E39 M5 - twin supercharged
Discussion
M5 refurb continues. A while ago the plan for the rear end changed from "Lets install the new KWv3´s in the back real quick" to "let´s refurb the whole rear end and replace brake lines".
Soooo, yet another unplanned Schmiedmann order and extra unplanned work! The box came last Friday and me and Markus the mech have been busy over the weekend. Well, mostly Markus tho!
We did forget to order the bushings for the diff but yet again my small home garage did not disappoint, I had them sitting in a shelf from god knows when I ordered them......
We dropped the subframe and cleaned it up a bit. Then Markus replaced the bushing and some more stuff while I continued cleaning parts and paint a bit. Used the chance to brush off some surface rust and put some primer on. It´s just a "quick and dirty" job to get the car driving quickly. Will do this properly later along with some small jobs in the rear underside of the car.
Then we put in new brake lines in the back and we were done by late Sunday evening.
So later this week we will put the subframe back in along with the new suspension.
Some pics from this weekend:
Tallest Schmiedmann box in history.
Mostly because of brake lines.
Not that bad for a 22 year old car.
"New" diff from 2006 is now well crusty. Will be addressed later.
Work space prepped for Markus, all kinds of stuff moved outside....
Used the chance to clean it.
Oil cleaner and high pressure washer, a few rounds.
Some mechanical persuasion needed for the old stuff...
Making sure the car will not topple once subframe is removed.....
Subframe going down....
Went easy....
Prepping for transport.
Decided to clean it up a bit....
Worked well
Bunch of stuff to replace.
Markus had alot of fun getting this stuff apart.....
While Markus had to fight with bushings and stuck bolts the Tubi Rumore system was starting to look good after about 5-6 rounds of oil cleaner/pressure washing.
Started to brush off rust....
Since I was going to use a can of 2K primer I decided to coat some other parts as well...
Rust spots now cleaned and painted. Will have to do for now
Stuff back from Markus.
Now a black coat on the other parts.
Then we started on the brake lines. They were even worse than we expected, this came apart with little force.
Markus forming the new lines.
And finally sliding them into place.
RelentlessForwardProgress said:
Fantastic to see progress again on this. It will be a great moment when it’s back on the road and all the final snags are dealt with. Can’t believe how many years this has been entertaining me from afar with all the ups and downs- good luck with the work to come.
Thanks, I am sure excited to drive the beast again. Last drove 07.07.2019!!Ok finally some updates and many will be added retrospectively. I just did run out of time documenting everything when we got closer to the trip to Germany for the 50th anniversary of the ///M division.
So I will be adding some posts and date them back in time
[May 25th, 2022]
SC oil coolers, bracket, oil lines and bumper carriers getting some final paint.
Brake line connectors getting crusty.
New fluid for the gearbox.
Getting ready to put the quick-refreshed subframe back in place.
In place.
Superchargers and bracket prepped for a quick clean.
Lots of parts waiting to be installed.
Marcus has his task lists!
Elmar, project manager by trade, checks up on us just to see if we are ok. He also has an E39 M5 with a parts habit.
We found out the stabilizer links were in worse shape than expected, one totally shot. The local BMW community came through, one guy had a stabilizer link laying around. Very good because the local BMW dealer has very limited stock and it takes days to get anything up here from abroad.
Superchargers starting to look nicer.
Next in line was the plenum.
In the end I was not happy with the result so I took it to a painter for a fresh coat of paint.
Next in line was the front mount intercooler, started by cleaning it.
Supercharger plumbing obsiously needed a refresh.
More parts were in need of attention, got blasted.
Markus taking his time with the assebly lube.
Axles going in.
Some fresh paint.
Started to assemble them to hubs.
Starting to take shape.
Installed.
Starting to work on the KWv3 rears.
Now installing them on the car.
Old set will be sent to Sweden to it´s new owner
Almost there....
