Engine Mount DIY for 535xi?
 

it feels like i should replace the engine mounts on my N54 all wheel drive car. however, i can't seem to find any DIY's for xi cars and the N54.
is this something that is DIY-able, or should i drop the cash on a shop to deal with it?

https://www.pelicanparts.com/techart...eplacement.htm

Note the first comment about having to remove the passenger side axle on the xi's to R/R that mount.

I had two broken mounts replaced a couple of years ago. My indy says it's a bitch getting at then on an xi.

i've seen that, but its for a M54, not N54. being similar isn't the DIY i'm looking for. since the passenger side has 2 turbos and associated plumbing, i don't think they will be all that "similar".

this is what i was afraid of. if its a bitch for someone with a lift, can't imagine it will be all that much fun for me on jack stands in my driveway.
guess i will start calling around for quotes.

My indy charged me $280, which I thought was very reasonable.

is that just labor, or including parts?
if that includes parts, that's real good. OE mounts alone are $200.

Can you share the name of this shop?

You say "feels like they need replacing". What do you mean, is the engine flopping around? Back in the old days, my buddy's '68 Dodge Polara tore the engine mount which let the engine lift so far it ripped off the power steering hoses. That was a very obvious failure.

PM sent.

at idle, in drive, with A/C on, and brake pedal depressed. so just like at a stop light. there is vibration. its not horrible, its noticeable though. the car has 111,000 miles.

It's not that bad IMO. I've dropped the subframe for the second time now and you honestly don't have to drop it all the way to do the mounts. If you have decent wrenching skills and an engine brace, you'll be fine.

8

Do you know if there is any DIY guide to lowering or removing the subframe on an X-Drive E60? I haven't been able to find one yet.

There is a video on youtube, but it is not in depth. Overall, brace engine from top, unbolt front and rear control arms from the subframe (you can likely leave the axles, tie rods, and struts in because you won't have to drop the subframe all the way down to do engine mounts), unbolt the front right height sensor arm and unplug connector, unbolt steering coupler at the steering rack and unplug (easily done from driver's side fender well), unbolt engine mounts from top (bolt on driver's side and nut on passenger's), partially unbolt all 6 subframe bolts, lower subframe carefully with your choice of equipment (I've used an ATV or just a regular jack just fine, but I usually have my wife out there with me as a second set of hands comes in really handy). There may be enough slack in the power steering lines that are attached to the front of the subframe, but you can unbolt those as well (one bolt on the driver's side is on top of the subframe so you'll have to lower it some before you can get to it). You'll possibly need slack in the transmission fluid lines if you have an automatic; unbolt the two screws that hold the lines to a bracket towards the front driver's side of the subframe (they are a pain to get to, but you can lower the subframe down some to get access or you may not even have to remove).

Just take your time and double check everything as it is coming down to make sure everything has clearance and all lines have enough slack. Be careful with the engine brace as it will sit very far forward on the inner fenders; you don't want it to accidentally slide off. Again, a helper is encouraged.

Get yourself a 1/4" drive e-torx set for the mount to subframe fasteners and a 1/4" drive socket wrench with a flex head to help you get at the mount fasteners - clearances can be tight.

I am in the same boat. Need to replace the right front motor mount on a 2007 525xi (N52) engine. I can't find a DIY either.

My questions:

• It looks like I need to remove the passenger axle to gain access to the mount bolts?
• Then my other question is after getting access, is there enough room to jack up the engine to get the new mount in there without disassembling a bunch of things?
• Stealership said all four bolts sheared off. Will they be able to come out easily? I assume these are aluminum...

I usually DIY, but in this case I'm considering taking it to the dealer or find a Indy.

Damn potholes up here.

Subframe must drop down and the passenger axle goes through the subframe - so yes the axle must come out.

I agree, I have my engine mounts exposed, I can report back with pictures for evidence.

