Well, I've completed changing my front axles and also did my front rotors and pads during the process (as well as my rear pads and rotors a day prior.) I was able to choose a good path for this effort from reviewing all the accounts here.

The path I chose was to replace the axles with new and avoid the dirty mess of dealing with new boots and grease. It was a dirty job even with just swapping them out. I elected to use Cardone Select axles.

I decided to get the right tools by analyzing all the advise here, as their cost would be more than offset by the savings of the do it yourself project.

First I purchased a Harbor Freight electric impact wrench and assorted impact sockets and extensions, and a 3 in 1 rotary hammer and bull point chisel, for $40 and $80 respectively (exclusive of the accessories,) with online coupons. I also purchased a 36mm 12 point socket from Amazon and a 40" 3/4 inch breaker bar.

Then I started by jacking up the front using the center stub on the front cross member. I placed 3 ton jack stands at the front jacking points and lowered the car onto them, leaving the center jack in place for safety.

After removing the wheels with the impact wrench (incredible how quick and easy this is - it is ridiculous not to have picked up an electric impact wrench long ago!,) I went to work on the axle nuts. I used a 3/8 inch cold chisel (a 1/4 inch might be even better) and a hand held sledge of a few pounds with a 10" or 12" handle to make quick work of the nut crimps. Getting the nuts ready for removal took no more than 60 seconds per side. There are many accounts here for people having untold difficulty uncrimping the nuts, however this was a piece of cake using the tools described. I used the chisel between the axle and crimp on the nut to create space between them, then used the chisel to then cut the little metal splays that resulted. I put a quick spray of PB Blaster on the axle threads, but I could see little to no corrosion.

Next I moved on to the impact wrench. I was going to use the breaker bar to free the axle nuts, but would have had to reinstall the wheels and lower the car, so I thought giving the impact wrench a try was worth a shot. I had read this working for a few folks, but was somewhat suspect. I also was worried about putting too much wear on the impact wrench. Well, I put it on the first axle nut, and after a few attempts, of perhaps 10 seconds each, the first nut spun off. I had the same experience with the other side. This was a nice start.

Immediately after this I moved directly to using the rotary hammer in hammer only mode with the bull point chisel to drive the axle free from the hub. I used a quick spray of PB Blaster into the spline area and then went to work, and was successful on both sides in about a minute each. The axles do not initially push all the way out because the CV joints can only compress so much, but the axle end moves about and inch or two inward and becomes relatively fee.

The overall approach I elected was to try to remove the axles by only releasing the lower control arms. If this worked, it seemed the easiest and quickest path. I removed the nuts from the lower control rod bolts on each side - the nut is 18mm and the bolt head is 16mm. I used the impact wrench and actually it required a bit more determination than the axle nuts - it is a bit complex to try to hold the impact wrench in one hand and the 16mm socket and small breaker bar in the other to prevent the bolt from turning. The control arms both dropped easily from their mounts once the bolts were tapped out. They pushed through easily. (Make sure to be careful with the sensor linkage on the passenger side - I disconnected the wire connector.)

It seemed that leaving the axles supported in the hub made it easier to release the inside of the axles from the transfer box. This is where I had the most difficulty. The drivers side took me about 20 minutes. I seemed to solve it by using a bar to hit with the small sledge that had less flex. Having the hammer impact be sharper seemed to pop it out. Same on the other side that took about 15 minutes. I used the small sledge on the flat tab on perimeter of the inside barrel, and not on the inside face of either barrel that faces the box.

In preparing to swing out the hubs to provide clearance to remove the axles, it seemed prudent to release the brake hoses from the strut supports. On the drivers side I was able to swing the strut assembly with the rotor and caliper attached enough to pull the axle from the hub and then slide the entire axle out (towards the rear of the strut.) I used a small piece of wood to prop the hub assembly out of the way, against the inside of the wheel well.

On the passenger side, doing the same thing I was able to slide the axle from the hub, but no matter how much I swung the hub with the rotor and caliper attached out of the way, I could not clear the axle - the outside CV was hitting the bottom of the strut casing. I ultimately removed the caliper to be able to swing it farther as the caliper hose was limiting travel, but that did not solve the problem and believe removing the caliper was unnecessary. The solution to the problem of clearing the axle from the bottom of the strut housing was to take a garage jack and raise the hub and strut a few inches so the axle could clear when being removed.

There were on hand new new axle seals I had purchased, but I elected not to remove the old seals for two reasons. One was that the lubricant was being held in by the seals, and to remove them would have resulted in lube running out. Perhaps my case was overfilled. More so, however, I could not see how to drive in the new seals without a relatively precise seal driver. There is a thin steel ring around the seal on the box, and I could not see with the tools I had, how I would drive it inside of that without damaging that thin steel ring. Also, access is not that easy. We shall see if my seals hopefully hold up. They appeared to be in good shape, but that is not exactly a good test.

In preparation of installing the axles, I greased the inside and outside splines of the axle, and also the surface where the seals would contact. I also used a small wire brush and PB Blaster to clean the mild corrosion powder from the inside splines on the inside of the hub. Once the axle was mostly seated in the case, and the other end in the hub, I was able to push the hub onto the axle and have the thread protrude on the drivers side. A quick tap or two on the end of the axle with a heavy punch seated the axle into the box. On the passenger side, the axle did not slide as easily into the hub. Gripping the hub assembly and pulling it slightly and slamming back toward the box eventually had the axle slide through the hub to expose the threads (be careful you do not pull to far outward - I actually pulled the inside boot off of the inner barrel, but easily popped it back on.) I seated the axle into the case during this process. This occurred after the garage jack was removed from supporting the hub (but the jack was in place while the axle was slid into the box and mostly seated there, and the axle spline was put back into the hub as far as it would initially go.

The impact wrench was then used to snug up both axle nuts. I did not torque them as I do not have that heavy duty a torque wrench. I used the impact wrench and really wrung it out on the axle nuts - my guess is it got about to the 240 ft/lbs of the rating of the wrench - it is very tight. Then the axle nuts get punched to the axle.

Then I placed the bolt and nut into the lower control arms and mounts, and snugged them tight, then moved them back a about a turn (they have to be torqued once the car is on the ground.) Make sure the sensor tab on the passenger side drops into its alignment hole.

Afterward I cleaned up as much of the mess of grease from the torn boots that had spun around the wheel area and suspension as possible.

Once this was completed I proceeded to the front brakes, rotors and pad sensor, but that is outside of our scope here.

The wheels were then reinstalled.

When I dropped the vehicle, I placed the front tires on wood to raise them about 6 inches. The weight of the car was upon them but this allowed more room to get underneath to tighten and torque the lower control arm bolts.

I could not determine with certainty the torque spec from my research, just that they needed to be tightened with the weight of the vehicle upon the front wheels. I had seen 74 ft/lbs and plus 90 degrees, and some other figures. I also saw the TIS with a spec that looked like that, but was unsure it was referring to this bolt. I ultimately made a compromise, and tightened to 85 ft/lbs plus about 1/8 turn. If someone could clear this up with certainty, this would be appreciated.

Once done I took her out for a spin to break in the brakes, and so far so good. Inspected afterward and all looks well.

I believe spending a modest amount to procure the right tools really made the difference, particularly the impact wrench and rotary hammer. I spent most of a day on the project including the brakes, but I am pretty methodical, clean things as I go, and try to take my time. I think I could replace the axle on one side now in less than two hours all in, with the drivers side being easiest and quickest.

Hope this helps with some additional info to supplement what has been contributed already.

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2003 X5 Sport w/Premium Package M54 3.0L 6cyl