E85/E86 Half shafts

E

enginetech

New member
Hi all,

I'm doing a drivetrain refresh on my coupe in preparation for Le Mans this year. I took the diff out at the weekend (LSD ready to go in).

I am wondering if you could lend me your knowledge, the CV joints on my half shafts are looking quite sloppy and I cannot seem to find decent replacement parts for the CVs. The complete shafts are enormous money from BMW.

Are E85 shafts the same as E86 half shafts? / Can i buy E85 CVs and expect them to fit.
 

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i do have a pair taken from 2.5si and it has the same part number.
but since your doing a proper refresh, better get it rebuilt
 
I just discovered play in all four of my CV joints too, and am also struggling to find a good replacement at a non-horrific cost.

I can see that the E46 and the E85/E86 (non-N52) share driveshafts (albeit slightly thinner than the E85/6 ones.

What I don't know is if the N52 powered cars have a different width differential, and therefore different length driveshafts to the M52 engines...
 
OK, here's my best finds so far...

Output shaft Diagram for BMW 3 Series E46 328i Catalog | RealOEM.com

BMW parts 3 Series E46 328i Output shaft
www.realoem.com

The E46 328i early driveshafts are the same bolt spacing (LK=86), same diameter (38mm), same nut size (M24 - some, like the 330i and 330d are M27) and people talk about swapping in the E86 diffs into the E46, and don't mention driveshafts, so I'd bet they're the same diff body/dimensions.

Therefore, these are not awful candidates:


I don't know if these are the 31mm or 38mm diameter version, though...

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You can fit the shafts from other Z4's without any issues. The difference is the diameter of the shaft, but the joints are still the same
 
I seem to remember reading somewhere (probably on this forum) that the original half shafts are made out of tubular steel and that only solid steel shafts are available as replacements? And also that tubular steel shafts are stronger than solid steel ones?
Not sure about this but it could be something worth looking into.
 
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