E53 Addition to the Family

[michael.joseph]

Took the ol gal for a bit of a long drive this week down to Clarens and back.

Driving down we averaged 8l/100km using the cruise control about 90% of the time set at between 5-10km higher than the speed limit (just to compensate of calibration error and drag :smilebounce: )

Maximum range indicated 1150km (999 + 150 on the odo).

The 19's with their higher profile made the journey really comfortable. Only changed out the 20's last week coz of a crack that had been covered up by a shittu repair job prior to me buying em:rage:... anyhow- good thing it showed up last week and not halfway in the middle of nowhere.

Driving back yesterday we opted for the more scenic route thru the golden gates national park, then to sterkfontein dam ( still cant get over the vastness of it) and then to harrismith. The drive up to jhb saw me avg 9.4l/100km due to 30minutes in traffic coz of an accident, then using an alternate route and then a little spirited driving in order to make it home and then off to work a night shift:thumbdo:

All in all, it was a nice trip... next up we need a good infotainment system and speaker upgrade.

 

[Andrew]

Mmmm - is your detailing guy by any chance a magician LoL - it looks GREAT !!!

 

[Rayzor]

Congrats Mike, awesome work done so far, wish you guys many happy safe miles :smilebounce:

 

[sash]

Can only imagine the comfort in this on the long road.

raise:

 

[Mr Bavaria]

absolutely stunning...like it with the 4.8is rims

 

[michael.joseph]

Today i had a chance to get the X to GaragE46 and let Warren work abit of magic.

It started off as pretty much a general look about pointing me in the correct direction and prioritising which maintenance to embark on 1st.

Whilst in that process he noticed whole bunch of hidden wires. Some linked to a tracking unit that wasn't removed correctly, an aftermarket alarm linked to the tracking unit, and an aftermarket Bluetooth unit.
All these were contributing towards the battery drain, so naturally they had to go.
Given the way this battery drain has been an on going headache- electrical work was in order.
Also noticed that the blower fan behind the ecu was broken (tracking unit and harness fitment was the cause), so that was now fixed and working well to keep the important stuff cool.
I was shocked to see how much of invasive wiring gets done for a tracking unit installation. Im just glad its all out now.
The Bluetooth unit was prehistoric and the wiring there was far below sub-standard. Once this was out Warren went on to solder it all back together and have all looking nice and neat.
He also replaced screws and clips that had been broken or gone missing as well as made sure all the earth points were 100%.

Next up will be the replacement of 2 belts as they have 1 or 2 tiny cracks in them, a brake fluid flush as well as replacing the brake lines with braided steel ones, and replacing the expansion tank as preventative. Otherwise, she's still running well and was glad to get a Gizmo stamp of approval for being in such good shape.:smilebounce:

 

[Zach]

Cool thread, liking these x series threads of late on here.
Good to hear Warren sorted out your electrical issues.
Those 4.8is wheels look so good on there, great choice.

 

[michael.joseph]

Thanks Zach....

I love those wheels... but might flog em soon, 1 rim has 2 cracks:rage:
So the 19s will have to stay for now.

Ya, im glad the electricals are now back to oem

The early morning start was sooooo much better today.
Not the sluggish half dying type that had been driving me crazy.
Also the radio used to to cut out for a second every couple of minutes- i just thought old radio- we'll live with it. Thats now gone totally. The red LED under the rearview used to flash quickly for a few seconds after locking- i put it down to a faulty sensor- then when unlocking the alarm would trigger regularly. That too has disappeared. :smilebounce:

I learnt now to never underestimate the amount of damage an aftermarket installation of any sort can have on a car. Just gota be so careful these days coz so many people out there take shortcuts

 

[michael.joseph]

Been a while since i updated this thread...

This weekend marked a milage milestone for the X...

Followed by...

---

She was also due for a service this week...

So she drank up her liqui moly flush and spat out the old oil.

Belts were due for replacing as they were cracked and worn and had a bit of play on the pulleys.

New continental ones went in... tensioners and pulleys all in good order... and she's running as smooth as ever.

Another big item was this starter... initially, everything pointed to a new battery... that helped a little. Then battery drain from aftermarket electricals. Also, helped but not entirely...

After pulling the starter, this thing had been worked on a few times... it didn't look pretty. It was beginning to dismantle itself... was also throwing errors like there's no tomorrow.

Managed to find a valeo replacement at diesel electric, only to see on fitting that the guiding pin had nowhere to go, thus preventing the starter from lining up and sitting flush. Took it back yesterday, and being the last one there they tell me that that unit seems to have a factory defect...

Thankfully, they were able to get me a bosch replacement... saved me a cool R2k... fitted like a dream and she now starts like new again.

Brake fluid flush was done too coz the old fluid seemed to be standing in the car from 2004:fencelook:

Still to be done in the new year:

Mild remap with EGR delete
Replace A/C compressor or re-gas
Replace Brake booster or vacuum lines

Still need to figure out the exact cause on those last 2 issues.

