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Installing driveshaft

T

Tom H

Platinum Level Sponsor
I'm helping Mike O'Donnell install the driveshaft on his S3 restoration. He has installed the engine and OD tranny. When we try to install the driveshaft it will not go into the tailshaft. It will go on just far enough to barely engage the splines enough to be able to turn the OD output shaft. But it will not go in fully. We can insert it into a spare OD in the garage, but it requires wiggling to just the right position to get it in, of course We tested the clearances around the output shaft by fitting a piece of drill rod into the flutes in the splines at several points and are confident that the seal to shaft clearances are the same in the installed tranny as the spare tranny.

Does anyone have any thoughts, suggestions, hints, or gotchas about what might be keeping the driveshaft out of the tranny?

Tom H
 
bernd_st

bernd_st

Bronze Level Sponsor
Sounds like you have an issue with the splines on the OD output shaft. Would check straightness with an LED light and remove any imperfections with a small file. Seemingly the driveshaft splines are also not very good if it requires wiggling on the alternative gearbox. Perhaps it got slightly damaged at the input as well. Careful inspection is the key here...
 
T

Tom H

Platinum Level Sponsor
Berndt, Thanks for your thoughts. But I am puzzled that you feel wiggling should not be required. It only takes a little wiggling to get the shaft lined up properly. Once it moves that first few millimeters it slides right on. Is it your experience that there is enough bevel on the lead-in that the shaft slides in easily with minimal fuss?

I am inclined to believe that the issue is some slight distortion on the end of one of the splines on the OD output shaft. Not easy to correct with the tranny installed in the car!

Tom
 
SoCal'beaming

SoCal'beaming

Donation Time
Tom .. If nothings been changed out (tailshaft/yoke,bearing) 'cept the seal you may have a keyed pair by virtue of age and a slight twist after 50 years of running together. Try rotating the driveshaft one spline at a time while fitting .. and see if one of those spline pairs match up.

..... David
 
T

Tom H

Platinum Level Sponsor
David, Thanks for the thought, but nope, this is a home rebuilt OD and a cut down drive shaft, mating for the first time. We did try rotating spline by spine, with no luck. Not sure we hit every one of the 10 positions.

Rootes, thanks for the idea. I don't think it is twisted, but I am starting to think the shaft end may have been dinged just a bit while it was apart. Looks like some patient filing is in order. We will also locate a spare yoke to try fitting without the long shaft attached, which may make it easier to align. Once we get the separate yoke to go on we will fit the whole assembled shaft.

Tom
 
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