40psi??!! I'll bet it rides rough.

It's a bit harsh.. Correct psi for the rears is 35 anyway but fronts should be 30. I think I'll soften them a bit to see what it's like.

If you're running low-profile then that higher pressure is good or you can crack rims on harsh roads....

Ask me how I know [emoji53]

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When we bought wife's first X, i checked the tires when I got home they were at 50!

I was less surprised at the phenomenal mpg i waa getting when i saw that

LOL! Centers of the tires worn much? It cracks me up, some people read the maximum pressure on a tire and think that is the pressure they should fill the tire to.

Actually the tires were too new i caught before wear pattern.

However they were terrible tires the cheapest tires one could buy like $65@. I couldn't believe how terrible they were and was so happy when we replaced!


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For me it's more a matter of "It's hotter than Satan's taint and humid and there's no breeze so this can wait" lately. So far nothing is urgent enough to change my opinion on that. If it turns out that I do need new O2 sensors I will gladly pay to have that job done.

Oddly, the SES light that keeps coming back that led me to think the O2 sensors were failing? It came back on a few days after I cleared the codes, and I left it on planning to take it to the shop next door so they could pull the codes too and give me an estimate, and today the SES light went off just after startup like it's supposed to do. Weird.

Aged cats can cause this. I've used defouler to resolve in numerous cars


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Went out in the rain to manually take lights out of "auto". The left amber light was on for hours. Oddly, the fender LED lights were off. A neighbor called telling me the lights were on. I accidently left the turn signal lever on to that side. It was not flashing but the light must have come after I locked it. Once the battery is fully charged back up, I'll turn the 'auto" light feature on. All the lights did turn off. All signals and lights work normally. All this after three days of almost constant rain. The right side carpet and firewall are dry. The roof vent drain is working properly.

European parking feature, although I don't remember of it only turns on the corner lights front/rear or if it includes the side marker. If it's supposed to, does the park light feature bypass light relay?

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It's weird. Only the front left amber light was on. All the rest were off. All the lights worked normally this morning. I tested them before driving it out. The switch is still off "auto". I did push the fog light switch for the last three days while driving. It was raining but lights were not on. Night lights came on when fog lights were activated.

It doesn't send high enough voltage to light LED lights. I left incan in my corner lights because i liked and used the feature

new lower balljoints(left was junk) and while I was at it new front rubber bushings since the arms were off, and everything had 120K miles on it since I last replaced it. Also found left front CV boot torn, and new CV as it was lifetime warr.

Still have a random front end vibration, normally at higher speed, 60+ but some times not till over 80, but then doesnt smooth out even under 60, but it comes and goes, not triggered by anything I can pinpoint. Wheels have been balanced and since its random probably not it.
Last spring was lower control arms and they are still tight.
Next thing is strut mounts and thinking the left front strut is dead?
:banghead:

In my experience high speed vibration is usually wheel or tires. Have you checked for a bent wheel? Also sometimes tires will balance on the machine but still vibrate (imagine a tire that has a "hard spot"). Some shops have a special road force balancer that can help in these cases.


It can feel random. I think it's because of the two tires in the front of the vehicle interacting with each other. Imagine if both tires were out of balance in opposite directions - it would feel smoother than if they were out of balance in the same direction. Because no two tires are exacting the same diameter (and because no road is 100% straight) they will change interactions as you drive.

not balance or bent, I watched while one of my shop guys did them.
also zero pulse in the brake pedal, but I can some times get the steering wheel pulse going by hard braking.

Just pulled the top cap and ran the nut off the strut mount, still looks almost new. next up, check the strut.

Did you replace the thrust arm busings?

Yep, thrust arm bushings and the ball joint were both replaced.
Strut mount looked fine from the top when I removed the nut so I put it up in the air and removed the strut tonight. once I got the spring off, it took very little pressure to compress the strut and then took over a min to fully extend. Its not the worst strut I have ever seen but its junk. Now to see about getting the lifetime warr covered in the morning...

Mine ended up being the steering gear.

With the engine off, have somebody sit at the steering wheel and turn the wheel left and right while you have your hand on the inner tie rod. If there's wear on the rack you will feel the tap when it picks up the slack from the back lash.

Just checked my overflow tank and the rod wasn't visible but it was full.
Stuck my finger in and the whole damn block holding the rod broke off![emoji2959]

Now 6 days wait for delivery of a new one w/cap...[emoji849]

Will try fishing it out later so I have at least something to drive.

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Sore effect of living on the SUN!


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Washed and cleaned both of the old gals today in preparation for a road trip from TX -> St. Louis tomorrow. Family photo time. :-)

Chris

:bmw:

Wow! Nice family!. I was worried about a 230 mile round trip from Austin to Waco. I met a fellow owner with a recent trade which included a 4.4i X5. He sold me a set of Weathertech mats and a set of xenon headlights. I'll post pics soon. His X5 is black. Hopefully he'll sign up for the site. He knows about our addiction. He discounted prices since I traveled to pick up parts. In return, I gave him a rear hatch button rubber seal. I had a spare. The 4.4i was missing the button cover. He also jumped when I opened my X5 upper hatch. It flew wide open. I showed him the helper springs. He'll order new struts and helper springs.

I had to teach myself how to use the cruise control. It's a rare feature I get to use. No problem cruising 75-80 MPH on I35. Oil change due in less than 300 miles. :thumbup:

The AUX has a Bluetooth adapter. I replaced a XM radio frequency module with a Bluetooth one. Sound is crisp and clear. No sound fade or radio station interference. One less wire too. A USB-C oord provides power and signal. I need a longer cable though to tuck it away and reach the glove box. The flashlight key on socket powers the unit. It connects automatically to AUX. Next, maybe new speakers.

Reached a top MPG of 23.4.

If you don't have AUX input, one of the numerous weirdly-named bluetooth cassette adapters from the same China factory sold on you know where has been working fine for two years. Small downside is when the little Mothra lady inside starts going "low battry!" it will shut off within a minute, but it will charge to 100% very quickly. It also works as hands-free for phone calls. There's a mic on the antenna wire that needs to stick out of the cassette slot.

Removed the rear spoiler to replace the one-way valve in there for the rear washer...

https://static.schmiedmann.dk/Produc...144077_big.jpg

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/...1000_QL80_.jpg

Easy job and I'm glad to have the rear washer working again - it's the middle of winter down here and with the roads being gritted regularly, the rear window gets filthy on most trips...

It's been a month, and the SES still hasn't returned.

However today on the highway the cruise control disengaged, and when this happens it usually means a SES is imminent, but nope, it came back once I pressed the I/O button. Weird. Gonna run a can of cat cleaner through shortly.

Cruise interruption most often from an intermittent brake switch at the brake pedal. Next most often a wheel speed sensor.

I ordered a longer cable to power a Bluetooth XM module. I didn't check before ordering. A longer wire is USB-C, not a micro USB. :banghead:

Instead, I rerouted the dash antenna and power wires. I snuck them behind the right side vent. The wires are long enough to reach into the glove box. The key power flash light port powers ups the XM module. The dash contour lines hide wires very well. Installation is complete. :thumbup:

neat installation, hope it works out OK for you
 

I started listening to Sirius radio in 2005, in my '04 Chevy 2500HD, due to having a 120+ mile round-trip commute each day (and oftentimes long drives to drag racing events on weekends), and I had long ago gotten tired of listening to all the ads on regular radio.

I installed a Sirius-ready receiver/adapter in the gloxebox of my truck, paired to the Pioneer head unit I installed just after I bought it used in 2005. It did all I wanted for many years of long drives, and I followed up by installing other adapters in my wife's daily driver ('92 Olds Achieva SC), and her truck ('98 GMC), so she could listen ad-free, too. That worked OK, until the Olds died, and we were back to two sirius radios.

