[urq] I did the BMW bearing thing

[Patrick Carlier]

After about 17 years , my center driveshaft was terrible .
Center bearing was very noisy , and the rubber support was in very bad shape
.
Audi doesn't sell parts for the center drive shaft . Not even a dust cap .
A new shaft will cost abt 1500 $

So I decided to try the BMW center bearing wich has been recomended
as an almost bolt on replacement .

It's all pretty straightforward .

First I marked all the parts so that they can be put together in thesame
position .

I did machine a kind of puller to take the center joint apart , thus
avoiding the use of a hammer .
I don't like hammer blows on transmission parts .
Each of the couplings has a needle bering inside it with 30 needles .
Yeah , I found all 30 back when the first one dropped on the floor :-) .

The center driveshaft has a greasing pont . Right in the middle of the cross
coupling .
It was the only part of my shaft that had never seen any grease or oil .

When you put the bmw bearing nex to the audi one , you'll see that the
mounting
holes are a bit smaller . A few minutes with a saw and file quickly fixed
that .

I then cleaned and re-greased the  CV joints on both ends .
Checked all the dust caps for wear and cracks , luckily there  where none .

And finally put it all back under the car .
The bmw bearing  fits beautifully , and I can allign the shaft as it should
be .
The old bearing support was to far gone to allow a straight allignement .

I'm waiting for a rear diff mount , wich is in backorder , so I the car
hasn't been on the road yet .
But I'm sure it will make a difference .

Patrick