2004 X3 REAR U-Joint question...

[cnn]

Car is 2004 X3 2.5i with 90K miles, well-maintained.
I have a drone noise during deceleration from 40 mph ---> 0 mph.
I suspect the REARMOST U-Joint...

-----
The 2004 X3 is with my son in college...


I happen to have a 1998 528i and just studied the difference in driveshaft...


- The 1998 528i E39: the REARMOST part is not a U-Joint, it is a CV Joint, which usually dries out of grease at 150K, all you need is repack with new grease (and new paper gasket) while the DS is out for CSB and Giubo job. Now the DS is good as new.


- The 2004 X3 E83: BMW engineers replaced the REARMOST CV Joint with U-Joint, probably to save money. Anyway, this Rear U-Joint is partially shielded by the heat shield, but exposed to rain, debris from the road...So, if the REAR U-Joint is dry, it may give you the drone noise when coasting. A mechanic suggested to me that if you want to buy time, spray some WD-40 and wet the U-joint with some engine oil, hopefully the engine oil gets inside the needle bearings and quiet things down a bit. He said it does not hurt to try this.
Has anyone done this, i.e., wet the U-Joint with some oil (where the cup's seal meets the trunnion)
This is also true for E46 3-series too (same setup)?


Attached is a photo for your reference...


PS: Next time I visit my son, I will try this trick to see if it works. In the mean time, if someone tried this trick, please report back. I am trying to avoid replacing the driveshaft...




---
E83-U-Joint.png

[cnn]

Another photo of the "dry" E83 Xe Rear U-Joint (found on reddit)...

Yellow arrow points to where one should spray with WD-40, oil etc.


---

E83-U-Joint-02.jpg

[bdiefAZ]

Good tip to spray with lubricant, let us know how it works.

When that happened on our e83, I replaced the rear differential mount with urethane bushing. That helped to minimize differential movement and relieve strain on the driveshaft joint. I was too late tho, the driveshaft still needed rebuilding.

[X3456]

Good idea worth a try, I don't know how much time your buying....but thanks much for sharing.

Sent from my 9029W using Tapatalk