Drive shaft center bearing advice

[Rdeli]

recently encountered an issue with a noise drive shaft on my '80 633. Pulled the entire exhaust to get a better look, and it appears my center bearing/support finally gave way. The 'guibo' coupling/ U Joint needs to be replaced as well- i noticed a decent amount of wear when i inspected yesterday. this damn car is getting old lol

Anyone had similar issues before? Im trying to decide if i should just buy the entire drive shaft assembled front to back (pretty pricey as you can imagine) , or if i should buy individual components (Ujoint + center support + bearings/dust guard) and get the new bearings machined pressed at a local shop

[Shipper]

I replaced my torn guibo and had the driveshaft balanced by a specialist.

[Cmcgettrick]

I had a similar issue and ended up sending the driveshaft to Driveshaft Specialist Inc. in Texas. You could replace your guibo and center support bearing but if the driveshaft is out of balance then it’s just going to happen all over again. When I got the driveshaft back it included a new center support bearing. $400 shipped back to you ready to install. You can check them out here www.driveshaftspecialist.com.

Chuck

[marc79euro635]

just mark the clocking of the two shafts before you slide them apart, so you can get them back the same way. It's a pretty easy job really.

[Rdeli]

im hoping my actual drive shaft itself isnt out of balance.. thankfully when the my support bearing went out i was right around the block from my house

i went ahead and found a local shop that said they'd press and assemble everything. they should be able to get my existing drive shaft balanced..

curious if you guys used EOM guibos, or if you went after-market? there seems to be a ton of options online, but not sure how reliable some of these are

[sienayr]

When the center support bearing goes out it is usually a symptom of the u joint going bad, and not a root cause problem. Best option is replace the whole thing with a new one and be done with it, I second Texas Driveshaft Specialists. Unless your shop can replace the ujoint, they are non-servicable 'staked' ujoints so hopefully your shop can address that. Aftermarket giubo should be fine if it's one of the OEM German supplier brands.

[DesktopDave]

I've usually installed Meyle or Febi giubos instead of Genuine BMW. They seem to last just as well, and I couldn't tell a difference in terms of vibration.

It's likely a good idea to have a pro do the work, but I'm not sure if the early cars require a press. I didn't have to press my CS bearing out, but mine's an E28 chassis. The manual driveshaft splits after loosening up the large stamped steel gland nut over the adjustment spline, and just uses a fairly large snap ring, usually concealed with grease from the spline & failed CS bearing. The late model auto just has a large bolt concealed within the yoke, holding the halves together.

As mentioned above, I mark the halves before disassembly. A grease pen is ideal, but nail polish is also an excellent choice. It comes in convenient dispensers with an integrated brush. Durable, easy to see, and free for the asking (once it's out of fashion, anyhow). My daughter has kindly donated a selection of lurid hues over the years.

[Rdeli]

UPDATE**** so you boys were right from the start hahaha i ordered the replacement parts thinking it would be a fast turn around... not at all. Order has been delayed 3x since i placed it over 2 weeks ago..

So moral of the story is... dont be like me. Gave the Drive shaft specialists a call like Cmcgettric suggested (thanks again for that), and they're able to get me a replacement in 1/2 the time. all i needed to keep on order was the flex disk/new fasteners.

DONT BE LIKE ME, JUST GET A NEW DRIVE SHAFT UNIT

[Cmcgettrick]

Glad it worked out for you!

[Rdeli]

quick question- did any of you have issues finding OEM flex disk bolts? part (26111107834) is back ordered on just about every site i come across. Was toying with the idea of just going to pick up some M12 X 70 bolts from a hardware store but wasn't sure if that could be problematic? no issues with the locknuts, just the bolts

[sienayr]

You just have to make sure the grade is the same. Personally I've never seen a need to replace those bolts, as long as they are not corroded. Shop procedures do not call for replacing them. FCP Euro shows them in stock but they are $17 each! You may be able to get them through Baron or BMW south, if you're a BMW CCA member you'll get a discount. When you get it back on the road make sure to come out to the BMW CCA first Saturday cars and coffee at the Panera on Shawnee Mission Parkway (first Saturday of every month).

[Rdeli]

You just have to make sure the grade is the same. Personally I've never seen a need to replace those bolts, as long as they are not corroded. Shop procedures do not call for replacing them. FCP Euro shows them in stock but they are $17 each! You may be able to get them through Baron or BMW south, if you're a BMW CCA member you'll get a discount. When you get it back on the road make sure to come out to the BMW CCA first Saturday cars and coffee at the Panera on Shawnee Mission Parkway (first Saturday of every month).

just got everything on and rolling! exhaust is just a bit louder since i need some new gaskets apparently. tomorrow might be my 1st saturday we'll see!

[sienayr]

Great hopefully you can make it next month!