Build Log: M57 X5

[Torgus]

Does he sell snake oil too on the side lol

Please post when you get to try it out!

I have visit both forums they seem pretty quiet but that makes sense I guess. Not that many people are modding X5s. I'll head over and check out XBimmers again.

 

[TwinTurboWagon]

It took me a couple months but I finally realized I live a few miles from a Proper station that has HPR, I go to the same station to fill my wagon with E85. It's nice that they don't over charge for the "performance" diesel, same price as Shell, Chevron, etc.

A fellow X5D owner, @Torgus lend me his JBD to try out until I get deleted/tuned. Running it at 100%. It offers a nice bump in power.

Since I have multiple BMW key fobs from the same generation I had some custom keychains made to keep them organized.

Personalized plates arrived.

Happy to report it is centered, I haven't had great success in the past.

Some pics racked up.

 

[Itsbrokeagain]

i dont know why I havent posted on this thread yet. Your truck is really coming along, looks impressive. I dig those foglights a lot, if I send you the parts would you make a set for me?

Any reason why the DUDMD stage 2 tune didnt make the cut? I run his tune on my truck and it transformed it into a monster, but due to the hybrid turbos I have on my X5 it needs a little custom tweaking, which at the moment he has only tuned one 335d with hybrids. He not confident in sending me that tune to daily drive until he has more data on it. So I deal with a flatspot in the powerband until 3100 when the large turbo comes alive and the truck moves in a frenzy towards the rev limiter LOL.


And forgot to ask, but how did the fender flares turn out? About to pull the trigger on that ebay kit soon.

 

[Torgus]

i dont know why I havent posted on this thread yet. Your truck is really coming along, looks impressive. I dig those foglights a lot, if I send you the parts would you make a set for me?

Any reason why the DUDMD stage 2 tune didnt make the cut? I run his tune on my truck and it transformed it into a monster, but due to the hybrid turbos I have on my X5 it needs a little custom tweaking, which at the moment he has only tuned one 335d with hybrids. He not confident in sending me that tune to daily drive until he has more data on it. So I deal with a flatspot in the powerband until 3100 when the large turbo comes alive and the truck moves in a frenzy towards the rev limiter LOL.


And forgot to ask, but how did the fender flares turn out? About to pull the trigger on that ebay kit soon.

When you say flat spot you mean like the smaller turbo is basically doing nothing until the switch over?

Tuning information on the M57 is so frustrating compared to the N54. At least we have flashing through the OBD2 connector now.

Which turbos did you pick up? Worth the $$$? Did you need to upgrade to the R90 pump? Running Meth? I may have asked you all of this before, I am slightly hungover and using a herbal remedy

 

[Itsbrokeagain]

When you say flat spot you mean like the smaller turbo is basically doing nothing until the switch over?

Tuning information on the M57 is so frustrating compared to the N54. At least we have flashing through the OBD2 connector now.

Which turbos did you pick up? Worth the $$$? Did you need to upgrade to the R90 pump? Running Meth? I may have asked you all of this before, I am slightly hungover and using a herbal remedy

I picked up TuneMyEuro stage 1s. Bigger compressor and clipped turbines. They were 1850 vs new Borg Warners at 1800.

Logging it with BG the small turbo spools instantly and I make like 18psi all the way til 3100 and then it's a rush to 34lbs. Need to either try messing with the changeover valve some more to divert more air to the big turbo or get DUDMD to play with the tune some more.

Tuning is tough given the small size of the turbos and BMWs nature of being over complicated...you inject too much fuel and you will have a big issue with melting stuff, lots of smoke, etc.

 

[TwinTurboWagon]

i dont know why I havent posted on this thread yet. Your truck is really coming along, looks impressive. I dig those foglights a lot, if I send you the parts would you make a set for me?

Any reason why the DUDMD stage 2 tune didnt make the cut? I run his tune on my truck and it transformed it into a monster, but due to the hybrid turbos I have on my X5 it needs a little custom tweaking, which at the moment he has only tuned one 335d with hybrids. He not confident in sending me that tune to daily drive until he has more data on it. So I deal with a flatspot in the powerband until 3100 when the large turbo comes alive and the truck moves in a frenzy towards the rev limiter LOL.


