I have converted it from an LuK Dual-Mass to a STORM STO1057 Single Mass kit - which fits perfectly (It's a 2.0HDi 138 Exclusive from 2009) - yes it's the cheapest kit I could find, I am a 22 year old student so student budget!
The BAD noise:
Thank you very much indeed everyone for all the help given to do this job on the forum, I thought I'd give a run down as it was a steep learning curve and could be useful to someone maybe! Collated info from forum members and what I've done could be good for someone doing the job! This is most certainly one of the worst examples of an X7, so I'd say this as bad as it gets, and on a wet driveway in rainy Ireland at weekends wasn't always fun. Have enjoyed the experience though and loved it when it was going right!
Contents: What I used, How I did it, issues and how I solved them, issues after restarting the car and how I solved them - If this is ill-advised advice, do remove this post!
You will need:
- 407 Haynes manual (and why not an 01-08 C5 manual too!)
- Diagbox to depressurise
- Sleeper, breeze blocks x12, bits of old plywood and solid wood blocks (if you haven't got a lift), ramps, axle stands
- A (but 2x recomended) Trolley jack(s)
- All the sockets and spanners, ratchets (3/8 and 1/2) and extension bars and all common hand tools etc.
- 8mm square key
- All sizes of Torx bits, male and female (I.E T20-T50 and E10-E20 and all inbetween)
- An engine lift (and chain and shackle) since I did NOT remove the engine and box as someone suggested
- Pry bars, brake cleaner (3x cans
), some flat punches, little rods, a home-made flywheel locking tool (I didn't use it), gloves, mallets and hammers- Some suitable spline grease and general purpose grease
- Angle grinder & cutting and grindings discs (probably)
- Drill and SHARP SHARP SHARP bits (anticlockwise)
- Notebook & Phone to take pictures (do this A LOT)
- Pots to put nuts n bolts in
- Tool to apply pressure to LDS tank (I made my own from an inner-tube & brake fluid reservoir cap (thread the same on both tanks))
- Clutch kit (flywheel, clutch, release bearing)
- Release Fork
- Release bearing guide tube
- New Rear-Main Seal
- Gearbox Oil (~2L ML6C with fins)
- New RH driveshaft required in my case
How I raised the car:
(1) With suspension in high mode, put the car on a set of ramps at the front and slabs at the rear
(2) Put the sleeper under the front jacking points (they were effed already! Thanks garage) with a trolley jack either side
(3) Put 2 breeze blocks under the rear jacking points with wood to protect the sills.
(4) Plug in Diagbox, de-pressurise onto the sleeper and blocks
(5) Slide jack stands under sleeper and aluminium subframe
(6) Remove ramps and roadwheels - now see picture below
(7) Disconnect and remove battery
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How I dissasembled the car:
(1) Strip Engine Bay top: "HDi 16" style cover, Intake & Boost pipes, air filter, battery tray, fusebox (inc BSI, ECU) in that order - took loads of pics, marked up wires going to that funny little side fusebox
ISSUE ENCOUNETRED: Rusty (spinning) battery tray bolts SOLUTION: Butcher with dremel!
(2) tape up intake and boost pipe entrances
(3) Strip top-side gearbox bits: disconnect shift cables with pliers (lever the cable and socket off the ball), unbolt and move aside slave and unclip pipe and hang it near battery tray, unbolt starter cabling, unbolt and remove starter, unclip the wiring for the speed sensor atop the
(4) All undertrays off
(5) remove wheels, hubnuts, arch liners
(6) Move underneath: Remove cross brace that goes between each end of the subframe, remove sump cover
(7) Undo all botttom boost pipes inluding the awkward one that goes up to the turbo and tape them up
(8) Use square key to drain gearbox oil (2L ML6C with fins)
(9) Remove the brace that's between the engine and box at the bottom
(10) Undo anti-roll bar drop links and pull them out
(11) take steering and suspension apart: Undo the bottom wishbone bushing bolt and tap it through. Pry down the wishbone to reach and undo the frog leg (bottom balljoint) from the suspension with the female "E" torx bits (this is awkward by the way due to awkward geometry of wishbone and toughness of wishbone bushings), use a hammer or balljoint remover to remove the track-rod ends from the hub. Hubs (inc discs and calipers) should swing and pivot freely. remove the splines of the driveshafts
(11) Pull out the left driveshaft
(12) Undo the bolt (nut holds itself) of the "reaction link" that braces the intermediate bearing for RH driveshaft to the subframe and swing it down)
(13) Remove RH driveshaft by pushing it out or tapping the bearing with a punch
ISSUE ENCOUNTERED: The intermediate bearing was completely and utterly stuck in the housing - Even air hammering and heat couldn't swinfg it, so I made the executive decision to cut the driveshaft in 2 places between the box and bearing, this allowed me to pull the splines out the gearbox and remove the intermediate bearing housing and hammer the rest of the bearing out. THIS IS an angle grinder job and very dangerous due to kick. Sadly, it had to be done.
