RH drive shaft intermediate bearing

[white exec]

Have come up against a full-stop on this one - hopefully someone can help...

19D driveshafts - replacement
LH shaft came out ok, and have inserted the end of the old one into the diff (to keep innards in place) as per Haynes.
Couldn't find a suitable bit of tube or dowel, so took the end off the old shaft, and used that.

RH shaft is the problem...
Hub etc detached, and outboard end of shaft free to pull out.
Intermediate bearing special retainer bolts fully loosened, and swung aside.
>> Cannot get any outward movement of the shaft (which is free to turn), so presume the intermediate bearing is stuck in its housing.
No amount of levering it, or hitting its inboard steel ring (next to the bearing), produces any movement.
Have fed some PlusGas into the bearing housing (from the inboard side), and will leave overnight.

Bet someone has done this job before . . .

Happy New Year!

[Jaba]

Some of them are like that I have found. Its time to wield a large hammer and drift to persuade it out by whacking the bearing itself, ideally on the outer race only. Presuming you have a replacement you have nothing to lose.
BTW Haynes is very misleading as there is no need to support the diff gears on the BE5 gearbox. I think that only applies to the early BX14 boxes.

[white exec]

Thanks for the rapid reply, John.
The only item which I might be able to whack with a heavy hammer/drift is the steel ring/sleeve that is snugly fitted to the shaft, and sits next to the bearing.
Don't think its possible to clout the outer part of the race directly.

If the bearing just a push-fit in the housing? Do they normally need to be forced in when replacing?
The new shafts are SKF, and the long RH one comes complete with new int.bearing and adjacent steel sleeve.

[white exec]

Have just read through a good few old posts on RH shaft (intermediate bearing) removal.
:: Swivel bolt heads out of the way, and check they are.
:: Hammer and drift on the gearbox-facing collar.
Have heftily drenched both sides of the bearing with PlusGas for a second attempt tomorrow.
I have a compact air-hammer, so might try that on the collar.
Rotten job for NewYear'sDay

[xantia_v6]

I have found that the size of hammer is important for releasing those bearings, get the heaviest hammer that you can swing.

[white exec]

Good few to hand, Mike. Thanks for the encouragement!

[white exec]

Well, 'tis done - and with thanks to John and Mike for the pointers.

An overnight PlusGas soak of the intermediate bearing housing saw the bearing exit its housing on the second whack with a club hammer and drift. Good bit of sticky goo in the housing, cleaned out with solvent and a scotchbrite pad.

Fitting the new RH then LH shafts was straightforward (but slow work), and nice to find SKF have adopted 36mm nuts for the shaft ends, rather than the quaint 35mm originals.

Removing the OE 35mm nuts was interesting: LH one proved impossible (bent bar, etc), and so it was sliced with an angle grinder and 1mm disc. The RH one came off in less than 5 seconds with the air wrench.

Did find removing the lower engine mount/stabiliser tie-bar gave decent access to the bearing holder. The vertical bolt on the tie strangely needed some Whitworth sockets .

Knocking the new diff deals into place was initially fiddly (no room to swing a small hammer, and angle all wrong), but made easy by using a long length of wooden dowel, pushed through the hub centre, and aimed squarely at the edges of the seal.

So . . . cornering now without clonks, and a much quieter and less backlashy front end. Fresh Total Gear-8 in the box, but unable to find a tube of Forté Gear & Diff Treatment locally, to quieten the 5th gear whine (only at 110-120km/h) - which was there before, and has re-appeared. An Amazon order done.

No way to spend New Year's Day, and Sunday 2nd, but needs must.
She needs to be in decent nick for an ITV/MoT re-test (failed on a split front wheel gaiter), and a small trip in the diary for 2 March, when all of us - lock, stock and barrel - drive to the UK as part of a permanent house move.

[Jaba]

Small trip !! That sounds like a repatriation to me. A big undertaking for you all. Lets hope that the Covid hoops to jump thorough are still doable in March. I came out to France on December 5th with all my covid tests and documents prepared and they did not even look at them at the Chunnel terminal.
I presume you will retain the Spanish casa as a holiday home.

[white exec]

No, casa sold, after 18 terrific years here. House purchase in Shropshire, a bit of a project in itself.
We've had two recent short visits to the UK (house search and a family Xmas), so have got rather used to all the testing and paperwork.
New chapter starts...

[Kaapelimies]

unable to find a tube of Forté Gear & Diff Treatment locally, to quieten the 5th gear whine (only at 110-120km/h) - which was there before, and has re-appeared. An Amazon order done.

Have you checked the tightness of the transmission axle end bolts that hold the pair of 5th gear sprockets? Just under the transmission end cover on the driv... no, map readers side if you have the steering wheel on the right side . You need an 18-corner socket of some size that I can't remember and an angle grinder to cut it if you don't want to remove the other sprocket and it's accompanied components (check the older hayne in dismantling the box), the other nut is accessible with normal socket.

[white exec]

Will look into that, when I get a moment. Gear whine is slight, in 5th only, and only at 110-120km/h.
Is this a common fault on BE3/5? Car is 1992, LHD.

[RobC]

Good luck with the move- I grew up in Shropshire (Shrewsbury) and know the area well. It’s beautiful (but don’t tell anyone else or they’ll all move there…)

[Kaapelimies]

Yes it's a common fault. There is a punch for locking but it's not enough in all cases, I've had none that has been finger-tight (I've only heard from these) but several that have allready slipped from the locking groove. And first you will notice it on fifth gear, firts whining, then it will slip to neutral, and next there can be more damage as the rest of the sprockets and bearings get loose. The whine can also come from damaged sprockets, they don't always get enough lubrication if 5th is engaged at city speeds (as they teach here in driving schools). But anyhow worth a check for a keeper as it's quite an easy job to do (and gearbox oil is cheap).

[white exec]

Had repeated 5th gear problems on on our earlier RAV4 D4D, with a similar 5-speed box. The 5th gear clusters hang on the end of the shafts, unsupported at their outboard ends. This lead to horrendous vibration (only in 5th) and occasional jumping out of gear. Fitting "improved" Toyota 5th gear cogs etc improved things, but not totally. A miserable adaptation of an essentially 4-speed layout, but which other manufacturers have done more successfully.

All a tad chokka for a few months now, but I will get to look at it.

Market Drayton, btw, Rob...

[white exec]

Car passed its ITV/MoT re-test this morning, at 07h33. Bit of an early start...up at 0530 .
Had failed on a split drive-shaft gaiter (leaking grease), and a drip of LHM at RR suspension gaiter return (a disconnected return line).
The gaiter failure pushed me into replacing the clonky shafts, so a Good Thing.