So I will be adding some posts and date them back in time
[May 25th, 2022]
SC oil coolers, bracket, oil lines and bumper carriers getting some final paint.
Brake line connectors getting crusty.
New fluid for the gearbox.
Getting ready to put the quick-refreshed subframe back in place.
In place.
Superchargers and bracket prepped for a quick clean.
Lots of parts waiting to be installed.
Marcus has his task lists!
Elmar, project manager by trade, checks up on us just to see if we are ok. He also has an E39 M5 with a parts habit.
We found out the stabilizer links were in worse shape than expected, one totally shot. The local BMW community came through, one guy had a stabilizer link laying around. Very good because the local BMW dealer has very limited stock and it takes days to get anything up here from abroad.
Superchargers starting to look nicer.
Next in line was the plenum.
In the end I was not happy with the result so I took it to a painter for a fresh coat of paint.
Next in line was the front mount intercooler, started by cleaning it.
Supercharger plumbing obsiously needed a refresh.
More parts were in need of attention, got blasted.
Markus taking his time with the assebly lube.
Axles going in.
Some fresh paint.
Started to assemble them to hubs.
Starting to take shape.
Installed.
Starting to work on the KWv3 rears.
Now installing them on the car.
Old set will be sent to Sweden to it´s new owner
Almost there....
[May 27th, 2022]
Starting to look complete.
Front too...
One former E39 M5 owner inspecting our work.
Markus making his own brew of axle grease.
Plenum cover needed a new ///M badge and I found one in my garage bought years ago.
Some minor Brembo servicing.
Next was starting the exhaust install.
New sensors.
While Markus was dealing with the exhaus, I started cleaning the heat shields.
Some "polishing" needed to have the exhaust go together.
Starting to look complete.
Front too...
One former E39 M5 owner inspecting our work.
Markus making his own brew of axle grease.
Plenum cover needed a new ///M badge and I found one in my garage bought years ago.
Some minor Brembo servicing.
Next was starting the exhaust install.
New sensors.
While Markus was dealing with the exhaus, I started cleaning the heat shields.
Some "polishing" needed to have the exhaust go together.
[May 28th, 2022]
Refurbing exhaust brackets.
Several rounds of oil cleaner and scrubbing starting to have an effect.
The garage always a mess lol
FMIC now reasonably clean so it gets some paint.
Some mechanical persuasion needed to get the exhaust to go together.
Tubi Rumore ready to be installed.
Markus looks a bit worried.....
A few coats on the IC and it´s starting to look super nice.
Final preperations before we lift the Tubi Rumore catback system into place.
Exhaust bracket and rubber mountings will be refurbed later.
And in place!
Did not go in without a fight - when we had it in the correct place it slid out again and fell ontop of Markus.
Not the lightest piece so Markus walked with a limp for a couple of days. Dangerous job!
FMIC ready:
Oil lines for SC oil coolers have their connectors painted.
Exhaust tips adjusted.
Refurbing exhaust brackets.
Several rounds of oil cleaner and scrubbing starting to have an effect.
The garage always a mess lol
FMIC now reasonably clean so it gets some paint.
Some mechanical persuasion needed to get the exhaust to go together.
Tubi Rumore ready to be installed.
Markus looks a bit worried.....
A few coats on the IC and it´s starting to look super nice.
Final preperations before we lift the Tubi Rumore catback system into place.
Exhaust bracket and rubber mountings will be refurbed later.
And in place!
Did not go in without a fight - when we had it in the correct place it slid out again and fell ontop of Markus.
Not the lightest piece so Markus walked with a limp for a couple of days. Dangerous job!
FMIC ready:
Oil lines for SC oil coolers have their connectors painted.
Exhaust tips adjusted.
[May 28th, 2022]
Nurburgring racing on the TV to keep us motivated....
Front brake lines getting replaced.
Markus checking off items on the task list.
Elmar the PM stops by to check up on us....
Replacing some exhaust clamps.
