[dentprotony@gmail.com]

Hey fellas, it is well know issue in the x6/x5 community that the front driveshaft would blow up and damage the transmission housing and in some cases engine oil pan. Reason for that seems to be the splined yoke that only goes into the tcase about 20mm, leaving another 20mm of the splines inside the tcase unused. Over time splines on both tcase and driveshaft would wear out and create minor binding in the yoke adding stress on the ujoint that is closer to the tcase. Eventually this will cause the ujoint to disintegrate amd driveshaft would make a hole in the tranny housing resulting in thousands in damage and weeks of downtime. Sometimes ds would make a hole in the oil pan and if not turned off immediately your vehicle would experience oil starvation and will result in engine replacement.
I was able to custom make a one of a kind driveshaft, that has replaceable ujoints (oem uj are staked), and 20mm longer yoke. This ds uses all the spline area of your tcase, allowing ujoints to work properly without binding/wobbling of the yoke. I wanted to ask this community opinion if forum members would be interested in an updated driveshaft as seen in the pictures. Rnd would take me 1-2 weeks and i could have you driveshaft available and ready to go. I will also need 2-3 people to test fit this as well, please let me know if there is a demand in this group and thank you.

[2500AB]

Hi there!

I have a 2017 X4 M40i (F26) that developed a front driveshaft play and clunking at around 70K miles.
Not as bad as what we see on F15 of the same generation, yet very concerning.


Some looking around confirmed my suspicion, there are multiple reports of people dealing with failed front driveshafts on our F25/F26 models, same as F15/F16, especially the ones with more torque (diesel and N55 variants) as more cars reach 100K miles.

As Tony mentioned above, the issue is the same across the board - driveshaft splines are too short and get beat up over time, causing excessive play and breaking the driveshaft when you least expect it.

Risk? - especially bad scenarios end up taking apart the transmission, transfer case, and/or the engine oil pan.

Solution? - driveshaft with longer splines. ... or you can replace your driveshaft and transfer case as preventative maintenance for a lot of $$



While I was searching for a solution - I ran into Tony's post and we used my example as a first test article. He made an upgraded driveshaft to replace OEM part number 8605867 and I got it fitted and tested.


Piece of mind and confidence achieved! Below you will find some details about my own experience.
If you end up finding a similar issue on yours - I highly recommend not waiting too long and figuring out how to address the issue before it gets too late.
Tony was a huge help and I'm happy that I was able to get his design vs going OEM route that will fail again in no time.


1) Identify the clunk and play in the driveshaft:

2) Take the driveshaft out - look inside the transfer case splines. Note that not the full length of the splines is being used and they are starting to get eaten up.



3) Unpack and compare the new and old driveshaft. Add some MOS2 grease to the splines.




4) Install and torque new driveshaft - check for clearance (perfect!).

Enjoy the ride!

[magpies14]

hello dentprotony@gmail.com how much would this updated front driveshaft cost ?

thanks

[dentprotony@gmail.com]

Originally Posted by magpies14

hello dentprotony@gmail.com how much would this updated front driveshaft cost ?

thanks

Hey man, these shafts are 790 shipped to you !

[magpies14]

Originally Posted by dentprotony@gmail.com

Hey man, these shafts are 790 shipped to you !

Ok will be in touch....

[Gavlarr]

Hey Tony.
This is brilliant and genius in my opinion.
Just to confirm, will your front shaft fit 2017 f25 x3 ?
I have play at the transfer box end which seems like it’s the splines.
I’ve not removed it to inspect it but if I’m going to go to that trouble I’d rather re fit your one.
Can you ship to the UK? Do you have a cost please.
Many thanks. Gav.

[dentprotony@gmail.com]

Originally Posted by Gavlarr

Hey Tony.
This is brilliant and genius in my opinion.
Just to confirm, will your front shaft fit 2017 f25 x3 ?
I have play at the transfer box end which seems like it’s the splines.
I’ve not removed it to inspect it but if I’m going to go to that trouble I’d rather re fit your one.
Can you ship to the UK? Do you have a cost please.
Many thanks. Gav.

