Can't get driveshaft off!

[Brett]

Hello

I'm trying to replace a center bearing on my driveshaft, but I'm not sure if I'm doing it right (I've never replaced one before). I've undone all the bolts at the flange near the differential, and also the ones at the flange near the center bearing (which isn't necessary to get the driveshaft off the car according to the TSRM). I've also undone the two bolts which hold the center bearing bracket.





I was expecting it to kind of fall out, but even after a bit of tugging it won't budge. The best I can manage is to make the propeller shaft spin a bit, which doesn't really help.

Could someone please point me in the right direction? I'm a bit reluctant to take a hammer to it before I checked on here first

[CELICASUPRA7M]

you mean it wont seperate from the diff and the front section of shaft?
just give it a tap with a hammer, wont do any harm

[SilverRA23]

A gentle tap back towards the gearbox should see it off.

The flange at the diff end sometimes has a little lip that gets stuck.

Also, learning from my experience of tail shaft falling on my head... make sure you aren't under it when it pops out!

[love ke70]

as is said, a little tap

or prize a screwdriver or something in there, you will just need to seperate them a touch and it will fall on your head.

stack hat is a must

[Brett]

I'll have a go at it with a hammer tomorrow then Should be alright without a stack hat because it sorta runs through the trailing arm subframe

After I get this half of the driveshaft out, I shouldn't have to pull the other half out of the gearbox end right? It says to use an SST to stop the oil gushing out when you take the whole thing out, but as I'm only doing a center bearing it should be alright leaving it in yeah?

[SilverRA23]

I would be surprised you can do the centre bearing without having the whole thing out, but having never done it, I don't actually know.

[love ke70]

if the centre bearing is on the rear half, then yes you will be able to just remove the rear half and do that, but if its on the front half, then obviously that will have to come out.

just put a clean tub under it, i doubt you will lose much from the box, and jack the rear of the car up for extra protection. any you lose you can put back.

not sure how your one goes on, but with the centre bearing i recently did in my te72 import, i needed a bearing splitter around the centre of it, and then a puller, and pulled it off, then you push the new one on as you tighten the nut.

[RAAAH23]

A bearing puller can be had from supercrap for $30. Used one to remove my idler arm. Most useful

[CrUZida]

Centre bearing is on the front half, you'll need to remove it.

If you haven't dropped the oil from the box, do it. It's probably due for replacement.
If you are too lazy to drop the oil, just put an oil pan under the rear of the box, it will catch all the mess.

As for getting it off, screw driver, hammer, or screwdriver and hammer.
When something hasn't been off in 20+ years, they tend to get stuck!

[Brett]

Thanks for the help everyone, one thing I worked out that would've helped is that once the center bearing bracket is loose and the four bolts on the flange are off, you can push the intermediate shaft into the gearbox a little bit. Because the flange kinda slots into the other flange, this is kinda necessary

But yeah a few taps with the hammer did the job also



You can see the bit that slots into the other flange up the top.



The old center bearing wasn't too bad, but the rubber surrounding it was a bit squashed/old, so there was a little bit of play.

Oh and thanks for the tip love ke70, my driveway is on a bit of a slope already, so I jacked the car up as far as I could and no oil dripped out at all! Made me worry that there must be no oil in my gearbox, but there definitely is as I changed it about a year back

[Brett]

Just noticed that SilverRA23 mentioned about the lip on the flange yesterday! Not sure why I didn't notice, I think I'd just decided I was taking a hammer to it and that was it

[love ke70]

yupp, thats why i said wedge a screw driver in there

glad you got it off, musta come off easier than the last one i did, but that bearing was an inch of centre so i think it had been there a while haha