U-Joint question

[Tangent]

Well, I've had a fun-filled time under my car removing the driveshaft so I can get to the CSB that's failed after only a little over a month. I just got the front half of the driveshaft out and noticed what I suspect is not a good thing with the U-joint. Should those U-joints be nice and loose and flop around like the U-joints I'm used to on my old Camaro's driveshaft or is it normal for them to be tight? This is a used driveshaft I got a couple of months ago to replace the one that definitely had a bad u-joint that took out its CSB.

I'm pretty certain the U-joints are shot, so where should I go for a nice new driveshaft? Money is an issue so I'm not quite ready to step up to a carbon fiber ultra-race model but I do want a quality new part instead of taking another chance on a used one...

[Brian 89 325i]

Roll down to mesa performance in costa mesa and get a rebuilt one. They are a few hundred including core. They are off of Fair Plex drive, on the 55 freeway. I think their website is WWW.Mesaperformance.com

Good Luck

Brian

[Tangent]

Hmm, they sound like a perfect place to get it. Pretty local to me so I can stop in and avoid the core charge and shipping, plus as a bonus my wife and I can stop by at the Orange County swap meet and grab one of their corn dogs. :P

[Jand3rson]

plus as a bonus my wife and I can stop by at the Orange County swap meet and grab one of their corn dogs. :P

Sounds like my wife, anytime we go to Portland or Seattle. We don't leave without hitting Hotdog On a Stick.

[Brian 89 325i]

Yeah, its nice to have somthing like this place local, to get there you just get off on FP drive, then go up to the third light turn left over the freeway, then left again (in the opposite direction) and its a block or two up on the right hand side next to a tinting place.

Brain

[Tangent]

Yeah, its nice to have somthing like this place local, to get there you just get off on FP drive, then go up to the third light turn left over the freeway, then left again (in the opposite direction) and its a block or two up on the right hand side next to a tinting place.

Brain

Cool, thanks.

Pinky

[PanamaE30]

Does anyone have a part number for the Universal Joint? Is it a standard piece that I could grab from another vehicle? Mine is shot and I need to replace it urgently, and getting a rebuilt one around here is just short of impossible.

[Sean]

I don't think replacing the u-joint is a possibility - a new, used or rebuilt driveshaft is required.

[EverWiser]

Why? Every other manufacturer makes a replaceable U-joint...What is so special about a BMW driveshaft that this cannot be done? Surely the rebuilt driveshaft had the U-joints replaced; they must have bought them somewhere. How hard can it be? Just curious...

[Jand3rson]

Why? Every other manufacturer makes a replaceable U-joint...What is so special about a BMW driveshaft that this cannot be done? Surely the rebuilt driveshaft had the U-joints replaced; they must have bought them somewhere. How hard can it be? Just curious...

Stock E30 drive shafts have non-serviceable u-joints. You can't do anything to them.

Places who rebuild drive shafts, such as Driveline Service of Portland, have a proprietary method of refitting the shaft with a greasable, serviceable u-joint. An entirely new mounting system is used, something that cannot be replicated by Joe Schmoe in his garage. You're better off either buying a reman. unit or getting a used one, like I did.

[Sean]

yea, no BMW driveshaft's can have u-joints replaced on their own. When my dad's 535i ujoint went, it required a whole new driveshaft. Sorry. :?

[EverWiser]

Fair enough...I always wondered about it. I guess I'll have to hit up my friend with the lathe and get him to modify my U'joint knuckles when the time comes and do my own retrofit. $300 for a complete rebuild seems outrageous when the U'joints themselves are under $20 each. Thanks for the info though.

[PanamaE30]

Well, that makes sense why there was no part number in the ETK and nobody from the agency could help me. There was one thing, though, it was something like "spline tightening kit", could that be related?

I'm off to the yard to find a used driveshaft :(