BMW F10 xDrive Front Axle Replacement

[@agreenwood1990]

I’ve used this video to replace not one, but both of my front axles at this point. Thanks a ton!

[@AMMA-we3zz]

All is good except for one mistake you did. You cannot tighten the thrust arm without loading the suspension. After installing everything and torquing the axle bolt, place a jack under the brake disc and raise it up (you are compressing the spring) as if the car is sitting on its weight. Now torque the thrust arm. Not doing that will eventually damage your thrust arm bushing. Other than that, all is excellent work. Thank you

[@JimmyDBlock]

I was wondering when he’s do this as well

[@calvinm5462]

Thanks gents needed this. I have little to no real mechanic knowledge but I got it done. Need oil changes and ac recharges done out thoroughly like this one.

[@tr888unruly7]

Can u jus change one side

[@t.p1234xyz]

@@tr888unruly7 yes

[@rexpontiusful]

Cool video, but you really dont need to take all that stuff off, especially when on a lift. It is sufficient to disconnect the upper control arm, lower shock absorber bolt, and pull down the whole assembly (brake disc, lower control arm, etc.) with a strap. That gives you enough room to remove the drive shaft. Works both on left and right side of the car (left is slightly easier because the shaft is much shorter).

[@dflex4180]

yes what a waste of time taking off the rotors and brakes

[@0x8080]

Okay, I was thinking the same thing. At one point in the video it looked like almost everything was gutted 🤔 I'm thinking, why did you blow apart the entire suspension

[@realjherbo2639]

ur videos answers the questions everyone fails to answer in there videos on 535s. Gained a subscriber today💪🏻

[@chrisislas6490]

Im literally doing all of this soon and decided to look for a video thanks a million

[@EastCoastGarage]

Of course man no problem at all!

[@Steven-xj2rf]

I did my front axles last night. Not counting the shield and wheel bolts I counted 14 bolts total to change it. 2 hubs bolts - 2 lower control arms.body bolts - 2 lower strut bolts - 6 upper strut bolts, drain and fill plug. This video was so helpful.

[@EastCoastGarage]

Steven than you I appreciate the feedback and support!!

[@cabdriver361]

Really good video thanks, it helps with the G30 too.

[@ruben02021965]

Great job. Very well explained. Thank you

[@mattiasforsman3801]

Its very important to tighten the bolts to the controlarm (bushings) when the vehicle is in riding position. Otherwise the bushings go bad very fast.

[@EastCoastGarage]

I can definitely see your point however to get the car into riding position we would need to put the wheel back on and lower it. I feel like I would rather risk wearing my bushings than try to attempt to torque down the bolts enough with the little room I would have after lowering the car with the wheel on. Honestly not sure how possible it would be to tighten those bolts with the car lowered the wheel on.

[@mattiasforsman3801]

Take a jack and raise the whole package til the point when the vehicle raises from the other jack or stands 👍🏼

[@cjg6364]

Exactly. Clueless reply from "East Coast Garage". Also, there's no need to remove the rotor from the hub. Newsflash to these KZbin clowns masquerading as mechanics. You don't need to have the vehicle resting on the ground to load the suspension properly before torquing bolts. If you don't know how to do this properly or safely, or lack the proper equipment, you shouldn't be servicing cars. Most importantly, you shouldn't be trying to teach others how to service cars as you clearly don't have a clue what you should be doing.

[@kevinhall520]

Thank you this for sure helped I changed the wrong side now I have to do the other clicking still continued

[@HiRevEk]

What was the size for the axle bolt!?!? This was a fantastic tutorial and will be doing this very soon for a friend. I think a tool list at the beginning of the video would be a great addition! I also loved your hand Pump diff fill, where can I get one of those!?!

[@threeqtrthrottle]

17mm

[@EastCoastGarage]

I will definitely add a tool list in the start next time! i got the filler from FCP Euro

[@leffe9941]

Excellent content! Im going to do this on a friends car and this was a great tutorial! Thanks and a big thumbs up!

[@Aldik1980]

Hi, when you replacment front driveshaft is oil leaked ?

[@comfortlinen8039]

Great video, very well explained! What year of F10 was this?

