DIY: replacing guibo (flexdisc) and/or driveshaft center support bearing (CSB) doityourself

[LivesNearCostco]

Hope it helps! If anyone has the driveshaft with the external locking collar and needs a new circlip, I should have one (that I don't need) this Friday. Free to any Mafia member in need (pay for shipping if you're outside the US).

[Bimmer37]

man this looks tough/time consuming...not sure I have it in me. Thanks for the write-up though! Will save for future reference...I probably have another 5-8k before I need to do this...currently only getting very slight vibration at the start of 1st gear on hills.

[LivesNearCostco]

I say replacing guibo only is not so time-consuming, could be as fast as 2 hours if you're comfortable putting the car on jack stands (or lift) and have dropped your exhaust before... AND you have 2 18mm box wrenches or one wrench and one 18mm socket. Doing CSB adds 1 to 3 hours, depending on driveshaft type and whether you need a puller and press/drift to remove/replace your CSB. My indie quoted me 3 billable hours and I finished it in 6 hours. It was my 2nd time dropping the exhaust. If I had to do it all over again, I could probably do it in 3.5 hours.

[Lanister]

Just followed your DYI to replace my CSB/Guibo. Pretty straight forward stuff and not as bad as I thought. A lot of it is in having the right set up and tools handy. I ended up having to make a trip to pick up a deep 15mm socket for the exhaust nuts and a bearing puller.

As far as putting the bearing back on. Although it came off easily, the new one did not want to go back on by hand. It would go about 1/4 of the way in max and get stuck. So I've attached the front part of the shaft (don't forget the washer that goes against the bearing) and just bolted them together. This pushed the bearing all the way where it should be. Then I took the shafts apart again to focus on the butyl tape affair and guibo install.

Thanks again for the instructions.

[LivesNearCostco]

Good to hear! Maybe I should amend the instructions to say deep 15mm socket is definitely required.

[WOLFN8TR]

Nice DIY! Sub'd...

[alexandre]

Nice DIY! My dealer recommended I swap out the guibo so I ordered that + 6 new nuts and bolts. Should I replace the CSB too if the car doesn't see any track use ? What are the symptoms of a failing CSB ? I'm at 220k.

[Lanister]

Nice DIY! My dealer recommended I swap out the guibo so I ordered that + 6 new nuts and bolts. Should I replace the CSB too if the car doesn't see any track use ? What are the symptoms of a failing CSB ? I'm at 220k.

You mean you've never replaced your CSB given the current mileage?! Perhaps the previous owner had done it? I just don't see how one could last that long. Or maybe yours has failed a while back or is about to.

Typical symptom of a failed CSB is vibration during hard acceleration. It's pretty hard to miss. My advice would be to definitely do it. It will only add another hour or two to the job but then you won't have to go back under the car again. The replacement itself is not difficult, I found that the setup for it was more time consuming than the actual job. I just did mine at 92k miles and although it wasn't entirely failed the flex areas of the rubber housing were cracked and it was just a matter of time before they would start to separate. Also, my car has always lived in California so it hasn't seen much water or cold temperatures, let alone snow/salt like cars often do on the East Coast. So given your location/mileage as well as the fact that you'll be doing the guibo anyways, it's a no-brainer.

[Vas]

Thanks for the DIY

[LivesNearCostco]

Good luck! I am up soon to to tackle the radiator replacement on my E36. I've replaced ET, water pumps (though not on a BMW), radiator hoses, thermostats, and heater hoses, but never replaced a radiator before. Still debating if I can re-seal the oil pan myself or if that needs to go to a shop.