Showing posts with label M57N. Show all posts
Showing posts with label M57N. Show all posts

Sunday, 2 August 2015

E60: Glow plugs + control-module - time to sort this.

I mentioned the glow plugs in this post, but have had no change in the error codes coming up for all 6. These are the last remaining fault codes that have not been ironed out since February so I thought I'd get into it in more detail now I have DIS at my disposal, which finally threw up an error for the glow plug control-module [though it wouldn't say for sure], so it's almost certain this is the fault. I read a lot of people mentioning the 'relay' on forums, but this is referring to the same part.

The control-modue is about £75 on eBay for an OEM part made by Beru, which isn't too bad. The inlet-manifold will have to come off again so I am tempted to replace all 6 glow plugs at the same time just to make sure. I do, after all, have a M57NTU2 cylinder-head lying around with 6 nearly new plugs in so it won't cost anything and seems to be a no brainer, though I am terrified of one of the current plugs will break and get stuck in my good engine.

Diagnosis:
The original scan with Autocom CDP+ only showed errors for all six glow plugs [codes 4212, 4222, 4232, 4242, 4252, 4262]. All of them were intermittent and had failed at the same times, 31 out of 40 starts. I got INPA running, which is BMW only software and read the correct DDE version 5.x instead of the 6.x forced on me by Autocom and showed correct values for the injectors, yet it just showed the same errors for all 6 glow plugs.
When I eventually got DIS up and running it threw up a fault for the glow plug control-module itself [Glow control B1362_D5BSDGSG], but with no fault-code and even after running pre-heating tests on the glow plug system [battery float-charger came in handy here] it still could not say the control-module was
definitely faulty. Instead it suggested a 'break in all lines to heater-plugs', which is seriously unlikely and after checking them in May there was no sign of this at all; and a failure in the supply of voltage at Terminal 30. Terminal 30 it turns out just means constant battery power and I tested this at the control-module socket with a solid 12v, so it would seem beyond all logical doubt that the module itself is failing intermittently somehow.

Cause:
As for how the control-module could have failed is open to debate, as it was only removed from the old engine for a short time before being fitted to the new one, not moved around and stored. Its location, right under the coolant return hose from the head means water could have spilled over the control-module at some points during the swirl-flap repair and the constant 12v supply made the module live whenever the battery was connected. In fact, as I was in such a rush to get the head back off and find the oil leak [here] I ended up draining the coolant from the return hose first, rather than fully draining the coolant from the radiator. This allowed water/coolant to run down the right side of the engine and over the starter-motor, EGR-solenoid, glow-plug controller and main wiring junction-box, which by any account was a bad thing to do. Yet, had this shorted the live wire of the module or individual plugs to ground then it would only render them inoperable temporarily and not cause damage to the units themselves. If water had got inside the sealed module or caused some sort of overload, then that would have been pretty final and I can't see how the module would work at all after that.
Both the glow plugs and control-module are the same part number throughout the entire E60 and LCI range. The design was revised for the control-module in 2005 and this is the only part available now [12217801201] and replaces the old design [12217788327]. This is largely irrelevant anyway, as both my original and 2004 replacement engine share the old part.
It could simply be the sooty condition of the new engine when I first fitted it, too much entering the inlet, or just the age of the plugs that caused my original module to work harder than it's used to and start to fail. Either way I will replace it in due course and hope it clears the 6 glow plug errors, as it has for most people on the forums.

Tuesday, 28 July 2015

DIS v44: Diesel Injector Coding / Programming Guide

If an injector is replaced it needs coding to the ECU. Once you know what to do, injector coding is a pretty quick and easy job, all 6 can be done in about 15-20 minutes. You will need a working install of DIS and EDIABAS, so a download and setup-guide is in this post. The code is 6 or 7 digits and printed on the top of each injector, more information in this post.


** Connect a float-charger to the battery before coding with DIS ** The process takes 10-20 minutes if all goes well, but it is not worth the risk of doing adjustments to the ECU without one.

1. Connect car to DIS and perform API test.
2. Click on 'Diagnosis'.
3. Select 'Series' and 'Model series', then click the forward arrow.
4. Click on 'Yes' to start the 'Short-test', wait a few minutes for it to complete and click the forward arrow.


5. Click on 'Function Selection'. (Bottom left.)
6. Select 'Service Functions'.
7. Select 'Drive'.
8. At EGS transmission control prompt, select 'No' if your car is manual, 'Yes' if automatic, and click OK.
9. Select 'Diesel Electronics'.
10. Select 'Adjustment Programs'.
11. Select 'Injector rate adjustment' so it is highlighted in black.
12. Click on 'Test Plan'. (Bottom centre.)


13. Check 'Injector rate adjustment Bxxxx_Dxxxxxx' is highlighted and click the forward arrow.


14. Wait for the fault memory to be read and at the 'Fault codes are stored...' prompt click the forward arrow.
15. Wait for the current calibration values to come up and click the forward arrow.


