to get the bolt off. I used penetrant first with no luck. Then I used a torch and tried rocking the torque back and forth, using a hammer, etc. Eventually I felt like the socket was just about to give up on the bolt head, so I switched to an easy out and a 6' breaker bar. Still no luck, so I cut the head off the bolt and then notched a slot in it. I used a chisel and hammer to rotate it out. What a pain!

New bolt vs. old bolt in 2 pieces:

Wow! An air hammer time! Or a manual impact. Both work great!

I haven't needed it yet, but i'm looking "forward" to the opportunity to try this:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mayhew-37...eaker/47445511

Doh! Totally forgot about my air hammer lol. But I think an impact would have stripped that thing out quicker... the threads were just sort of rounded off from when i tried removing it using an open-ended wrench while the crossmember was still on the car.

That's what makes the shake n break interesting. It's just hammering on the fastener to loosen it up. You turn it with a wrench when it gets loose.

If you know, you know. No more rattles though.

(Swap, not rebuild) That would be even worse.

I got my cluster fixed in August, and drove my X5 to work tonight to have it do this:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...45f297ca_b.jpg

I haven't pulled it to look yet, but is this just a loose connection? It seems to do it off and on...

Swapped my front brake discs/rotors that were warped and causing dreadful steering shake when braking to drilled and grooved performance items. Sanded and repainted the callipers including all the brackets. Even the hat part and outer edge of the discs got the paint treatment- all in body colour Titan silver. None of that daft red / yellow / blue etc, it’s not a sports car. New pads too.
Braking is much more satisfying now..

damn about the cluster... no warrantee on the work?

I'll find out later today. I emailed the shop that did the work.

Reminds me of the movie Freejack with all the bar coded cars..

Besides it's better than some of the warnings that have popped up on the White Witch.. [emoji1787]

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I have been experiencing heavy steering feel for some time now, suspecting the universal joint in the steering shaft, but since there could be couple of other causes too, I haven't felt like dropping 200 euros for a new u-joint just to test it out. I now sprayed some WD-40 to the u-joint and the steering feels properly light again! Let's see for how long, maybe I should try some lithium grease spray next, but I was unable to get the nozzle reach the u-joint. At least now I know the universal joint was the culprit of the heavy steering.

Antiseize works well in the joint if you're looking for a longer lasting stopgap.

Did they change the whole display and replace it with an after market version or just repair the foil cable connection? Could be either poor quality display or the cable orientation slightly off and shorting parallel connections.

Honestly, I'm not sure. I handed it off to my local BME indy mechanic and he gave it back a couple of days later, fixed. He'll likely warranty the repair, but it's a pain in the butt.

Swapped the black grilles that were on my X5 when I bought it for some Titanium and Chrome ones. I prefer these.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...c19464c1_c.jpg

Those are nice.


E53 RiPPeR
XOuTPoST jUNkiE
ReVELaTiON 22:21

lok good. I'm often thinking about putting some gloss black ones on my black X5... but then I like keeping it stock as well.

I've been contemplating just the opposite on my silver 2005 4.4- replace/color the grills and the door handles with all black :D. Might do the wheels too (style 87). Here's the look I'm seeking.

Both look great. I’m in a black trim phase myself for my X5. I was configuring a 45e X5 on the BMW site recently (daydreaming, also built an M2 in British racing green) and would definitely go with the Msport package that has the body color trim for a change.

As an aside, it seems to me that BMW has gotten stingier with the number of paint colors they are offering on cars. Perhaps they are trying to drive folks to the BMW Individual site for a $4k special paint color. Although it’s nothing in comparison to the zillion permutations of colors and options, all a la carte, Porsche offers.

Hmm.. I quite like the look of the black wheels and door handles. Mine is Titan silver too but my wheels are gunmetal grey so not far off that look. I may have them refurbished at some point so we will see..

Fixed the right rear pic problem early on Friday morning. By the afternoon, the same side front tire alarmed for low pressure. :confused:
Since it was cold and air was added to all four tires, now the ride it a little stiff. Once it warms up, tire pressure will be dropped a bit.

Yo, we need to meet up somewhere. I have a windshield shade collecting dust. OEM BMW log shade. Comes in a protect sleeve too.

Replaced the rear differential bushings to eliminate a clunk when I would back up and come to a stop. It worked. Of course, when I was under there I noticed I have a small leak at the transmission pan gasket. After I recently replaced my oil pan gasket. Of course. :banghead:

Tracked down a battery parasitic draw by testing every fuse for voltage drop. Battery was completely dying in 48 hours. Ended up pulling fuse #74, which is labeled as 'Telephone'. Didn't lose any electronic accessories by pulling that fuse (because who needs 'phone' these days?), but stopped the draw. I'm losing about .10 to .2 volts per 24 hours now. I can live with that.

Also spayed the underside with Carwell rust inhibitor. It's the second winter I'm putting this stuff on, and it seems to be working great so far. Stuff is good for rubber and electric components as well as for metal.

