-Paul
2003 "M5" - Full M5 conversion, AMG C63S 6 piston front calipers, Porsche Panamera 4 piston rear calipers, GC Coilovers, Eibach ARBs, UUC Evo3/DSSR, Borla Exhaust w/Muffler Delete, BMW NBT with Carplay/Android Auto, Bi-Xenons, e38 Style 37 M-Pars, e60 Hubs 530i 6-speed swap build thread2005 Range Rover 4.6is (M62TU Powered) - 4.6is Engine Swap from X5, BMW NBT with Carplay/Android Auto
2006 Porsche Cayman S - Soul Performance Competition Headers and Exhaust, H&R Coilovers, 718 Boxster Spyder wheels, Rennline 35mm rear spacers
So who's gonna do this first? Aquila or Danny?
Yeah, I was looking at that earlier today. What are the difficulties with going from a prefacelift 2000 versus a 2001+ E39? Is it like some wiring differences?
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Who knows, haha. It's not a race. I'll take my time and make sure it's done well.
1995 525i 5-speed - Thread
-Paul
2003 "M5" - Full M5 conversion, AMG C63S 6 piston front calipers, Porsche Panamera 4 piston rear calipers, GC Coilovers, Eibach ARBs, UUC Evo3/DSSR, Borla Exhaust w/Muffler Delete, BMW NBT with Carplay/Android Auto, Bi-Xenons, e38 Style 37 M-Pars, e60 Hubs 530i 6-speed swap build thread2005 Range Rover 4.6is (M62TU Powered) - 4.6is Engine Swap from X5, BMW NBT with Carplay/Android Auto
2006 Porsche Cayman S - Soul Performance Competition Headers and Exhaust, H&R Coilovers, 718 Boxster Spyder wheels, Rennline 35mm rear spacers
1995 525i 5-speed - Thread
-Paul
2003 "M5" - Full M5 conversion, AMG C63S 6 piston front calipers, Porsche Panamera 4 piston rear calipers, GC Coilovers, Eibach ARBs, UUC Evo3/DSSR, Borla Exhaust w/Muffler Delete, BMW NBT with Carplay/Android Auto, Bi-Xenons, e38 Style 37 M-Pars, e60 Hubs 530i 6-speed swap build thread2005 Range Rover 4.6is (M62TU Powered) - 4.6is Engine Swap from X5, BMW NBT with Carplay/Android Auto
2006 Porsche Cayman S - Soul Performance Competition Headers and Exhaust, H&R Coilovers, 718 Boxster Spyder wheels, Rennline 35mm rear spacers
Oh yeah, you're right, with an M5 DME I can just run the Servotronic to the DME properly instead of using the GM hack for a non-M5. I'll still need a newer LCM for running facelift touring taillights, but that's a whole other thing. It'll be good to keep the same GM though, because it can get a little weird swapping a sedan GM into a wagon.
1995 525i 5-speed - Thread
-Paul
2003 "M5" - Full M5 conversion, AMG C63S 6 piston front calipers, Porsche Panamera 4 piston rear calipers, GC Coilovers, Eibach ARBs, UUC Evo3/DSSR, Borla Exhaust w/Muffler Delete, BMW NBT with Carplay/Android Auto, Bi-Xenons, e38 Style 37 M-Pars, e60 Hubs 530i 6-speed swap build thread2005 Range Rover 4.6is (M62TU Powered) - 4.6is Engine Swap from X5, BMW NBT with Carplay/Android Auto
2006 Porsche Cayman S - Soul Performance Competition Headers and Exhaust, H&R Coilovers, 718 Boxster Spyder wheels, Rennline 35mm rear spacers
Danny Dude you are a riot.
You always declare your plans for each car with such authority and finality, but pretty much always come up with a new ambitious project or totally different direction in short order! Keep this, sell that, no wait switch it up, now swap that other thing! Ha ha.
Don't take this as a rip by the way. You're a "really does shi4" guy in the end and get full props for that. You might change the plan midstream, but, Nothing wrong w that, and, you'll be doing some stuff one way or another!
Rock on baby. M5T.
BTW I don't see that as anything nearly 'ultimate test of your abilities', esp w a hand from Graham here and there as I'm sure would be the case. I'm sure youd knock this out pretty easy, given how Jed and Paul and Brian and buncha the E38 guys have laid out so much info on the how-to's already.
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Small correction. In no way is that "a hack". That's a complete legit setup, factory issue for non USA 540's and E38's and hell probably some other cars too. The bizarre thing is probably that the USA 540's didn't come w Servo in the first place, as otherwise we got fairly max loaded cars (ex: never came w base HVAC, always SLS, etc). If your car was a euro 540 w Servo factory wires, youd not call it a "hack" you'd just take it for granted.