16. Select '1' (Enter new calibration values) and click the forward arrow.
17. Enter the number of the injector into the keypad to be re-calibrated and click the forward arrow.
18. Enter the new injector code into the keypad with no spaces and click the forward arrow.


19. If more than one injector needs coding, select 'Yes' to the prompt and click the forward arrow, then repeat the last 2 steps for each injector number. If not, select 'No' and click the forward arrow.
20. Select '2' (Save calibration values) and click the forward arrow.
21. Check the values are correct, select 'Yes' and click the forward arrow.


22. When the new values are displayed click the forward arrow.


23. Select '3' (End) and click the forward arrow.
24. When 'End service function' is displayed click the forward arrow.
25. Shut down DIS and disconnect the car.

http://www.instructables.com/id/BMW-Diesel-Injector-Coding-with-DIS-v44/

Tuesday, 7 July 2015

E60: New Engine Tune Up Part 5 - Injectors / Smooth Running Control

The car is running OK, but the lumpy idling is still annoying me. Others don't notice it and I should probably just throw the acoustic-covers back on and just enjoy the car, but the urge to investigate the smooth-running control issue [this post] was just too great and a big job has broken out yet again.

I repeated the smooth-running measurement and injector 5 was still giving zero reading, so I bought a re-conditioned one off eBay for £45. I had also noticed oil running down the centre of the rocker-cover that seemed to be leaking out from the rear injector ports, so my logic was if they were coming out for cleaning and re-seating I may as well replace no. 5 and not worry about having to do the work again if it was indeed faulty. Saturday's jobs are listed below:
  • Replaced injector 5.
  • Removed / cleaned injectors.
  • Refitted rocker-cover and injectors carefully!
  • Repaired sheathing of inj. 5 ground wire.
  • Cleaned MAP sensor.
  • Put swirl-flap actuator back on vac-line.
  • Made sure inj. leak-off hose is secure! [It popped off while working on it, lost £5 fuel at least.]

BEGINNING DIESEL INJECTOR CODING:

In the days leading up to the work above I was contacted by another user who had the same issue with the smooth-running readout. They had fitted a brand new injector to the cylinder showing zero and it had made no difference to the readout. I hoped mine would not turn out the same way and the new injector would cure the problem, but it did not. A crushing final smooth-running measurement still showed 0.0 for injector 5 and the idling remains the same. My contact feared a fried ECU / DDE and had theirs tested, but it came back with no faults. This is unlikely anyway if the car is running OK and it turned out to be a software problem with the scanner. Later using INPA on my laptop I was able to view correctional-amounts for all 6 cylinders, so no. 5 was likely never a serious problem. Better yet, the amounts shown for mg/stroke were more realistic and not 100mg out like before. Never the less, the poor idle remained.


I was now informed that if an injector had been replaced then it would need coding. Basically, every injector has a slightly different correctional-value and is given a unique code. These are stored by the ECU after assembly, which then operates each injector perfectly within the parameters set by each code. When a new injector is fitted the ECU needs to be recoded accordingly. The codes are found in the lower-left quarter of the markings on top of the injector, shown in the photos. M57NTU BMWs used Euro 3 v2 injectors in 2003 and from mid-2004 used Euro 4 injectors. These are interchangeable, even late E39 units work, but injectors made after 2007 for the later M57NTU2 do not. A great guide on BMW diesel injector codes is here - http://www.bmw-planet.com/diagrams/release/en/zinfo/FIN0201FB47TU033.htm.

As each cylinder is coded to a specific injector the order the injectors are fitted in is critical and must remain the same. This got me wondering if that could be the cause of the lumpy tickover after all. During the whole course of the swirl-flap repair and then engine swap these same injectors have been removed from the head half a dozen times. It is possible that during nozzle-cleaning or engine-swap teething troubles that one or two may have become jumbled. The only way to know is to read the code sequence on the ECU and match them to the codes on the injectors, so I fired up the scanner and went into Injector Programming. What I found was the picture below. Only 1-4 showed up with codes and only the first one matches any of my injectors. No. 5 and 6 are blank, but only 1 and 2 can be selected to alter the code anyway, so it would seem that the scanner I am using is unsuitable for complex BMW work - it is, after all, optimised for Transit vans. I have now procured some dedicated diagnostic software and a BMCables.com blue OBD-USB cable, which will hopefully give an improved result like it did with the smooth-running readout. If the codes still don't match my injectors then they're not the originals and were never coded in anyway, putting the idle problem into a different court entirely. Only time will tell, as INPA does not work for injector-coding on diesel Beemers - for that you need DIS and it has been so hard to set up that I will have to cover it in later posts.