Yep, 74 is the fuse for the telematic unit, which is the bluetooth unit for phone. It is a frequent cause of parasitic drain. Both times that it has occurred on my X was after an alternator death and battery drain. Replaced the alternator, charged the battery, but would have battery drain. After some research, I pulled fuse 74 and that solved the problem. I have seen disconnected and removed the unit as I wasn't using it anyway and I have now installed an AVin unit, so I really don't need it.

Yesterday and today were spent putting new parking brake shoes on and adjusting same and checking the fluid quantity in the ZF-slush-box and transfer case. And since I've been trying to track down a very occasional and seemingly random fuel cap loose message which hasn't gone away with a new cap, I yanked the right rear wheel well liner to check the fill/vent lines, and surge tank.

Happy to report that the fluids looked fine (although I know the transfer case needs a full change soon) and the plumbing under the liner looks fine as well. I will say, if you are a clean freak about your X5, don't pull a wheel well liner! 20 years of dirt, bugs, leaves, and other junk was waiting for me to clean out.
***update with a pic of the general area for posterity***
https://i.postimg.cc/VLJbMh0b/wheel-well.jpg

Next stop on my search for fuel vent problems is to pull the fuel filter/charcoal canister cover and get a look at all the lines/plumbing there. I have a new leak diagnosis pump and dust filter to install while I'm in there. I also want to pull the cover running under the drivers side of the car, from the filter forward to clean the area and look for rotted lines, loose connections, etc.

I think she's ready to drive to Iowa to chase some birds. She's been running strong and relatively drama free for several months...fingers crossed!

I spent the past two days installing a 10.25" AVIN Android head unit.


https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...84136b37_b.jpg


It looks great and everything seems to work, except I have no sound.


I had a stock DSP setup, and according to everything I read this should be working, but I think the factory amp isn't turning on so I get no audio. Anyone hit this one before and have suggestions?

Common problem. You need a way to activate the DSP amp - via a datagram on the data bus, not via a wire etc.

I think the easiest way to do this is with the iBusApp and a Resler interface...

https://www.ibus-app.de/index_en.html

That looks fantastic. Very clean install.

Sweet! How much to install one in mine? Mine is simpler. No DSP! :popcorn:

When I installed my Avin unit, I tracked down a no-sound issue to the wires being loose in the back of the big square connector in the trunk. Pushed them into the brick, and all was good.

Also agree with what wpoll said. You'll need your iBusApp and a Resler interface situation sorted out, since that's what controls the DSP system.

I'm also running the Avin unit, and I suspected that was the source of the drain. Nope. #74 fuse was pulling 430 milliamps, and an acceptable level of total draw on the battery should be 50 milliamps or less. No wonder! Glad to hear it's kind of a known issue on the E53.

HAHAHAHA!!! :rofl:

No.

bought her a new idle control valve hope its a bit warmer when it gets here

setting several other codes and its not carboned up at all, but wont idle, seems like the logical starting point

And I think I have it figured out, though I'm at work at the moment, so I'll fix it when I get home. I have the Resler interface sitting in the cupholder, because I couldn't figure out how to connect it. I completely overlooked the ibus plug on the harness...

Replaced the rear wing that was pulled off in the carwash... new one seemed to be loose as well, so drilled an extra hole and put a BMW splitnut in it to make it authentic :D

Also, the rear door handle with the licence plate lights in it was missing screws, apparently the MOT mechanic did a quick fix by adding a wire to the lights but drilled holes i the back... so water runs into the lights, doh! I got some new square grommets for the screws, new screws and put some liquid rubber in the holes... now to let dry and replace the rotted out bulbs....

No DSP is pretty much drop in. Just screw in the brackets, and maybe a little tweaking to the existing plastic.

Really easy, unless you want to run cameras.

I was getting secondary air injection codes (banks 1 and 2) so I took the pump out and tested it with a 12v battery. It fired right up and seemed to work fine. Would this indicate that the valve in the exhaust manifold is not opening, either because of a bad valve or a bad vacuum solenoid?

There are only three parts I think, so if it isn’t the pump, then it’s got to be the solenoid or the valve. All are answerable to the DME and can set a code. I would think you could test the remaining two fairly easily.

There is a slight chance you could have a short in the harness too I guess.

Gotcha, thanks for the reply. I was mostly wondering if I was missing any other parts of the system or not. I will test the valve next. Thanks!

Did yet another oil change yesterday. Got motivated to pull the plate and do the front diff as well.

