Date:         Fri, 18 May 2001 22:52:09 -0700
Reply-To:     The CiKaspers <mrlucky@scruz.net>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         The CiKaspers <mrlucky@scruz.net>
Subject:      driveshaft difficulties
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

i took down my drive (propeller) shaft just after buying our syncro in
march because the tires were very bad and i didn't want to take a chance on
ruining/damaging any further then vc.  as well, it needed to be rebuilt.

well, the rebuild is done, and i put our new wheels/tires on tuesday.  so,
i thought i would slip the driveshaft back on and 4WD to hollister
tomorrow.  now that i know how it comes apart, i can get it back together
easily.

not so fast.  i loosely bolted the shaft to the transmission flange, and
was going to loosely bolt it to the front diff flange prior to tightening
down the bolts at the transmission end.  when i lifted up and mated the two
flanges at the front diff, the bolt holes were not lined up.  i rotated the
front diff flange one way, and the driveshaft the other, and they would not
match.  then reversed that rotation, still no match.

after talking with another listmember (it didn't work, ben), i thought to
rotate the transmission by rolling a bit in gear with the driveshaft
resting on a box.  silly me!  of course, when the front wheels turned, it
turned the front differential shaft as well.  so i got nowhere with that.

now i think i need to (a) get a 4x4 and a good, high-lift 2-ton floor jack
and lift the rear wheels off the ground, put it in granny gear, and let the
wheels turn with the clutch out just a bit so the rear flange turns but the
front will not, or (b) go at some point tomorrow to a shop and ask if i can
use their brake stand so the rears will roll while the fronts stay still,
again to turn the rear flange.

(a) is less safe (even with jackstands and chocks) than (b), but perhaps i
won't be able to get to a shop this weekend.  so maybe (a) on sunday.  i
dunno.

btw, the driveshaft geometry is such that everything is 90 degrees to the
other, and putting it back together improperly doesn't seem like it can be
the culprit.

any suggestions?  i am *way* open to them.  my wife, son, and i will be
hitting hollister tomorrow morning for a couple of hours, and will discuss
it with the folks there...but anyone here who can chime in about my
assumptions or methods or conclusions is more than welcome to!

thanks.
bill