My current injector codes are:

1 - 7G1R6A [Euro 3 v2]
2 - ASR1CE [Euro 3 v2]
3 - 6RH1DW [Euro 3 v2]
4 - BZZNBI [Euro 3 v2]
5 - 7GZ6417 [Euro 4]
6 - B1APEI [Euro 3 v2]

Wednesday, 27 May 2015

E60 Diesel: Replace Turbo Waste-Gate [Actuator]

This is a pretty easy job and can be done with removing the turbo, exhaust-manifold or rocker cover.
  1. Remove the inlet duct to the air-filter housing. It's held by a T30-Torx screw at the front and just unclips from the housing.
  2. Remove the boost-pipe from the top of the turbo by removing the screw from the left side of where it joins to the turbo using a 10mm wrench, then loosening the right hand screw using a T30-Torx socket and rotating the collar clockwise until it can be pulled out of the turbo.
  3. Remove the other end of the boost-pipe from the left side of the intercooler by reaching from underneath with a flathead screwdriver and sliding the metal clip down. The pipe should pop the intercooler easily and be pulled out from above. [This can be done without fully removing the engine-undertrays].
  4. Gently slide the rubber vacuum-hose off the metal spout on the waste-gate.
  5. Remove the three screws holding the waste-gate to the turbo using a 10mm wrench. [There is just enough room down the left side of the engine to get a ring-spanner on, otherwise a ratchet with a short extension-bar may get them more easily].
  6. Push a cloth or some tissue roll down under the bottom of the waste-gate between the turbo inlet and exhaust wheels to stop the retaining-clip getting lost into the engine and slide the clip off the waste-gate arm using a long flat screwdriver. [There is just enough clearance to get an angle with the screwdriver and just about see the clip. The clip will probably have to be removed with a stick-magnet].
  7. Slide the waste-gate arm off the stud and remove it.
  8. Refit the new waste-gate as a reversal of above, being careful not to lose the retaining-clip during refitting. The clip may need holding in position with a stick-magnet as it is pushed down with a flat screwdriver.

Sunday, 24 May 2015

E60: New engine tune-up Part 4 - Waste-gate + Pressure-converter.

After the last tune-up [here] the stifled boost remained. Up to about 2000rpm the power was ok, but after that, when the real boost is expected to come in, it wouldn't. Rev and noise would rise with no acceleration. All that exhaust gas was just escaping through an open waste-gate, signified by a constant 'dump-valve' style hiss. At this point i really got my head around the vacuum-actuated turbo setup and tested the vacuum-tank [3 in diagram] and each hose individually for leaks, finding nothing. In a last ditch attempt to try and get the E60 boosting again I replaced both the waste-gate [with the slightly shinier one from my old turbo] and the electronic pressure-converter that controls it [1 in diagram].

This finally gave some results. Boost is now back and the long drawn-out hissing has gone, though there is still a short gap in between low and high boost. If you are rolling slowly in 2nd or 3rd gear and plant the throttle, the car surges forward then hesitates with a hiss for a moment before full boost comes in and the hiss stops abruptly, however this is only noticeable when accelerating in this way. A slower rate of acceleration gives an almost unnoticeable transition to the point where full boost can be applied and the car pulls away. This is also true when cruising a bit faster in 2nd or 3rd, where the waste-gate has had time to shut and full boost acceleration is instant. This to me suggests there is still a vacuum problem and I will have to re-check the hoses going under the steering to the engine-mounts, as they're the only bits I haven't been over a dozen times. The car is useable at full boost now, so I know the new engine is running as it should and capable of giving the power I was used to before the troubles, but pulling away fast in 2nd from traffic lights is a bit long-winded and I find myself changing up to 4th pretty sharpish before I feel confident enough to grill it. Really though, how often do I need to pull away fast without waiting in gear for a second before doing so? Perhaps I'm asking too much...

The next engine jobs will be focused on smoothing the rough idle, though in the meantime I threw in a mixture of Cataclean and Wynn's Injector Cleaner to see if that helped - half of each bottle added to 30 litres of diesel twice. I'm sure it did some good to the engine, but apart from making it a bit peppier for a couple of weeks there was no improvement to the idling situation. If the vacuum problem is not to blame then one or more injectors could be failing. There may even be a problem with the DDE controller, though this is extremely unlikely.


Next jobs:
  • Redo smooth-running measurement.
  • Replace / recode injectors if necessary.
  • Check oil on rocker-cover. Is it leaking from 10mm injector-studs to head?
  • Re-check all vacuum-tubing and replace where possible.

Future things to do / buy:
  • Rear ball-joints / ball-joint tool. [Advisory on last MOT].
  • Swap glow-plug module.
  • Intake manifold ring profile-gaskets.
  • Rubber rear exhaust-hanger.

Sunday, 10 May 2015

E60: New engine Tune Up Part 3 - Glow-plugs / EGR / more vacuum hoses...

