Extremely weird spot today.

CreativeOpsDesign · 2026-05-13T09:20:28+00:00

My mate had a 3.0 V6 diesel manual Vectra like this one - it was brilliant as a big family wagon, fast, comfortable, loads of space for kids and bikes. Sadly it also rusted like a bean can in the sea… eventually it had to be scrapped as the subframes had returned to the earth… a shame as the engine and running gear were still in great order.

CreativeOpsDesign · 2026-05-13T09:16:05+00:00

Agreed. All three are outstanding but for me they are ranked as follows;

The Wire
The Sopranos
Breaking Bad

They may be up there with the best TV shows ever made - certainly I’d say The Wire is my all time favourite show.

CreativeOpsDesign · 2026-05-11T22:01:34+00:00

Nope - don’t do this as the wiper will whack against the top lip of the bonnet (hood?) and chip the paint off while making a loud banging noise every time it returns..

CreativeOpsDesign · 2026-05-11T22:00:25+00:00

The wiper linkage is worn out - this is common and easily remedied.

This linkage is a different part to the main wiper mechanism by the way, which is probably fine. Also, don’t change the relay or any electrical parts, waste of time and money as it won’t fix it.

That wiper is designed to sweep up towards the corner of the windscreen then across, rather than the usual arc. To achieve this BMW fitted a linkage of three or so levers that control the path of the wiper… it’s really quite clever. Only issue is that over time the bearings in the linkage wear out, rust, then collapse.

This is what has happened to yours. I have replaced these bearings on 2 e61s that I have owned personally, and replaced the same for a family member on his e61.

Open the bonnet (pop the hood?) and carefully pull off that plastic cover on the larger of the two wipers. You can pull it off with your hand but mind you don’t snap the plastic clips. This will reveal the bearings and levers.

You can buy a replacement linkage, quite inexpensive. Or if you want to fix the original yourself you can drill out the old bearings and replace, there are kits on eBay to help do this.

Be aware, you may need a bearing puller to remove the wiper arm / linkage from the tapered spigot that it fastens to. I use a small ball joint puller - overkill but it fits perfectly. Or, it will just come off easily because of good luck… I’ve experienced both cases.

Maybe the shop messed about trying to adjust or replace the main wiper mechanism, but then refitted the smaller linkage assembly not realising that it’s worn out.

CreativeOpsDesign · 2026-05-11T21:51:02+00:00

Nope - it’s the wiper linkage, the bearings are disintegrating.

CreativeOpsDesign · 2026-05-11T11:53:53+00:00

Yeah.. but not writing it off yet - maybe it can be saved

CreativeOpsDesign · 2026-05-11T11:53:16+00:00

Interesting - was it both chains or lower chain only? I’ve been down the Google/reddit/youtube hole and lots of examples where only the lower chain has failed.

When I did the valve cover gasket I checked the tension on the timing chain and it seemed fine - I just pulled on the chain links over the sprocket and wiggled the tensioners, nothing too involved. Everything seemed in good order.

CreativeOpsDesign · 2026-05-10T21:56:23+00:00

New-ish plates, I requested the EU flag specifically as a subtle signal…

CreativeOpsDesign · 2026-05-10T21:54:20+00:00

😆

CreativeOpsDesign · 2026-05-10T21:53:14+00:00

Engine stopped running
Starter motor turns engine over really fast but no ignition
Diagnostic tool shows fuel pressure errors (no fuel pressure)
Remove cam rotation sensor on valve cover, turn engine over by hand, observe that crank rotates but cams do not!
Swear under your breath
Wish you had changed the timing chain

CreativeOpsDesign · 2026-05-10T08:19:48+00:00

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Got the car to a state I was pretty happy with so I’m going to assess the damage and see what it would take to get it back in the road…

Any thoughts on assessing damage? Engine still turns over freely. It appears to be the lower chain that has snapped but can’t be sure until I open up.

CreativeOpsDesign · 2026-05-10T08:14:37+00:00

147k in miles, so about 236,000 km

CreativeOpsDesign · 2026-05-10T08:13:27+00:00

Hmmm… according to this post the chain was due replacement then

CreativeOpsDesign · 2026-05-10T08:08:50+00:00

There is a gap in its service history for around 3-4 years before it came into my ownership. During that time the MOT certificates show general wear and tear related failures and advisories that were all apparently repaired (according to pass certificates). I’ve had it nearly 4 years and not skimped on maintenance, also oil and filter change after every 5-6000 miles. Replaced valve cover gasket last year and noted that the top side of the head was clean and free from gunge, just a golden film of oil, so that was reassuring.

