E39 Faq

I have read alot about replacing the resonator. Some people put a Walker Dynomax Resonator on, and others delete it. A good link that talks about this is: http://bmw540ifun.com/ModExperiences.htm
On this sight, the guy reverses the resonator..... I jsut purchased a 2000 540i6. It is stock, and I want to upgrade to CAI, exhaust, software, and possibly the resonator. Any suggestions here? Also, are there any thoughts on the Dinan anti-roll bars. Supposedly they reduce body roll and provide the most neutral handling possible.
# 17 mm Adjustable Rear Antiroll Bar
# 27 mm Front Antiroll Bar
CHEERS
Kevin

For you guys that have been asking for exhaust videos, here are mine.
I made 7 of them. A few are of my Magnaflow Muffler and a 3" pipe in place of the stock resonator, and a few are of the same rear muffler, and the stock resonator in place. The camera doesn't really pick up the difference in volume, but it is definitely much louder with the resonator removed.


Magnaflow part # 11259
http://www.magnaflow.com/02product/s...ne=main&id=429

Magnaflow Muffler with 3" replacement pipe

Drive Off
Idle Revving
In-Car Driving


Magnaflow Muffler with Stock Resonator


Drive Off 1
Drive Off 2
Idle Revving
In-Car Driving

Ever get that shake when you are going about 50ish? right at the speed limit, the car transforms and becomes a rolling vibrator? well, you're not alone. it could most likey be your thrust arm bushings.

now conventional wisdom would suggest to replace it with OEM E39 540/M5 bushings however, there are some that went with an E38's bushing since it's said to be stronger (car's heavier after all). But I personally like the idea of using X5's bushings. It's not as clear cut as it seems though. There are controversy behind which bushings to use and even how it should be installed. The X5's suspension geometry is reversed and thus the bushing is installed reversed but what if you reversed a reversed bushing in ours? it's complicated so i'll get these guys do the explaining with pictures:

Bushing controversy..... and you thought "who killed JFK" was complicated... HA!!! they never owned an E39

HOW TO REPLACE THE THRUST ARMS ON YOUR E39 540I BMW

(1997-2003 5-SERIES V-8 CARS)


Most drivers of higher-mileage E39 BMW's have probably experienced the infamous shimmy that occurs in the front suspension at speeds between 50 and 60 MPH. The shimmy is often very pronounced when braking through the same speed range as well, giving the false impression of an out-of-round brake rotor. Assuming that your tires are properly balanced and aligned, and your lug nuts are properly tightened, the likeliest cause of this problem is worn out thrust arm bushings. Removing the thrust arms and installing new ones, or simply replacing the bushings once the thrust arms have been removed from the vehicle is a job that is well within the capabilities of a reasonably experienced shade-tree mechanic.

Whether you want to replace the entire arms or just the bushings is up to you, and the decision pretty much comes down to cost. The amount of work is about the same. The entire thrust arm assembly costs about $100 per side for OEM quality Lemforder units, whereas the bushings alone can be replaced for about $40. If you replace the whole arm, you're also getting a new ball joint on the front end, which probably isn't a bad idea on a higher mileage car. My feeling is, if you can't afford to drop $200 for a pair of new thrust arms, you really can't afford to be driving this car, especially in an era of $3.50 per gallon gasoline.

This is an illustrated do-it-yourself (DIY) write-up showing how to change the thrust arms on an E39 540i (model years 1997-2003). The subject car is a 1998 540iA. The job is conceptually the same on the 6-cylinder cars, but the front suspension and steering are somewhat different, so the pictures may not be an exact match. The procedure I followed is the one outlined in the Bentley manual. The driver's side of the car is shown in my pictures, but the passenger's side is identical.

This write-up is provided as a courtesy to other E39 enthusiasts, but your use of the information herein is entirely at your own risk. I assume no responsibility in the event of injury or adverse outcome resulting from the use of this information. Above all, BE SAFE and don't get in over your head. The labor for this task is only a few hundred dollars at a good, independent BMW mechanic's shop. It isn't worth life, limb or damage to your vehicle if you don't have the experience necessary to competently perform this procedure.