  • Blank off swirl-flap vac-hose.
  • Replace EGR vac-hose with one that came with new engine.
  • Check wiring to GP module. (No replacement.)
  • Remove and clean EGR.
Boost was lacking and noisy again so I figured there was more vacuum-leak. Assuming the redundant swirl-flap diaphragm was to blame I set about removing that hose completely from the servo-hose T-piece and fitting a blank stopper from the new engine. While doing this I found the vac-hose to the EGR was snapped off at the nozzle. Classic.


Trouble codes:
  • All 6 glow-plugs no activation. Intermittent, but happened 31 times out of 40, all at the same times. I intended to swap the module for the one from my replacement engine, but couldn't find it amongst the parts so it mustn't have been included.
  • [3FF0] Air mass meter failure.
  • [4507] MAF controlled EGR flow too low. Both of these happened once around the same time as each other and have not happened since. Perhaps the snapped EGR vac-line could explain this.
  • [4B10] Smooth running controller, correction quantity too high. This was the most intriguing of the codes as it had registered 9 times. 
Smooth running controller measurement:



This measures the amount each injector has to provide each time it is fired and how much the ECU needs to meter them. The ideal correctional values are between -2.5mg and 100mg per stroke, so as you can see my measurement is indeed showing very high amounts of correction. [NOTE: The reading is in kJ, not mg as displayed! Autocom GDP just does this. I get a proper reading in this post with INPA - http://beemerlab.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/e60-new-engine-tune-up-part-5-injectors.html]. The reasons for this are faulty injectors, lack of cylinder compression and lack of flow to the EGR. At first glance it would appear injector 5 is giving no reading as there should be a correction value there, but the engine is running on all six cylinders therefore number 5 is firing. So what gives here? I started a thread on BMW Land [BMW Land is down for now sadly :(] with some damning results on injector 5, which I will have to investigate, play with the wiring etc. 

Another cause of low compression is a cracked / leaky exhaust-to-turbo manifold. This would also cause low gas flow to the EGR and stifle the amount of exhaust gas powering the turbo, explaining the boost problem. I will get someone to rev the engine as I feel round for a leak of hot gases, but if this turns out not to be the case then the only things left to do will be replace the waste-gate and/or pressure-convverter.
  • Check for pressure leak from exhaust-manifold.
  • Add injector cleaner and cataclean.
  • Investigate boost actuator / pressure converter and waste-gate.

Sunday, 29 March 2015

E60 Diesel: Replacing the Front Turbo Housing/Volute

**The turbo needs to be removed. Reaching the 8mm nuts at the back of the volute is impossible               with it in situ.
  1. Mark a line on the original volute / front-casing where each 8mm screw is located before removing it. It is adjustable and the new one needs to be in the exact same place as the original for correct waste-gate location.
  2. Remove the 3 screws holding the waste-gate bracket to the turbo front-casing / volute using a 10mm wrench.
  3. Remove the 6 screws holding the front-casing / volute to the turbo and wiggle it free.
  4. Hold the new volute up to the original and mark lines in the corresponding places. This is best done with them on a flat surface and holding a straight-edge across both.
  5. Slide the new volute on to the turbo and replace the six 8mm screws, ensuring the lines are correctly located before tightening them up. It is alloy-to-steel, so no high-heat gasket-paste is required.
  6. Press the waste-gate into the right position for the bracket to meet the holes on the volute and replace the three 10mm screws holding it in place.
Why I replaced mine:

With re-con turbos starting at £350, I went for a used one from a crash damaged 7-Series. Mine is an early E60 and has the vacuum-actuated turbo, so it was handy that the 7er did too as they are hard to source - eBay is full of the electronic-actuated type and I couldn't see a vacuum one, but it may be that they are inter-changeable.

The overall condition of the turbo looked worse than the one I was removing, but there is a bit less play in the spindle-shaft so worth a shot at £200 delivered, let's hope the saving pays off. The only drawback is the front-casing was slightly damaged at the point where the pipe to the intercooler fits, but swapping the original one in was not a difficult job.

Saturday, 21 March 2015

E60 Diesel: Remove/Replace Turbocharger

Removing and refitting the turbo itself is not a difficult task, but the mass of other parts that need removing to access it makes this a reasonable amount of effort.

