Front output shaft u joint replacement vs removal of x drive

Front output shaft u joint replacement vs removal of x drive

Ok folks here is my dilemma, 6 to 7 hundred bucks to keep the x drive in place or tear it out

Pros
Removal of x drive will increase fuel mileage by roughly 10% based upon weight and friction removal.

Less wear and tear on the drive line for longer life.

Less weight up front balancing the vehicle better.
the possible use of explosives and an insurance claim
It could be fun

Cons

No more 4 wheeling in the neighbors yard getting him torqued :-P

Over steer in the corners maybe increased at higher speeds
Crappy traction in snow and ice
Voiding what ever is left on the warranty (nearing the 200k mark so I think that’s a mute point)

Will require some fancy engineering

Not many have attempted this in the past. and i have not found any that have attempted the removal of the x drive all together.

No longer stock thus resale will go down (again with 200k this maybe a mute point)



Below is the data I have gathered thus far. Some people argue that I should just replace the forward output shaft and call it done. That’s 700 bucks

Others suggest removing the x drive all together so I dot have the problem ever again.

What are your thoughts

Thanks
Hal

2005 BMW X3 or maybe just a 3
________________________________________

some of my research

25 bucks us for the u joint

Part number
2751-24

Bearing Cap
24mm /0.945

snap ring location
Staked

Snap ring stackup
2.461

Powertrain industries inc
1800-798-4585


http://realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?...09&hg=26&fg=05


01DRIVE SHAFT ASSY FRONTL=718MM112/200526207526677$719.79+core
only in conjunction with

02Torx screw with ribsM10X23-10-ZNS3810/200526117571956$0.73




This part is a repost of someone fixing the u joints

Front axles

sorry to post the same post twice but I wanted to re-title it so everyone would know what it was and it would show up in the right searches.

Ok guys, I got the clunk and slack fixed! Not without toil mind you but none the less! The culprit was a FUBAR'ed rear u-joint. It was causing a severe vibration, clunking, clanking, and lots of slack in the drive train! You should have seen this thing! It had one cap that was totaly busted and had no bearings left, much less grease! The other were still intact but none of them had any grease left! The T was actually tapered from wear! Anyhow I bought a new u-joint from Autohauzaz.com despite all the things I found on this and other forums about how they are unserviceable! I'm proud to anounce that this is NOT TRUE! Albeit they are considerably more difficult to service than your traditional types! All I had to do was this:
1. Remove drive shaft. Make corresponding marks to note the relationship between the pieces of the shaft.
2. Obtain a good carbide burr and die grinder!
- This is to remove the small "stamped" indentions that are retaining the caps. Go ahead and do all of them while your at it, no shortcuts. (I tried)
3. Grind off stampings with the burr. Carefully! And try to remove as little as absolutely necessary.
4. Get a good drift or punch and a ball peen hammer.
5. Get a large nut or socket bigger than the cap but smaller than the yoke of the joint so as to allow the cap to be driven down through the nut or socket from the opposite end of the joint.
6. Use the drift and hammer to drive one of the caps attached to the shaft part of the joint not the end that goes to the diff so as to allow that end to move when driving the cap out.
7. The cap will protrude from the outside of the shaft about a 1/4".
8. Get a chisle.
9. Use chisle corner to drive a dent into the protruding cap. Then proceed to drive against that dent with the drift or the chisle on opposite sides of the cap untill it comes out!
10. Flip the shaft 180degrees and drive on the exposed end that you just removed the cap from in order to remove the opposite cap.
11. Once the opposite cap has been driven out that 1/4" then you can remove the differential end of the shaft from the joint! Now your half way there!
12. Do the same thing on the remaining two caps!
13. Now assuming that you have already obtained a new joint, being very careful not to POP them off, walk the caps off of your new joint without dislodging the needle bearings inside of them!
14. Now this is where the marks you made earlier will come in. Being sure to align the yoke and the shaft correctly as marked, place the naked joint in line with the holes in the yoke.
15. Align one of the caps with the hole in the yoke and carefully drive it in while keeping the joint centered in it to keep the needles in.
16. Flip it over and do the same on the opposite side.
17. Drive the caps down on both sides to just beyond where the previous caps had set. You'll be able to tell by the marks left where you ground on it. This should be damn near centered!
18. Do the same thing on the other half! Again be careful to align the marks you made earlier as this is important to keep the shaft balanced!
19. Now obtain some wicking grade Loctite! This is green in color and you can get this from your local Fastenal Industrial and Contractor Supply store. Not cheap but still much cheaper than the $600.00 shaft!
20. Apply a very small amount to each cap and let it sink down into the edges and leave it to set up for a few hours.
21. Now this step you can do one of several ways, I used some JB weld around the ends of the caps to further aid in retaining the caps, but you could also obtain a good sharp drill bit and some matching spring pins and drill across the top of the caps (not through them but above) and drive a long enough pin through the holes to hold the caps in! A good bit more work and I doubt if it's necessary as it takes a lot of force to drive the caps in I can't imagine them coming out anyhow!
22. WOW! That's it! DONE! That wasn't so hard. So much for all those $600 new shaft weve been getting shafted with! By the way it works like a dream! SMOOTH as SILK!
If you have any questions feel free to e-mail me directly @ fastenalebay@yahoo.com