(14) Remove the front platic bumper brace piece bolted to the front metal subframe and remove it.
(15) Unbolt the PS pipes from the aluminium front subframe
(16) Undo the Coolant pipe going to bottom of rad and move it up.
(17) Remove the main to front subframe bolts and the 2 bolts connecting this front subframe to the car body (at very front, up from plastic bumper brace bolts)
(18) Drop the front subframe avoiding spilling too much coolant, reattach the pipe to the rad
(19) Remove that metal piece that's bolted to bottom rear of the gearbox, remove the bracket that houses the shift cables (3 nuts)
(20) Go in from the side and remove the speed sensor that'as cylindrical and held in with a T40.
(21) Go under, attached to the exhaust close to the bellhousing is a rusty bracket that's almost invisible! It's bolted to the block and there's an awkward-to reach bolt that needs to have a reach-up-with-a-spanner job to undo, then it can be withdrawn
(22) Behind this is the 7th bellhousing bolt that had me stumped for longer than I'd car to admit! remove that.
(23) Remove the remaining 3 bottom bellhousing bolts
(24) Support the sump with a jack and block of wood. remove the gearbox mountings, move the lift into position and attach shackle to the eye on the box.
(25) Get the engine a little higher, take the strain of the box on the lift, remove the top bellhousing bolts
(26) (2 PEOPLE REQUIRED) Pry box free if needed underneath and on top and move it laterally, free of the splines of clutch.
(27) (2 PEOPLE REQUIRED) Move box towards the front, turn it clockwise (about 45 degrees)
(28) (2 PEOPLE REQUIRED) Drop box, one on the engine lift, one making sure the PS pipe doesn't get caught on the box.
(29) (2 PEOPLE REQUIRED) lift box out and into workshop!
(30) Unbolt old clutch & Flywheel (Torx T50s)
Refitting:
(1) Clean up box, fit new guide tube, fork, bearing
(2) Use a very shark hooked tool to pry out and butcher old rear main seal - I couldn't even drill through the old one!
(3) Use installation tool, tap seal into place gently with a blunt punch until it's seated and don't be tempted to remove tool before it's all definitely in place.
(4) Install flywheel (use locking tool for teeth if required) and torque bolts - clean off of all contamination
(5) install clutch with alignment tool.
(6) Everything else inreverse greasing, cleaning up, wirebrushing, untaping anything that needs be!
(7) New Gearbox oil in BEFORE fusebox
Getting it Down:
(1) With wheels refitted but hanging, install a battery, start engine FOR A SHORT TIME (mine started first time!) and check you can engage gears etc, engine off.
(2) Jack up sleepers, slide ramps into place, remove front blocks, lower car until suspension is taking weight slightly.
(3) Apply pressure to LDS tank, start engine, select high mode.
(4) As suspension is raising, take more weight off jacks, let car push itself up until it's on the ramps and you can withdraw sleeper.
(5) Remove any rear supports and blocks
(6) Put it into reverse, lick the stamp and SEND IT!! Backwards!
(7) Select Normal height!
I now have a car cured of it's scary knock that drives ok.
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Issues encountered on test-drive:
(1) NO BOOST WHATSOEVER: Checked boost control vacum pipes that run to front of engine bay near to diesel filter, they'd come off. Push back on, loads of boost!
(2) START, COUGH, STOP, FAIL TO RESTART UNTIL FUEL SYSTEM PRIMED: Haven't fully solved this yet but there's a small split in primer blulb, and aerated fuel is being sent to filter (minor issues now)
