What'd you do to your BMW today?

[zero 1162]

8 hours ago, BreakMyWindow said:

How bad were the cracks? 

Bad enough that the starter motor mount 'ear' came off when pressed.

[NakiTouring 54]

Fired up the replacement engine in the 335i this afternoon! It's been a long and expensive road, so awesome to hear it running again after all this time, even if the exhaust wasn't bolted up ;-)

Another evening or two of bolting things back on and I should be able to take her for a spin!

[Matth5 471]

1 hour ago, NakiTouring said:

Fired up the replacement engine in the 335i this afternoon! It's been a long and expensive road, so awesome to hear it running again after all this time, even if the exhaust wasn't bolted up ;-)

Another evening or two of bolting things back on and I should be able to take her for a spin!

What happened to the original engine?

I should get my 335i back tomorrow after two months at the workshop, so I can kinda imagine how you feel. I've even had dreams about it, lol.

[NakiTouring 54]

17 minutes ago, Matth5 said:

What happened to the original engine?

I should get my 335i back tomorrow after two months at the workshop, so I can kinda imagine how you feel. I've even had dreams about it, lol.

I can't recall if we exchanged some PMs about it when we were discussing stage 1 turbos the other week, but basically the crank bolt came loose and you know what happens next... :-(  Started down the path of a rebuild before giving up on that and buying a used engine.  Replaced the gearbox at the same time, as the old one was slipping on the 4th to 5th change.  Chucked in some new turbos also.

Some of the work done in the process... valve cover gasket, oil filter gasket, oil cooler gasket, sump gasket, rear main seal, injector seals, new thermostat, new coolant hoses, new vacuum lines, millions of one time use bolts, gaskets and o-rings, new RB Turbo Inlets (much easier with the engine out!), downpipes, new transmission oil pan/filter, bolts and fresh BMW trans oil...the list goes on.

Jeez I hope this thing doesn't give me any other major headaches for a while...all other domestic and automotive projects have been on hold for too long!

As an added bonus, while bolting up the driveshaft, I discovered I have LSD :-)

[Matth5 471]

You didn't mention what happened to the original engine back then. Wow, an LSD is a pretty huge surprise, they aren't cheap! I want one but I've spent too much already :/

Edited September 19, 2017 by Matth5

[NakiTouring 54]

Yeah, I kinda suspected it had one as it was so good at putting the power down through the twisty stuff...very seldomly saw the TC light come on when i was running MHD Stage 1.

[gjm 3258]

On 17/09/2017 at 7:50 AM, allan said:

Could be wrong but swapping radios with a mess like this to deal with must really rock your boat .If it is only to plug a devise to play extra music from surely an adapter in the cig lighter could do the trick.

Visited Brent @BM WORLD and picked up a Sony unit which will do nicely. Much, much easier than faffing with rewiring, trimming, crimping and so on, and this one even has the original BMW connector on the leads.

[TermiPeteNZ 1319]

Couple of jobs done on my old E53 X5 -

1. 2 new front axle assemblies installed (yay for MBI policy!)
2. New brakes all round - pads, rotors and nice shiny discs all round.

Job well done by my local garage Driscoll Motors  - now to bed in the new brakes!

[Gabe79 410]

Coding and cleaning day... (not that kind of cleaning...)

Replaced busted LCM. Trivial recoding with PA Soft, happy to show anyone how, or do for anyone else.

Cleaned my AC control unit. Years worth of grime and dust removed from the little fan, and 

Removed previous owner's hands free kit and nasty wiring. I need to redo stuff in the boot too. It's all mucked up. I need to remove a bunch of crap from the boot too... 

Can anyone tell me what each of those devices in the trunk are? The 6-disc changer is obvious. What are the two silver ones? What about the black one in the back, amp?

What is supposed to be connected to that white connector next to the blue one? 

 

Found a weird looking hose in the boot. I don't know wtf it does. It sure makes me think it's the source of my leak... I need to remove the battery to see where it goes, not keen on that!

Edited September 20, 2017 by Gabe79

[Mad_Max 233]

11 minutes ago, Gabe79 said:

Found a weird looking hose in the boot. I don't know wtf it does. It sure makes me think it's the source of my leak... I need to remove the battery to see where it goes, not keen on that!