In 2008, we bought her a '08 Cobalt SC, and a '09 HHR Panel for me; both came with XM radios pre-installed, so we were back to four satellite radios, again.

Then came 2012, when I'd already quit racing, and the wife was only making short drives, so I tried to talk Sirius XM into reducing the subscription prices we were paying (we were only using two vehicles at a time, but didn't want to rip out the adapters from either of our back-up vehicles, and still use them as back-ups, which we frequently did, either).

Despite having them say they'd reduce the price for the two back-up vehicles, they never did, and instead, one online salesperson derided me asking for a senior discount, or a customer-retention plan discount, and that made me so mad that I cancelled all, and never looked back (I got a similar response to a similar request from AT&T, so I switched our phones to Boost Infinite, 2.5 years ago, saving us $110 a month). I am too old for disrespect or active derision.

Since then, I've made several flashdrives, SD cards, and also keep further files in my tablet and phones, containing all my favorite tunes, old-time comedy/sci-fi/western/suspense shows (the main things I'd listen to on long drives, on satellite radio), always in my chosen vehicle, just in case I need entertainment on longer drives (though I haven't driven longer than a hour at a time, in several years). But I would never consider going back to SiriusXM, ever.

May you enjoy your subscription!

Three vehicles have XM. One factory radio. One with a factory radio upgraded for XM. The X5 is a transfer from an '08 Nitro. My wife had long commutes during our year of "ball and chain". She had it before me. I only started using after a subscription for my birthday (8/25). For three cars, I think the current rate is really good. We do have long distance trips and city traffic is bad. Locally, Latin stations are limited. Unless you listen to real banda music which I do not. I like have a variety of stations. From hair bands, 70's, 80's, 90's, 90's country, Latin, and oldies, driving is a lot more entertaining. Sports on Saturdays and Sundays is nice.

I plan on trying this crazy German catalytic converter "cleaner" although this is the 1st time I've ever seen an I.V. set included for an engine!![emoji28][emoji2369]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...8a57d8738b.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...610c158e83.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...b464a69bcb.jpg

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When that fails, use a mini-cat to extend the life a year or three

I'm doing this as preventive maintenance as I don't have any real catalytic issues, probably since I run 99% of the time on 95 benzene and the other odd times 95 gasoline. (Fingers crossed)

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Replaced driver side rear shock and most of the parts attached yesterday, doing the other one today. It'll be interesting to see if there is going be any noticeable difference while driving. At least the shocks were pretty rugged and most likely were original to the car.

Oil change, a little overdue @ 5700mi, old oil black as night. 7.5L of Liquimoly 5W40, Mann filter, replaced the o-rings. https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...27512300kt2-lm

The windshield washer pump seems to have just failed. It was working last week. Grrr. Hit the headlight washer button, heard the pump run a bit, they sprayed a little then stopped. Just ordered a new one...

As annoying is that is, you're lucky to be working on e53! E70 need to remove the whole fender to change washer pump/gasket

That can also be a symptom of a leak letting air into the line from a wiggled off hose clamp. Something that has happened to me after an oil change...

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Do all 4 corners and your vehicle will drive like a totally different one in a nice way. Be prepared to be wowed :D.

This started Friday night after it'd been sitting at the airport for a week in the blazing sun. I landed pretty late and it was still an oven inside. Windshield was pretty dusty so washy-washy time. Oh. No washy-washy.

So I hope it's just the pump... those failed annually on my prior Volvo 240.

Coli or Airbag suspension?

Finding shocks for airbag suspension is getting hard.

The car is a mind reader, I swear. I thought to myself as I was swapping the right steering knuckle in a couple weeks ago: “boy these wheel speed sensors last a long time”.

Yesterday I was rewarded with the amber trifecta and inop speedometer. The foxwell confirms a left rear wheel speed sensor code and “0” mph on the live data on a drive around the block. Unlike when the DSC module crapped out, the car drives fine so at least I didn’t have to pay for overnight shipping on a replacement. The rears are relatively inexpensive so I bought two, and two connectors which get very brittle. I sprung for one front sensor, which are more pricy. I’ll replace the left front when I swap the “new” knuckle with bearing and ball joint in on that side. It’s built and ready to go when I find some time. The eBay knuckle came with a sensor hanging on it, so I’ll consider that a spare for the front.

WSS are not "mission critical" and one part I've used Amazon parts (only with high star reviews).

I killed one in wife's car when i changed a wheel bearing and used the slide hammer to pull off the hub bit didn't take out the WSS first. Lesson learned.

I took a chance on an Amazon part it was maybe $15 and worked until we sold the car.

Aha, the little strainer under the washer fill cap (which had somehow gone missing earlier this year) that allows ventilation was gone so I guess either excess pressure or vacuum in the tank was the cause because I popped the fill cap off and the washer pumps all work now. Ordered a new strainer thing (BMW p/n 61661365848)

Thought it was weird that the washer nozzles would occasionally get sad and cry... little drips of sad blooping out of them.

Sad and cry !


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It's crazy how the petrol E53s have this strainer (to, well... strain, and to provide ventilation) while the diesels have no strainer and a tiny hole in the cap for a vent. :dunno:

Yeah, it’s running fine and got me to the airport this am with no problems. The new one should be at the house when I get home later this week

You want to really be impressed, do the rear sub frame bushings after 230K miles :wow:
btw is anyone in SE Michigan area needs the bushing tool, I now own one

Now after driving around with the new rear shocks, the difference is more noticeable than I would have thought! Even with the low profile 20" wheels the car feels surprisingly smooth over holes, cracks etc. I definitely have to do the front ones too in the near future. Fortunately some previous owner has already done the subframe bushings 50K km (32K miles) ago.

Mine's on coil suspension.

Nice cool morning. Washed the X5 and my HEMI. The trim has been neglected a little too long. With an old towel, 303 Protectant was rubbed on. It rained 4 hours later. :confused:

Bluey got his wash this morning. Feels so much nicer driving a clean car.

^^ That looks great

I also gave the X a good wash today. And vac. It cleans up so so, nothing like that.

I vaccumed the center storage area, and the vacuum quickly sucked in the fan speed toggle rocker button [ - * + ] that has been loose from prior owner. Now it's gone for good. :( So now I have max AC, or near low fan speed. I couldn't push the buttons with a screwdriver, not sure what I can use to push them. I made a post about this button somewhere before, but think I just have to buy a whole climate control unit.

There is a growing weird little hesitation around 2700 rpm in 4th gear up a hill. It's not the plugs or anything. I think I will do the vanos seal rebuild and see if that helps. Otherwise I've just been driving it and keeping oil in it. It does burn a ton of oil. But almost 15k trouble free miles. The UUC clutch and flywheel kit has been excellent, I would buy another disc for sure.

My e36 reshell project is going well, I'm thinking I might just try to reshell the e53 also, v.s. all the body and paint work. I am going to start looking for a clean southern owned shell, doesn't matter any of the contents, no rust / no body work is all.

Thanks! :thumbup:

Oh no!

You can buy replacement buttons off AliExpress if that helps?


AU$32.60 | 14pcs/set Car Climate Control Air Conditioning Switch Button Covers for BMW X5 E53 1999-2006 E39 1996-2002
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mrawzvR

Amazon.com: VIP KRoM Air Conditioner Heater Climate Ventilation Control Buttons Switch Set Compatible with BMW X5 E53 5 Series E39 520,VIP0493 : Automotive https://www.amazon.com/Conditioner-C...Y2hfYXRm&psc=1

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X5 is beating me down
 

Wheel speed sensor was waiting for me when I got home from my most recent trip. Sure enough the top tabs on the female (chassis end) shattered when I tried to unplug it, but fortunately I was able to work it out without further damage. I have a new plug, but really didn’t want to do that fiddly work. I started the car and voila, trifecta solved.

