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Do all BMWs have final drive problems?

35K views 35 replies 17 participants last post by  Kevdadi 
#1 ·
If so, is there a way to prevent the problem, is there a way to know if the final drive is about to fail? Thanks
 
#27 ·
Them new digital torque adapters are pretty cool......!Comes in 1/2" too. But so is my Snap-On 1/2" click type torque wrench.I just would not want to have to buy that again.....$$$$ :D
http://www.princessauto.com/tools/h...ssories/8264350-3/8-dr-digital-torque-adapter

And if you are in Canada and do not know about "Princess Auto" do check them out because they have a lot of Metric stuff, Allens and Torx....Etc....! Often on sale at surprisingly low prices.Just stay away from the No-Name power tools. :teeth
Now some of you guys may have something to say about cheap quality and such but FYI, I just bought a single 30mm socket to remove my swingarm, put it on grandpa's old Snap-On breaker bar, added a 3 foot fork tube and unbolted that swingarm.....! So, pretty good for a $5.00 socket. :thumb:
 
#28 ·
h96669 said:
I'm curious here ,have not ordered any OEM yet....! Do you need a torque wrench to install the Rubberchicken product? From their website they mention easy roadside repairs.For the OEM you need a torque wrench that gives accurate reading for low Nm. I do not have one yet.....but need it for my front swingarm pivot bearings. I could easily borrow one for that, and that is not a job you have to redo/recheck often.

The rear drive pivots however should be checked regularly if they are OEM so that is why I was thinking of buying the torque wrench. If I do not need it for the aftermarket bushings, then I won't buy one and put the $$$ somewhere else, like Ohlins, Gas and Ice Cream....! I already own 3 Torque Wrenches.....none suitable for "That" job! :teeth

Thanks! :thumb:
Techincally, you still torque the RCR bushings but I dont think its very critical. Although you still need a torque wrench for the lock nut. When you get the bushings, the ID is machined slight undersize by a few .001" or so. You need to sand the ID down until you get the right fit. The serviceablilty on a roadside repair comes into place where the OEM bearings fall out in pieces. Its been common for the OEM bearings to be nothing more than a handfull of rollers once worn, and common after sever re-torquings. Once the bearing comes out in pieces, if you have take the rear end off on the side of the road, it aint going anywhere unless you have a new set. The bushing will always be one piece. one of the few instances a bushing is better than a bearing. I have personally considered making my own set. The RCR are nothing more than a simple machined cone of oilite SAE 660 bearing bronze and I work in a machine shop.
 
#29 ·
cali_beemer said:
Techincally, you still torque the RCR bushings but I dont think its very critical. Although you still need a torque wrench for the lock nut. When you get the bushings, the ID is machined slight undersize by a few .001" or so. You need to sand the ID down until you get the right fit. The serviceablilty on a roadside repair comes into place where the OEM bearings fall out in pieces. Its been common for the OEM bearings to be nothing more than a handfull of rollers once worn, and common after sever re-torquings. Once the bearing comes out in pieces, if you have take the rear end off on the side of the road, it aint going anywhere unless you have a new set. The bushing will always be one piece. one of the few instances a bushing is better than a bearing. I have personally considered making my own set. The RCR are nothing more than a simple machined cone of oilite SAE 660 bearing bronze and I work in a machine shop.
Did research all that after my last post, same conclusions, but I lost my machinist to alcohol abuse....! Looks like they are using something pretty standard for the bearing race, and I know how much cheaper those can be if you go to a bearing supplier, cuts the price by 60% on some steering head bearings vs OEM. :teeth

I'm even wondering if the bearings are proprietary to BMW,I 'd have to push them out and get the numbers, unless someone has a set on their bench somewhere? Numbers please? :confused:

Even putting standard caged roller bearings in there....just a tought, but that is what BMW uses on the front swingarm pivots...! :confused:

If I still had my old GS to experiment....! :ricky

But I'll go check with them funny guys on ADVriders....only problem is that I get lost for hours into some of the threads out there.....! :bmw:

I do know another machinist/foreman but he is quite a ways from me, won't see him for months, in the meantime I am a little stuck, OEM vs Aftermarket....and shipping to Canada pushes the price way the f.... up there! :eek:

And I sold my Maximat V10 lathe/milling long time ago...over prohibitive shipping costs! :crybaby:

You wouldn't be willing to make some bushings and sell them? Some of us may be interested, may save a lot of roadside aggravation, and a few driveshafts too.....! :yeow:
Thanks! :thumb:
 
#32 ·
Belt drive versus shaft

207,000 miles on a belt drive, guard broke and damaged the belt, $380 for dealer to repair

62,000 miles on BMW shaft drive, $1,500 to repair.







-CRASH- said:
If they don't fail ...

No need to adjust

Consistent wheel base/geometry

Less likely to to take a rock or incur damage (I had a rock go right through a belt once)

I dunno, there are more advantages (and disadvantages too) but differentials have been pretty effective on cars and trucks for years and I do know belts and chains were tried on those and found to have significant drawbacks.

The $64,000 question ... why were the drive units notoriously so bullet proof until the past decade or so and why do the Japanese drive shaft units hold up better? I put 185,000 on a 1984 Yamaha Venture Royal and did nothing more than change the oil in the drive train every 25,000 miles.
 
#33 · (Edited)
On the few Jap bikes I've looked at externally, the main bearing nearest the wheel carrying all the loads is bigger.

If you search for the bearing type and size that BMW use in the FD you find it is something of a special in the range for its loading and narrow profile with no scope for anything else. There has been talk about how many balls should be in the race and whether more or less is better.

That speaks to me and says, here we have a compact RD casing designed and built and there are very few options in choice of bearings to put in it. Once you start producing arguments about bearing carrier design and balls, I think the bearing design has already failed in its application and you are clutching at straws.

I had a 550 Kawa with shaft drive that did 60K and zero defects except oil changes. That's why I bought the model. The big difference in the design of both bikes is the Kawa had a conventional rear wheel axle with twin shocks putting less side thrust load on the drive bearing. Now I have more reservations that some manufacturers can give the reliability I expect and others can't.

But I guess all this has now been sorted on the latest BMW models and all you need to do on the rear is change tires and pads?



 
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