Anybody driving without the "Stiffener Plate"?
 

I'm taking my time replacing the front diff fluid and chasing down an oil leak, so I removed the "front stiffener plate" (I would call it a skid plate myself, but what do I know?).

Anyway, there is a sticker on the subframe beneath the plate that says "do not operate vehicle without the stiffener plate".

Has anybody removed the plate and driven without it? I have a hard time believing that an 1/8" piece of stamped aluminum provides much in the way of "stiffening". That subframe is beefy enough!

BTW, I put the 4 bolts that hold down the sway bar bushing back in. No duh.

Your effin crazy man! If there is a warning written about the danger of removing something.......Why Would You. I don't think u should be working on your X. You might break it.

I've seen techs remove it for inspection and test drive the vehicle for a drivability complaint before reinstalling it and not have a problem putting it back on, and I've seen the bolt holed not want to line up after driving without it before. Not sure if either or both instances were E53 ass many models have similar plates. It has do do with the direction of the forces the lower control arms put on the subframe while driving.

Hey Justin, I removed the "do not remove this tag" tag on my mattress! (I know, I'm a rebel ;))

I seen people driving with their brain disconneted before .

Weasel,lol. What did I say!?
The lower arms must create a huge amount of pressure on either side.
Interesting how mechanics would search for faults with that plate off. The x is one heavy piece of machinery. Time to check my faults

The tech in question didn't do it on purpose. I believe he had it off to check the oil leaks, but either forgot or just didn't care to put it back on to test drive for a drivability complaint... his career didn't last long honestly, he was a repeat offender of stupid mistakes.

Thanks for the info, Weasel. The reason to drive without it is to more easily troubleshoot where an oil leak is coming from.

I'm pretty sure that the subframe is fully boxed (but I will check that again). I don't see how the holes wouldn't line up.

I'm going to get some pics and post them in a different thread about the oil leak(s).

..........................
 

Cut out a piece of cardboard and place it ontop of the plate driver it around and to see where the oil is dripping from.. that should give you and general area to look at..
But I bet it's the timing chain cover gaskets.. or/and the VANOS solinoid seals..

Well, I drove in to work without the plate today. It's hard to tell if I feel a difference in the steering or ride without it. Unfortunately, I didn't really drive it at all this weekend, I drove wifey's van, so my "calibration" is off to begin with, if you know what I mean.

On a positive note, there are no oil spots on the garage floor, perhaps the leak was OSV related. Do the leaks due to OSV failure generally resolve themselves? Or is this some miracle? ;)

I have had mine off for the last 6 months because I was planning on changing the oil filter housing gasket for the last 6 months.......I am lazy & busy. Any ways I changed it last weekend and re-installed the skid plate. No issues with putting the plate on what so ever.

Huh.. same duration as mine. I removed it with the intention of cleaning it but got lazy. I will put it back, as soon as i have a chance.

I guess that the stiffener plate was intended for protecting the engine underside from debris/stones just like other other cars do. But i am worried about it's name, which could mean it's purpose.:rolleyes:

I think the E53 platform has a stiffer subframe than some of the smaller cars, which would be why the plate easily reinstalls on these after driving without. But as mentioned before there have been a couple cases I've seen in the shop where the bolt holes in the plate didn't line back up as the subframe had bent/warped during driving.

I don't doubt that you could bend the subframe, but most likely not under normal driving conditions.

A buddy of mine hit a pothole the other day that was so bad he blew out 2 tires and bent some suspension components (it's way out of alignment, so something is bent). You'd probably want the stiffener in that case.

Anybody who has installed a strut tie bar knows that "stiffeners" do work, but they're a subtle difference under normal circumstances.