Engine and Driveshaft support

[Bernie Benz]

Some further thoughts on the driveshaft.

If you do nothing with the drive shaft except to tie the front half of it
out of the way for tranny removal, do regrease the front CV, which will be
crisp of grease from the heat of the adjacent exhaust system.

To do it right, check the alignment of the engine/tranny to the rear
differential and than of the drive shaft between the two.
 
First with the drive shaft removed, the tranny to diff alignment is easily
checked with a tight cord and a machinist¹s square. With the cord stretched
tightly between the ODs of two facing CV flanges, check the squareness of
each flange face to the cord in each of two mutually perpendicular planes.
These planes need not be horizontal and vertical, for clearance sake, the
easiest are 45 degrees downward on each side of vertical. On one 44 chassis
car I have had to rotate the engine/tranny about its vertical axis and lower
the rear of the diff to get the two in exact alignment, resulting in the
smoothest drive train that I¹ve ever experienced. Audi obviously does not
screw with this alignment in individual chassis.

Next, to align the drive shaft center bearing one must check the two shaft
sections for on axis congruency with a long straight edge in each of the two
mutually perpendicular planes. The straight edge has to clear the center
bearing for this test so it must be ³shimmed³ off the shaft surfaces
sufficiently to do so. This bearing mount must also be centered within the
shaft¹s longitudal clearance.

Bernie  

> From: Kneale Brownson <kneale at coslink.net>
> Date: Wed, 08 Nov 2006 21:02:33 -0500
> To: RicebalLDR at aol.com,200q20v at audifans.com,quattro at audifans.com
> Subject: Re: Engine and Driveshaft support
> 
> The support is to hold up the front of the engine so that when you remove
> the transmission, the engine doesn't fall into the intercooler.  If you use
> one something like http://www.thetoolwarehouse.net/shop/OTC-1724.html
> (there are cheaper versions, or your crane could do the same thing), you
> can tighten up the hook to tilt the back of the engine to make aligning
> with the tranny for installation easier.
> 
> The driveshaft support, I believe, is if you remove the shaft.  If you just
> undo it, you can push it to the side.  I have one right now held to the
> side by a big ziptie.
> 
> Pay attention to the very meagre description about removing the retainer
> for the automatic seatbelt tensioner cables (Bentley's pg. 34-180-3).  If
> you undo the transmission and try to remove it without taking off the
> retainer, the cables will keep it from fully coming off and you'll have to
> reinstall to get rid of the cable problem.
> 
> Put the damned clutch slave cylinder back on the transmission before
> reinstalling!!!! 
> 
> 
> 
> At 06:45 PM 11/8/2006 -0500, RicebalLDR at aol.com wrote:
>> Hi I am taking apart my 1991 200 20v Avant to repair the throw out bearing.
>> The Bently shows a support for the engine near the front that you should
>> install to support the engine prior to removing the transmission. Does this
>> push  
>> down on the front of the motor or pull up. I have an engine crane that I
> could 
>> use just need to know how to rig. Also the book shows a support for the
>> drive  shaft. How critical is this? I do not plan on changing anything on it
>> and 
>> will  mark everything prior to removal. Any other tips for the clutch job?
> Car 
>> has  137,000 miles and clutch was fine. Lots of work for a bearing. I wonder
>> where it was made. thanks Richard
>> 
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