Front Differential Fluid Flush
 

Hey guys,

Was wondering if anyone has been able to take off their front differential fill plug?

I was doing a few fluid flushes over the weekend and got stuck when trying to reach the front diff fill plug. There were some metal lines in the way right in front of the fill plug...

Any tips?

Thanks.

Just did this a few months ago. You will need something low profile like this:
Home Page > ES#2219625 BMW 17/17mm Service Wrench - N-ECS-019

Hmmm I have that tool and used that for the transfer case which was tight but had nothing blocking the bolts.

Oops! Thought you meant the transfer case in your initial post. Haven't done the front differential yet.

I was scratching my head the whole morning at work to try and figure out how you used the tool to get to the bolt. It's way too tight for that tool to even get close.

The only way I got close to it was to use a 14mm hex socket and a long extension through the left wheel well.

The problem is there is a metal line pretty much covering the bolt. Just wanted to see if anyone else was successful. I have a feeling I'll need to detach the metal line and move it aside but I have no idea what that line is...

Anyone out there do a front differential flush? Please shine some light over here :)

I like this set best for low clearance jobs that need a male hex

EZ Red , WC100 Wrench Connection Low Profile Hex Set Metric

It's magnetic so it sticks to your box end.

Well IIRC, you must first remove the plastic housing on the left wheelwell. I remember it being a little tight but a pretty straight shot with a long extension to the female hex plug. (still talking about cars ;)) I removed the entire reinforcing panel when I did mine, but you might be able to get away with using the little black door (not for the engine oil drain) to drain the diff.

I'm not remembering any metal lines in the way...could you post a pic?

For the fill, Castrol SAF-XO 75w-90 is what BMW specifies for non-LSD which is what we have. But they don't sell it with containers. Or go down to your Landrover dealer and get LRN 7591 Gear Oil (which comes in containers)...same stuff.

I'll give it another try but will try to remove the fender lining. I tried to push the extension through a hole from the wheel well and it was ridiculously hard to even get close. I didn't tape a picture, but I should have. If I fail this time then I'll take some pictures.

As for the gear oil, I just went with REDLINE 75w90 purchased through ECS Tuning.

It's not the fender lining, the plastic housing is right under the left frame rail, kind of long and skinny. There are lots of fasteners to remove (7-10).

I have no experience with Redline oils. They are not certified by the API so you have to trust their claims. I just wanted to use what was factory fill...:thumbup: