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fnmhurley
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Driveshaft removal, donut replacement

Post by fnmhurley »

hey everyone,

I have an 86 GTV6, and have finally blown out part of my forward donut.
We have the manual on cd but are looking for clarification.

The manual mentions "disconnecting the rear engine mounting from the body." Do I need to support the engine with a jack? Does the rear housing come off the engine exposing the flywheel, or will the shaft just pull out aft as an assembly? Just looking for any info in that area before we start down a wrong path.

Much thanks,
Fred
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MD
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Re: Driveshaft removal, donut replacement

Post by MD »

Fred,
It's an idea to support the engine so it doesnt tilt too much and damage the front engine mounts. You could of course undo them on the body so they do pivot.
The propshaft will come out via the back without removing the rear engine mount. If the coupling will not come through the rear opening, you may need to unbolt it from the shaft first and remove it on its own having removed the shaft.

Hope you got instructions on how to remove the shaft !
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Re: Driveshaft removal, donut replacement

Post by Murray »

Fred to add to MD's comments I would suggest that you have a look at this write-up by MichaelH which offers some good advice.http://www.alfagtv6.com/drv_shft.htm
You're fortunate to have an 86 which has the removable centre support which makes the job easier than the earlier models.
Two additional pieces of advice:
1) Unless you know for sure when the centre support/bearing and the donuts at centre and rear were last replaced, I suggest you do them at the same time to avoid having to start all over again in the near future.
2) Despite what others experiences have been, I stongly recommend that you mark every nut bolt and washer in a fashion that ensures that they go back exactly where they came from.This will reduce the chances that you have vibration problems after re-assembly.( At least it will eliminate that aspect of the job if you're trying to understand why you have a vibration after re-assembly) Pay particular attention to keeping the orientation of the front to rear driveshaft halfs and when you put it back together leave the pinch-bolt at the front loose to allow the shaft to "settle" into position.Greg Gordon has done an excellent write-up here
http://www.hiperformancestore.com/guiboDSclutch.htm
Good Luck
1986-GTV6
1989-75 Twinspark very sadly sold-remarkable sedan !
2014 Audi Q5 3.0l TDI - torque MONSTER
fnmhurley
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Re: Driveshaft removal, donut replacement

Post by fnmhurley »

Thanks for the help guys.

Pulled it out yesterday, without to much trouble.
I can see how much easier this is with the removable cross brace. I can't imagine doing it on the older cars.

The biggest problem we ran into was that the rear donut was seized onto the clutch yolk in the center of the donut. By removing the hardware connecting the rear drivshaft yolk to the donut, I was able to work the donut loose, holding the clutch yolk and hammering the donut around, and side to side. Again, this was after removing the second set of harware, so there was no fear of rotating the engine either way. Once the donut is starting to turn free of the clutch yolk, you're winning. The donut must come out with the drivshaft. We found that there was not enough play to make clearence to remove the drive shaft with that rear donut still in place. But removing that hardware allowed us work it free of the clutch.

Today, we're attacking the donuts and center bearing. Wish us luck

Fred
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MD
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Re: Driveshaft removal, donut replacement

Post by MD »

Orientation Orientation Orientation.
Mark everything..
Mark everything..
Mark everything..
Mark everything.......
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MZ107
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Re: Driveshaft removal, donut replacement

Post by MZ107 »

Do you really need to release the bell housing to do this?
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Re: Driveshaft removal, donut replacement

Post by MD »

MZ107
On transaxles the so called "bell housing" is the rear engine mount which is its correct name.
No, you don't need to release it.
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Re: Driveshaft removal, donut replacement

Post by MZ107 »

Sorry about the verbage, I am looking at this as a nightmare. I was under the car for several hours working on the new exhaust and rear brake issue. I started to release the drive shaft but when it came to the front guibo I was stuck! Is there a "Best Practice" for removing the bolts? I read Michael Harris’s 4 page outline and It seems that the doing this on jack stands is almost impossible.
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Re: Driveshaft removal, donut replacement

Post by MR2 Zig »

Read this article also, http://hiperformancestore.com/guiboDSclutch.htm

The job is a pain in the rear. If the previous owners didn't Never-Sieze the spline joint The front can be a problem. You can remove all the nuts at the front ( making sure of where they cam from so that they can be replaced in the same spot) by turning the engine by hand ONLY in the normal direction of rotation. You get to those nuts via the window in the bottom of the bellhousing/ rear engine mount.

The bolts that hold the guibo to the flywheel have a flat that engages the head of the bolt so that it doesnt turn.


hth,
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MD
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Re: Driveshaft removal, donut replacement

Post by MD »

MZ107,

I have just been reflecting on your words release. I originally thought you meant releasing from the engine but I now think you may have meant releasing the two rear bolts that hold the engine mount to the tunnel.

If that is the case, then yes, you should release these two bolts and tilt the engine mount down.
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