R & R Flex Disc (Guibo) with driveshaft installed???

[MO525]

My local shop, Bimmers R Us, said they do the repair WITHOUT removing the exhaust!
"Ancient Chinese Secret", they say. :)
I KNOW at least one of you out there has to have used this secret technique at some time in the past.

If so, feel free to attach a link or text or pictures or whatever.
Feel free to e-mail me, too.
I'm all ears and can't wait to get that disc addressed.

Thanks a bunch for any help,
Bill

[632 Regal]

must be some secret, no one is giving it up yet.

[MO525]

must be some secret, no one is giving it up yet.

Yep, the guy at the shop was pretty smug about the "we don't remove the exhaust for driveshaft repairs....".
I'd LOVE to see that trick.
Problem is, it's probably a VERY obvious chain of events.
I'm just not seeing it. :(

[Brian C.]

....since they won't have to waste all that extra time r&r-ing the exhaust system I guess! From what most folks here have said in the past, it's almost impossible w/o at least dropping it off of the hangers. Bruno has his procedure outlined on his site. Here it is:
flex disc r&r (http://www.bmwe34.net/e34main/Maintenance/Transmission/CenterBearing.htm)

Good Luck...

Brian C.

[MO525]

....since they won't have to waste all that extra time r&r-ing the exhaust system I guess! From what most folks here have said in the past, it's almost impossible w/o at least dropping it off of the hangers. Bruno has his procedure outlined on his site. Here it is:
flex disc r&r (http://www.bmwe34.net/e34main/Maintenance/Transmission/CenterBearing.htm)

Good Luck...

Brian C.

Thanks, Brian.
They quoted 3 hours labor to do the Guibo R&R.
I've looked at Bruno's site over and over and over in the past week..... :)
That's why I have the gumption to do it myself if I can't turn loose of the cash for the shop job.

[winfred]

3 hours aint too bad, that's about how long id take if i was loafing along and taking it easy. i would like to see the person to take a e34/32 driveshaft out without dropping the exhaust, you can only see about a foot of ether end and the center bearing is bolted in, i've done it on e30's and it's so not worth the extra effort

[ryan roopnarine]

for them to do it without lowering the exhaust???? because IIRC, it is not simply a matter of removing the rubber disc, and sticking another between.....imagine if you will.....there's a rubber disc there that attaches the tranny and driveshaft. the only problem is that the driveshaft portrudes several inches through the rubber disc's center hole, essentially locking the disc in place, even if it is completely unbolted. in order to bend the driveshaft at the center ujoint enough to pull the driveshaft out of the disc's hole, you have to unbolt the center bearing......and if IIRC, you can't get to the center bearing without lowering the exhaust and removing the heatshield...so it would appear as though one can do it without removing the exhaust, but the DS portrudes too far for this to be possible, IMO, amd as far as i recollect.

[632 Regal]

I guess mine is fine, I dont even need to look at it now.


:D

[ryan roopnarine]

that you can do it without lowering the exhaust, as i desperately wanted to be a realistic option before i did it......got the used up guibo, center bearing, and a ratchet with a half u joint to illustrate why. in the first pic, the guibo is not bound by anything but you can see that the wratchet still portrudes through, keeping you from getting the disc out, because this portrusion would be in the output shaft, not free at all. if you only plan to do the disc, which, if you have enough time, you should take the whole ds out and evaluate it and regrease the back cv and make sure everything is ok and all.......you can realistically only do it by unbolting the center bearing, (the ratchet is analguous to the ujoint, you can't back it out until you bend that u joing....


http://plaza.ufl.edu/rroopnar/cb%20and%20fd1.jpg


the second is when you unbolt the cb, allowing the u joint to bend, letting the whole works move out of the way enough to remove and replace discs


http://plaza.ufl.edu/rroopnar/cb%20and%20fd2.jpg

[AllanS]

Maybe they just mean they don't remove it 100% from the car... it's pretty easy to get the driveshaft out if you just lower the exaust enough to lower the center bearing.

[winfred]

i've gotta scanner too, and i am not afraid to use it bwahhahahah
http://members.cox.net/wdixon27/ahhhhh

[Brian C.]

i've gotta scanner too, and i am not afraid to use it bwahhahahah
http://members.cox.net/wdixon27/ahhhhh

[ryan roopnarine]

buy a digital camera so i pimp that bih out for all of the 45 dollars it was worth....i don't have the stones to keep my eyes open while i try to take a pic of my face.

[Super90]

My 530i is a little different but my guys have talked about disconnecting the front of the exhaust from the headers, disconnecting the hangers in the middle and lowering the front of the exhaust down to access the bolt to the flex disk and then those on the center bearing. This way you dont have to "remove" the exhaust, it's just hanging from the rear mounts and is supported from below.

Now, all that is well and good if you have a lift! In my case, I was rebuilding the gear shift linkage and proactively replaced the flex disk and center bearing along with the tranny mounts. I pulled the exhaust. It is not that difficult even on the M60 motor.

One trick, on my car at least, is do not separate the exhaust halves (front and rear). That way you don't have to re-align the cats, etc. to keep them centered within the heat shield. The six cyliner car has to be easier.

[winfred]

yes the v8 is a pain in the ass with the two non connected cats flopping around