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Thread: 2004 525i lived a hard life lots of gremlins... help?

  1. #1
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    2004 525i lived a hard life lots of gremlins... help?

    Hey guys!

    I got a car about 2 weeks ago and have been inspecting it thoroughly and working on it before I try to put it on the road, it has not been taken care of I have several issues to address so I will make a list of problems and if you know how to fix them let me know! I have searched this forum and the other one and a few topics were close but not the same and the solutions didn't work for me so lets begin...

    1st and most pressing is a power steering whine I have a message about the active steering failing pull over immediately in the idrive and the sound is atrocious it was low on fluid when i got it so i topped it up with chf11s however the fluid that became accessible was redish clear so looks like a mix of power steering fluid and atf neither of which belong in there so I will have to flush and refill it entirely before driving does anyone know how many liters a full drain and refill with a new reservoir will take? Any chance its worth doing or should I start looking for a new pump first?

    2nd the idrive completely resets all radio and climate settings every time I start the car the key is dead so it cant be reading that can it and if it is is there a way to reprogram it to save new settings to the key or is it a one time deal? I need to buy a new key but that is low priority.

    3rd The valve covers are leaking like a sive I already have new gaskets but the burning oil smells like burning dino oil not synthetic I have since changed it out to BMW oil and theres no valve noise or anything so I think itll be okay even though the little remaining dino oil had 15k on it according to the sticker so dodged a bullet there. Anything I should watch out for or do that I haven't just said?

    4th the headlights are all messed up the passenger side has all bulbs working but the afs is full left and stuck its also full of condensation and not very bright the driver side has several leds in the brow out but the light is forward facing... the control bar that goes to the lower passenger control arm is mangled I am hoping I can straighten it and reconnect it but I don't know. So those will be coming apart being cleaned resealed and repaired.

    5th it looks like the rear wheels have about 7 degrees of negative camber but so do every other 5 series is that normal? It may be straight in reality but it looks cambered.

    6th the brake and tire sensors are either broken or just wont reset because it has newish looking pads and no flat tires but it says it needs brakes and has flat tires. I've tried the reset through the trip odometer and i was able to reset oil, plugs, micro filter, and inspection but brakes and flat tire as well as about a dozen malfunctioning light bulbs wont go away I did a lot of YouTube tutorial following as well as whatever I could find on BMW forums... I think I am going to need a carly or something

    Then aside from numerous broken interior clips and exterior body pins which I expected, I think that's all at least that's all I can remember off hand if I think of anything else I will just add a reply.

  2. #2
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    Hard life new to me 2004 525i with many gremlins.

    I picked up a 2004 BMW 525i M-sport 6 speed with 175k miles and as soon as it was delivered I started making a list and addressing issues (lack of maintenance, incorrect maintenance, and just plain abuse). The goal is to refresh it and enjoy it as a summer car. I have searched both forums and youtube and I have found many similar issues but nothing quite the same and none of the solutions worked for me so here I am. So far this is the list of issues I need guidance on and can't find answers anywhere.

    1st the active steering failure light is on and the pump is whining seemed simple was low on fluid and the reservoir was covered in fluid clearly someone opened it while turning the wheel and lost most of the fluid. I added almost a full liter of CHF11S to the reservoir before it came up to a level that reached the dipstick I then noticed the color is redish clear despite the liter of green I added so I am thinking it's full of ATF and power steering fluid which explains why it still whines so now I need to drain the system and replace the reservoir(filter) and all the fluid what is the total capacity of the system does anyone know would I be good with a couple liters or should I buy the 5 liter bottle?

    2nd the secondary air injection system incorrect flow detected P0411 causing a lean condition bank 1 and 2. I am going to replace the valve since the pump clearly works or it wouldn't be going lean?

    3rd The oil was 15k overdue and the oil leaking from the valve cover onto the manifold smells like dino oil not synthetic so I changed the oil to BMW oil and a fresh filter luckily there are no noises coming from the engine and it seems only the valve cover leaks we will see if anything else springs up but I am changing the valve cover gasket is there anything else I should keep my eye on that the dino oil may have caused?

    4th The tires aren't flat but the car keeps telling me I have a flat tire I've gone into the idrive and tried to reset it based on the YouTube videos to no avail any ideas?
    5th The brake sensors front and rear are busted off the pads and wont let me reset them can new ones be put on without removing the pads?

    6th Numerous light malfunctions so I think I need Carly or NCS Expert to clear the LED faults?

    7th The drivers rear window anti-trap is causing the window to only go up and down in increments and holding all the way down and all the way up doesn't reset the window do I need a new motor or how is that fixed?

    8th The radio and climate settings keep changing every time I start the car the key fob is dead and needs replacing so I don't think its that? If it is still picking up the key how do I save new settings to the key fob in the mean time while I wait for the local dealer to get my new key

    I think other than a bunch of interior clips and body pins being broken that is all the issues I have found so far the car starts runs and drives great and the interior though dirty is in good shape so I think it will be alright after I iron these issues out.

  3. #3
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    Valve cover is off turns out lack of maintenance strikes again as pieces of the spark plug tube gaskets fell on the ground and exploded into pieces it is clear the gasket has turned to plastic... it does still have BMW stamped in it at 175k though so that's impressive now i need to figure out how to get the hard plastic gasket off out of the valve cover without breaking anything and since it isn't rubbery at all anymore that may be difficult. I also can see people have been looking at this thread which is why I am updating it even though no one is responding.

  4. #4
    dworthy's Avatar
    dworthy is offline Wagon meister :) BMW Tech Expert
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    Welcome to the Forum!

    I hope you didn't pay a lot of money for that car.