Suggested Tools and Supplies

-Floor jack
-2 jack stands
-4 blocks or car ramps
-Breaker bar with 4-inch extension, or tire wrench
-17mm socket for removing lug bolts
-13mm deep socket for removing sway bar bracket nuts
-16mm and 18mm socket and combination wrenches for loosening pinch nut and bolt on strut collar
-22mm combination wrench for removing ball joint nut
-21mm socket and combination wrenches for removing thrust arm bolt and nut
-Torque wrench
Large screwdriver, chisel, or other strong, flat-bladed tool for prying open pinch collar on strut
-Various lengths of extensions, universal joints, etc. for your socket wrench are helpful
-Ball joint removal tool (highly recommended)
-Permanent marker pen or paint to scribe reference line on strut tube
-Rags
-Denatured alcohol or lacquer thinner

Procedure

1) Make sure the car has a full tank of gas before you start (this is important later – you will need the weight of the fuel in the vehicle). Have the key in the ignition and unlock the steering wheel so you can turn the steering array as needed when you are working.

After loosening your lug bolts with the 17mm socket and breaker bar, get the car up on jacks. The front jack point for the E39 540i is shown in image #1 – you want the jack on those four big dented-out triangle sections which all point to that hole in the middle. I strongly suggest padding your floor jack and jack stands with a folded rag to avoid tearing up your car. You do not need to remove the splash shield from the bottom of the vehicle.



Images 2 and 3 show the car up on jacks from the front and side. I keep the floor jack under the front jack point as an added measure of safety. Chock the rear wheels for safety.





2) Lower the front sway bar – you need to do this to get room to reach the bolt that holds the bushing side of the thrust arm to the frame. The sway bar is held to the frame by two, large gold-colored brackets – one on each side of the car. You can see it in image #4 on the left side of the picture.



Remove the two nuts from the studs using a 13mm socket wrench, and pull off the brackets. The sway bar will only drop an inch or two, but that's all you need. You don't even need to remove the rubber bushings that are under the brackets – you can see one of these bushings in image #5.



The large bolt you will eventually remove to drop the bushing side of the thrust arm from the frame can be seen above and to the left of the rubber bushing on the sway bar in image #5.

3) Image #6 shows the bottom of the strut tube and the steering knuckle. At the bottom of the strut tube you can see two large nuts. The rear nut is the one that fastens the ball joint side of the thrust arm to the steering knuckle. The bottom of the strut tube is so close to those nuts that you can't get a wrench or ball joint puller on them. This necessitates lowering the steering knuckle.



In order to lower the steering knuckle (slide it down the strut tube), it will be necessary to loosen the pinch bolt in image #7 (also seen from the bolt end near the top of image #6). I used a 16mm wrench on the bolt and an 18mm wrench on the nut to do this. PRIOR TO LOOSENING IT, clean the area where the strut tube comes out the bottom of the pinch collar, and using paint or permanent marker, draw a line exactly where the strut comes out of the collar so you can properly reposition it later.



After you have loosened the pinch bolt (there is no need to remove it entirely), stick a large, heavyweight screwdriver, a large chisel or some other prying tool right in that slot where you see the middle of the pinch bolt in image #7, and pry the collar open a small amount. You can also stick a small chisel in the slot and then use a wrench to turn the chisel and pry the collar apart – this very closely simulates the special tool BMW dealer mechanics uses for this task. Either way, it will take a bit of force.

When the collar is open sufficiently far, grab the brake caliper or rotor and slide the steering knuckle down on the strut tube by pulling downward – it only needs to come down an inch to an inch and a half. Look at image #8 – you can see the clean, shiny part of the strut tube that was exposed after I slid the steering knuckle down. You may need to jiggle the steering knuckle assembly a bit, but it is heavy and should slide down without too much trouble.



4) As you can see in image #8, there is now enough room to get a wrench on the ball joint nut. Remove the nut using a 22mm combination wrench.

