I would like to make a repair suggestion which will probably save a lot of work. It concerns the replacement of the Guibo coupling on the Bavaria. First I would suggest to inspect that coupling once in a while. When I purchased the coupling at the BMW dealer, which cost by the way $31.00 Canadian, I inquired how many are replaced in a year and was told about a dozen. If you are one of the unlucky ones who has to replace it, here is a method which will take about an hour and a half.

1. Both rear wheels must be off ground. Don’t forget to block the front wheels so the car won’t slip. The wheels do not have to come off.
2. The next thing to do now would be to detach the exhaust system. However this is not necessary. Remove the two bolts which hold the centre bearing.
3. Remove the bolts which hold up the differential. The differential will not drop as it is held up by an angle plate on both sides.
4. Remove the three bolts which attach the coupling to the gearbox. This leaves the coupling attached to the driveshaft and facilitates dropping the front of the driveshaft. Then, with the driveshaft hanging down remove the bolts which hold the coupling to the driveshaft and attach the new one. Make certain that the bolts 8° in the same direction as they previously were.
5. Use a crow bar and move the differential towards the back of the engine. Move it back until the coupling can be removed. The coupling is symmetrical so it doesn’t matter which way it goes in. An important thing is not to remove the tension strap until the coupling is installed. I suggest that this work is done when the exhaust is cold, otherwise you will forever burn your fingers. The tension strap must be removed before driving.

I hope that this information will be of help to someone who has the same problem which I experienced.

Author: Bruno Iten

Tech. Ed. Note:
On most six-cylinder models it’s far easier to detach the six 17-mm nuts which hold the exhaust to the engine. Then detach the 13-mm bolt which attaches the exhaust to the stabilizing bracket by the transmission. The exhaust will then drop down enough to work on the driveshaft far more easily. Also, the above procedure applies to both standard and automatic cars, and both four and six cylinder.