"What did you do to your E39 today V2.0."

[computiNATEor]

replaced the alternator tensioner assembly, the whole thing cuz might as well

also got under the car to replace the control arms, i spent about an hour trying to pry the lower control arm ball joint post out before giving up, it's currently dripping in pb blaster.
anyone know a really good ball joint seperator that fits this? The one from FCP euro is really underwhelming and basically doesn't work. jaw doesnt open wide enough to do the lower control arm ball joint and its too bulky to get to the thrust arm ball joint
https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bal...cta-tools-4013

also think i'll need to drop the sway bar a little bit to get to the bolt head holding the thrust arm to the car

edit: might be able to do the lower control arm with this method....i think my largest c clamp is big enough...
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_-...10428-1852.jpg

On my 530is, I've used the Harbor Freight ball joint separator very successfully (Pittsburgh 99849 3/4" Forged Ball Joint Separator). Your mileage may vary, though, with the V8s different front suspension design.

[dannyzabolotny]

Replaced the clutch master cylinder and slave cylinder on my E36 M3 today, now the clutch feels awesome. The old slave cylinder was so bad that it fell apart as I was taking it out...

And I also replaced front control arms, tie rod ends, center link, and sway bar end links on my buddy's 2002 540it today. The control arm ball joints were pretty stuck in there, but with some fire and WD-40 they both came loose. I eyeballed the center link and tie rod ends to try and match the old ones, and I did such a good job that the front alignment on the car was actually better than it was before. The car's still getting a proper alignment soon but I thought that was pretty cool.

[scyrusurcys]

Replaced my malfunctioning Camshaft Position Sensor - took all of about 8 minutes. No more surprise engine stalls!

[joekitch]

spent another hour trying to get that stupid lower control arm ball joint out. Who in their right mind install these without SLATHERS of copper anti seize?
i'm going to go buy a bunch of pickle forks and ball joint removers, throw tools at this stupid problem

[Jackcat559]

Wow...
Long time.
LOL at your rear plate.
New diff ?

yes, ran the 4.10 LSD for 10years. Just changed the gears to 3.73

[dannyzabolotny]

spent another hour trying to get that stupid lower control arm ball joint out. Who in their right mind install these without SLATHERS of copper anti seize?
i'm going to go buy a bunch of pickle forks and ball joint removers, throw tools at this stupid problem

I just replaced a set of those on my friend's 2002 540it— they were original at 198k miles and the ball joints were completely shot. And also really stuck in place. My Harbor Freight ball joint separator tool didn't open wide enough to pop those particular ball joints out, so I had to get creative. I drenched them in WD-40 and let them sit for a little, then I released the strut pinch bolts to pull the knuckles down and have more access to the ball joint studs. After that, I used a propane torch to apply heat for like 30 seconds on each one, followed by many whacks with a heavy metal hammer. The heavier the hammer, the better. Both eventually relented and popped out without any collateral damage.

Too bad you're all the way in the east coast, if you lived in Arizona your 540it would be fully sorted after a few visits to me, haha.

[joekitch]

then I released the strut pinch bolts to pull the knuckles down and have more access to the ball joint studs

most likely what i'll need to do
i just bought a different pickle fork, a deep mouth gear puller thing, and a giant c clamp i can use to augment my currently useless ball joint separator
hope one of these works
IMG_20180421_161719.jpg


Edit:
every single one of these ended up being worthless for different reasons

[zener]

Ordered 3,46 diff to replace the original 2,93.

[joekitch]

Another hour, zero progress on the ball joints, they're absolutely slam in there. i'm not even sure a torch will do much at this point.
not to mention to get the thrust arm bolt out you have to push the center drag link up....which i can't do because the ball joint to it and the pitman arm is ULTRA seized as well
What's the book hours to do this job at a shop? i'm so tempted to just throw this at my local indy and tell him to deal with it, this seriously sucks

alternatively, i need to get a scissor type ball joint seperator that's extremely adaptable for different jobs. that bmw official one actually looks perfect if i can get a copycat for cheap

[atobe]

R&R the center link and two side tie rods, fixed the weird vibration on braking. Now i have moosehead thrust arms bushings sitting there. I thought the thrust arm bushings were the problem. Also did the headlight adjuster on the driver side.