Oil consumption seems to have gone way down in the course of my ownership. It was concerningly bad at first (nearly 100% consumption in 3,000 miles, which is outside of even BMW's "guidelines"), but it seems that a course of rapid interval changes with decent synthetic, as well as a couple of LiquiMoly Pro Line Engine flush treatments have helped a LOT. At this point, I think that oil loss is at least as much due to the pan gasket as anything else. ~2 quarts in 5,000 miles is not awesome, but it's certainly tolerable.

not that I have yet, but about to burn it to the ground.
getting codes that dont point to anything and replacing the ICV didnt fix it.
anyone seen these before/together
D3 Idle speed Control Valve mechanical fault
55C4 No message from DSC
5F1D DSC Engine management interface
91 EGS CAN torque reduction

I do have a separate thread for it but since a lot of people read this one

Reply to ongoing post:
My start would be 55C4. No message from DSC. A wheel speed sensor is acting up intermediately. Or steering angle sensor? The last two probably relate to 55C4.

As for D3, I would suspect the MAF sensor. Clear the codes and run without the MAF connected. How long does it take for a code set? Drive it reasonably to the same amount of time.

Are you playing in any USTA leagues? Sandbagging is an art form. Not too many people can pull it off while looking genuinely innocent. :D

Wonder what happened? Car wash accident? It would have been nice to see it. :thumbup:
A few X5s are around Austin. At least one other in my neighborhood.

:bustingup Where have I seen that sight before?.?

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...6efae25726.jpg


E53 RiPPeR
XOuTPoST jUNkiE
ReVELaTiON 22:21

I was getting an ISCV fault fairly regularly and when it through that fault is seemed to cause others and it would go into safe mode. I replaced it quite awhile ago, but about 6 months ago it started to throw the code. I could usually just shut the car off and restart and it reset itself.

The other codes I have also seen and IIRC it was when my alternator was getting ready to die.

I miss tennis. And would never, ummm, sandbag. ;)

E53 wise... just been tinkering with the audio install. Need to take it in for annual state inspection. Maybe I'll take it to the dealership so the techs can enjoy. Needs front tires though... mine are 7 years old. Still plenty of tread, but wonder if there is a maximum date code for safety inspection?

Finally bit me
 

So, this was/is a fun project in my driveway today....
It finally happened to me. In the middle of an intersection, step on gas, just that dreaded "whirring" sound.....flat bed, confirm, part ordered on eBay. No warning, no odd sounds, just bang! If you know, you know....

This was on the 4.6iS right? With the LWX500 TC?

I don't know.

Enlighten me...

Brad

I'm not familiar with this one. Were you towing a Sherman tank or something?!

No, no, no! This is a very common problem on 2001-2004 E53. The front driveshaft splines where they go into the transfer case are not inserted very far and I think there must have been a hardening issue. This is so common, there are numerous suppliers of a replacement spline that is 1" longer. This is why I cut off the factory one, and the new one(on it's way) will slide in the shaft, and I will weld it together. As I posted, no warning, no noise, went to leave a stop and loud bang, no movement, lot's of whirring noise. Lot's of people think they blow their transfer case. Just the splines stripping. Beware!!!
And yes, this is on my latest 03 4.6. They are all the same.

Full disclosure: I have never had this problem on my 2003 X5. And therefore I have not done my research.



That being said, the picture you just posted doesn't look like it was caused by any spline problem to me. It looks like a bad weld joint. Unless I'm missing something and the parts in the picture are the replacement parts?

The pic I posted was after I cut off the spline in preparation for the new parts arrival. Look close at the splines, you can see the difference of how they are flat/gone on the end and more defined closer to the cut.See attached pic. Hopefully self explanatory

Ah, I see. Maybe I should put this on my list of things to fix before they strand me?

Wouldnt be a bad idea to pull the front driveshaft out and take a look at the splines and how much engagement you have

I didnt loose the ability to drive when mine stripped, but some people do

Also I would recommend getting the whole shaft and not just welding the spine stub on unless you are able to balance it also.

Indeed - do you have to remove the front diff to do this?




Yep, I would agree with that as well.

Trying to remember, it was 100,000 miles ago
I think to get the short shaft out you dont, just pull the Guiblo out and you can slide the shaft forward enough to get the shaft out, at a min you should be able to get a good look at the splines to see if they are trashed. The splines on the TC side very rarely get hurt. To get the longer shaft in I didnt want to mess with the front diff as your talking pulling both 1/2shafts out. I pulled the rear drive shaft and backed the trans to TC bolts off so there were just a few threads holding them and slid the TC back.

The repair piece slides into the driveshaft approx 3" and is a very snug fit. As long as my welding is consistent and proper, I don't see a need to do a balance. Will follow up on this thread when complete. Hopefully doing it today.

Lots and lots written up on this issue on this, and other forums. On earlier build X5s the splines would corrode, often because the AC condenser drain lines would drip on them at the TCase. Smarter e53 guys than me can tell you when BMW fixed this problem by moving the lines and going with a longer front drive shaft.

Even though my oe shaft looked good, I changed my splines out with the motor swap and was able to get over an addition 1/2” into the TCase without removing it from the transmission. There is tons of room to lever the driveshaft in with a pry bar and you can get even more in if you want to pull the tcase off. My x5 made it 150k on the original splines so I figured more is better, but didn’t need to pull the TCase.