Now for the bad….ive been trying to troubleshoot a front wheel that refuses to get into ballance so I decided to swap the rear I had off, with a front wheel. After doing so, and dropping the car back down I noticed an unmistakable bushing squeak, mostly on acceleration from zero to maybe 10mph. Presumably, this is as the cars weight shifts after? Anyway, super frustrating, especially since the CSR has new upper and lower control arm bushings, amd a new way bar link. It also happens a bit when the wheel is aggressively turned left and right when stopped.

Have somebody launch the car while you are standing at each corner to confirm which is squeaking.

Then see if pushing the bumper can reproduce.

I've seen the issue quite recently on XO and it was a suspension bolt on the tension strut was loose. Likely because the installer never torqued to the spec of something like 165 ft·lb (250 N·m).

You can creep and stab the brakes to get the front end dipb better than human push on the bumper.

That test exercises the ball joints more than the bushings.

My suspicion is the outer tie rod dive that's affected by steering and dropping to the ground. (but so is main ball joint among others)


–awr–

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That's a killer deal! I paid almost that for EACH button fixing up my e70 worn buttons


–awr–

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One reason I like to use an air compressor for tight dirty areas. :thumbup:

Thanks Andrew. I’ll get my wife to help me troubleshoot when I get home later this week. It takes a few blocks for the creaking noise to “warm up” it seems. On the drive to the airport this am she was quiet until I’d gone three-ish blocks from my house, then sure enough the creaking started. 90% of it happens as I first start accelerating from a stop. No matter how gently. Only occasionally on stopping, amd I can’t get it to do it when bouncing the front of the car up and down by pushing on the bumper. I can get it to make the noise intermittently when I kick the top of the tire with a lot of force.

My leading hypothesis is that I failed to torque the new lower arms several months ago with the suspension compressed enough. The car was on the lift so I put a floor jack under the hub and jacked until it got light on that corner of the lift. I have a “new” hub completed (new ball joint and bearing) and I’ll redo that lower arm install and torque when I put the hub in next week.

The uppers are poly and don’t need to be compressed when torqued, according to polyflex. The central bushings is lubed up though and maybe I didn’t get it fully covered? I was in a hurry.

Beyond that I wonder if it could be the ball joint itself? Stripped fasteners on these are the reason I built and am swapping in new carriers/hubs. I already swapped in the right hub and the old ball joint was absolutely floppy and had no tension left. It doesn’t seem like a failure mode in this piece would make noise tho.

I don’t want to throw parts at it since the struts and left tie rod are all within 8 months old, so I’ll swap the hub in next week, check/re-tourque everything, and do a good general integrity check.

I wonder if there is anyway the rack could be making the noise I’m hearing? I’ll check it’s fasteners too, if I can get to them without dropping the stiffener.

Kick on the tire and the fact you m said turning gets it leans ball joint.

If you're working to swap the knuckle soon, you can pull the boot up/down to get some wd-40 into the ball joint to animate the grease and if that's the Source it'll stop. I used to cut a hole in the boot to get the spray tube in but saw a hint you can pull the boot down so try that first.

Usually ball joint will squeak on road undulations though but it depends a lot on what surface is dry.


–awr–

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Changed water pump. Second one in two years and only 18,000 miles. I put a Graf pump with a metal impeller when I last replaced it. I replaced it as a part of a cooling system refresh. I went with that one because it had good reviews on FCP and it had the metal impeller and I wanted something I didn't need to worry about self destructing because it was plastic. The thing is a piece of junk. Judging from the rusty water marks it has probably been seeping for about the last 3000 miles. The bearing had become loose. Because it was a weep and pretty much hidden from view I didn't figure out I had a problem until I started hearing noise coming from it. So 15,000 miles on a water pump. That is totally ridiculous. FCP should quit selling these pieces of junk. The reviews fell of a cliff for the Graf shortly after i bought one. I don't think its being made where they claim. I think its coming from China.

Some times you just get a bad one

I have a Graf in my M3 that has close to 100K on it and I think thats whats in the X5 too, probably 40-50K on it now

From what I can tell from the reviews on the FCP site, that pump used to be good. Something changed a couple years ago and they now seem prone to premature failure. Thankfully I get a lifetime warranty, but I still have to absorb the cost of sending the old pump back.

I ordered the amazon climate control buttons, thanks.

Today I went out for a quick errand and the left turn signal did the thing where it flashes quickly. Then 3 seconds later a cop appeared. So I turned around and pulled it into the garage. The rear lights are all new, so I pulled the headlight out, and even that bulb is good. So it's either the front socket or a wire. :(

I ordered the parts I need to get it perfect for some winter trips. Rear brakes, f/r shock mounts, vanos rebuild, both left door handle carriers. I'll fix the turn signal and continue from there. I made the brake pipes for my E36 and they look good, it was good practice, so I may do those over the weekend finally.

Keeping busy I see.......

Did PMCS today, tires, oil, fluid checks. Went to reopen the hood because I wasn't sure that I had snapped the lid back on the washer reservoir and..... the damn hood latch handle snapped off in my hand!![emoji2959][emoji2959]

Luckily I'm able to use a long o-ring pick to pull the final latch out and a new one will be delivered on the 3rd of September.

PS. The washer reservoir lid was on.[emoji2369]

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I had some paracord on mine for a couple years until it was on sale at FCP.

Grease that up people it's a very shallow angle requiring way way more force than it should.


–awr–

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I guess I shouldn't have been surprised since it was the original and bei20 years and a fre months old with the high temps and UV, but damnit why did it have to be a part that wasn't in stock?[emoji849]

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Changed a fuel injector to fix a lean error code in Bank 1.

I take it that worked?

Nice

I think so. Drove it around for about 30 minutes after the swap and monitored the fuel trims. Everything was looking good. SES light hasn't come back on. I'll give it a few more days before I call it "fixed".

if you replaced 1 and it fixed it you got lucky and I would bet all are right behind it with being dirty. all of them probably need a cleaning

I have used Mr. Injector in Idaho for my M3 cleaning and they came back beautiful, before/after flow numbers new caps and orings.

That reminds me, probably should send the X5 ones out since I got 230K on it now

Not lucky. This particular injector had a piece of the plastic broken off at the top. The part where the clip that holds it into the fuel rail goes. The injector was loose because of it. I'm guessing it was effecting the fuel pressure in the injector so it wasn't flowing enough fuel.

Had the ABS/BRAKE light come on with engine going into limp mode. The Ancel I have read "D3 Idle-speed control valve, mechanical fault" + "5A Brief power interruption" + "76 DME/DDE does not fulfill torque request"

These are new-to-me codes. She ran great after I cleared those. Unsure what those have to do with the ABS light going on.

I had the same codes minus the DME from a low fuel at high speed that kept the engine turning (5sec or less) before it got enough fuel to run again. (bad sending unit) It did stop cruise control from working until I got the codes cleared.

So on the off chance you were at highway speed when it happened, could you have had a quick (quicker than mine) fuel starvation "blip"?

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

ABS light will come on from loss of voltage which of course happens when the engine stops turning.

Glitchy signal from the CKP can result in your symptoms.

CPS will cause similar when putting around a parking lot.

If the car kills while pulling into s parking spot it's almost always the CPS.

More details about when it happened, please.

Monitor your v Bat real-time with hidden menu and make sure you aren't getting drop outs. It should never get below 13 when running.

