Home | Vanos Forum | Post New Message | Search | Contact Moderator | Sign In  












Click to make a donation to support BimmerBoard
Specialty Forums
Garage Forum
Navigation A/V
Bluetooth
For Sale
Off-Topic
Detailing
///M
Kill Stories
Group Buys
Vanos Forum
TEST FORUM

Forums for Current Model BMW's
1 Series E81
3 Series E90
5 Series E60
6 Series E63/E64
7 Series E65/E66
X3 E83
X5 E70
X6 E71
Z4 E85
MINI Cooper

Forums for Past Model BMW's
2002
3 Series E21
3 Series E30
3 Series E36
3 Series E46
5 Series E12
5 Series E28
5 Series E34
5 Series E39
6 Series E24
7 Series E23
7 Series E32
7 Series E38
8 Series E31
X5 E53
Z3
Z8 E52
CS E9
Senior Six E3

Model-specific Lounges
E32 Lounge
E38 Lounge

Regional Forums
Australia
Canada
United Kingdom
Netherlands

Forums for Local BMW Car Clubs
Dallas
Southern California
Minneapolis
Atlanta






Return to the forum index Vanos Forum


Subject: 2003 e39 530i 5sp M54 80k miles
Author: benprunkle : member since July, 2008 : 1 post
Posted on: 2008-07-02 18:07:54

I have put about 400 miles on the car since I did the install. The installation was a breeze. Thanks to the very detailed instructions.

The only issue I came across was that I couldn't get my fan clutch off of the water pump. I tried the trick with the wrench and hammer and couldn't get it off. I also used a long screwdriver and couldn't get it. I ended up buying the tool for 27 dollars off of eBay and when I tried using that it was still extremely difficult. I am a pretty strong guy and it wouldn’t budge with all my weight on it. I had to hold the pulley holder with one hand and then had to whack the wrench with the hammer about 10 times before it finally broke loose. Not sure why it was so hard, but it’s possible that the last person who reinstalled my fan clutch over torqued it.

In my initial attempts to remove the fan clutch with the hammer method I accidently broke one of my upper radiator hoses and put a crack in my thermostat housing (most likely from the 2 hours of hopelessly smacking the wrench with a hammer). My recommendation is to just buy the freaking tool the first time and save yourself the effort and for me an extra $100 in parts. This will also put less strain on your water pump over time.

I could tell a difference as soon as I started my engine. My exhaust note was much deeper and the car just sounded more powerful. Accelerating out of turns in second gear the car now has plenty of power and doesn’t act like it needs a downshift. I have also noticed that my traction control goes off a lot more when I get into the gas.

Besides the increase in power I have been feeling in lower RPMS the main improvement has been my fuel efficiency. I always got great mileage on the highway (30-34mpg), but as soon as I got into the city my avg would drop to about 22-23. Now my average stays around 28mpg. I have been driving more HWY miles than normal, but I would say my gas mileage has improved overall by around 10-15%. I have over a quarter of a tank left and have gone about 400 miles since I last filled up.

If it feels this great with around 100 miles of city driving and 300 miles of Highway driving, I can't wait to see how much of a difference there is after the full break in.

Very happy customer!! Thanks!!



The Vanos Forum | Message Thread:


The Vanos Forum requires users to register before posting new messages.

Click Here to Sign In / Register


Loans | Pay Day Loans | Loans | Loan | Wills

Make a donation to support BimmerBoard


Home | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Glossary | Advertising

Questions, comments, problems, please email webmaster@bimmerboard.com

©Copyright 2003-2008 BimmerBoard, LLC, All Rights Reserved.
No content from this web site may be reproduced or copied in any
form without the express written consent of BimmerBoard, LLC.


The BMW name and logos are registered trademarks of BMW AG
and BMW of North America, LLC.