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  #151  
Old 12-02-2011, 03:16 AM
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tspeed is on a distinguished road
Did you guys notice any difference in handling after having done this job?

I felt a little floating sensation when I test drove it, and my brother also noticed it too, the car being his daily driver.
I hope an alignment will fix the floating sensation.

Also, I wanted to follow up with some pictures of the inboard joint with factory grease (reminded me of caramel apple syrup in a jar), the Honda inner cv joint grease, the sizes of the factory Oetiker clamps for the inner (101.5mm & 32.5mm) and outer (107mm & 33.1mm) CV boots, and the jaw puller which I had to modifiy (sharpened the claws to grasp the thin ledge of the tripod joint).
I felt that the small Oetiker-style clamp that came with the outer cv boot kit seemed a bit too big when tried on the boot so I just used a 33.1mm clamp (I ordered 104mm and 33.1mm clamps). The clamps in the kit did not have any markings on them like the ones I bought from Bel-Metric.

Sorry about the big pictures, I don't know how to downsize them.
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  #152  
Old 12-03-2011, 01:39 AM
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I didn't notice any difference in the handling of the X5 - there shouldn't be any, since the job doesn't entail replacing any hardware. Are you sure you aren't over-sensitized after doing a big job like this?

Interesting that you used a puller to remove your inner joint - I used a hammer and a punch to knock it off the axle. Either method works, so I guess it doesn't matter. How long did the job take you? It took me about six hours per side (all hand tools - to air, lit, impact wrench, etc.), but I wasted about an hour on each side trying to figure out how to separate the outer CV joint from the axle to not have to deal with the unusual inner joint grease, but now way, Jose - couldn't get it to budge a nanometer. Welcome to the X5 CV boot replacement club!
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  #153  
Old 12-04-2011, 12:39 AM
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It took me about that long on the first side then a little less for the second side. In fact I had to take apart the second (passenger) side twice because I forgot to replace the snap ring.
The question about the floaty feeling was verified by my brother when I gave it back to him. The X5 is his daily driver and he noticed the looseness right away.
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  #154  
Old 12-17-2011, 08:45 AM
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Just did this using this great method, have a tip though...

dville got stuck on the passenger side trying to pop out the axle.

I did this in 1 hit by myself, no helper needed. The trick is to get a piece of wood to push the hub assembly just a little bit further toward the left turn than the steering wheel allows- just put that piece of wood between the frame and hub assembly. I did it between the caliper and the frame. Then, use a small hydraulic jack to hold the hub up, just snug it against the hub.

Once that's in place and after you very tightly clamp down the vise grips (away from where the small boot clamp mounts), you have to use a heavy head hammer on a 12" 3/8" drive socket extension and hit it HARD.

Putting it back in was very easy, just line up the splines w/ the new c clip in place, remove that wood helper, remove the hydraulic jack, and push the hub assembly back in place.

To tighten the clamps, I used a pair of plyer-like wire cutters that have the cutting ends at 90 degrees- perfect for this job.



Quote:
Originally Posted by dville View Post
I found another thread from a BMW dealer employee.
Nothing to remove really....
1) unbolt the control arm (the straight arm) at the end closer to the engine.
2) swing out the whole assembly by hand and afix with something firmly
3) remove outer boot clamps and cut off the outer boot.
4) grab the driveaxle firmy with vice grips and pry the shaft out of the CV joint against the force of the retaining C-clip.
5) wipe off grease, install new clamp, boot, clamp and C-clip.
6) while applying pressure to push axle back into CV joint, use a good sized screwdriver and poke at the C clip until it snaps in.
7) Apply the grease from the packet and then tighten clamps.
8) put on tie rod and only tighten it once vehicle weight is on the front wheels.

I did one side successfully. Once I got the hang of it.I had to grip the axle with vice grips in the narrow part of the axle you see in the pics above. Then use a large prybar and a large metal object to lever the axle out of the CV joint.
Driver's Side out:


I got confident and went to passenger side, and it wont snap out like the driver side did.
I wish I could remove the C clip somehow without having to force it out of the CV joint.