–awr–

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Follow up
 

Took the morning yesterday and swapped in the left eBay bearing carrier/knuckle. No small job, having done both sides now, but I couldn’t get the tension strut ball joints out of my knuckles due to stripped torx screws. Interestingly the eBay knuckles both had old ball joints in them that were held in with torx bolts and came right out. The heads of the screws in my old ball joints stripped out of mine when I put even moderate force on them. I replaced these fasteners with 10.9 grade corrosion resistant bolts when building up the new knuckles.

The left side took about 3.5 to 4 hours to get the job done. My squeaking/groaning noise has only gotten worse in the past week, so while I was in there I checked the torque on everything, and all suspension seemed torqued properly. However, I did find a mangled left lower control arm boot, at the knuckle. That ball joint looked and felt nasty. This sucks because I replaced these only a few months ago, so either I screwed it up on the install, or it simply tore on its own. The car is up on jacks or the lift often and I do see the that specific joint is very compressed and at an extreme angle when the suspension is fully extended. Maybe the boot got squashed and cut.

At any rate, I put a ton of grease in that ball joint just to troubleshoot the noise I’m hearing. I’ll need to get new arms in obviously. I also had to pull the tension strut so I could knock it off the old ball joint with an big hammer so I pulled the metal center piece out of the poly bushing and put a ton of grease on it. Recall I replaced my Turner monoballs with poly recently and I’ve since read polyurethane bushings can squeak. I ran out of time to do the same to the right side, but somewhere between all these variables, the noise I’m hearing was much, much better on the drive home from the garage. I’m still getting it a bit from (I think) the front right, which makes me think the poly bushings are the problem. I used the grease that came with the bushes when I installed them, so who knows. No way though do I want to be pulling my tension strut ends at the subframe every few months to grease them.

On the plus side, the car needs a front end alignment, but it’s pretty close somehow after doing all the work, so I’ll ignore that for a bit. I’m happy that I’ve got new tension strut ball joints and new wheel bearings on both sides now. I obviously need new lower arms, and would go with poly because I like the ride with poly tension strut bushings, but more squeaking worries me, if that is what is causing it.

Finally, by swapping front wheels to rear (same side) in two stages, I tracked my 60 mph wobble to the wheel that was on the front right. Seems that either Goodyear screwed up my recent balance job on this wheel, or somehow it can’t be brought into balance due to damage or tire issues. I’ll take my spare off and get it balanced to swap with the offending wheel and see how that goes.

Well, I've done two things to/for my old X5s lately. (1) Drove the heck out of my '05 on a road trip from Texas to Charlotte, NC and back. 2600+ miles. The old gal did great. (2) Noticed that the windshield washers were spraying very weakly on the '02 and I cracked into that this afternoon. I was expecting the pumps to be failing after 23 years, but it turned out that the strainers below the pumps were just gunked up. Cleaned them up, sprayed out the reservoir and we're back in business.

The incredibly rare BMW fix that doesn't cost anything … which surely means something super expensive is lurking around the corner. ;-)

Chris
Lockhart, TX
2005 X5 30. Schwarz Black
2002 X5 3.0 Titansilber

It happened in city driving, 25-35mph.

Watch voltage while driving with hidden menu.

If that is stable prime suspect is CKP.


–awr–

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Hood latch arrived... installed

Expansion tank.... replaced

Console sliding cover... replaced

Driver & Passenger front DHC... replaced

Valve stems... replaced new metal ones with pressure indicators

2 new keys, one flip style and one regular... cut and programmed


Driving to the house.... Drivers rear tire shredded on inner sidewall after clipping a raised expansion joint.... Toyo will deliver new tire on Sunday 1700 SAR.[emoji849]


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2600+ miles :wow:
Is that the longest reported drive at one time? :dunno:

MPG? Mine has read a 525+ mile range once. I wonder if it's doable? In Texas, that's 6 hours plus with reasonable speeds.

Not sure, but that's not my longest drive in my two old Xs by a longshot. I've never measured MPG but I don't even start looking for a gas station until around 350 miles or so. Love those big E53 tanks. At my state of aging, my bladder usually needs emptying before my car's gas tank needs filling. :-)

I used to fly everywhere, but I've been so consistently disappointed with the way airlines operate these days that I have a new rule: if I can drive it in a day (even a long ass day) I'll drive it every single time.

I drive fairly slowly and carry tons of tools. So far so good.

Chris
Lockhart, TX
2005 X5 30. Schwarz Black
2002 X5 3.0 Titansilber

Ha! Huge tank for sure. I fill mine up every two weeks. At two weeks, it's at half tank or just below it. Depends on how many times I drive it on my days off. Mine has done Texas to Oklahoma. Stopping only once for a refill due to a "break". Drinks sure do make for frequent breaks. Hope to get a 1000 mile trip on mine soon. I want to run some strong injector cleaner.

Today I fitted LED globes to the angel eyes on my 4.8is. Wow, what an improvement over the rubbish original globes. Looks like it should have out of the factory and no Canbus warnings.

I'm very happy, hopefully these last a long time.

12 LEDS total encased in a spherical lens, perfect fit.

That's awesome. I need to to summary with mine. PO put in some led light but it's very dim.

I'm in the process of replacing the entire front lens what a chore!


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Yep I've got new Lenses for mine also as well as a whole new shutter and projector unit to go in but retaining the Xenons.

All the insulation on the wiring is disintegrating so while everything is apart I'll have to de pin and put heat shrink over it as well.

I've had the parts 18 months and still not had to guts to tackle the job :wow:

This is where I bought the LEDs from.

AliExpress:

AU$15.49 | 120W Canbus Error Free LED Angel Eyes Marker Lights Bulbs for BMW X5 series E53 3.0i 4.4i 4.6is 4.8is 2000-2006 Accessories

https://a.aliexpress.com/_mrwofXJ

Wow, looking sharp, I'm tempted to get the same ones for mine.

Coincidentally, just yesterday I replaced the driver side xenon bulb since it wasn't lighting up. That fixed it but today my wife reported a jerky transmission with trans. failsafe program and a non-working cruise control. I was almost already mentally prepared for a transmission rebuilt but turned out it was just an user error, I had forgot to reattach the MAF cable when replacing the bulb just day before. :D

Today I also did an oil change.

I've done nearly identical while diagnosing vanos; left unplugged and engine was really not happy.

Plugged back in and the problem I was having went away. Running for a cycle with unplugged reset something.

That works for O₂ sensor heaters also.


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Ouch! At least you realised what the problem was and didn't go down a rabbit hole trying to diagnose the problem.


My job for today is an oil change :D

have had the carpet out for close to a week now letting it dry out. I have also primed and painted the floor due to the water....:banghead:
I have gone so far this time as to RTV the tubes in on the APillar and will zip tie them good.

Since the floor is all open, hunting down the break in the wire from the IHK to the relay in the back for the rear defrost. I have found one break so far starting in the rear... now to find the others since its still not a continuous wire :wow:

In other news, the new(less than 100 miles) LF CV got replaced and no more vibration in D/R with my foot on the brake

Awaiting delivery of reat tires....

No Toyo replacement available so had to order some other brand. Now I'll be running P-zero on both rears.[emoji849]

I have only run same per axle if I couldn't run on all 4 wheels...

FML

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No P-Zeros available for 2 weeks, No Nitto for months....[emoji849]

Might end up with Hankook[emoji35]

Redoing center console (roller door stuck)[emoji2959]

Trying to unfuck the front passenger seat motor as it now only tilts forward...

When it rains it floods!!https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...d9f7f00d28.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...ab6c81602a.jpg

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https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...89b4f9aad0.jpg
Drill ahttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...9441dbc484.jpg
Goldhttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...84ef48232a.jpg

Drill a hole exactly here you can turn the gear with a screw driver and get the seat upright.

One gear inside is stripped. I tried to find a replacement no luck.


