[geko29]

Dropped the car off at Fluid MotorUnion in Naperville on Saturday to have the CBU cleaning done. As soon as it's back home, I'm going to do the electrical EGR delete for the short term. Will do the race pipe and EGR cooler removal over the summer when I send the ECU out for tuning.

Suspension work probably in the April/May timeframe. I am starting to hear a creak from the front suspension over low speed bumps, so considering going back to the original plan of replacing everything.

[The_DDub]

Other upcoming maintenance items on your car:

- Harmonic Balancer will need to be replaced if it hasn't been already
- Thermostat (this requires removing the EGR cooler, not tough, just tedious and do this while you do the balancer since you have to remove the cowl anyways)

[dpopov]

OP, you might want to think about changing the timing chains. Not necessary, but still something to think about

[geko29]

Originally Posted by dpopov

OP, you might want to think about changing the timing chains. Not necessary, but still something to think about

I thought the whole point of timing chains was that they didn't need replacing, unlike belts?

[apexit4]

Originally Posted by geko29

I thought the whole point of timing chains was that they didn't need replacing, unlike belts?

That was my understanding as well. I dont think I've heard of anyone here having to replace their timing chain due to wear. If anything, I think the plastic chain guides would fail sooner than the chain itself.

[dmanb2b]

Originally Posted by geko29

I thought the whole point of timing chains was that they didn't need replacing, unlike belts?

Maybe at around 200K...m57 has been pretty good other than few x5 chains that have snapped over past year...but certainly not a prevalent issue

[geko29]

Ugh. After the cleaning was done, on the final test drive it started throwing fuel pressure sensor codes. They removed my JBD and the codes kept coming back, ran the bleed procedure in case there was an air bubble from the work, no dice. So the new sensor will be going in tomorrow.

[DozerDan82]

Originally Posted by geko29

Ugh. After the cleaning was done, on the final test drive it started throwing fuel pressure sensor codes. They removed my JBD and the codes kept coming back, ran the bleed procedure in case there was an air bubble from the work, no dice. So the new sensor will be going in tomorrow.

I assume they checked for leaks and that all the electrical connections were plugged back in securely?


As for the timing belt mention. Mine has 160ish on it and the chain looks/feels fine, as does the upper oil slinger (plastic part)

[dpopov]

Originally Posted by geko29

I thought the whole point of timing chains was that they didn't need replacing, unlike belts?

You are totally right, BUT like all things in our cars - timing chains are not forever lasting. They are not a lifetime component. Well, that might not be 100% true. See, timing chains get loosen up with time (driving time). How much can they loosen up, you'd ask. They might loosen up with just 1-2mm, but the real problem comes from the tensioners + the chains get loose. This might be too overprotective. Chains might be good for 400k km, who knows. I just know that there are problems with timing chains in m47 and some m57s.

Just my 2 cents on the topic

[geko29]

Originally Posted by DozerDan82

I assume they checked for leaks and that all the electrical connections were plugged back in securely?

I assume so as well. I talked to the tech for about 10 minutes, going over the possibilities, and he seems to have been pretty thorough. They're also a Burger reseller, so are familiar with the JB4/JBD products.

Hopefully picking it up tomorrow. Will do the electrical EGR delete as soon as I get home, and the race pipe/ECU tune over our summer vacation. Will probably do the thermostat and a coolant change at that time as well, considering throwing a fluidampr in the mix at that time also.

Just ordered rear pads, an angel eye bulb and the easiest to change of the turbo oil lines yesterday. Plan is to swap that one and clean the surface of the other two, then recheck to see if they're leaking also. Brake pads will go on when I swap to my summer wheels.

[geko29]

Did the shocks/struts, springs and associated hardware a couple of months back. Have not done the rest of the suspension (bushings, end links, etc) yet.

Got back from vacation Saturday, so Sunday I reinstalled the tuned DDE, along with the EGR Race pipe and blockoff. Was way more challenging than I expected, so I put off replacing the thermostat and vacuum lines for another time.

Good news is I didn't see any oil by the turbo feed/return lines while I was in there, so I think I only had the one leak.

Bad news is I'm starting to lose the taste for wrenching on cars. The rest of the suspension is probably the last major work I'll do on this one. If/when the harmonic damper or bearings need replacing, I'll probably just take it to my local indy. I'll keep doing brakes/oil/filters/batteries myself, obviously.