My new splines are a really tight fit, so I was carefully to mock up and measure many times before pounding them into the shaft…they weren’t coming back out easily if I went too far. I couldn’t find a driveshaft shop to balance the shaft, or even weld the splines on, so a local welder did it. I don’t notice any balance issues at any speed.

Alternatively one could buy the longer OE shaft or get one from a pick and pull. I think route this would require the TCase to be unbolted to install tho.

SUVs don't have tailgates. At least not modern ones, old ones do. :thumbup:
SAVs do have tailgates! Pulled out my favorite quick wood cutting tool. The tailgate was used to make a quick light controller box. My neighbor put up lights to coordinate with mine. A two house music light show!
:bmw:

Just got back from a week on the road with my E53. She was a monster and tore up 2000 miles to Iowa and back like a new car.

I have to admit I was a bit nervous at times after my belt-loosing/overheating experience on last year's hunting trip, but not a bit of drama this time. Lots of hwy miles with the cruise control pegged at 70 (more than that and I'm getting 14 mpg) and a lot of Iowa gravel roads looking for birds. I made the mistake of venturing into "dirt" roads twice while not paying attention, and quickly was reminded of the limitations of pre-x drive and non-limited slip diffs. Ice crust over mud got the traction control working overtime trying to control wheel spin, and the car but not very effectively. Fortunately, I was able to back out before I had to walk out. She did cross many a bean/corn field to pick up my hunting buddy after getting split up to get him back to his rig.

25 deg. temps and a little snow accentuated every rattle and squeak from the 20-year-old car. The most annoying one coming from the windshield. I had to put a new one in last year. I also kept an eye on the temps and am still baffled by the thermostat logic. More to follow on that.

https://i.postimg.cc/GtHQVcpP/Iowa-pups.jpg

***Update…Holy crap, she got me home and then the starter died in the grocery store parking lot! At least I hope it is the starter. I hear a single click from under the car when the key goes to the start position. I assume this is the solenoid working, but the motor has crapped out. No codes and a 20 year old starter has me hopeful it isn’t the EWS. I did try my second key with no luck. I’m happy she got me home and didn’t strand me in an Iowa Bean field at 25 deg. Oreillys has a starter so I’m going to pop that in today in the lot and cross my fingers.

A prybar made pretty easy work of it for me. Your mileage may vary though. unbolt the driveshaft from the flex disk and that from the front diff, then work a prybar in and lever the driveshaft as far back as you can. The guibo and centering piece should drop right out once you have made enough room.

You can also take some measurements before and after said lever operation to get a sense of how much new spline you can work in, and still get the flex disk assembly back into place. This of course if you don't want to pull the transfer case off to get max new splines in.

Nice work! I do like the split tailgate/hatch thing we have going on, except for the piece that houses the "latch" and license plate light, and is held into place by stupid plastic expansion rivets that pull out over time. Then the water gets in.

I've read about this before but I don't really understand the actual problem. I've removed and attached that part several times and never had any problems regarding how it's screwed on the hatch.

so there's a thread here in these forums that details the explanation for that and the repair which is made in software i believe in coding the IHKA . it's really designed to be like a 1 -2- 3 position meter and i think was over-zealously programmed in the first place.

I agree, the temp gauge is a bit silly. Tough to tell what is going on in your motor just using that. I should have said that I am trying to figure out the MAP cooling logic. I get the BMW gurus trying to balance fuel economy with performance, via the MAP function, but via the foxwell on my drive would watch MAP activate on long hills at 70mph in 30 deg temps, but by the time it did, the hill was over and the need for greater performance has passed. It also hardly seemed to me the type of situation that would require MAP cooling, but who knows.

Interesting. Did you try Sport mode driving? The MAP cooling may be different. :popcorn:

Done
 

Wrapped this project up yesterday. Was a bitch getting the guibo in. The directions say to make the shaft with the new splines to be 30.25"(see you tube vids). I made it 30" even and it was still tough getting that little centering nub into the front differential bolt. Also, the online directions etc, show the new spline piece slipping into the driveshaft for easy adjustment. Mine was off by a few thousands. I took measurements and used my press to slowly insert it. Once that thing is in, it isn't coming out, so measure twice, install once. Drove it and everything was fine. On to the next project....Hope this helps someone else out in the future.

Nicely done and some peace of mind.

After getting my X towed and dropped in my driveway, I spent the morning putting in a rebuilt (Bosch) starter from Oreilly's.

With the front of the car on jackstands and the left front wheel off I was able to swap the starter out wtihout dropping the stiffener. The top torx bolt was, as always, a huge pain in the ass. I also didn't have to pull the heat shield all the way out, but rather was able to slide it forward and then rotate it downwards so it was tucked out of the way in front of the axle shaft.

I'm super happy that it was just the starter and not an EWS problem.

