Long Shaft Balancing - 318i

[lost_soul]

Is driveshalf and the longshaft the same thing ...

 

[primacom]

i belive drive shaft is the thingy connecting to the 2 front wheels & general symtoms of problems are when making full turns ...there will be tak tak tak sound while turning....where else long shaft is the thingy that connects from front to rear...& cause vibrations & rumbling sound (which can also be due to other factors as point out by sifu(s)).......

tat is my 2 cents knowledge...hope it helps

 

[lost_soul]

Thanks a lot .... if i dun recall wrongly, i had my long shaft done for ard RM500 - 600 ...

 

[E3six]

i belive drive shaft is the thingy connecting to the 2 front wheels & general symtoms of problems are when making full turns ...there will be tak tak tak sound while turning....where else long shaft is the thingy that connects from front to rear...& cause vibrations & rumbling sound (which can also be due to other factors as point out by sifu(s)).......

tat is my 2 cents knowledge...hope it helps

For BMW, drive shaft is at the rear.

 

[primacom]

lost_soul, how was it after ur long shaft...done up...any more rumbling sound

 

[primacom]

i cannot seem to get a quiet ride with my car, i have also just changed the rear wheel bearing on top of all that balancing......just wandering is it common with 3 series car or i am the fussy one

 

[2cents]

i cannot seem to get a quiet ride with my car, i have also just changed the rear wheel bearing on top of all that balancing......just wandering is it common with 3 series car or i am the fussy one

If u don't mind, can u share where u did ur re-balancing pls?

 

[boyote]

my experience..after do the long shaft balancing..the ong..ooong sound came
out..i changed the rear bearing..still got the sound..get advice from few mechanic
and changed back the longshaft. bought from the chop shop..no problem until now. so for me dun do the longshaft balacing..waste money/time anything lahh.

 

[rubes72]

Dear Godflesh,

With all respect, probably you did not read my earlier comment, I too was concerned about the long shaft problem as I am having the same probem, yes put yourself in my shoes, and if fellow forumers said that they have done all but problem not resolved what would be your remarks. I was simply expressing my thoughts. I know it is frustratring to log in a see one liners that does not address the technical issue at hand, but that is what forums are about, it is the 2 cents of everybody. I do not think i went out of topic, just an expression of my thoughts. I do not want to get into your bad books or anybody else for that matter. And this reply certainly does not address any technicality but a mere defence of my stand.

 

[taabster]

Hi, my E30 318 also got onngg...onngg sound while on 80km/h and above...so its the longshaft problem is it?? Thought of changing wheel bearing some more....pls help

 

[boyote]

Check first..not all ong..ong sound cum from long shaft

 

[OldmanBM]

Some data for Parts I have just changed.Suspected long shaft but really its the bearings.

Location, Penang Bayan lepas

One set of SKF main bearings for E46 back wheels.

Upon dismantling, noticed one has burnt marks and dry grease.
Milage : 95000 km

Cost : RM 120 per piece but changed 2 pcs as reckon both bearings will have about the same milage and lifespan.

Workmanship :- Rm 60
Total : 300

Now the old E46 runs very smooth, just like new, no grinding or faint beat sound.Just can hear the wind scraping the body outside the car.

Michellin V8 helps a lot too.

OldManBM

 

[primacom]

OldmanBm, thanks for your input. i have also changed the rear bearing...but still have rumbling sound & grows louder with higher speed. I think my last resort will be looking at recond long shaft

 

[rubes72]

has anybody ever had a problem with their coupling? My mech says it could be 2 reasons actually 3 but i replaced one.
1. Long shaft bearing
2. Long shaft coupling
3. Gearbox mount

Cheers

 

[primacom]

rubes72,

item 1,2 & 3 done also....but stil rumbling sound.

 

[rubes72]

rubes72,

item 1,2 & 3 done also....but stil rumbling sound.

Looks like ya heading for a killar.. -recond shaft. I hope mine will not be the case. Have you considered other problem that might be causing it? i.e wheel balancing? gives same symptoms but vibrates around 80km/h - 100km/h

cheers

 

[rubes72]

Hi guys,

I'm running at a dead end now. I've so far changed the long-shaft coupling, centre mount, and everything connected to the long-shaft. it still vibrates. My mech checked the long shaft and it seems that it is not balanced. removed the long shaft and found that the coupling was sticky. I've inquired for a chop shop unit but it is difficult to find one for e38 328. So, would really , really appreciate if someone could help me with either finding

1. Where to balance
2. Where to re-build
3. Where to find a second-hand unit for e36 328.

Appreciate any input. I'm loosing hair and sleep over this. Any help is much appreciated

Cheers

 

[lost_soul]

lost_soul, how was it after ur long shaft...done up...any more rumbling sound

Hi, i have forgotten when i changed it. But there was no more rumbling sound after that. It was a wonderful drive without the rumbling sound ... Good luck ...

