1200 gs final drive recondition ?

[GSophil]

is there anyone that has the abilities to recondition the final drive .. or is it BMW dealer new part event only.. ??
the bike is 2006 with 15k miles done .. and a very mild humming noise when the clutch is disengaged.. and it starts from 30 mph onwards it does give the impression that is the wind heating the top box..
i understand from others is the first sign of wear on the rear drive and shaft..

does anyone know the cost involved in getting a new part from bmw?

thanx

 

[RickG]

I'd suspect the humming noise was from the tyres before I worried that my final drive was knackered. You would be in the unlucky minority to have a problem at only 15k. Have you ever changed the final drive oil or looked to see if there's a large build up of metal dust on the ABS sensor?

 

[GSophil]

i did get a new tire recently and when i checked the oil there was nothing significant on the abs sensor apart from some build up grease with very fine dust ..
i come to this forum and i found Patsx12 http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1623869#post1623869, excellent project and picked up few diagnosis techniques and i realized that there is some play on the spline coming out the final drive. patsz12 was saying that it should not be anything..

do they all have this play ??

 

[RickG]

If you mean you are wiggling the splined shaft that comes out of the final drive and it rocks from side to side then I'd suggest from the thread by patsx12 that it shouldn't move much at all. As the shaft is supported at both ends the movement implies at least one of the bearing is suspect, but I've no personal experince with them.

 

[Megawatts]

hi, new to this forum, but i see from one of your other posts that you have got 2mm play on the splined shaft !!! ouch. Ive recently overhauled an 04 final drive unit and it cost £180 for all bearings and seals, i would post pics of what i found but not sure how to??? I had problems sourcing bits for 04 model but you should be ok with an 06. Its a tricy job if youve not got the kit.

 

[GSophil]

bmw responded..

I called Bmw battersea today and the guy on the phone said that a new unit would cost me 980£ including Vat
then i asked if they do the internal parts and he said yes and pleased to fax me a diagram with the items numbered .. well what i got of them was a diagram with all the parts to fit the main unit and all the other bits and bobs.. like brake disk and an oil container .. nothing to do whit internal parts of the rear-axle drive ..
i have to get more info on the parts perhaps pictures and show them what i really need .

 

[patzx12]

These are the items i bought from my local BMW dealer to rebuild my FD:

Pinion Needle bearing and seal: €64

Grooved ball bearing (the big one) and 2 shaft seals €100

 

[GSophil]

prices at a glance ..

I found this site for for prices .. i believe it can be use as a guide and it cant be too accurate but it is gold dust when you need to see whats worth and what not..
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/index.do

Thanks for your reply Patzx12 and your whole picture show is marvelous..
did u have to use any shims on the bearings ?
i wonder if you have decided to start fixing this FD for other people.. I may be one that is ready to send it to you ..
thanx

 

[patzx12]

Hi,
I did not make any shim ajustments, this can be done with the drive on the bike the shims are in a C shape so can be changed "on bike".
For part numbers I use [max bmw fiche] these are clear diagrams and also have dollar prices.
Regarding rebuilds: I would not see anyone stuck, and would be happy to do a rebuild if you PM me we could sort something out.

By the way there is no point stripping out the crown wheel assembly and sending it to me as someone suggested. The FD has to be complete for me to clamp it onto the fixture and loosen \ tighten the pinion nuts.

I found this site for for prices .. i believe it can be use as a guide and it cant be too accurate but it is gold dust when you need to see whats worth and what not..
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/index.do

Thanks for your reply Patzx12 and your whole picture show is marvelous..
did u have to use any shims on the bearings ?
i wonder if you have decided to start fixing this FD for other people.. I may be one that is ready to send it to you ..
thanx

 

[Pukmeister]

GSophil, you ought to get a copy of the official 'RepROM' workshop repair manual on disk for the PC. It shows the entire stripdown/rebuild of the final drive including clearances to be measured, pictures of the official special tooling etc. Its expensive to buy the official disk from BMW dealers. I think some torrent sites have it for download also.

Unlike the earlier 1150/1100 FD's, the version fitted to the 1200 models has no preload on the crownwheel as it uses parallel roller bearings rather than taper rollers. It does use C shims on the casing however to set the tooth meshing between the crownwheel and pinion.

As PatZX12 shows in his excellent how-to, you need a proper well made tool and a strong fixture to hold the FD casting whilst you undo the input pinion nut, hence his offer is strongly worth considering (unless you have access to machine tools and a bit of time on your hands.)

