[bshambam]

Hi Everyone!

I decided to make a build thread for this E91 I purchased. I bought the car site unseen from Ottawa-Canada, whereas I am located in Vancouver Canada (4362 kilometers away) - with the intention of enjoying a COVID-19 *within country borders* cross country trip.

I am calling her Leonia - for the province of Leonie in Bavaria. Tacky I know but my girlfriend says I have no imagination. I don't think I'll do too much with it but I think there is a bunch of interesting things that I can do while I revamp the vehicle.

This is the original for sale ad.





On-going work links:

Hella Water Pump & Thermostat Replacement:
https://www.e90post.com/forums/showp...7&postcount=50

Vanis Solenoid Replacement:
https://www.e90post.com/forums/showp...0&postcount=69

F10 Steering Wheel Modification:
First test-fit
https://www.e90post.com/forums/showp...&postcount=123

Hella Horn Upgrade
https://www.e90post.com/forums/showp...&postcount=117

Headlight Restoration
https://www.e90post.com/forums/showp...&postcount=121
https://www.e90post.com/forums/showp...&postcount=122

Clear Bra Removal
https://www.e90post.com/forums/showp...&postcount=162

[bshambam]

This is how she looked like when I picked her up.





Some of the parts that needed to be replaced by the dealership were as follows:

Oil Pan Gasket
Tires front and rear
Brake Pads & Rotors front and rear
Front and rear Window Washer Fluid Pumps

The car was on the lift as they had forgotten to replace the front Window Washer Pump, so one of the owners of the Dealership took one off of is own X3.

[bshambam]

Update 2021-09-16, approximately 1-year & 1 month after the initial purchase. The car is on the road.
The following parts were replaced at 197,025 kilometers.

Engine:
Modified 2-Gauge Main Engine Ground Strap
Modified Belt Guard @ Front Main Seal
Modified ATI Fluid Damper Pulley
Modified Coolant Neck @ Upper Radiator Hose
Modified Fuel Pump 400 LPH Walboro
Replacement Coolant Return Hose (Aftermarket)
Bosch Front & Rear x 2 Oxygen Sensors
Bosch Ignition Coils
Bosch Spark Plugs
Bosch Starter Motor
HELLA/oem water pump
BMW Left & Right Front Engine Motor Mounts
BMW Vanos Solenoids
BMW Vanos Solenoid Filters
BMW Belt Tensioner, Slave Pulley
VDO Replacement Fuel Pick-up system

Gaskets:
Oil Filter Housing Gasket
Valve Cover Gasket
Valvetronic Motor Gasket
ESS Sensor Gasket
Coolant Neck to Short Block Gasket
Front Engine Seal
Rear Engine Seal
Intake Manifold Gasket inclusive of PCV system hoses *all flex hoses*
Exhaust Manifold Gaskets + Hardware
Exhaust Manifold to Exhaust Runner Gasket

Transmission:
Clutch
Flywheel
Shifter Fork Stop Pin
Shifter Fork & release bearing
Shifter Linkage Pins x2

Fluids Change:
Power Steering Fluid Flushed with new CH
Brake System Flush with Motul Fluid
Clutch System Flush with Motul Fluids
Engine Oil Replacement with Motul 8100 + New Oil Filter
Transfer Case Flush with Motul Gear 300
Front & Rear differential Flush with Motul Gear 300
Radiator Flush with BMW fluid @ 50/50 mix ratio

Exterior Lighting:
LED Angel Eye H8 Bulbs
LED Fog Light Bulbs
LED Front Headlight Bulbs
LED Rear Signal Lights
LED Rear Brake Lights

Maintenance:
Total interior detail
Total Engine bay detail inclusive of front clip disassembly
Complete under-tray detail inclusive of replacement hardware for rusty bolts/washers
Ceramic Coat/Seal all supporting black Plastics
Silicone Additive for all door seals
Panoramic Sunroof Drainage Hose Flush
New OEM Cabin Air Charcoal filter

Misc Changes:

Interior:
F10 Msport Steering Wheel + Canbus Module
Eonon Headunit w 7" LCD Display
Replacement of Drivers Side Handle with Glasses Holder
Leather Covered 6-Speed shifter cover
Red colored Start Button
35% Ceramic Window tint from Passenger Rear doors and beyond
Replacement Rear Right Window Guide
Replacement Rear Right Window *car was broken into 2020-12*
Replacement Rear Tailgate Door Latch Cover
Replacement Rear interior Screw Covers
Yellow Top Optima Deep Cycle Battery

Exterior:
New Hella Fog Light Housing
Restored OEM Front Headlights
Replacement Clear Front Bumper Reflectors
Thule Flush-fit Roof Rack
25mm Rear Wheel Spacers
Bosch Front & Rear Oem Windshield Wipers

[M-technik-3]

Nice purchase you made.

