2006 x5 e53 gen5 / genV L83 6l80e swap

[modular93fox]

It's been a long time since my last build thread, 99 528i 5.7 4l60e swap.. still got it too. was daily driver for a long time. now its which ever vehicle has more fuel lol....

So point of this post is.. anyone done a LS swap with the 6l80e 2wd trans? they are bigger / different shape and with experience from swapping a LS / 4l60e swap in my c-10 to a gen5 LT 6l80e... I had to install a 4wd transmission tunnel in my c-10 to fit the 6l80e. Did search for x5 6l80e and nothing showed up here or in google, just generic e53 ls swaps.

Newly acquired clean 2 owner 108k mile White 3.0 X5. Just cleaned it today, will do a engine health check out on it Saturday. Combustion gas check, compression check. If ok its gonna be a toss up to fix/flip or sell drivetrain to fund a gen5 LT 6l80e swap IF a 6l80e fits... if not... not sure yet.
appreciate links/pics if its out there

Thanks,
Clint

[modular93fox]

couldn't edit the title on the main forum page, change only shows up when you click the original title....
after more searching, and no answers, I brought my gen5 swapped c10 in the shop and did some measuring, it looks like it will fit.. damn eye balling costed a small fortune. 2019 GenV drive train ordered.... a 5.3 w/6l80e More than likely, I will only update this thread with a link to the build thread. Ive done several GenV (Gen5) swaps and unlike a LS swap the transmission is larger than the more common LS/4l60e and fuel system requirement is not 4 bar, its 5. - easy to overcome as long as the tunnel can house the trans!!

While driving it around after the initial purchase, the transmission malfunction light came on and had a mass airflow sensor fault stored along with a EGS fault, forgot what it was at the moment...a fellow master tech mentioned that the MAF could cause a trans malf... so I cleaned the MAF with some CRC sensor cleaner, MAF contacts on the housing with a paper towel and cleaner along with a pocket screw driver as a scraper, MAF connector contacts with proper terminal and cleaner to act as a scraper more or less and its been driving great for the last 20 some odd miles. Before that i only put about 5 or so on it.

Needless to say, its still getting swapped as long as the trans fits... I doubt the truck intake and cover will fit with the stock a/c microfilter panel installed. Im not plan on chopping it up the cover, more than likely, if it doesn't fit, ill just order a LT1 manifold. If its a close fit, I may make a replacement panel.

Ultimate goal is to build and sell (unless i just enjoy it too much ) Id rather sell a clean/solid 108k miles GMW X5 for a solid price than a cheap BMW x5 for a small profit and let the next owner experience cooling system failure (original radiator and maybe tank) which could lead to head bolt failure due to cooling system failure and not noticing in time. All in now... drive train on the way!!

clint

[mrallande5020]

Loved you'r E39 thread, excited to see this one given that you can get the trans to fit.

[modular93fox]

Before
Perfect fine 108k mile m54 and trans



Even had original 2006 expansion tank!

Bringing the gen5 drive train tomorrow. Well see how well the stock truck oil pan fits and how intake most likely doesnt (with microfilter housing)

[modular93fox]

Peek-a-boo



Temporary motor mount bracketry....



Looks off center but lines up with center mark on cowl, subframe.
Is what it is...



So. L83 oil pan does not work with the 6l80e unless the trans is pointing down, not gonna happen. Just sits too high with the stock pan. Removed wood blocks and oil pan (to clear rack) to simulate holley pan and with the output matching inverse of the differential it barley fits. (Differential pointing up approx 2.5*, trans pointing down approx 2.5*). Dipstick is touching heatshield.. needs a little reshaping and no problem and if still a prob, lower trans a touch.

Driver side manifold fits but is tight. Passenger side doesnt fit, a bolt section of the flange hits, If it were cut off and V banded, its likely going to work. Will test a spare manifold with the flange cut off to verify.