I was able to make quick work of replacing the pads and rotors on the front of my X. Surprisingly absolutely nothing went wrong and I got the job done early.

I also was happily surprised recently when we had some very cold weather. The X had been sitting outside for several days and the temperature was about 5F. Fortunately it started right up, though it wasn't firing on all cylinders for the first few seconds. (I later found a "misfire during warmup" code in the log.) Anyways, it gave me a good feeling that it actually had no real problems.
That cold weather also made me wonder, as I was trying to get my oil cap off (the moisture under the cap was frozen solid) -- how often should I replace my CCV system? I replaced it in 2016 when I first got the car, because it had significant sludge, along with all the hoses, and used the cold-weather versions of everything. However, that was 6 years and about 35k miles ago. I live in a dry area but it does get very cold here in the winters. Should I put it on my list of things to replace again soon?

Depends on the kind of driving you do. If you do a lot of short trips where the engine doesn't have time to get the oil up to full temp in very cold weather, then it might be a consideration. If you don't drive it much in very cold weather I wouldn't worry about it at all. Are you seeing mayo under the oil filer cap? If not, it's probably not an issue. You haven't put very much mileage on in that 6 years.

Curiously, it appears that an upgraded CCV has been designed by German Auto Solutions. I seems to have been very well conceived for m54. I have no personal experience, but was pleased with oil cap and more durable DISA valve from them when I had an m54 truck. Just thought I’d mention it with you contemplating a refresh! Good luck!

When I configured my E53/4.4L for cold weather ops in Wisconsin I added heater pads to the engine and transmission oil pans as well as a battery maintainer. The battery maintainer I use nearly all the time when the vehicle is parked.

If you were parked in an area in deep freeze conditions and had access to an electrical outlet, this would mitigate starting difficulties.

Remember, many engine experts agree that something in excess of 70% of engine wear occurs at startup.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/pVEeqkSFDwtmnjTT7

https://photos.app.goo.gl/8Drx2f6YsZ3ZM4WNA

https://photos.app.goo.gl/M4P4Z7tiSRCutr3E9

https://photos.app.goo.gl/s8rk8unMVRvcQLfy9

Mike

I do indeed drive a lot of short trips. I do see mayo under the oil cap throughout the cold months, and wipe it out along with any moisture whenever I open the hood. However, I have pulled off a lot of the related hoses over the past year or two (as well as the vacuum manifold) and haven't seen any significant mayo there. When I replaced the whole system in 2016 (at about 90k miles) I had mayo everywhere. So it's not as bad as it was then.


The GAS solution is one retrofit I will consider when it comes time to replace everything again -- also the SULEV valve cover with the CCV integrated into it. Either one of those sounds like a permanent solution.

Not sure what I actually did to be honest
Heat would only blow full hot temp, would not self regulate even when turning it all the way down. Seem to happen after having the dash out to replace the blower 2yrs ago. AC worked and blew cold all summer. Figured I had swapped a plug putting the dash in and a blend door wasnt working or something.
Finally decided to look at it yesterday since it was kind of warm. Made sure the connector for the water valve was on, it was. doing some digging I found a thread here about looking at heater core temps with a scanner. I never use auto or max, but screwing around with the controls I hit them, and then, it seems to have fixed itself :dunno:

that post about GAS having a CCV mod sure was good timing, but not sure its worth $500 :O with all the 0F temps we had end of the year the 3.0L decided to suck in about 1.5qt of oil, has done this when supper cold a few times over the 8yrs.... and then had a few days of random bank 2 preCAT O2 sensor codes... ordered 2 new sensors and now the codes have gone away too :dunno:
Since it has 220K miles on it and the original O2 sensors they will be getting changed anyway

I looked at the GAS website and it says they are having staffing issues which are keeping them from fulfilling orders for their CCV replacement. May not be a good option for people unless you can wait.



Sandbagger, when did you last replace your CCV? And when was the last time you inspected the related hoses for mayo?

I only notice just the smallest amount of mayo in the winter, and its never bad, also its bone dry all summer. Just did the VCG last summer.

As for inspecting the hoses that you would have to remove the intake to get a good look at, yea, nope, not happening until its a real problem.

Like I said, it might happen once a winter, if that, and I check my oil level often enough that its not a problem, plus it will tell me if its low :yikes:
I can say that is has the updated/insulated hoses though

Detroit gets plenty cold but not cold enough to cause a lot of problems
If I had the problem more often, I would seriously consider the GAS upgrade, but I plan on living some place warmer in 2-3yrs

I don't think the GAS upgrade is necessitated in general, but it gets cold enough in Detroit that you probably want to do some closer inspection.



I bought my car from the original owner at 90k miles, and it had only been owned in Portland, OR (where it rarely gets below freezing) and it had incredible amounts of mayo at only 90k miles. The entire vacuum manifold was clogged with it. Depending on your driving habits it might be less of a problem (if you drive only long trips for example) but since it can torpedo your engine in multiple ways, it is worth checking. It's a five minute job to pop off the hoses in question.