If you want to argue whats most engineering-proper now, well you could argue that the proper module would be ABS/DSC module as it's in charge otherwise of chassis dynamics. I believe many later chassis cars run the servotronic that way but don't quote me. But the GM method isn't a hack at all. It's getting road speed from the ABS module just like the DME is, therefore pretty arbitrary which CPU does the PWM work for you, once the data has been sent by the ABS. The only advantage you have w the DME is Sport Mode switching, Which indeed is a feature enhancement , but that doesn't make the other method a hack, it's just a standard-car setup vs "M" enhanced.
2003 M3CicM6 TiAg
2002 540iT Sport Vortech S/C 6MT LSD TiAg
2008 Audi A3 2.0T DSG (the daily beater)
2014 BMW X1 xDrive28i (wifemobile)
Former:
1985 MB Euro graymarket 300SL
1995.5 Audi S6 Avant (utility/winter billetturbobattlewagen)
Well that's part of why I need to do this. I need to finish something for once. I keep buying these cars, doing stuff to them, and then selling them before they're really "done." I need to see a project through to completion, it's just something I have to do for myself. I need closure.
Sure I could buy another cheap M5 and fix it up and be happy, but that means selling this touring and buying yet another car. I've done that way too many times already, I need to commit to something already. I love this touring, I love the way it looks, and it's a really solid platform to build on— clean title, no rust, V8.
I get that this has been well-documented at this point, but I don't think it's going to be easy by any means. Aside from the physical labor of the swap, the coding and wiring will be a real challenge to me. I've never wired much more than headlights so this is a big step. Sure, I'll have some help with some of the bigger components of the swap, but I do think I'll be doing a lot of this on my own, since I have a ton of free time and the space to do it.
I did initially consider a supercharger, but that's like 4-5k for just the supercharger when I can get a wrecked M5 for just a bit more (if not less). Doing an M5 swap would take care of everything else I don't like about the touring, which is the interior, the differential, the transmission (the auto got boring real quick), and the steering feel. There's a guy locally that'll sell me the back half of his black touring interior so I can use that to finish the tan to black swap in the rear of the touring. Sure I won't have M5 rear seats in the touring, but that's not something that particularly bothers me at this time.
And sorry for calling your method a "hack," I get that it's technically recreating something that cars had in other markets. Though for US market cars it can be considered a mod as opposed to a retrofit since it never came with these cars here. Though I'm sure we can argue over the semantics of that for hours. It's still cool that you can do that without having a full-on M5 swap though, I think that's the takeaway here.
1995 525i 5-speed - Thread
So I've been daily driving the wagon for the past two weeks, even though the ride is still kinda crappy. I decided to do the valve cover and timing cover gaskets on the Range Rover, because it leaked oil profusely. Turns out the gaskets were all original at 158k, including the valve cover gaskets which were hard as a rock. Wow, right? But then as I removed the driver side upper timing cover, I see that the U-guide was completely missing the plastic. Know what that means? Chain guide time!
Now isn't this a familiar sight in my threads?
Photo Sep 21, 1 01 24 AM.jpg
Ultimately I decided to keep the Range Rover, since I like having a big truck for towing stuff, and my girlfriend loves it. She actually likes driving it a lot too, whereas she never liked driving any of my BMWs. I dunno if I should be offended or not, haha. I plan to wire it up with all the proper trailer wiring + a trailer brake controller for ultimate towing adventures.
Anyways, going back to the touring, I have another idea on what might be causing the bad ride in the rear, aside from bushings/shocks. The Michelin tires I bought for the rears are actually a lot older than I thought (I bought em on Craigslist and they looked new), they're almost 6 years old. They feel really stiff even at 30psi, so I'm sure that's part of my bad ride. So I'll likely replace them with new Hankook Ventus V12s, since they're reasonably priced and I'm very happy with them on the front wheels.
Last edited by dannyzabolotny; 09-22-2016 at 08:39 PM.
1995 525i 5-speed - Thread
DO you get a pin from BMW after your 10th TCG DIY?
gmak: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. A journey with my new-to-me 2000 540i
"Working on a BMW E39 is the best way to run out of time."
I'm pretty sure BMW would just want me to buy a new car at that point.
So this morning I was driving and I noticed a fun new sound when accelerating... I got it on video. You can also hear how bad the suspension is, there's so much rattling and massive clunks even though I was driving on a relatively smooth road.
The new sound is at 0:25 specifically. It's like a couple of quiet knocks and they go away quickly, but it happens literally every time I accelerate from a standstill.
1995 525i 5-speed - Thread
Lower balljoint/control arm combo.
Have you rehabilitated the front end?
I had a 2000 540i/6 and the front end felt "loose" everyone I hit a very small unevenness on the road. I replaced the swaybar links. Voila! The looseness disappeared. But, I eventually replaced all the control arms and tie rod ends. That made it even better.
Last edited by M5XTu; 09-23-2016 at 01:50 PM.