And forgot to ask, but how did the fender flares turn out? About to pull the trigger on that ebay kit soon.

Flares have fitment issue from being poorly packaged, I have been going back and forth with the company and their customer support is based in China so although they have been fairly responsive, communication has been slow. I asked them to send me a replacement set so I could simply swap them and return my originals, they are requesting I send my first set back, which I understand but a bit annoying as I have to swap fenders x2 and use these silly one time use rivets.

For the fog lights I am not opposed to making a few sets for those who are interested but at this time I don't have bandwidth to take on other projects as I am flipping a couple wagons in addition to my normal work.

With M57 tuning I am simply taking it all in and learning as much as possible. Coming from the N54 world where you can run JB4 + MHD for ~$500, have support, powerful user adjustments, and all the other features it seems criminal to spend $1,000 for a these "custom" off the shelf tunes which I believe are locked to the owner and vin. I am continuing to research the tunes and the options. If I am going to spend $1,000+ for something that is locked to the vehicle then I would want it to be customized for my vehicle, offering a few maps for different driving conditions and fuel. For example, I have access to HPR fuel so it would be nice to have a custom map for that, one for regular Diesel #2, and then one more maybe for economy/road trip.

I am open to all tuners at this point but I do have some favorites based off the price, power, and user feedback but M57 tuning seems to be a bit of smoke and mirrors where tuners simply share the bare minimum info, and the users aren't much into dyno testing, data logging, etc. so there isn't much "real" data being exchanged, just a dyno graph here and there and people saying they raced a Camaro and won. Again, very frustrating coming from the N54 world where sharing a data log and explaining what's going on is obligatory for anything tuning (or diagnostic) related. This lack of info only compounds the apprehension for paying big bucks for a one time flash. I don't know much about tuning but I can crawl my way through a data log and understand the basics of what's going on (with gas engine) but it sure would be nice to have more info shared on what's going on with the motor and tuning.

 

[Torgus]

Flares have fitment issue from being poorly packaged, I have been going back and forth with the company and their customer support is based in China so although they have been fairly responsive, communication has been slow. I asked them to send me a replacement set so I could simply swap them and return my originals, they are requesting I send my first set back, which I understand but a bit annoying as I have to swap fenders x2 and use these silly one time use rivets.

For the fog lights I am not opposed to making a few sets for those who are interested but at this time I don't have bandwidth to take on other projects as I am flipping a couple wagons in addition to my normal work.

With M57 tuning I am simply taking it all in and learning as much as possible. Coming from the N54 world where you can run JB4 + MHD for ~$500, have support, powerful user adjustments, and all the other features it seems criminal to spend $1,000 for a these "custom" off the shelf tunes which I believe are locked to the owner and vin. I am continuing to research the tunes and the options. If I am going to spend $1,000+ for something that is locked to the vehicle then I would want it to be customized for my vehicle, offering a few maps for different driving conditions and fuel. For example, I have access to HPR fuel so it would be nice to have a custom map for that, one for regular Diesel #2, and then one more maybe for economy/road trip.

I am open to all tuners at this point but I do have some favorites based off the price, power, and user feedback but M57 tuning seems to be a bit of smoke and mirrors where tuners simply share the bare minimum info, and the users aren't much into dyno testing, data logging, etc. so there isn't much "real" data being exchanged, just a dyno graph here and there and people saying they raced a Camaro and won. Again, very frustrating coming from the N54 world where sharing a data log and explaining what's going on is obligatory for anything tuning (or diagnostic) related. This lack of info only compounds the apprehension for paying big bucks for a one time flash. I don't know much about tuning but I can crawl my way through a data log and understand the basics of what's going on (with gas engine) but it sure would be nice to have more info shared on what's going on with the motor and tuning.

That is annoying to hear about the flares. I have considered getting them.

FWIW a local shop tuned me via OBD2 port. He sends to logs to a group of guys in Bulgaria and then they send a new map. Re log rinse and repeat until the tuning is done. At least that was how the owner of the shop explained it to me. I liked that vs. a canned map or someone putting epoxy on my DME chip. Shipping the DME out is so lame. They also refused to push it more unless I installed an IC or meth. So someone was actually looking at the logs I believe.