Winter tires back on!
 

Blizzaks are back on the E53, I hate the noise they make but it beats being stuck or having a traction issue with dire consequences..... Bit late in the season but we have not had the conditions to warrant their use thus far. I will be heading for the slopes soon and a shake down to Pennsylvania is coming up. Followed by a trip to VT a few days later if all goes to plan.

Took me a while to figure out the best spacers as it had been a long time since I took these off last spring. The wheels are Rial 20x9 with 45m offset and tires are 275/45s (taken off my Cayenne which now wears Conti DWS.) First tried 45mm spacers in the rear and 20mm front but it looked too aggressive for the winter. So, this morning went back and put 30mm in the rear and 15mm on the front for effective offsets of 15 and 30 respectively. Roof bars are on and I can't wait to get going. :)

Planning to do an oil change in between these trips as I am just breaching the 3000 mile mark since I last did an oil service.

Well shit happened...

Yesterday on the way home (1st day without rain in 8 days) a Chrysler 300 tried to pass me on the on-ramp and bumped me.

On the negative side I have a little trim damage and wheel scuff, the plus side is that apparently my wheels are off a Roman chariot as they cut a nice line in his rear quarter panel. [emoji1]

I'll post all the crap I had to do to the White Witch since Christmas week [emoji849] https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...737518409f.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...22d95606bf.jpg

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that blows, any time I overseas it amazes me that people live.

While in Egypt in Nov had a cab driver go up on the sidewalk and through a market...... funny thing is, I didnt even get upset, its just how they drive

Exactly right.

The shitbag had a low two digit number plate so I got stuck with a 50/50 fault, didn't get a 100 fault only because of the General I work for...

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seems like these are in order

[emoji1787]

Although I am now more interested in this....https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...db753644b3.jpg

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Went on a little drive with my car club for some rolling shots yesterday and took my E53.


https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...21563911_b.jpgBAM_VIP-70

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

Without a doubt, that is one of my most favorite of vehicles! :D


E53 RiPPeR
XOuTPoST jUNkiE
ReVELaTiON 22:21

So since Christmas week I have had to replace my alternator, battery and pulley.

I then did all oil, air filters and even checked the valve body/solenoids. [emoji44]

I believe it's safer that my wife thinks I work in a whorehouse than spending (more) time on the White Witch... [emoji1787] [emoji1787] https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...d4f53235a4.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...f183088985.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...de7cbbbc0f.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...1a307c5276.jpg

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I have a 49" curved monitor with a 2nd flat panel display. I literally have ZERO idea WTF these hyoog-ass pictures are supposed to show.:stickpoke

They are huge ass pictures of the work/parts.. [emoji1787]

I am now your excuse for buying a 60" monitor. [emoji6]

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:D

Finally got to the oil pan.

It was spraying oil out along the entire perimeter, so it was *very much* time.

The oil pan job was really easy, with two hiccups:

1) I discovered that the BMW-B90 wheel bearing tool does not include large enough bearing adapters to get the front wheel bearings out. (With a little bit of ingenuity and shims, you can use it to get the hub out, though.) Had to run to Harbor Fright and buy their wheel bearing tool. Do not recommend. The threaded shaft stripped halfway into the job, and I had to finish installing the bearing with the B90. I'll be returning the HF tool and buying more parts for the B90. The X5 front wheel bearing is 90mm! In comparison, my E90 M3 rear wheel bearing is 85mm!

2) I'm finally sick of fighting with axles that are tight in the hubs. Years ago I bought an axle pulling tool that works in E30s. It was brilliant, but, of course, limited to dinky axles. I finally discovered this actually really reasonably priced tool set that would have saved me a couple hours of fighting and insta-ordered: https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-5...ian-autosport/

Hopefully it's no longer leaking! Also, the engine is noticeably quieter and smoother with the new engine mounts. The old ones looked basically fine, but were a quarter inch shorter. I'll have to go back and do the RF wheel bearing - I ran out of time thanks to tool failure.

Not too many outstanding items at this point. Trans mount, diff bushings, rear wheel hubs, basically. (Wheel hubs don't explicitly need doing, but if I have the axles out for the diff bushings, I'll just do them.)

So jealous of the lifts! My wife wants a tiny house someday, which I've told her I'm fine with as long as it 1) doesn't have wheels 2) has a huge garage with a lift, and 3) has a big pool. Not too much to ask for I think.

My brakes have been fine for the week+ since I checked all the torques, cleaned the rust off the area of the rotor, and did another break-in cycle on them (ceramic pads). So who knows why that one section rusted so badly and caused (I think) the bad wheel vibration. Hopefully this issue wont return.

