Drive Shaft Vibration after Guibo/CSV Replacement

[E39Saloon]

Hey Guys!
So after about 2 months of my 99 540/6 being on the lift and replacing the steering, driveline E Brake Components. I was finally ready to get it back on the road. Only to notice a vibration coming through the driveshaft upon acceleration then goes away. Then comes back again when I stop and accelerate again.
I put the car back on lift thinking I might have done something wrong. Everything was tight and installed correctly per my Bentley Manual.
so the parts I replaced on the DS where...

Center Support Bearing
Guibo

I know the CSB should be preloaded but wasn’t sure exactly on how to do it at the time of install. What I did was mark the brackets on the old bearing on the tunnel and used that as a guide to install the new one. I also marked the DS when separating and reinstalled correctly so it should t be out of balance.

Today I noticed that there is slight play, up and down, on the drive shaft. I grabbed the DS right by the guibo where it bolts to the tranny and tried to move it up and down. Which is where I noticed the play. I do t know if that is supposed to happen or not.

So, could an incorrect preload of the cSB be what’s causing it?
is there a bearing on the tranny side that could be bad as well causing this?

Thanks to all in Advance.

[E39Saloon]

Oh forgot to mention I also replaced the tranny rubber mounts!

[crazy4trains]

There should not be any play. Make sure you installed the flex disc correctly. Is it new? If so, what brand?

[edjack]

Did the Giubo come with a steel strap around it? Did you remove the strap AFTER tightening the bolts? If not, fit a large hose clamp around it to compress it. Then, loosen and retighten the bolts.

[CPHES]

Center Support Bearing. The harder of the two to fix. Did you put the driveshaft back in the same spline orientation. If it is off at all, you can /will have vibration issues.

[E39Saloon]

Ok so Flex disc is new. Meyle brand. Installed in the correct orientation using the arrows. It did not come with a steel strap. It just came as is in a clear bag.
i did install the driveshaft back in the right splined orientation as I had marked it prior to removal.

The sound I get when I try and move the DS up and down is a slight cling sound.

[CPHES]

How much play is there? A cling sound makes me think something is not tight. I agree that there should not be any play at the guibo end. At the center bearing, yes a bit of play. But the ends / Guibo and Diff / none. You may have to take that driveshaft out, and have it balanced by a driveshaft shop. It could have needed it before, but was masked by all the other work items in your driveline. I did a rebuilt driveshaft swap. New guibo, trans mounts, and it came with the support bushing - Texas Driveshaft - the difference was huge. If inspection shows nothing, take it apart, and get it balanced.

[cnn]

Just curious what brands are the:

1. CSB
2. Giubo

[sienayr]

It could be the u joint, I had similar symptoms, within months after I replaced the same components as you. Lots of clanging when it went. Had to replace the whole shaft with one from drive shaft specialists in TX after doing all the work for csb and giubo not that long before.

I now advise anyone I can that it’s not worth it to replace the piecemeal components on a high mileage drive shaft with issues because the u joint may end up going anyway, and they are generally non-serviceable, unless you can find the right specialist shop that might be able to service it. Especially if the csb was already bad, as a bad csb can be a symptom of a bad u joint.

[E39Saloon]

Thanks for all the responses. That thought did cross my mind as well. The DS as far as I know is original 171k on it and thought that it is now affected by the new CSB and Guibo which are both Meyle products.
I am thinking that it might be off now that those components are new.
i will be putting the car back up this week for further inspection . I will update.
thank you all.

[cnn]

Brand matters...

When I did my CSB, Giubo etc. at 160K, I used:
- BMW Genuine CSB.
- Biubo: SGF brand in a Febi Box.

These are the best bang for the bucks.

This job requires so much work, don't gamble with subpar parts, you will do it twice.

- - - Updated - - -

On the DS itself, there is a centering sleeve, check that. It rarely goes bad.

The U-joint just behind the CSB: check for binding.

[E39Saloon]

So before I put it back on the quick jacks I figured I take the car out again and see specifically when it happens. Here is my findings which I find interesting .....

No Vibration (almost farting sound) in reverse
From a stop when I ease up on the clutch and go, I feel/hear the sound.
From a stop when I’m a bit more aggressive with the clutch and go, I feel/hear nothing.

Could this be a clutch going bad?