If you are unsure about your diagnosis you can always run to an indy and get a diagnosis for 60-100 bucks. This will ensure that if you decide to tackle this (not easy) job, you will indeed solve your chief complaint.

Good luck

how many miles are/were on your car when you did this?
i replaced cams in my E46, and while i was there, rebuilt the VANOS, so doing this on the N54 shouldn't be an issue for me.

i was able to go to a shop that put my car up on the lift and let me look around. my mounts looked ok, but, my oil pan gasket is leaking rather badly. so this job just went from mild pain in the butt, to 100% painful all over. :)

anyone have a good DIY for an oil pan on a XI? i keep finding the same thing, just "similar" DIY's.

when you say VANOS, are you only referring to the 2 solenoids on the front of the head? or any seals inside the VANOS unit?
i know they changed the design from the E46 era to the E9X era for the VANOS. now it looks like the only thing to service is the 2 solenoids.

just got a quote of $1300 to do the oil pan gasket. looks like i will be having a long weekend in may garage in the near future saving over $1000.

Hey, I am on the same boat as you. Wish you luck, let me know if you want to get in touch to bounce ideas off of while in the garage. I always find it helpful to have a second mind, especially when I can't find a solid DIY.

Check out my thread

i think it will be rather straight forward. keep taking stuff off until you can get the oil pan out.
i have a nice long 4 day weekend for new years. so this might be what i do then, since i won't need to leave the house for 4 days.
the thing that gets me is all the other bits i will have great acess to while i'm doing this. so my parts list goes from a gasket and oil change, to motor mounts, water pump, t-stat, hoses, and so on. well there goes that $1000. but its to a good cause. i kinda just want to convert it to rear wheel drive while i'm there.

I am novice, learning as I go. As far as straight-forward goes, I have disconnected everything that I can see plus the engine mounts. I plan on "flossing the subframe to double-check.

I am just a little afraid BMW has something in store for me that I am not yet aware about.

I might try to get away with disconnecting the axle at the differential, but leaving it attached the wheel hub. Do you think this is possible? assuming I detach the strut bar bracket bolt.

SAME! I actually am dropping the subframe for the turbo coolant line leak. found some oil under there so i figured to tackle it. Funny part is after tracking e90's its all fun and games until the awd makes it almost not worth it.

i simply don't need AWD. i live in Florida, there isn't any snow, and i know how to drive. plus i won't be putting 1,000+ hp through it. for me AWD just adds more things to go wrong. and this is a perfect example.

I am the opposite. I havnt needed awd all year, but now I am going to need it more than ever. Hope the service is a success.

What exactly does this have to do with your car having AWD? I also know how to drive, and AWD is an excellent feature where I drive, as are dedicated winter tires on said vehicle for the fun season. Of course, AWD makes little or no sense where you drive, and the added complexity is a waste for your needs.

to answer that, i will have to ask you what the point of having AWD in a car is for? as in why did the manufacturer decide to put AWD in their cars?
short answer, traction.
i grew up in Vermont. learning how to drive with snow, black ice, and generally bad weather helps you learn car control. i also only had 2WD trucks for the first few years of driving. look at where most of the WRC drivers come from, its not sunny locations.
even if i still lived in Vermont, i'd prefer RWD with a good set of snow tires. i simply don't want, or need AWD. but that's just me. but, to each his own.

And yet you bought a car with AWD. Might be best to sell it and get another RWD car.

I too 'cut my teeth' driving RWD cars on snow and ice - look at my sig and figure out where I live. Yes, it gets cold here and we get a lot of snow and ice, but we also have one of the highest 'blue sky day' aka 'sunny' percentages in NA. I've lived here since birth and started driving with RWD cars in about 1980, and regardless of financial situation, have always put winter tires on for winter driving. The first snow day of the year and you'd find me in parking lots exploring the handling potential of the car (read: spinning doughnuts and perfecting the "Canadian Flick"). The car that was the most 'fun' to drive in winter was my E34 M5. Did I have much trouble getting stuck with RWD? No. Does that mean I can't like the 4-wheel pull of AWD? Because I do. My xi has Nokian R winters and it pulls on snow nearly as well as on dry roads, much to the consternation of my wife (there are fingernail divots in the passenger side armrest).

