I had the same issue with the taillight connectors. It’s due to old taillight gaskets. Replace them ASAP, as it’ll only get worse. I ended up replacing the entire taillight.
I just finished a major service, which included dropping the subframe. I suggest taking a look at the following items:
- Bimmerworld reinforced oil pump nut w/ safety wire. The M54B30 can break its oil pump if driven hard at high RPMs.
- Power steering rack hoses
- Power steering rack tie rod boots/gaiters. Inspect them carefully for tears.
- If you’ve ever wanted a bigger sway bar, now is the best time to do it. I highly recommend the Eibach sway bars.
- Dawn dish soap, for cleaning things. Dawn sticks to the grease and breaks it down. It works better than brake clean because it doesn’t evaporate.
Its also a great time to inspect the suspension. The control arms, the tie rods, the shocks, the brakes, etc. With my recent subframe down, transmission out service, I replaced the entire front suspension, the flywheel/clutch, the transmission itself, and serviced the driveshaft. I also did brakes at all four corners, stainless steel brake lines, and rear shocks and springs.
Nate J.
(oOO\ (|||)º(|||) /OOo)
Titanium Silver/Black Nappa Full 07-18-2001 E39 M5 Heritage (BZ99672). 198,000mi+. Increasing daily. Engine rebuild thread.
(eŌō\ (||||)º(||||) / ōŌe)
Alpineweiss III/Black Merino Full 03-26-2007 E60 M5 Manual (CX08265). 157,000+. Dead starter -_-
RIP, Seabiscuit. Black Sapphire/Schwarz 03-11-2003 530iA Sport (CK39185). T-boned 03-01-2017 at 155,861mi.
Take 2 "Otto" - Toledo Blue/Sandbeige 04-25-2002 530iA Sport (CH98032). Sold 11-10-2017 at 147,743mi.
Take 3 "Manuel" - Toledo Blue/Grau 10-29-2001 530i5 Sport (CE92358). Sold 02-01-2019 at 217,600mi. I regret that. Build Log
Reliable P.O.S. - Green/gray 1995 Camry V6 LE. 270k mi. Sold for space.
Good call on the oil pump nut. My steering rack looks good and the low pressure lines were replaced. Hoping the high pressure line is still good. I completely redid the suspension on my other cars including powder coating the control arms and brakes. Hoping to get some more miles out of the current set-up before going down the upgrade path. Thanks for the dawn tip. I definitely need a good degreasing of the lower engine. Sounds like you’ve been busy!
Got a good look under the rear of the car this weekend. Looks like I have a leaking diff output seal on the driver's side. Anyone have experience replacing the seal with the diff still on the car or do I need to drop it?
Nate J.
(oOO\ (|||)º(|||) /OOo)
Titanium Silver/Black Nappa Full 07-18-2001 E39 M5 Heritage (BZ99672). 198,000mi+. Increasing daily. Engine rebuild thread.
(eŌō\ (||||)º(||||) / ōŌe)
Alpineweiss III/Black Merino Full 03-26-2007 E60 M5 Manual (CX08265). 157,000+. Dead starter -_-
RIP, Seabiscuit. Black Sapphire/Schwarz 03-11-2003 530iA Sport (CK39185). T-boned 03-01-2017 at 155,861mi.
Take 2 "Otto" - Toledo Blue/Sandbeige 04-25-2002 530iA Sport (CH98032). Sold 11-10-2017 at 147,743mi.
Take 3 "Manuel" - Toledo Blue/Grau 10-29-2001 530i5 Sport (CE92358). Sold 02-01-2019 at 217,600mi. I regret that. Build Log
Reliable P.O.S. - Green/gray 1995 Camry V6 LE. 270k mi. Sold for space.
It looks like it started recently but seeping enough to throw some gear oil against the underbody above the axle joint. I’ve replaced them before on other cars but usually in combination with dropping the diff for pinion seal work. The pinion and passenger side seals are dry so I may just monitor to see if it gets any worse.
Once you go black, you never go back.
Nate J.
(oOO\ (|||)º(|||) /OOo)
Titanium Silver/Black Nappa Full 07-18-2001 E39 M5 Heritage (BZ99672). 198,000mi+. Increasing daily. Engine rebuild thread.
