Road trip story & Project thread: 2001 Titanium Silver e39 M5

[slater]

Do you get any chatter with the single flywheel now? I know I was getting a decent amount of rattle with the stock DMF on my old ZHP.

no chatter, it's actually more civilized than the stock DMF!

Besides that, I think on the M5 the most painful part could be the giant exhaust that weighs half a ton and needs to come out in one piece.

oof! i know lots of people just replace those massive cans with straight pipes.... cheaper than an eisenmann! and surprisingly, not that loud... i've driven an M5 that had that done and it sounded PERFECT.

[Sreten]

Damn, look at those cans.

Yup, you need like 4 people to remove it.

Good stuff. GL w the rest of the work.

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Thanks, John!

no chatter, it's actually more civilized than the stock DMF!

That's good to know and I like that. Pretty much all of the ZHP manuals that I've tried had some chatter. Even the one with brand new OEM clutch and DMF.

For the M5 I believe there isn't a bolt on option for a single flywheel. I read that the flywheel from 850CSi V12 will bolt to the crank, but the crank position trigger is different. Companies like JBR and UUC rework those flywheels so that it fits the S62 clutch setup but comes at the price.

oof! i know lots of people just replace those massive cans with straight pipes.... cheaper than an eisenmann! and surprisingly, not that loud... i've driven an M5 that had that done and it sounded PERFECT.

Dude, muffler delete sounds fantastic and it's much more pocket friendly. Just don't forget where I live, that would never fly in Germany.
I would get in so much trouble with Polizei and slapped with many tickets. They can even impound your car on the spot if I have aftermarket exhaust without TÜV approval.

And that leaves me with just 2 options. Eisenmann Sport and Supersprint Magnum/Performance. Both are very expensive, and I decided to go with Eisenmann cause SS magnum is not that much louder than stock, plus Eisenmann gave me a very nice discount. Ideally, I would want Eisenmann Race cans cause the price is the same, but that too is too loud for the Germans.

[slater]

Dude, muffler delete sounds fantastic and it's much more pocket friendly. Just don't forget where I live, that would never fly in Germany.
I would get in so much trouble with Polizei and slapped with many tickets. They can even impound your car on the spot if I have aftermarket exhaust without TÜV approval.

And that leaves me with just 2 options. Eisenmann Sport and Supersprint Magnum/Performance. Both are very expensive, and I decided to go with Eisenmann cause SS magnum is not that much louder than stock, plus Eisenmann gave a very nice discount. Ideally, I would want Eisenmann Race cans cause the price is the same, but that too is too loud for the Germans.

ahhh, right! i forgot about how strict they are... that makes sense. so i'm assuming the eisenmann is TUV-approved?

[Sreten]

ahhh, right! i forgot about how strict they are... that makes sense. so i'm assuming the eisenmann is TUV-approved?

Eisenmann makes two versions for the M5, Sport and Race. Sport version is more civilized and has TUV approvals, Race being Race is too loud and not TUV approved. Both cost the same 1.600€ / $1.900. It's stupid money, but I'm getting member discount thourgh the M-Flight club.
That club is pretty much US military guys stationed in Germany who are M fanatics.
They can also get them even cheaper because they have VAT-free-forms and don't have to pay 19% VAT which I have to.
For me after discount it comes to around 1.150€ / $1.360 shipped which I must admit is still a very nice deduction.

I recently found out about a guy who's reworking the original cans. He basically guts one of the cans and replaces the inside with a straight pipe, puts a flap at the end of it, which opens and shuts remotely, so it can be quiet or loud when you want to.
Not sure if I would go this route, but it looks very interesting and the price is not bad - $650 with the flaps if I supply my exhaust to him.

[Sreten]

Left the car at the shop this morning and I was getting updates all day.

Good thing about a car from Italy is that the undercarriage is rust free and things were going smoothly according to him.

The exhaust really is gigantic.





I had a diff leak at the input shaft seal so they knocked out that as well. The rest of the diff is dry. Had the same leak on my old M5 from there.







Cracked driveshaft center bearing.







