Technical How to change a drive shaft

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Technical How to change a drive shaft

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I've just bought a new project. A 2012 Cat C 1.2 Lounge. Apart from the usual cosmetic damage, this one has a broken left hand side top engine mount broken, which has caused a problem with the drivers side drive shaft. I don't know if it's broken or has just popped out.

I have a donor car so I have all the parts needed but have never had to do this before.

This car starts but doesn't drive because of it. I will put a new mount on first and presumably will have to get whack under that part of the engine to support it when I change the mount. Once I've done that I will need to do the drive shaft. Can anyone give me any advice on doing this. The oily bits I don't normally have to do.

I'll upload some pics of the car at the weekend.

I have to change everything at the front as usual, i.e. Front panel, rad, condenser, bonnet, bumper, wing, two lights, and lastly the airbox. Again, luckily I have all these parts already.

Any help with the driveshaft would be appreciated.
 
Driveshaft is held into the diff by a circlip around the shaft. Theoretically it just pops in and can be levered out easily.
Had to change a seal on the Panda. Three attempts to release it from the diff failed as it fought back. I lined up some pullers and prepared myself for a marathon fight. Tried one last time to pop it out, and it did. A big screwdriver or similar between the shaft joint and the gearbox casing should do it. Make sure the other end is free to move away.

Replacing it needs a hearty shove. Start the splines into the diff, make sure the shaft is aligned, and push smartly. It should click into place.

On the Panda the RH side diff oil seal is directly above the exhaust, which caused my seal to gently harden. (over 10 years) If the shaft is out, might be a good idea to replace the seal. It just levers out, and the new one needs to be gently thumped in flush.
 
Driveshaft is held into the diff by a circlip around the shaft. Theoretically it just pops in and can be levered out easily.
Had to change a seal on the Panda. Three attempts to release it from the diff failed as it fought back. I lined up some pullers and prepared myself for a marathon fight. Tried one last time to pop it out, and it did. A big screwdriver or similar between the shaft joint and the gearbox casing should do it. Make sure the other end is free to move away.

Replacing it needs a hearty shove. Start the splines into the diff, make sure the shaft is aligned, and push smartly. It should click into place.

On the Panda the RH side diff oil seal is directly above the exhaust, which caused my seal to gently harden. (over 10 years) If the shaft is out, might be a good idea to replace the seal. It just levers out, and the new one needs to be gently thumped in flush.



Thank you Bill, that's most helpful. I'm hoping it's popped out rather than broken. I read somewhere that can happen if that top engine mount breaks.
 
When refitting the new one align it very carefully as go not damage the dif end oil seal, and yes a good large screw driver or leaver should just pop it out and again try to slide away nice and straight.

Good advice, though tbh I'd be more concerned about the damage done to the seal (and the housing, for that matter) when it came apart.

All you can do really is to inspect the parts carefully and deal with whatever you find. As PB says, I'd suggest replacing the seal as a matter of course in a situation like this.
 
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Because I have a donor car I can swap any parts over. But sounds like a new Seal is in order. Sounds scary! I'll get the bodywork done first then tackle it. I might have a good look underneath tomorrow though. I think I'll replace the engine mounting first though.
 
Because I have a donor car I can swap any parts over. But sounds like a new Seal is in order. Sounds scary! I'll get the bodywork done first then tackle it. I might have a good look underneath tomorrow though. I think I'll replace the engine mounting first though.

Drive shafts are generally easy to change, the work required to get to that point is sometimes not, drain the gearbox oil first.
 
Drive shafts are generally easy to change, the work required to get to that point is sometimes not, drain the gearbox oil first.



Really? Is that necessary?

I've actually moved the goal posts today. The car that was my donor car is now being repaired. I took the door and wing off of this one and put them on the other one. I have bent hinges unfortunately so it doesn't fit very well. Not looking forward to changing hinges, looks a pain. I'm hoping I can find some help on here for that.
 
Thanks guys. As always great advice. The car has no wing or wing liner on now so it's much easier to see it. Had a look when it was up on axle stand yesterday. Looks very oily. Nothing else wheel end looks bent and wheels roll ok just won't drive.

I'm wondering whether there's no damage to it and it's just popped out due to the broken engine mount. You can get second hand ones for about £30 or so. I suppose it might be worth just getting one.

I'm videoing both these cars I'm doing at the moment so I'll have some good footage for the site. This one has the most damage I've had at the front. One of the chassis leg tops has bent over so I've got to try and straighten that. Luckily a high impact and the front panel and airbox took most of the impact. I'm a dab hand at replacing whole fronts of the cars now.
 
I replaced the top engine mounting today. It had broken in several places the engine is now at the correct height. New front end all put on, just waiting for the new bumper to arrive on Monday. Oh wait, I need 2 wings and a door too then I can attack the drive shaft.
 
If the drive shaft one side has come out of the gearbox wouldn't the passenger side one still work?

No, the diff will allow it to spin freely even when the other wheel is not turning. Sometimes if you run a car in gear with both driven wheels off the ground, only one of the wheels will turn, for the same reason.

Could this be more serious than I first thought?

Yes. A sudden stoppage sufficient to pop a driveshaft will likely have shockloaded the engine & transmission, causing unquantifiable (without a strip examination and inspection) internal damage.
 
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Thanks. The engine sounds fine now it's at the right height and angle. The car goes into all gears quitely and as it should, clutch pedal feels right. Just nothing happens when you take your foot off the clutch.

I may get a mobile mechanic in to do it or at least to look at it first. Oily bits aren't really my forte.
 
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