With current engine placement, there seems to room for the 4.4/4.8 electric fan.. factory 3.0 fan shroud clears with maybe 1.5 to 2 inch... will measure Monday for exact.

If anyone has a 4.4/4.8 and could measure the thickness of the fan it would be super awesome!

Truck intake will not clear the stock microfilter housing so looking into a car intake. Looking for a clean install

Pretty much it till the holley oil pan comes in.. then I can fabricate the mounts.

[mrallande5020]

The car looks super clean, just by looking under the actual hood. Looks like you found a gem.

[modular93fox]

For sure, now to sell the drivetrain in its entirety if I'm lucky.. harness, dme, egs, harness all the goodies..

[modular93fox]

Picked up a set of cheap lt1 take off exhaust manifolds on Hope's and prayers it was not gonna be a waste... turns out to be a good investment.









Camaro flanges are gonna get chopped off and replaced with some v bands... it will give me a little more room for the engine mount and sway bar mounts.. plus its gonna cost about the same, 2 camaro flanges and gaskets...

Transmission mount mocked up



1000hp front axle stubs installed



Jk, no 4wd mumbo jumbo going on this ride.. just cleaned them and painted the inside to keep it from rusting

Hopefully thisweekend, saturday, is productive. Need to weld the trans mount and install the holley oil pan.

Clint

[modular93fox]

Shaft mocked up. X5 shaft cut, Chevy 3" shaft inserted into BMW, will weld it together just to drive it in and out of shop.



Turbo400 1350 series yoke, its about 3.5" of machined tube, inserted fully and pulled out about 3/8 - 1/2 or so. There about 2" of spline engagement.



Holley LT pan fits as expected



Put the sway bar on and with suspension at full droop, theres hist a little bit of clearance.. close for sure
Could shorten the links a little bit to get more but dont see the need.

[modular93fox]

I need a gofundme page lol...


well









Looks like the newly acquired intake will go back on the market. Fit the micro filter housing beautifully!! Then the belt situation got resolved with some random test pulleys.... then forgot about he fan Using the OE mechanical fan shroud as a reference of what space is available.... it is tight. v8 e53's usually don't roll though the shop to get a measurement on fan thickness so not sure how thick it is... if its thinner than this fan shroud, think the intake would workout.. I dont want to invest that fan as its hella$$ I also don't have a 6.2l throttle body, just the 5.3 which is a different bolt pattern so its only holding on with one bolt. with the right 90* 3.5 intake boot I think it will work. I plan on grafting in a BMW f30 600watt fan in the stock fan shroud... I will measure the thickness of the f30 fan and compare it to the thickenss of the mechanical fan shroud... if the same if less .... meaning more of a chance of using the car intake... although it takes about ~30#ft of torque away and gives only ~10HP in the top end

I tried to install the throttle body upside down, like O.E.... but it hits the water pump itself. so not sure if the blade opening the opposite direction is gonna upset airflow into the engine?? I recall seeing some 3d drawing of it, but don't recall if it mattered or not? lol I don't even know if it changes with it being rotated...180º I forgot when mocking it up ....

Upper radiator hose routing would be better if gm would have made the 3 bolts with the same pattern, 1 bolt is offset.. air filter would just be chilling behind the driver headlight.....

got frustrated, looked up cost on a replacement lower a/c filter housing just in case... went to town.. swing and a miss on 1st cut... then 2nd cut... then ... it fits...





Maybe fiberglass the part or maybe make a sheet metal panel to make it as thin as possible.
Factory microfilter will not fit without modification. With the filter housing separated, the upper section that holds the microfilter barley touches the rear of the intake... with the acoustic cover plus filling in the gaping hole... not a chance.... maybe just jam int in there?? probably not gonna be that simple, maybe a simple fabricated tray that's shaped like the OE filter but holds 2 separate filters... that's what I'm visualizing at the moment.

[eightynine535]

Look good. Keep it going.

