So I picked up an eta driveshaft and this is what I found...

[jahnaboi]

So I picked up an Eta drive-shaft yesterday from the junkyard (87-88') and I measured the rear half of the drive shafts comparing the 325i rear half to the eta rear half and they are identical. Only the front differentiate as the guibo/flanges are different.

But now I have a problem... my 325i drive shaft came apart easily with close to no effort but I can't seem to get the Eta drive-shaft apart for the life of me. Has anyone experienced this problem before? I'm so pissed off since I spent 3 hours trying to get it apart with no avail. I used a giant adjustable wrench, opened it up as big as it could get to safely sit on the top of the lower half of the drive shaft, secured the front half to my engine stand so when I pound at my adjustable wrench it pulls them apart by impact. I hit it at least 100 times and not a single micrometer of movement. Sprayed penetrating oil within the splines to hopefully break up whatever the hell is in there and hammered it slightly on the sides with a rubber mallet to free it up then proceeded with the adjustable wrench beating and still nothing. I think I'm going to return it and grab another one and hopefully this one will be easily taken out. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what you did? Remember my 325i drive shaft came apart very easily... as for the Eta drive shaft... WTF! Anyone care to help?

-Jasper

[StereoInstaller1]

I ASSUME you loosened that nut? You might want to have whoever is going to re-balance the driveshaft deal with separating and re-joining.

[jahnaboi]

I didn't loosen the nut because I thought I didn't need too since my e30 one came out without doing that... What size in mm is the nut? Because my big adjustable wrench won't even fit over that shit.

[ieatpeople]

the shaft in my e came apart easily, i thought they all just slid apart.....

[matt]

Some do, some dont. PB Blaster works well. Use a big set of channellocks on the nut.

Matt

[ethirtydavid]

Some do, some dont. PB Blaster works well. Use a big set of channellocks on the nut.

Matt

that's a good bet

[JGood]

I've had one I couldn't get apart. Had to junk it. haha, maybe attach some fuckin ratchet straps to each end, and to something solid like trees. That should do it.

[jahnaboi]

I did use a channel lock. That shit won't budge. I'm going to use a set of pipe wrenches. Lol. Wish me luck. How should I hold the shaft from rotating when I'm unbolting the bolt? This thing is on there pretty damn tight. So I'll see.

[Mako18]

Install the driveshaft (rear portion), then use the pipe wrench.

[rThor432]

How should I hold the shaft from rotating when I'm unbolting the bolt?.

Secure it in a vice.

[jahnaboi]

I'll just slap it on and use my giant pipe wrench. Lol.