Greydog

Morning Colin Welcome to the Forum Not sure if air suspension was available on your car check on www.realoem.com put the last 7 digits of your Vin into the search box, your model and options will come up You can also check BMW Vin Decoder same process put the last seven digits of your vin in the search box and it will bring up your build sheet. My guess would be either broken spring or springs, or most likely some one has fitted a lowering kit or worse cut down what was there. Dave

Not a BMW but we did clean my sons Toyota, straight forward job. We couldnt believe the amount of soot in the EGR and the inlet tract we had a henry hgover running all the time to suck out any loose stuff while we cleaned. Still when he floored it once on the dual carriage way he said it look like a special effect from a Harry Potter movie behind him as everything was enveloped in a huge black cloud, the up side by the time anyone emerged he was long gone. The black cloud only happened once and performance was back to normal so success

Take a look at www.newtis.info its a BMW technical information site same as dealers use. You should be able to find what you need on there.

My brother inlaw runs a 530d touring he commutes into Europe so racks up the miles, his car is remapped to just over 300hp and 600+nm it is ultra reliable and still returns 40+ mpg in daily use. When he wants it though it is demon quick, for his use its perfect great at Autobahn high speed cruising plenty of space comfortable and quiet but happy in town. Me I always go for the big engine then look at tuning to make it a bit different. It never seemed right to me that my business partner and I had the same car when he didn't have a clue what he was driving and worse didn't care so mine were always a bit special, still are. Dave

Morning Raz Have a look ay www.newtis.info you should be able to find the pairing process there. Dave

Morning Danny I would try one of the specialist BMW breakers, I have used Quarry Motors before with success Google BMW Breakers there are quite a few Use www.realoem.com to make sure you have the right part numbers put the last 7 digits of your Vin into the search box and it will bring up your model. Good Luck Dave

Morning Adam The oil has to be somewhere if it isnt leaking onto the floor then re-check the turbo if seal are gone on the inlet side oil will be in the inter cooler and inlet tracts if it is on the MAF it will explain the fault code. You can clean the MAF but the leak needs fixing first. If the turbo is leaking on the exhaust side you will surely smell it and see it being burnt but it can clog the cat and coat the O2 sensors. Oil inside the engine will also be burnt checking the plugs is a could shout but remember the car will smoke and you will smell oil being burnt. Oil inside the engine will get there either through the Inlet tract (turbo issue) or engine wear, valves, rings etc. A litre of oil is a serious amount to lose good luck with the search for the source Dave

Morning Jay Welcome Simple answer YES To try and get low HNV into the car the rubber is quite soft so has a life of about 60 to 80k miles. The main culprit is the rose bush which fails but it's failure is masked by the air suspension so early signs are missed until it's totally shot and ruining your tyres. Fortunately the rear suspension is a DIY job that can be done on axle stands ( I have done 2 my 4.4 and the 4.6) I would advise as you are going to be in there getting a kit and changing the lot including the inner control arm bushes. My 4.6 I did in a Saturday with the help of one of my sons (younger and bendier) I made my own bush pulling tools but they are on ebay for about £30 so the total cost of DIY should be under £200, not including a 4 wheel alignment essential after any suspension work front or rear and of course new tyres. On tyres be careful if your X5 is running staggered wheels (wider rear) how worn are the fronts? better to change all 4 if possible, if only changing the rears then at least go with the same make as is coming off to try and preserve the rolling radius and protect the transfer case. If you are able to DIY have a look at www.pelicaparts.com for How too's with pictures Good Luck Dave

Are they there just to plug the hole? I thought you said earlier the wiring was gone? I just had a quick look at realoem (see attached)it looks as though you should have 3 sensors 1 in each manifold and the 3rd after the cat so if the wiring isnt there I understand plugging them probably the rear one was left just as a plug as well? Interesting I looked at the engine electrics and there was the option for either a programmed DME (can be mapped) and a Basic DME has to be chipped so in theory your friends remapped DME should operate though if he had it in a road car it will be looking for O2 sensor input. 323 exhaust front section.pdf 323 inlet manifolds.pdf

When you say vibration damper do you mean the main crankshaft pulley on the 4.6 engine it is a 2 piece item bonded together with rubber and sometimes the rubber begins to degrade. I had to change mine last year once you have stripped all the stuff out of the way it is a straight forward job I also changed both drive belts tensioners and the water pump Damper/pulley was £125 Waterb pump £40 Belts and Tensioners £120 and the job took a Saturday morning with plenty of tea and biscuit breaks

Oil doesn't disappear it is either leaving big puddles somewhere being burnt or collecting somewhere. First, I would take off the engine covers top and bottom thoroughly clean all traces of oil away then run the engine and look for weeps/leaks Second, Check all inlet hoses and egr system for oil collecting include any turbo pipework and inter-cooler, if it isn't dripping on to the floor and not being burnt it has to be somewhere. Dave

A !Removed! with the same colour car that's who, beggars belief that they care enough about their car to replace a part but thinks it's fine to steal from someone else !!!!!!! Words fail me

