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Subject: Replacing The Drive Shaft Assembly On An E32 Author: manta69 : member since June, 2006 : 858 posts Posted on: 2006-10-01 14:42:40

There are certain times where you may want to have a helper around, particularly during removal and re-installation of the exhaust. This is a very large and heavy one piece system which can be tricky to manipulate by ones self. Better keep that penetrating oil handy… and a few adult beverages!







I would suggest having new rear muffler hanger assemblies on hand to replace the old ones. If they are very rusty then it won’t take much for them to break. I always use anti-seize or a moly based lube for re-assembly on all hardware for ease of disassembly later on if need be. Stainless exhaust hardware where the front muffler and cat’s meet also isn’t a bad idea, but not necessary.



New exhaust gaskets are also good to have on hand in case the old ones are ready to disintegrate as soon as they’re disturbed. This one is pretty new, less than six months old, so I can re-use it. Note, you don’t need to tighten the bolts a hell of a lot when you put it back together on this side (the right side). Always use lock-washers. The other gasket (not pictured, sorry) is different in design, more like a steel o-ring, and goes into the flared pipes where they meet. Normal tightening will suffice during re-assembly on the left pipes.



With the mufflers out of the way it is now time to remove the shield. There are six 13mm head bolts in total. Again, anti-seize or moly lube those bolts when you put them back in… just a suggestion ;-) You may need to unbolt and lower the transmission cross-member a bit to get access to the two front bolts.





Two bolts on each side of the transmission cross-member will need to be removed in order to lower it. BE CAREFUL!!! This is where the penetrating oil will come in handy because they will likely be rusted in pretty good. I was unfortunate enough to break the front one on the passenger side. More anti-seize or moly lube during re-assembly here folks. Notice the jack and wooden block under the trans pan for support. *NOTE* before you begin lowering make sure you disconnect the shifter cable completely from the bracket that holds it to the side of the transmission, otherwise when you lower it the cable may become taught and bend the bracket (making the shifter in the car not line up with the gates), possibly even damaging the cable itself. Once you make enough room for yourself, loosen the two 13mm head nuts which hold the transmission mounts onto the tail housing and slide the cross-member and mounts back and remove from the side.





Begin removing the four 17mm head nuts and six 13mm head nuts from the front and rear of the drive shaft where it connects to the transmission output flange and rear differential input flange, manually shifting the transmission in and out of park so that you can rotate the drive shaft as you go along. If you have a six-point 17mm wrench for the front nuts, use it, as they may be very tight and are prone to rounding. *NOTE* This is a 1992 735i, other E32’s may use a large rubber dampener at the back of the transmission instead of a regular flange, all this means is a few more pieces of hardware, but the procedure remains the same.





Finally, remove the drive shaft support bolts (two 13mm head) and slide the drive shaft out of the front flange first and lay it to the side, then slide the drive shaft out of the rear flange and slide the whole thing forward until the rear of the drive shaft clears the differential support… voila’! It’s out!



The nut holding the rear flange onto the transmission output shaft may have loosened, just re-tighten it.







Remanufactured drive shaft, complete with studs, center support and self-adhesive gasket. They balance them during the reman process, so you *shouldn’t* have any vibration problems. (Cross your fingers, I hadda do this twice because my first one wasn’t balanced properly.)



Clean the differential flange and remove all traces of the old gasket. The new drive shaft should come with a new self-adhesive gasket… use it!



New gasket installed and ready to go!



If the oxygen sensor hasn’t been replaced within the last 50K miles, now is a very good time to do that… more penetrating oil folks!





Sadly, mine was the original one that came with the car with over 170K miles… it came out in pieces and ruined the threads in the bung as it came out.



Take your pick… pretty much any tap or thread repairing tool will do a decent job of restoring damaged O2 sensor threads, the magic number you’ll need is 18mm x 1.50



Some anti-seize compound or moly lube on the threads ONLY (do not get any of this stuff on the tip or it will ruin the sensor in a short time) will aid in re-installation and also make it easier to replace later on down the line.







Make sure you route the new O2 sensor wires properly. There are several areas where improper routing could damage it over time.





Re-installation is the same in reverse. Ratcheting box wrenches will speed the process along a little, and no… you don’t necessarily need a lift to do this. Drive-on ramps or jack stands will do just fine.


12/1991 1992 735i
Last 8 of VIN: NDB70117
170,700 Miles and Counting... :-D

Master Diagnostic and Repair Specialist

• Replacing The Drive Shaft Assembly On An E32 (pic) - manta69 2006-10-01 14:42:40 (3878 views)
  • Good photos! Added to e38.org (nt) - DavidC 2006-10-02 02:40:34 (269 views)
    • yes, that is a good example - shogun 2006-10-05 01:00:17 (193 views)
  • Nice writeup, manta! A helper would be good - I did mine alone (nt) - leersmd 2006-10-01 15:10:05 (201 views)
    • Thanks Leers! (nt) - manta69 2006-10-01 15:31:59 (174 views)
      • Damned 'Enter' key... - manta69 2006-10-01 15:35:36 (273 views)
        • The biggest pain was undoing the rear bolts to the diff - leersmd 2006-10-01 16:23:32 (262 views)
          • I just unbolted the selecter cable- - stevebu 2006-10-02 05:34:58 (231 views)
            • Awesome! You and ourv12 are perfect examples of how this board - leersmd 2006-10-02 20:13:48 (212 views)
          • Re: The biggest pain was undoing the rear bolts to the diff - ourv12 2006-10-01 20:24:21 (190 views)
          • The first time I did this was easier... - manta69 2006-10-01 16:44:03 (264 views)
            • Great write up and one I will save, Have one question. - beezer02 2006-10-02 23:54:51 (247 views)
              • Driveshaft- - htrdbmr 2006-10-03 12:37:20 (251 views)
                • Re: Driveshaft- - manta69 2006-10-03 18:56:42 (241 views)
              • Thanks Beezer, I Like How It Turned Out - manta69 2006-10-03 10:58:32 (206 views)
              • Often the center vibration dampenenr will go - Greg in Ypsi, MI 2006-10-03 09:46:42 (324 views)
                • Re: Often the center vibration dampenenr will go - manta69 2006-10-03 13:25:17 (331 views)
                  • Great information, Will check at slightest vibration. (pic) - beezer02 2006-10-03 19:37:37 (376 views)
                    • Re: Great information, Will check at slightest vibration. - manta69 2006-10-03 21:39:50 (261 views)
                      • Real easy, but did you ever try to drive a car with 8 pieces (nt) - beezer02 2006-10-03 22:35:03 (292 views)
                        • Yes... - manta69 2006-10-03 22:37:48 (191 views)
                          • Re: Yes... - beezer02 2006-10-03 22:46:11 (201 views)