X5 Front differential
 

I recently bought a 2003 X5 3.0 i, I am working to catch up with all the maintenance. Hence I am posting about plugs etc on here.
I will replace the front differential, there was a dent on the seal housing, the differential ran long time with no oil.
It burned out, makes all kinds of horrible noises even after I refilled it and replaced the seal.
Removing the front differential does not seem to be such a big deal, although time consuming. Has anybody done that job?
My only concern is removing the motor mount, I believe I will have to replace some sort of O ring where the differential attaches to the motor.
Any tips or advises?
Thank you.

I paid for this service a few weeks ago. My diff started making noises when the car was coasting. I found that I could control the noise if I rode the brakes and gas instead of letting the car roll by itself, although the obvious downside of such a strategy was not lost on me. I was preparing for a road trip when the trouble started, and I did not have time to deal with problems that might crop up, so I paid the shop for this job. They hit me for 8 hours of labor, although I am all but positive they spent nowhere near that much time on the job. 8 hours is the book time for the job, which is not the same as the actual time -- but hey, somebody has to cover the yacht payments.

You have to lower the engine to make room for the diff to clear the obstructions. Of course, you need to pull the axle shafts out at least part of the way.

www.realoem.com

Use this link to find all of the factory parts that it took to build your car.

Front differential
 

Thank you for the parts link above. Much appreciated.
I got a lot done today.
The differential is all lose now.
My biggest PITA now is the steering rack on the way. I think I will have to remove the rack to get the diff out. Oh well . More to come tomorrow.

Just curious how many miles when you get this problem, which is very rare before 200K miles.

Hi, Differential problem was self inflicted, well...not by OP but by some mechanic with "Golden touch" who attempted to do oil change for previous owner.

Thank you Roman.
Yeah, I attempted to fix the seal housing from the dent they put on it. My fix was successful, no leaks from the new seal I installed, but it was too late, diff is totaled.
I will tackle the steering rack today. I probably will post some pictures later on.

No need to touch the steering rack to pull the front differential on 3.0 E53 (V8 is a different story)

It can be tucked down and out, will clear the frame rail no problem

Remove/install can be done in under two hours

Replace the O ring that goes on the oil pan side of the diff, lube it lightly with oil prior to installing the diff

The upper bolt will not clear the motor mount. Any input on this? I'm trying to remove my old front diff.

I finally removed the motor mount but the diff will not come out without loosening the subframe for the life of me. Should I take all 6 subframe bolts off and lower it?