 

[climenta]

Hi all, my drive too giving me problems with the long shaft. Mine's a E36 325i, so sorry if I'm imposing. When I tested the car, it didn't take too much of my attention but the shudder was clearly distinct during acceleration from standstill and when you floor it. I got it checked, the foreman told me it's my drive shaft coupling and pointed at the joint-like thingy at the end of the shaft. He also told me that I can't change just the coupling, need to change the whole long shaft. Appreciate if you guys could enlighten me on these:

1. Can I change just the coupling and what effect would it give?
2. Are the long shafts for all E36 the same or similar?
3. How much for a good conditioned long shaft? How to determine a good one using just the naked eye? (sorry, I have to ask)
4. Is it better to buy and change in the same shop or buy at chop-shop and change somewhere else? Is it cheaper this way?
5. How much will the workmanship come to for changing the long shaft?

Thanks in advance, if got more advice can also p.m. me. Appreciated.

 

[Vincent Hor]

Hi all, my drive too giving me problems with the long shaft. Mine's a E36 325i, so sorry if I'm imposing. When I tested the car, it didn't take too much of my attention but the shudder was clearly distinct during acceleration from standstill and when you floor it. I got it checked, the foreman told me it's my drive shaft coupling and pointed at the joint-like thingy at the end of the shaft. He also told me that I can't change just the coupling, need to change the whole long shaft. Appreciate if you guys could enlighten me on these:

1. Can I change just the coupling and what effect would it give?
2. Are the long shafts for all E36 the same or similar?
3. How much for a good conditioned long shaft? How to determine a good one using just the naked eye? (sorry, I have to ask)
4. Is it better to buy and change in the same shop or buy at chop-shop and change somewhere else? Is it cheaper this way?
5. How much will the workmanship come to for changing the long shaft?

Thanks in advance, if got more advice can also p.m. me. Appreciated.

Don't waste your time changing the U-Joints (coupling) if your longshaft (prop shaft) is already imbalanced. I have tried that route it's wasting money.

The best solution is to buy a new one but this is quite an expensive item.

The next best solution is to get your mechanic to find one from the chop shop. You will probably pay a little bit more then sourcing it yourself. Insist that the mechanic give you a warranty that the one sourced by him is good. There is a lot of work involved when replacing prop shafts as the exhaust system will also be removed. Therefore if the one sourced by the mechanic is not good, you can avoid paying double or triple workmanship.

I had mine (328i) GM gearbox, prop shaft replaced recently. Previously I had vibrations/noise from 100kmh right up to 180kmh. The prop shaft for this set up is almost impossible to find at the chop shop for reason that it's a local model with GM box whereas all the chop shop ones were with either ZF boxes or Jatco hence the difference in length. One chop shop had one and the asking price was RM1,400.00 which I think it's cut throat price. BTW on inspection, I found that the U-joint is a bit sticky too.

I believe that most prop shaft problems arise from the sticky U-joint at the rear diff end. It's located at a hot area directly infront of the rear diff and above the exhaust pipe. It's also not well proctected. Dirt and water get splashed there resulting in the grease drying up and causing the roller bearings inside the U-joint to seize.

BMW prop shaft U-joints are held on by some spot welding. If you chose to replace the U-joint, the welding process is too hot for the grease pack which eventually will dry up and kill the roller bearings. Hence this route does not bring satisfactory results.

Some other car makes have a grease nipple and you can repack the grease after the welding process. Such prop shaft can accomodate this replacement of U-joint and get satisfactory results.

What I did was I worked together with mech, removed the prop shaft, then measure the length of the rear end of the prop shaft. (There are two pieces joint together) The front end usually don't give you much problem because it is very much better protected. My search was only for the rear end prop shaft which I believe it's availble as all sedan E36 has the same chassis and therefore the same mounting point for the prop shaft centre bearing.

We went to the chop shop and look for E36 prop shaft rear end with the correct length measurements. There were many available. We choose the best which is one with a good rear end u-joint. Amount paid RM400.

Fixed it back and my problem resolved.