You will first need to remove:

Engine covers. [5mm Allen]
Air inlet ducting and air-filter. [5mm Allen]
Inlet manifold. [10mm + 11mm Hex]
Injector pipes. [17mm open-end wrench]
Injectors. [8mm Hex]
Rocker cover. [10mm deep-Hex]
Turbo to intercooler pipe. [10mm Hex + T30-Torx]
Airbox to turbo pipe. [5mm Allen]
EGR to exh.-manifold pipe. [T45-Torx + 7mm Hex]
Exhaust-manifold. [10mm deep-Hex + 12mm deep-Double-Hex]
Front engine-undertray. [8mm Hex]
Engine reinforcement-plate. [16mm Hex]
Exhaust vibration-damping rods. [13mm Hex]

REMOVAL:
1. Remove the two nuts holding the down-pipe/cat to the back of the turbo using a 17mm wrench and work the down-pipe back off the studs.
2. Remove the banjo-bolt that attaches the turbo oil-feed to the block using a 14mm wrench, remove that end of the oil-feed pipe and loosely screw the banjo-bolt back in a few turns to stop any oil leaking from the block. Put some cloth against the block under the pipe to catch any drips and remove and retain the 2 copper washer-seals as they are easily misplaced.
3. Reach under the turbo, locate where the lower oil-return pipe enters the rubber-hose to the sump and loosen off the upper jubilee-clip using a 6mm-Hex socket or flat screwdriver if you can get access. Let the jubilee-clip slide down the rubber hose.
4. Slide off the rubber-hose that runs to the waste-gate on the turbo.
5. Make sure the turbo's weight is supported, remove the two bolts holding the turbo-bracket to the block using a 13mm wrench and lift the turbo out, carefully sliding the lower oil-return pipe out of the rubber-hose.


FITTING:
6. **Ensure all oil-feed pipes etc. are swapped over to the new turbo**. Lower the new turbo into position, sliding the lower oil-return pipe back into the rubber-hose and loosely refit the two bolts.
7. Tighten the jubilee-clip on the oil-return hose and refit the oil-feed hose back on to the banjo-bolt, making sure the copper-washers are in place either side.
8. Place the exhaust vibration-damping rods back in place to locate the down-pipe and loosely refit the 13mm nuts.
9. Refit the neck of the down-pipe to the back of the turbo and tighten the 17mm nuts.
10. Place the exhaust-manifold over the studs on the cylinder-head and manoeuvre the turbo into a position where the bolts holding it to the manifold can be fitted. It can be trick to do while keeping the gasket aligned. Turn the three manifold-to-turbo bolts using a 12mm deep-Double-Hex (12-sided) socket until the manifold is seated, but do not fully tighten them.
11.  Lift the turbo to take the weight off the manifold and fully tighten the two bolts holding it to the block using a 13mm wrench. They are a pain to get to but it is doable, also a lot easier with someone else lifting the turbo.
12. Replace the twelve copper-nuts that hold the exhaust-manifold to the cyl.-head and tighten them using a 10mm deep 6-sided socket, as the strip easily with 12-sided ones.
13. Tighten the three bolts holding the manifold to the turbo.
14. Re-connect the rubber vacuum-hose to the waste-gate.
15. Refit the other things on the above list.

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-replace-Turbocharger-on-BMW-30L-Diesel-E60E/

Saturday, 21 February 2015

E60: Update + New Turbo!

Right, now the E60 is back on the road and all legit it's time I fine fettled the engine-vacuum and rattling exhaust issues left from the engine swap. The exhaust needs realigning at the back of the turbo so it doesn't contact the bracket and the vibration-dampers can be set correctly. The only way to do this is to first remove the rocker-cover and injectors and after my injector-seal problems with the new engine I haven't been able to justify doing that unless it's really essential and that time is now.
The culmination of all my messing around with the vacuum-lines [from this post] is a partly-boosting turbo that sounds like a police-siren. From the word go I was told this is the key sign of a broken turbo, but just couldn't believe it as the turbo seemed to be working ok after the initial engine rebuild (or was it?!) and the other vacuum niggles gave me false hope that it could be a cheap, easy fix. I should have learned by now that this is never the case and have now come to the conclusion of a glaringly obvious broken turbo. I guess that swirl-flap destroyed every part of the motor that it passed through, so lets hope and pray, seriously, that I don't have catalytic-converter issues in future.


So here is my replacement turbo. It's from an E65 730d and was the only used turbo I could find that fits my 'vacuum-actuated' setup, rather than the later and far more common 'electronic-actutor' type. I got it for the spiffing price of just £200, including delivery, but alas there is another catch - the front casing is dented at the outlet-port to the intercooler and the alloy has cracked, maybe during transit, but probably in the crash that wrote-off the 7-Series. This isn't a major setback though, as the front casing just bolts on and is a dry fit, so should not be much drama to swap the cleaner casing from my turbo onto this one. It also plays no part in the functionality of the blower, so if the mechanism works then it works. I'm no turbo expert but there is less play in the spindle than my current blower so if it cures the problem it will have definitely been worth the extra effort for the knock-down price.

Friday, 24 October 2014

E60: Split Vac-line, some boost, weird noises.

