E34 530i v8 manual driveshaft length

[4dri4n]

Hi everyone!

I found an ad on german ebay for a 30i v8 manual 5s driveshaft. The guy puts a measuring meter on the side and it seems it does 1624 mm which is exactly what an m50 driveshaft length is. If you look at realoem, it puts the total length of the driveshaft for a manual 525i.

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/show...diagId=26_0021

And the advert I found is this one:

https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-...20824-223-9255

So if what is in this ad is actually a real bmw e34 m60 530i driveshaft, then this must be meaning that it is totally interchangeable. However I am not sure at all.

Is it possible that someone please take meassures if someone has a driveshaft laying around? It would make things much easier for us.

Cause there is no such info available anywhere.

[4dri4n]

V8 5 speed manual drive shaft is exactly 39 mm longer than the 525i m50 manual drive shaft. However it is possible some error in my readings. I would say it is 39.5 +/- 0.5 mm. Both side by side. Rear end is exactly the same on both. It would work anyways be it 40 mm or 39 mm as the elastic coupling could make it to overcome the difference.

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I think something like an adapter could be made to be able to use the 525i prop shaft in a v8 with a lathe.

[4dri4n]

Looking great already!

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Still I have to swap the manual gearbox and fit the M bumpers and side skirts and so but you know, I think I like the normal rear bumper better than the M bumper. It looks more bad ass.

[moroza]

Where are you measuring, and what total lengths did you get for the driveshafts in front of you? The RealOEM length of 1624mm applies to ZF 525iM, not Getrag.

I would not ask the CV joint and giubo to take up 40mm of slack. Nor would I make an adapter. Having it professionally lengthened is the proper solution.

I've been sourcing a driveshaft too, and found a lot of inconsistency in measurements. I don't know what BMW uses, but I would measure between 1. the front face of the three-lobed yoke, where it touches the giubo, and 2. the rear face of the splined shaft that fits inside the CV joint (not the joint itself, because it can move).

[4dri4n]

It is dificult to have a propper measurment of the whole driveshaft because it has some sort of CV join where it mates to the differential. And it has not a solid fix position. It has a lot of axial play, so depending ob where it stays you will measure different things. The portion between the diff and the center join is the same on both. My 525iM is a 94 unit and it has a ZF 310 if I recall properly.
A properly CNC made suplement could do it. The flex disc is able to absorb some axial differences in length. 0.5 mm is not much. In fact, he central bearing has some slotted holes and I am sure they are made in purpose to overcome some lenght differences.
The difference in 40 mm comes from the first portion of the driveshaft.

[moroza]

It is dificult to have a propper measurment of the whole driveshaft because it has some sort of CV join where it mates to the differential. And it has not a solid fix position. It has a lot of axial play, so depending ob where it stays you will measure different things.

My point exactly, which is why I measure only the shaft itself. For the last one I measured, I put a deep socket inside the CV so that one end touched the splined shaft, and the other against a wall. Then measured from the wall to the giubo yoke and subtracted the socket. Can you do that? Or, since we know the rears are the same, measure just the front, between the giubo mounting surface to the center of the U-joint?

[4dri4n]

Uouh man difficult hahaha... I will post detailed pictures of measurments. What do you exactly call giubo? I dont find any translation of it into Spanish. OK, flex-disc. Got it.

[4dri4n]

My point exactly, which is why I measure only the shaft itself. For the last one I measured, I put a deep socket inside the CV so that one end touched the splined shaft, and the other against a wall. Then measured from the wall to the giubo yoke and subtracted the socket. Can you do that? Or, since we know the rears are the same, measure just the front, between the giubo mounting surface to the center of the U-joint?

I measured from the rear edge of the center bearing housing, since both are exactly the same and located in exactly the same position, to the surface that mates with the giubo or flexdisc. This is what I measured:

Cardan de 530i; ref primer tramo: 902 mm

Cardan de 525i; ref primer tramo: 863 mm

This is the first portion of the driveshaft as I said, measuring with a tape from the bearing to the flexdisc mating surface. I did this last week. Will post pics. I think this was accurate cause it was so clear they both shared the same rear shaft.

[moroza]

Yes, but the center bearing can move too.

Giubo = giu-bo, il giunto de Boschi. Boschi was the Italian who invented the rubber flex disk.

[4dri4n]

Yes, but the center bearing can move too.

Giubo = giu-bo, il giunto de Boschi. Boschi was the Italian who invented the rubber flex disk.

Awesome. How familiar sounds right now to me hahaha giunto in italian; junta in spanish, joint in english. We are not that far!

I will take pictures again so you can see. I think those measurments are quite reliable!

[moroza]

Your measurements of the difference in length seem accurate enough, but I wonder if you still have either of these driveshafts and could measure total length? I want to compare to 540i driveshaft which has the U-joint and CSB in different places.

[4dri4n]

Your measurements of the difference in length seem accurate enough, but I wonder if you still have either of these driveshafts and could measure total length? I want to compare to 540i driveshaft which has the U-joint and CSB in different places.

Yeah I still have them around. I am going to install everything soon. Will take pictures again.

https://ibb.co/M52qKb1

I dont have plenty of time to spend with it so I am taking my time while I am recollecting all the stuff I need to convert it to manual in just a weekend. Small steps every week but I am getting closer.

I would like to read about m62 to m60 conversion. Or how to make an m62 work with an obd1 harness and ECU. I know about the crank sensor adapter and all that stuff... but I dont know... it seems there is a lot of miss inflrmation out there.
A friend of mine is doing a conversion from m60b30 to m60b40 coming out from a 95 e38 740i which is equiped with 2 pin knock sensors. It has a different DME and it is OBD1. Strange. However, his 93 530i has 3 pin knock sensors. It seems it is all a little bit mixed those years.
Anyways, I would like to find some great topic where I could find as much info as posible. What I would really like to do, is make an m60b44 runing with obd1 electronics and if I could check on someone who did it first, it would be great.
I am regreting right know not buying a 6 speed manual transmision instead of the 5 speed. I will make the 5 speed swap but as soon as its runing I am going to look for a 6 speed manual.

[moroza]

I converted an M62 to use M60 electronics. Put that and a 6-speed into a 530iT. 10 years and ~120k km later, the car's doing fine with its new owner. Search for some of my threads, and feel free to ask if you get stuck. I do remember that some M60 had 3-wire knock sensors and some had 2. The correct one depends on what ECU is used; the sensors are interchangeable on the motor itself.

Funny thing about the 525iM ZF driveshaft: Euro models use 26101227623 and quote a length of 1624mm. US (only up to 7/92; later ones used Getrag 250G) used 26101227631 and quote no length. As far as I can tell, everything is the same: transmission, giubo, center bearing, and CV joint.