Differential Oil Change
09-07-2012, 08:24 AM
#11
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Check this DIY thread for great info and pics on changing the rear diff gear oil.
Castrol SAF-XA is much heavier gear oil (80W-140) than XO (75W-90).
Castrol Syntrax Long Life API GL-5 / SAE 75W-90 synthetic gear oil seems to have replaced SAF-XO. Depending on the market, versions with or without friction modifiers appear to be available. Either will work in an open diff.
HTH,
Jim / crewzer
Sorry, what I meant to ask was can I use XA instead of XO oil in my diff? And does anyone know if this is true "CASTROL SAF-XO has had its name changed the NEW Name is CASTROL SYNTRAX LONGLIFE"?
Castrol Syntrax Long Life API GL-5 / SAE 75W-90 synthetic gear oil seems to have replaced SAF-XO. Depending on the market, versions with or without friction modifiers appear to be available. Either will work in an open diff.
HTH,
Jim / crewzer
09-07-2012, 09:11 AM
#12
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XDrive does indeed have a transfer case, and it uses very specific oil. This stuff is what's in my 530xi's transfer case.
HTH,
Jim / crewzer
09-07-2012, 10:28 AM
#13
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If you are fixated on the SAF-XO then either buy it from the dealer or buy it from Land Rover (spec sheet below - first page).
09-08-2012, 05:19 PM
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My Ride: 2006 BMW 550i "Ben Hogan's 5 Iron"
SilverGrey/Black Sport, L7, NAV, CW, AS, Split FR
2003 Audi A4 3.0 CVT "Part of the Moniker"
Silver/Ebony, Prem, CW, Star 17s
Hi, has anyone done a DIY on changing the differential oil on a E60 M54 Auto transmission before? If yes, are there any pics available.
My 525i E60 M54 is sitting on 135K and I don't think the differential oil has ever been changed. So I am concerned, what problems could come out of it.
Also, what grade of non-BMW differential oil can I use?
Thanks in advance.
My 525i E60 M54 is sitting on 135K and I don't think the differential oil has ever been changed. So I am concerned, what problems could come out of it.
Also, what grade of non-BMW differential oil can I use?
Thanks in advance.
09-09-2012, 12:44 AM
#16
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My Ride: E60 M54
Model Year: 525i 2004
There are several threads on diff oil change in the DIY forum.
I've done the rear diff on our N52-equipped E61. My Bentley manual indicates it uses the same rear diff (188L or 188LW) as your M54-equipped E60. www.realoem.com indicates otherwise. Regretfully, I don't have any pics.
Rear diff gear oil capacity is 1.0 liter (~1.05 U.S. qt). BMW specifies Castrol SAF-XO, which is an API GL-5 / SAE 75W-90 synthetic gear oil. This particular gear oil is not suitable for manual transmissions, so it probably contains limited-slip friction modifiers, but that's not an issue for open diffs.
This gear oil is available from many manufacturers (Mobil 1, Amsoil, etc.) My older son is an indy Porsche & BMW mechanic, so, on his recommendation, I used Red Line API GL-5 / SAE 75W-90 synthetic gear oil. So far, so good.
The big question, however, is whether your car's read diff case has two plugs or just one. If there are two plugs, you need to first loosen the top (fill) plug, and then remove the lower (drain) plug to drain the fluid. Replace the drain plug, remove the fill plug, fill the diff with new fluid, and replace the fill plug.
If the plugs are fitted with O-rings, replace the O-rings and torque the plugs to 65 Nm (48 ft-lbs). Without O-rings, replace the plugs, and torque to 60 NM (44 ft-lbs). The plugs probably require a 14mm hex drive.
Our car's rear diff has just one plug, the "upper" one.
This appears to be a reflection of BMW's claim that the diff oil is a lifetime fill. The plug required a 14mm hex drive, and was fitted with an O-ring. I saved the plug and replaced it with a magnetic type from Bavarian AutoSport. Draining the diff required a hooked soft steel tube (to reach down into the diff case) and a tube connected to a vacuum pump.
I was very lucky in that I had access to my son and a shop lift to do this work. Also, after ~6 years and a tad over 40K miles, the oil "looked" OK.
HTH,
Jim / crewzer
I've done the rear diff on our N52-equipped E61. My Bentley manual indicates it uses the same rear diff (188L or 188LW) as your M54-equipped E60. www.realoem.com indicates otherwise. Regretfully, I don't have any pics.
Rear diff gear oil capacity is 1.0 liter (~1.05 U.S. qt). BMW specifies Castrol SAF-XO, which is an API GL-5 / SAE 75W-90 synthetic gear oil. This particular gear oil is not suitable for manual transmissions, so it probably contains limited-slip friction modifiers, but that's not an issue for open diffs.
This gear oil is available from many manufacturers (Mobil 1, Amsoil, etc.) My older son is an indy Porsche & BMW mechanic, so, on his recommendation, I used Red Line API GL-5 / SAE 75W-90 synthetic gear oil. So far, so good.
The big question, however, is whether your car's read diff case has two plugs or just one. If there are two plugs, you need to first loosen the top (fill) plug, and then remove the lower (drain) plug to drain the fluid. Replace the drain plug, remove the fill plug, fill the diff with new fluid, and replace the fill plug.
If the plugs are fitted with O-rings, replace the O-rings and torque the plugs to 65 Nm (48 ft-lbs). Without O-rings, replace the plugs, and torque to 60 NM (44 ft-lbs). The plugs probably require a 14mm hex drive.
Our car's rear diff has just one plug, the "upper" one.
This appears to be a reflection of BMW's claim that the diff oil is a lifetime fill. The plug required a 14mm hex drive, and was fitted with an O-ring. I saved the plug and replaced it with a magnetic type from Bavarian AutoSport. Draining the diff required a hooked soft steel tube (to reach down into the diff case) and a tube connected to a vacuum pump.I was very lucky in that I had access to my son and a shop lift to do this work. Also, after ~6 years and a tad over 40K miles, the oil "looked" OK.
HTH,
Jim / crewzer
09-09-2012, 06:10 AM
#17
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... can I ask one questions on " Replace the drain plug, remove the fill plug, fill the diff with new fluid, and replace the fill plug", if the plugs are metal and has O-ring, then why replace the nut and not just the O-ring?
If the plugs are fitted with O-rings, replace the O-rings and torque the plugs to 65 Nm (48 ft-lbs). Without O-rings, replace the plugs, and torque to 60 NM (44 ft-lbs). The plugs probably require a 14mm hex drive.
HTH,Jim / crewzer
09-17-2012, 04:45 PM
#18
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My Ride: E60 M54
Model Year: 525i 2004
To be honest, I thought I had covered that issue in the my post's next paragraph:
Jim / crewzer
If the plugs are fitted with O-rings, replace the O-rings and torque the plugs to 65 Nm (48 ft-lbs). Without O-rings, replace the plugs, and torque to 60 NM (44 ft-lbs). The plugs probably require a 14mm hex drive.
HTH,Jim / crewzer
, anyway, next time I guess.