Cardan Shaft (aka Drive Shaft) Replacement

[ciaka]

Cardan Shaft (aka Drive Shaft) Replacement

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I had a chance to work on replacing my cardan shaft, as the one in the car gave me the famous symptoms of 'midget in console banging with a hammer'. Important things to remember: - replace flex disc at same time (worn out shaft bearing will cause wobble that in turn stresses the rubber disc out when you drive - I inspected mine and there were cracks when looking closely) - take your time, no rush - follow each step in sequence - read each step completely before doing the work for that.

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• Author
  ciaka
• Category
  Cayenne (9PA, 9PA1) - Common Fixes and Repairs
• Submitted
  02/12/2013 10:31 PM
• Updated
  10/03/2016 10:19 PM

 

[gophaster]

Great diy...very nicely done!

[MMX]

Have anyone installed this alternative fix from Vertex?

Porsche Cayenne Drive Shaft / Cardan Shaft Center Support Mount

They sell if for little under $500

http://www.cayennedriveshaft.com/support-mount.html

I know I need to make a decision soon what route to take. And if there are other companies that have a similar solution for less I'm all ears.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated!

[Henry54]

I own a Cayenne S 2006 Titanium Edition, in Sep 2011 I have installed the Vertex Cardan Support. So far so good. They use silicon cushions which last more than the original rubber and if for any reason this silicon rubber fail you can replace them. The change original cardan for a new one will give you 40000 miles more and then the same problem. You can have Vertex support installed by them (which I did, I live in orlando Fl) or you can install yourself, they have an illustrated tutorial, I you have basic skills and basic tools you can do it.

[RacerX5]

Can someone please explain why replacing the cardan shaft is such a common repair? Why not just replace the intermediate bearing by itself if it fails? I realize this requires splitting the driveshaft to replace, but if you scribe both parts of the driveshaft, the driveshaft should not need re-balanced. Or are there other failure points in the cardan shaft?

Also, while the Vertex solution seems interesting, you are still using an old bearing. Many times, center driveshaft bearings themselves fail or freeze up, then take out the surrounding rubber.

Edited January 13, 2014 by RacerX5

[wvicary]

I replaced just the centre brng assembly.

[ciaka]

...per info from other people's posts, replacing bearing requires cutting off the mount and opening the joint to replace/lube all internals....much more precision involved process, and requires one to be careful during the closing process, as sloppy job will introduce debris to area and cause to fail again, and again, etc....this is not a 1 hour job, and if you do it, should do it right the first time.

Yes, you can mark the shaft to make sure you retain balancing, but I am not sure if the replaced components inside joint would require re-balancing.

Not a job for the average Joe, IMO. I went the way of replacing shaft for time purposes. Cost was about 400 for parts plus time on my side...was good enough to do it, with 100% confidence in entire job done right the first time.

Can someone please explain why replacing the cardan shaft is such a common repair? Why not just replace the intermediate bearing by itself if it fails? I realize this requires splitting the driveshaft to replace, but if you scribe both parts of the driveshaft, the driveshaft should not need re-balanced. Or are there other failure points in the cardan shaft?

Also, while the Vertex solution seems interesting, you are still using an old bearing. Many times, center driveshaft bearings themselves fail or freeze up, then take out the surrounding rubber.

...I know there is a vid for doing this, and saw it, contemplated, but since the shaft joint opening introduces possibilities of further fail later down the road, I chose different method.

If you did this, great. Good choice too.

I replaced just the centre brng assembly.

[SpawnyWhippet]

I just installed this EPS unit (European Parts Solution), supplied by Pelican Parts for around $450 including new flex disk and bolts. Took me about an hour from start to finish, and the hardest and lengthiest part was carefully jacking up the car onto stands.

1. Undo about 6-7 bolts for the support plate

2. Slide the old bearing support forward, grind/cut through it and take it off. (point of no return)

3. Remove the remaining rubber from the surface of the bearing with a blade.

4. Fasten the 4 allen bolts to attach the new support to the old bearing

5. Refit the 6 bolts that hold the plate on.

I don't think I have done an easier job on a car.

[orthotist]

I just installed this EPS unit (European Parts Solution), supplied by Pelican Parts for around $450 including new flex disk and bolts. Took me about an hour from start to finish, and the hardest and lengthiest part was carefully jacking up the car onto stands.

 

1. Undo about 6-7 bolts for the support plate

2. Slide the old bearing support forward, grind/cut through it and take it off. (point of no return)

3. Remove the remaining rubber from the surface of the bearing with a blade.

4. Fasten the 4 allen bolts to attach the new support to the old bearing

5. Refit the 6 bolts that hold the plate on.

 

I don't think I have done an easier job on a car.

Did you add the grease to the bearing?

[SpawnyWhippet]

No. My bearing looked fine so I didn't try to do anything to disturb it. My car is a 2008 with 50k miles

[RacerX5]

OK, I had the bearing rubber tear apart on my 2006 S last week, precisely at the projected 70,000 miles. And I can now answer the question I posed previously. You can NOT easily split the shaft to change the bearing itself, (like you can on a BMW). You'd pretty much have to leave that to a driveshaft shop to rebuild.

 

But I saw NO reason to go with the EPS unit. Why stick with an old bearing? I had this job done at a local shop, and the complete driveshaft and new guibo was $550. Very similar cost to the EPS solution, and you get a new bearing, and similar in cost to having the shaft rebuilt. 