[bshambam]

updated and removed. more to follow.

[bshambam]

One of the first things I needed to do to the car is to install a hitch. Time was of the essence so I found a Curt hitch on amazon and quickly installed it.



While the bumper was off, I also did some house cleaning. The car is 10 years old after all, and I am a clean freak - so I did what was natural to me.

Cleaned*



I chose a Euro style ball mount, although... I'm not too sure what other options were available.

[bshambam]

After the hitch was wired and installed, i moved onto the engine bay to update some essentials.

Ignition Coils & Spark Plugs



These are the old guys w/ 192 k kilometers



I used a proper Spark Plug Gapping tool. It's a bit extra but you learn from other peoples mistake, and there are stories online if Spark Plug Tabs snapping and destroying engines. However.... it is extremely rare.



Prep to install the new ignition coils w/ Dielectric Grease on the Boots

[bshambam]

I put the ignition coils in but Cylinders 3, 4, & 5 had misfires. I didn't know it at the time but there were several oil leaks with the Valve Cover Gasket, Valvetronic Motor Gasket, as well as the Eccentric Shaft Sensor Gasket.

The oil leaks caused a grounding issue with the coils. I have no idea how the original coils managed to function when the grounds were soaked with oil, but they did.

I ended up putting the original ignition coils back into the car without realizing what the true problem was.

[bshambam]

I installed a new serpentine belt after understanding the whole

'belts getting eaten' paranoia scenario.

I also installed a new tension-er and bolt.

[M-technik-3]

Nice glad to see some simple maintenance being done. I have been doing some of the same things to mine.

[bshambam]

Thanks for the comment! It is very much needed maintenance. Nothing exciting really, as mentioned in the first post haha

I did a coolant flush and it was really, really bad.

I used a filler gauge to get the absolute correct size for the lower radiator plug. Metal on plastic has always been a nightmare for me. It's 10 year old plastic that has seen a lot of heat.... not a great idea to use a lot of torque on it.



Nasty fluid. I'm pretty sure it hasn't been changed since new.

[M-technik-3]

That and brake fluid the two most overlooked maintenance things out there.

[tlow98]

Nice work catching up on the maintenance! This little stuff will add up to a more reliable machine.

[bshambam]

Not much going on at the moment.... I've been waiting for OEM parts from Germany since October 21st...

[bshambam]

I'm am going to consolidate some of the posts I made into this thread.

https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1758602

I started to tear down the intake manifold as I suspected I would need to overhaul the CCV/PCV system.

Uninstalled and cleaned the entire Intake Manifold


Cleaned and installed new Intake Runner Gaskets


Installed a new Sensor


Cleaned the old Map Sensor with Sensor Cleaner and a wipe down


Installed a New Hose that connects to the Valve Cover

[bshambam]

Another consolidation post.

This thread is dead I supposed due to the image host expiring the images?

https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1758575

With the intake manifold removed, there was a discovery that the hose leading to the vacuum pump had a leak.

[bshambam]

After replacing a bunch of these parts, I noticed a bit of white smoke from the exhaust AFTER the car had warmed up.

So next up I replaced the Oil Filter Housing Gasket.



I am guessing that a slow leak in the gasket was causing the coolant and oil to mix. I went ahead and flushed both fluids and the leak doesn't look as bad, but it does explain why the coolant was brown with the first flush.

[bshambam]

After completing all of those maintenance items, I bought a set of Thule Crossbars and a 460L Roof Box.

[bshambam]

Last check before leaving for Vancouver!
So much wheel gap...



and then about...3000 kilometers afterwards, there is no wheel gap in the back haha especially with upwards of 2,000lb in the back.

[CKAuto]

Looks great! I saw that listing and know the folks at Enroute, will be following this thread for sure.

Quick question, what did you use to clean the manifold, did you ran a hose through each of the intake channels?

[bshambam]

Originally Posted by CKAuto

Looks great! I saw that listing and know the folks at Enroute, will be following this thread for sure.

Quick question, what did you use to clean the manifold, did you ran a hose through each of the intake channels?

I used a WORX cordless pressure washer with an extension & flex head.

I used the following formula of chemical solutions to clean the manifold.

Pressure Wash - Dishsoap to tackle the first layer of Grease - Rinse - Trisodium T.S.P. to degrease and surface prep - Scrub - Pressure Wash - Rinse - Chemical Brothers VRP on the outside for protection.

Sensors that were re-used were subject to MAP sensor cleaner - a blow-out with a Dewalt Cordless Blower - WD-40 to remove remaining traces of water.

[bshambam]

Next component up to the Maintenance & Replacement Deck is the Flywheel & Clutch