Driveshaft help?

[Erick]

Hey guys, I'm trying to remove my driveshaft but I'm stuck on step #3 on the Bentley.

I got the exhaust and heatshields out, and i took off all the bolts in the flex disc, however I still dont have enough space to slide the driveshaft out. The Bentley says to loosen the clamping sleeve, and I'm kinda lost at that step because it doesnt specify the direction in which to turn it. We're thinking it's counter clockwise if you're looking at it from the front of the car, but we dont want to tighten it even more. There is some surface rust ( or what seems to be surface rust ) on it, so we WD-40'ed the shit out of that thing so it stays there overnight. Hopefully tomorrow we can get this done so I can get my car back on the road. If anyone can confirm what way to spin, that would be greatly appreciated.

[AdamF 88iS]

You shouldnt need to losen it. Just give it a spray and take the center bearing down. With the center lowered you should only need a slight pry on the coupler to get it to come down easy.

[rs4pro3]

Rotate it so It moves towards the Center Support Bearing, But Ya just give it a Good Push.

[DaN]

Don't you own a prybar?

[Erick]

Yeah I do, but now I'm confused with all of the terms.

What do you want me to pry? I already unbolted all of the flex disc / guibo bolts..... the driveshaft hangs but it wont come out, I dont want to put too much stress into trying to take it out like that, because i dunno, dont want to damage something.

[Erick]

Guys, new deal. I just got back from the shop where my car is at.

I got the driveshaft separated, but the Bentley goes on and on about this rubber bushing that should be in the clamping sleeve that separates both parts of the driveshaft. When I removed it, there was no trace of rubber whatsoever.

Is there such a thing? Because if not I'll just finish this car up tomorrow..... or else I"ll have to order the part and wait.....

Thanks,
Erick

[rs4pro3]

Yes there is supposed to be a rubber sleeve in there with ton's of Grease. I'm not to sure how important it is.

[Erick]

I put it back in without it..... I know my 2nd flex disc deteriorated faster with a shot CSB, I should've replaced both of them at the same time. As long as the camping sleeve doesnt untwist ( Someone was telling me the torque of the engine would hold that in ) I'm fine.

Wow I hate our headers/downpipes. Lining that bitch up is amazingly annoying.

[arnoldgtr]

The original bushing in the splined coupling is made of a rubber like substance. They tend to deteriorate over time.
When my M3 driveshaft was rebuilt, they replaced the bushing with the new OE BMW part. It is not rubber....it's some kind of hard white plastic.
I have removed/replaced the driveshaft numerous times on all four bimmers I've owned, and I think the main danger with the clamping sleeve is overtightening. The splined coupling was seized on my first 318i, and I believe it was the main reason the differential pinion bearing failed. I like to use moly grease on the splines and hand tighten the clamping sleeve...after the driveshaft is installed and aligned, of course.