driveshaft wont go into transaxle

[Pyrice4]

I am putting my car all back together and im having a really hard time getting the driveshaft back into the transfer case. It will go in less than in inch and no more. Also, when its in that far it wont spin anymore but if its in about 1/2 and inch it spins fine. It has a full like 4 inches to go in though. I checked the splines and they are all straight. There a little rusty but i cleaned out the groves the best i could with a screwdriver. Is there any trick to getting it on or good way to force it on?? Or do i need to find a new driveshaft?

 

[bling5tatus]

do you think it's the metal ring at the end of the shaft that's maybe not compressing and going in? If so, you need to just give it a really good swift push and it'll pop right in, you can't really "ease" it in there. Maybe someone else can help with some advice, but I had the same problem and it just came down to me not shoving the shaft in really hard... wow that was dirty

 

[Calan]

Your title says one thing, but your post says another ...Are you talking about the propeller shaft from the transfer case to the rear diff, or the drive axles into the tranny (transaxle)?

The propeller shaft should just slip into the transfer case, at least with the case still off. Slide the shaft into the seal/over the splines and then bolt the case up.

As for the axles... The driver's side has a subshaft that rides in a bearing that is bolted up below the air conditioner compressor. The end of that shaft should slip into the tranny fairly easily (you may have to wiggle it around a bit). Where the driver axle presses onto the subshaft is a different story though. It's easier to separate or assemble those two shafts with the axle assembly out of the car, as a large hammer may be required to break them apart . If you reassemble the axle to the sub-shaft, do NOT pound on the end of the shaft with a hammer. This will mushroom it... see below.

The passenger side axle has a ring clip on the end that snaps into place, and it can be stubborn as well. Just put your back into it and it should pop into place. Check from under the tranny (like you removed it) to make sure it is locked in place.

Check all your splines to make sure they aren't mushroomed (from hitting the end of the shaft or dropping it), and get them as clean as possible. It takes VERY little deformation to cause the splines to not go into place. I had to do some careful work with a flat file on my driver side axle to get it to slip back in.

Also... if you are replacing parts, count the splines on mating pieces. Different axles, trannys, and transfer cases can have different numbers of splines.

 

[VETTE_50_TH]

Just as Bling5tatus said,

Dont ease them in. If your talking about the front driveshafts, make sure the teeth are clean and give it a good push and they will click. It didnt seem to hard when i replaced my axles. Best advice is as long as tthe groves match up, it shouldnt be that hard.

Hope you have better luck.

James

 

[bling5tatus]

Yes, it might be noted too... do NOT under any circumstance use anything like a hammer to try to knock it in there. If there is an issue that is keeping it from going in, using something to try to bang it in will only make things break, unusable, ruined, and a lot worse. So think twice before doing something like that.

 

[Calan]

Depending on what all you removed and how you are going about this....

If you put the axle in the wheel hub first and then into the tranny, you can get a bit more leverage to help pop it into place by lifting/wiggling the control arm. Just be careful that it is lined up correctly on the splines and that the axle is not binding anywhere. And don't let the CV joints come apart

EDIT:

Actually... you'll need to have the axle partially into the tranny, then into the wheel hub. Once the splines are aligned and it's almost in place, you can use the hub as leverage to pop the clip. Make sure the steering wheel is unlocked to give you more play in the hub.

 

[Pyrice4]

Sorry i wasnt a little more specific, but im having trouble getting the driveshaft(that goes to the rear diff) going to the transfer case(not tranny). It wont slide in at all, It goes about 1in in and not any farther. Also, when it is in that far the transfer case splines and driveshaft will not spin but when i take it(the driveshaft) out of the transfer case i can spin the transfer case splines with my finger. I dont know if the two problems are related or not. So, the driveshaft is suppose to just slide into the transfer case with not alot of resistance?

 

[Calan]

Sounds like it isn't going past the seal for some weird reason, or if this is a different shaft or x-fer case from the ones you took off... count the splines

 

[Pyrice4]

no, this is the stock transfer case and the stock driveshaft, I seperated them about a week ago(which was alot difficult) when i started working on the car. I looked into the drivshaft and into the transfer case and I can see no physical obstruction that would block it from going in.

 

[Calan]

hmmm.. Well I'd replace the x-fer case seal anyway (although I don't think that would be the problem)... but check everything really close for burrs or deformed splines.