Now, the hard part – pressing the ball joint stud out of the steering knuckle. It is in there TIGHT. I would not do this job without a ball joint press of the type you see in image #9 and #10. I have read posts from guys who say they've been able to remove the ball joint using a pickle fork, or by banging on the top of the stud. You're on your own if you decide to go that route. I rejected that option from the start. Space is just too limited, and you're talking about banging around on aluminum suspension components here. I bought the ball joint tool at www.zdmak.com - (do a search on "ball joint") - it cost me about $40, but there are other sources and price ranges.





HOWEVER YOU DO IT, DON'T DON'T DON'T DAMAGE THE BALL JOINT AND BALL JOINT STUD IF YOU'RE JUST GOING TO CHANGE OUT THE BUSHINGS AND WILL BE RE-USING THE OLD THRUST ARM AND BALL JOINT. If you're replacing the whole thrust arm, then this isn't an issue. The steering knuckle will look like image #11 when you finally get the ball joint stud out.



5) Now we're ready to remove the bushing side of the thrust arm from the frame. This is easy by comparison to the last step. Image #12 shows you what it looks like in place.



Image #13 shows the 21mm socket wrench on the bolt that goes through the center of the bushing and holds the thrust arm to the frame. You can also see the end of the bolt in Image #5. You may need to jiggle the steering back and forth a little bit to get the socket wrench on the bolt – I did this just by grabbing the brake rotor and turning the steering a tad. There's not a lot of extra room to maneuver. You'll also need to have a 21mm combination wrench on the nut to keep it from slipping.



Once you have the nut off, pull the bolt out and you can drop the thrust arm. Again, you may need to jiggle the steering a bit this way or that to give yourself room to pull the bolt. Image #14 shows how the frame side looks with the thrust arm removed. Image #15 shows the old thrust arm with bushing, ball joint and retaining bolt and nut. At this point, you're halfway there on the driver's side, and the hardest part of the job is behind you.





If you're only replacing the thrust arm bushing and are re-using the old thrust arm and ball joint, this is where you will press the bad bushing out of the thrust arm and re-install the new one. I went with all new thrust arms, so I regret that I can't provide you with any counsel on this step. I understand it is possible to do this yourself, though it's a lot less trouble to simply take your old thrust arms to a mechanic's shop that has a hydraulic press and remove/replace your bushings that way.

6) Image #16 is a picture of the new Lemforder thrust arm. Leave the protective cap in place over the ball joint stud until the last minute when you are ready to push it into its hole on the steering knuckle. Wiggle the bushing side of the thrust arm into its place in the bracket on the frame of the car. Push the 21mm bolt back in and thread the nut back on. DO NOT TORQUE THE BOLT DOWN AT THIS TIME! Just put the nut on the bolt and hand-tighten it. Image #17 shows the new thrust arm in place on the bushing/frame side.





7) Remove the protective safety cap and insert the ball joint stud in its hole on the steering knuckle. Thread the 22mm nut onto the stud and tighten it. As you tighten the nut, it pulls the ball joint into its proper position – there's nothing special you have to do here. See Image #18. Using your torque wrench, tighten the 22mm nut to 80Nm (59 ft-lb).



8) Reposition (raise) the steering knuckle on the strut and tighten the pinch bolt. Using your torque wrench, tighten the pinch bolt to 81Nm (60 ft-lb). Again, this took a 16mm wrench on the bolt and an 18mm wrench on the nut on my car.

9) REPEAT STEPS 3 THROUGH 8 ON THE PASSENGER'S SIDE OF YOUR CAR.

10) Use denatured alcohol or lacquer thinner to clean your brake rotors if you grabbed them with your hands at some point during the procedure. Put the wheels back on the car and torque down the lug bolts. The lug bolts are 17mm, and should be torqued to 120NM (89 ft-lb) plus or minus 10Nm (7 ft-lb).