That hose will have been connected to the original DIN battery, it's a drain of some sort for the battery itself and will run out through a grommet in the floor that's below your battery. It won't be doing anything now, no harm in removing or leaving there - either way, nothing to be concerned about.

[Gabe79 410]

Just now, Mad_Max said:

That hose will have been connected to the original DIN battery, it's a drain of some sort for the battery itself and will run out through a grommet in the floor that's below your battery. It won't be doing anything now, no harm in removing or leaving there - either way, nothing to be concerned about.

So it's entirely a coincidence that exactly where that little tube comes out I have a water leak? (you can see the water marks on the side there)

[Mad_Max 233]

13 minutes ago, Gabe79 said:

So it's entirely a coincidence that exactly where that little tube comes out I have a water leak? (you can see the water marks on the side there)

It may be the grommet through the well is missing and letting water splash up? Hard to tell from that pic sorry, it is a bit of a guess as to the water ingress.....

[Gabe79 410]

Just now, Mad_Max said:

It may be the grommet through the well is missing and letting water splash up? Hard to tell from that pic sorry, it is a bit of a guess as to the water ingress.....

Yeah, I realise now the picture angle is poor. It is looking up under the battery. That tube comes out the top, it looks like from the picture, on the body itself. Runs behind the positive terminal side of the battery, and just hangs out there. It exits right by where he worse of the water marks are, so mine is a correlational guess that it is the source of the water...

[NakiTouring 54]

I'm not sure you'd want to rip the hose out without doing a little research. My e91 and previous e61 both had them and plugged into the side of the battery near the top. The last battery I bought had removable bung in it to accommodate the nipple for the hose.

[Gabe79 410]

8 minutes ago, NakiTouring said:

I'm not sure you'd want to rip the hose out without doing a little research. My e91 and previous e61 both had them and plugged into the side of the battery near the top. The last battery I bought had removable bung in it to accommodate the nipple for the hose.

I’m not ripping anything out related to the hose. ?

I just want to know what it’s for and if it’s the source of the water that I find in my boot/spare wheel well after storms. 

[allan 295]

Believe that hose is to vent the fumes created by the chemical reaction in the battery to the outside atmosphere. Check to see if the grommet it passes through is still fitted properly.

[hotwire 352]

Yes that hose connects to the top centre of the battery case. The hose has a right angle plastic piece that pushes into a hole in the battery case. As above - it is there to vent the battery to outside the car - it should be in place. All DIN batteries come with this port. They come with a bung in the hole, this is taken out & the hose inserted when the battery is installed.

Can't say I have ever seen an E39 leaking water there.

Other modules you mention: The front silver box (blue & white plugs) is the video module - produces TV (well it did) controls screen graphics if no Nav unit is installed, & controls the reverse camera that you are going to fit

Other silver box on the left is the radio tuner & yes the black unit is the amp.

Edit - the white socket is not used unless a Nav unit is in the car. It will be utilised when you fit that camera though:-        The video module functions (apart from reverse camera) all operate from the blue connector.

Edited September 20, 2017 by hotwire
more info added

[Gabe79 410]

15 minutes ago, hotwire said:

Yes that hose connects to the top centre of the battery case. The hose has a right angle plastic piece that pushes into a hole in the battery case. As above - it is there to vent the battery to outside the car - it should be in place. All DIN batteries come with this port. They come with a bung in the hole, this is taken out & the hose inserted when the battery is installed.

Can't say I have ever seen an E39 leaking water there.

Other modules you mention: The front silver box (blue & white plugs) is the video module - produces TV (well it did) controls screen graphics if no Nav unit is installed, & controls the reverse camera that you are going to fit

Other silver box on the left is the radio tuner & yes the black unit is the amp.

Edit - the white socket is not used unless a Nav unit is in the car. It will be utilised when you fit that camera though:-        The video module functions (apart from reverse camera) all operate from the blue connector.

Thanks for the info on the modules. When I took out the crap up front, I lost radio (and gained a steering wheel control module error, which I am sure is related...) I'll clean up the wires in the boot tomorrow if I get a chance, and return everything to stock wiring and see where I am then. I'll figure out a better/different bluetooth solution in the future.