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[emoji106][emoji2962]Thanks!!

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

my son shut the door on my cane, and it was pressing the tilt button and ran the motor continuously till it stripped the gear


https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...07daba6f5b.jpg


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This is the exact gear. Refreshing my memory, access to the big gear just lets you push it past the missing teeth you have to do it repeatedly until you get the seat un-reclined.

I ended up replacing the whole seat bottom to eventually fix but for a few months at least the seat wasn't a church pew!

I'm not sure what did mine in, but 20 year old car with a 6 year old has definitely NOT helped....[emoji2359]

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About the same age when Jordan killed my seat.


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[emoji1787]

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Any chance of 3D printing the parts? Seems that's pretty easy to do these days :dunno:

That would be the proper fix. I looked to see if somebody already did. Found for other models not e53. If i had a printer that's what is have done.

I used epoxy to fill the missing teeth you can see in the close up photo but it only lasted a few operations. That wheel spins like crazy.

If i had to fix again without 3d print I'd add some pins and use JB weld.


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Hankooks are not bad, have run them on my E36 M3 for probably 20yrs now, no not the same set, I think 4 or 5 now :P

seat might be a switch if you cant hear the motor run.

I have printed gears in my E36 seat recline now for 10yrs probably, they were from a speedometer gear shop online. They looked resin printer printed

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

You can test the switch theory by using your Foxwell to recline the seat

My son did not find that humorous when I was moving his seat around when he was driving

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Last night I did the left front and left rear door handle carriers. The front one was a febi unit from 2021. There was a bit of slop in the middle of the mechanism and sometimes it didn't get a good pull on the cable. I didn't have a hard time with the front one, it was pretty straightforward, just strange design at first.

The rear one, was the original, and it had failed in the usual way. I really had fits getting this one in. I could not get the Allen head screw to line up. I put it on the workbench and the rear handle part slid right in and the screw was right there ready to start. Then every time I put the door skin in the middle, it would not line up. Finally I think I misaligned it, where the rear end for the Allen screw was sticking out of the door skin just a touch and then it lined up. All is working. Tonight I will clean the door cards and put them back on.

Also over the weekend, the local junkyard had a 2001. I went and looked at it. Not much really there but I decided to go back the next day and get the steering wheel. So I did a quick steering wheel swap, same one, just better shape.

I did the string alignment check before I throw these bilsteins on. The right front has 1 mm more toe in than the left but the rear and left front are perfect. I have a set of those flat top pin type jack stands, that I really don't like much, but they're great for the string alignment. Putting them on a 2x8 piece of wood the fishing line can be adjusted so it goes perfectly through the center of all four center caps.

I also cleaned all the windows, and clayed and waxed the paint. I highly recommend the Chris fix how to super clean your windshield video. I use the Unger concentrate glass cleaner they sell at home Depot and those microfiber towels. Glass cleaner, clay bar on the outside, and wax. On the inside it's the isopropyl alcohol to get rid of the plastic vapors. It took a while to do all the windows and I probably didn't need to wax the side windows, but it is great.

Yokohama tires?
 

In my experience (on cars, trucks, and SUVs), Michelins last longest, followed by Yokohamas, Coopers, Pirellis, etc. As for ride comfort and quietness, Pirellis, Yokohamas, Michelins, Coopers, etc, in that order. I used mostly Michelins, Pirellis, and Continentals as far back as 1970, on my three VW's and Volvo 142, and they were better made than the Firestones, Generals, and BF Goodrich's that I mostly used on my domestic cars. I've only had one set of Hankook Optimas, on a '08 Cobalt, and they were OK, but I sold that car before I used them up.

Right now, my wife's Lexus is on Michelins (came brand new on the car when bought used), my '01 BMW X5 E53 and '09 Chevy HHR Panel are both on Yokohamas, and the '98 GMC and '04 Chevy Silverado 2500HD are both on Coopers (GMC has Cooper/Mastercraft All-Seasons, and the 2500HD is on Cooper All-Terrains).

Re: Yokohama Tire(s), I currently have a set of nearly new YK-HTX All-Seasons (in 235/65r17) tires on my X5, with so little miles on them that the little "tire whiskers" are still extant. A good-to-great tire, IMO, but I like Yokohama tires a lot (I have had Yokos on my '09 HHR Panel...still good, after 65000 miles..., and on our '92 Olds Achieva SC Quad-4...now gone...). If I had bought the X5's tires myself (they were newly-installed just prior to my geeting it), I would've opted for Geolandar All-Terrains (my overlanding goal hasn't been met, yet). So, for how I've been using the X5, the AS tires are good enough.

On pickup trucks, since '85, I had one set of Pirellis Cinturatos (a P-sized tire, probably not ideal for a pickup) that worked fine. I bought them as new returns at half-price, from Discount Tire, and they were great, but most every other pickup tire I've used since has been made by Cooper (All-season or All-Terrain). There were a couple of Dunlops and Goodyear Eagles thrown in there, but they all wore out early. The worst I had on pickups was a set of Bridgestone AS tires; they only lasted 20k miles, not recommended.

Once I find a brand I trust, I stick with it until I don't.

Working towards the oil pan gasket on the 2001 3.0i.


Finished removing the front sub-frame. Replaced the motor mounts with new Febi parts from FCP. If you're interested the mounts arrived in sealed Febi boxes but were marked made in China. Old mounts were definitely done. New ones look good.


Moving on to removing the front drive shaft and differential.

My Oxford green X5 was in a crash about two years back. Some guy decided not to yield which caused be to drive straight into him. I was faced with a decision, give it to insurance and try to find another (impossible in 2025) or buy it back from insurance and fix it right. I went with the second option. I removed the entire drivetrain from the car and gave the rolling chassis to the best body shop in the area.

The body shop replaced the front left frame rail and replaced the end of the front right frame rail. The X5 went on a jig to ensure it was measured perfectly and then they painted the new hood, bumper, and other misc parts. I then spent the last 6 months putting it all back together.

Every single nut, bolt, clip, body nut, etc. is correct and how it should be from factory. I spent endless amounts of time on real OEM ensuring that a screw for the head shield or body wiring harness zip tie or brake line bracket was the right part. Most of the hardware was just ordered new so I knew it was correct.

Pretty much every part, no matter how small, that was removed, was replaced.

Here is a link to the photo album of just some pictures I took along the way.

https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCtNvv

Wow ... now THAT is some serious dedication to an E53!! Congratulations on a great looking car. I like to think I'd choose the same path in your shoes!

Best regards and happy driving,

Chris
Lockhart, Texas
2005 X5 3.0 Schwarz Black
2002 X5 3.0 Titansilber

Thanks! It was a long road for sure. I love this color combo and couldn't let it die but if I was going to fix it, I was going to fix it properly.

That, my friend, is awesome! Superb dedication. Did you have a final amount on what you spent on parts and labour to do the project?

Oh so that's what mine looked like new... nice!

Paint correction and wax.

Oddly-warm day so I put all the windows down to let the hot out, then put up the passenger side ones. KRUNCH. Oh I think I know... KLONK as the window glass fell into the door.

OK whatever, I have the parts for this.

Then this keeps happening:
76 DME/DDE does not fulfill torque request
78 Plausibility, accelerator and brake pedals
D3 Idle-speed control valve, mechanical fault

That last thing is expensive.

Not sure what, but...

My obd2 port has stopped powering my Bluetooth transmitter, but I can still connect the Foxwell and see all components. It looks like a power issue but all voltage is good with the exception of the R power shows 10.2v. Not sure how switch R can be underpowered when everything else is staying between 13.9v and 14.1v!!

PS.. My BMW phone doesn't power up in the port, so that's probably connected although I really really don't want to have to pull the console out AGAIN.

