BMWE E60 / E61 XI (AWD) Front CV Axle Replacement

[@thomasstiglich3484]

Thanks for making this video Mark. I was struggling to get the axle out of the back of the knuckle. I used the angle and direction that you used, and I got it out in seconds. As for getting the axle out through the hub, I used a powerful air hammer. 122K daily driver in Michigan.

[@Mark_H_DIY]

@@thomasstiglich3484 I've sworn off cars from the Frozen North as a result of this one. ;-) honestly, I was kind of amazed that an air hammer didn't get it loose by itself. I just ordered a really heavy duty tool that will do the same thing, probably easier, and will most likely do another video if I can find a really rusty car again. ;-)

[@thomasstiglich3484]

@@Mark_H_DIY I bought the Chief air hammer from Harbor Freight after watching your video. Also got high-flow fittings and a full port fitting for my air compressor, which I run at 120 psi to compensate for any hose loss. When using the air hammer, one needs to really lean into it or else it will wander.

[@jabarilindsay5662]

Mark you're the truth sir every detailed about these diy is spot on it gives us do it yourselves Guys lots of insight how to thank you.

[@Mark_H_DIY]

Thanks very much for the kind words. I have been helped by the work of so many others who've taken the time to put up videos on fixing their cars that I wanted to "pay it forward" to help others.

[@djbmw1]

Great job! Just did this for the driver's side.... whole process took just over 1 hr. and that includes topping off the front differential fluid.

[@Mark_H_DIY]

The biggest time black hole on this job is if the axle and hub have rusted together into an inseparable mass. Then it gets interesting. Congratulations on getting it done 👍

[@djbmw1]

@@Mark_H_DIY thanks! I used an air hammer and pointed bit to hit the axle with. After 25 seconds it was free. I also have a single bay shop with hoist which made it much easier to work on. Your video was great though and certainly lets people see the potential hurdles

[@Mark_H_DIY]

@@djbmw1 Thanks! Sometimes it takes even more (see my video on getting the rear axle out). ;-)

[@MAC-hk2zl]

Great job explaining the aftermarket C clip issue sub'd

[@Mark_H_DIY]

@@MAC-hk2zl thanks... That's an issue I've dealt with a few times over the years, and the first time can be perplexing... ;-)

[@wintereiser]

Fantastic write up! Thank you so much for your effort and detailed explanation with a lot of crucial tips that can only be attained by experience.

[@Mark_H_DIY]

Glad to hear that the video helped you out.

[@Mark_H_DIY]

This fix cured most of the slight "shake" my car was experiencing, but now I can feel what appears to be the REAR CV axles shaking a little bit (it was largely masked by the larger shake up front). Stay tuned for a video on the subject of swapping out the rear axles (which should be simpler than the front, since there aren't any covers that need to be removed).

[@thumbsUpFood]

What was the slight shake you were having? When I mildly accelerate over 40mph I get a slight shake. Boots look good, no obvious tears or leas and I tore apart the brakes in case it was a sticking caliper. Now I'm trying to decide if it is better to replace the front axels or the calipers first.

[@Mark_H_DIY]

I would highly doubt the calipers are involved. If they were, your brake rotors would be getting VERY hot (this is where it's a good idea to spend $20 on a cheap infrared thermometer). My front axles felt tight, without discernible rotation or up-down play, but were bad enough to cause a light shake. OTOH, there have been several different things on my particular car that have cause a slight shake - so every time I fix something, it gets better, so I fix the next thing, and it's better... but still there. ;-) Right now (after virtually all the suspension, tie rods, struts and shocks, axles, bearings and tires being replaced) I can STILL detect a very slight, very intermittent shake. I'm pretty much resolved that I'm never going to get to 100.00000000% smooth, and will have to settle for 99.99%. ;-)

[@auggiebuerkle6660]

Thanks for the video!

[@Mark_H_DIY]

You're welcome!

[@Mark_H_DIY]

FYI, there was only a very slight amount of looseness in the old (160,000 mile) axle. I could twist it end-to-end only a fraction of a degree (guessing), but could feel that amount of play (couldn't feel any on the "new" rebuilt axle).

[@BmwFix]

Nice job

[@Mark_H_DIY]

Thanks!

[@joelane4670]

Will this be the same on 5 series e60 2008 rear wheel drive bmw? Great video..my front shakes real bad.. please everything but the CV axle..thank you!

[@Mark_H_DIY]

Some parts are the same, but really the front suspension on the two cars (RWD and AWD) is very different. With a shake, I'd look at wheel balance (rotate front to rear to see if it changes), alignment (if it's been more than 50,000 miles, not a bad idea anyway), or (very likely) compliance bushings (the large rubber bushings on the front end of the lower control arms). Also, play in one of many front end components can cause problems (like tie rod ends or inner tie rods, ball joints, other bushings, etc.).

[@unknownyoutuber8176]

I know this is an older video but I’ve got to do this and I’m wondering does the axle literally just pop into place?

