Any gotchas when removing/replacing a front drive shaft?

[syklist]

The van in question is a 14" syncro with diff locks all round. The inner CV boot has gone, and it looks like it has been damaged for a while. I want to remove the front drive shaft, fit a new inner CV joint (I have a complete CV+boot+bolts kit in stock) and clean and re-grease the outer CV joint.

As far as I can see, to get the drive shaft off, and dismantle it I have to:
1) Undo the 30mm nut on the hub (there is no split pin to worry about?)
2) undo the six allen bolts that hold the inner CV joint
3) drop the inner CV joint and somehow withdraw the outer end of the drive shaft from the hub.
4) I am assuming that removing/replacing the inner CV joint is the same as removing a rear inner CV joint (same as a T2 van?)
5) re-installing the drive shaft is the reverse of the above, torque for the hub nut is around 350Nm

Are there any important points to be aware of that could lead to damage of other parts of the drive system? Any other gotchas such as the drive shaft can't be removed without dismantling something else?

[lloydy]

You will also have to split the upper balljoint and undo the brake line, I also undone the outer radius rod bushes. Now the upright will move away enough to enable driveshaft to come out, watch you don't damage the diff actuator as well.
I had to do all of the above anyway

[syklist]

You will also have to split the upper balljoint and undo the brake line, I also undone the outer radius rod bushes. Now the upright will move away enough to enable driveshaft to come out, watch you don't damage the diff actuator as well.
I had to do all of the above anyway

Thanks. It is the front left drive shaft, isn't the diff actuator on the rhs of the front gearbox?

[lloydy]

Opposite side to rear, so front offside (drivers side for LHD) forgot, also undone ARB from chassis. It's a really fiddly job to get driveshaft out, seems impossible, then it just falls out

[zillertalsyncro]

The brake hose can stay.

[syklist]

Opposite side to rear, so front offside (drivers side for LHD)

Offside is driver's side in the UK? That is the right hand side of the car if you are sitting in the driver's seat? There's something that looks like the diff lock actuator on the RHS of my van (a LHD van).

[lloydy]

The brake hose can stay.

Sorry, meant just undo bolt for it on upright
As for actuator, mines drivers side on a LHD

[syklist]

You will also have to split the upper balljoint and undo the brake line, I also undone the outer radius rod bushes. Now the upright will move away enough to enable driveshaft to come out, watch you don't damage the diff actuator as well.
I had to do all of the above anyway

OK I have been crawling under the van today and have some supplimentary questions

How do you split the upper ball joint. Is that taking off the two allen headed bolts on the upper wishbone or removing the rather well hidden nut from below the ball joint and using a "lump hammer actuated" splitter?

I also noticed that the bolts I have removed from the inner cv joint are all 48mm long. The cv joint kit also has 48mm long bolts. What is the problem with 48mm instead of 50mm bolts? The van has done at least several thousand km with the 48mm bolts without any obvious problem so will it do another several thousand km with new 48mm bolts fitted?

Thanks in advance.

[axeman]

undo the 2 allen bolts and tap the wish bone with a hammer and it will dislodge the ball joint from the wish bone. i guess that longer bolts are used due to there being a spacer bdtween the inner joint and the out put flange on the front diff

neil

[syklist]

undo the 2 allen bolts and tap the wish bone with a hammer and it will dislodge the ball joint from the wish bone. i guess that longer bolts are used due to there being a spacer bdtween the inner joint and the out put flange on the front diff

Thanks,
Gaaaaaah. Need new 8mm allen key. The bolts (upper ball joint) are locked solid. It looks like my tape measure under reads by 2mm. So the CV joint bolts might yet be the right size.

[lloydy]

Get a good tool to take cv bolts out, something that will fit in your ratchet, not just an Allen key.
Clean out the bolts as well, and hammer the tool into bolt to make sure it's all the way in. This will stop you rounding them off.
I paid attention when someone told me this, and it really helped get them undone. Couple of minutes prep on each bolt will save you a lot of heartache!
Take pics as well, we all like pics! Plus it proves you did it

[syklist]

Get a good tool to take cv bolts out, something that will fit in your ratchet, not just an Allen key.
Clean out the bolts as well, and hammer the tool into bolt to make sure it's all the way in. This will stop you rounding them off.
I paid attention when someone told me this, and it really helped get them undone. Couple of minutes prep on each bolt will save you a lot of heartache!
Take pics as well, we all like pics! Plus it proves you did it

Yep done all that. I rounded an allen bolt head on my 1971 Dormobile door hinge the other day. At least there was good access to drill out the bolt. So I was extra extra careful taking off the CV joint bolts this afternoon. Good news is that I have just managed to get the driveshaft out.

To think I used to think that working on an Austin Mini was frustrating......

Tried uploading pictures and got the message: Sorry, the board attachment quota has been reached.

I'll try and put some on my van blog soon (see sig).

[syklist]

The Syncro is back together, and I have taken it for a spin up the road. No unusual noises or new vibration problems. I'll give it a (Norwegian 80km/h) high speed test on the by-pass tomorrow just to make sure all is well.

Thanks for all the help.