About the key, prepare yourself when you go to the dealer. They are extremely proud of that key $$$$$$

Alex has a 3.0i engine so his comments about the seal between the oil filter housing to the engine block is not valid since you have a V8.

hi ,first off welcome and I hope everything works out.
the PO might not of had a good mechanic work on the X5, so I would go over what was worked on first.
if You change your oil use Castrol [makes a BIG difference with Your valves]oil flow is everything with these engines.
if the PO worked on the transmission find out if he use the right fluid and check the transmission radiator in the front passenger side
Also with the radiator and coolant, You have to use BMW coolant [BLUE] there is a oil in it that helps the water pump bearing and won,t rust out Your radiator.
And You might have to bleed your coolant system like the other guy said. You can look it up on google for the procedure . good luck, I been there done that, make sure the INDY know BMW other wise they will just do damage.

I just got a quote for a new water pump and fluid,$702,not bad,mine as not blown yet,but am doing it now.

by the way oil replacement shop strip the oil bolt all the time too..........................

Noticed that this weekend while changing the oil - the hex drive is stripped out. Good thing i could still get a socket on the head. I'm ordering a couple other small items and adding the drain plug to the list for the next change.

I did use Castrol for the change so good there. For coolant I used what I had in the garage to get it topped off. I'll do a flush once the weather eases a bit and put in the good stuff. I'm also planning to take it to an indy in my area to see what they can diagnose and chip away at the list - DIY style as much as possible. Don't think I can handle the tc guides but can do the vc and vp gaskets.

Thanks for the tips.

The previous owner may have replaced the tc guides and just used the old gaskets which could explain the leaks .
It would be prudent the check the guides anyway .

What's interesting is that the leak (what I suspected as coolant) that started this thread has gone away. I do have a PS hose leaking at the front. I can see it seeing a bit around the fittings. I also know I have VC gaskets that are shot - oil in the spark plug valley and a hint of burning oil after she warms up. I also suspect a leaking vanos gasket at the front - both look messy.

I'm planning to do the vc and vanos gsket in a couple weeks once the weather warms up a bit more. Are there upper tc cover gaskets that should be replaced as well? i saw a post about them but I think it was the 4.6 engine they were discussing. While the area is clear I will also address the ps hoses as well.

The engine doesn't clatter like I've heard it will do with bad tc guides but I will take a look while it's open. What do I need to look for in way of wear - other than chunks of the guide missing? Will i be able to inspect the tc itself and tell if it has too much slack or wear?

I think I spotted one of your YouTube videos on line showing how to remove the injector assembly. You were addressing the vp gasket in that particular video. I'm going to follow that advice and avoid messing with the clips that hold them on individually.

Has the temperature where you lived warmed up lately? My theory - I would leak in the winter here in Texas because the gasket would compress in that weather, in warm weather the gasket would expand keeping fluids from leaking.

I have a 2001 4.4 e53 as well. I have had it since late 2004. I have done most of the work on it, unless it was a major item that I didn't want to spend the time doing. For about 2 years I would have occasional leaking of coolant/water mix. Sometimes the AC condensation on mine is extremely heavy but I know that is not the cause.

I have finally completed all coolant leaks, for now. The leak that I had in the exact spot you are talking about ended up being the Valley Pan gasket. One day that thing finally blew out and leaked everywhere. Another spot for a leak right there is the heater hose clamps.



The oil in the area above the spark plugs for me was a mechanic put the spark plugs back in after removing them for a repair of something on the engine without replacing the crush washers. I had oil leaking which I thought was a gasket but after putting in new spark plugs and cleaning that entire area out, the leaking stopped.

If the rear compressor for the rear suspension has not been replaced be ready for that as well as the air bags for the rear suspension to leak.

I have 228,000 miles on mine and its running like the day I purchased it.

I will continue to look at the thread, but feel free to PM me about any thing for that '01 4.4.

Hello BavariaTexan - thanks for the tips. It has begun to warm a bit here so maybe that's the problem. Any way to check for sure that it's the vp gasket? I watched a video on replacing it but he didn't go into diagnosing the issue.

As for the oil problem - I changed the plugs a couple weeks ago. If the plugs came with crush washers on them then I kept them on. I really don't remember for certain. I may pull one of the easier ones to make sure. I also can't remember if the PO had the washers on them. It's mainly the passenger side that had a considerable amount of oil in the valley.

What do you know about the vanos gasket leaking? I do get a little noise once it's warmed up but nothing like I've heard others submit. Wondering if the vanos gasket is going bad and if replacing it will help.

Don't know about the rear suspension and bags. I'm guessing I will find out one day when they begin to leak down. For now it's holding air. How expensive and is it a DIY?

Thanks again for the help. I appreciate your offer to help via PM as well.