10) NOW we're going to tighten the bushing bolts on the thrust arms. The car needs to be LEVEL and SITTING ON ITS TIRES up on blocks or ramps, about 8 inches off the ground in front AND back. The car needs to be at spec ride height before you torque down the bolts. In addition to a full tank of gas (remember this?), you need about 150 pounds in each front seat, 150 pounds in the middle of the back seat, and 45 pounds in the trunk. If you're really anal you can measure and adjust the ride height further following the procedure in the Bentley manual, but this gets you plenty close enough. NOW you can get under the car and torque down the bolts that hold the bushing side of the thrust arm to the frame. Torque these 21mm bolts to 110Nm (81 ft-lb).

11) Re-install the sway bar brackets, making sure that the little nub on the rubber bushing fits in the corresponding hole in each bracket (See Image #5). Torque the 13mm nuts to 24Nm (18 ft-lb).

12) Lower the car to the ground and enjoy your shimmy-free ride! Incidentally, it is not necessary to have an alignment done following this procedure.

Does anyone know how to the fix loose upholstery (i think thats what its called) in the sliding moonroof?

Originally Posted by lex89

There is no replacement part for this without replacing the entire door, so you have to sand, prime, and paint. It's a pretty simple process, just make sure you tape up the area well so you don't get any paint on your leather.

I found a great match for anyone with sand interior. Can't remember the name atm but I'll post it here soon. If anyone knows good matches for their interior just pm me and i'll put it in here

Any luck on the remembering the matching color?

Sorry about that. Here is what I used:

Behr Premium Plus Flat Enamel
Burnt Almond (280F-4)
Accent Base (1856)

Colorant OZ 48 96
C Yellow Oxid 0 23 0
I Brown Oxid 0 8 0
KX White 0 14 0
L Raw Umber 0 27 0


If you give all of that info to Home Depot they should be able to make the same color I had. (Sand interior)

Originally Posted by MBCisme123

Does anyone know how to the fix loose upholstery (i think thats what its called) in the sliding moonroof?

questions aren't posted here unless they are follow-up's like the other one you asked (the matching color).

I think you'd get better response if it was posted outside of this thread.

Originally Posted by chivas

questions aren't posted here unless they are follow-up's like the other one you asked (the matching color).

I think you'd get better response if it was posted outside of this thread.

Sorry bout that

If the outside of your headlights look a little fogged or dirty, try cleaning them with acetone with a towel making small circle motions, then wipe dry wipe another cloth.
Doesn't make your headlights look brand new, but i just cleaned mine and you can tell a difference.

Hey guys, a couple of edits to my thrust arm DIY article, post #29 above. Thanks to CHIVAS for the suggestions.

Regarding the ball joint removal tool: There are a number of different styles of tools, and depending on the one you get, you'll be doing a little bit of trial and error to figure out how best to position it for maximum effect. With some of them, the fit is better if you pry the ball joint boot up and out of the way. I simply used a hammer to lightly tap the bottom of the tool into position over the boot.

It takes a lot of force from the tool to break the ball joint loose. Towards the end, I had a rag wrapped around the wrench to pad it, I was torquing so hard on the tool. Just about the time you're thinking "this is not going to work", it breaks loose. Now here's a "heads-up" - when it finally does, it's with an explosive report like a pistol shot, so be ready for it. I thought I'd broken something when I heard it the first time.

--------------------------------

Regarding removal of the large bolts that hold the bushing side of the thrust arm to the frame: The ones on my car slid out very easily, but I've had other guys tell me that theirs took a little more work to remove, and that they had to use pliers. This may be due to water or some other fluid having seeped in and seizing the bolt.

to add to Randy's post:

just to give you a heads up on the tool. i got a different one then hotswimmer (randy).

This is the one i got:




if you notice the one in the writeup, the bolt is in the middle of the two pieces. mine is on the bottom. for me to get mine to work, i had to turn the steering wheel a bit to get the right angle in there. it also helped i have a 4 lbs shorty studge hammer to "tap" (i use that word liberally) it in there AFTER i pealed the rubber boot on the bottom of the ball joint DOWN so the FORK would wedge itself in there.

worked like a charm and scared the piss out of my friend... actually, we were doing this on this car. i'm just going to do the bushing part.