[agentrnge]

Replaced massively overdue crumbling windshield surround rubber bits. Sunroof rubber seal, and put the summer wheel/tire set back on finally. Washed the new set and the old set of wheels on both sides. Was hoping to also tackle an oil change/oil pan drop/and fresh gaskets/look for impending doom, check oil pump bolts/whatnot. Will put that off to maybe next sunday. Also skipped washing the car thinking the new sunroof needs to cure or something. Took the dirty car for a ~45 min loop around the area.

[bimmer7410]

Added a new door kickplate
Found that the new clips I got for them don't fit. Reused old ones on passenger side but will need to wait for the clips to complete the rears
Messed around with INPA. Found that my chassis/body commands don't work likely due to the cable I'm using
Ordered washer hose replacements and both splash shields for left and right, supposedly OEM
Recently got all 4 wheels reconditioned. Finally get a smooth ride...now to get rid of this transmission stutter..

Replaced massively overdue crumbling windshield surround rubber bits. Sunroof rubber seal, and put the summer wheel/tire set back on finally. Washed the new set and the old set of wheels on both sides. Was hoping to also tackle an oil change/oil pan drop/and fresh gaskets/look for impending doom, check oil pump bolts/whatnot. Will put that off to maybe next sunday. Also skipped washing the car thinking the new sunroof needs to cure or something. Took the dirty car for a ~45 min loop around the area.

How hard was it to change the windshield surrounding rubber? I have the part but haven't tried doing it yet

[ChrisMelnyk]

Another hour, zero progress on the ball joints, they're absolutely slam in there. i'm not even sure a torch will do much at this point.
not to mention to get the thrust arm bolt out you have to push the center drag link up....which i can't do because the ball joint to it and the pitman arm is ULTRA seized as well
What's the book hours to do this job at a shop? i'm so tempted to just throw this at my local indy and tell him to deal with it, this seriously sucks

alternatively, i need to get a scissor type ball joint seperator that's extremely adaptable for different jobs. that bmw official one actually looks perfect if i can get a copycat for cheap

You may want to look into something like this:

http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/ba...-0256232p.html

I bought one of these after I bought this:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
and had zero luck with it.

With the fork one, I ended up cutting something like a 1/2 inch off the ends to get it to work properly.

I've used it to do the thrust arms,control arms, and tie rod ends and it will loosen the ball joints in about three or four hammer swings.

[agentrnge]

Added a new door kickplate
How hard was it to change the windshield surrounding rubber? I have the part but haven't tried doing it yet

Not nearly as hard as I expected. The old one was *shot* It came out very easy. brittle rubber bits everywhere as it flexed. I vacuumed, and then also blew the channel out with a blast of air from the compressor. There really wasent anything left inside the grove after that. Needed to scrape just one jammed up piece out of one corner. Insertion was also easy. And I didnt need any soapy water/windex lube to do it. Started at the top to get position even left to right, got one corner in a little, then snuck the bottom in on one side. As long as you angle it in it just popped in pretty easy. This plus the rubber on the sunroof killed sooo much wind noise. Surprised. You get used to noises...

[joekitch]

Rather unproductive day
tried to fix my very very stuck front driver side brake caliper issue. Upon inspection the caliper piston looks pretty gnarly due to the boot separating.
i gave the exposed piston a brass brush cleaning and sprayed some dry PTFE lube onto it


IMG_20180423_210841.jpg




Then i went lube crazy, scrubbed the pad backings and the ears, slathered copper anti seize on said ears, brake lube on the back of the pads, all that stuff




IMG_20180423_214528.jpg








...But they're still incredibly stuck
i'm strongly considering getting a new/rebuilt caliper from FCP for $97
https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...ft-34116773131
since i have a trip coming up this weekend and i don't want to gamble on a caliper rebuild in case i goof it, or in case the rebuild doesnt fix the issue. not to mention this thing has 143k on it

[geargrinder]

tried to fix my very very stuck front driver side brake caliper issue.
i gave the exposed piston a brass brush cleaning and sprayed some dry PTFE lube onto it
Then i went lube crazy, scrubbed the pad backings and the ears, slathered copper anti seize on said ears, brake lube

Yeah that ain't gonna do Ishtar dewd. Except maybe sling Aunty Seez on your rotor and contaminate it and your pads.

Just. Buy. The. rebuild.

Doing the rebuild is doable, but can be tricky, and, with your track record on tricky things.... Probably best if you just buy the damn (relatively cheap) predone caliper. Otherwise we'll just be hearing yer pissing and moaning about how it's totally physically impossible to slide the Piston in, and seat the boot and seal all at once (which is indeed, a bit tricky).

