I found this on the Yahoo Previa User Group page. I know nothing about it, but thought it was interesting. Thought it was worthy of discussion. Please see attached pdf. Tim
Attachment 4943
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I found this on the Yahoo Previa User Group page. I know nothing about it, but thought it was interesting. Thought it was worthy of discussion. Please see attached pdf. Tim
Attachment 4943
Tim,
I did this modification after the replacement SADS I put in failed. The first set I replaced only lasted 10-15k and I did make sure to align everything. I was not getting any vibration. The aftermarket SADS that are made from alloy and have rubber inserts are most likely just low quality and not made to last. The BMW SADS are almost all rubber with metal sleeves formed into them. As the instruction states you have to cut some steel brakeline to use as sleeves over the Toyota bolts to take up the internal diameter space on the BMW SADS. The BMW SADS are also a little thicker, so I had to muscle the shaft into place. I like the BMW SADS better so far. I was under the van replacing the transmission and checked in on them. They seem to be holding up fine. Also they are easy to get and much less expensive than the Toyota SADS couplers.
Best regards,
Blake
Very cool.
Thanks for this!
Anyone have longevity input for BMW driveshaft revolver used on previa? My '93 Previa has 260k original miles on SADS. I'd like replacement coupling to last as long as possible, I'll pay extra for proven parts. I'm not finding 1994 or later SADS assy used upgrade; is this necessary?
BMW Drive Shaft Flex Joints may retrofit in Toyota Previa:
Febi Bilstein 26 11 1 227 869 / 4095
Meyle 3141520003
Beck/Arnley 103-2218
Thanks for input...
Mine are still holding strong. Van is everyday driver and goes all over the country.
Best regards,
Blake
Hi All! New to the thread. I put these in:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Toyota-Prev...ty!94565!US!-1
Toyota Previa Auxiliary Drive Shaft Coupling Kit (91-93) - 524Part #: PSB 524
1991-1993 Toyota PreviaThis PSB product is considered an upgrade to the original factory part.It's one complete unit and therefore you will not have the issue of the 6 rubber rings flakingaway which is the primary reason for this part being replaced.
For get all the brake line cutting n' all that. These have been holding up very well and fit perfectly. I contacted the PSB website and told them they dont have a Previa section on their new website so that these can be bought again. They are still on ebay, even though i do not see the ones I purchased for my 1996 Previa.
Thanks all!
We've talked about those several times before. I did a quick search and found this thread:Quote:
Originally Posted by Cruisefish
https://www.toyotavantech.com/forum/...evia-questions
Discussion starts on post #15. BTW, I sold my Previa shortly after posting that, so I don't know how mine have been holding up, but I'd be very surprised if these urethane parts last as long as the originals. Good luck. Tim
Cool cool! I am glad they have been mentioned before. So far, the urethane ones are holding up and seem to be doing well. I dont have a basis of comparison in ride/operation quality because I have never driven a Previa w/o the urethane SADS bushings. Thanks all!
anybody know for sure which Febi Bilstein part# to use for a later 94-97 SADS? The only thing I'm sure of is that it matters...the bolt holes are larger on the later ones
I'm not really sure of the significance of the different contact area shown in this diagram...what should I be gleaning from it?
https://www.toyotavantech.com/forum/...3&d=1486349040
These are not the exact brand, but I recently put them in my Alltrac-SC and they are way better than the alloy ones.
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/u...BoCEg0QAvD_BwE
You will need to do the sleeve mod I explained in the earlier post. This is not what I would call an easy job for a driveway technician. I did this same repair to my 93 LE 2WD a few years back and there still holding strong.
Best regards
Nooooo, I would not attempt this job myself even if I had my garage handy, and I don't. And my garage wouldn't help much anyway. I just hope a real shop will do the job the way I want, with off-label parts and brake sleeve liners.
Thanks for the linky. I decided to use Febi Bilstein if I have to get the job done because they (reportedly, I can't confirm) manufacture them for BMW and they are also sold by the sites that BMW aficionados swear by for the best parts. I do know they are made in Germany, so there's that. If I have to do it, I only want to do it once.
I remember the good old days when I had the job done on my 91 for only $500. Now the OEM couplers cost that much.
I've recently replaced my ABCMart replacements with (maybe OEM?) ones taken off my donor van, but I always tune into SADS-replacement discussions. Did some further research and am posting this as an FYI - I've never done the conversion, just read about it. Given the focus on German-made couplers, here's what I found:
The original Yahoo Group discussion emphasized German-made Lemforders, but I think they stopped selling them a few years ago. It seems Lemforder, as Febi Bilstein (and Beck Arnley?) was/is a reboxer (think NAPA) of flexible couplers manufactured by SGF, the supplier to BMW. I found a chart on their website -
https://www.sgf.de/tl_files/theme/pd...gs%20EN-DE.pdf
- which did not didn't include a reference to the 78mm bolt-circle-diameter couplers discussed here. However I did find SGF couplers on Amazon, two of which seemed to fit the bill: SGF GAB01-009 ($60, free shipping) and SGF GAO-15 ($63, free shipping). The GAB01-009 description explicitly references the BMW 6111225624 as the OEM p/n equivalent.
https://www.amazon.com/SGF-GAB01-009...rs=20364095011
Trying to discern the difference, I then found this chart:
https://www.powertrainindustries.com...ber+Flex+Discs
which lists both SGF coupler p/ns - with identical dimensions but with the GAO-15 listed for Opel and the GAB01-009 listed for BMW, so maybe that affects what car manufacturer's number gets molded into them?