But for now... she's still in fantastic health and drives like a dream

 

[sash]

Nice to see she is given the appropriate care mike.
:bravo::bravo:

 

[FILV]

She's looking so good!

And with all this love, im sure it will go for another 10 years :bravo:

 

[michael.joseph]

Update...

So on the 5th of April the turbo on the X5 decided to call it a day. I didn't get the dramatic cloud or anything, just a loud whine as if an ambulance was following me. Thankfully I was close to home, so managed to limp back and leave her in the garage until my mech was able to tend to her.

Anyhow, eventually when he was able to get the turbo out, the reason that it bombed out was mind blowing. Instead of using and OEM seal/coupling between the turbo and the boost pipe, an aftermarket one was previously used and then lined with enough silicone both inside and out to redo pamela's implants. Inevitably, a piece broke off and got sucked in, damaging 2 blades and messing up the internals:thumbdo:

I was gona take it to turbo direct, but after reading some horror stories and then seeing how highly recommended Gabi at Fastec was, I decided to take it through to him. Also took the opportunity to get the X tuned and have the fueling done correctly, so I consulted with Alex at Madness. Initially thought hybrid turbo bigger wheel and and and. Alex then explained things properly to me and steered me toward a stock sized billet. And that's what Gabi managed to do for me, and instead of 5 blades, we went with 11.

Dealing with Gabi and Ruth was an absolute pleasure. Their willingness to help and take time to explain things to a non technical person like me was amazing. Over and above that, the turn around time was fantastic- I had my "new" snail back within 2days.
Ordered new gaskets and seals from sandton auto and whilst we waited for that, the cooler and radiator was flushed out at Silverton.

Also did an oil service and replaced all filters as shes now on 105000km.

Collected the car on Sunday afternoon and she felt so much better. Got in touch with Alex that evening and arranged to get the car to him on Monday afternoon.

Alex read the car and few hours later the file was ready for installation. Clive took over from this point as we were running after hours now. After a bit of trouble shooting due to different software updates on the laptops, the file was loaded and ready for testing.

Now, I dont really pull the X from robot to robot... it's only really pushed a bit on the highway. But immediately the throttle response now was amazing and the turbo lag is almost non existent. She pulls better than ever and the smoothness of the power delivery suits this big old lady.

Also, meeting and dealing with both Alex and Clive was fantastic. Extremely helpful and knowledgeable gents.
We still need to get to the root of 1 faulty injector and then fine tune the file. Not out to chase dyno numbers at all, but mainly to get efficiency and longevity out of this engine.

 

[SubLoaded]

Initially thought hybrid turbo bigger wheel and and and. Alex then explained things properly to me and steered me toward a stock sized billet.

What was the reasoning for this out of interest?

Glad that your car is sorted now :thumbs:

 

[KPM3_30]

What an update :fencelook:

On the plus side, you have a properly sorted X5 now.. Interesting that your E90 is tuned by RKM and your E53 by Madness - would be keen to understand the change over, without getting into a tuner war.

Share some more pics :smilebounce:

 

[sash]

Sorry to hear about the turbo Mike, glad that it was a minor bump in that you managed to limp home and get it sorted.

You wont go wrong with either Gaby or Madness, the tank is now an undercover train.

 

[michael.joseph]

So essentially, due to the way hybrids are done here especially for the 3.0d engines- they've always seen a loss of power. Sticking to the stock sized wheel generates the best outcome and also lasts the longest.

@Alex@madnessmotorsport please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong

---

Thanks guys...

Shes still quite impressive for a 15yr old car. I'll snap some pics after I give her a good clean down as she was at the mech for almost 2 weeks as he struggled to get the turbo off.

I've been reading and hearing good things about Madness for a while now. Also, from a convenience point of view, they are just 15 minutes away from home, and a 5 minute detour off my home/work commute. I'm glad I did decide to give em a call to experience it for myself.

I've only had good experiences with both RK and Madness... so no ill feelings or anything or the sort that prompted the change

 

[Clint@MMS AUTO]

Excellent stuff man... well done on getting it sorted!

 

[michael.joseph]

X is just over 120000km and still alive.

Work done between July 2019 and Jan 2020

No.2 injector was replaced
A/C compressor refurbished
New brakes
New vacuum pump
New crank sensor
New expansion tank
Burnt relay on dde replaced
Usual oil service and filters

This car keeps punching me in the face every few months, yet shes still in the garage  :fencelook:


It's a love hate relationship

 

[michael.joseph]

Had to flog the 20's... wasn't worth repairing..  so the 19's are staying.

Otherwise, not much has changed.

This engine bay still needs a good deep clean.

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[FILV]

looking fresh!
They are ageing rather well these