[modular93fox]

And finally



Finally caught a tow truck driver at work and got it home on the cheap$

Checklist:
Motor mount brackets

Coolant system - swap water pumps and plumb

Finish engine harness

Power and ground cables

Fuel system mods - add e85, maybe re do 5/16 fuel lines to 3/8

Transmission - Remove trans dip stick and either mod it to almost nothing, or swap to a camaro pan I bought and plug the filler tube port, extend the shift cable like i did on the e39, and fab linkage

Exhaust - should be one of the easiest things to do

Driveshaft - only thing im not sure yet.. not sure what rear end its gonna be, either stock, e60 m5 or do another 8.8 swap $$ but it will be all new vs e60 stuff.

Clint

[modular93fox]

Main goal this weekend was achieved and some.
Main goal was to make a fixture that bolts to the oil pan surface that places the engine where the brace was..

The brace was bolted where the engine mounts go.. so to start fabin mounts, it had to be removed.
Made it out of some scrap wood..

And some a.d.d. kicked in and sortred out the coolant hoses with some left over and mis cuts from previous swaps. Jist need a coupler for thr upper hose, or maybe look for one that coukd fit without a coupler.


Upper hose:



Lower hose:



Stock ls1 truck hose shortened, its bend is a little more than molded so it flattenes out just a little, think it will be fine but could insert a spring if it is really neccessary

Power steering, Im not sure if I want to use the stock BMW pump as if it fails, it costs more than 3x a Chevy pump .. on the ither hand, I don't have to buy a pump now...

Clint

[modular93fox]

A/C adapter pads came in fron the machine shop, fits exactly as its supposed to



Just installed some scrap bends/tube





Clint

[modular93fox]

Made a H pipe for my heater core circuit... pretty sure thats why my 5 series temperature starts to go hot on the temp gauge.
If the heater is off, temps get well over normal operating temp at idle
If the heater on one side is on max, temps drop significantly with in 30 seconds.

Going to install this setup on the x5 as its the exact same type of thermostat.

lrXBW7.jpg

FLNht8.jpg

While it took signficant research to get to this point, I wasn't ready to drop 100$ on a nice bypass block just yet.

Clint

[BigL350]

Made a H pipe for my heater core circuit... pretty sure thats why my 5 series temperature starts to go hot on the temp gauge.
If the heater is off, temps get well over normal operating temp at idle
If the heater on one side is on max, temps drop significantly with in 30 seconds.

Going to install this setup on the x5 as its the exact same type of thermostat.

lrXBW7.jpg

FLNht8.jpg

While it took signficant research to get to this point, I wasn't ready to drop 100$ on a nice bypass block just yet.

Clint

This!

I could raise and lower my ECT by 9*F by turning the heat on and off in the cabin. This was with a thermostat that has holes in it just like factory. After reading this I added an h-pipe and now there’s no change.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[modular93fox]

This!

I could raise and lower my ECT by 9*F by turning the heat on and off in the cabin. This was with a thermostat that has holes in it just like factory. After reading this I added an h-pipe and now there’s no change.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

No change as in
9* lower all the time
Or
it didnt help at all?

Assuming the heater out from waterpump is going to water valve..? And off blocks flow
Havnt got a chance to install and test yet
Clint

[Stumboat]

I’m excited to follow this swap. Should be a real sleeper.

Where can I read more about your 8.8 swap? I feel like there was a thread but the pics were lost?

[modular93fox]

I did a 8.8 swap on my 528 ls, it qas done about 7-8 years ago

[BigL350]

No change as in
9* lower all the time
Or
it didnt help at all?

