RH halfshaft pullout...major tranny fluid leak

[blackcurrant]

It is the cause for much of the fluid to drain out of my '94 MTX...not the shift-shaft seal. Evidently someone put it bac in without the circlip or reused an old one...

It's easy enough to slide but i wasn't ready to slide it too far out. I guess i just don't know what i'm doing. Is there enough play in the CV joint to slide the spline end of the inboard halfshaft all the way out of the diff to replace the circlip?

Has anyone had the driveshaft bearing go bad? This is the 'pillow-block' mounted on the frame on the differntial side of the inboard CV joint. It is only found on the MTX SHO RH driveshaft.

 

[smcallis]

I dont think you can do it (also probably shouldn't) without releasing the lower ball joint. Really not difficult. I can have the halfshaft out in probably 20 mins now. Just undo the ball joint bolt and use a long prybar against the subframe to lower the entire LCA until the ball joint is out of the spindle. Now you can move the spindle around.

 

[blackcurrant]

Thank you Smcallis.

So, just for clarification, there isn't enough play in the inboard CV joint to pull the spline end out enough to put on a new circlip? I don't have a lift...the car is on ramps now.

Mike
94 SHO MTX

 

[shojuan]

No there is not. Get yourself a floor jack and some jackstands. BTW, the leak probably is not the circlip but the differential seal where the half shaft slides into the differential. The circlip really doesn't do a whole lot. If there is any significant load on the circlip it is not strong enough to hold the shaft in place, it's mostly just a locating device for assembly. The thrust loads are taken up by movement of the inner CV joint. Either way, you'll have to pull the whole thing out to replace the seal. Be careful, you don't want the differential gear that the inboard joint housing slides into getting dislocated when you have the halfshaft out.

Rick

 

[jthomas68]

blackcurrant:


Has anyone had the driveshaft bearing go bad? This is the 'pillow-block' mounted on the frame on the differntial side of the inboard CV joint. It is only found on the MTX SHO RH driveshaft.

Yes,i have.It is NOT something you want to try to find a replacement for.It took me 3 weeks to find a new one.

 

[RStalveyARFF]

I always keep a spare just in case, of both halfshafts and the bearing. Also, I think I've found a place that will custom make the bearing.

 

[blackcurrant]

I have no trouble believing it takes three weeks to get that bearing!

BTW, what symptoms did the bearing failure have? I'm assuming it was noise and maybe hi-speed vibration from the right side.

Oh, i know the circlip doesn't act as a seal, but, without one, the shaft slides out and, well, the seal just can't anymore. Sorry for such a vague message.

Thanks for the insights to removing the half-shafts, guys!

Mike

 

[blackcurrant]

SHO91MTX Georgetown, Ma. Maybe i should just hook up with you to get my halfshaft reinserted. I'm right over the border in Putnam Ct on rt 395. How about tomorrow or Wed?

 

[jthomas68]

It gave no symptoms at all.I was going no more than 5mph turning into a parking lot.The shaft pulled out,so the car just stopped moving.The bearing seemed to spin freely,but the rubber had given out.The shaft simply backed out.When going to fix it,i was able to just push the shaft in by hand,and drive the car to the shop.

 

[blackcurrant]

Hey! That's what happened to my car. But, the shift didn't pull out completely, but, the fluid drined out and i was driving around like that for prolly a month. Doesn't the circlip at the end of the spline lock the shaft into the diff?

The inner race of the bearing in question is just sliding right out from the outer race of the pillow block. I'm glad my shaft didn't pop out all of the way out of the diff.

Mike