[@oneildixon9482]

This help a lot thanks

[@EastCoastGarage]

Oneil Dixon awesome! Thanks for the feedback

[@JohnathanRozenboom-fk9pv]

Have you experienced or heard of replacement axels being manufactured with the cv boot being too short causing there to be tension on the axel and in some cases actually pulling it back out of the transmission/transfer case?? Please help

[@frazmeup]

Xdrive has 4 of these or two? Should I just change front two?

[@omarrthaHanafi]

Great video

[@Stitches_gaming_channel]

What is the size of the axle nut socket ?

[@DrDeceptor]

17mm Allen hex bit socket

[@mihaipavelescu8013]

Hey! Nice info! How much dif oil you need for a full refill? Thx

[@EastCoastGarage]

Mihai Pavelescu you will need 1 liter per diff. So an all wheel drive needs one liter for the front and 1 liter for the rear. I recommend Liqui Moly from FCP Euro I put a link in the description for the part

[@bigfwopl4873]

Any axle shaft seal replacement?

[@JK-br9lh]

Excellent video. I found some torque values that are needed for the control arms. Left lower wish bone inside , M16 thread, 100 NM + 90 degrees( swivel bearing) & M14 thread 85 Nm + 180 degrees (axle carrier) the other control arm is the Tension control arm inside M14 thread, 85 NM + 180 degrees (to front axle support). BMW loves to add the addition turning in degrees once you hit the torque value. Not turning the "additional amount" will leave these components seriously under torqued. My information was retrieved from BMW TIS. I have a pdf but no way to attach it to these comments. I assume that the upper wishbone was not taken apart. Was the lower wishbone completely removed ?

[@apolloactual]

did you replace the circlip on the axle? I tried to stop the vid at 3:51 and it doesn't look like its there? i have a clip and not sure how to get it on there.. thanks

[@EastCoastGarage]

Dustin Riddle I’m not going to lie I’m honesty not sure how to get this clip in but are you sure it needs to be replaced? When you tap the axle in it does “clip” into place using this circlip you are talking about but I never did any research into replacing the clip. I’m sorry I couldn’t be much hep

[@apolloactual]

So, after I asked I went back and looked at my new axle and realized there was already a new clip in there. So after feeling stupid I went ahead and did the job following your video. Took about four hours but it worked. Takes a lot of wracking to pop it out as well as get back in, but overall video was incredibly helpful. Thank you

[@elby401]

Great video man

[@EastCoastGarage]

elby401 thank you so much! Follow us on IG ecg.usa

[@luissousa4335]

Do you have to do alignment after R&I the lower control arms? Thank You

[@EastCoastGarage]

I did not do an alignment and did not have any issues

[@bluntedthc519]

But what about the seal? Did you guys change out the axle seal too or no? That and where to knock on when putting the new one in?

[@EastCoastGarage]

The seal comes installed onto the new axel and locks into place with the right amount of power

[@ld1238]

You said you tapped the axle in with a mallet. Where can I safely tap on the axle without it potentially causing harm to the axle?

[@EastCoastGarage]

So to be honest it feels completely absurd and damaging as you do it but ensuring you hit it until it clicks is crucial. I just answered a comment below where someone clearly did not tap it in fully and now it is leaking and hopefully didn’t do damage. Just make sure you use a rubber mallet not a metal one and the best advice I have is “direct hard force”. Like there is literally just enough force at the right angle that clicks the lock ring in and that is what you need. Took us about 10-15 minutes of slowly adding more force to our hits

[@ld1238]

@@EastCoastGarage my mechanic confirmed this, and thanks for letting me know!! He said its a good idea to put the bolt in while I hit it as well. Halfway done with this job as long as we didn't damage the transfer case seal. Cracking the old axle off the case was the hardest part so far..

[@EastCoastGarage]

@@ld1238 awesome I’m glad you got confirmation! I personally wouldn’t put the bolt in just because it’s aluminum and I wouldn’t trust the damage that could be done. You shouldn’t have caused any damage to the transfer case but I do understand the difficulty. I do think getting it off was easier than clicking it back in. It seems quite random when it finally sets literally comes down to the “perfect hit”

[@JustFixItAlready]

Would this work for a 2015 740li?