Took some time today to add 1/2 quart of tranny fluid to the mighty 5HP24. I have all the ingredients for a fluid and filter job, but haven't had time to get it out to base and up on the lift. The trickle of fluid that came out after a half quart went in was definitely darker than the stuff that went in, but didn't smell burnt, per se. The tranny is a remanufactured unit that went on in Oct 2019. After that I put a new wiper arm and blade on the back, new Bosch Focus blades in front, and a new OE coolant expansion tank to finally replace my 20 year old OE piece. Piece of mind for an upcoming drive to Asheville with the wife and dogs for some R/R. I didn't drain the radiator and only got peed on a few times with the 150 deg coolant in the tank as I emptied via the progressively lower hose attach points. Once the new one was hooked up I bled the system with the aux pump and bleeder screw and managed to not make an exceptionally huge mess in the driveway. The coolant is only a year old so I just reused what I drained out of the old tank. After that I washed the dogs since the hose was out.

By way of follow-up, I am quite happy with the Ultima rebuilt Bosch starter I got from Oreilly's a few weeks ago when my OE starter took a dump in the grocery store parking lot. The new one still catches me by surprise with the explosive force it turns the M62 with. I guess I had just gotten used to the 20 year old one getting progressively weaker. The fact that Oreilly's had it in stock still surprises me.

Been spending some time getting up to speed on what, if any LSD options we have for the X5. I know several have gone down this path in years past, and I'm digesting their posts and any other experience I can find. Quaife used to make an LSD for the rear X5 diff and I've got some feelers out to their retail partners. My experience in light mud and just a little semi-frozen slush this winter while hunting demonstrated again why the ABS makes for a very poor LSD substitute. I'm not sure of any issues with having an LSD only on the rear diff of an AWD vehicle, nor of what the ABS will think of it, but I"m sure those answers are available somewhere. My thoughts are to simply have a solid pick and pull rear diff rebuilt with an LSD (assuming any are made for the E53 anymore) and then swap it in.

Usually, with AWD, you want at least two limited slip differentials, or if you only have one it should be in the middle -- if you don't, you can still get a one-tire fire on the axle that doesn't have the LSD. Or worse, if you put the LSD on the back axle and get stuck such that a front wheel is in the air, you will be stranded more or less the same as if you had three open diffs.



It's better than three open diffs, but still is susceptible to some of the same problems.

Also, I have been very disappointed to find that after replacing the pads & rotors together on the front of the car (with OE hardware), I have developed a pretty solid brake squeal. Whereas when I opted to put new pads on old rotors on the back of the car last fall, they are nice and quiet.

I fought brake squealing and other unnatural noises (usually coming to a dead stop) for 20 years in my X5. I never put anything special on the car though in terms of pads or rotors, just whatever OEM stuff was on sale at FCP or Pelican…cheap organic pads. No amount of anti squeal seemed to help. To be fair though, my experience could definitely be related to the guy doing the installation work!

Despite the issue, now hopefully solved, with steering wheel shudder/rusted rotor, I will say the ceramic brakes are much quieter. Zero squeal or groaning coming to a stop. They’ve only been on a month or so, but so far I think there may be less dust. I suspect my issues were related to improper break-in perhaps. I followed the directions in as much as I could get the car going fast and stomp on the brakes where I live. I will say I couldn’t get all the way to 60 mph as many times as needed, so maybe 40 just doesn’t cut it and the pads/rotors didn’t seat properly the first time. I don’t notice any difference in stopping power from the organic OEM stuff to the TRW ceramic pads and Zimmerman rotors. The lack of noise though is nice.

Regarding my differential questions, thanks for the feedback. I was thinking that the fact that my 2002 X5 sends a fixed torque to the front diff via the non xdrive transfer case would be an advantage when putting an LSD in the rear diff. Wouldn’t 62% of the engines torque be going aft, regardless of what the front wheels are doing?

I wonder also how an LSD would play with the DSC as it ties to simulate an LSD. I suppose one could just turn DSC off, but then the front (open diff) wouldn’t have the advantage of the system. I also don’t understand how an LSD would affect the final drive of the car, if at all. Obviously the front and rear ratios need to remain the same.

Not too much at all!

It will but the torque applied by the engine has to be resisted by the wheels. The center differential is still an open differential and if one front wheel has no resistance (because it is spinning or in the air) then that is all the torque that can be applied to the other wheels as well. In our case the problem might be slightly alleviated by the slight bias to the rear, but I doubt it would keep a car with a front wheel in the air from getting stuck. We are still talking about multiples of zero, more or less.

Yes, the early X5 transfer case works the same way that the E30 iX transfer case works when the viscous coupling has failed. You won't get any torque to the axle that has zero grip.

Also, quaifes suck. If you're driving in conditions that are bad enough that you need an LSD, the quaife is probably going to go open anyway. Quaifes are good for front diffs because they don't screw with the steering.

Jurid? Textars are quiet, Jurids are loud on the X5 in my experience. Both are OE suppliers to BMW, although I don't believe that the aftermarket pads are the same compound.

