Driveshaft removal Advice
 

hey guys,

i did a search on driveshaft removal beforehand and it looks like a lot of ppl had trouble with removing the bolts. I removed all of the bolts just fine and i expected the driveshaft to jus fall down..cept it didnt. :wallbash: now its dark and im jus gonna continue to work on it tmrw.

a friend suggested I jus get wd-40 spray the shit out of it and then get a rubber hammer and then pound. i was wondering if you guys had any suggestions about this.

so my friend thinks that it should jus fall out.. and thats what i expected too.. is there anything else that needs to be removed other than the 4 bolts? i was thinkin, due to 20 years of not removing it, it may have gotten stuck..

It have a center aligment ring into the differential hub. Use a flat screwdriver and maybe a hammer to separate the differential hub from the driveshaft yoke.

Don't be a pussy. :D

Mark the front Diff "plate" (Where the driveshaft goes onto the 4 bolts on the Diff),and Also mark the Driveshaft End so that they will go back on the Same Way.(just a precaution in case the Shaft is out of balance,If you remove it,replace it on the same studs,so just Line up the marks).Oh..if you are taking OUT the drivesahft From the Transmission,Make sure you Either Drain the Trans.OR have a Bucket handy..you wil Lose Transmission Fluid!..onece the bolts are off just Put a Pry bar in betwwen the End of the Driveshaft and the Diff and give it a Nudge,so it will Move off the Bolts..You should have the Sheilds off the Bottom of the car in order to remove the driveshaft.It will make Life so much easier..Or if you like a challenge Try it without.

well mine, i had to push it towards the tranny and then it came out, had to make sure all the bolts off the diff as well so it would move down as well. other than that mine was from the factory(19yrs old) and it came off easy as well. i asked around about getting the drive shaft getting balanced but i got nothing from the drive train shops. maybe they don't do it anymore or something. oh and he's right about the tranny fluid coming out of the output, it doesnt just leak, it just comes right out.

i ahve never had ti use more than two ratcheting box wrenched to get a driveshaft off . . . ever, un bolt, push forward, pul the back end down, pull out, and expect tranny fluid to pour from the transmission tailshaft if your too lazy or poor to drain it :)

make sure you can remove the fill plug on the trans before you pull the driveshaft!

^:werd: on the tranny fluid. Luckily, I had some tranny plugs handy :D

Also, Theres no reason your driveshaft won't just come off. Unless you didn't pull the bolts out.

yes i took the shields off.

i wasnt planning on replacing the tranny fluid jus yet.. the haynes manual says to get some plastic and and rubber band to seal the hole while replacing the d/s.

i did bang it a few times, but my exhaust pipe is in the way to get a full swing.. my exhaust is one piece so i jus took of the end of it but still in the way.

what im really worried about is that when i do finally get the sucker off, im gonna put it back in the wrong way or something. i did make a mark but i think the wd40 might have washed it away. i was thinking bout jus taking a picture of it right before taking it off and jus putting it back the way i saw it.. a very noob thought.

anyways, thanks for all the advice. I was really trying to finish this d/s replacement before the sun went down today, but i got stuck with this d/s not coming out.

^Don't worry about that. It only goes on one way. As long as the bolt holes line up as well as the output shaft, you'll be fine. Trust me.

Get a chisel, or maybe even just a big flathead. Wedge it between the driveshaft and the flange (where it's stuck) and tap the end of the chisel with a hammer. Rotate the driveshaft, tap the chisel again, repeat until it falls off.

I had the same problem.

you shouldn't worry about putting it back in... thats the easy part... after all the bolts are out it shouldn't be that part to take out... like they said push in a little then down and out.

k thanks guys.. ill work on it tmrw and ill update u guys

You need to remove the exhaust to get at the driveshaft...

The driveshaft yolk tends to rust to the pinion flange. A few wacks with a hammer and some penetrating oil (NOT WD-40) will do the job.

When you reinstall, use anti-seize on the pinion flange.

Mark the driveshaft and diff flange where they join with a couple of taps with a metal punch and a hammer to keep things aligned if you're worried about paint washing off. Make sure there are no previous marks or scratches on another side to confuse you later. :)

A good whack with a rubber or plastic hammer anywhere on the back half of the driveshaft will get her unfrozen.

so i jus spent like 20-30 minutes under there tappin at it with a flathead screwdriver and my rubber mallet. no luck yet.

if not wd-40, what should i use?

smash it.

use a metal hammer... rubber mallet + screwdriver = all impact absorbed. use a metal chisel and a metal hammer... i usually just kick it and it falls off.

I used a metal chisel and a rubber mallet. Either way, a weaksauce flathead screwdriver won't work it seems

PB Blaster, liquid wrench, or similar silicon spray.

lol.. yea i got liquid wrench sprayed it but then it got dark again.. im def gonna beat the shit out of it tmrw.. this is pissin me off.

don't let the driveshaft beat you!!!! Use your mind powers to knock the crap out of it, and use a penetrating oil to help. Then just wail on it....with your mind!!

It shouldn't be that hard. Pry at it with something and the flange should just pop off where it meets the differential.

Good luck.

James

Flat head + Metal hammer = succes.

I had to pound iot for like 20 minutes before it got loose.

20 years will do that to metal. :)

do you know what is the size and thread pitch of the driveshaft bolts that fits into the differential side?

rotate it and beat on the flange with a metal hammer on all sides

i took the bolts out from the diff side.. i can take a pic if u want

so i got the driveshaft out.. i got the flathead screwdriver, a metal hammer.. along with some liquid wrench penetrating oil and jus went at it for like 30 mins
finally got it out.. whew.. so i put her all back together


i hope i put it back in the right way cuz i dont wanna go down there again..

anyways, i was wondering when i got the d/s out, from the trans end there was no tranny oil leaking at all.. is that a bad sign? like im lacking tranny oil? was gonna do the tranny oil anyways.. but jus asking if it could have contributed to the vibrations.

Whenever I've removed my driveshaft from my old NA tranny the fluid never came out.

When installing the TII trans though fluid came out like a mothabitch.

James

yeah i expected a lot of fluid to come out, so i left a pan underneath, but no fluid. when i put the good driveshaft in, i jus lubed up the trans end with some tranny fluid.

I didnt know it was just for n/a or turbo. i have an n/a btw.

i was just wondering if it indicated that I was low on tranny fluid and if being low on tranny fluid could have contributed to the vibrations i was experiencing.

No, man, I only had oil coming out when the tranny was tilted low at the back. If you have the car level (4 jack stands or whatever) that's probably the reason.

You seem to not be sure if you got the driveshaft in properly. Did you listen to us and mark the relationship b/w the flanges at the back? Did you make sure to put any balancing shims, which would be (if present) back in their spot? If so, cool.

Oh, and after all this work why *wouldn't* you check (or change even if recent) the fluid level when done?

it was on 2 jack stands in the rear not too high..

i did mark it, but the penetrating oil messed it up, i didnt have a punch to mark it also. i was hopin by 1RevvinFC3S's comment it would be ok.. AFTER A CLOSER INSPECTION OF THE OLD DRIVESHAFT, I SAW THAT THE JOINTS WERE CRACKED AND MESSED UP. OOPS CAPS

yessir ill change the tranny oil..

so i took it out for a spin.. no vibrations what so ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

im so happy. anyways, thanks to all who listened to my problems and helped me out.