This weekend I tried to pull the oil pan to inspect the bottom end and ran into problems. Using the VFAQ, I pulled all 5 bolts holding the t-case to the transmission and tried pulling the t-case. I tried wiggling it from side to side and prying it off and nothing worked.

I finally grabbed it with both hands and gave it a good tug. The transfer case started moving, but unfortunately the transmission output shaft moved with it and ATF started going everywhere. Not really sure what to do because the shaft is stuck and there's not enough room between the oil pan and t-case to pull it out of the transmission. Any idea where I go from here?

A rag and vice grips to hols the shaft in place then pry. When you get it off, clean the splines really well and apply anti-seize before the next time you put it on.

Does pulling the shaft out like I did cause any damage to the transmission? I'm assuming I'll need to pull the end case, VC, etc to reinstall?

There's a vc detent ball that holds that shaft in place. Bag of tools must've been in there before and forgot to put the detent ball back in. Simple job. Remove 5th gear cover to get to it.

Nate355RS said:

Does pulling the shaft out like I did cause any damage to the transmission? I'm assuming I'll need to pull the end case, VC, etc to reinstall?

Click to expand...

I've never had to do that...

Forgot to mention this is on my auto car. I've found a lot of information on how to replace the trans output shaft on 5-speeds, but I've come up short on auto information.

4 of my 5 have been auto, including my current one.

The rag and vice grip trick worked. Just pried it a little bit to get it started and the transfer case came right off. The splines on the input ( or is it output?) shaft were dirty and looked a little rounded, probably the reason it was stuck on there.

After the t-case was out of the way the shaft slid right out of the trans with no resistance. Now I just need to figure out how to put it back in the trans.

Here is a blowup of your transmission, so you can see where the output shaft is at. It looks like it goes right into the dif on page 3. (see attachment)

Also here is some very good info from @twicks69....
http://www.dsmtuners.com/threads/step-by-step-instructions-for-tranny-rebuild-needed.378588/

That PDF is extremely helpful!

It looks like p.28 step #16 says the output shaft is removed by hammering it out using a rod going through the center diff. I assume pulling it out with the transfer case would be about the same thing. Probably didn't damage anything doing it the way I did as long as the output shaft didn't bend (doesn't look like it did).

Then p.63 step #49 it says to reinstall output shaft with seal and lightly tap into place. So looks like it'll install the same way it was removed, which makes me feel a little better.

I have a lot of reading to do before I start on this, but I'm starting to feel better knowing I didn't rip something apart on the trans.

I had some of that stuff stored on my computer because my son's DSM is a AWD Auto car so glad I could help out some!

So I've read two different ways to reinstall the output shaft. One is to replace the oil seal for the output shaft and reinstall the same way it came out. Tempting, but have my doubts that's the right way. Sounds like there wouldn't be anything to keep the output shaft from moving in and out of the transfer case under load, but maybe the side gears will prevent that from happening. I'm not sure.

The other way is to remove the end case, center diff, VC, and reinstall output shaft from the passenger side. This is the way the manuals say to do it, but at the same time they're describing how to completely tear down the transmission. I'm not 100% sure if that needs to be done just to reinstall the output shaft. Any help?

I've always just slide them right back in from the drivers side.

What retains the shaft in a auto car? Do they have a detent ball also, under the VC? That is where it is on a 5 speed. I didn't see it on the pdf file I had.

There should be a retainer ball under the VC that keeps the shaft from sliding out.

The automatic transmission output shaft has a retainer clip groove on the end of the shaft that locks into a retainer clip that is installed the lower pinion gear of the center differential. Just take the output shaft, slide it back into the transmission and take a rubber mallet and give it a whack. All fixed.

Oh man, awesome news. Twicks, I was reading your posts earlier about replacing output shafts seals on manual cars dreading this job. I'm really glad I don't have a five speed, tapping the shaft in place is so much easier.

Yup. C clip. Tap in. Anti-seize. Reinstall t-case. Profit.

Nate355RS said:

Oh man, awesome news. Twicks, I was reading your posts earlier about replacing output shafts seals on manual cars dreading this job. I'm really glad I don't have a five speed, tapping the shaft in place is so much easier.

Click to expand...

It sounds more daunting than it really is on a 5-speed. When changing my output shaft seal, the most time consuming part was cleaning off the old sealant on the end case.