Gearbox output flange plastic bung missing

[AdrianC]

Whilst we had the driveshafts off yesterday, we noticed that one of the plastic bungs deep inside the output flange was awol. I'm presuming this isn't particularly serious...? After all, it's really only blocking grease, not exterior muck from getting to anything.

[bigherb]

It stops the gearbox oil from filling up the CV joint.

[AdrianC]

It stops the gearbox oil from filling up the CV joint.

There wasn't any gearbox oil in the CV that came off. 'course, that might mean there isn't any in the gearbox either... It looks far more like just a bung, not a seal.

[Aidan]

it's a seal, it stops any oil in the box that weeps down the splines getting out, if the flanges are tight on the splines then weepage is minimal, but oil dilutes the cv grease and not good long term, Baxter sells them cheaper than VW, what do you mean you don't know if there's any oil in there, you changed it surely when you got the van and know it's full of fresh

[82JEW75]

Not good news then and probably explains why there was no grease in the CV joint that came off that side. Will pass the message on.

[AdrianC]

it's a seal, it stops any oil in the box that weeps down the splines getting out, if the flanges are tight on the splines then weepage is minimal, but oil dilutes the cv grease and not good long term

Right, message received and understood.

what do you mean you don't know if there's any oil in there, you changed it surely when you got the van and know it's full of fresh

<grin> We're going to have a(nother) crack. Somebody - Old Father Time, I think - has welded the drain & filler plugs in fairly solidly... The box is quiet, and changes reasonably well (sloppy linkage notwithstanding), so there must be _something_ in there...

One bung & a dozen new driveshaft bolts - six to replace the re-used allen bolts on the other inner, six to replace the ones on that side (are they really one-shot? They looked to be, the way the inbuilt washer seemed to collapse) are on order from Serial-Kombi. Not as cheap as Baxter, but much faster & cheaper delivery over this side of the wet patch dahn sarf. ~500km on those new CVs now - and the initial (and very faint) noise has gone. Must have just been a bedding-down sound.

[AdrianC]

Somebody - Old Father Time, I think - has welded the drain & filler plugs in fairly solidly...

They came out. They took a bit of persuading, but they did come out.

We didn't want to butcher Farmer Franck's allen key last week, so needed to acquire one. The motor factor in Jonzac this morning just looked at me like I was an alien when I asked if they'd got a 17mm allen key, so it was time for special tool manufacturing.

v1a - 17mm bolt, with nut welded to it. The weld didn't quite hold, and the nut turned.
v1b - more weld. The bolt sheared.
v2 - bigger bolt, heated and a 90 deg bend put into it, then quenched. The shank bent, but it did the job...

The box is quiet, and changes reasonably well (sloppy linkage notwithstanding), so there must be _something_ in there...

And there was - it was full, and the oil didn't look that bad. Still, it's nice and shiny and new now. Took an age to fill - all we could find that was long enough was some old gas pipe and a weeny funnel. It sped up a bit when we heated the oil bottles in a tub of boiling water, but still not quick. It's done. The bung & bolts should (hopefully) arrive in the morning, then that's a quick and easy.

[sarran1955]

Hello,

Well done,

I'm glad you can now be sure that your gearbox oil is OK.

I have just put in an order at work for a large 17mm allen key, (I don't think Dede would be too pleased to find his tractor one butchered.)

Can you send me a pic of the home made tool?

Are you heading off South now?

Cordialement,

[Aidan]

this is what you want or better still the snap on version which is shallower, better access on a late wbx with the exhaust system close to the drain hole, the big 14mm/17mm or 1/2"/17mm ones are too long really
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DRAPER-38323- ... 2c512c5ff9

[AdrianC]

Can you send me a pic of the home made tool?

I warn you - high-tech it isn't...

But it worked just fine. Heated with oxy-acetylene torch, bent, quenched.

Right, the seal arrived today. It's gone in there, with a 1 1/4" socket as a drift, but not 100%. It's not plastic - it's metal, with a bonded rubber outer. Trying to put it in, one side's folded back on itself. This, to me, doesn't look good. What say you? I really really don't want to have to get another one and fit it - but after 500km, the CV joint was indeed full of gear oil. Trouble is, it seems very solidly in there, and I don't think it'll come out without buggering it.



As for driveshaft bolts - the ones Serial Kombi have sent are 6mm hex head, not the 12-spline. They're also only 8.8, rather than the 12.9 of the ones in the CV joint kit. Right now, I'm leaning towards going 3 and 3 on the inners, using alternate re-used 12-splines and re-used original 12.9 allen bolts. Again, what think you guys? I'm going to leave the joint off for the moment - advice appreciated!

[AdrianC]

The cap's back out again - looks re-usable, except for a couple of very small nicks in the rubber just inside the edge of the metal. It DOES go dish-out, doesn't it?

[Aidan]

yes it goes in that way around, you just gently push it in but slip a pin in the edge between the seal and the flange to allow the air out as it goes in then remove the pin
safety pins are in the first aid kit

[AdrianC]

It went in...

Everything's back together again - the old grease/oil mix cleaned out of the CV, and plenty of nice fresh new MoS grease back in there.

However, torqueing it up one of the nice shiny used-once-only 12-spline bolts sheared... Eek! Fortunately, removing the joint again saw enough of the thread protruding that it would out easily. So that's S-K's new 8.8 allen bolts in there now. Soddit.

I never want to touch those bloody driveshafts again.

Famous last words, eh?

[82JEW75]

Guess we were right and they were "use once" then! To be fair, 45 Nm is rather a lot of torque...