The turbo whine and lack of boost has persisted, so I took off the inlet-manifold again to check the vacuum-lines and found one has snapped off. Luckily, there was plenty of hose left to cut it down and push it back onto the T-piece. I re-checked every line twice against the diagrams on RealOEM.com and refitted the manifold, making sure the seals were super flush. Now when I fired up the turbo started making a ridiculous whoosh and dump-valve style hiss, as in the vid below. Some boost had returned too, though not as much as there should be and certainly nothing like the turbo sounded. Still, the vac-line repair did get a result, so it looks there could be life in the turbo yet.


There was nothing else I could do other than pore over the vac-line configuration, so I made this quick one-piece diagram to show the route of the four coming off the servo-pipe to save switching between several diagrams on RealOEM. I then started pulling vac-lines off in order to find the faulty area and, amazingly, managed to get rid of the whoosh/hiss and still have some boost. The turbo is still whistling though and there is not enough pull as you get over 2k rpm, so something is still amiss.

  • Split vac-line to swirl-flaps - Low boost, quiet turbo-whistle higher up.
  • Repaired vac-line - Some boost low down, cuts out higher up. Loud whoosh and hiss noise, turbo-whistle constantly.
  • Vac-hose removed from wastegate - Low boost, quiet turbo-whistle higher up.
  • Swirl-flaps and engine-mount vac-lines switched round - Some boost, no whoosh/hiss, constant turbo whistle, less engine vibration.
The diagrams do not make clear the route of the red/black striped hose on the right of mine. This turned out to be the N/S engine-mount and another scan of RealOEM.com revealed how they work in the pic below. I had wondered about a problem with the engine-mounts anyway, as there seems to be a lot more engine vibration than before, especially on tickover, so my next job will be to find the pipes that link the mounts together and check their condition. They all run through the subframe next to the steering-rack. M57N is a complicated vacuum arrangement.

Tuesday, 14 October 2014

E60: Turbo whine and no boost!

With the engine-swap teething problems put to rest and the car back on the road [at last!], there was bound to be a few running faults. All in all its going like a dream, though I would say the engine is a lot noisier and vibrates more than before. This could mainly be due to the lack of acoustic-covers and under-trays as I iron out defects, but not entirely so I will have to look at the pneumatic engine-mounts when I have time.

When I got the car out for a good run, the main problem I notice is a serious lack of boost. The turbo is also making a low-pitch whining noise, which sounds a bit like a police siren. I read that this is the noise of a dying turbo, though I find this a little hard to swallow as it was fine before and I see no reason how being removed from the car for 3 weeks would affect it. Far more likely that I've messed up attaching some vac-line or wire-connector, or lets hope so anyway. It's an annoying whistle, as it can only be heard while driving under load and not when revving at a stop.
  • Turbo can be seen spinning.
  • No front-rear play on spindle-shaft, hardly any left-right play.
  • Pipes from turbo to intercooler and intercooler to inlet OK.
  • Removed and cleaned air-temp. sensor.
  • Some boost air is coming from the intercooler outlet.
Before I diagnose a dead turbo and start spending any more money, I will check the vacuum lines meticulously and also re-check the pipes for splits. The turbo also needs looking at, from the oil-feed to how it's fitting the manifold. The waste-gate doesn't seem to be operating and that seems a bit too serious to be caused by such a small vac-line fault. Ho hum, the saga continues...

Monday, 13 October 2014

E60: PAS-Pump + Exhaust Vibration-Damper.

With everything else apparently working, the 530d was still of the road due to the niggling problem of an un-bleedable PAS-system and rattling exhaust.
  • Bleed PAS-system with cap off reservoir and engine off, by turning the wheel lock to lock about 30 times and adding fluid until no more bubbles were coming out.
  • Remove front-bumper and drive back onto ramps.
  • Locate exhaust onto connecting-rods of vibration-damper.
  • Modify connecting-rods to fit new exhaust position.
  • Refit exhaust and reinforcement-plate.
  • Refit engine centre-undertray.
  • Drive off ramps, refit bumper and test drive!
PAS-Pump Bleed:
This is the hardest to bleed PAS-system I have ever come across, though the pipes / pump have been off the car for 3 weeks and could have allowed the system to drain and fill with air more than before. The pump was whining on tickover and making an almighty groan when turned in either direction. The fluid in the reservoir was also frothy white. To fully bleed it required the engine and reservoir cap to be off and the wheel turned full lock left to right about 30 times. To do this I raised the front of the car on axle-stands so the wheels were still touching, but with hardly any weight on them. The first turns lock to lock gulped the remaining fluid right into the system and so much air was coming out I kept re-checking the pipes for a leak. Eventually, the reservoir had swallowed the last of my bottle of fluid and is just about sitting up to the minimum mark, but still bubbles were popping up as the wheel was turned. The lock to lock business continued with me and my dad taking turns for quite some time until there were finally hardly any tiny bubbles rising to the surface. This whole thing was a job in itself, but the pump is very quiet now and the steering assistance is back.