http://www.jcwhitney.com/omix-univer...3671d17323u0j1

https://picasaweb.google.com/110413137130601508357/X3

This is pure speculation on my part: but by the time you get finished re-engineering a solution that will allow you to tear everything out in such a way that will make xDrive sensors happy enough to not throw codes (unless you just remove the panel bulbs...), I think you'll be well beyond the $600-700 you say the repair will cost to keep the xDrive functional.

Originally Posted by timfitz63

This is pure speculation on my part: but by the time you get finished re-engineering a solution that will allow you to tear everything out in such a way that will make x Drive sensors happy enough to not throw codes (unless you just remove the panel bulbs...), I think you'll be well beyond the $600-700 you say the repair will cost to keep the x Drive functional.

I am thinking of keeping the X Drive unit in place just securing the out put knuckle in the transfer case with a c clip or pinch fit. then remove the forward diff and half shafts up to the CV Joint, and calling it done.

if i can gain 10% over the course of a year or so that could be significant considering the amount of driving i do.
what i am really waiting on is the x3d but i don't think that will ever come.

+1 on the diesel X3! I would have liked a 2wd option for the X3 as Tiguan and the Q5 offer. I have no use for 4wd in my area and would have appreciated the better gas mileage and performance (less weight) the 2wd would have. I guess they couldn't call it an "X3" then -- maybe a "Y3" would work.

Originally Posted by UncleJ

+1 on the diesel X3! I would have liked a 2wd option for the X3 as Tiguan and the Q5 offer. I have no use for 4wd in my area and would have appreciated the better gas mileage and performance (less weight) the 2wd would have. I guess they couldn't call it an "X3" then -- maybe a "Y3" would work.

or they could call it a 3 series wagon

this is an interim update.

OK first off this isn’t recommended for the squeamish or faint of heart, if you have a warranty in place I am sure this voids it in some manner. I am not a professional by any stroke of imagination however I have some very smart friends and family. I prefer to do my mechanical work with a larger hammer.

With all that being said... as of now, I have dropped forward output shaft to the forward diff.
I know some of you are asking how I got the spline shaft to stay in the transfer case since there is no physical retainer on it.....

Well that’s where I my skills with larger hammers comes in.

Items you will need to carry out this part.
A big hammer ***61514;
A punch
Block of wood
Band-Aids if you miss.

Set the spline shaft on the wood and dimple the upper edge of the spline in the CENTER to create a small indentation forcing the raised part of the spline outward slightly filling the grove.
The reason you want it in the center is so that you can get the shaft back in at least half way.
You will repeat this about 5 to 6 more times going around the shaft.
Now clean your parts well and allow them to dry remove as much of the oil as humanly possible.
Then coat the spline shaft with lock tight at the far end (the side that goes in to the transfer case)
Then slide it in till it stops oh now the fun tap it back in with a big hammer until its seated roughly where it was. Or you can turn it and not hear the plastic shield bind on anything.
Let it sit for 24 hours
Flush and refill the transfer case.

The next part will be on how to remove the forward diff and half shafts.

because i found it in my pictures thus far but i had to have some fun with it.

this document is a draft copy i will be posting the final version here soon.

so far i have picked up about 5 mpg and i have found the steering to be more responsive and faster stops, with less energy.

I should have done this 100K ago.