[@198888joshua]

Hi , I just did mine , I bought it from fcpeuro ,now my car feels better, when I replaced the boots, I didn’t put to much grease maybe that’s why was jerking, does the inner side has to be full of grasee ?

[@EastCoastGarage]

Yes

[@198888joshua]

Hi I just added fluid to differential case , when I took out the the axle fluid came out , so I added it , but I only lifted the driver side , I fill until came out , then I put the plug, do you think it can be overfill doing that way?

[@qns1424]

When installing the axle back, can it just be pushed it or does it need hammered to seat right after in the grooves?

[@EastCoastGarage]

QNS Cars and Training it needs to be hit in so it can lock in. Takes a bit of time but you will be able to tell when it’s fully in.

[@qns1424]

@@EastCoastGarage ok, thanks.. because I had mine changed and watched the person put it in but he just placed it in. Now I'm getting a random noise coming from the front end that it wasn't doing previously.. thinking maybe it's not locked in

[@EastCoastGarage]

QNS Cars and Training yeah I would come to the same conclusion. It’s very important the axel is completely in

[@romaineharvey7337]

@QNS I had my install the same way and it was making a vibration noise on till it slips out

[@SomeGuy-Guy]

How many hours should this take?

[@marclusby4041]

Great video!!! I have a 2012 535i xdrive (f10). I replacing both sides because boots are both ripped and I getting a pooping noise from the passenger side when turning. My question is do you know the capacity for the front differential fluid? Also, will the gear oil you have in the video work for my year?

[@EastCoastGarage]

Thank you very much! And I’m not exactly sure what capacity you are referring to. But I am pretty positive the gear oil will be the same, you can always check on FCP Euro’s website by inserting your year

[@marclusby4041]

East Coast Garage ok thanks. I’m going to drain the front differential gear oil and wanted to know how much it would hold to fill back up.

[@EastCoastGarage]

@@marclusby4041 ah it should take 1 full bottle which I am pretty certain is 1L maybe a little more if it spills out

[@marclusby4041]

East Coast Garage I wanted let you know I appreciate the video and the responses to my questions. I just finished replacing both cv axles and both wheel hub assemblies. The two hardest parts were the stupid fill plug and getting the passenger axle to snug into place. Once again thanks!

[@EastCoastGarage]

@@marclusby4041 of course thank you for your support! I definitely agree the hardest part is that damn drain plug it took me probably an hour of getting diff fluid in my face trying to screw the plug back in lol

[@prestigegaragedoors7326]

Hey so u need to do an alignment the way you did it?

[@EastCoastGarage]

Prestige Garage Doors no alignment needed

[@198888joshua]

Do you need a special tools to remove filling plug , and I I want to jus change the fluid , do I have to remove everything you removed,,

[@EastCoastGarage]

No you do not need to do everything I did. It will be exponentially more difficult to access the drain plug with more things in the way but you can experiment different methods for reaching it before taking too many things off.

[@198888joshua]

Ok thank you, do I ave to go trough the axle boot or I can go underneath

[@EastCoastGarage]

@@198888joshua there’s a possibility you could access from underneath. I would make a good few attempts at this before trying to go through the axel boot

[@198888joshua]

Thanks for your help, sorry for bother you , can you tell if my should be in level to replace de diferential fluid

[@EastCoastGarage]

@@198888joshua I’m not exactly sure what you mean. Think you could rephrase the question?

[@John-qc1zv]

How come you did not replace the shaft seal ?

[@alexanderproefrock8721]

Do you have to remove the shield from the bottom of the car?

[@EastCoastGarage]

Yes you do

[@kemarlyons4988]

Were did you buy the axel please let me know

[@EastCoastGarage]

The link is in the description

[@PactWitDaRacks]

East Coast Garage how long did that axle last you?

[@EastCoastGarage]

@@PactWitDaRacks it’s still in there

[@a1enterprise405]

My f10 needs a new left axle. Clicking when I turn left. Dealer tried to charge me a grip.