Morning Andy X5's are sensitive beasts that throw hissy fits when they don't get the power they crave. First the replacement battery should be 12v 95ah 800 cca minimum also I can't recall at which year the battery has to be registered to the vehicle. As they also changed the negative lead I would check that its tight (probably is now) but also check the main earth point in the boot is clean and tight (I had all sorts of issues traced it to the mounting bolt at the earth block removed cleaned it re-tightened it no issues since) Battery voltage should be 12.8v ignition off 14.4v engine running if that's all OK and the alternator checks out then the original faults were probably related to the earth lead causing charging/power issues. Dave

James I have been talking to an old friend who is still heavily involved with BTC cars about your issue. He tells me that the tuners liked the early 323 engine as it was so strong, but pre 96 cars the DME had to be chipped post 96 cars the DME is programmable his thoughts were if someone has tried to flash an early DMEit is probably fried. His tuning tips are M50 manifold with 325 throttle body with a ram air intake (heat shielded) then a 328 twin pipe exhaust decatted, with all mods done then remap he recons that should give a solid 200 bhp with better top end. Also consider a change of Diff to 3.15 or similar it will improve acceleration. My own tuning experience is mainly with Ford engines (4, 6 and 8 cylinder) and some Turbo charged Volvo and Subaru's (wifes Perrin Outback). My road/daily drive is an X5 4.6 V8 rebuilt 4 years ago so added Dinan Cams and throttle body 360 whp gets me around nicely.

There is a brake vacuum line that runs from the servo unit check that at the point it meets the servo is a seal and a non return valve if the seal goes or the non return fails it will give those symptoms. Dave

Hi Steve That will teach you to go upgrading stuff !!! In answer to your question Yes you have to go through the pairing process again. Normally press the pairing button and hold it for 3 secs while holding it put the key in the ignition and turn it on after 5 to 10 secs release the pairing button and you should see Bluetooth Pairing in the display, then search with your shiny new phone and enter the code. If not you can use BMW 1.4.0 or INPA to force pairing. Remember your ULF can only pair with 4 phones when its memory is full you will need to clear it to be able to add another. Dave

If your engine is an early version (pre 2001) the part number on the Cam sensor should read 12141703221 or 12141730028 as far as I can tell. If the o2 sensor wiring is missing then the DME will be confused on mixture settings so may have a "limp mode" setting I don't know if that can be over ridden or over written to give you performance back. As said in earlier posts 160/170 bhp in a stripped out shell should feel pretty lively just another thought the CAT isn't clogged is it?

The codes you keep quoting are not BMW part numbers I assume they are Seimens codes but cant be sure. Have you looked at the Seimens site to see which models they were used in and how friendly they are to use? As an example I know from previous experience that often a DME needs a code entered to match engine gearbox controllers? Here's a thought that should have occurred earlier, early cars used a Cam sensor which produced a sine wave signal for the DME later cars used a Hall Effect sensor I believe the DME will assume the sensor is in fault and not advance which would explain your lack of performance.

Frustrating aren't they ? BMW firmly believe if it isn't there when they look it can't exist? My X5 hates wet weather always has the sensors go on strike in the wet or after a car wash but I can turn mine off and just use the reverse camera. I assume when you are driving in heavy spray or rain that triggers them?

Looking at your pictures you show only part of the label the number on the right I think is the part number Just took a quick look Basic DME was available for E36 E39 E38 and Z3 between 1994 and 2001 part number key 1241429999 if you check realoem and click on the part number you will see all the compatible part numbers. Do the same for the Programmed and it seems they were more specific only being available on the E36. That is always assuming that your engine actually came from and E36 of that vintage and not something newer??

Then check www.realoem.com E36 323 you will be able to find engine numbers and DME numbers then double click the part number and you will see what other models they were used in Then at least you have a starting point at the moment you are going in circles guessing

Check www.realoem.com it is a BMW parts list put the last 7 digits of your chassis number in the search box it will bring up your model Then get the part numbers and compare them to what you have. You will be able to see if (a) they are compatible with what you have

From memory there were 2 types of DME, a programmed DME and a basic DME. Worse I am not sure if they are the same manufacturer have you checked www.realoem.com Dave

My own BMW is a petrol version so my diesel experience is limited to my family members My brother inlaw currently runs a 530d he commutes in to Europe for work and this car is approaching 300k his previous car a 525d went way beyond that, before the BMW's were a succession of Merc's. His service regime is meticulous with oil changes every 5k and the full BMW schedule followed as indicated plus gearbox services in line with ZF's recommendations. Yes he has had niggles particularly things which BMW seem to ignore/deny/can't find or see mainly electrical, these we have fixed ourselves but mechanically the cars are mega. So History History history plus general condition always a goo indication that someone has cared. ZF recommend gearbox service every 60/80k BMW say sealed for life, for life read end of BMW warranty responsibility. Engine bay should be clean showing no signs of leaks. There was a problem with the tubular exhaust manifolds cracking (smell of exhaust fumes in the car) BMW solution was weld it up which proved temporary we found a cast manifold on the well known auction site which strangely was cheaper than the tubular manifold fitted, problem fixed for good. Both his cars have been remapped with no issues and the current one no DPF issues either. Suspension bushes last about 80k but are not difficult to change/up grade just make sure you have a full suspension alignment at each tyre change or suspension work to protect tyre life. Make sure all switches and gadgets work as they should.

Result Rob Well done good information for other 3 series owners, I know very well about horse/cow/sheep muck sometimes when it's dry it feels like you need a chisel to get it off Dave