For the control arm kit (control arms, thrust arms, and tie rod ends) can the remove/install be done on ramps, as you mentioned, without removing the wheels?

Originally Posted by Hotswimmer

10) NOW we're going to tighten the bushing bolts on the thrust arms. The car needs to be LEVEL and SITTING ON ITS TIRES up on blocks or ramps, about 8 inches off the ground in front AND back. The car needs to be at spec ride height before you torque down the bolts.

I'm thinking of just driving the car up on the ramps that I have (used for the frequent oil changes that I'm condemned to) and removing the control arms and just replacing them. The thing that gets me is the final torque. After hand tightening them, I would need to roll the car off of the ramp!? get it level THEN torque? How difficult is it to get to the bushing bolts, with the car sitting on the floor, using a tq wrench?

Originally Posted by ketchup

For the control arm kit (control arms, thrust arms, and tie rod ends) can the remove/install be done on ramps, as you mentioned, without removing the wheels?



I'm thinking of just driving the car up on the ramps that I have (used for the frequent oil changes that I'm condemned to) and removing the control arms and just replacing them. The thing that gets me is the final torque. After hand tightening them, I would need to roll the car off of the ramp!? get it level THEN torque? How difficult is it to get to the bushing bolts, with the car sitting on the floor, using a tq wrench?

no.. you aren't going to be able to get in there with the wheel attached.

Got Links?

Originally Posted by ketchup

For the control arm kit (control arms, thrust arms, and tie rod ends) can the remove/install be done on ramps, as you mentioned, without removing the wheels? I'm thinking of just driving the car up on the ramps that I have (used for the frequent oil changes that I'm condemned to) and removing the control arms and just replacing them.

Nope, can't see that working out very well.

Originally Posted by ketchup

The thing that gets me is the final torque. After hand tightening them, I would need to roll the car off of the ramp!? get it level THEN torque? How difficult is it to get to the bushing bolts, with the car sitting on the floor, using a tq wrench?

Here is what I'm going to do:

For the front, have the back tires on. I have a full tank of gas. Put two small people in the car. With the front on jack stands, tires off, use padding on my jack and carefully jack up the knuckle and tighten the bolts. Repeat for other side.

Do the same/opposite on the rear.

Any better suggestions?

Originally Posted by racerock

For the front, have the back tires on. I have a full tank of gas. Put two small people in the car. With the front on jack stands, tires off, use padding on my jack and carefully jack up the knuckle and tighten the bolts. Repeat for other side.
Do the same/opposite on the rear.
Any better suggestions?

The car really needs to be level, so having the back on the ground and the front in the air will change the balance of weight on the wheels. Also, with the weight off the front your not going to know where to stop of the compression of the strut and being torqueing.

If you want to try this, first I would advise taking a measurement from the center of the wheel hub to the lower fender with the wheels on. Get jack stands under all four corners of the car. Compress, one wheel at a time, with the floor jack until you reach the same hub to fender measurement you had with the wheels on the ground. Add another 1/4 inch of compression if the car isn't weighted. Torque the bolts, move onto the next wheel. Note the car will actually be lifted off the closest jack stand while you are doing this.

Another idea is to use 4 equal ramps or blocks. Get the car, with the wheels on, up on all 4 sides and then get under the car and torque the bolts. You will need weight to do this properly and you need really high ramps or you need to be really skinny.

This is a step which is really really really best done on a lift.

Originally Posted by z0lt3c

The car really needs to be level, so having the back on the ground and the front in the air will change the balance of weight on the wheels. Also, with the weight off the front your not going to know where to stop of the compression of the strut and being torqueing....

Thought about this further, and getting ready to do this probably this weekend.

To be clear, I'd have the car level. You are right about this as being important. It is important for each wheel to see the same load as if it was sitting there.

So, What I'm making up is a sort of adapter that is going to bolt to the wheel hub and I'll use my floor jack to raise the hub up to the point that it lifts the vehicle. Same as if the tire was on the ground. The other three tires on the ground.

The Jack Stand is only there to allow the jack to get under the hub.

