I need help/advice on how to get the driveshaft to seperate from the front of the pinion.

I have the four bolts out, and I can't get the shaft off. I know it somehow needs to move forward about a 1/4", then it'll clear the lip, and come off.

I've been searching for awhile to no avail.

Thanks in advance for advice.





Reason: On Sunday I was running late for a group MTB ride, so I was going ~80, and when I got to my exit, I noticed horrible sounds as I was decelerating. My pinion bearing has let go....

Once I get the driveshaft off, I'll pull the third. and take it to the best rear-end guy around, as I do not want to go through this again.

 

you should be able to pry it forward or hit it with a soft hammer

 

Exactly. Just wedge a prybar between the pinion flange, and the u-joint and give it a hard pull. It'll pop off, just make sure your shins and feet are clear...those things HURT!

 

the round part that centers the driveshaft is sort of an interference fit, so it sometimes takes a little persuasion

 

i usually have to give it a few swift kicks and it will come right off the pinion flange.

 

Yep, a pry or a beat-down will do it. I like to mark the driveline's position on the flanges so I can get it back together in the same exact position it came off... Just in case.

 

I've always read that this is a good idea, but it never made much sense to me. What is the purpose of marking the driveshaft to its relative postion prior to removing it? It doesn't seem that the balance of the shaft would be related to where the slipyoke splines are located. I know I've never worried about marking it, and I've taken 6 driveshafts off and put back on without marking anything. Am I missing something?

 

I put a cinder block under my driveshaft so when it came loose, it wouldn't hit the ground or me. I used a screw driver and kept wiggling it around till it finally came loose.

Good luck

 

it's not the balance of the shaft that's the issue, it's the u-joints. if pull the slip yoke apart and reassemble it in the wrong orientation, you probably just put the u-joints out of phase and you'll get binding and vibration.

just removing the driveshaft doesn't cause this problem, the pinion flanges don't care what position they're in. only applies if you pull the shaft in half. i like to mark mine with a paint pen

 

when power goes through a U joint, the u joints actually speed up and slow down from the output shaft speed. Its kind of like a porabala. thats why the angle has to be the same on both u joints, as one speeds up, the other one slows down, and they cancel eachother out. without marking them, they will be out of phase and cause bad vibration and binding

 

Finally had the chance to get back to it. I took the jack out from under the axle, and jacked it up by the body to allow the driveshaft to have more droop, then I used my come-along and cranked on it a bit, whacked it with a rubber mallet a few times, and it came loose.

I thought my pinion bearing went bad, but it was actually my pinion: it's missing three teeth.

I went to one dude locally, and he said "$1000", I told him I could get the ring/gear and install kit for less than $300, he said he has to use his own parts. So, I found another guy who works on race-cars, and he'll do it for $200. I just may go ahead and do it myself...