[CPHES]

farting - thumping of something loose - check the buried up there CSB. Maybe it is coming loose. Are you sure the Guibo was aligned correctly? If not, it will destroy itself. Being agressive with the clutch might shorten the transition of the loose item, hiding it. Clutch going bad - first symptom is slipping under load

[E39Saloon]

Got it. I’m planning to get the car up in the air hopefully tomorrow. I will check the CSB and reply with my findings.
Thank You.

[sienayr]

Oh- another thing- check the middle rubber exhaust mount. I had vibrations I was chasing and it turned out to be that middle exhaust mount was worn and collapsed allowing the exhaust to vibrate at certain times.

#3:

https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sho...diagId=18_0258

[E39Saloon]

So I took the car out again to really focus in on the sound and CPHES is accurate it is like a thumping sound. Sort of like the DS is hitting the trans tunnel.
When installing the CSB I did put a bead of butyl tape around it I’m wondering if that is throwing off the alignment.
just thought I put it out there.
Car is going up today hopefully and will inspect.

[E39Saloon]

So I feel like I’m all over the place here trying to chase this vibration. I removed the drive shaft again and noticed a couple of things. First there is a serviceable part on Ds , a bushing that is supposed to center the drive shaft off the tranny.
D71A9815-DE37-41CF-9304-F928F36129D7.jpg
looks a bit worn only ten bucks so I ordered it. Has anyone ever changed this?

More alarming is at the output shaft from the tranny. I grabbed the output shaft and moved it up and down and it had slight play. Ive read other posts and they stated that there should be no play at all. To sum up it sounds like the only fix the tranny is on its way out.

I guess I’m looking for guidance to see if I should spend time and money on the DS, when I might have a bigger issue in the tranny.

[pleiades]

If that centering bushing is worn, yeah, replace it. You can press it out either by tapping some thick grease into the center hole with a dowel of the same thickness as the hole. Have to keep adding grease to get the bushing to eventually move. Once it starts moving, pack in more grease. If you have a pilot bearing puller, that might work even better but since the inner core of the bushing is rubber, that tool might not grab well. Be sure to tap the new one in with something soft (plastic hammer or a piece of flat wood between the bushing and whatever hammer you use. Note that the new one should stick out about 4 or 5 mm (don't tap in all the way.)

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e...-shaft/CIELbKA

[CPHES]

Give a mouse a cookie..... as for your Driveshaft - get a rebuilt unit - Texas Driveshafts. I did one at 150k on the 750 - wonderful. How much play on the trans output shaft? I have a clean used 5hp24 that has maybe 1mm up and down movement. I think that is normal. How much is yours? The centering bushing you mention is nice to have, but not likely a major contributor to vibration.

[cnn]

- Actually the center bushing can contribute to vibration but it is rare. It is there to help center the DS into the output flange of the transmission. I removed using hack saw but as "pleiades" mentioned above, you can use a socket + paper towel +water (search internet for the trick).

- Since the DS is out, you may as well bring it to local DS experts for a balance job. Look for guys that service semi etc.
Ask if they can balance a BMW DS.

- The U-Joint next to the CSB: check it for play.

- The REAR CV Joint: check for play too.

- Not sure why you use Meyle products! For Giubo ---> SGF; CSB ---> BMW only.
These are highly precised products. A bit off, you have vibration!

I wrote a detail DIY on bimmerfest @160K miles. I am now at 180K.

DIY: 1998 528i (160K miles) Giubo, CSB, Rear CV Joint Re-grease
https://www.bimmerfest.com/threads/d...#post-12441134

[E39Saloon]

Thank You All for the great info. I reordered the CSB as I checked my records to see brand. It was an eBay brand. I will change that along with the DS bushing. Hope this will resolve it. I will report back. Thanks Again.

[E39Saloon]

Hey Guys, just wanted to update this post. So after installing the new bushing on the DS and reordering a Febi CSB the noise has drastically minimized. I’ve noticed that the CSB has adjustment front to back as well as left and right. It sat too far over to the right of the vehicle and I’m thinking the joint was hitting the body of the car. So I preloaded the CSB and centered it more.
i took it out yesterday and now feel more of a vibration. Not so much of the drive shaft hitting the body. So to recap, I have a new flex disc and CSB. I guess I now have to look at rebalancing or the CV joint as that is original I believe.
Any advice is greatly appreciated.

[sienayr]

Did you check the exhaust rubber buffer I mentioned above?

[E39Saloon]

Oh sorry. I missed that but it is new. I replaced it last year.