    1) Look at the cap of the power steering reservoir, for it will say "ATF" or "CH11" on it. That will be the proper fluid that goes in, and about a liter or quart should be plenty to drain and flush. The pumps are pretty robust, so I would go with a fluid change first, as that is the cheapest way to go.
    2) This guy here can rebuild your diamond key: www.BMWGM5.com Never hurts to have a second key, even if it is a plastic one.
    3) Also the oil filter housing like to leak too, but it wouldn't hurt to wash off the old oil. If you didn't install the valve cover gasket, it too will leak, so make sure it is sealed properly.
    4) Best to just get some used ones off of Ebay or a local yard if you can find one that has a E-60 in it.
    5) Get an alignment, for it seems the last owner did something goofy to the car.
    6) More than likely the PO re-used the sensors, so take the wheels off and look closely at them. The chance that one of the tire sensors are bad or missing is very possible, are any of the valve stems rubber? The original are aluminum, so that would be the easiest way to determine if they are missing.

    Good luck with sorting out the car, it will take some time.
    Darin
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  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by AlphaJustin View Post
    Hey guys!

    I got a car about 2 weeks ago and have been inspecting it thoroughly and working on it before I try to put it on the road, it has not been taken care of I have several issues to address so I will make a list of problems and if you know how to fix them let me know! I have searched this forum and the other one and a few topics were close but not the same and the solutions didn't work for me so lets begin...

    1st and most pressing is a power steering whine I have a message about the active steering failing pull over immediately in the idrive and the sound is atrocious it was low on fluid when i got it so i topped it up with chf11s however the fluid that became accessible was redish clear so looks like a mix of power steering fluid and atf neither of which belong in there so I will have to flush and refill it entirely before driving does anyone know how many liters a full drain and refill with a new reservoir will take? Any chance its worth doing or should I start looking for a new pump first?

    2nd the idrive completely resets all radio and climate settings every time I start the car the key is dead so it cant be reading that can it and if it is is there a way to reprogram it to save new settings to the key or is it a one time deal? I need to buy a new key but that is low priority.

    3rd The valve covers are leaking like a sive I already have new gaskets but the burning oil smells like burning dino oil not synthetic I have since changed it out to BMW oil and theres no valve noise or anything so I think itll be okay even though the little remaining dino oil had 15k on it according to the sticker so dodged a bullet there. Anything I should watch out for or do that I haven't just said?

    4th the headlights are all messed up the passenger side has all bulbs working but the afs is full left and stuck its also full of condensation and not very bright the driver side has several leds in the brow out but the light is forward facing... the control bar that goes to the lower passenger control arm is mangled I am hoping I can straighten it and reconnect it but I don't know. So those will be coming apart being cleaned resealed and repaired.

    5th it looks like the rear wheels have about 7 degrees of negative camber but so do every other 5 series is that normal? It may be straight in reality but it looks cambered.

    6th the brake and tire sensors are either broken or just wont reset because it has newish looking pads and no flat tires but it says it needs brakes and has flat tires. I've tried the reset through the trip odometer and i was able to reset oil, plugs, micro filter, and inspection but brakes and flat tire as well as about a dozen malfunctioning light bulbs wont go away I did a lot of YouTube tutorial following as well as whatever I could find on BMW forums... I think I am going to need a carly or something

    Then aside from numerous broken interior clips and exterior body pins which I expected, I think that's all at least that's all I can remember off hand if I think of anything else I will just add a reply.


    Yeah, um..., I have to ask: Are you a troll?

    Darin's much nicer than I am. I'm just going to agree with his first statement....sorry.
    "The valve covers are leaking like a sieve" Really? All of them?
    And you can smell the difference between Dino oil and synthetic? You have a job awaiting you at Blackstone Labs.

    And, so, since we're now up to talking about "I-drive".....what, exactly are all the trouble codes in all the computers?

    Yeah, and, brake and tire sensors are a long way apart. The sensor that sends the warning for brake pads is not reusable. it needs to be replaced when the pads are replaced.

    The headlights are adjusted by that funny bar you found twisted.

    7 degrees of negative should have the rear tires trashed on the inside shoulder. Likely, one or more of the rear suspension components are trashed. Take it to a BMW pro, then a 4-wheel alignment shop.

    You can't reset brake warning with the trip odometer.....
    As for the steering, well, fix the leak, and deal with whatever codes are in the system, and replace fluid .

    Chris Powell
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    Master Auto Tech, owner of German Motors of Aberdeen
    BMWCCA 274412
    German Motors is hiring ! https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...1#post30831471

  6. #6
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    MauiM3Mania is offline Observer/Master Skeptic Moderator
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  7. #7
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    Not a troll sorry to disappoint just a guy who doesn't know BMW stuff as well as Chevy stuff.

    Thanks MauiM3 sorry for the double post it didn't show up for several hours after I posted so I made a new post.

    Its a green cap and clearly states CHF11S so Ill grab another 2 liters of it just to have more than enough.

    Yes I honestly can smell the difference between dino and synthetic when its burning they have distinct smells, at least I can smell it anyway didn't think that was rare.

    I paid $1750 for it I thought that was a pretty good deal since the 6 speed ones are not as common anymore.

    Yeah all of them sorry I misspoke, but anyway in my follow up reply when I got the valve cover off the gasket was rock hard so that explained the leak new gaskets and clean surfaces will take care of it.

    The valve stems are all rubber so if they are supposed to be aluminum that explains that and the brake pad sensors are snapped off that's why I know i need new ones was just wondering if I can slide the new ones on without removing the brakes.

    The only "code" is P0411 secondary air injection incorrect flow. The I-drive says flat tires, lots of random lights are out, and active steering malfunction.

    So what I gather I need CHF11S oil, new pad sensors, to straighten the headlight control bar, new tire sensors, a 4 wheel alignment, to use the link and have my key rebuilt for a spare after I get the new one. I will work on those things.

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