Hoping for a fuze or loose wire in an accessible location [emoji120] [emoji2357]

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"lighter" port and OBD2 on the same fuse. Start there.


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[emoji106]

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The X5 had about 2 weeks off from daily driving. I drove it a few times for a quick errand. Knowing how power hungry it can be, I fully charged the battery one day last week. Today, it cranked over fast. Purred nice and smooth with its fresh oil change. Two 95F+ degrees days left for our hot summer. A/C blowing to 42F sure is nice. :bmw:

Is the BMW phone on the same circuit?


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https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...d3079bfed7.jpg


F14 goes to pin 16 on obd port. It also goes to the GM in the right footwell. It's only 5a fuse.

I couldn't find what the GM runs off that input though.

7,74 fuses come up from telephone search


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Thanks Andrew [emoji106]

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Three OBD connector is known to crack and no longer make connection to power so look into that as well.


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Oh, I know that one...[emoji28]

It was just weird that my foxwell works but any BT obd2 transmitter doesn't work. [emoji2369]

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

Longer pins in foxwell?

My foxwell is self powered so i forgot yours needs OBD2 power.

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

Can be just dirty. I bought icv due to similar error and turns out car was confused by trying to ingest the o-ring from the MAF.

For the DME errors, pull up throttle pedal and throttle plate TPS sensors on your scanner and confirm they both have both sensors reading properly.

I think in both cases one sweeps low to high and one high to low.

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Replace the ICV twice now

OK, I'll check that. Battery voltage is 13.8 per scanner.

Now I need to get that rear door panel off to fix the window... it's got the roll-up/slide-out sunshades and I can't figure out how to get the card off without breaking things, and I've already broken off all the mounting pieces from the back of the door card...

Let us know when you figure out how to get that door card off please. I tried taking my rear off and have the shade too. Couldn't figure it out.

I found a few videos on the U tube. It doesn’t look hard but I haven’t tried it yet because poor lighting tonight. Mañana.


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The shade has a little hidden spring clip on one side. Once you learn it it's easy. I've done a few times.

I no longer have e53 to compare and they did it completely different on e70.


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The clip on the vertical (small triangular window) shade on the rear door is on the top of the shade housing, if I recall correctly. You need to work a pick or narrow/small upholstery tool into the space between the top of the shade and the door and push the clip down, while pulling the shade housing in towards the interior.

There may be a Torx screw on the edge somehow, but I can’t recall. I’ll take a look at my x5 later today and report back.

One video I saw claimed the others were all wrong, that you lift the clip UP not push it down. I'll try that after work today.

So...

No blown fuzes.[emoji2357]

Obd2 power works for the Foxwell, but not the BT transmitter.
No power to central lock button (4way button works) rear console cigarette lighter has no power, BMW factory phone has no power, footwell power plug has no power.

R switch position is showing a fault, sometimes no power or voltage of 10v, but Foxwell showing 14v in system...[emoji2369]

Console comes out (again) this weekend... [emoji2959]

So after checking the fuzes and pins in the Obd2, it was at that moment I knew I fck'd up (in the console)

Still no tire has come in...[emoji849]

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https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...e594881294.jpg


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new Lemforder rear sway bar end links and fixed the AUX wire's resistor issue by adding my own 300k ohm resistor between the R+ and L+ wires, just before it connects to back of cd changer, to fix AUX missing issue. got the Hamann HM2 wheels and Nokian tires re-balanced to remove vibrations and now its smooth driving.

OK, got the door card off without breaking anything (other than six of the glued-on mount points which I will try to hot-glue* back on tomorrow). Got the window back up and secured with a strong suction cup for now.

Found a busted carrier clip and the black piece. "Oh I have new ones!" Yeah, for the FRONT doors. Why would they use different clips for the back doors? So I gotta get those on order. edit: found this repair kit on ebay, ordered that. https://www.ebay.com/itm/375852360588

The pics are of the vertical sunshade mount points. Getting that top ciip to let go is a real beeeyotch hence all the scratches.

The third is the difference between the front door clip (top) and the busted rear door clip. I can't find the part number for that, realoem doesn't show it.

The fourth is this air hose that slips onto a fitting on the back of the alternator. I have no idea what it does, but I got it popped back on. Doubt it's related to my IAC valve issue — I have a cheap amazon part coming tomorrow. I think Rock Auto is closing out genuine Bosch parts for $60 "FAMOUS BRAND ABC3727" but I'll try the cheap one first.

*someone recommended black JB Weld which I used on one of the front door cards, but it's not that secure. I tried using a heat gun on the old glue residue left on the card which made it nice n sticky, but there isn't enough adhesive left to do much.

I use gorilla tape on the vertical edges to hold a window while waiting for parts

The clips aren't a separate part you can only get third party

The hose on the alternator is air duct for cooling similar to the ducts that go from the grill to the front wheel brakes



You can buy butyl tape to replace worn out from re-use door card seals.


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This morning central lock button working, but the passenger mirror was dipping on reverse EVEN THOUGH the mirror switch was on the passenger side to keep it from dipping and after going to driver's side and back to passenger side it was back to non-dipping mode...[emoji2957]

So I have something that's intermittent... [emoji533] me!![emoji849]

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Bought a cheap hot glue gun and glue sticks, glued those black mounting pieces back on the door card, seems to hold really well. Guess we'll find out... looks like someone also used some kind of hard black adhesive to hold the sun shade unit to the door card but I have no idea what it is. Of course the vapor barrier went missing years ago...

Is it possible for a dirty or bad IAC valve to cause a fuel trim rich code? Throttle/brake plausibility code? I have a new Chinesium one but maybe the old one just needs cleaning. Whatever, it will all have to wait for the window regulator parts to arrive and I'm on a two-week work trip starting this weekend. Getting the IAC out doesn't look too terrible.

Oh and I noticed what I'm sure is windshield washer fluid dripping from both sides just past the front wheel wells. I haven't used the washers much but I filled the tank two months ago and it's already almost empty. The pishers do spray the glass but there's a big leak somewhere. The headlight washers work too but every time I've ever used them there's a lot of fluid leaking from behind the front bumper. The rear window washer works with no obvious leaks.

Get a small inspection mirror and check the two windscreen pumps (on the back of the tank): -

https://i.ibb.co/39pZJT6v/b0d49a89-8...9539c580c6.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/gZf8CHx1/e9ce1d9e-e...185d7a0c0e.jpg

Been battling leaking and non-working washers for most of the last few months - of course, over the winter months when I need them. Now have new grommets, pumps and a rear one-way valve and all seems well again - $150 later!! :rolleyes:

Temporarily used double sided tape on the left kidney grill. I noticed it was not seating correctly. I tugged on it and it pulled out of place. All the lock tabs are now broken. I broke a few when I had to remove it to open the hood. Now all of them are broken. I'll keep an eye open to replace the left one or both. For now, the double side tape holds it in place correctly.

I feel like the kidney grills are needlessly complicated to get in and out, especially. Which just invites more broken plastic than usual on these types of part removal jobs.

I had a new windshield put in today by safelite. Installer did a great job and I was happy that we didn’t find any rust lurking under the seals or old sealant. Just a lot of dirt and grime that needs to be cleaned. Some of the plastic and rubber trim, seal and cover pieces, especially the cowl cover piece, are in pretty bad shape. It’s like a big jigsaw puzzle of plastic pieces up at the cowl.

Clear OSI Quad for the win but you can't pop them out for hood latch rescue after that


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Do you have train sensor? I had to use foxwell to recalibrate after my windshield was replaced


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I don’t have the rain sensor on my e53, but the safelite guy said most x5s he handles do, and he he uses a scanner tool to train it. It’s also a different windshield apparently.

