Rear uni replacement - urgent advice needed!

[synoptica]

Hey guys,

My rear uni has decided to totally **** itself (only 2 years old!) and it now needs replacing.

I figure I can do it myself, but if anybody could give me any pointers that'd be great.

Also - given I'll be removing the shaft from the gearbox, how do I plug the hole to stop it leaking trans fluid everywhere?

- Chris.

[SL/ENUT]

Been years since i have replaced rear uni joints, but if i remember i had to bash them out!. I think there is a few circlips there some where too.

The rear of the gearbox, i went and see a wrecker, asked for the front of the tailsfat before the first uni joint. Shove that in, use some plastic ties.

[Tree cutter]

Easiest way to stop the trans fluid running out is to get an old tailshaft from the wreckers and just use the yoke after you remove the front uni joint. To remove the uni joint you need to remove the circlips by pushing on the open end with a screwdriver. If the circlips spin around then give your screwdriver a quick tap with a hammer and the circlips should pop out. Next lay your tailshaft on a block of wood so it is supported as close to the uni joint as possible and not on the tube part which will dent easily. Next get an old socket that is slightly smaller than the uni joint cap and sit it on the cap so you can hit it through with a hammer. Only hit the cap through until the opposite side cap is sticking through by about 6 to8 mm then finish pulling the cap out with vice grips. Then you just have to make sure the cross piece of the uni is centred in the hole and hit it back the other way

[synoptica]

Excellent, I thought the socket/hammer trick might work

As for using another slip yoke, I won't be able to get a spare one to shove in... any other ideas? Glad wrap and some elastic bands?

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

Wrap a plastic bag around it tightly and tape it on.

Do you have a bench vice? It is a lot easier to do uni's with a vice.

[synoptica]

Okay - so the shaft is out - one of the bearing caps was actually broken!

Now we have a problem - using a vice, socket and hammer I simply could NOT convince the things to budge - not even a fraction of a mm.

Any ideas before I walk it down to the mechanics tomorrow?

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

Close the vice up until the yoke of the tail shaft sits loosely in there with the uni joint resting on the jaws of the vice. With a hammer, hit the tail shaft yoke as close as you can to the cap without hitting the cap. The tailshaft should move down, popping the uni joint cap out of the tailshaft. Spin it over and do the same to the other side.

Unless this is too late and you have already taken it to a mechanic.