Yes splines is the same, shaft pipe is different length, we do make f25 shafts as well 👍

[bmwPower99]

looks like even the shorter drive shaft has a good amount of unused spline area. I wonder if a thicker guibo or some spacers would help

[dentprotony@gmail.com]

Originally Posted by bmwPower99

looks like even the shorter drive shaft has a good amount of unused spline area. I wonder if a thicker guibo or some spacers would help

Thats an e53 shaft, isnt it ?

[bmwPower99]

Originally Posted by dentprotony@gmail.com

Thats an e53 shaft, isnt it ?

Yes it is. the pics at the start of this post show witness marks where It looks like not all the the splines are in contact. Googled this a bit there are guibo spacers and weldable longer spline replacements. Looks like the X5 has an AC drip above the driveshaft causing excessive corrosion.

[doubledax3]

A bit new to X3's. But NOT BMW's. I just picked up a 12 X3 28i Xdrive. Only 68K miles.
Is this really a thing to be worried about on a 2012 model ????

Seems like BMW might have issued a TSB on this if it was or is a real problem.
I am a BIG time PM kind of guy, dont like to be surprised !!!!

800.00 for a new shaft is a big chunk !!!!!!

Can the OEM shaft be modified with one new end with a longer spline area ??????

Has anyone here had a blowout and major damage to their T case or trans ???
What kind of miles ????
I need to know more info on this so I can keep an eye out if this is a problem with my new to me X3 !!!
I do NOT need a blowout to cause major damage !!!

Please keep us all informed more on this issue ! Thanks.... D

[drukpa]

Some have installed a spacer between the front differential and the shaft which makes the shaft splines go in deeper into the transfer case.

[dentprotony@gmail.com]

Originally Posted by doubledax3

A bit new to X3's. But NOT BMW's. I just picked up a 12 X3 28i Xdrive. Only 68K miles.
Is this really a thing to be worried about on a 2012 model ????

Seems like BMW might have issued a TSB on this if it was or is a real problem.
I am a BIG time PM kind of guy, dont like to be surprised !!!!

800.00 for a new shaft is a big chunk !!!!!!

Can the OEM shaft be modified with one new end with a longer spline area ??????

Has anyone here had a blowout and major damage to their T case or trans ???
What kind of miles ????
I need to know more info on this so I can keep an eye out if this is a problem with my new to me X3 !!!
I do NOT need a blowout to cause major damage !!!

Please keep us all informed more on this issue ! Thanks.... D

Oem shaft cannot be modified because ujoints are staked , very few shops can restake , also oem ujoint is unavailable in usa, only chinese versions. Uj that is used in my shaft features larger caps and is a little wider than stock. As for the cost, goal was to stay in the ballpark of the oem shaft, because custom yoke mold was required and a hefty downpayment and a bulk order were a driveline shop conditions to undertake this project. I had an x5m owner stated the same thing a few months ago, what was even worse is that i had his shaft alreabuild but he backed out side he wanna wait, a few weeks later his shaft made a hole in the transmission and cracked the tcase, it took him 2 months and around 8k to get back to the square one and he got my driveshaft once he had all the parts to go back in. Sadly it can either be 800 or 8800, but i also seen many x5/x3 ride with 150k miles and do just fine.
Unfortunately seems that x3 crowd has less people working /modifying their vehicles, so less people spend time or report on the forums to share experiences or solutions. X5 groups post about once a week about broken driveshaft , the splined section is same as x3, tcase is same as well i believe.

[dentprotony@gmail.com]

Originally Posted by drukpa

Some have installed a spacer between the front differential and the shaft which makes the shaft splines go in deeper into the transfer case.

You can literally go about 3-4mm further on the x3 thats all, you also will be adding an extra part in the area that is exposed to severe vibrations and temp fluctuations. Things might come apart right below your oil pan. And the main part is ofcourse you will gain 5mm of new tcase splines by a used stock shaft splines. I promise i looked into any available solution out there, new shaft was was the best to offer new replaceable heavy duty ujoints , 20mm longer spline engagement, shaft is balanced and built in usa by a true pro company

https://youtu.be/GaodgzcDAYo?si=5a8IPS3MbZa4TzTD