Good info, thanks gents. The juice may not be worth the squeeze then. Although even an incremental increase in traction might be good, for the right price. Quaifes are expensive, but I’ve found others that are not as expensive.

Is that because Quaife’s are a helical gear design? I came across another company called Blackline that makes an e53 LSD, but it’s helical as well. It’s about half the price of a quaife.

Obviously any LSD has to “match” the final drive ratios, correct? Mine are the 3.64 of the 4.4i.

Yes, quaife, torsen, helical... All the same shit.

I should note that helical diffs do have one real and meaningful advantage: They don't really wear out. Clutch diffs and viscous diffs absolutely do.

Edit: And no, the LSD doesn't match the drive ratios per se. The LSD coupler is bolted to the ring gear. You would almost certainly reuse the existing ring gear.

Thanks Nick, I appreciate the info. If I could get a used diff for cheap (not a problem generally) and rebuild it with an LSD for not too much money, I’d consider it. I could always swap my old diff back in if it sucks.

Replaced the front passenger side wheel bearing and hub today. This one was waaaaay easier than the driver’s side that I replaced last year, because I had a suite of new tools including a hydraulic puller, air hammer, and a bearing race driver set. From the time I jacked up the car to the time that the garage was fully clean was only 2 hours, and the slight “grind” I had before is gone. Time well spent, but man that’s a messy job.

I had to say goodbye....
 

Unfortunately, we have run out of room/parking for our cars, so I had to put our SAV up for auction on bring-a-trailer with NO Reserve Price. I'm sad to see this go, but hopefully to someone who will appreciate the work that was done.

See here: https://youtu.be/h659iVYN6ZE

Bid here: https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2006-bmw-x5-11/

Double post

That’s a testament to having the right tools to make a job go well LA02MAX. And since you are just on the other side of the lake from me, maybe I can rent the lot of them from you when the time comes to do my wheel bearings!

I went out to the garage I belong to today and put the X on the lift for an oil and transfer case fluid change. Third oil batch of oil in the new motor, which has about 6600 mi on it now. The batch I replaced had about 5k on it and was dark, but the motor had only used about an 1/8 of a cup of oil in that time.

With the oil cooler I put on I t takes a hair under 9 quarts of oil and it took maybe 2/3 of a quart of what I Found as the backwards comparable (to III) Dexteon fluid for the transfer case at auto zone. The fluid that came out of the Xfer case wasn’t red, but the dextron certainly was going in. I don’t ever recall doing that job before in 20 year. Which is shameful. It may have been done when I had the remanufactured tranny put in, but who knows.

After a bit of searching and head scratching, I suspect the very bright “ping” I hear when moving from drive to reverse might be the rear driveshaft U joint. I can’t feel play in it, but it really seems like the sound the driveshaft makes when you flick it with your finger, and I don’t know what else might make it when torque is applied. Unfortunately new driveshafts are expensive, and I’m not sure if that joint can be rebuilt.

That sound you hear is most likely your front driveshaft splines getting ready to strip where it goes into the transfer cast! I would suggest doing your research and getting it done before it leaves you stranded in the middle of an intersection like happened to me last month! Lot's of info here and elsewhere on this subject. I would encourage you to keep it simple and just have the longer spline solution done. Lot's of people make this a lunar moon landing project, it doesn't need to be. But, get it done sooner than later.

I added new splines when I swapped the new motor in last year. I got an extra half inch into the xfer case without pulling it. I do notice a very tiny bit of play of the shaft splines in the transfer case when I work the driveshaft in a circular motion. Very, very slight, but I never did this to my OE shaft before chopping the old splines off. So who knows what is normal.

I have a long term plan to buy a cheap used xfer case off eBay and rebuild it. I’ll likely put a “new” OE lengthened driveshaft in at that time. I recall reading that at some point BMW fixed this problem.

Every day I start my car up in -2F and the CCV doesn't cause the engine to explode, I breathe a sigh of relief.

You can always do a CCV delete. I did, but added a catch can to the original set up.

Slapped the M56 valve cover in. My PCV failed and was both causing a vacuum leak and draining oil down the side of the block.

I did an "abandon in place" type install for the moment, so the old PCV hardware is still there. When I get around to doing the manifold gaskets / hoses, I'll remove it.

The worst part of the install is definitely getting a cap on the PCV drain on the dipstick tube.

I don't love the oil cap location, but it's workable.

Wow, I was just about to post a reply to Fifty150hs's comment about how would like to do an M56 valve cover upgrade in the next year or so, rather than a catch can. (I replaced all the CCV equipment with cold-weather gear a little over 6 years ago, so it's going to be time soon to do it again.)



The catch can requires regular draining and I would prefer to the "set it and forget it" approach of the M56 valve cover.



Nick, you should post up a thread on the upgrade including part numbers and the twists and turns you experienced, maybe when you are all finished with it.