I'm happy with my choice and the fact that BMW made the x-drive. In fact we have 3 AWD BMWs - 2x E53 and the E60. I'd change none of them. Sure, the additional hardware makes service a PITA for some things. Sure, xi limits options for modding. Still like it.

But I'm also fascinated by this: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rbttuning.xDelete&fbclid=IwAR1dDd6v yYiCDm53Vz4jWf7f1CJKZrFlavm_Xan8mx7-flkjV6gplQPdBoA

I am also interested in this.. how would you connect to the BMW? USB to ODBII?
[not familiar with coding]

Agreed, everyones got their own preference.

Zero cool, what are you gonna do about the 4x4 AWD error you will probably get with the hardware delete? or is as simple as a = 0 in code?

AFAIK you use a bluetooth module to the OBD port, and talk to it with the phone.
On another note, buddy has a 2009 X6 (E71) and it has a torque vector display on the dash that shows what % of power is going to each wheel. I'm wondering if it can be applied to E60/1. https://imgur.com/q18Lpmd

i bought a wagon, they are only available with AWD in the states. trust me i looked.
i don't dislike AWD in general. it has its uses and perks.

that app looks amazing. when i am ready i might just give a try.
i am using Evan's build thread as inspiration for the RWD conversion. i will stay auto trans though, so it should be a bit more simple.

not sure yet. it's a coding thing, i just haven't looked deeply into it yet as i am not ready. i have lots of other maintenance things i want to do first. sadly one is an oil pan gasket. an i have to remove just about every thing i would remove to do the conversion, aside from the trans. at least i will have experience.

Right, that's the DPC torque-vectoring rear axle. Guess I was just thinking it would be nice if the E60 system could display front/rear split on the display like the X6 does. Another reason to get an X6, aside from the fact it's a damn cool vehicle. More sport, less utility but still feels like driving a sedan. I only drove buddy's once, but would 10/10 switch.

Makes sense. I picked my sedan with X-Drive because I wanted it (precioussss). I really like the E61 too. More floor space than an E53 actually, and just as fun to drive as the E60.

OT: The only car I've ever purchased new was a 2007 Infiniti G35x. All the car magazines said the G35x was 99% as good as a BMW so I bit. At the time, I was feeling flush and took a chance. All the car magazines were dead wrong. The Infiniti wasn't even a scratch on a BMW for driving feel, quality or character. Sure, it was capable, but it felt like driving an appliance. It has the most intrusive stability control system I've ever encountered. One time I was pulling out into traffic on snow, it detected slip and it was if the engine stopped - nearly got t-boned. Buddy with the X6 nick-named it "Maytag". For $4000 more (too much of a stretch), I could have had, and should have stretched to a 330xi. After a few years I found a guy who lusted after the G35x and swapped his 2008 G37S (6MT) for it. At least that car had a stick and that allowed some semblance of driving pleasure. Regrets...

BTW, Nissan/Infiniti call their stability control VDC. With it on, it kills any and all fun. Turn it off and the car is un-driveable on snow. Love me the BMW DTC mode!

Good to know, thanks

Same exact spot here. I think I have a transmission leak too.. Going to try and get as much as I can done while I am down there, with the time I have, and I am blessed to have as much time as I have for now. This could have been tricky at another time of the year. Hope you get to stay warm!

just ordered my gasket, engine mounts, trans case mount, and some gaskets/o-rings for the oil return lines from the turbo, in case those are leaking also.
not really looking forward to this job, but i will be saving a ton of money. and i have a second (and third) car to drive if i need, so i can take my sweet ass time on it, if i need to.