Exhaust Vibration-Damper:
During the first tests there was an almighty rattle from the exhaust from tickover up to about 2k rpm. I assumed this to be because I had left off the exhaust 'vibration-dampers' that brace the bottom of the cat to the gearbox and stop it shaking. I discarded replacing it at first as, if you don't remember exactly the way it all fits together and start bolting your gearbox and exhaust back on willy nilly, then it's impossible to figure out. The long bracket with 3 holes fits around the edge of the gearbox bell-housing, held in by one of the large E14 and two of the smaller E10 Torx-bolts that hold the box to the engine. The connecting-rods then run from the foremost stud on the cat to the N/S stud on the bracket; and from the rearmost stud on the cat to the O/S stud on the bracket, as shown in the picture from TIS. Only trouble was, neither of the rods went anywhere near the brackets. I'm not sure if the entire engine and gearbox is in a slightly different position from before, or it's just the exhaust out of line, or both, but the eyelets on the left-right rod were about 5mm too long for the studs; and the front-rear ones were almost an inch too short. After 2 frustrating hours spent removing mounts and trying to relocate the gearbox / bracket to meet the exhaust I gave up and decided to modify the connecting-rods to fit the new gap lengths. The only remaining way to adjust exhaust position would be to loosen the two nuts holding the cat to the back of the turbo, only to do this requires the rocker-cover / injectors to come back off and I'm not doing that, for now at least.
The modified connecting-rods are below and, due to lack of time, are rather crudely done. I bent the left-right rod down about 3/4" at a steep angle to take 5mm length out of it and help bring it down to the bracket at a flush angle and works rather well. The front-rear was a bit less neatly done and makes use of a piece of 1mm sheet-steel, cut roughly to an inch square and bolted to the rod. It's not the best workaround in the world, but it gets the job done.
After all that, the 'vibration-damper' did not get rid of the rattle! Instead, I traced the annoying noise to the front rubber-mount a bit further down the pipe. The exhaust was banging right into the side of the metal bracket on the gearbox-mount and a bit of fiddling with the adjustable eyelet managed to separate them and killed the rattle dead, so there you go.


Saturday, 11 October 2014

E60: New Engine finally running!

Changed the injector seals last Sunday and gave the ports another good clean. The mist has stopped, but it still did not want to fire. There is fuel to the injectors and the timing is spot on, so this could only mean 2 things - something electronic isn't working properly, or the entire DDE module has fallen out of sync with the engine...

I don't even want to know what the latter option entails, so carried on swapping sensors on the new engine for those that worked on my old one. I found the crank-sensor was completely covered in dirty oil, in fact the whole slot was filled with it. Engine sensors are funny things and I can see how the oil could stop it from seeing the notch on the flywheel, but it doesn't explain why the engine would not turn over well using a can of Easy-Start. Either way, with the crank-sensor from my original lump in place it fired up straight away! Result.

[Video is with EGR-pipe disconnected and no air-filter / muffler fitted.]


  • PAS-pump sounds like it's dying - extreme whine / groan when the wheel is turned - and is now the only thing keeping her off the road. Will try bleeding tomorrow and maybe fresh fluid, but failing that the pump could have packed in or, worse, I've damaged some of the piping / rack while lifting the engine in.
  • Rear rubber exhaust-hanger missing. TIS says to remove the screws holding the hanger-bracket, not remove the rubber. I cut mine off to hastily get the exhaust down and will have to buy and annoyingly fit a new one.
  • Front exhaust vibration-damper simply will not fit. When fitted to the exhaust, the eyelets on the two connecting-rods are way off the studs on the gearbox-bracket. The left-right rod is only about 5mm out, but the front-rear rod is miles off. I will have to remove the rear and centre brackets and try to relocate the exhaust a bit.
Other than that, no iDrive messages, no engine-management light, no 'Increased Emissions', no leaks, no mist and no funny noises. The gearbox and clutch are working fine and the car is desperate to be driven. Curse that power-steering fault!

Wednesday, 8 October 2014

E60: Engine Swap Week - Day 7

  • Remove inlet-manifold, rail, injectors and rocker cover.
  • Improve fit of fuel-rail return pipe.
  • Clean injectors.
  • Clean out injector ports in head.
  • Fit original rocker-cover.
  • Adjust injectors to fit collars tightly.
  • Look for fuel in rail and rail-pressure when cranking.
The only thing I didn't do today was swap my crank-sensor over. I figured the automatic models have a different flywheel so would have a different sensor, but the two transmissions share the same sensor [exact same part no.] so the one that's on should work.

The banjo on the fuel-rail return hose needed refitting, as the jubilee-clip was now fouling the inlet-manifold. It was a bugger to find a way to refit it and give enough gap - the manifold is still fouling slightly.