[@Mark_H_DIY]

The video's not that old (the car, OTOH...). ;-) Yes, they weren't particularly difficult to seat in the front differential. Getting the axle stub out of the hub, OTOH... now THAT was fun (and will be if your car has spent time in the frozen north, and gotten a good dose of nasty, salty water into that junction).

[@hazey967]

Hello! Is it normal for the axle to wiggle a little bit when I grab it and shake it

[@Mark_H_DIY]

It's perfectly normal for it to move in and out. You shouldn't be able to rotate it (other than to take up the play in the interface to the front differential), or feel any movement of the axle shafts inside the CV joints. If there's any discernible play there, chances are that the axle is bad.

[@Mark_H_DIY]

If you struggle to get the axle out of the hub (due to rust, most likely) check out my video on that subject. My axles were VERY rusted in place, and took a huge amount of force, violence and heat to get loose. Normally a regular "puller" will force the axle back through the hub, but you might want to start with one of the bolt-on pullers that bolt onto the hub's lug bolt pattern (using a threaded shaft to push on the axle). If that doesn't do it, start considering the horrible things I do in my video... ;-) kzbin.info/www/bejne/iqmyZpaJfNKopNU

[@I_Learned_a_Thing]

I just installed brand new Cardone axels up front today and am getting a bad vibration under acceleration. Do you think the axles may have been defective? I tightened everything down to spec and the axle was seated properly.

[@Mark_H_DIY]

It's certainly not impossible that you'd get a bad axle out of the box. Was it the same kind of vibration that you had prior to changing the axle, or worse? There are a lot of suspects on front end vibrations - make doubly certain that the axles are both fully seated in the differential (or in the case of the right axle, against the outboard bearing case). If the axle itself is causing really significant vibrations, I'm betting you could feel it by trying to move the axle up/down left/right, as well as rotating it (just don't get fooled by the movement and "clunk" in the differential, which is normal). There should be essentially zero "twist" end-to-end on a new axle. My "bad axle" had only a fraction of a mm of rotation but that was apparently enough to cause a vibration.

[@I_Learned_a_Thing]

@@Mark_H_DIY there wasn’t a vibration before installing the new axle. I called up the parts store and they said that a lot of cardone axles have been having this issue so they stopped selling them. I got my original one rebuilt by some shop so gonna throw that in tomorrow and see if anything changes. Also asked the shop that solely rebuilds cv shafts and they said that Cardone axles commonly have this type of issue. But honestly, I can’t see how a vibration this bad can happen due to a faulty axle, the Cardone one seemed to be of good quality. Whatever though, I’ll post an update tomorrow.

[@Mark_H_DIY]

@@I_Learned_a_Thing Thanks for the feedback. I've had nothing but good luck with them in the past, but will certainly keep my nose to the wind going forward. I don't want to recommend anything that's not going to work out, so let me know if that new rebuilt axle does take care of it so I know whether or not the Cardone rebuilt axle was the problem. Thanks!

[@I_Learned_a_Thing]

@@Mark_H_DIY so swapped in the rebuilt OEM axle and all was well until the ABS ring came off…. The guy who rebuilt the axle damaged it and it literally just fell off. I went and got a track-motive replacement axle and installed that instead, took it for a drive, did a few launches and the thing exploded….. ripped into pieces. So gonna take it to a shop and let them install a CV axle of their choice, if anything goes wrong I can just go back and get it replaced under their warranty.

[@Mark_H_DIY]

Oof... hate to hear about such a prolonged streak of bad luck. I did try a Trakmotive axle - only once though. It lasted about as long as yours. ;-) It'll be interesting to see which axles the indy shop chooses... presumably, they're going to use their (hopefully vast) experience to find one that's reliable. I was forced to replace my front right axle in the middle of a long (!) road trip, and I honestly don't know what axle the shop used, but it does carry a three year warranty. The problem will be that when one of the axles wears enough to create a slight wobble, it's virtually impossible to figure out which one it is, so I'm not entirely sure how it'll work out if I do end up going back for warranty service. The good news is, my car now has four "new" axles (three new aftermarket, and the one rebuilt Cardone axle, which seems to be fine so far, and I suspect it'll stay that way). FWIW, I also have replaced the struts, shocks, and virtually all the suspension and tie rods, so the car rides and handles about as close to a new one as is possible.

[@mohamedbenbarka1766]

Hi Can you tell me the torque for the nun M27?

[@Mark_H_DIY]

Sorry, I'm not sure which bolt / nut you're talking about.

[@mohamedbenbarka1766]

I'm talking about the axle's nut

[@Mark_H_DIY]

According to my service manual (which MAY be different from your model!) it's tightened to 420Nm (309 foot/pounds). I'm still not sure about the M27 designation, though that's what it's called in my service manual (the actual nut is a 12-point 34mm or 36mm nut).

[@mohamedbenbarka1766]

@@Mark_H_DIY The nut is also a 12 point 36mm, with a thread pitch (diameter 27x1,5mm)==>M27 in France

[@mohamedbenbarka1766]

Thanks you for your great vidéo and your answer

[@chris_1637]

Fart at 17:01 😆

[@Mark_H_DIY]

I'm afraid you're right. LOL

[@MAC-hk2zl]

🤣