[woodslayer]

Colorado driveshaft and 2 hours. Easy fix. Just one hint. Put the rear attachment on first and thread the bolts before you set the part tight the the back attachment point. Had to pull apart to get lined up. When dry fitting everything the rear attachment was compressed in and difficult to pull out and line up with the bolt holes.

[jpollari]

Used the vertex solution last year after the rubber holding the original blew apart in my 2006 cayenne s titanium.  Thought a wheel came off the car it was so loud.  Took an hour with repacking the bearing and not replacing the flex disc.  Car ran perfect until I totaled it sept. 2015.  Ive since replaced it with another 2006 Titanium with over 200km and waiting for this one to break.  Will probably use the Vertex again.  Bought it direct from EPS for 399 no tax no shipping.

[Rod Croskery]

My wife helped me with a Jimi Fix on our 2004 Cayenne S on October 5th of this year.  The "twenty-minute job" took a bit over two hours, but the driveshaft operation has been butter smooth ever since.  I popped the plate off to inspect the zip ties recently and there was no evidence of movement or wear.

 

https://rodcroskery.wordpress.com/2016/10/05/where-does-it-hurt-ruby/

[RicksCarrera]

I have two 2008 cayenne base, and the center support failed about the same time on both cars. I used the Vertex solution, because there is really nothing wrong with the shaft or the shaft bearing. Following the video tutorial, it is not a difficult job, thou it takes longer for a slow poke like me than the video tutorial would imply. In this order, loosen the flex disc bolts, remove the bracket support and cut away the original bracket, remove flex disc, clean the outer bearing surface, repack the bearing, install the new flex disc, install the new vertex support and bracket.

The weak link now becomes the bearing itself. There was very little or no grease in my bearings, and they were in good shape. Now they are repacked with grease and I hope the shaft lasts at least as long as a replacement shaft would have. One could even make a case for repacking that bearing from time to time, say every 50k. 

 

 

 

[Rod Croskery]

Thanks for the suggestion, Rick.

 

I thought of getting some grease into the bearing, but the priority was to get the hose sections in place to return the shaft to functionality first and check later.  The bearing remains quite accessible beneath the plate, though I wish I had instructions on how to repack it in situ. 

 

A mechanic who used to fix my cars had a hypodermic nozzle rigged to a grease gun which he used in tight quarters.  With it he extended the life of the CV joints on my 4Runner past 400,000 km without changing the boots.  Do you think a tool like that would help distribute grease throughout the Cayenne's shaft bearing?

 

BTW, this week I towed a 2900 lb, 8.5 X 20' trailer with the car.  The drive shaft with the Jimi Fix was silky smooth under the load.  

[RicksCarrera]

Hi Rod

The vertex instructional video shows how to pry the bearing seals out with a very small/fine screw driver type tool. It is that easy, and then simply repack with grease by hand. It is easier to repack the bearing when the flex disk has been removed and the shaft hangs down. With the tranny in neutral it is easy to turn the shaft. I am pretty sure thou, that the bearing seals can be removed and the bearing repacked with the flex disk and shaft connected.

[Rod Croskery]

Rick:  Thank you for the link.  I'll have a look.

[GlenC]

My 08S with 108k gave me the sudden banging Wednesday during acceleration... thought I ran over something, til it happened again.... Searching the internet.... driveshaft support!  Put it into Special Terrain Mode and crawled under to check, yep, shaft loose....  Normal driving and there is no sign of anything being wrong, drove 50 miles home on Fwy before starting repairs....

 

I'm starting to think my trips to Yosemite are cursed!!!   Last year, 1st trip, a coil pack failed (second one) about a half hour out of Fresno on a Saturday morning..... found a replacement and was back on road later that afternoon... (after I got home, replaced remaining 6 coils).  A couple month later, back to Yosemite.... leaving the park the first night, the melting snow and darkness hid a big pot-hole.... sudden blowout! (ultimately new control arms and 2 new tires)....

 

The next day, cones in place....  5 cars had blowouts while I was changing my tire that night!

 

Planned a trip to Yosemite next week and Drive Shaft Support failure.... Fortunately I replaced the Thermostat, Water Pump and repaired the loose tubes in thermostat housing  last month.

 

Since I'm limited on time, I decided to go with the hose repair method.  Can't really see any reason this won't last for a long time.

 

This shows the rubber support failure:

 

This is where I cut off the rubber support from bearing and housing, leaving the rubber that was attached to the bearing and housing.

 

I had some 3/8" air hose that was just about the right size.  I cut pieces 1" (25mm) long and tied together with SS Safety Wire.  I think I actually used a total of 13.  I tied them around the bearing first, then slipped the housing on at the top first, then used a screwdriver to compress each piece of hose at the bottom to fit into the housing.

 

Once I got the housing in place, I used safety wire to hold the hoses into the housing.  I figured the safety wire was a longer lasting product than cable ties.

 

 

The fix works, no noise, no vibration on hard acceleration.....

[Zuffenhausen955]

Thanks, for using my fix!

[GlenC]

12 hours ago, Zuffenhausen955 said:

Thanks, for using my fix!

Thank you for the idea, it got me out of a bind and was $0 ......  Car was in at my local dealer last week and they saw the fix.... they were surprised when they saw it, but agreed it was better than spending $2k or so for the shaft replacement.... I have over 8K on the fix and sort of forgot about it....