Home Forums Articles How To's FAQ Register
Go Back   Xoutpost.com > BMW SAV Forums > X5 (E70) Forum
Arnott
User Name
Password
Member List Premier Membership Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Xoutpost server transfer and maintenance is occurring....
Xoutpost is currently undergoing a planned server migration.... stay tuned for new developments.... sincerely, the management


Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 01-25-2018, 12:41 PM
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Phoenix
Posts: 4
DieselGuy is on a distinguished road
E70 X5 Water in Rear Differential

Hi guys, I'm new round here, but wanted to solicit some opinions on my situation.

I use the X5d to haul around a boat for short distances of less than 15mi each way to the lake. To launch, I have to back the car in the water until the exhaust is barely burbling on the water or where the water line is just about at the bmw symbol on the rear wheels.

The problem: I noticed a few drips of diff fluid on my garage floor and when I opened the plug nasty cream colored fluid came out. Lots of it. Theory goes, it filled with water and when heated, it was pushing the seals out causing the drip.

Question: How is water getting in? I haven't been able to find a vent or breather valve anywhere on the diff. Is the temp difference of a hot diff hitting cold water sucking water past the seals? How can I prevent this going forward other than changing the fluid constantly or trying not to back in to far on the boat launch?

Thoughts?
Reply With Quote

Sponsored Links

  #2  
Old 01-25-2018, 04:42 PM
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Clear Lake, Texas
Posts: 43
BB_cuda is on a distinguished road
I'm also new to X5/E70. FWIW, the rear diff looks quite similar to my E90 335D one. It is specifically a 215 size (bigger than normal for a sedan). I come to my point. I had a LSD installed into it and noted the internal features. Up higher on the diff cover, I see a very small vent hole in the cover. I will snap a picture and post.
__________________
1967 Plymouth Barracuda Formula S
2003 Dodge Ram 5.7L Hemi
2011 BMW 335D
2013 BMW X5D
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 01-25-2018, 09:30 PM
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 13
what have i got into is on a distinguished road
I am no means an expert, but I think the breather is on top of the differential cover. See next to the number "1" on the real oem image.
https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sho...diagId=33_1387
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 01-25-2018, 10:31 PM
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: PNW
Posts: 424
Entropy is on a distinguished road
All differentials are vented, otherwise they would puke fluid when they got hot. When I used to 4wheel we would run a hose from the vent up high to prevent water getting in. I know E46 diffs have a vent (small hole) in the cover.
__________________
2007 E70 4.8i
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 01-27-2018, 11:44 AM
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Phoenix
Posts: 4
DieselGuy is on a distinguished road
Crawled under last night with a mirror to look at the circular area on the top right side of the diff cover. Appears to be sealed. The vent on the diff still eludes me...
Attached Images
 
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 01-27-2018, 12:54 PM
Member
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: on the edge of existence
Posts: 1,384
blue dragon will become famous soon enough
I've been using my X5 35D to launch my boat for the last 7 years, big question is why are you backing so deep into the water...

__________________


| '17 F15 X5 35D - Work horse | '17 F48 X1 MSport Daughter's daily | '22 Tesla MY LR Wife's Daily | '09 E70 X5 35D - Out to pasture |
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 01-27-2018, 01:15 PM
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Phoenix
Posts: 4
DieselGuy is on a distinguished road
Quote:
Originally Posted by blue dragon View Post
I've been using my X5 35D to launch my boat for the last 7 years, big question is why are you backing so deep into the water...
All depends on your trailer setup..how long the tongue is, bunk height etc. When retrieving the boat I was taught to let the trailer come up to the boat and let the boat rest on the trailer opposed to leaving the trailer too shallow and motoring/sliding/ramming the boat into position which is rough on the trailer, hitch, boat, and bunks. Launching-boat should be fully floating.

As a boat owner I'm sure you've seen the shinanigans on the boat ramp.

For my trailer setup the rear tires are half wet to be in a good position for dealing with the boat. I could prob get away with not backing in quite as far, but would probably be in the same position with this diff. situation.

Now that I've had this problem I'll be more conscious about how far back I go, and perhaps will opt to be rougher on the trailer and boat to save my diff. Ideally I would like to find the breather vent and route as high as possible for a long term solution.


Btw, looks like the guy on the left side of the pic is in pretty deep too. Feet getting wet if he gets out of the car. Same situation...

Last edited by DieselGuy; 01-27-2018 at 01:27 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 01-27-2018, 06:16 PM
Member
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: on the edge of existence
Posts: 1,384
blue dragon will become famous soon enough
He wasn't that deep in actually



Heres a video showing just how far I get the X5 into the water. My wife was holding the aft line, and a random guy came to help pull bow line

https://youtu.be/qloBVqKP1CA
__________________


| '17 F15 X5 35D - Work horse | '17 F48 X1 MSport Daughter's daily | '22 Tesla MY LR Wife's Daily | '09 E70 X5 35D - Out to pasture |
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 01-27-2018, 06:39 PM
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Phoenix
Posts: 4
DieselGuy is on a distinguished road
Great boat! Ya, we're in about the same situation. To get your boat off without the pushing and pulling you'd probably have water in your diff too. . Thanks for the video! Hope someone knows where the breather vent is or Ill be yanking on my boat like that going forward.
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 01-29-2018, 06:53 PM
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Clear Lake, Texas
Posts: 43
BB_cuda is on a distinguished road
vent in diff cover

Please see my attachment. The external side will have a small hole up toward the top of the cover. One qualifier. This diff cover is for an E60 (older 5 series). I would sure hope the vent hole in your's is way up on top as well. If you got water to center of your rear tire, depending on the angle of the boat ramp, your vent might still have been above water. Also, it would depend how fast you backed down the ramp too.

I would say change the fluid and hope for the best. I use a mighty vac ($60 at Oreilly Auto) to suck the old fluid out. It is intended to suck brake fluid through a caliper to bleed out the air. Best of luck.
Attached Images
 
__________________
1967 Plymouth Barracuda Formula S
2003 Dodge Ram 5.7L Hemi
2011 BMW 335D
2013 BMW X5D
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On





All times are GMT -4. The time now is 03:26 PM.
vBulletin, Copyright 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd. SEO by vBSEO 3.6.0
© 2017 Xoutpost.com. All rights reserved. Xoutpost.com is a private enthusiast site not associated with BMW AG.
The BMW name, marks, M stripe logo, and Roundel logo as well as X3, X5 and X6 designations used in the pages of this Web Site are the property of BMW AG.
This web site is not sponsored or affiliated in any way with BMW AG or any of its subsidiaries.