Drive shaft issues

msg11

Got a 2004 BMW 520i e60 there last week as so may know and already having trouble with the car :rolleyes:. Out driving around and heard this loud thumping/knocking coming from the back of the car, que about 3/4 mins later total loss of power to wheels. Anyway got the car recovered and brought it home. Had a look at it there today and it seems the drive shaft has popped out of the diff, so I push it back in, it drove about 2/3 meters making the same knocking noise and it popped out again ? Tried to push it back in but nothing happed this time no movement from car.

Anyone any ideas why it's coming out of the diff ? It's like a clip is missing going into the diff to lock it in place?

Also, I can't understand why the other wheel won't turn, but I have not thought too much about it really !

Any thoughts, on how to approach this, garage really is not an option for the moment ?

Thinking the drive shaft has failed, the diff seems to be working, when I turn the bit that has popped out it is turning the main shaft from the gearbox.

Nightmare not even a week in, but look not much I can do it was a private sale so I'll suck it up and get on with the job at hand.

Esel

Paste BMW 520i e60 into your thread title and you might get some replies.

mickdw

msg11 wrote: »

Also, I can't understand why the other wheel won't turn, but I have not thought too much about it really !

The diff will spin away the power at the wheel of least resistance so seeing as there is nothing attached to the broken side, that side is just spinning away inside the diff so the other wheel wont power the car.
Id guess this might be why the car was sold on.

msg11

Esel wrote: »

Paste BMW 520i e60 into your thread title and you might get some replies.

Updated it there..

I got a look at the drive shaft disconnect it from the diff and the, shaft is completely shot.

So looking for a replacement for the e60 520i 2004 manual and I can't seem to find anywhere at sells them apart from Joe Duff who want 620 before vat is added!

Anyone got any idea where I could pick one up or even what other models will do? Can't seem to find one that's been broken or anything..

Wheelnut

If there's enough room for the shaft to pull out of the diff, there must be something wrong with the suspension on that side. You need to check all ball joints, bushes, control arms etc.

msg11

Wheelnut wrote: »

If there's enough room for the shaft to pull out of the diff, there must be something wrong with the suspension on that side. You need to check all ball joints, bushes, control arms etc.

I think the failed shaft was pulling it from the diff, I can't understand it really, everything seems fine back there all looks well, can't understand it.

Worst case, where would be a good place to get the differential refurbished ?

Nissan doctor

msg11 wrote: »

I think the failed shaft was pulling it from the diff, I can't understand it really, everything seems fine back there all looks well, can't understand it.

Worst case, where would be a good place to get the differential refurbished ?

Are the splines in the diff or on the shaft its self damaged?

If its the shaft that's damaged you could give drive shaft services a bell and see what they suggest as repair options.

http://www.driveshaft.ie

msg11

Nissan doctor wrote: »

Are the splines in the diff or on the shaft its self damaged?

If its the shaft that's damaged you could give drive shaft services a bell and see what they suggest as repair options.

http://www.driveshaft.ie

The old shaft totally failed, metal and ball bearings where falling onto my face when I was removing it.

I got a second hand shaft from Auto House, although the shafts looked different from each other I was told they are a match, have the new one fitted just missing a nut for the end of the shaft/hub end.

Thinking of booking it in with a garage to check over back drive line to see why the part failed in the first place.

Just fearing that I will be driving around again and it will fail.

msg11

Well, issue seems to be resolved.

Replacement drive shaft
New nut for end of shaft
Week and a half off the road

Total for fix;

Shaft 150 (Auto House)
New Nut 12.00 (Joe Duffy BMW)

Total 162.00

Thanks for all the help

Esel

Well done.

mickdw

Thats a great result. I would have feared a much more serious issue with diff given that it was likely sold on with this issue.

msg11

mickdw wrote: »

Thats a great result. I would have feared a much more serious issue with diff given that it was likely sold on with this issue.

While the shaft was out I popped one of the input shafts out from the diff. I feared that I would find bits of metal. Found nothing, just oil put finger inside and again nothing so all seems fine.

msg11

Just to drag up an old thread of mine for some input.

After a recent checking over of everything I noticed that the diff seems to be leaking from the output shaft side that I replaced.

Now, I remember the guy I bought the drive shaft of saying the shaft is off an automatic and him say there would be no issue. I checked the blue prints online and there was a -7mm difference in the width of the shafts. As in the automatic is a short shaft and the manual is longer.

Could this be the cause of the leaky diff or maybe the seal just needs to be replaced. Anyway I wanna wrap this issue up fairly quickly. So I am thinking of replacing the seals on the shaft and putting some new diff oil in there to try and fix the issue.

The leak is not a big leak but in saying that it is a leak and I am sure the oil is better on the inside of the diff than the outside!

Any ideas ? Would 7mm be a problem also what oil should I use in the diff if anyone knows ? !


Heres the diagram and lengths

http://bmwfans.info/parts-catalog/E60/Europe/520i-M54/L-N/mar2004/browse/rear_axle/output_shaft/

Rmfd. output shaft
LK=80MM/D=38MM

For vehicles with
Automatic transmission
LK=80MM/D=31MM

whizbang

If there was a 7mm thinner shaft where the oil seal sits, the oil wouldn't have lasted a day.

I believe this is the diagram your after. No.13 is the shaft seal.
The Drive Flange is usually assumed to be part of the Halfshaft or output shaft, If theres only a small leak, i assume they are the same diameter at the seal.

No harm in replacing them, but if the Auto output shaft is shorter than the manual, it may have pulled the Drive Flange out of the Diff casing, causing the leak.