My sedan does something similar. My front suspension has been refreshed, but the rear only has new shocks. The balljoints in the control arms, and the main balljoint in the swing arm are 100% shot. It squeaks really bad when getting in/out of car. Loading suspension on turns, pulling into my driveway. Even if I close the door too hard *squeak*
My rear camber also looks way out of spec.
Refresh that suspension bro. Don't put on tires until you do or you're just going to wear the new ones uneven. And of course do the roadforce balance and a good 4 wheel alignment.
Yeah, my suspension is crap at the moment. I have the front and rear refresh parts in my trunk, so I just have to do that this weekend. I have to find a tool for the rear ball joints though.
1995 525i 5-speed - Thread
1995 525i 5-speed - Thread
My understanding is that the Autozone tool will work if you're not trying to keep the rest of the parts in place (control arms and such). This is because there are things that get in the way of the tool when in it's "normal" position, but if you're replacing the control arms as well, you can tilt the whole wheel carrier down as needed and the tool should work ok. I think there are a few people here on the forums that have the ball joint tool for rent. I think Auaq has it, as well as a few others. I don't think it's that expensive either, so if you're going to be doing the job on other e39s later, couldn't hurt to pick one up.
-Paul
2003 "M5" - Full M5 conversion, AMG C63S 6 piston front calipers, Porsche Panamera 4 piston rear calipers, GC Coilovers, Eibach ARBs, UUC Evo3/DSSR, Borla Exhaust w/Muffler Delete, BMW NBT with Carplay/Android Auto, Bi-Xenons, e38 Style 37 M-Pars, e60 Hubs 530i 6-speed swap build thread2005 Range Rover 4.6is (M62TU Powered) - 4.6is Engine Swap from X5, BMW NBT with Carplay/Android Auto
2006 Porsche Cayman S - Soul Performance Competition Headers and Exhaust, H&R Coilovers, 718 Boxster Spyder wheels, Rennline 35mm rear spacers
1995 525i 5-speed - Thread
The C Clamp style can work but its a PIA. I rented three different sets from Autozone to do mine. Took a combination of all three sets to make it work and a extra pair of hands. Problem is one of the cups hit the suspension and doesn't want to push the ball joint out straight. If your in a hurry to get it done just fyi.
This is the style that works the best pull the ball joint straight out. Notice pic of the one cup has a flat side on it, thats where the clearance issue comes into play.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-Rear-Bal...652476&vxp=mtr
1995 525i 5-speed - Thread
That's a very good video. That was one of the inspirations for me to start doing my own work. The indy charged me 7 or 8 hours labour (IIRC) to do the ball joints and upper control arms back in 2013. I didn't feel comfortable with the work they had done so I started to read and research on my own and then started doing small jobs at first and worked towards doing the M52 intake manifold / vacuum hoses etc DIY.
Not like doing TCGs for the first one - but, I digress. Good video.
gmak: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. A journey with my new-to-me 2000 540i
"Working on a BMW E39 is the best way to run out of time."
Yesterday I started the suspension overhaul— I decided to take care of the front first, since there's less to do in the front. I replaced all four control arms. Popping out the ball joints at the wheel carrier was a bit of a pain, but eventually I got it figured out. Two of the ball joints were pretty accessible so I just knocked those out with my sledgehammer. The other two came out pretty easily using my Harbor Freight ball joint removal too. The control arms that came out didn't look too terrible, but some of the bushings were pretty badly cracked and starting to separate from the arm. That probably explains the 40-55mph steering wheel shaking.
Photo Sep 25, 7 51 33 PM.jpg
Photo Sep 25, 7 51 43 PM.jpg
The first side took me way too long to do, and I kept having to go buy tools (using the newly resurrected 540i/6, more on that later), so it was nighttime by the time I got that done. And then I realized that I mixed up one of the control arms (they're side-specific) so I had to redo that. I'm happy to report that the other side went much quicker. Now that I've done this job, I think in the future it should take me only a few hours versus a whole day.
I finished putting together the front suspension at around 3am, tightening everything enough to go on a test drive. The steering wheel shake is completely gone, and the front rides much nicer. All the remaining harshness is coming from the back at this point. Tonight and tomorrow I'll be doing the rear suspension, and after that's done I'm going to buy some sand bags and extra ramps so I can torque everything under load, as per BMW specifications. If I recall correctly, the official specs are 150lb in the driver seat, 150lb in the passenger seat, 150lb in the back seat, and 50lb in the trunk. Home Depot sells sand bags in 50lb increments so I'll need about 10 bags to do this properly. I'll redo the front torques as well, just to make sure it's done correctly.
Oh and I bought an M5 rear swap bar from Flounderasu the other day, so I'll be popping that in while doing the rear suspension tonight. It came with new bushings so it should be a nice little upgrade.
1995 525i 5-speed - Thread
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