So I would be confident if it says "SGF" on the couplers, they're the German OEM equivalents.
I believe I read somewhere that the SGFs ordered online had the manufacturer p/n removed as GSF distributors are prohibited from selling the parts direct.
I also remember reading posts disparaging the "URO" brand of couplers.
Also:
There's been a parallel discussion on the YPG email distribution (what's left of the group after the web forum went away), and this site was mentioned as a source for German-made couplers. There's a good/better/best choice that I can't comment on:
https://www.bimmerworld.com/ssearch....ry=26111225624
David Wolfe on a post from the the old Yahoo Previa Group:
"I ran the Beck Arnley ones because I did not realize they were not the Lemforder. The reality is they are designed to run on a driveshaft of a BMW. The couplings have to be durable since they are designed to withstand much more torque than anything ever experienced on the SADS shaft. I would buy the Arnley ones again I think they will last the life of the van."
I am the person who started the discussion on YPG. i don't have time to research all of your links at the moment (at the public library) but if you are suggesting Febi is a reboxer I'd disagree based on what I know (which is not everything). While I only got the info that they make them for BMW from one online review, I just ordered the (hopefully correct) Febi couplers from Pelican Parts, a trusted BMW supplier and they say Febi are the highest quality and always made in Germany and they have never had a complaint. Since BMW drivers use a lot more than Previa drivers, I took that as a pretty overwhelming endorsement.
I ordered the ones referenced http://zenseeker.net/Previa/PreviaMa...DriveTrain.htm
BMW apparently use two Flex Discs which were very similar in size to the Previa coupler:
BMW 26-11-1-225-624-M57 is the smaller 78mm diameter Flex Disc with 10mm Bolt Holes - this is the one you want
I sure hope those are the right ones because they were supposed to put them on today on the van I'm in the process of buying.
I'm not going to claim any great expertise when it comes to these couplers - I was documenting a lot of web-searching and forum-reading I've done (as much for myself as anybody else for later on!). It *appears* that the vast majority of BMW couplers are manufactured by one German company (SGF) and then private-branded. Whether other German firms actually make their own under license or using their own proprietary process is something I couldn't figure out.
I'd bet the biggest downside of using these might be the failure mode - rather than rattling, they'd rip apart in a stringy blowout (another lively discussion on the YPG site as I recall).
Hopefully the ones I took from my donor are real OEM replacements so I won't have to deal with this any time in the near future. It's not like my AC is going to strain them as it hasn't worked in years.
I don't think anyone has actually had them blow out though, have they? I don't remember that discussion but I haven't read a lot of the discussions over the years if it didn't interest me at the moment. Other than remembering that some people had used BMW couplers I didn't know much before I had to research it a few days ago.
PS-I'm most definitely not an expert at anything automotive lol..
Hello, where are the brake line spacers placed? I’m trying to make sure I understand the correct placement before having my mechanic attempt this retrofit with Febi flex discs. ThanksQuote:
Originally Posted by blakebecker37130
The bolt on some models are smaller than the holes, so the bolts go through the brake lines which would be inside the couplers to take up the space. I don't remember which ones need this spacer but I know its all on this website somewhere.
I am 99.99999% sure the idiot previous owner/mechanic who installed couplers for me on my 97 did not use the spacers even though I gave him explicit directions to do so. He also didn't tighten the bolts. I had the bolts tightened at another shop a month later when the SADS started vibrating badly, and I know he didn't add any new spacers, if there even were any to begin with. It has been fine ever since.
I'm not recommending that anyone forego the spacers, but if mine is any indication it MIGHT be doable if the bolts are tightened properly.
I just did this repair on my van, for spacers I actually found a piece of aluminum hollow round stock that was 1mm thick and 10mm outside diameter. I cut pieces to size, and they fit nice and snug inside the bolt holes, leaving no room for play between the bushings or the bolts!
I didn't space my front bearing forward, but found it was still a good fit. Doesn't seem to be pushing on the motor. I also had the motor out (just finished a JDM swap), so maybe it ended up a bit further back on its mounts instead?
I don't think the clown who did mine used spacers but that hasn't caused any problems for me unless it contributed to the bolts coming loose almost immediately. But once i had them tightened up at a competent shop (that I'm also pretty sure did not use spacers) they have remained tight for 4 years and no vibrations since.
It'd be interesting to see how the aluminum lasts over time, vs steel.Quote:
Originally Posted by 13ozLatte
Definitely! I'll check them out in a year or so if I remember and see how they look. There's very little movement now, so as long as everything stays tight, I think they'll be fine.