[@iAlwaysSpeakTheTruth]

Find a good shop. The dealer is psycho.

[@guillermo7615]

Did you solve this??

[@emadayyash9760]

Thanks

[@mangoguey]

By chance do you have a video of the symptoms? I notice a small clunk when I’m reversing and going over bumps. At first I thought it might have been my steering rack then I did a little troubleshooting by checking to see if my steering had any looseness and checked to see if the wheel turned while I was driving but I got nothing. I also tried the letting go of the steering wheel and pressed the brakes to see if it would pull and nothing. I did notice front cv axle rubber was ripped. Any advice on how to trouble-shoot wether it’s the axle or the steering rack.

[@EastCoastGarage]

The CV axel being ripped is enough to know that a new axel will more than likely solve your problem. The torn boot is the exact way my axels started and currently I am actually hearing a not to happy clunk that’s not nearly as noticeable as the axel, but I think might be associated with my steering rack so I’ll keep you posted on what that turns out to be

[@caseykennedy5617]

What size hex was the axel bolt?

[@EastCoastGarage]

Casey Kennedy 17mm 6 point Allen

[@conoryates-gregory8759]

Thank you for asking this

[@narathchhun]

Thanks for the videos. can you make one for the Right side?

[@EastCoastGarage]

Narath Chhun the right side would be the exact same process if anything you will just have more took to work

[@ilovslavo]

I had broken right side outer Boot . It will be OK if I replace new Outer CV Joint only instead of whole new Front Axel ( with outer and inner CV Joint)?

[@EastCoastGarage]

ilovslavo sometimes you can get away with just replacing the boot but this works very rarely. I do not believe you can purchase just the outer CV joint as it is cheaper and easier to replace the entire axel. Replacing just the CV Joint would be a very very in depth job any shop or BMW dealership will just replace the entire axel.

[@ilovslavo]

@@EastCoastGarage broken boot I've already changed before with CV Joint pooler on Axel.. Now CV Joint start to clicking when turning . I can purchase just outer Cv Joint FEBEST 1910-F10 price 195€. Original BMW part N 31607618680 is selling only whole axel for price 993,56 $ USD

[@EastCoastGarage]

ilovslavo I barely understand that but if you can do it go for it. I paid 300 USD for a new axel I reccomend purchasing oem instead of original BMW. You’ll get the full axel for the price of just the CV joint and it will be a lot easier.

[@ricks84653]

I have a F02 and cannot find any DYI video's on replacing the front axles. I am assuming the process is pretty much the same but am worried about the little differences that will get me stuck--Any experience working on the F10? Also, it appears that a whole lot of BMW's made in 2010-2012 had either a recall or a service directive to replace the CV joints--just about every one except for my 2011 750Li. The 2011 550Li was recalled but not the 750 with the same part. Go figure. People watching this should check with BMW--even if it was previously replace in the recall or CA, they may have extended the warranty on the CV Joint.

[@EastCoastGarage]

I do believe it should be an almost identical process and shouldn’t really be any different to trip you up. In regard to the warranty, even if the parts are covered the labor will more likely not and will still likely be much more expensive than attempting the job yourself. I think BMW quotes these jobs at about $2k. Not a bad decision to atleast talk to the dealership tho

[@ricks84653]

@@EastCoastGarage Thanks--parts are ordered and coming. Just finished up my projects on my Jeep so I can make room in my garage to fix my wife's car. See where my priorities are.:)

[@thekingg288]

Would this work on a msport 535 x drive as well ?

[@EastCoastGarage]

Yes it will

[@jimmyljungstrom3982]

same procedure right side?

[@EastCoastGarage]

correct

[@olehansen6655]

Why isnt it possible just to fill up what is lost

[@Onthreego808]

How much would it cost to change the whole axel?

[@EastCoastGarage]

MannyXsicko 818 a shop is most likely going to charge atleast a grand. If you go to BMW I would say several. The parts add up to about 400. I personally charged a close friend about 300 for labor so $700 total

[@Onthreego808]

East Coast Garage Oo okay , yeah I have a friend who would do it for cheap but I help him do it so for labor he don’t charge me too much , thank you!