[bimmer7410]

Ordered stage 1 kit from BSW

Not nearly as hard as I expected. The old one was *shot* It came out very easy. brittle rubber bits everywhere as it flexed. I vacuumed, and then also blew the channel out with a blast of air from the compressor. There really wasent anything left inside the grove after that. Needed to scrape just one jammed up piece out of one corner. Insertion was also easy. And I didnt need any soapy water/windex lube to do it. Started at the top to get position even left to right, got one corner in a little, then snuck the bottom in on one side. As long as you angle it in it just popped in pretty easy. This plus the rubber on the sunroof killed sooo much wind noise. Surprised. You get used to noises...

I'm looking forward to doing it even more now, thanks for that info

[Mannyf540]

Gifts from the motherland!!
3CA136EC-C1FC-4C26-B0A3-722C1AECBD41.jpgF8BD0812-E72B-4331-8756-24D6CA6FE5E3.jpgF8BD0812-E72B-4331-8756-24D6CA6FE5E3.jpgDFF4C429-C1E7-4735-B625-CA79AA354786.jpg

All parts, orings,seals, gaskets, sensors, water pump, rebuilt Vanos( thanks DannyZ) have finally arrived.
I got butterflies in my stomach !! I’m ready to get er done!!

[geargrinder]

(fatherland in case of Germania)

[joekitch]

lower control arms and thrust arms complete, 110nm of torque feels like way more than it should when you're doing it one arm under a car in awkward positioning
and yes i did get the suspension deflection from the "normal weight" (150 driver/passenger seat, 150 rear seat, 50lbs trunk) beforehand, which was 13 and 15/16ths inches, and jacked the wheel hub up to that height before doing final torque.
These arms should last me a very long time

although my fcp euro order for the rebuilt caliper is still in the "confirmed" stage....i ordered it last night...they're usually much faster than this, i wonder what's up?

[computiNATEor]

lower control arms and thrust arms complete, 110nm of torque feels like way more than it should when you're doing it one arm under a car in awkward positioning
and yes i did get the suspension deflection from the "normal weight" (150 driver/passenger seat, 150 rear seat, 50lbs trunk) beforehand, which was 13 and 15/16ths inches, and jacked the wheel hub up to that height before doing final torque.
These arms should last me a very long time

although my fcp euro order for the rebuilt caliper is still in the "confirmed" stage....i ordered it last night...they're usually much faster than this, i wonder what's up?

My two recent FCP orders are also "confirmed." ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[FieroSS]

Lately my free shipping orders from FCP and ECS take a long time to ship. Its as if they sit on the order for 3 or 4 days before getting it out the door. Ive paid for shipping if I needed parts in a pinch and the ship same day or next at worst.

-Tim

Sent from my LGUS992 using Tapatalk

[computiNATEor]

Lately my free shipping orders from FCP and ECS take a long time to ship. Its as if they sit on the order for 3 or 4 days before getting it out the door. Ive paid for shipping if I needed parts in a pinch and the ship same day or next at worst.

-Tim

Sent from my LGUS992 using Tapatalk

My FCP orders have already shipped, they just don't show the tracking on the website. I did get emails with tracking info, though.

[Cracker]

Finally got everything running right! 4" maf, M60 manifold, N62 tb, DUDMD stage 2 with SAP & EWS deletes, and fresh powder coated valve covers. Still working on Volvo 2 speed relay electric fan conversion.

[bimmer7410]

Got it back from the mechanic. Drain/refill took away shudder, but I don't think there is enough fluid in the sump as I get a slight whine on 1st gear when cold. (Similar to whine you get when ps pump is not full). Taking it to be topped off later at lunch..

Lately my free shipping orders from FCP and ECS take a long time to ship. Its as if they sit on the order for 3 or 4 days before getting it out the door. Ive paid for shipping if I needed parts in a pinch and the ship same day or next at worst.

-Tim

Sent from my LGUS992 using Tapatalk

That sucks. My orders I put on there recently went out the next day.

Finally got everything running right! 4" maf, M60 manifold, N62 tb, DUDMD stage 2 with SAP & EWS deletes, and fresh powder coated valve covers. Still working on Volvo 2 speed relay electric fan conversion.

Might I ask, what results are you looking to get with these modifications?