Hi there,
After a thorough discussion with some nice members at this thread
Tight Steering, thanks to SlickGT1 & petener999, I decided to replace the STEERING DOUBLE UNIVERSAL JOINT no. 2 here
The new part I installed is not really new; it's removed from a crushed X5.
The job itself is easy, however, removing other parts, hoses and pipes to allow access would increase the task time to up to three hours.
No specific material is required, only some grease to unable easier insertion of both hexagonal and astral rod ends of the universal joint. You'll need to refill the cooling fluid as one water hose should be removed.
NOTE: some E53 come with quadruple rod end, not hexagonal.
Here we go. This is the mechanic
My last trial with this faulty joint was to put some grease. This made it tougher as in fact its internal X-link was severely corroded.
Removed
First end
Other end
This rod is coming from the steering wheel
Got my sweetie washed up
And here we go
Thanks again pals; this is the best forum.
Nezar - Saudi Arabia
NOTE: my odometer reads 260,XXX Km!