[@alexanderbrooks7471]

Was that a specialty tool to take the axle bolt off?

[@jiismo]

allen wrench

[@alexanderproefrock8721]

Is this the same as a 528i?

[@EastCoastGarage]

Should be same process

[@eduardomontanez4661]

It’s not necessary to remove the caliper, rotor,dust shield, because the axle does not protrude through the hub, also before tightening the control arm bolt you was suppose to put a load on it to prevent premature wear. Thanks for sharing.

[@weswoo]

When you install new axle….it doesnt show how it sinks in Ive done this on my 3 series numerous times never had this issue “How do i sink the new cv axle into place?”

[@EastCoastGarage]

Its all about how and how hard you hit the axel You will feel it set thats the best way I can explain it

[@weswoo]

@@EastCoastGarage yea i got it😂🙏 thank you thou

[@adorisdaninchermes3882]

Hey guys , how many L or ML differential fluid did fit in the differencial?

[@scottjohnson396]

Mine took the entire 1L bottle, BUT I wasted a little because I was testing out the pump I had (probably ~100mL), some dripped out of the fill hole before I could get the cap on (that was a PITA), and some was left in the pump.

[@Ihaveabagonchain]

this just motivated me to fix that damn axle on the wifes beamer.

[@EastCoastGarage]

I never saw this but damn that’s funny

[@oriel7899]

Hi Guys, great video, i’m planning on doing this job pretty soon as both outer cv boots cracked on my axles, Question, is this the way to replace the right axle and do you need to replace any of the bolts removed from the control arms?

[@EastCoastGarage]

Oriel thank you! And yes the process is the exact same on the passenger side, if anything slightly easier since the differential doesn’t get as much in the way. You will see what I mean when you are down there. But we used this technique so that we wouldn’t need to replace any of the bolts. Obviously if you are a person who regularly replaces bolts with every job you can feel free to but I personally do not believe it is necessary for this job. The only bolt you will need to replace is the axel bolt.

[@oriel7899]

Nice, thanks for the reply!

[@Steven-xj2rf]

I would say it is worse on the passenger side. That shaft is very long and it makes it tougher to get in and out.

[@octaviodominguez9722]

@@EastCoastGarage hey bro I just did my 2014 BMW 750li XDrive both axles the one that was easier was the left side. The right side got a bit complicated but was wondering if it was normal for the plastic part the one at the end that cover the metal where it leaks when you take out. If its normal for that one to not close fully? One more thing do you have on the right side a plug where you put axle oil or is it only on the left side?

[@EastCoastGarage]

The Golden Ghost Rider - Tripleseven17 yes that’s normal and the drain is on the bottom for the diff fluid and the fill is on the driver side

[@BradaBear61]

Yo my man no disrespect but you need to tighten the bolts of the control arms when the car is resting on its wheels!!

[@EastCoastGarage]

None taken. Solid observation however I’m not positive if we would be able to access these holds entirely and maintain enough space for the torque wrench with the car completely on the ground. I can agree to your arguement however I’m not quite confident in the application

[@EastCoastGarage]

None taken. Solid observation however I’m not positive if we would be able to access these holds entirely and maintain enough space for the torque wrench with the car completely on the ground. I can agree to your arguement however I’m not quite confident in the application

[@alanwong9572]

Tornaciokan - correct, this is to protect the rubber bushings in the arms. What the East Coast guys say is true, it would be difficult to torque the bolts if the car is sitting on the ground. I am planning to do this: Put all the bolts back in with minimal torque. Put the axle bolt in too, minimal torque. Then, you can jack up the assembly under the rotor (use a rubber pad or blocks or hardwood) until you have an approximate ride height. In theory, that would be when the car comes slightly off the jack stand. While torquing under the car, ensure that you have adequate jack stand support somewhere! NEVER depend on the floor jack to support the car!

[@alanwong9572]

I ended up not jacking up under the rotor to get to ride height. After installing the 3 arm bolts back in with low torque, I then rolled the floor jack from the front of the car under the outermost bolt of the lower control arm and then slowly jacked it up until the car just came of the jack stand. I put a secondary jack stand under the car for safety and then torqued all three bolts. As the ECG guys have noted there would have been no way to do this if the car was on the ground as there would not have been enough clearance to access the bolts (and torque them!)

