Never had one of these thread things in here before (I don't think anyway). So here it is. 

 

Following on from my other thread where I showed the pics I will just quote that here. 

 

 

Right I am BACK, more importantly No.24 is parked 1/2 on the road, 1/4 on the drive and 1/4 on the pavement 


My day in Video and pics below

With thanks to ChrisW880 for all his help in collecting it in style.

 

 

 

A steady 43.4mpg was achieved of which the first 27 miles of ownership returned 26mpg  

 

My *cough* 'iDrive' display  

 

 

I guess by the range that a couple of £50's need thrown it's way already  :(

 

Went to install my cameras today......... Fuse box in boot and a small one behind glove box, spot on I thought. Nope all fuses are permanent live can bus controlled for things like the cigarette lighter which goes off with the key. Looking around some BMW forums I discovered that if you didn't spec a smokers pack you got ZERO 12v sockets on UK models LOLOLOLOL Then the obvious people trying to find one they can use stuff. Hunting down wires people have used which don't exist in my car took hours and eventually I decided to rip out centre console and get at positive cable going to cigarette lighter itself. This involved removing entire dash trim, radio climate control panel the lot. I have it all sorted rear one I managed to find a fuse which appears to be switched and all is good back there after testing 80 off points.  Front all set up ready to blow and BOOM I shred my 3 meter USB cable for the camera and have to wait for another to arrive now. Still have my old camera in the front so I am at least not without. But it's all in place waiting to just fire in 5 min after postie drops off my new cable I am sorted. 

 

 

Moving on from that, the official combined figure for MPG is 40. I was more than happy with achieving 43.4MPG on her maiden voyage covering all manor of road types, but then the findings some would say are bad I say are good. 

 

When I went to see car the guy had "Just arrived back 2 minutes ago" in the car and therefore it was warm......... I decided ffs ok lets have a test drive now while its warm then I can poke about checking it over while it cools etc. The temperature the heater attained was not all that great, on max it was just enough if it was say night time. As the car does not have a temperature gauge, I had to unlock the hidden menu on dash to get into diagnostic mode and read the coolant temp live that way. As I hoped, it wasn't getting it's temp up over 60Deg C. Price from BMW £60 delivered next day to my door, not three bad and a common as muck fault (even had this with the BMW engine in my MG ZT+.....).  So I ordered a new main thermostat and EGR thermostat too just for good measure, oh and some coolant for convenience. Also for those who are aware of the legacy of swirl flap misery with most BMW diesels, until BMW admitted defeat and stopped using them in more recent cars! I decided I would sort those out too.

 

So today was the day, a break in the clouds and I set to it! FML what a long day didn't finish until 2335 tonight in the dark and pouring rain reassembling what felt like the entire engine bay...... But all sorted now and happy as a pork based animal in used food.

 

Started like this....

 

 

Everything covering the engine bay had to come off....... EVERYTHING! Also the front under tray which I thought of last minute as it might be a good idea not to have a few litres of coolant falling on top of it

 

 

Note looking at top of inlet manifold that only 2/3 of the 6 cylinders are visible....... 

 

Plenty of access to the front of engine with just the bits removed from a couple of pics ago. Unfortunately the main stat is not readily accessible and a tangled web of pipework was there to tease me. It's directly below the EGR cooler which I have already removed as its handier and EGR stat easier to change with it out). 

 

EGR cooler with my brand new wee thermostat in it (that's the old o ring on ground). 

 

New main thermostat in

 

Then I had the ultimate brain wave to just reassemble everything rather than heading for the inlet manifold so I could bleed it as it was looking like rain. Bled it (took an age) and all well. After this I decided ........ 8pm sod it let's finish the job......  :think:

 

Inlet manifold off. Oh sweet Jesus! 

 

 

One of those WTF moments when I took it off as No.6 was looking a lot worse for ware over the others and I looked a little closer  
The insulation at back of block had been caught when someone has put it back on in the past and it was trapped there. 

 

 

 

Cleaned up and did what I was doing to the intake manifold and got her all back together in the stinking rain in pitch black with a torch stuffed in my mouth, soaked the the bone and swearing randomly at random inanimate objects. 

 

Cleaned up all panels that went back on (rain did the majority share of that  and now all is right with the world again! Going like a freight train! Temp is spot on! after about 5 of those 6 odd miles.

 

 

 

I haven't been able to spend time working on my own cars since before I got my first Skoda, as they were a lot newer and in warranty I kept them honest with the dealers. But not being tied up with that any more I get to do things myself and not pay labour charges. And all of the above was carried out with odds and ends of bits of tools I had lying about. 

 

Car seems pretty good and I am still overall very pleased with it, I knew it wasn't getting up to full temp when I inspected it and that the thermostats were dead common. This will now increase my MPG a good bit on a proper run. I expect to with the same effort I made to get 43.4mpg on an engine running cold, get high 40's owners report as high as 55 on long distance motorway stuff. Only time will tell on that front, but this will stand me well for better eco now.  :sun:

 

As there are 4 new tyres on the alloys which I would say need a refurb, I am unlikely to bother and look at the possibility closer to the time when I need new rubber. 

Good work!

Tis a nightmare aint it, its a 2 hour job to change an airfilter on mine

Did you get a genuine main stat? I fitted a Eurocarparts one to mine and it failed within a month cheap tat

Good work!

Tis a nightmare aint it, its a 2 hour job to change an airfilter on mine

Did you get a genuine main stat? I fitted a Eurocarparts one to mine and it failed within a month cheap tat

 

Yea got one from main dealers and the EGR one too and their own special magical coolant. Big bottle of distilled water from Halfords for £2.99 though lol. Total spend £118 My initial reaction was when reading around and folk saying, this is common and only get a proper BMW part not that much more than ECP, was well if the BMW ones fail so much why not get another make. The I saw all the peoples who have had other ones fail within hours to a few months!!!! 

 

Air filter on this one isn't too bad looking for location, still be a good hour of my life though. BMW like to put them in pointless places! 

 

Which one do you have Jase? 

I have a genuine main stat (after ECP failure) and genuine EGR stat (ECP sell genuine BEHR ones)

And air filter wise im just rocking a standard one

Edited 10 May, 201412 yr by BigJase88

I have a genuine main stat (after ECP failure) and genuine EGR stat (ECP sell genuine BEHR ones)

And air filter wise im just rocking a standard one

 

Previous owner did seem genuinely clueless about cars in general. His wife wasn't impressed with his purchase and the fuel economy I suspect too lol. He had it serviced at a local indy and I have the invoice etc same place did tyres at same time. They charged him a fair bit but I am going to have to service it again now, as I don't think they bothered! 

The garage i bought mine off apparently changed the airfilter

I decided to change it 10k later and it hadn't been changed for years imo

The garage i bought mine off apparently changed the airfilter

I decided to change it 10k later and it hadn't been changed for years imo

 

Same as what happened on the MG ZT+ I just sold with it's BMW diesel engine, was horrified! But in the E60 strut brace has to come off the lot to change flippin air filter.... MOT due in Aug and need to do a few bits for then so will give it a full service and keep doing it annually before MOT along with any other work needed. 

Have you done the swirl flaps?

Oh that's fun as well

Same as what happened on the MG ZT+ I just sold with it's BMW diesel engine, was horrified! But in the E60 strut brace has to come off the lot to change flippin air filter.... MOT due in Aug and need to do a few bits for then so will give it a full service and keep doing it annually before MOT along with any other work needed.

Yup same on e90

Strut brace

Plastics around bottom of window

And loads of other bits and bobs

Took me a fair while to change the filter

I like these cars and I understand the engines are fierce bits of kit but I had no idea they were so complicated to work on! 

I like these cars and I understand the engines are fierce bits of kit but I had no idea they were so complicated to work on! 

 

I have no idea why but then again the car's being RWD and then engine as a result being longitudinal as opposed to transverse mounted the filter is probably in the most logical place in that sense. Still an absolute whore to have to dig to get at something so basic. 

Have you done the swirl flaps?

Oh that's fun as well

 

In the pics above you can reminisce on the pleasure of that lol. 

In the pics above you can reminisce on the pleasure of that lol.

Reminisce!!!!!! Makes me want to self harm.......

Reminisce!!!!!! Makes me want to self harm.......

 

It got DARK while intake manifold was on the door mat and started raining........... rebuild with torch in mouth and torrential  rain was utter poo! Car running nice no MPG wise, I went to the NW200 having done 60 miles of cold engine runs stuff in and out of town 35.5mpg average. After 300 more miles it was up to 42.8MPG which isn't three bad as those 300 miles were all small A roads and 50% B roads. ALSO inc sitting in the traffic leaving the race day on Sat taking 2 hours to move 2.2miles! MOT due at end of Aug and will just service it fully before that and anything that needs done for MOT. Remap is tempting!!!! 

 

How are you finding your other halves 530d?? 

It got DARK while intake manifold was on the door mat and started raining........... rebuild with torch in mouth and torrential rain was utter poo! Car running nice no MPG wise, I went to the NW200 having done 60 miles of cold engine runs stuff in and out of town 35.5mpg average. After 300 more miles it was up to 42.8MPG which isn't three bad as those 300 miles were all small A roads and 50% B roads. ALSO inc sitting in the traffic leaving the race day on Sat taking 2 hours to move 2.2miles! MOT due at end of Aug and will just service it fully before that and anything that needs done for MOT. Remap is tempting!!!!

How are you finding your other halves 530d??

Yeah it's nice bit juicy round town but a lovely car

New wheels, yayyyyyyyyyy

 

M Sport wheels? Absolutely love these the car shape has grown on me hugely!

Are you selling the rover fubz..?

Are you selling the rover fubz..?

 The ZT is long gone now, went to a mate. 

More pics. 

 

 

 

Are you selling the rover fubz..?

 

ps. It now lives in Bangor, in case your about and see the x-power grey beast! Man driving it would have a beard.

Looks so much better with the new wheels. 

Great write up mate.  As we are about to collect a 330d, any chance you can tell me how you access the secret menu for temperature?

 

 Also, have you bothered with the swirl flaps and finally, why change the thermostats?

 

 That's all for now 

Thermostats degrade over time and cause the car to run at reduced temperature

The car should be running at 90 degree's but with a duff stat can run about 70-80 degree's. Which reduces mpg considerably

Also it can kill the dpf as the car can not get enough temperature to perform a 'regen' (if fitted with dpf)

Google bmw hidden menu and you should find a walkthrough