Given OBD2 flashing is now available I don't see why anyone would run a canned OTS map or mail out their DME.

What needs to happen is whoever in europe is tuning these get's in touch with MHD and MHD makes an M57 app. Probably not enough $$$ for MHD given how much just the N54 scene must be making them but I can always hope.

 

[Itsbrokeagain]

@TwinTurboWagon well whenever you want to take on the foglights project lemme know, I'll ship you a set to do.

 

[Torgus]

@TwinTurboWagon well whenever you want to take on the foglights project lemme know, I'll ship you a set to do.

Same. I bet other's would buy them...

 

[TwinTurboWagon]

The X5 hasen't been getting much love with a lot of recent travel, other project wagons, a broken finger, and a new 2mo puppy but I do have some maintenance and mods collecting.
Fluidampr, fuel filter, oil filter, vac lines, and a 3" QTP e-cutout I had left over from a wagon project. I have also been researching and strategizing for a custom intake, a big intercooler retrofit, potential trans cooler, and tuners/exhaust for the deletes.

Buying well designed off the shelf items is great since you know fitment will be perfect but I do enjoy the challenge of a good DIY/retrofit project so I will likely end up retrofitting a VRSF race intercooler and building an RK Autowerk style cold air intake. I know the OEM system is well designed but if I play my cards right I should be able to build a system that has similar filtering properties and intake air temps while offering a shorter piping run. Plus more turbo noises and a unique intake system. Living in San Diego I don't have many worries about excessive water/dirt/etc. Climate is kind to cars out here.

For exhaust I like the ATM since it has an in-line resonator but they seem to be out of stock and have been for a while, if it's not available then VRSF DP with Rawtek mid pipe seems to be a nice setup and I like having the 2 bolt flange in place of the slip on design. Either way the plan is to put the QTP valve as far back as possible, ideally right before the OEM muffler. straight piped M57s aren't too loud but since this is a road trip vehicle it will be nice to have a "quiet" mode.

The Y-pipe supplied by QTP has pretty poor fit and finish with a lot of excess material protruding from the welds, this will need to be ground down to keep gasses moving smoothly. QTP also supplies a monster of a toggle switch that is hard to operate and looks like it should be installed in a aircraft from the 70s so I will be upgrading it to a more elegant/flush switch and try to integrate it around the headlight dial so it looks as OEM as possible.

 

[r-sport]

Hi
I see you have done one bummer when you had your intake of , that was not to change ALL the vacuum lines (looks old on the photos) to the turbos, egr and engine mounts . I got an tip from an friend on BMW to replace them when the intake was of to remove swirl flaps. They was hard an brittle lik spaghetti The car get mutch quicker on low rpm and MPG get down 15%
Regards From Norway
Morten

 

[TwinTurboWagon]

Hi
I see you have done one bummer when you had your intake of , that was not to change ALL the vacuum lines (looks old on the photos) to the turbos, egr and engine mounts . I got an tip from an friend on BMW to replace them when the intake was of to remove swirl flaps. They was hard an brittle lik spaghetti The car get mutch quicker on low rpm and MPG get down 15%
Regards From Norway
Morten

See below

 

[TwinTurboWagon]

Replacing vacuum lines turned into bypassing the low pressure EGR cooler and deleting the high pressure EGR cooler.

OEM vac lines had ~80,000 miles on them and were nice and toasty. Even with expanding pliers I wasn't able to get the lines off the nipples without cutting them with a razor. The last vac line I replaced was for the low pressure EGR cooler (located under the LP turbo) and accidentally broke the plastic nipple off. After doing some research I sounded like this wasn't worth repairing since I plan to delete it eventually and the non functional valve should only throw a CEL, not put the X5 into limp.

After learning my EGR delete intake pipe could be installed without limp mode I decided now was a good tie to do that as well. Even while on a stock tune I like having this done to slow carbon build up and have a nice bump in engine efficiency.

The e61 that's for sale gets the garage so the workshop moved to the driveway.

Roasted and toasted!

The best tip I have is to figure out how to remove this rear solenoid, reaching many of the vac lines is awkward but these two are impossible unless you pop the solenoid out.