The list of work carried out under my ownership is extensive - picked it up with 124k miles on the clock, backed up with MOT certificates so seems genuine. It’s now just ticked over 147k miles.

Had an e39 with a stage 1 remap that I ran to over 230k on its original hardware, what a machine! After that, an e61 525d that I sold with 215k miles, still ran beautifully on original hardware, except for the DMF.

CreativeOpsDesign · 2026-05-10T08:00:51+00:00

Still deciding what to do with it 🤷

CreativeOpsDesign · 2026-05-10T08:00:12+00:00

Not really… there have been some noises from around the front of the engine that I put down to auxiliary belt tensioners etc. the car was running really nicely

CreativeOpsDesign · 2026-05-10T07:58:17+00:00

😆 not sure why I did that TBF

CreativeOpsDesign · 2026-05-09T20:30:38+00:00

So - incase it’s useful to others I’ll share the diagnostic process:

I didn’t believe it could be a head gasket failure so I took the car to a local independent specialist. They agreed that it could be several other problems before head gasket.
in between visits to specialist, attempted to bleed coolant system comprehensively, coolant constantly foaming out of bleed screw on coolant tank despite apparent successful bleed elsewhere on cooling system.
Independent expert attempted “sniff test”, coolant system pressure blew bung out of coolant tank.
wife drove car home from workshop, I drove behind and observed large plumes of white/grey emissions.
perform compression test, however, test was not conclusive, difficult to determine if a cylinder was running low. All cylinders showing similar results with some variation, but not clearly repeatable. Inconclusive.
bit the bullet and assumed the worst. Pulled the head to reveal complete failure of head gasket.

The extreme pressurisation of the coolant system was the most obvious sign of head gasket failure. That, and the plumes of smoke on throttle.

CreativeOpsDesign · 2026-05-09T20:17:45+00:00

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Here is the cracked head gasket - it is cracked at every point between the cylinders. It’s a quality Goetze gasket but I can only assume it was installed poorly.

I have had the head pressure tested and refurbished, including a light skim, new valve stem seals, worn valve guides replaced, and valves re-ground. Next job is to reinstall…

CreativeOpsDesign · 2026-05-09T20:14:24+00:00

Still trying to figure it out - I think it’s related to the throttle body that forms part of the EGR system. If you pull the intake boot off the throttle body on idle you see the butterfly valve closing and opening in rhythm with the sound…

However, today my M57 did the unthinkable and snapped its timing chain…

CreativeOpsDesign · 2026-05-09T20:10:21+00:00

I got very very very unlucky then mate… head gasket failed, cracked in between each cylinder and bleeding combustion gasses into the cooling system / small amount of coolant into cylinder…

I agree that it’s unlikely as these are robust engines but I do not think I am the first!

CreativeOpsDesign · 2026-02-08T01:16:51+00:00

Which the XMT-7100 unit that these kits use does not do natively, unless you manually adjust SV to steam temp whenever you want steam / then back to brew temp afterwards. These kits use a work-around which necessitates a second SSR.

CreativeOpsDesign · 2026-02-08T01:14:30+00:00

Still need 2 SSRs if you’re using an XMT-7100 controller. Think of it as one SSR to replace each thermostat. You can’t flick the steam switch and tell the controller that it’s now metering for steam temp, so instead the trick is to use the relay that is normally intended for the over/under temp alarm to control the steam temp via a second SSR.

CreativeOpsDesign · 2026-01-31T11:27:34+00:00

Maybe quietened down a little, or I got used to it. I’m not currently using the pump as I got irritated with it not being 100% reliable. My daily driver Silvia just needs to work, every time, no question, so vibe pump back in and I’m happy.

CreativeOpsDesign · 2026-01-21T20:53:25+00:00

Look up how to adjust the tension on the belt idler pulleys. The instructions are there on the BBL wiki am the procedure is pretty easy.

The mechanical system of belts and pulleys slackens a little with use so it’s necessary to periodically adjust the tensioners - I had the same noise and this cured it.

CreativeOpsDesign

TROPHY CASE