Assuming the heater out from waterpump is going to water valve..? And off blocks flow
Havnt got a chance to install and test yet
Clint

No change in coolant temp when the cabin temp is changed since adding the H-pipe. It was totally repeatable before adding the H-pipe.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[modular93fox]

Sweet! Certainty didn't expext anyone to try it before i got a chance, but glad it worked out as i had researched/hoped it would lol
Taking the e39 out tomorrow and going to take some measurements/recordings before and after aswell

Clint

[modular93fox]

Mostly done with motor mount mockup... need to do a little more reinforcement mockup on the bottom mount, but close to crossing one more thing off the list



Reused the mockup bracket on the engine from the e39 ls swap 8 years ago.. lol.. bolt patterns are different but it was quick to update it for mockup
Clint

[modular93fox]

man have I been slacking.... motor mounts finally done and painted. 2pc driveshaft plans on pause... building a 1 pc 3.5" driveshaft setup. Couldn't find the OEM bearing that's used in the e60 m5.... called the bearing manufacturer/distributor and seems it may be a BMW specific bearing thats not available for sale, bummer. Its the same bearing OD as the e53 carrier bearing... but has a 35mm ID which is what is needed for the Spicer 2pc midship and/or slip yoke... all the bearings I found available are 10mm wide and not OEM 13mm wide.
Short story, I wasnt going to spend 100 on a center bearing to remove the bearing and then another $$ on a E53 carrier bearing and swap the bearings out.

One company offered a differential driveshaft adapter for the 86mm BMW bolt pattern... yeah, trash - returned it 3 hours after UPS delivered it ... machined beautifully.. went home at lunch and test fit on the differential, fit the e53 86mm differential pinion flange perfectly, nice little tap in fit !! too bad they added a beautiful radius on all the edges including the pilot of the Spicer (brand) u-joint adapter pilot (which is very shallow) .... totally took the pilot function away and no longer is centered by it... not to mention that the 4 bolt pattern was not machined right. Sent them video and pictures and returned for refund. Slipped on vice is what they said...

so.. drew my own design up, sent parts to the machine shop and had my own made... done!
Knocked out the stock studs in the CV joint and designed the adapter to incorporate them. Worked out perfectly!

now... will the differential hold up? hopefully, no pozi ... but in case plan A doesn't work out, I went to the wrecking yard and scooped up another 8.8 differential and axles just in case...

clint

[modular93fox]

More fitment progress:

Air intake mocked up.. almost wanted to buy and install a stock v8 air box to try out, but it would cost another 60$ .. going with some aluminum tuning. The pcv tube scrap is mocked up since I didnt want to cut the aluminum tubing I have untill final dimension is achieved. All tubing and maf adapter are aluminium and Spectre brand. Decent for sure,
However it seems like there cut off with a large tubing cutter.. for me, my aluminum welding will hide that, I'm sure . That and some of the outlets arnt as round as they should be.



All aluminum joints will be welded, no blue clamp.

Coolant hoses exept heater core side are mocked up



A/c lines

Drew up and had 3 suction port adapters CNC machined for me and 2 to sell. Uses factory discharge with hose ferrrel cut off.





Need to send the suction adapter to get brazed together. Local shop did great on my last job, recently they have 3 kids there and ruined the original hoses..

Still have fuel system, not sure if I'm pulling the 5/16 lines out and bendinge up 3/8 replacements or just send it.. 3/8 is Chevrolet factory ... more than likely pulling lines and bending 3/8 though.

Trans lines... may go to the yard again and scoop up a v8 oil cooler and use it as the trans cooler. There was one at the local yard but alldata.com shows 2.3 hours to pull and replace with no instructions.. passed on fooling with it.

Getting closer, slowly though..
Clint

[modular93fox]

Intake tacked up. 6cyl intake cover seperated in half and then trimmed. Going to finish the under side to direct airow on the aluminum tube.




Coolant reservoir tied into radiator.



Factory x5 hose, reservoir to water pump cut in just the right spot. New hose will have a 5/8 aluminum tube with a flare on the end from homemade bead forming pliers



Progress is progress
Clint


Update:
Playing dressup lol.. probably going to do the same look on the heater core lines. Looks good, bare aluminum looks good too..

Just TechFlex wire loom and some random heat shrink:





More really for a show car, which this isnt.. but sharing ideas that might be useful to the right person lol