I fitted my original rocker-cover because the new one has a crack round the MAF-sensor housing, obviously where the donor car had it's bump. The injector collars were fitting a bit loosely in the new rocker-cover too and are a bit tighter now. My original cam-sensor is back on too, which I doubt will make a difference, but can't hurt.
  • Re-attempt start!
NO! The engine is turning ok and there is fuel-pressure. Sadly, there is now a lot of diesel-mist shooting up past the injectors, as in the vid below. Ah well, nothing ever goes smoothly.

Saturday, 27 September 2014

E60: Engine Swap Week - Day 6

  • Replace snapped T-piece on injector leak-off pipes.
  • Torque up crank-pulley and HP-pump.
  • Refit drive-belts.
  • Refit radiators / coolers.
  • Refit headlights and crash bar.
  • Refit slam-panel and grilles / ducts.
  • Plumb cooling, A/C and PAS back in at the front.
  • Loosely refit exhaust and heat-shield.
  • Fill with oil and coolant.
  • Refit ECU and plug loom in.
  • Plug in all wire connectors to engine.
  • Refit fuel-rail and pipes.
  • Refit turbo and exhaust-manifold.
  • Refit rocker-cover and injectors.
  • Refit inlet-manifold.
  • Attempt start!
NOTE: Fasten engine-mount top nuts! Neaten up fuel-rail return pipe!

Well, sadly, it didn't fire right up in the first few tried like last time, but the battery has been sitting for a month and died quickly, so I will charge it overnight and have another crack tomorrow.
  • Check for missing wire-connectors. Crank-sensor?
  • Bleed injectors and check for rail pressure.
  • Flywheel position sensor - is it a different flywheel? Swap to original.
  • Check injector-leads for pulses with multimeter.
  • High-pressure pump - does it need bleeding? Is it working?
  • Is 'Service Due' warning affecting immobiliser?
If all these check out and it still won't go then I will have to get a computer on it and get some fault-codes. I'm back in work next week, without a break, so I should be able to bring the Launch home.

It's been a hella lot of work the last 6 days so it would have been nice to have the engine fire up on the third go like it did when I fitted the new cylinder head, but ah well, I'm full of optimism at the close of today.

Plastic T-piece nozzle snapped off in the injector leak-off hose. Luckily I got fuel pipes with the new engine [even though the pump itself was missing] and didn't have to buy a new one.
From an '03, to an '09 and now back to an '04 - this is the third head in the E60.

Friday, 26 September 2014

E60: Engine Swap Week - Day 5


  • Attempt to lift gearbox underneath car.
  • Lift engine back out.
  • Fit gearbox to engine.
  • Remove bonnet / A/C-duct.
  • Lift engine and gearbox in together [mm to spare!].
  • Fit prop-shaft.
  • Fit gearbox mounts.
  • Fit starter-motor.
  • Fit oil filter/cooler.
  • Fit alternator.
  • Fit PAS-pump.
  • Fit A/C compressor.
  • Fit thermostat.
  • Re-attach lower wiring-connectors.
  • Loosely fit crank-pulley.
  • Loosely attach main electric-cables to alt / starter.
  • Loosely fit anti roll-bar.
NOTE: remember sump wire connector + tighten 10mm screw on gearbox!


Gearbox was getting nowhere from below with so little room under the car, so the engine came back out and we lifted the gearbox on very easily.
By removing the plastic air-con duct at the back and popping the bonnet lifters off so it lifts up vertical, it is possible to just about lift the engine and gearbox in together without lowering the subframe / rack.
Just the rads and injectors now and it's pretty much ready to start.

Thursday, 25 September 2014

E60: Engine Swap Week - Day 4

Had a lost day yesterday when the engine didn't arrive. It only turned up at 1.30pm today, so I will have to concentrate on swapping over the high-pressure pump, flywheel and clutch, as well as removing the loom etc. ready to patch mine in. Lifting the engine in will have to wait until tomorrow.
  • Replace steering-rack / subframe bolts entirely.
  • Remove loom and vacuum-hoses from new engine.
  • Swap over high-pressure fuel-pump.
  • Fit flywheel and clutch.
  • Remove oil filter/cooler and rocker-cover for lifting.
  • Match engines entirely.
  • Lift engine in.
Engine arrived at 1.30pm.


And was finally sat in the bay at 7.30pm.

Tuesday, 23 September 2014

E60: Engine Swap Week - Day 3

  • Drop prop-shaft.
  • Remove slave-cyl. / gearshift linkages.
  • Drop gearbox.
  • Lift engine out.
  • Remove parts for new engine.
Once the prop was down it didn't take long at all to get the engine out. The gearbox is huge, but surprisingly light.




Prep for new engine:
  • Remove clutch.
  • Remove flywheel.
Got the clutch off easy enough, but need a T55 Torx socket to remove the flywheel so that will have to wait until I get it from work tomorrow.



NOTE: Missing bolt from exhaust cross-member.