Was going to make the adapter out of steel (maybe a big wide piece of c channel) and weld a piece of pipe to actually set it in the jack after popping out the jack plate in the jack. Then I went up in my loft and saw a piece of IPE (Ironwood) scrap that is the right width for cutting a hole, and the bolt pattern for the wheels. I don't think it needs to be very elaborate. Should work fine, and better than jacking any of the aluminum pieces/arms/balljoints on the suspension.

Will update.

hi, i have had the m5 quad exhaust done on my 540, tyre well not affected, looks sweet but sounds even sweeter

Originally Posted by racerock

Will update.

Finally got around to doing it about a week ago. Turned out fine.

Sorry about the delay. It worked pretty good, and allowed for a bunch of room in there. However, I only used the Ipe on the front as the rotors were off. Went to the rear, and because the rotors were on, and I did not have long enough bolts, ended up jacking up the rotor Very carefully putting a folded up rag on the jack and jacked up on the rotor.

Basically a full tank, put stuff in the trunk for weight and had two people in the car on level jack stands. Jack it up just to where it lifts and torque the bolts. The rear cam bolt is impossible to torque to spec. because you can't get a socket in there.

Mister Chow has answered your prayers!

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=171361

it's your adjustors. check this thread out with the PDF's attached:

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=179156

Originally Posted by chivas

for angle eye upgrades, you can go either with Umnitza and their predator lights or with OE Hellas from http://eurosportdesign.com/headlights.htm

predator lights are thicker and brighter... almost 10 folds brighter. the draw back? the eletrical wiring is questionable when they start to fail and it's to my personal experience that it was the connectors failing. i had to take the connector apart and solder them to make sure they'll fire up right the first time every time.
some also say the look cheapens the look of the 5. some say it looks rice but this is all opinions and they are like assholes...


OE Hellas are nice. fits well, projects a bit tighter and just built better overall though i really wish they made the rings light up white to match the xenons. the other drawback is the price. they are going to cost you but you get what you pay for so weigh your thoughts carefully and choose wisely.

some don't want to drop the dough for the OE's or some just don't like the yellow OE rings, contact Matt:

http://www.umnitza.com/


i have the P39's for the last 2 year and i love them. definately makes the car stand out more then the OE's though some say it's "rice", i like them because it's different and honestly, i can't stand the yellow rings OE lights offer. it's not rice if it's done right.

It's the driveshaft! BMW decided to use a non-servicable driveshaft and a CV joint grease fitting ... two things that don't go well together. Like clockwork, around 100K miles, the seal between the rear differential flange and the driveshaft CV joint can fail sending now liquified grease flying everywhere. It can create quite a mess and puts your whole drivetrain at risk of failing.

If you take this problem to a BMW dealer they are going to recommend that the whole driveshaft be replaced at a cost of over $1500 (at least they did when I brought it to them)!

In all cases I've seen, the driveshaft is fine and it's simply a combination of a $10 seal and repacking the old CV joint with grease to correct. The only problem is to get to the CV joint you need to drop the entire exhaust system. If you are gonna tackle this as a DYI be sure to set aside the whole day.

I recommend Redline CV-2 grease packed into both the driveshaft CV joint and differential flange. You can apply it on a small piece of cardboard to really work it in there. i was able to get about 3/4 of a tube in before sealing everything up. You can get the part number for the seale from www.realoem.com and order it at any BMW parts counter.

Just last month I got the CEL and found out that I needed a new MAF. Cleaning it with MAF cleaner didn't seem to work at all. I searched the web and found out that I could use a VW MAF, however I'd have to remove the sensor from the VW MAF Tube and put it in my MAF tube. (VW's intake's are smaller diameter.) Not to mention that the clip wouldn't work with VW's Sensor.

After a little more research, I remembered that 2003-2005 Range Rovers use the same 4.4L BMW M62TU Motor. I called up the Land Rover dealership and asked what the cost would be for their MAF. To my surprise it was about $120 after tax. After inspecting the part, they're both identical, down to the finest detail. Much cheaper than the $480 the BMW dealer quoted me.