[Horse3000]

Sorry for the nub question. Bought a 2010 328i Xdrive last august and I'm about to jack up the rear to adjust the ebrake sensitivity. Hoping that fixes my rotational squeak when moving slowly (0-20mph).

My question is, when I jack up the rear will I be able to spin the back tires or will they be stuck cause of the front sitting on the ground? Have read that the front is only engaged when needed, but cant find an exact answer.

And if I can spin them, is that really bad to do? I know our AWD cars require a flat bed to get towed.

I will need to spin them a little to line up the lug hole to adjust the ebrake is why I ask.

[Brian86]

The rear wheels are permanently connected to the transmission output so the gearbox will need to be in neutral.

The transfer case is disengaged when the car is shut off, so the front and rear driveshafts can turn independently.

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*ninja edit

The flat tow requirement is because when lifting only one end and towing with the other axle spinning, half the transfer case clutch disks will be zinging around at 2500+rpm, while the other half other half will be stopped. This is bad. It's also likely that when lifting the front axle the transmission and transfer case will be starved of oil with the rear axle spinning.

It's perfectly safe to spin the front and rear driveshafts with the car up on jackstands. You can't zing them around fast enough to do any damage.

[Horse3000]

Originally Posted by Brian86

The rear wheels are permanently connected to the transmission output so the gearbox will need to be in neutral.

The transfer case is disengaged when the car is shut off, so the front and rear driveshafts can turn independently.

-------

*ninja edit

The flat tow requirement is because when lifting only one end and towing with the other axle spinning, half the transfer case clutch disks will be zinging around at 2500+rpm, while the other half other half will be stopped. This is bad. It's also likely that when lifting the front axle the transmission and transfer case will be starved of oil with the rear axle spinning.

It's perfectly safe to spin the front and rear driveshafts with the car up on jackstands. You can't zing them around fast enough to do any damage.

Ty for the reassurance

Unfortunately whoever torqued down the lugs before me was superman.. 600ft/lb impact wrench and they wont budge...

[Brian86]

Ugh, that's a bad start. They were probably gunned down with an impact.

It can be a long road fixing the shoddy maintenance that previous owners have done.