matttytn2

I am just unsure on the best way to do this I can jack my 530d up on trolly jacks but want to transferthem to axle stands forobvious safety reasons. I just cant seem to work out how to do this as the jack is already occupies the jack points. is there a method to swap them round? 7 cant work it out?

baveagle

I raise the whole front end with a floor jack under the front jacking point (a hard plastic square cover), then lower it onto the jack stands.

BimmerFan52

+1

Certain simple procedures like a drain and fill on the transmission will also require that the car be raised at both the front and rear simultaneously so it is level.

For raising the rear of the car you can use the rear differential cover as a jack point. The cover has cooling fins, and in order to avoid damaging them I use a short piece of 2X4 on the floor jack pad to insure that the weight is spread over all of the fins evenly, and try to keep most of the 2X4 as far toward the front of the car as possible on the rear differential cover. This practice does put some stress on the rubber bushings that isolate the rear end from the body to lessen noise and vibration, but supporting the car for a short time will not damage them.

Once the car is raised enough, safe practice is to immediately transfer the weight of the car to jack stands.

Quarta2six

I raise the car from the front jack points to get the stands under the rear on each side. Then I use the point in the front (small pad on the back of the front underbody cover) raise the whole front at once place stands in the front. Takes less than 3 minutes this way. Some raise the rear from the diff I just opted not to do that even though I'm sure it can support the weight. To do it this way your jack has to be able to extend high enough to place the stands in the rear. I have a 2.5 ton low pro jack good investment.

BimmerFan52

What do you do if you want to make a minor adjustment to the height of the rear jack stands once the car is up on all four stands?

E60I

You got some good points. I guess the answer is back to the rear differential cover?

My car has 77,000 miles and I am thinking about doing the transmission and filter exchange. Other than keeping the car level, would I be facing leverage or space issues if I work flat on my back? The procedure is basically about removing all the pan cover screws and torque them at proper specs at re-installation, right? ,

pjinca

Not the diff cover -it's aluminum and will bend. Use the diff itself, the part ahead of the colling fins and you can raise the car with no problem. Works the same as the front center jack pad.

BimmerFan52

Good time to do those at 77K. The car level is only an issue when you actually refill the transmission.

I am a pretty big guy and found there was plenty of room underneath to do refill. My pan/filter and mechatronic sealing sleeve had been replaced about 4k miles before I bought the car so I didn't address those, but there are a number of DIYs on the forums where people replaced the pan while on jack stands. I wanted to do the fluid because I learned shortly after purchasing the car that the standard practice of dealers while doing trans repairs is to carefully drain the old trans fluid and save it to be put back in after repairs are made. Is that about stupid or what?

Yes, the pan replacement is all about following the proper order of torquing down the pan to get a good seal on the gasket, as well as keeping everything clean. Even a small thread from a cotton towel can get into the transmission and mess things up.

The fill is a matter of making sure the engine is running when doing the find fill and having the fluid reach the proper temperature. Cheap digital temperature probes are available at auto stores or HFT. The temperature is not all that critical as long as you get close. Don't wait too long and let the temperature run away from you while the engine is running. It is easy to burn yourself on the fluid. And stay aware of the exhaust system while you are under there doing the final fill.

You may also want to consider replacing the mechatronic sealing sleeve while you are under there. This is a very common leak point in E60 transmissions. Unfortunately getting the old sleeve out and the new sleeve in requires more component disassembly, but if you suspect it has never been done on your car I think it would be worth the time.

Let us know if you need links to DIY procedures or sources for parts and fluids.

BimmerFan52

I know lots of people that use the differential cover and have never heard of damage unless you try to put the jack pad itself (with it's irregular surface) directly on the cover fins. Using a 2X4 distributes the weight evenly.

The problem if you try to use the differential case itself is you are working blind. Slipping off the jack is a real danger if you don't get the jack positioned just right.

As long as you are far enough toward the front of the car on the differential cover the load is primarily through the meeting point between the cover and differential case. The shear force through those those bolts easily supports lifting the lighter rear end of the car.

Some day when I have time I will design a cradle out of wood that will match the contour of the differential case itself so that once set upon the jack pad I can slide it under the rear and without looking will be sure I have a solid purchase point on the differential itself. But it is not high on my critical list of things to do.

E60I

Thanks for the good explanations! I am still contemplating on doing the task myself. Not sure it would be cost effective to buy four jack stands, face googles, a fire suit and possibly pay for face or arms cosmetic surgeries on skin burns if Murphy's Law applies...

I have done oil, coolant fluid, brake pads, rotors and bleeding/exchange by myself recently. I felt it was safe to do because it does not involve the "engine running" while you are kind of helplessly laying on your back and underneath the car.

One day, guts and more knowledge will eventually determine the outcome.