(eŌō\ (||||)º(||||) / ōŌe)
Alpineweiss III/Black Merino Full 03-26-2007 E60 M5 Manual (CX08265). 157,000+. Dead starter -_-
RIP, Seabiscuit. Black Sapphire/Schwarz 03-11-2003 530iA Sport (CK39185). T-boned 03-01-2017 at 155,861mi.
Take 2 "Otto" - Toledo Blue/Sandbeige 04-25-2002 530iA Sport (CH98032). Sold 11-10-2017 at 147,743mi.
Take 3 "Manuel" - Toledo Blue/Grau 10-29-2001 530i5 Sport (CE92358). Sold 02-01-2019 at 217,600mi. I regret that. Build Log
Reliable P.O.S. - Green/gray 1995 Camry V6 LE. 270k mi. Sold for space.
CV boot is fine and intact. Lube is definitely coming from the output shaft mount.
Started digging into my oil leak issue and decided to drop the subframe and have a go at the gasket.
Subframe and oil pan covered in dirt, grease and oil
Untitled by Twistytee, on Flickr
oil pan sensor was dripping in lube
Untitled by Twistytee, on Flickr
Topside of subframe job
Untitled by Twistytee, on Flickr
”while you are in there” these don’t look so good
Untitled by Twistytee, on Flickr
popped off the OFH and as suspected after 15 years the gasket was pretty brittle. Oil everywhere
Untitled by Twistytee, on Flickr
a bit of aluminum safe degreaser and some elbow grease later
Untitled by Twistytee, on Flickr
oil pan and gasket back on but still need to bolt-up subframe and tackle the cooling system. Hope to have it back on the road this weekend but also got sidelined with a torn CV boot on one of the Audi half shafts. Darn things always blow at the most inopportune time.
Yep, sounds about right. The subframe is a royal PITA because its greasy work on your back (I'm not lucky enough to have a lift).
Despite that, it's not terribly difficult. Mostly just bolts and more bolts, thankfully.
Nate J.
(oOO\ (|||)º(|||) /OOo)
Titanium Silver/Black Nappa Full 07-18-2001 E39 M5 Heritage (BZ99672). 198,000mi+. Increasing daily. Engine rebuild thread.
(eŌō\ (||||)º(||||) / ōŌe)
Alpineweiss III/Black Merino Full 03-26-2007 E60 M5 Manual (CX08265). 157,000+. Dead starter -_-
RIP, Seabiscuit. Black Sapphire/Schwarz 03-11-2003 530iA Sport (CK39185). T-boned 03-01-2017 at 155,861mi.
Take 2 "Otto" - Toledo Blue/Sandbeige 04-25-2002 530iA Sport (CH98032). Sold 11-10-2017 at 147,743mi.
Take 3 "Manuel" - Toledo Blue/Grau 10-29-2001 530i5 Sport (CE92358). Sold 02-01-2019 at 217,600mi. I regret that. Build Log
Reliable P.O.S. - Green/gray 1995 Camry V6 LE. 270k mi. Sold for space.
Yep. Difficulty not high but sure is a ton of work to access it and rebolt. What’s the current consensus on the CDV delete? Remove and just bend/connect the hard pipe or substitute a valve with widened guts?
Been awhile since I've updated this thread. I keep working through my project list.
Since the last update:
Installed a SSK, weighted ZHP knob and did the CDV delete
Installed a tilt euro arm rest w/ storage tray
Took it to the body shop and got my cracked windshield replaced and rear bumper cover painted
Finished realigning my front bumper and repaired the fog light brackets and brake ducts.
Overhauled the cooling system including M5 radiator, aluminum pulleys, new pump, new fan clutch & hoses
Overhauled the sound system including new amp, separates upfront with passive crossovers, coaxials in the rear and 10" free-air subs hanging from the rear deck
Pulled the interior apart to recover the rear parcel shelf, headliner and pillar trim (went with an anthracite material for headliner similar to what Audi/VW uses which is requiring me to dye all the grey plastic trim black). Hoping to get everything back in the car this weekend.
Decided while the interior was apart I'd replace the rear shocks/struts with Koni Yellows (magic carpet ride with OE sport springs)
Did the seat twist repair on both the drivers and passenger side
New inner & outer tie rods
M5 rear sway and new Meyle links
Outstanding To Do Items:
Rebuild & powder coat my brakes
New tires & an alignment
New trunk struts
Get it to a PDR guy for the body dings
Still need to get my cluster up to Blacknight so I can get the pixel repair done. Hoping to check out his latest wagon project while I'm at it.
