Help me fix this POS

[nofattys]

I recently purchased a 91 318is with an Vortech SC S52 OBD1 swap mated to a G260 with 3.73 gears with air conditioning. The PO installed a Portland Driveline rebuilt 325i manual driveshaft part number 2792-733 in Nov 2011. He also installed a White transmission brace, and a Revshift aluminum guibo in Dec 2011.

When I purchased the car in July, I noticed the banging underneath and he said after the car warmed up the banging went away, he thought it was the guibo being stiff, which turned out to be a lie because I found the post he made here about it a few days ago (the solution he found was to raise the rear of the transmission 3/4 of an inch). I got it checked out and it turned out that the CSB was completely destroyed, to the point that the DS was vibrating so violently that it cracked the CSB housing in two places. Portland Driveline was nice enough to warranty the DS, but now less than a week after having the new one installed, I am having an issue again. The DS is vibrating on acceleration and deceleration badly, it starts at about 15mph and continues to about 65mph then it evens out.

I contacted Revshift, they said its a phasing issue. I contacted Portland Driveline, they said I have the wrong drive shaft. I contacted the previous owner and called him an asshole for being a lying prick. Im going to be honest and tell you i really know nothing about this car, or mechanics in general, but I am trying to learn. Unfortunately, the information is varying and a definitive answer is hard to come by. How do I fix this? Ive owned the car for a month and a half and ive been able to drive it for about 9 days total because of all the issues. Im on Long Island, if anyone is semi-close and would like to help and knows what they are doing, id be happy to listen and learn. Thank you in advance.

[GunMetalGrey]

Sounds dumb, but did you replace the CSB?
Check your motor and trans mounts, and subframe bushings

[10Toes]

I would use a new stock rubber guibo over the revshift one.

[E30_Pare]

^^ go back toa stock driveline. If that doesn't solve your issues then must be some sort of catastrophic malfunction

[Vivek]

I would use a new stock rubber guibo over the revshift one.

Try this. The guibo is meant to flex.

[evandael]

raising the transmission 3/4 of an inch will certainly throw things out of whack.

I would recommend getting all new mounts (engine, trans, and diff), verify the d/s is balanced, and get a new OE guibo and CSB.


good luck cause it sounds like a sweet e30

[John@Revshift]

OP, Call me tomorrow so I can talk with you and get some details. The link I gave you is probably a little much for someone who "really doesn't know anything about the car, or mechanics in general" ;)

I'll try my best to help you figure out where the problem is coming from. I will say that going back to a "stock" driveline is out of the question because...well, S52.

-Adam

[nofattys]

All the mounts are new within 2000 miles. The CSB came new with the new driveshaft, it was all one piece. Driveshaft balancing is my next route to take, then the guibo. I just dont understand how this could be what will amount to the third DS in a year.

Even the one with the broken housing didnt vibrate this much and it was torn to shreds, which leads me to believe its not balanced. I am going to find a place tomorrow to have it worked on and I will report back

[nofattys]

Thanks Adam, I sent that article to my mechanic, the guy is a mechanical engineer by trade so he understood it. He doesnt have the means to balance the shaft, but from his eye he said its rotating out of round. I will call you tomorrow.

[John@Revshift]

Ahh, i've seen the CSB rotate out of round before. We replaced Ben's (crazyjew) Motor and Trans mounts as well as rear subframe bushings, RTABs, Diff bushing, wheel bearings and other misc stuff back there. (He's been running the revshift guibo since the prototype days. :-P)

Anywho, Once we took it for a test drive he had vibration around 30-40mph. When we put it back up on the lift sure enough, his CSB was rotating out of round. His issue was solved by shimming the trans down a little.

We've got a decent write-up on our website: (Here) on how to shim the trans if needed. It's much more common with the cadillac guys as their drive shaft doesnt have a centering sleeve to fit on the trans.

I'd talk with your mechanic about getting the driveline all straightened out before you try swapping in a new guibo. While the rubber one will mask the vibration you feel in the seat of your pants, it wont necessarily get rid of the problem and eventually you'll end up with a blown guibo or worse, blown u-joints.

Feel free to call the shop if needed.

-Adam

[e30rapidic]

I'm with Revshift....making sure that everything is in line should be the first priority.

[John@Revshift]

OP, if you dont have an e30 bentley manual, get one. It's available as a PDF somewhere around the internet but i'd recommend buying it.

I think this is a screenshot of your problem, cause and solution found in the trouble shooting section of the bentley.




You may want to talk to your mechanic about 'center support bearing preload'

[ZM Blue Devil]

post up pics of engine mounts, trans mounts, and several of under the car. Lets see whats going on under there.

[5Toes]

that guibo is revSHIT

way to stiff and breaks everything

[Holland]

that guibo is revSHIT

way to stiff and breaks everything

I'm not a revshift guy or anything of the sort, but proof?