Cardan shaft failures?

[spooltime]

I did a search and am guessing it's the rear one based on photos that have been posted, so this may be a dumb newbie question anyway.

The parts diagram shows both a front and rear cardan shafts. Is the one notorious for failure the rear cardan shaft? Have there ever been problems with the front one as well?

[hahnmgh63]

The rear is the one that fails. Actually the shaft itself doesn't fail it is a long jointed shaft and there is a Center support bearing that has a rubber center carrier to it and that is what fails. Many vehicles have center support bearing problems but the Cayenne's seems to be worse. Seems like their is a wider rubber web than many other vehicles so gives more room to stretching and probably was intended to absorb more vibrations but at the expense of longevity.

[spooltime]

Thanks, that's what I concluded but I wanted to be certain. My CTTS is approaching 70K on the clock and I plan to monitor its condition.

The rear is the one that fails.

[ciaka]

No need to monitor, just listen for banging sound during acceleration and you will know. Then drive carefully home and park til fixed. Easy fix, but takes a while if you never did it before. DIY I posted should work. All seems perfect now. Good luck.

[seafeye]

Mine went at about 69,000 miles. Sounded like a flat tire pounding against my inner fender.

[orthotist]

Did it make any squeals / wines / chirps that progressed to the fail point?

[Scott C]

Did it make any squeals / wines / chirps that progressed to the fail point?

Mine did. It chirped at takeoff from a standstill then the sound went away as vehicle speed increased above 15 MPH. I drove it like this for about 6 months before the bearing carrier finally failed. Luckily it failed in a gradual manner so I didn't have the banging noises reported by others.

Edited November 20, 2013 by Scott C

[orthotist]

Did you just replace the bearing or the whole shaft assembly?

[orthotist]

Did you just replace the bearing or the whole shaft assembly?

[hahnmgh63]

With mine there was no notice and failed around 65K. I inspected mine about every 3 months (I have a lift) and saw no signs of impending failure.

[Andrei Marton]

I had the same problem on my '08 S, and changed the whole shaft, as it was still in waranty.

But , until replacement, i learned to drive with it as it was. No sudden accelerations, only constant driving. Kept me going for 1000km more, until the new shaft arrived at dealer.

[orthotist]

Any squeals wines chirps before it started the thump under the consle area?

[orthotist]

I've seen this bearing kit you buy without removing the drive shaft. You cut the housing off and install and a bearing repack with grease. Anyone know anything about that kit? Its on youtube and there website.

[Scott C]

Did you just replace the bearing or the whole shaft assembly?

I replaced the whole shaft assembly. If you choose to replace only the bearing, you have to break down and re-assemble the shaft at the CV joint.

I wasn't prepared to do this, so I went with a Vertex rebuilt unit.

[hahnmgh63]

He's talking about the new Vertex designed bearing that goes around the shaft in 2pcs so you don't have to remove the CV I believe, just cut off the old one. One of the earlier users complained about more vibration being transmitted but it may have been an install issue as a later user said it was as quiet as OEM.

[gbratk]

He's talking about the new Vertex designed bearing that goes around the shaft in 2pcs so you don't have to remove the CV I believe, just cut off the old one. One of the earlier users complained about more vibration being transmitted but it may have been an install issue as a later user said it was as quiet as OEM.

As I know This is only support, so without bearing, but orthotist have bearing problem. In that case you have to change complete center bearing support assembly or complete shaft.

Edited November 22, 2013 by gbratk

[bigbuzuki]

Could be time for one of these.

http://www.lindseyracing.com/LR/Porsche/955AXLE/955-0308-DS-CF.html

[spooltime]

Could be time for one of these.

http://www.lindseyracing.com/LR/Porsche/955AXLE/955-0308-DS-CF.html

There's zero info on their website about this. If this were a permanent fix and had other verifiable advantages, as well as a track record regarding durability, it is probably worth the asking price. Do you have any personal experience with this unit?

[bigbuzuki]

No personal experience.

More info.

http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums/porsche-cayenne-forum/782630-new-cayenne-aluminum-and-carbon-fiber-drive-shafts.html

[orthotist]

Did you just replace the bearing or the whole shaft assembly?

Is it easy to just to the bearing itself? Is it pressed on, easy to press off. Just dont see a point in replacement of whole shaft when bearing might be the problem.

I replaced the whole shaft assembly. If you choose to replace only the bearing, you have to break down and re-assemble the shaft at the CV joint.

I wasn't prepared to do this, so I went with a Vertex rebuilt unit.

Did you just replace the bearing or the whole shaft assembly?

I replaced the whole shaft assembly. If you choose to replace only the bearing, you have to break down and re-assemble the shaft at the CV joint.

I wasn't prepared to do this, so I went with a Vertex rebuilt unit.

[hahnmgh63]

Also no personal interest on the Driveshafts sold by Lindsey Racing although I've had some great dealings with them on other parts. They don't make the Driveshafts that they sell, they are made by a reputable Custom Driveshaft company here: http://www.driveshaftshop.com/ Although yes, I would like to see some data on the actual Cayenne Driveshaft. I like the idea of it being lighter and stronger but I can't imagine it will last any less than an OEM driveshaft. My old '84 Ford F-250 Diesel has a little over 200K on the original Driveshaft and it uses the old U-joints rather than CV's.

[RacerX5]

Did you just replace the bearing or the whole shaft assembly?

I replaced the whole shaft assembly. If you choose to replace only the bearing, you have to break down and re-assemble the shaft at the CV joint.

I wasn't prepared to do this, so I went with a Vertex rebuilt unit.

What is so hard about splitting the shaft to get out the center bearing?

[acat2002]

So, my '08 turbo has 66,000 and while there is no vibration/noise, my warranty is up next month (time, not mileage).

I've scheduled a service appointment and fully expect that the center bearing will let go the day my warranty is up. I was under the car today and I was surprised at how "spongy" the support bearing was. No wonder it fails sooner than most.

Anyway, if I go in and complain of "vibration and chirping under acceleration" and leave it at that, will they simply replace the card an shaft without asking any questions? I mean given the mileage, would it be a foregone conclusion that the center bearing/cardan shaft need to be replaced.

Or should I make it fail somehow???

[SpawnyWhippet]

My 2008 Pig S with 50,000 miles has just developed cracks in the center bearing. I ordered the Vertex replacement bearing and will fit it when it arrives. It was under $500 inc shipping from fleabay. Apparently the job takes under an hour, although I always double these estimates as I seem to be a slower mechanic than everyone else on the internet. :huh:

The reason I don't want to split the shaft to get the old bearing off is to avoid any shaft balance issues.

[jagman1]

Your description of your mechanic skills made me laugh. I also double whatever time estimate is put forth on the internet. I think others are simply not as fastidious as I am.

On another note, I installed the Vertex support a few months ago. No issues with it whatsoever. I did notice one thing. I was uncertain when I first installed it as to whether I got the alignment correct. So I went back under the car a few days and a few hundred miles later and re-aligned it. There was a significant change in the alignment when I did this. I either completely screwed up the alignment when I did it the first time (which I don't think was the case) or the driveshaft settled a bit and the second alignment was more accurate as a result. My advice: Put everything back together, snug up the bolts on the bearing carrier, then drive up and down your driveway once and then do the final alignment. I replaced the guibo too, take note of which bolts go where. There are 2 different sizes used.