For the leak, my only reasoning for saying the hose/vent tube is suspect is based on three factors. One, it's a hose. Water and hoses... (I concede this is flimsy) and Two, it's a vent tube, to the outside of the car. Rain comes in from the outside of the car... I need to figure out where this hose ends up at its other end. Finally, Three... It is exactly where the worse of the water damage is. I poured buckets of water over my boot today, and couldn't get water to show up inside at all. I've replaced the boot seal and tail light gaskets to date. I really don't think it's the boot seal, since nothing is wet in the boot proper, only in the spare wheel well. The water has to be coming in lower than the seal, and it isn't the light gaskets...

[allan 295]

Just a thought while in their check the condition of the flaps in the vent these fall apart and you have one big hole. The parts cat calls it a breathe cover rear  64228377280. Looking at your photos could be hidden behind that plastic piece. In the link the fourth photo shows the vent I'm talking about.

https://www.google.co.nz/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi2p7T8y7TWAhUBQ5QKHe8JAMAQjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bimmerfest.com%2Fforums%2Fshowthread.php%3Ft%3D569363&psig=AFQjCNHZFbSfNwXxoxrgyDG__3f1oO2K1g&ust=1506025404797425

Edited September 20, 2017 by allan

[Gabe79 410]

1 hour ago, allan said:

Just a thought while in their check the condition of the flaps in the vent these fall apart and you have one big hole. The parts cat calls it a breathe cover rear  64228377280. Looking at your photos could be hidden behind that plastic piece. In the link the fourth photo shows the vent I'm talking about.

https://www.google.co.nz/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi2p7T8y7TWAhUBQ5QKHe8JAMAQjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bimmerfest.com%2Fforums%2Fshowthread.php%3Ft%3D569363&psig=AFQjCNHZFbSfNwXxoxrgyDG__3f1oO2K1g&ust=1506025404797425

I found a thread on that exact topic last night! I’ll link more when in front of a computer. There is also a vent hole under the gas filler flap that might be at fault. I’ll be digging more today. 

[allan 295]

That leak doesn't stand a chance under this scrutiny

[Gabe79 410]

Ok, much more exploring later... It isn't the vent, or the tube. It's exactly like this thread for me:

https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?2319675-Water-leak-in-trunk

I have water in the section behind that pillar. I have taken out my tail lights and the seals look good. I went a step further and added dab-off to the outside edges of my tail light gasket anyway. Any ideas really appreciated...

Ignore the labels though, behind my pillar it's all wet.

[Mad_Max 233]

18 minutes ago, Gabe79 said:

I have water in the section behind that pillar. I have taken out my tail lights and the seals look good. I went a step further and added dab-off to the outside edges of my tail light gasket anyway. Any ideas really appreciated...

Have you got a sunroof? If so, are the drain tubes blocked or clear?

Is the rear wheel arch plastic pieces in place? Or missing?

Does it leak only when parked? Only when driven? Both? 

Is the grommet for the battery drain tube in position?

[Gabe79 410]

12 minutes ago, Mad_Max said:

Have you got a sunroof? If so, are the drain tubes blocked or clear?

Is the rear wheel arch plastic pieces in place? Or missing?

Does it leak only when parked? Only when driven? Both? 

Is the grommet for the battery drain tube in position?

No sunroof. 

I have wheel arches in the rear.

i don’t know if it leaks when driven, I only notice it when it’s parked and I look in the boot. ?

the battery drain grommet is below this point  it cannot be he source of water to here. (And it is in place)

 

[Mad_Max 233]

2 minutes ago, Gabe79 said:

i don’t know if it leaks when driven, I only notice it when it’s parked and I look in the boot. ?

 

I'd try drying out the boot as much as possible, then drown it with a water blaster one section at a time, see if you can find a leak anywhere. Jack the corner up and remove the wheel so you can blast into the wheel arch, as well as underneath the car. Go around the rear window, boot seal, tail lights etc. Check every few minutes for any sign of ingress, it has to be coming from somewhere.

Or, even better, get yourself into the boot with a torch and have someone else using the blaster (make sure you pick someone you trust not to leave you in the boot......)