Secniv 182 Report post Posted January 5, 2020 (edited) Started this job Friday and an easy pace over the weekend plus I’ll need another weekend to finish (won’t be this weekend as the BMW Festival is on at Hampton).. Anyway the dreaded the E60 leaky alternator bracket seal saga plus much much more! The oil drips on the ground were bugging me so when I had to have a wof and airbag sensor replaced I had the dealer look at the cause. Dealer quoted 30 hours and about $4.5k to replace the alternator bracket seal, plus replace a weeping timing cover gasket, plus do vanos seals and valve cover gaskets while there. Checking in with the Alpina B5 forum and researching the solutions on-line I’ll do it myself thanks. Of particular note every where I read was take your time and not rush. Sourced all the necessary parts through the dealer and with my BMW club discount was much in it with os prices. On the surface things look so pretty and clean.. The major differences with getting to the alternator and top-end with the B5 vs say the 545i is the supercharger and oil cooler. I started at the top removing covers and extracting the supercharger. And as seems to be the case with me I like to check and clean as I go.. Oil passing the seal in the supercharger can be a problem for (Alpina anyway) superchargers. Some oil is normal as the CCV feeds into the charger after the vane. A good check is at the bottom of the intercooler and how much oil has collected. Thankfully there was nothing out of the ordinary. Another cause can be that the CCV diaphragms perish over time. The breather hose was pretty wet so I replaced both diaphragms. The sc bracket also has to come out to get to the alternator and the LH timing chain cover. An oil feed to the sc passes through the bracket. Moving to the bottom of the engine and having removed covers first thing is to move power steering pump and swing out of the way. This does require emptying the reservoir and releasing the supply hose. From there you have access to the alternator. Make sure you remove battery terminal before attempting to detach the electrical connector and power cable to the alternator ?. Getting the alternator out is a bit of a juggle given it’s weight and clearing oil pipes and suspension bushes and sway bar but turning it to different positions got it out. Then to the toughest part.. the alternator bracket which just happens to have engine mount arm sitting on it and bolts passing through! I should have removed oil cooler first and swung it out of the way which would have made getting to the front 2 torx bolts much easier. To get to the rear bolts you need to go through the wheel well. All bolts need a combination of swivels and extensions to get them off. Seal had definitely hardened and obviously leaking. Next steps will be to put the bottom end back together then replace valve and timing cover gaskets plus vanos seals and sc bracket seals. Plus replace spark plugs while I’m there. Anything else I should do? Edited January 5, 2020 by Secniv Added photo 6 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hqstu 780 Report post Posted January 5, 2020 Great work and pictures - very satisfying job I'd expect, as you say, just take your time... 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Secniv 182 Report post Posted January 6, 2020 Thanks Stuart. Satisfaction will come when it starts, goes like it should and no more leaks.. not too much to expect lol. Meant to add you definitely need an engine support. Picked this up locally via TM for $90 and already used it twice.. bargain! Happy to lend to local bimmersporters when I’m done. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M3AN 4016 Report post Posted January 6, 2020 Wow, that actually seems worse than working on my mates late model Cayenne Turbo and that's a bitch! Pop your engine brace in here: http://bimmersport.co.nz/topic/50444-official-tools-for-hire-thread/ Nice work BTW! 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HypedKidz 24 Report post Posted January 6, 2020 Those spark plugs are an absolute nightmare to do think you need to lower the subframe to get the rear coils out if i remember correctly Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Secniv 182 Report post Posted January 6, 2020 9 hours ago, HypedKidz said: Those spark plugs are an absolute nightmare to do think you need to lower the subframe to get the rear coils out if i remember correctly Replacing the spark plugs will be straightforward but getting the valve cove off will be the tricky bit. From what I have read you need to remove the cabin filters and firewall cover to get to the backside plugs and valve cover. https://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=685470 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GorGasm 563 Report post Posted January 6, 2020 Sparks should be easy enough to reach. Did them in my M5 just removing the covers as you mentioned. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HypedKidz 24 Report post Posted January 7, 2020 6 hours ago, Secniv said: Replacing the spark plugs will be straightforward but getting the valve cove off will be the tricky bit. From what I have read you need to remove the cabin filters and firewall cover to get to the backside plugs and valve cover. https://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=685470 Let me know how you get on, as I'm pretty sure the B5 is built bit differently compared to the N62 so can't use it really as a full reference Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Audidude 17 Report post Posted January 9, 2020 Awesome job! Braver than me! 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Secniv 182 Report post Posted January 10, 2020 Just a quick shout out to Extreme Automotive. I was shopping around for these OE NGK plugs for the B5 which were order only and between $32-$36. Got these from Extreme for $19 each.. Bargain! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Secniv 182 Report post Posted January 19, 2020 Stretching my time between family, work, the M3 project I was finally able to give the B5 my full attention today. Getting the valve cover off was pretty time consuming and involved removing the cabin air intake, fuel rail, moving heater hoses and electrical wiring then lifting and turning the cover in order to clear the sensors at the back valve train. I can’t get over how clean the valve train, camshafts and timing chains are despite 150000kms. Reinforces the service book history albeit in Japanese. Fussily I gave the cover a clean despite there being little residue inside and out. Replacing the front timing cover was straight forward once you have removed the vanos sensors. The BMW valve cover comes with the gasket as well as replacement rubber fasteners seals and the integrated bolt/seals. Everything is there except the sensor o-rings and spark plug tubes. I replaced the o-rings but the tubes were ok. Replacing the cover with the new gasket is the reverse although I did use gasket maker in the corners and ‘humps’. Lining the spark plus tubes up and seated was a bit fiddly but a deep breath and more patience gets you there. Once the cover was torqued down (15nm) I put the new spark plugs in followed by coils then fuel rail. I’ve put this side back together as much as possible while it’s fresh in my mind before starting the drivers side. Drivers side should be a lot easier as there isn’t as much plumbing and electrical wires to get in the way.. here’s hoping. Bit of good time management should have it back together next weekend if not before. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
