Transfer case

[goeje1]

[QUOTE=Triple X5;763149]Just got X5 back and Oh my god the shaft fits like a charm like i said in my previous update racemalibu572 is the man my mechanic said (hey I want his number this guy is GOOD)



Hi just wondering how the shaft is workign out, Im sending mine out this week to Tom, do you feel your X5 is worth keeping with hte modification or are you looking to sell it with fear it could fail again. From what i see it looks like it could last longer then the origional shaft splines.

[scottfiske]

We are going to keep it until the wheels fall off....

The repair is better than from the factory, with the mod done, it is using more splines than it was originally, plus with the new splines on the shaft, it engages the ones in the case that were worn down a little...

He does a great job, fits like a glove....

[goeje1]

nice to hear, as i love my x but man this thing is one problem after another, i just had my transfer case rebuilt 8,000 miles ago because the chain streched, i als had the transmission rebuilt. i wonder what is next, there has been so many things i have fixed ive lost count.

[scottfiske]

Funny, I hear ya... I change my tranny every 40k miles, it has 130k on it and still works great...we will see how long it lasts....

I change the transfer case every 20k, only holds a qt or whatever it is....still works great...not much play.

window regulators, dissappearing pixels, broken door handles, etc..etc..

But mechanically they run forever. I don't mind the other stuff, it such a great car for my wife and kids. Shut the door on an Infinity or Lexus and then go back and shut the X5! What a difference!

[goeje1]

I agree my X feels like a tank when you get in it with the sport feel of a racecar, i just hope the engine holds up as that is about the only things untouched other than of course everything around it failing such as radiator, 2nd water pump, alternator, ALL suspension arms links front and rear not to mention it eats tires for breakfast but much of that stuff is normal wear items other than the suspension arms, links should last longer. Just keep it away from BMW dealer repair shops I’ve now caught them twice sabotaging parts to push up repair service bills. they try to take advantage of people thinking everyone is stupid that walk through there doors, little did they now I’m very involved with all the maintenance of my X and know every inch of it inside and out, you have to with this car as it will drain your pockets if you don’t get involved with much of the repair work. I try to do as much of it as I can and have major stuff done by a trusted mechanic.

[goeje1]

oh forgot to mention the valley pan was also done at 120,000 as that failed, I got 205,000 miles on it now.

[nikpottala]

I sent my drive shaft off to Tom about 11 months ago. I made it about 15,000 miles and the new shaft spun in the transfer case. This time, I just decided to do it myself and drop the transfer case and fix it right.

[racemalibu572]

Nikpottala, I'm sorry for any inconvenience this cost you. I had another one notify me a couple months ago about his doing the same thing at 9,000 miles and just thought it was an isolated issue. I have contacted a couple other people I built shafts for and they both have over 25,000 on theirs with no issues. At this point I think I'm going to stop doing the shafts until I figure out what is going on. I'm not sure if it's something with the hardening or if it's the coupler in the case doing the damage. I noticed yours looked rusty again, were the splines greased when assembled and what condition was the seal in. I suppose if someone wants one for a quick fix to get by for a while and take a chance I'll do it but Im currently out of stock on splines right now so it will be at least a week before I get more in if I even order more. If any one else had a problem with my repair please let me know so I can try to figure out what's going on. I have about twenty more out there somewhere. Thanks, Tom.

[nikpottala]

Hey Tom,

Thanks for the concern and follow-up. I thought about the hardening of the shaft as well. When I look in the coupler in the case, it doesn't appear to be as worn as the shaft itself so it appears to be related to the shaft material.

When it was assembled the technician and I discussed liberally greasing the splines. Given the close tolerances, I'm not sure how much grease can actually still be in place once assembled. I suspect most of it get's pushed with the end of the shaft and really has little impact.

I'd be happy to send you parts if you want to look them over.

I think the longer shaft is the right idea but I'm not sure what caused premature failure. I just hope the Cobra transmission shafts don't have the same issues since I just ordered from them when I got all the other parts.

This time I did all the work myself so I know exactly what went into the repair. It wasn't all that difficult for a moderate to heavy DYI-type person. I changed the seals and the chain while I was there. Not exactly what I planned to do on Easter Sunday but I'm not as afraid to work on the X5 as I was before.

[bigwave2255]

is this unique to pre face lift cars, i have a late 2005 and asked my mechanic to check it out and while the visible part of the spline was rusty he reckoned that there was sufficient contact area but lubed the splines anyway