tonyb635

Nice write up. The only this I would recommend is using a locking ractchet instead of taping. It's sooo much easier and there is no risk of the tape not working properly from old grease or leaving any stick residue behind.
Titan 15214 6in Locking Socket Adapter Set: Tools : Walmart.com

gcalo

Some clarification here.

If oil is on the exterior ceramic of the plug the cause is usually a bad VC gasket.

If the oil is on the inner part of the plug (tip and electrode) that is usually indicative of bad valves, bad valve seals, and/or bad rings.

If there is moisture on the plug tip and electrode it can mean there is a bad headgasket

objec

I have a 2007 BMW 530xi and today replaced my spark plugs with great assistance from this thread and a friend. I did encounter a few things that took a while to resolve, so thought I'd post what I learned.

Engine temperature. Everyone appears to have a different opinion on should the engine be hot/warm/cold when you change plugs. What I cared about was *this* car, which has an aliuminm head. I called a dealer on Saturday and was fortunate enough to not have the normal service managers on because they wouldn't have provided any info to do-it-yourselfers. But instead I got someone who talked directly to one of the BMW machanics. And he said that it should be done cold, but they typically do it about an hour after it's been driven in and in 13 years havn't had a problem. I did mine cold and did not have a problem. The plugs in fact came out quite easily, once I got that far.

Torque. I looked all over for this and I see different values, which was frustrating. Some of the BMW charts list a torque, but I wasn't able to find one online that covered my 2007 530xi. NGK's website states yet another thing. I'm not sure if the torque value that we should use is that stated by the plug manufacturer or BMW. I also found one reference online to some, ingeanous guy who took an old Ford truck head and tested the break point for spark plugs (they never stripped the head) at different high torque levels. While this was awesome insight, I doubt that old Ford truck had an alumimum head, or would be considered a precision engine, like we have in our 5 series. If this is plug specific, I used these: NGK Iridium IX (LFR6AIX-11 6619). In the end, the dealers machanic said to torque it to 30 Nms, which translates to 22 ft/lb or 264 in/lb, so that's what I did and the plug appear to stop wanting to move right about there.

Plug Gap. .040.

Plugs 5 & 6. As noted elsewhere, I had to move around the wires and housing above these plugs to get them out. At once point I pulled the bigger tube over the carry tray they rest in towards the nose of the engine. This provided quite a bit more play and made the process very smooth.

Drivers side cabin filter. Some report that it's not necessary to remove the driver side cabin filter after you remove the required passenger side. I left the drivers side on at first and think it might be possible to go without removing it, but once I did it sure made things easier to work with. My recommendation is to remove it as well. Once you've figured out the passenger side, the second one is very easy.

Removing the boots. Man, this was impossible for my hands. Also as noted elsewhere, I put a screwdriver through the hole in the top of the wire-clip and used two hands to pull the boot off. I was quite worried about breaking the plastic clips with this improvised process, but I removed them with one solid slow movement directly straight out. I was also worried about breaking the rubber of the boots, so I turned them before I pulled them out. No idea if that helped, but I felt better about it.

Engine Cover. I had quite a bit of difficulty here. First, my cover is different then any that I was able to find info for online. Most pictures were slightly different cars, and I was mislead by one site that said the screws on the top were faux and you could just pop off the cover. Dispite all efforts, I could not pop mine off even after putting far more pressure then I was comfortable with on areas of my engine I didn't understand how sensitive they were. I am convinced that with the all-wheel-drive version, the engine is so high that you can't get the cover off by just yanking. There just wasn't enough space for it to go up and get off the nubs. Then I looked a little more closely and discovered that the 5 screws on the top of the cover were indeed actual screws. Very short and fast turning torx head screws, which came out quickly and easily. Then the cover slid right off and I could see the mount for the cover, which did attach via nubs to the engine itself, which I later took off in order to easily access plug 5. Here are some pictures of the process:

Before removal (2007 530xi):


With the cover off, but brace still on:


With brace partially removed. Notice the nubs:


Here is what the mount looks like completely removed:

gcalo

The suggested Titan quick release set is a good one, but it's only 1/4".

I found at Harbor Freight their #67976 3/8" 4-piece quick release extension set which allows me to use all appropriate tools and the torque wrench w/o changing out the extension.

4 Piece 3/8" Drive Quick-Release Extension Bar Set

This is a great deal as there are four (4) extensions - 3", 6" , 10", and 18".

It is a quality set.

Highly recommended.

gcalo

I cam across a Spark Plug Application Chart for BMW.

Not sure how accurate it is, because for my 2006 e60 N52 530i that uses the single prong Laser Iridium ILZFR6D11 plug the chart states for Plug Gap as "Non-Adjustable"!

That does not makes sense!

I cannot find anywhere the plug gap for my plugs.

Hope the chart helps others, however.

gmak

You can't imagine how much I enjoy learning these fine distinctions and improving my understanding vis a vis the DIY.

gmak

The cover will pop off, you are saying - but only if the frame comes with it. I know I've popped off my cover on a 2006 530xi (like looking in a mirror).

A little bit of silicone grease for the nubs and one can leave the torx screws alone in the future.

Cheers.

gmak

If you buy them and measure the gap you will have it. I think that with the type of materials in the spark plug, when they get worn - it does not pay to gap them, right?

gcalo

I have never in the past installed plugs w/o checking the gap.

Since I could not find anything about the gap I just gave a quick check to each with a 1.0 mm feeler which seemed OK on all 6.

Very odd indeed but the new plugs make a huge difference in performance. It idles very smoothly, and power is where it should be.

I used a small amount of silicone grease on each ceramic portion for ease of installation/removal of the coil pack, and I used a bit of anti-seaze on the threads of each before installation.

I torqued to about 19 ft-lbs, and that seemed to feel about right.

The engine cover was always easy to remove/install but I am having a prob w/t. So I will today try removing the Torx scews, push-on the mount, and then screw back the mounting screws.

Oh, and I cold not have done this so easily w/o the snap extensions from Harbor Freight!

objec

I see the date towards the lower left is through 2005. My car was made in 2007 and not on the list.