How easily should a driveshaft insert into the rear of the transmission?
#1
How easily should a driveshaft insert into the rear of the transmission?
A bit of a head scratcher here. I bought an R154 front driveshaft supposedly for an MKIII a couple of months ago but since it looked awfully similar to a W58 SC driveshaft I became concerned I had been sold the wrong part. I took this over to a shop that had an R154 and it was confirmed to be a Soarer or Chaser R154 front shaft, hence the confusing shape.
However after cleaning the input side of the shaft end and attempting to test insert it into my R154 it really doesn't want to slide in. I don't believe the splines are different at all. It just doesn't go in more than an inch and I don't feel comfortable forcing it.
This could be due to surface rust that I've been in the input end but I've been using a small plumber's wire brush to get rid of that.
Could this also be as simple as needing some grease in there to allow it to slide in?
However after cleaning the input side of the shaft end and attempting to test insert it into my R154 it really doesn't want to slide in. I don't believe the splines are different at all. It just doesn't go in more than an inch and I don't feel comfortable forcing it.
This could be due to surface rust that I've been in the input end but I've been using a small plumber's wire brush to get rid of that.
Could this also be as simple as needing some grease in there to allow it to slide in?
#2
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Your going about it the right way with the wire brush, there should be a little resistance but once the splines are lined up it should slide in with just a few lbs of force but don't be scared to put the who done it on it.
#4
Hmm. Okay guys. I'll give it a second try tomorrow. What grease do you recommend for the inside of the shaft? The Mobil1 pink stuff? The transmission is currently on a dolly in my workshop. I'm just test fitting parts and converting it for installation right now.
#7
More wire brush scrubbing, brake cleaner and a little bit of 5W-30 motor oil on the splines of both the transmission and the driveshaft made for a perfect fit! Thanks for the help, guys!
The final thing is that, while the shaft definitely goes in quite a ways now, the collar end of the driveshaft and the collar end of the R154 still have about an inch or so of separation. Is a small gap supposed to be normal? The rear transmission seal is in there as it should be.
The final thing is that, while the shaft definitely goes in quite a ways now, the collar end of the driveshaft and the collar end of the R154 still have about an inch or so of separation. Is a small gap supposed to be normal? The rear transmission seal is in there as it should be.
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#9
It fits in, although there is a small gap where the two collars don't fully meet up. I don't know if this is normal or not but the driveshaft definitely is in there when inserted now.
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