 

[bardicastle]

try these guys there pretty good for second hand parts and new parts, if you find your final drive is knackered. good luck

www.motorworks.co.uk

www.motobins.co.uk

www.james-sherlock.co.uk

 

[Chris Terry]

I called Bmw battersea today and the guy on the phone said that a new unit would cost me 980£ including Vat
then i asked if they do the internal parts and he said yes and pleased to fax me a diagram with the items numbered .. well what i got of them was a diagram with all the parts to fit the main unit and all the other bits and bobs.. like brake disk and an oil container .. nothing to do whit internal parts of the rear-axle drive ..
i have to get more info on the parts perhaps pictures and show them what i really need .

I have a brand new BMW packaged FD I got as a spare for my 2005 GS12, if your interested. I have just got a new GS so I don't think I need it. £500?.

 

[GSophil]

I have a brand new BMW packaged FD I got as a spare for my 2005 GS12, if your interested. I have just got a new GS so I don't think I need it. £500?.

hi Chirs will fit my abs 2006 version ?
for some reason i cant do pm's !!
can you contact me at a_lucian at yahoo.com
i'm 99% interested.
thanx

 

[GSophil]

bmw battersea a bit wired

thanx for all the replies .
i asked a friend to get to bmw today and get some oil for the rear end drive .. and they said we dont do gear oil . we only have for our workshop we dont sell to customers ., go to places like halfords..
well i went and they dont have 70/140 either..

next time i'll make sure i fall in love with a diferent bike
i'll keep posting all the steps i go trough ..
i'll soon tell u the lovely story with my failed MOT at bmw because of a loose brake disk.

 

[bustupbiker]

I bought a S/H FD from a top man n the site a year or three ago as a spare
in-case my drive went **ts up, ( as you do ) it had come off a dropped bike and has a scratch or three down one side. I have a new 1200 now so it will be 4sale...

 

[Bear]

thanx for all the replies .
i asked a friend to get to bmw today and get some oil for the rear end drive .. and they said we dont do gear oil . we only have for our workshop we dont sell to customers ., go to places like halfords..
well i went and they dont have 70/140 either..

next time i'll make sure i fall in love with a diferent bike
i'll keep posting all the steps i go trough ..
i'll soon tell u the lovely story with my failed MOT at bmw because of a loose brake disk.

The fact that Halfords don't stock 70W140 is neither here nor there because the 1200 FD uses a fully synthetic 75W90 (which Halfords don't stock either, along with everyone else round here). The recommended oil is Castrol SAF-XO which you can buy from Opie Oils (search this site) who are very quick to post it to you or Castrol Classic Oils (phone Castrol for their phone number). Alternatively my dealer (Southport Superbikes on 01704 540101) had bottles of it on display last time I was there (for a replacement FD courtesy of BMW as it happens). If your bike has a full service history then lean on your preferred dealer for a goodwill gesture from BMW. My FD was replaced at 20,000 miles for the cost of the dealer's labour. The replacement has a drain plug where it should be, making maintenence very straightforward.

 

[smartbear]

rubbish

a main component like the final drive lasting for tiny millages is terrible,they should be lasting the life of the bike.

 

[Owen Snell]

These are the items i bought from my local BMW dealer to rebuild my FD:

Pinion Needle bearing and seal: €64

Grooved ball bearing (the big one) and 2 shaft seals €100

Pat, how long do you estimate a rebuild would take you now in man hours?

I use a company in Rotherham to rebuild industrial gearboxes and they can also make up gears as well.

If the hours look reasonable and someone like Pat doesn't want to make a sideline out of rebuilding FD units, it may be worth approaching some specialist companies to look at a reconditioning service. These guys charge reasonable labour rates and have all the right kit to do the job.

It is unlikely to be a really cheap solution because of the labour, but could easily be half the price of a new FD.

 

[Steptoe]

I have someone who can rebuild them - just need some trashed final drives to rebuild and would be able to offer an exchange service

 

[Chris Terry]

hi Chirs will fit my abs 2006 version ?
for some reason i cant do pm's !!
can you contact me at a_lucian at yahoo.com
i'm 99% interested.
thanx

The Final Drive unit is brand new still in original BMW wrapping. I bought it for my 2005 R1200GS as a spare. The part number is 33117695991 & I believe it will fit bikes up to 08/2006 with ABS.
Chris