Yup it's a different windshield but the sensor transfers over.


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I got lean codes with a faulty IAC code. The code for the IAC was "mechanical fault". I tried cleaning the IAC's before I replaced them and it didn't do any good. Code would go away for awhile and then pop back up.

If washer fluid is leaking from under the bumper it's likely the hose to the headlight washers is leaking. The other common leak points are the grommets where the pumps go into the tank. You also need to make sure the pumps are seated properly or they like to leak. You'll usually see those leaks on the ground directly under or close to the tank location.

That’s the code I get. Ugh. I’ll clean it first but I have a cheap Chinese part I can try if that doesn’t work. Thx and I guess I have to get under this thing to see from where the washer juice is leaking.

Oh and yesterday she was running fine on the highway for about 20mi but when I exited the idle turned rough and it threw a cylinder 2 misfire code. Shut off and restarted and it’s like it never happened.

Weird. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ cleared the codes but of course they’ll come back.


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Run injector cleaner if you get random misfire.


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+1 on that. I was having that issue a while ago. Ran Techron through it. You have to make sure you get enough though. Some will do 20 gallons. Our tanks hold 24, so one of those bottles isn't enough.

I use half tank of gas to bump up the concentration


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That works too

Drove about 45mi today. Some weird power loss when cold as if I'd lifted the gas, but only for a second or two. Then it carried on like nothing was wrong for miles, and no SES lights. No misfires.

I'll try the injector stuff, thx.

I thought I would replace the steering uj shaft on my rhd V8 as there is a little bit of knocking when rocking the steering wheel right to left rapidly.
Jacked up, under trays removed, lower shaft bolt removed. Up top I removed the top bolt, pushed the steering column up to release the shaft only to realise that mine has a square location whereas the one I bought has a hex location..
Should have done the top bolt first to save me all the agro. At least I had a new bulkhead bearing to swap so I did that and it's actually reduced the knocking somewhat.
I have the lower part of the steering column that fits the hex as well so I could in theory replace the lot but I think that's a bit more involved so I'll save it for another day.

2005 X5 3.0 with 175k miles. I have owned it 5yrs or so and it has lived its whole life in rusty New England.

-replace rotted front subframe*
-oil pan - remove, clean, re-gasket
-new steering rack
-new axles

*in pics below see collapsed area under right side sway bar bushing

X5 was on a 2-post lift. I took my time and it took 6 or 7 days.

Prior to this, the power steering was still groaning even after changing pump, reservoir, and 3of 4 (4 of 5?) PS hoses. After the rebuilt steering rack...it sounds and feels great now

had to cut off the nuts to the tie rod ends.

axles came out without a problem..but they have been out before. front Diff and front drive shaft also came out without a problem.

Used an engine support bar to hold engine while I removed the subframe. Replaced the engine mounts.

Discovered I have a leaking selector shaft seal..even though it was replaced 4 yrs ago.

Need to get it aligned, but otherwise it is running and driving well after all this work.

Great to see solid refresh that will keep great car going and going.


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Andrew I was also planning to replace both rear wheel bearings using your DIY (hopefully without removing suspension or exhaust), But I encountered a seized axle nut and slowly backed away..

I am going to have a welder friend remove them and then I will see how bad it all is.

Sweet Baby Jesus, is the nut even in that picture?[emoji28]

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I would just remove the four hub bolts and pull the axle out with the hub.

Replace the outer cv joint or full axle. No point in wasting time: effort trying to pull the axle out of that hub they are the same object now.


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Do you mean pull the whole knuckle or wheel assembly out as a unit?...Like the pic below but with axle attached? Would you reuse the knuckle? or source a decent used one and replace bearings? I do see a bunch of apparently rust-free rear knuckles on ebay at fair prices..

I am not sure what "four hub bolts" you are referring to...the bolts that connect to the upper and lower suspension? You don't mean the four bolts that hold the bearing...no access..

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...d5f976f507.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...911a572afa.jpg

I did mean the four that hold the bearing but I forgot you pull the axle in a bit to get to those!

So: plan B is ugly I would probably cut the axle "nut" off and see if by some miracle you can pull the hub off the axle with a slide hammer.

Save that, I'd maybe saw the hub off either angle grinder or band saw (sawzall). If can cut back far enough, then should be able to oush what's left of the spline out of the hub.

Your Welder friend can cut off the axle nut with oxy and possibly use same for the hub.

The bolts that hold the hub/bearing can but cut out from the outside as well so if it looks hopeless to get the axle out, cut 1/4 of the hub off to get clear view of the thread side of the bolts and cut the bolts (or bearing flange).

I forget if the bearing flange is steel or aluminum but you can cut right down the center of the bolt with minimal risk to the knuckle since that side is just a hole and the threads will get replaced with new bearing.

I realize i switched up hub and bearing a bit because when assembled it's one part.

You could try to cut a slot in the tips of the bearing bolts and use a very big impact screwdriver bit. Like the og impact screwdriver you hit with a hammer.

(After cutting part of the hub away for access).

The lug holes do line up that's how i snug the bolts when i reassemble. Cut slots in the tip of the bolts and use a long flat screwdriver bit turning CCW.


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FWIW (although I doubt it helps) those four bearing bolts are accessible with the axle in place... TIS says this, I've done it and your own thread even shows this, Andrew. ;)

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"Axles in place"? Do you mean released from the hub? Meaning not in the spline?

I haven't read TIS, but Andrew's wheel bearing DIY indicated that you have to push the hub end of the axles inward toward the rear diff to get enough clearance with with wobble extensions and sockets to access the 4 e-torx bolt with enough torque.. Are you saying something different?

In my case, and I haven't tried yet, the axles look pretty fused in the splines. So pushing them in could require a ton (several actually) of effort. I might get lucky, its possible the 12 point nut corroded, but prevent moisture from getting into the splines.

A guy can dream can't he?

https://petrogen.com/?srsltid=AfmBOo...A56eawT4F_qerE

This makes oxy/acetylene look like MAP gas....[emoji41]

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Still no joy on finding the issue but now I have a cranking issue (also intermittent) where it acts like the battery is low. I'm replacing the FSR and taking the Witch to a Yemeni electrical workshop to see if they can figure it out.

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Get a measure of the amps while cranking.

You describe the symptom of end of life starter that pulls more current. It'll sound like low battery when it's the voltage dip from starter taking up to 50-70% more current.

I can't remember if the B+ terminal separates like the 3.0 but occasional thread on xo will have that cause give you that symptom.


–awr–

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True, but I still have the no power issues in the obd2, footwell lighter socket, built-in cellphone and switch R (low power) But with this I have some hope that it's connected cause is a wire grounding out doing those issues and draining the battery.

If not maybe someone will steal it and then burn up in an electrical fire, all while I'm collecting my insurance money....[emoji848]

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Yeah that's likely related.


–awr–

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+1 on that. You'll be lucky if it's not permanently rust welded together.

I know just the place to get that checked then!

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...76ad80e299.jpg

[emoji1787]



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This is getting ridiculous!!!

Hard to start and then the AC wouldn't work, like WTF?
Saw the outside temperature showing-35.5c after a bit it climbed back to normal and the AC started working at 4c. Today's temperature was 35c[emoji849]

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Installed a new battery 1000 SAR, bought new ignition switch 100 SAR, ordered new FSR 100 SAR.

Bought some bootleg "water" PRICELESS....

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It's 60% water. The rest is preservative


–awr–

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Homemade flammable, not sure if there's that much water. If so then I'll just be very very hydrated [emoji1787]

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Will it's very hot there,. Prob better to have more preservative than water by volume. My favorites are usually about 62% preservative.