We managed to damage one of the braided brake lines, bought one from the UK that was too short for some reason.
Ended up ordering a new set from the US.
Next were the SC lines and blowoff system to be refurbed, were crusty.
Have to look nice to go in here.
Needed some violence to get apart.
Starting to look nicer.
BOV´s needed alot of oil cleaner and scrubbing.
It was evident that there had been some pulley rubbing on the SC bracket.
A friend dropped by and started showing us how to fix this.
Markus had like zero patience for this and escalated the job.
Put in place and cleared the pulleys better
One bolt was giving us some problems....
Markus took a moment reflecting on his life choices.....
And then just went on
Rusty tensioner and wheel were replaced later.
I had sourced some more air duct to replace the old one, from passenger side air filter to SC.
M3 getting totally buried in parts!
One side ready and looking sharp with new hose clamps.
I have noticed I get this look from the mechanics I am working with when I´m being a bit obsessed with cleaning/refurbing parts
BOVs were really crusty.
Getting some airfilters ready.
SC belt in place
Nurburgring racing on the TV to keep us motivated....
Front brake lines getting replaced.
Markus checking off items on the task list.
Elmar the PM stops by to check up on us....
Replacing some exhaust clamps.
We managed to damage one of the braided brake lines, bought one from the UK that was too short for some reason.
Ended up ordering a new set from the US.
Next were the SC lines and blowoff system to be refurbed, were crusty.
Have to look nice to go in here.
Needed some violence to get apart.
Starting to look nicer.
BOV´s needed alot of oil cleaner and scrubbing.
It was evident that there had been some pulley rubbing on the SC bracket.
A friend dropped by and started showing us how to fix this.
Markus had like zero patience for this and escalated the job.
Put in place and cleared the pulleys better
One bolt was giving us some problems....
Markus took a moment reflecting on his life choices.....
And then just went on
Rusty tensioner and wheel were replaced later.
I had sourced some more air duct to replace the old one, from passenger side air filter to SC.
M3 getting totally buried in parts!
One side ready and looking sharp with new hose clamps.
I have noticed I get this look from the mechanics I am working with when I´m being a bit obsessed with cleaning/refurbing parts
BOVs were really crusty.
Getting some airfilters ready.
SC belt in place
Edited by s62 on Saturday 24th September 16:54
Edited by s62 on Saturday 24th September 16:56
Edited by s62 on Saturday 24th September 23:47
[May 30th, 2022]
Front panel put on.
Plenty space before AC and radiator stuff gets in.
Belt jungle.
Markus spotted some wires that were in bad shape so they were replaced.
We felt lucky so we started charging the battery.
AC condenser and PS cooler slide in place.
New gasket rings everywhere.
Lubed of course...
So this is as far as we got that evening, decided not to try to start it.
So now Markus was going to be "offline" for a couple of weeks, moving into a new flat and lots of work to do there.
Front panel put on.
Plenty space before AC and radiator stuff gets in.
Belt jungle.
Markus spotted some wires that were in bad shape so they were replaced.
We felt lucky so we started charging the battery.
AC condenser and PS cooler slide in place.
New gasket rings everywhere.
Lubed of course...
So this is as far as we got that evening, decided not to try to start it.
So now Markus was going to be "offline" for a couple of weeks, moving into a new flat and lots of work to do there.
[June 3rd, 2022]
So I got another friend to help out with changing brake line and bleed brakes so we could have the car rolling and braking for wheel alignment.
This guy knows the car very well, installed most of the tuning parts I got when I bought the car.
Also managed to source a new ABS module locally, old one was playing up.
Now when I contacted some wheel alignment shops they completely lost interest in doing the wheel alignment when I told them the car was not driveable and would have to be pushed around.
Except one shop that had also got recommended by a few friends. So we took the car there on a flatbed.
Covered the throttle bodies before setting off.
Was WET.
Arrived at the shop.
Alignment in progress.