Can't get passenger side out yet....:
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  #155  
Old 12-17-2011, 03:13 PM
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That sounds like a great tip. I wish I had tried this when I was doing mine; I couldn't get my outer joint to release its death grip on the axle no matter how hard I tugged and pried with a crow bar. It sounds like hitting it HARD is what's needed in a lot of cases, and your tip sounds like it provides the space to do so. There seems to be a lot of variation in the tolerances of these parts, allowing some people to slip theirs out with minimal effort, while others (like mine) probably would have taken a jackhammer to get it go come free. But maybe your method would have worked. I sure wish I could have avoided having to go through the inner joint, and deal with that oddball grease, and with having to replace the clamps on the inner boot. Glad your method worked for you - I'm sure it will help people doing this job in the future.
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  #156  
Old 12-18-2011, 09:08 AM
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Thanks, Multibeemer, I saw that some people got stuck

on that part so I hope it helps someone. This forum has helped me tremendously so I'm happy when I can give back.

One last tip- I found a torque spec for the control arm bolt from the on-line manual to tighten to 74 ft./lbs., then turn another 90 degrees.

...and using that wire cutting tool to tighten the clamps made that part VERY easy.

Good luck next time you try this.

Last edited by thunderX; 12-18-2011 at 09:43 AM.
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  #157  
Old 12-31-2011, 12:00 PM
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Just noticed my outter boot is torn. After reading this entire thread I am unsure I will DIY this. Very intimidating..
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Dinan Cold Air Intake
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DICE IPOD Module
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  #158  
Old 12-31-2011, 01:00 PM
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There's a key, over-arching phrase that looms over this job - "It Depends." If you're one of the lucky ones who can get the axle to release from the outer joint (after you wrestle off the collar nut), the job seems to be quite a bit more straightforward than going through the inner joint, which is what I, tspeed, and a few others had to do. This method is also fairly straightforward, but it adds several more steps to the process, including the removal of the inner boot, which necessitates buying a second set of boot clamps. Then there's the matter of that unusual grease to deal with. If you go the inner boot route, plan on a good five hours of hard labor per side.

ThunderX recently posted what looks like a great tip. I would definitely give this a shot. I would also invest in an impact wrench to remove the collar nut, but make sure you have a new one available, because you will destroy the old one in the process of removing it (the collar nut, not the impact wrench - hopefully, anyway!). Good luck!
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  #159  
Old 12-31-2011, 05:30 PM
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After a few hours of reading lol (yes hours) I have come to the conclusion that I will attempt this. Plan A will be the vise grip and pry/hammer method. In a nutshell this is all there is to it correct?:

so all you need to do is unbolt the control arm
remove clamps from boot
hold shaft . hit cv joint to dislodge the "c" clip and that is it . impact or leverage will separate the cv joint from the shaft , you will figure it .


2 questions come to mind- how easy is it to "press" the CV joint back into the C-clip? Can this be done by hand? Or hammer? Also, when torquing the control arm bolt the car must be on the ground? Also what is the correct torque for that? I see varying numbers..THANKS@!
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2005 BMW X5 4.4 Sport Upgrades:

Dinan Cold Air Intake
Dinan Stage II Software
Akebono Euro Cermaic Pads
Brembo Rotors
Titan Silver Metal Gauge Rings
DICE IPOD Module
Hardwired Passport 9500ix Radar/Laser Detector
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  #160  
Old 01-08-2012, 12:22 AM
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Just did the passenger side...wow it was b!tch. Struggled for over an hour trying to pop the outer CV joint. No fudging way that was happening. Actually bent my vise locking pliers to shit. Had bought an upper CV boot just in case, good thing too. The upper boot rubber was hardening a bit. If you get the 2 boots go through the upper, way easier. Have fun moving around the hub assembly. Having a helper would make the job easier, but it is certainly doable solo. Hopefully the drivers side holds on for a while, not looking forward to round 2. Thanks for all the tips tho, this method is a ton easier than the legit method.
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2005 BMW X5 4.4 Sport Upgrades:

Dinan Cold Air Intake
Dinan Stage II Software
Akebono Euro Cermaic Pads
Brembo Rotors
Titan Silver Metal Gauge Rings
DICE IPOD Module
Hardwired Passport 9500ix Radar/Laser Detector
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