N62 Alternator Bracket Gasket
 

Hi - for those who’ve replaced it - did you also need to replace all the diff seals when you moved the diff and pulled out the driveshafts? I’ve read a few guides and some suggest this is necessary? Not sure how easy it will be to do the diff seals if it’s not being removed out of the car? Will it leak….?

Grateful for advice on this - looks like just need the alternator bracket seal and orings for the oil feeds.

I've swapped a few CV axles never changed the seals no leaks up to 205,000 miles.

Same. Just did a boot on the left axle and didn’t change the seal. No leaks (yet). Just be careful on the reinstall of the axle and you should be fine.

Thanks for the above - that’s good to know on the cv axle seals - what about the seal between the diff and the oil pan…?

Thanks for the above - that’s good to know on the cv axle seals - what about the seal between the diff and the oil pan…?

Not sure about these v8s and alternator brackets, but, when I first picked up my x, it was leaking profusely from the oil pan and both of those little o-rings. It was hard to tell for certain if it was the o-rings or just the pan. The gear oil and engine oil were all mixed together.

I did the axles back in January. I had a fit getting the passenger one in, and messed up the seal. The axle seals weren't leaking but because I'm an idiot now the one was. So I ran the front diff leaking for about a month, it got low and fluid and started getting noisy. So now I've addressed that but I'm probably going to have to rebuild the diff.

Crack the fill plug of your diff. And if nothing comes out you probably want to replace those things soon. If you keep running it with a leak what's going to happen...

When you put the axles in you cannot touch the seal at all. If you put the opening in the c-clip at 12:00 it will push right in first try, very satisfying.

Thanks for the above!

I’d put a new seal in there for sure. Cheap insurance. I know very little about the n62, but on the m62 it’s super easy to replace this seal. It’s extremely difficult though to pull the diff though if you don’t do it and it leaks.

I just got done with this job on my 4.8IS. Replace the front diff seals for sure! You have to remove the drive shafts so why not? Cheap insurance if you are already that deep into a repair. I also replaced the o ring between the diff and the oil pan. Make sure to replace all the little o rings on the oil cooler lines as well.

Thanks for this (and to all who’ve posted above) - so is there enough wiggle room to get to the seal between the diff and oil pan? Or did you have to take the diff out entirely?

Not sure about the V8. But I know with the M54 and with my 340ix f30, you can't get to all 4 diff bolts without raising the engine and/or lowering the subframe. And even if you could get to the bolt there's not really any room to move it. On this car I was able to get to two out of four but the other two were obstructed by the engine mount area etc. I don't know for certain though, perhaps it can actually be done in a certain way, hopefully somebody else will chime in.

There's also a little protective ring they added to use when installing the diff. I wish I had ordered this when I did it but I didn't know about the part until late and sent it in anyway without it.

https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sho...14#11137506632

I think it's number 9 in the diagram which is greyed out. When I called my local dealer about it, he said it showed is not applying to the VIN. I don't think that's right but i didn't bother holding up the whole show for it. Not really sure what's going on in the parts catalog with it. Factory manual says it is intended to protect that o-ring from dirt as you slide it in.

I just got everything super clean with the microfiber brake cleaner and compressed air. It was a little awkward to bench press up and get seated in there perfectly without messing that ring up but it was more doable than I initially expected. I would say it weighs about 50 lb maybe. Also make sure you fully mark both ends of the front prop shaft->diff flange so you get everything installed in the same orientation.

N62 Alternator Bracket Gasket
 

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...x5-11137506632

It looks like just a guide to help install the seal and you can do the job without it. Do you have access to newtis? You can check the install manual.

I agree. That little metal protective ring is needed to protect the new seal when muscling the diff into position. You don’t want to cut the o-ring and find out after the car is back together that it’s leaking.

The diff is quite heavy and it’s a tough job to get it into place without some inadvertent contact and banging around. I’d recommend a helper to, at a minimum, slide the bolts in as you muscle the diff around and into place. I did it on my back with the car on jack stands. Even following the Bentley procedures (impossible otherwise, unfortunately I tried to short cut the process and wasted a lot of time and bloody knuckles), the 50 lb diff has to be threaded into place via room created by dropping the subframe a bit and lifting the motor a few inches.

If I do it again I’d have the car on a lift, the diff on a jack or other support stand and a helper to help maneuver it and slide the bolts home.

I recall that I ordered the seal/o-ring and protective ring from another x-drive car. I think FCP recommended it when I put the part numbers in? I may have the pn of the one I used in some old notes. Let me know if you need me to dig around for it.

Thanks for the above everyone - and noted on orientation of driveshafts, circlip, and the need for the installation ring for the diff seals.

Just to clarify - will there be enough room to install the gasket between the diff and oil pan once the diff is loose (videos seem to shoe sliding the diff down to access the alternator bracket. Not full removal out fromnunder the car….- does it have to be (and can it?) be removed out from under the car/is there enough room to do this - or can it be wiggled around enough to reach in between it and the oil pan to install the seal?

Can’t help you there. I did the job on an m62, and was pulling the motor. I don’t recall how much lateral space was available to maneuver the diff and if it was enough to re-seal it without dropping it out entirely. You wouldn’t need much, but it was very, very tight.