XSeries-forum

X5-D-Sport wrote: ↑Fri Nov 29, 2024 3:58 pm Unfortunately i need 3.91 ratio..

This is 3.73

sorry I took the ad at face value which said it was for a 3.0d clearly it wasn't and the sticker is not visible unless its for a manual 3.0d

Shame there are so many unecessary variants.

Seems that seller probably bought that in good faith too only for it to be wrong given the value of e53s I can't seem many of those overpriced ones selling

Looking on realoem a 2002 auto did use a 3.73 diff so seller was right ,its just theirs is a later one like yours, might be cheaper to fit a pair of diff with 3.73 lol but that's more work and no doubt there would be some other issues crop up

turns out that -
there are TWO E53 diff case sizes.....
The 3.91 diffs are ALL big cases.
The part number variants ie ending 661 / 662 / 663 / 892... are all BIG case diff variants & all interchangeable.

The mess the old diff was in was shocking & every single bolt was a challenge.
Finally got the diff out of the vehicle, but unable to fit the replacement unit due to not having an oil Drain nut tool, & could not risk destroying the only available diff in Europe below £1300.

Now I'm having fun trying to pull the complete drive shafts

Well done on trying a repair it would be a shame to scrap it , would like to see the mess inside the diff in a pic

The diff pics make for a giggle for sure.

I am also trying to pull the drive shafts...
But the outer CV joint gets fouled up... and cannot get the intact shafts out...

I know when I tool the diff out of a subframe I got for my e70 which was already out of a car I just took the hubs and all off as a unit as the hub nut was rusted to hell with no flats on it to undo it , I left the camber bolts well alone as they looked very rusty and undid the other bolts ..Im not sure how similar the e53 is .
Have you have looked on youtube as there is bound to be something on driveshafts id have thought ?