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-   -   Half Shaft Boot Info (http://www.318ti.org/forum/showthread.php?t=44140)

sirius815 02-24-2018 12:51 AM

Half Shaft Boot Info
 
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So I know there is a lot of confusion out there as to what half shafts work and which one don't. Additionally, the availability/cost of replacement boots is not the greatest, but I come and offer some solutions/insight for you.

Background: My 98 Ti with 98k (yes that's right) on the clock needed new cv boots (stock diff, stock half-shafts). BMW and Meyle along with other aftermarket parts are available, but I'm dirt cheap and just wanted to buy the boots and clamps themselves and then splurge on Redline Grease (CV2). So I ordered a set of boots from ebay and of course they are only half correct. The purchased set comes with a taller, skinnier boot and a shorter, fatter one. From the factory, BMW had installed just the taller, skinny boot both outboard and inboard - fail #1. Because many other things weren't going right (mis-manufactured engine mounts, leaky selector rod seal, etc) I just up and ordered a set of rebuilt half-shafts from Heri through Rock Auto and surprise, surprise, they are too long as has been posted here many times.

So now I have new half-shafts that don't fit and half way rebuilt old ones that I can't finish. After many phone calls to Heri's tech support and to the guy that sold me the boots, I can confidently say that I think I figured out what happened (well - partially).

Boots: If you still have original half shafts that have never been rebuilt, you will likely have boots that are identical (between inboard and outboard). If you feel so inclined to just buy bare boots and clamps, you will need BT-314 boots with 35mm and ~68mm clamps. If your half shafts have been rebuilt, it is likely that you have dissimilar boots and you'll need BT-314 and BT-367 boots along with 35mmx2, ~68mmx1 and 74mmx1 clamps. (I used 62mm clamps that were supplied in my kit - they were incredibly tight and could only be pinched a little bit before they would try and slide the boot back off the cap. Sometime during production, BMW decided to no longer produce the smaller diameter cap (likely because they started having to produce beefier half-shafts for other models) and only kept the large diameter cap on hand, leading to the difference in boots. The ebay store I purchased from is bestbuyautomotiveparts - they are awesome to deal with and will more than likely build a custom order for you. They sent me two new boots and new clamps when I had the improper size issue.

Half-shafts: As has been posted here before (http://www.318ti.org/forum/showthread.php?t=41535) GSP has half-shafts (NCV27994) that will work for the Ti (I didn't the thread before I ordered). I spoke with Heri why their half isn't correct and it ends up being a catalogging issue. I guess some of their engineers are confused about what model uses what length half-shaft...Heri themselves say that the Ti and Z3 1.9l cars use different half-shafts. We obviously know better. Heri has a 23 3/16 half shaft (model 78105) in their inventory, but because they do not have a car listed against the model number, nobody is able to order it (such as Rock Auto). So, while I'm still trying to work with Heri on getting their catalog correct to help us 318ti'ers out, go out and #1 request the 78105 to put more pressure on them to produce one and then #2 buy the GSP one if you can't get the one from Heri. No, I don't have an affiliation with Heri, but from my research, Heri brand half-shafts are about 50% cheaper. The one I received looks really good too by the way - no junk there. I have also attached the drawing from Heri for the proper half-shaft for your comparison.


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