Propshaft C.V joint : dimensions please

[vincefreeflyer]

Hi everbody, i got a problem on my M3 E93 propshaft CV joint. I bought a complete rear axle with LSD, and propshaft.
When the seller disassembled it, all the balls were lost

I'm silly, i bought it anyway, long story...

So i disassemble it :



But i don't have this F**** balls

Does anybody can measure the ball's diameter with precision, or better : if you, guys, kown where i can get just the balls, not the complete cv joint

Thank you

[pbonsalb]

The seller probably gave up trying to get it back together. It is not easy. Wait until you try. No idea whether you can get the balls separately for the cvjoint bmw used on this driveshaft.

Maybe someone who has replaced his shaft has the old one and would open it up or send you the back half or cut the end off but that is a long shot.

[vincefreeflyer]

it can be easy :

But in this case i dunno...

They dissasemble entierely a wrecked M3 so i think they didn't care about a poor CV joint .

I just need the balls. I'm pretty sure it's standard ba like thoses used in ball bearings

[tdott]

Why don't you buy a new one?

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-...g/26112282725/

[vincefreeflyer]

Originally Posted by tdott

Why don't you buy a new one?

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-...g/26112282725/

i'm from europ so it smell customs
And i spent a lot of money for the rear end + i have another money to spend for coilovers and engine tuning. I'm pretty sure just balls from ball bearing should be fine

[tdott]

Originally Posted by vincefreeflyer

i'm from europ so it smell customs
And i spent a lot of money for the rear end + i have another money to spend for coilovers and engine tuning. I'm pretty sure just balls from ball bearing should be fine

Yes but the chances of there being play is pretty high imo unless you have experience with this, and it may not fix any issues if you are currently having any.

Perhaps you can find it cheaper locally, I was only using fcpeuro as an example to show that you can buy the part you need.

[pbonsalb]

The same joint is probably used on other higher powerBMW. You could try asking around local BMW repair shops to see if any have a broken axle you could salvage parts from.

Report back on your experience getting the balls back in.

[vincefreeflyer]

Hi,
The cage size after caliper measurement were 25.5mm max. It's the space allowed for the balls.

In the standard ball size you got 24mm, after 25 and 25.4 and 26mm ... so i was sur it was one of that size (except 26, too big).

I made a test with glass balls used when i was kid , my brother got thousand of that !!

They weren't very accurate but i was sur it was standart ball bearing in CV joint.

I tried with 25mm glass balls : too much play, so i tried with bigger balls closed to 25.4, so i use 25.3mm, 25.2, 25.5 balls ... it seem a lot better!

So i ordered the 25.4 mm balls and it seem perfect !! Next step on the car

[pbonsalb]

Good job with the research. Let us know how the reassembly goes.

[S54ca]

I had the same issue, and tried the 25.4mm balls. They do not work for me. Does anyone know definitively what size these balls are?

[Justin Daniels]

Originally Posted by S54ca

I had the same issue, and tried the 25.4mm balls. They do not work for me. Does anyone know definitively what size these balls are?

I have a CV taken apart in the shop, I can measure them tonight.
PM me as a reminder because I sometimes don't get thread notifications.

[Justin Daniels]

The ones from the 2008 E93 M3 CV Joint I have are 25.4mm

My 1" micrometer is missing so I had to use a digital caliper, attached is the measurement.

[S54ca]

Yes, I realized the error of my ways soon after this post; I was clocking the joint wrong during install. FYI, for anyone doing this in the future, the thin points of the inner race should point towards the thicker ridges in the housing.

The joint will assemble otherwise, but will bind, rendering it useless.

[Justin Daniels]

Originally Posted by S54ca

Yes, I realized the error of my ways soon after this post; I was clocking the joint wrong during install. FYI, for anyone doing this in the future, the thin points of the inner race should point towards the thicker ridges in the housing.

The joint will assemble otherwise, but will bind, rendering it useless.

Yeah I don't know how many times I did that when re-packing them.. the inner race also has to be facing the right way relative to the outer race. Can't remember for sure if it's smooth face to smooth face or opposite... but I'm sure someone with a fresh one can chime in.

My CV is visibly good, balls are good, but it seems to not move as freely as most CVs I've dealt with do... so I'm tying to figure that out.