First Aid Kit for a Driveshaft

[peterbrown77]

I need to make a roadside repair on a driveshaft that disconnected from the transmission. I had new ones installed in June an apparently the shop did not tighten them correctly or Loctite the screws or something.

This morning, I was pulling away from a stop and - clunk - the car won't move. I looked with a flashlight and the driver's side shaft is just hanging there. I think the cap screws are all accounted for, maybe they're captive?

The car is a half hour from home and not near any auto parts store, so i need to go there "fully armed" for the repair. Obviously I am going to need my floor jack and a jackstand for safety. The car is an 02 S, with the 6-speed. Has anyone dealt with this? Hex wrench size for the Allen screws? Will I need to remove any pieces of the underbody?

I could just get it flatbedded to the garage the did the repair but it's a nice weekend...

TIA!

[Jaxonalden]

PB77,

You probably don't what this kind of advice since it's a "nice weekend". I would contact the shop that did the repair and let them come get it (or send a tech), repair it and hand it back to you on a silver platter! They screwed up and they need to fix it no matter where it's at.

Good luck!

[The Radium King]

the hex head fasteners that hold the inner cv/axle to the transmission flange need to be retorqued after 800 kms. also, it's very easy to get grease from the inner cv on the fasteners, which messes with the torque.

tools needed - torque wrench (you'll want 60'#) extensions, 8 and 10 mm hex attachment (not certain of your fastener size) degreaser and rags, jack and stands, wheel removal tools.

jack it up
wheel off
in gear, p-brake on
clean everything - inspect for damage - axle, inner cv boot, inner cv dust cover, etc.
you'll only be able to get at two of the bolts at once, so do your thing, rotate, repeat.

depending on what's happened, you might need to get the jack on the wheel carrier to displace it enough to get the inner cv back in the flange.

otherwise, you may have a whole lot underside braces, etc., in the way. i don't know how much so, as all the work i've done on my axles was done with that stuff removed. you should be ok, however, but brink a full metric socket set (ratchet, 10mm and 13m mat a minimum) and medium phillips screwdriver just in case.

final point of caution - i'm in the process or returning some jobber axles i purchased recently because of a number of fatal issues with them, several of which could have resulted in what you expereinced. please check with your shop to ensure that they used oem parts or at least advised you of the fact they were using jobber; an oem axle is $1k, a jobber is $200 and not worth the price difference.

[insite]

just have it towed. if that thing pops off while you're moving quick, it can really do a lot of damage. i have a friend whose axle actually smacked & broke the aluminum subframe on the car.

[Jaxonalden]

I stick with my original post. You paid for a service and that service is now pretty unsatisfactory. A legit shop will warranty their workmanship. Just sayin'.

[BYprodriver]

Originally Posted by Jaxonalden

I stick with my original post. You paid for a service and that service is now pretty unsatisfactory. A legit shop will warranty their workmanship. Just sayin'.

+1 on this they should get on this immediatly! FYI : it is 8mm & a 5" long socket style works great. You may have to replace some of the bolts too.

[peterbrown77]

final point of caution - i'm in the process or returning some jobber axles i purchased recently because of a number of fatal issues with them, several of which could have resulted in what you expereinced. please check with your shop to ensure that they used oem parts or at least advised you of the fact they were using jobber; an oem axle is $1k, a jobber is $200 and not worth the price difference.

I know for a fact they were aftermarket driveshafts because the parts were about $200 each, not $600. Do you really think because of that, it caused the bolts to loosen? I can look at see the flanged shaft and the screw holes.

TIA

[The Radium King]

i was going to post this after i got my refund, but the two things i can think of right away are:

1) the dust cap on the inner cv on the jobber axle didn't fix into the boxster transmission flange properly, such that there was a 1/8" gap between the flange and the cv. so, i could see that, even at torque, things eventually working loose as there is room for movement and less thread engaged.

2) a cv can do two things; provide rotation and provide plunge (in/out movement). some cvs do both, some just do one ore the other. on oem axles you have rotation and plunge on both the inner and outer cvs. on the jobber axle i received there was rotation and plunge on the inner, but only rotation on the outer. without the additional plunge, and given the big offset between transmission flange and wheel carrier on the 6-speed boxsters, i could see that being an issue causing additional deflection on the flange, forces outside of design spec, etc.

otherwise, the jobber axles are a weaker steel; when i installed othe oem expansion nut it actually milled the threads on the jobber axle. also, the oem axles have a lot more paint on the shaft, so more to chip off before you get to exposed steel and corrosion. finally, the jobber axles fit the cv boot around the outer cv, while the oem axles have a step ring that necks down the outer cv so that the boot smaller - less movement, less to wear, longer life.