[s-cars] Driveshaft replace/rebuild? sources?

[Randy Reimer]

I had the same problem

I was unable to diagnose, or find any capable shop who was interested in
helping me diagnose and repair cheaply, so the dealer replaced my old drive
shaft and showed me exactly what the picture on urs4 showed.  The shaft end
of the cv joint made an odd noise when when moved around and I'm not sure if
it was reparable or not although this was examined after the replacement was
installed, however the advice I received from the local audi wrench was wait
until it gets worse, presumably to help him diagnose it easier, which I did
for approximately 90 days.

In any case, I have what probably is a perfectly good drive shaft available
for anyone who may need it.

-----Original Message-----
From: s-car-list-admin at audifans.com
[mailto:s-car-list-admin at audifans.com]On Behalf Of Jimmy Pribble
Sent: Wednesday, April 23, 2003 10:24 AM
To: 'chris chambers'; s-car-list at audifans.com
Subject: RE: [s-cars] Driveshaft replace/rebuild? sources?


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> Will I need to remove the joint to clean it, I don't see how I will be
able to get the old grease out with the existing joint not having a grease
fitting.

Chris,

Take a look at this photo:

http://www.urs4.com/images/driveshaft/DSCN1004.JPG

Look at 11 o'clock, way down at the end of the driveshaft, out of focus, is
the CV joint you will be dealing with.  It is held onto the transmission
flange by uh, six(?) allen-head bolts.  You will remove those and you will
also probably need to remove the two bolts that hold the carrier bearing to
the car in order to get the driveshaft to come loose.  Then you will clean
and repack the CV joint as shown in this FAQ (lots of photos to show you
what a CV joint looks like), which is dealing with a different set of CV
joints, but they are fundamentally the same:

http://www.audiworld.com/tech/misc27.shtml

If you are going to go through the trouble, you might as well do both CV
joints (one on each end), so just remove the whole driveshaft (heavy,
awkward) and do them both on a bench where it is comfortable.

To get to the driveshaft in the first place, yes, you will need to drop your
exhaust.  This is where you might spend a lot of your time, if you have
rusted bolts (you will).  There are also a couple(?) of heat shields.  It's
all easy, but time consuming and sometimes a PIA.  But, it is a great
learning experience and it is always good to spend time underneath your car
checking stuff out.

This is from memory so YMMV.  Get a Bentley!

Good luck,

Jimmy
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