Also used the chance to torque bushing bolts now that the car was sitting completely on the suspension.
All done!
Some rolling shots on the way home.
Back home.
So I got another friend to help out with changing brake line and bleed brakes so we could have the car rolling and braking for wheel alignment.
This guy knows the car very well, installed most of the tuning parts I got when I bought the car.
Also managed to source a new ABS module locally, old one was playing up.
Now when I contacted some wheel alignment shops they completely lost interest in doing the wheel alignment when I told them the car was not driveable and would have to be pushed around.
Except one shop that had also got recommended by a few friends. So we took the car there on a flatbed.
Covered the throttle bodies before setting off.
Was WET.
Arrived at the shop.
Alignment in progress.
Also used the chance to torque bushing bolts now that the car was sitting completely on the suspension.
All done!
Some rolling shots on the way home.
Back home.
[June 7th, 2022] [T minus 31 days - meaning 31 days until the car goes on the ship to Europe for the E39 M5 tour]
Ok, big day is here, Mr. X the engine builder and mapping guru is here again.
Me, Markus others had worked hard trying to get the car as far as possible before he came, hence the push to get it to wheel alignment even if it was not running. That way we could start driving as quickly as possible and get it through inspection.
We had to do some shopping first thing he came. Most important getting a new screen for his laptop. The screen got smashed by a seatbelt buckle the day before. Luckily the local Lenovo supplier had one in stock. We then headed to a local shop to have new SC oil lines made. I had managed to snap one of the old ones so.......
New ones made in no time.
Mr. X was like a kid in a candy store and bought him some stuff to use on his Mustang.
Screen replaced.
After that was done we tried starting the car and found that it was not getting fuel. So since I had a new Bosch 044 Motorsport version sitting on a shelf we decided to replace it.
Once removed we found the reason for no fuel and it was not nice.
One of the fuel lines in the tank was not made for being immersed in fuel. So it had been disintegrating slowly but surely since 2006 and not keeping pressure in the end. So this may well be the reason the engine blew.
We borrowed a fuel line from a brand new stock fuel pump I also had in the garage for some reason.
Just before it went back in.
Ok, big day is here, Mr. X the engine builder and mapping guru is here again.
Me, Markus others had worked hard trying to get the car as far as possible before he came, hence the push to get it to wheel alignment even if it was not running. That way we could start driving as quickly as possible and get it through inspection.
We had to do some shopping first thing he came. Most important getting a new screen for his laptop. The screen got smashed by a seatbelt buckle the day before. Luckily the local Lenovo supplier had one in stock. We then headed to a local shop to have new SC oil lines made. I had managed to snap one of the old ones so.......
New ones made in no time.
Mr. X was like a kid in a candy store and bought him some stuff to use on his Mustang.
Screen replaced.
After that was done we tried starting the car and found that it was not getting fuel. So since I had a new Bosch 044 Motorsport version sitting on a shelf we decided to replace it.
Once removed we found the reason for no fuel and it was not nice.
One of the fuel lines in the tank was not made for being immersed in fuel. So it had been disintegrating slowly but surely since 2006 and not keeping pressure in the end. So this may well be the reason the engine blew.
We borrowed a fuel line from a brand new stock fuel pump I also had in the garage for some reason.
Just before it went back in.
[June 8th, 2022] [T minus 30 days]
This day Mr. X was busy tuning other cars but we still managed to do some minor work.
Borrowed a socket for the rear axle collar nut so we could tighten it properly.
Got the new tensioner so I replaced that one.
By now we had received a set of braided brake lines for the Brembo kit from the US that were the correct spec so we replaced the short one:
And finally the freshly painted plenum came back from the painter.
This day Mr. X was busy tuning other cars but we still managed to do some minor work.
Borrowed a socket for the rear axle collar nut so we could tighten it properly.
Got the new tensioner so I replaced that one.
