Engine Drivetrain 1st Gen Cooper S Passenger driveshaft replacement ?'s

Seems to me if you are going to all the trouble to pull things apart & fix them you'd want to use a new dust seal not reuse the old one.

 

Use a hammer and a block of wood (I got frustrated with the wood, need oak next time).

And yes, salvage the dust cover. Mine needed something to stay in place, I think I used superglue.

 

I used my propane torch to heat up the bearing bracket for removal and install. Don't forget to remove the big retaining ring. As it's been said above, a block of wood and hammer should do it. Make sure you carefully clean the inner surface of the bearing bracket before reinstalling. Heating the bracket up before installing it on the bearing (wear some heavy gloves) will reduce the hammering required for install. May have been overkill, but I made sure I was randomly spinning the bearing around as I was gently tapping the bracket back on, so that I wasn't hammering on the same spot of the bearing over and over.

Jason

 

I actually thought the re-install was harder than the removal. I couldn't get a good surface to put the block of wood on, and I ended up just hammering the crap out of it till the bracket seated. Some sort of lube might make it easier, like anti-seize.

Also note that the DSS axles are nice, but not as good as stock. Mine had a little bit of a vibration on acceleration that has since calmed down a bit but is still present.

 

My DSS axle has been every bit as smooth as the stock piece it replaced, no complaints. I'd worry that maybe your hammering did a little damage to the bearing, causing the vibration.

Jason

 

Yeah, I had that thought, too. Smaller hammer next time. :biggrin5:

 

Thanks to all for the driveshaft install tips. I successfully installed my new Driveshaft Shop stage0 driveshaft this weekend on my R53. Some notes I had:

1) That third bolt on the bearing carrier housing is a PAIN!!! It was much harder to remove than reinstall though thank goodness.

2) I had to do a lot of hammering to get the housing back on. It must have taken half an hour - I was trying to be gentle but crikey it at the end I had to whack it a few times. It was harder than removal though as there's little way of securing the driveshaft.

3) I re-used the dust seal and used the superglue tip. Thanks for that.

4) I'm very glad I live in CA. If this had been back home in England on a ten year old car, every bolt would have been seized and rusted!

I also installed a new wheel hub while I was there. It's definitely quietened down the noise and humming I had and there's much less 'clunk' on acceleration now - hardly any in fact - which is great.

One rather annoying thing I discovered - I can now pinpoint I also have a left rear wheel bearing going.
I suspect I had two going bad which is why it was hard to identify the front right one going as well (the drive shaft had to be replaced as the inner CV boot had gone completely and was spewing grease everywhere - it was very messy to clean up). As I'd recently bought the car , I figured it was safer to get a new driveshaft as I didn't know how long it had been gone for.

Anyway, thanks for the tips and the new driveshaft seems great. It would have been much harder without the advice here.

Cheers,

Andy.

 

A couple of tips for those who might have to do this.....don't forget to check the condition of the bearing before you reinstall it. You cannot get it from MINI, but I found a source here in the states. PM me and I can refer you if you need one, or look for my thread on "intermediate bearing".

The best way to move the brearing is with a press, but if you don't have one, do this - you don't need to remove the bearing from the housing unless you're going to replace it -

To get the bearing off the shaft tap on the inside race only. Tap the inner dust sleeve off first of course....carefully note where it's lcated on the shaft so you can put it back in the same spot.

I use a brass drift that you can get at Harbor Freight or Northern Tool.

Work your way around the race, don't just tap in one place. Installation is the reverse, as they say....

FES driveshafts come with a new bearing already in the housing, and a new dust sleeve, ready to install, just FYI.