Just bought my first awd and the drive shaft is sitting in the back seat

[skapegoat]

I'm new here and spent all morning searching and found nothing. I bought a 95 tsi awd and what I would call the tailhousing was in a bag on the back seat in pieces along with the drive shaft. I put the car on the lift and found what looked like a shaft with a big nut and something twisted off the center of the nut. I'm not really sure what these parts are called so it is hard to search. My big question is do I need to replace the entire t-case or unbolt the big nut on the shaft and find replacement parts for the ones that are missing and in pieces and try to piece it back together?

 

[Doubleot]

Pictures would do so much in this case.

 

[reverus]

yep, its pretty hard to imagine all of that without proper terminology. snap some pics

 

[SlickPyro]

Search for jafromobile on YouTube he has great dsm videos. He has a 5 part video on rebuilding the driveshaft. Probably about an hour long total. That'll help you identify parts and how to fix them. He also has part numbers in the video.

 

[skapegoat]

I'll try to load some pics. Some forums make it difficult but I'll try to figure it out.

 

[DSMnoobsause]

Get photobucket and load them.

 

[skapegoat]

The shaft coming out of the t-case has a lot of play in it. Is there supposed to be a bearing inside the front of the case as well as the tail housing?

 

[whe3ls]

thats what left of the t case. your going to need a new one, i wouldnt be driving it how it sits

 

[DSMnoobsause]

Yes a good used t case is needed. As well as a drive shaft or you can get the nose with u joint at the mitsubishi dealer. Pull the rest of the t case off and count the splines coming out of the transmission to transfer case. You have two options 22 or 23 spline. Then look for the appropriate t case.

 

[reverus]

jesus. ya get new parts. look into an aluminum driveshaft while your at it, i put one in a vr4 and it really made a big difference on responsiveness. def. worth the cost.

 

[4g63t]

looks like it ran dry.

 

[n0de]

Now i know what he means by "the big nut". Just like the others before me have said, New transfercase. While you're at it, I would check the trans fluid as well.

 

[skapegoat]

I'm wondering if it did run dry and blow up it may have never had the service recall done and be covered under the recall for the leaking plug? It has obviously been leaking something for a long time the entire bottom of the motor and trans is covered with something.

 

[mulldawg]

This is so impressive i have to start a..... *slow clap*

 

[livedsm4g63]

If I had a penny for every time I bought a car with with the drive-shaft just chilling in the back seat, well Id be poor.

Did you not notice the drive-shaft? Or is it a fixer up? Check out the marketplace for a new t-case.

 

[H@xtGSX]

WTF

Wow... Snapped it off, no less.

 

[skapegoat]

When I got the car I was told it needed a new transmission so when I found out it just needed a t-case I was more then happy with my $500 car. Now that I have the t-case out can I drive the car under it's own power or will it make the trans blow up? It seems like the trans is all sealed up with just the t-case shaft sticking out.

 

[Jon91TSi]

Wow.....

 

[H@xtGSX]

I wouldn't give the transmission a clean bill of health yet. To do what you showed in those pictures takes a hell of a lot of force. I wouldn't be surprised to find chipped teeth, busted spider gears, and nubbed off synchros in that transmission, because I am betting when that happened it was a real rough shock to the transmission too.

...possibly not. You may be lucky and maybe the yoke was already cracked and snapped away clean. I kind of doubt that though.

 

[foxracing4500]

The shaft coming out of the t-case has a lot of play in it. Is there supposed to be a bearing inside the front of the case as well as the tail housing?

damn, you beat me ,

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[skapegoat]

So can I drive it to see if the trans is ok without the t-case?

 

[foxracing4500]

So can I drive it to see if the trans is ok without the t-case?

can someone else confirm, I think with a VCE or a welded Center Diff you can, but I think I read somewhere that just taking off the transfer case and driving messes something up (center diff?)

EDIT: (VCE-viscous coupler eliminator)

 

[skapegoat]

My next worry is that the clutch lever pushes in real easy and does not return. I blead the slave cylinder hoping that would fix it bud didn't really do anything.

 

[evileclipse909]

check your clutch master. Its probably leaking and should be replaced for at least good "maintinence" reasons.

 

[thomcasey]

Get a used transfer case and then get your your drive shaft repaired, install them, check tranny fluid THEN you can drive it to see how the transmission is. You can mess things up driving an AWD transmission without everything hooked up.

You will get a better idea how the transmission fared once everything is as it should be. YOu might be lucky, it may have been in neutral when the xfer case exploded.

Check the rear diff oil while you are at it.