[@indyguy5570]

@@alanwong9572 Why not just drive up on a set of ramps and torque them, that is how I did it and it gave me plenty of room and the car was fully weighted or basically at ride height. Just a suggestion that seemed easier to me, of course that is if you have a set of ramps to use.

[@jameskelly9510]

Where are you located bro

[@EastCoastGarage]

James Kelly We are in Essex, Connecticut. Hit up our Instagram ecg.usa and dm me on there

[@tr888unruly7]

I change it but still hear noise why ?

[@EastCoastGarage]

Most likely need to change the opposite side as well

[@tr888unruly7]

@@EastCoastGarage that mean machine only change one side thanks

[@wach1722]

U guys fucking Rock!!!

[@david_vash]

What year was this bmw that you worked on? I also have an f10 but the fluid needed for the front diff is confusing regarding what type to use

[@EastCoastGarage]

David Vashakidze I used 75-90 which is spec for my 2014 n55 f10

[@nycklee5303]

Does this work on a 550i xdrive?

[@EastCoastGarage]

It definitely should!

[@McDaddyPremium]

music wasn’t loud enough

[@wmboyd925]

😂😂

[@jaymc1244]

Only needed to take off the lower control arm at the frame and the strut bolt at the bottom arm. Don’t even need to take off the stiffing plate. And if you have it up just on the right side on an angle you don’t loose any fluid. They aren’t professionals so I wouldn’t follow this video. Also when re tightening bolts at subframe on the thrust arm and lower control arm the suspension must be loaded at ride height which they didn’t do. It is to prevent wrapping the bushings which can tear them. Do not follow this videos instructions.

[@EastCoastGarage]

There have been plenty of people providing the torque specs of the control arms to ensure preservation of the bushings. We did not include this on camera and we apologize but the reason there are so many likes to dislikes is because plenty of others found this video perfectly helpful to save them a ton of money. If you are a professional, great that’s who we got our recommendations from, but I don’t know if you can really comment something as absurd as completely disregarding this video. Feel free to disagree but you could atleast be of the helpful hundreds of people kindly commenting, critiquing the issues in our videos. I disagree with attempting to preserve the fluid. Diff fluid should be changed every 80-100k anyways, why not do it while your in there. Also we take off a lot of things extra oftentimes simply to be able to get a camera angle that is otherwise impossible. Next time, just make your own video if your going to throw so much hate

[@rvd4lyfe]

“210 NeWtOn MeTrEs”

[@exoticreflexs6719]

My whole rotor and shit spins so I can't tighten the stupid cv axle bolt even with brakes applied glad everyone has it easy

[@사천남]

감사합니다우크라이나의희망과평온이있길기원합니다

[@John-qc1zv]

Hi, my car make noise, see video. I just change the hub wheel bearing but no luck. You think it can be the axel ? I try to check everything else before to attack the diff. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mmO2nYt3oMiFbNE

[@samuelrutty9440]

Should’ve kept the Audi.....

[@sjsaks261]

Worst music ever. So distracting when attempting to hear what these guys are trying to say.

[@sjsaks261]

BTW, the spelling (in your parts section) is equally atrocious. It's an Axle, not Axel. Axel can be either a man's name or a jump executed by a skater. It's not the thing that connects the wheels to the drive train ... which would be an axle. A dictionary might help!

[@EastCoastGarage]

looks like over the last 6 months nobody has agreed with you. Sorry boss

[@aliawad1202]

I did this now my diff is leaking from the passenger side where the axle and diff meet what’s happend ????

[@EastCoastGarage]

You didn’t set the lock ring into the diff your axle is now essentially floated. If you watch we discuss the difficulty and force needed to click that lock ring into place.

[@richb5478]

is this the same for 535d xdrive?

[@EastCoastGarage]

Most likely however not certain. Chance of different engine mounting and access to diff but overall should be similar if not same process

[@Onthreego808]

How much does it cost to change the whole axel?

[@EastCoastGarage]

It’s about 350 for all the parts