Untitled by Twistytee, on Flickr
Untitled by Twistytee, on Flickr
Untitled by Twistytee, on Flickr
Untitled by Twistytee, on Flickr
Untitled by Twistytee, on Flickr
Good work!
Nate J.
(oOO\ (|||)º(|||) /OOo)
Titanium Silver/Black Nappa Full 07-18-2001 E39 M5 Heritage (BZ99672). 198,000mi+. Increasing daily. Engine rebuild thread.
(eŌō\ (||||)º(||||) / ōŌe)
Alpineweiss III/Black Merino Full 03-26-2007 E60 M5 Manual (CX08265). 157,000+. Dead starter -_-
RIP, Seabiscuit. Black Sapphire/Schwarz 03-11-2003 530iA Sport (CK39185). T-boned 03-01-2017 at 155,861mi.
Take 2 "Otto" - Toledo Blue/Sandbeige 04-25-2002 530iA Sport (CH98032). Sold 11-10-2017 at 147,743mi.
Take 3 "Manuel" - Toledo Blue/Grau 10-29-2001 530i5 Sport (CE92358). Sold 02-01-2019 at 217,600mi. I regret that. Build Log
Reliable P.O.S. - Green/gray 1995 Camry V6 LE. 270k mi. Sold for space.
Finished my headliner and rear parcel shelf project today. Converted from the standard grey/platinum to a textured anthracite. It is darker but I’m pretty happy with the results. Hardest part was getting the sunroof glass back in. Lining up those front pins and screws took a lot of patience. But it’s all together and sitting flush. I used some RV dry slider lube for the channels. Worked well and hopefully won’t attract dirt. Broke one of the child seat anchor trim pieces for the back panel. Those things get brittle with age and the clips are fragile. I’ll get it replaced at some point. You can see my Mauritius E36 peeking out the rear window. Just put a new softop on it a few weeks ago. Getting a little better with fabric and upholstery jobs working between two cars if this vintage.
Before:
Untitled by Twistytee, on Flickr
After:
Untitled by Twistytee, on Flickr
Untitled by Twistytee, on Flickr
Untitled by Twistytee, on Flickr
Looks great! That material looks like it has a good amount of plushness to it; perhaps even more than OEM?
Nate J.
(oOO\ (|||)º(|||) /OOo)
Titanium Silver/Black Nappa Full 07-18-2001 E39 M5 Heritage (BZ99672). 198,000mi+. Increasing daily. Engine rebuild thread.
(eŌō\ (||||)º(||||) / ōŌe)
Alpineweiss III/Black Merino Full 03-26-2007 E60 M5 Manual (CX08265). 157,000+. Dead starter -_-
RIP, Seabiscuit. Black Sapphire/Schwarz 03-11-2003 530iA Sport (CK39185). T-boned 03-01-2017 at 155,861mi.
Take 2 "Otto" - Toledo Blue/Sandbeige 04-25-2002 530iA Sport (CH98032). Sold 11-10-2017 at 147,743mi.
Take 3 "Manuel" - Toledo Blue/Grau 10-29-2001 530i5 Sport (CE92358). Sold 02-01-2019 at 217,600mi. I regret that. Build Log
Reliable P.O.S. - Green/gray 1995 Camry V6 LE. 270k mi. Sold for space.
Thanks! The microsuede on the rear shelf is thicker, which made fitting the C pillars more of a challenge. Supposedly the headliner material that I used is 1/8” foam backed but it wasn’t as thick as the microsuede. I’ve read that BMW used something closer to 1/16” foam backed fabric but I’ve never been able to verify that.
Started end of summer detail. Dropped front bumper to realign mounts and pulled the body color trim to clean out dirt and pollen. Mechanically speaking the 530i is running smooth and GTG. Clean 530i is a happy 530i
Untitled by Twistytee, on Flickr
Untitled by Twistytee, on Flickr
Untitled by Twistytee, on Flickr
Exactly. Clear coat on mine, abject failure. Not my favorite style either: I plan to buy some 32s pretty soon and get rid of my 42s with their fake bolt heads all round. Then somebody else can refinish them.
Fake bolt heads on style 42s? Mine have 19 titanium 8mm x1.0 XZN screws holding the two pieces together.
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