–awr–

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Friday, hand washed the X5. Noticed the front left wheel well had debris. Like icky and sticky strings. WTH....a critter was run over. I better check the engine bay. The neighbor hood does have stray cats. I had to use a brush and high pressure to get the icky stuff off. Now, the front suspension on that side has a knock. Especially over bumps or bad roads. I'll have to look under it on Wed. All the suspension is new. I hope the thrust arm doesn't need replacing. Last time, it need to be tightened up. If it's loose again, I'll get new bolts.

Don't use "preservative water" and Drive!
 

It's been over 40 years since I imbibed water with "preservatives", so I just rely on iced sweet peach tea, all day, every day (imagine Uncle Si on Duck Commanders show). Keeps me cool in hot weather (most of the year here), but I still swill it down iced, in colder weather.

I drank in prodigious quantities in my early years, so no more preservative water for me!

I usually only drink cask strength, bourbon, and now that I'm a bus driver. I only get to do that on weekends. The rate of consumption has dropped precipitously. When good bourbon cost in $90 a bottle. It does help the bank balance though.

I hope you didn't squash the kitty
 

I'm an animal lover (people, not so much), so it isn't a good thing in my book to squash any critter. My semi-rural home has become a haven for stray cats (possums, raccoons, and neighborhood free-range chickens, too) over the past 7-8 years, after I started to feed a couple of stray cats that were living under my tandem axle race car trailer (and under a shed, in cold or wet weather).

As the cat colony grew, by more appearing and kittens being born, I bought traps to catch them, and have them spayed & neutered, so the colony has stabilized down to 8 stay-in-the-yard fulltimers, and 3-4 guest cats that appear at morning and evening feeding times

The funny thing about the guest cats, is that they have been spayed or neutered, too (you can tell because they all have a left ear point trimmed off by the vet). They must be cats belonging to nearby folks, and only come for the food. There haven't been any newborns in two years, so the neutering program works.

We've brought four sick ones inside (sharing the house with our three dogs and a parrot), that have remained inside as housecats for the past 3 years. The outside, semi-feral cats have various shelter spots around the property, for bad weather, and sometimes go into the massive Poultry Palace that my wife built for her four hens (they're now statring to fade away, so the Palace will be used as a Cat Corral, in the future).

The benefit of heeping the semi-feral cats (and possibly the 10-12 free-range chickens), is that the snake population has been eliminated or so reduced, that I haven't seen any trace of one for seven years. I used to have to take a flashlight, frog gig, machete, or pistol with snake shot outside with me at night, to remove venomous snakes from the yard, before letting the dogs out. I formerly had to dispatch at least 4-5 snakes (Cottonmouths and/or Copperheads) every year, for 25 years, before it was safe for the dogs. I also didn't much like stepping on one if I had to go into an unswept area.

Since when could you teleport between Winnipeg and KSR now?

(Winnipeg in winter is where I learned and experienced that –40C and –40F are pretty much the same thing)

Apparently I always had the ability, but I just didn't drink enough shine...[emoji1787]

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Good news. It was not my local neighbor's cat. I heard its bell ringing in the neighbor's yard. I took off the front left wheel to chase down the "clunking" noise. The noise sounded like a socket rolling on the metal subframe plate. I know it's not possible since foam is there. Finally chased it to the sway bar link. I should have know. About two years ago, I tightened up the right side one shortly after a front suspension rebuild. One good hit with my cordless impact tightened it up. The X5 is nice and quiet up front.

I'll have to take the front wheel off again to clean up the icky string left over. From debris, it was a small critter. :dunno:

Glad it wasn't the cat!

Breathing a big sigh of relief since after plugging the heater core supply/return on the 4.6, it has not blared check coolant level at me.

Been having to add coolant every 3rd drive or so, and a pressure test to 20psi showed the system not holding pressure with no external leak.

Was worried it would be the head gasket and/or head, which would be pretty hard to find now.

It's still on distilled water from all the coolant loss, refilling, and testing, will do a radiator drain in the weekend so I can put some OE coolant in and have a proper mix.

Well the dog was constantly treading on the cup holder slide curtain and it eventually broke so today I removed the center console, dismantled it on the kitchen island and replaced the broken part.
Easy to remove and take apart but what a pain it was to get it all back in.
Then I noticed that the hinges on the glove box were slightly loose and could potentially rattle whan driving which is not acceptable. I whipped it out and plastic welded the hinge caps back in a tighter spot so there was almost no movement laterally. Now I'm having a beer.

My sliding cover disintegrated well before I bought this thing. I have a replacement from a guy on YouTube who 3D-prints them, but the thought of removing that center console and reinstalling it has kept me from doing it for about two years now. It looks like a gigantic pain in the ass.


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It is a pain in the ass, but on the scale of PITAs for this vehicle it's not that high. Pulling the dash waaaaay higher. Oil pan gasket change waaaaaaay waaaaay bigger PITA. Do it, you'll be glad you did.

It's appropriate that I learned about PITA scales on a BMW forum lol!

Drove the 4.6 on some slightly winding roads today. The Servotronic steering hardening up when putting some power down in the sweepers is still fun for a people hauler.

OK, I guess it could be a lot worse. But I need to fix a busted window regulator and clean/replace the IAC valve first.

Idle control valve isn't too tough. Easier than the center console.

Me too! I've had to pressure wash two of my folks cars with such an issue. It was not pretty. :( I tell them to honk before starting up their vehicles.

I'm driving my truck to pick up house remodel packages after work all week. The X5 will get a few days of rest. I washed it. It's annoying to wash it then not drive it for a few days. It has been dry with no rain. So much dust collects being parked. After washing it, I pulled out the OEM BMW cover. It will be nice and clean when I get to drive it again. :bmw:

It wasn’t easy. Got about 12 new cuts. Found that sliding the rubber ring off before reinstalling AND pushing the gray grommety thing into the intake first made it a lot easier.

It’s probably the original IAC. barely made out “MADE IN GERMANY”. But it seemed in decent shape, a little sticky. Cleaned with MAF cleaner and put it back. Seems to idle more smoothly. We’ll see if the fuel trim codes come back. And the old rubber parts were stillI in good shape so I didn’t replace them.


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Catalytic cleaning cycle via giving the Witch an IV...

What a pain in the ass!https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...4e5e200c61.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...ecb500aaca.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...1876851105.jpg

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Wanted....

Front driver/passenger seat leather bottoms needed ASAP used in good condition. I'll be stateside all November Midwest and Southeast CONUS if anyone has some they'd like to sell or knows of where to get them. Payment by wire transfer or US bank check or uncut emeralds.

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Color, model?


–awr–

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Search my area. Austin, TX. I'll try to help ya out. It's been a while since I've visited a boneyard for parts.

Comfort seat with memory in Leather Walknappa, exclusive/creambeige

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Thanks [emoji106]

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Here is a search link for the U-Pull-&-pay with all the locations selected for 00-06 X5. You have click on each location to do this, so save the link and it's a little easier. There was a service a guy at work used, where you can have it subscribe to a web page, and if the page changes at all it will email you. I should set that up for the ones close by. I forget what he said that was.

I'll be visiting the ones in Ohio I think in the next few weeks. I've already scavenged over the Pittsburgh one. There was a nice white one there with tan seats but the roof was removed of course so some mold. I got lucky with the steering wheel though it's pretty nice.

https://www.upullandpay.com/inventor...onID=0#results

Thanks, I'm looking now.[emoji106]

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Finally a cool morning to test the seat warmer. It works. :bmw:

Have you guys ever needed a jump, but the car is nosed into the parking space and every single spot around you is full with shoppers who are making a day of it?

I had this happen to me so I bought this...

Not sure when I'll get it installed, but this is going in the empty amplifier compartment. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...ca9c36ca7d.jpg

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