By now we had received a set of braided brake lines for the Brembo kit from the US that were the correct spec so we replaced the short one:
And finally the freshly painted plenum came back from the painter.
[June 9th, 2022] [T minus 29 days]
Radiator and hoses in and filled up with coolant.
Starting to assemble the SC oil coolers/bracket and fitting the hoses.
Good to have professional drawings to deal with stuff the REALOEM does not cover.
Of course this could not completely smooth..... we saw some fluid droplets on the engine.... unfortunately in the color of coolant.
A droplet can bee seen in the mirror from under the pipe.
So drain fluid and praying that we will be able to source these O rings locally quickly.
Bloody O rings for the pipes to the water pump.
Of course the local dealership did not have these O-rings but I managed to source them elsewhere:
Installing again.
All done with that.
We really did not need this extra project given the tight schedule we have, Mr. X only staying for a week.
Radiator and hoses in and filled up with coolant.
Starting to assemble the SC oil coolers/bracket and fitting the hoses.
Good to have professional drawings to deal with stuff the REALOEM does not cover.
Of course this could not completely smooth..... we saw some fluid droplets on the engine.... unfortunately in the color of coolant.
A droplet can bee seen in the mirror from under the pipe.
So drain fluid and praying that we will be able to source these O rings locally quickly.
Bloody O rings for the pipes to the water pump.
Of course the local dealership did not have these O-rings but I managed to source them elsewhere:
Installing again.
All done with that.
We really did not need this extra project given the tight schedule we have, Mr. X only staying for a week.
Edited by s62 on Sunday 25th September 18:12
[June 10th, 2022] [T minus 28 days]
Changed some clamps on the exhaust and added some fasteners to the diffuser.
Intercooler on.
We started up the engine but soon found that the bank2 vanos was not behaving, did not reach requested values.
Opened up the valve cover and could not see anything wrong, ie. the cam could move.
So we turned our attention to the solenoids.
We found some solenoids were not playing ball and replaced them.
In the end we realized the bank2 board was bad, f
k. Not something easy to source quickly.
I sent out a mayday to the Icelandic BMW community at 2am, checking if anyone had a board, and we called it quits for the day.
Changed some clamps on the exhaust and added some fasteners to the diffuser.
Intercooler on.
We started up the engine but soon found that the bank2 vanos was not behaving, did not reach requested values.
Opened up the valve cover and could not see anything wrong, ie. the cam could move.
So we turned our attention to the solenoids.
We found some solenoids were not playing ball and replaced them.
In the end we realized the bank2 board was bad, f
k. Not something easy to source quickly.I sent out a mayday to the Icelandic BMW community at 2am, checking if anyone had a board, and we called it quits for the day.
[June 11th, 2022] [T minus 27 days]
Yesterday did not end well but god damn today started well
A fellow E39 M5 owner brought a solenoid board for us to use!!
Once installed the engine ran perfect, passed Vanos test and all!
So refurbing/cleaning continued.
Changed the hood latches for new ones.
Old ones were done
Much better!
We then continued to assemble the FI system.
Plenum plates in place.
Plenum going on top.
Velocity stacks in place.
Starting to look like an S62
Now it was getting close we put the hood on so it had to be cleaned.
Front end starting to take shape, lights in place.
Most of the SC plumbing installed.
Front bumper cleaned before installing.
Starting to look like a car!
Yesterday did not end well but god damn today started well
A fellow E39 M5 owner brought a solenoid board for us to use!!
Once installed the engine ran perfect, passed Vanos test and all!
So refurbing/cleaning continued.
Changed the hood latches for new ones.
Old ones were done
Much better!
We then continued to assemble the FI system.
Plenum plates in place.
Plenum going on top.
Velocity stacks in place.
Starting to look like an S62
Now it was getting close we put the hood on so it had to be cleaned.
Front end starting to take shape, lights in place.
Most of the SC plumbing installed.
Front bumper cleaned before installing.
Starting to look like a car!
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