Guibo was still good, but replaced with a new one anyway following the good old logic of while in there.



And my suspicions about the clutch were correct. Clutch disc and pressure plate are toast.







The previous owner was a proper douchebag in the whole buying process and now I know he shouldn't be allowed to operate a kick scooter let alone a clutch in a car with 400 PS. Though, granted it's not mission impossible to burn the clutch in this car quickly.

According to the shop the flywheel is still good which is a relief to hear.

I should pick up the car tomorrow. Very excited!

[BMWCurves]

Damn, that clutch is fugly. Glad the turn around time is quick though!


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[Sreten]

Fugly clutch is spot on. Turn around was fairly impressive, the car was actually supposed to be done yesterday but they had a late start.

They finished it this morning so I picked it up after work and we are back in business!

What a refreshment this is compared to the old clutch. The clutch pedal is buttery smooth and gear shifts are clean and crisp.

To recap, this is the parts list that I used. I didn't want to go too wild with while in there parts and I got what I thought was essential.

OEM LUK clutch kit - 21217515146







This is the original M5 pivot pin made of plastic.



I went with a steel one from 850CSi - 21511223281



Transmission mounts x2 - 22316771221
Guibo/Flex disc - 26112228781
(Even though original parts were still good)



Pressure plate bolts x6 - 07119906045
Clutch fork - 21511223302
Spring clip - 21517570284
Drive shaft center bearing - 26122228917
Exhaust pipe gasket x2 - 18301728734 (not in the picture)
Rear main seal gasket - 11141736521
Differential cover gasket - 33108305033 (wasn't necessary, it had no leaks there)
Differential input shaft seal - 33121213949
Differential drain plug gasket - 07119963355
Drive flange washer - 33121205138



Brake fluid - ATE Typ 200 (they said that the old brake fluid was nasty)
Transmission fluid - Liqui Moly 75W-80 (this too came out nasty)
Differential fluid - Liqui Moly 75W-140 (this wasn't that bad)



I believe I have everything accounted for.

Shop also did a courtesy check of the car. They run a vanos test and the results were great!
They checked for leaks around the engine and everything is dry. Brakes, controls, bushings... all good and tight!

They only advised that there might be little play in the front strut mounts. These are known to develop cracks in the rubber over the time so I will be replacing that in the near future. These are cheap and can be replaced without taking the sturt off the car. I also have Meyle HD sway bar links coming in so that will be refreshed as well.

Now I just have to take it easy over the next 600 km or so and break in the clutch properly. BMW break-in procedure states that I shouldn't go in high rpm or do high power shifts and that I should shoot for 800-1000 gear shifts. I lost count at 3.

Shop charged me 550€/$650 for the labor which I think is fair given the amount of work.
My bank account sure has suffered but now I'm one happy M5 driver!

Bis später!

[Sockethead]

I was going to use those exhaust flaps on our e53 4.8is but we sold it before I got the chance...

Great progress! Looks like you found a good honest shop. $650 seems really fair for all that work. I'll be doing a clutch in a couple of months but I'll be laying on the floor cursing a lot...

[Sreten]

Danke. The flaps do look interesting, but I'm not sure if it's worth the trouble and I don't want to butcher my original cans. Though would love to see them in action.

I got few lower quotes, but I had a good connection with the owner of this shop when we talked in person. You can tell that he's an enthusiast and knows these cars which is what made me decide to trust them with it. Plus he was one of the rare ones that was speaking English. They also have a very nice website with detailed work and pictures for M models.

Man, I can't tell you how much I wanted to tackle this myself or at least participate, but I simply didn't have good conditions for it and it would probably take me 10 times longer. Definitely not an easy job and a lot of crucial steps to follow, but not the hardest one either. Good luck with it and try to post some pictures and details!

[Sreten]

Finally gave the M5 a proper hand wash and followed up with Meguiar's Carnauba wax. Planning to detail it completely in spring, but I'm very happy with the condition of the paint. Could just sit back and stare at it for hours, looks beautiful from every angle. I love it!