I didn't see any holes but the lines were not in good shape

Farewell cooler

With the braces out I hit them with some sandpaper and applied some top coat, hopefully they stay looking fresh, I am a bit fan of brushed metals, especially in engine bays.

 

[typedRew]

I check in here every day to see what progress you have made, love all your projects.

 

[Torgus]

BMW sure knows how to make a fucking ugly engine bay. M57 is hideous.

Still using the JBD tuner?

 

[TwinTurboWagon]

I check in here every day to see what progress you have made, love all your projects.

I got some good stuff coming!

 

[TwinTurboWagon]

BMW sure knows how to make a fucking ugly engine bay. M57 is hideous.

Still using the JBD tuner?

Yessir, setting 10, no issues except the initial WOT pull. I am nearing the end of my flurry of preventative maintenance and then it will be time for tune/deletes.

 

[TwinTurboWagon]

First things first, welcome the new garage mate: Oliver! Soon to be 3 month old Blue Merle Australian Shepard.

Back to the basics: fresh oil

Next project was to run the wiring for my paddles, the electrical pins are in the mail so I figured it would be good to get the wiring done. I started by removing the wheel so confirm the M-sport paddles are configured like other M-sport paddles with resistors ...and they are. M-sport owners on other chassis remove the resistors to create a simple switch, others add additional resistors but in the spirit of KISS, I will explore a coding option I read about which will allow communication, if now then I have the other more permanent options to explore.

After some poking around I decided to run the wiring in this manner from the SZL; through the fire wall just above the dead pedal, from just under the brake booster out another grommet to the driver wheel well, up and over the transmission, and back to the electrical connector. There might have been a more direct way but this was fairly easy to access and the wiring is away from all the hot items on the passenger side.

Grommet above the dead pedal

View of the grommet below the brake booster

Thread the needle

In this pic you can see the wire ran behond the wheel liner. Wiring is tucked away as I wait for the pins to arrive.

Next project was aligning the rear tailgate which was pulled over to the passenger side. Using NewTIS I found the instructions for aligning the gate and played around with the loosing the bolts which connect the hinge to the body and the gate, it was a pain and didn't really work. To access these bolts you had to remove the spoiler.

Here is before

It isn't perfect but the most beneficial adjustment came from correcting the latch catch. If you lowered the tailgate down manually to where it was almost shut you could see it was pretty straight but then got all crooked when latched, DOH! I should have paid closer attention, removing the spoiler and playing with the main hinge wasn't necessary SMH. I also noticed the passenger side "bottom-out pad"? was about 5 millimeters higher so I brought that down to level. Maybe it was raised earlier to eliminate tailgate rattle? We shall see.

Here is after, not perfect but much better

Added some fresh felt tape to the latch catch.

 

[TwinTurboWagon]

Last project was fabbing up a PCV delete plate which will eventually house a bulkhead fitting and allow me to run an oil catch can. Just as others have done I used 1/3" aluminum hacked it up with an angle grinder and a Dremel. Considering my lack of metal fabrication experience and relatively primitive tools I am happy with the outcome. I bought a small vented Mishimoto "style" OCC but I know the Provent is the go-to for the M57 with a few internal mods. TBH the Provent is huge and looks like hell so I will see if I can get satisfactory results for another style OCC, if not then I will revert to the Provent and it's unsightly "do they really need to be this large of a diameter" hoses.

Good enough!

Keep it clean!

 

[TwinTurboWagon]

I finished wiring the paddles and got everything operational. I will be creating a guide explaining the process for E70s, there was info online but it wasn't definitive so I am hoping the consolidation of the necessary steps plus some pointers will be helpful for others. Keep an eye out for a link soon.

In addition to the paddle shift project the maintenance train continued to charge forward with the following:

- Fluidampr harmonic balancer + upgraded alternator pulley
- Water Pump + Thermostat
- New Belts

Removing AC stretch belt

Alternator pulley: Left-Old Right-New

Left: OEM balancer
Right: Fluidampr

OEM HB looked to be in good shape. There was no record of it being replaced in 85k so it's nice to know the Fluidampr is in there now, especially before tuning.

Noted some minor wheeping around the crank hub, not an urgent matter but it will be corrected at some point.

Old vs New

Cleaned, inspected, and greased up.

Refilled cooling system and got up to operating temp.