Any hints on separating a tailshaft?

[malmensa]

I am in the midst of replacing the transmission on my VY wagon. All going fairly well, apart from noticing a totally stuffed tailshaft center bearing rubber insulator. I have been attempting to pull the tailshaft apart so that I can replace the bearing and rubber. So far I have tried clamping the tail shaft in a vice, and bashing the crap out of it with a sledge hammer. All this did was move the heavy bench, even with someone sitting on it. I also managed to shear the screws holding one of the jaw inserts into the vice. Has not moved a bit.


I am pretty much out of ideas now. Anyone have a suggestion? I have looked online, wreckers seem to only have tailshafts in poor condition, and "reconditioned" units are $500 or so, which seems a bit expensive. I already have a bearing and two rubber "donuts" on the way from Ebay, $115 all up. Anyone recommend a shop somewhere in the Northern Perth 'burbs who can split the tailshaft, pull the old bearing and push it back together for me at a reasonable price?

 

[Lex]

I am in the midst of replacing the transmission on my VY wagon. All going fairly well, apart from noticing a totally stuffed tailshaft center bearing rubber insulator. I have been attempting to pull the tailshaft apart so that I can replace the bearing and rubber. So far I have tried clamping the tail shaft in a vice, and bashing the crap out of it with a sledge hammer. All this did was move the heavy bench, even with someone sitting on it. I also managed to shear the screws holding one of the jaw inserts into the vice. Has not moved a bit.


I am pretty much out of ideas now. Anyone have a suggestion? I have looked online, wreckers seem to only have tailshafts in poor condition, and "reconditioned" units are $500 or so, which seems a bit expensive. I already have a bearing and two rubber "donuts" on the way from Ebay, $115 all up. Anyone recommend a shop somewhere in the Northern Perth 'burbs who can split the tailshaft, pull the old bearing and push it back together for me at a reasonable price?

Here's workshop manual on the tail shaft?
You'll have to download it. It's in pdf format.

Just deleted it. Wrong car.

 

[lout]

whoa there, slow down
check some youtube videos
mark a white line from front half of tailshaft, through washers , centre bearing, washers and both halves of cv joint (just to rear of rubber centre bearing)
undo cv housing, 8 allen bolts from memory
inside you will find a circlip, remove circlip
gently tap front half of cv off of front tailshhaft half (may be cabletie on rubber sleeve)
then tap back washer off, screwdriver or cold chiselnoting orientation
now tap centre bearing off using screwdriver or cold chisel
now check and double check which way centre bearing goes back on, one leg is longer
reassemble in reverse order, making sure to align white line or you will have vibration

 

[malmensa]

Here's workshop manual on the tail shaft?
You'll have to download it. It's in pdf format.

That looks to be for a different vehicle. This tailshaft has a universal joint, not a CV.

 

[Lex]

That looks to be for a different vehicle. This tailshaft has a universal joint, not a CV.

What's your car?
Sorry. Just had another look, that was for adventurer.

 

[lout]

sorry you have the type with the o-ring inside, they can be hard to get apart

 

[malmensa]

sorry you have the type with the o-ring inside, they can be hard to get apart

Pretty sure I am hitting the tailshaft WAY harder than in that video. I have watched a couple of video, none seem as difficult as mine.

 

[Lex]

Pretty sure I am hitting the tailshaft WAY harder than in that video. I have watched a couple of video, none seem as difficult as mine.

Got the circlip of?

 

[vc commodore]

Pretty sure I am hitting the tailshaft WAY harder than in that video. I have watched a couple of video, none seem as difficult as mine.

My suggestion is, seeing you have flogged the crap out of the tailshaft, there is a good chance you have got dents in it, which means even replacing those parts, it will vibrate and continue wrecking the centre C.V, so get one reconditioned for $500

Going back to 2020, I had my VC tailshaft done....New centre C.V, new unis, new uni holder in the shaft, because someone flogged the crap out of it to remove unis and dented the tailshaft, so they had to replace it, shortened 25MM and rebalanced for $650 ish...

The reason behind getting mine done was due to replacing 3 centre C.V's in 4 years...This was caused from that lovely dented tailshaft, from someone flogging it with a hammer and being a lousey shot and it vibrating

 

[losh1971]

Yep, balancing shop said they have had to completely rebuild plenty of tailshafts because the owner thought the YouTube way was the go to remove a bearing. Some Holden's have a staked centre uni and if you bugger up the uni from using the hammer method then you're in a world of financial pain. Then you have to find a place that can do the job because they are few and far between.