97 impreza outback: snapped u joint, got questions

[gratefuldude]

Hey guys,

I snapped my u joint on my sooby.

 

I am in the process of getting a whole new assembly, but I need to remove the old one etc...

 

I have 1 jack, and 1 jack stand.

Trying to locate ramps, but not all to easy where I live.

 

What is the EASIEST way to get this old shaft out so i can easily swap in a new one. Any help would be great. Looks like I would benefit by dropping exhaust...thats about as far as I have gotten.

 

Also: how moveable is the car with the drive shaft out?

Edited August 28, 2012 by gratefuldude

[95legwagon]

with the driveshaft out the car should move..... if its an auto put in the 2wd fuse......if its 5 speed itll move....but it will put wear and tear on the front diff.

 

usually to get the driveshaft out you hafta remove the exhaust and the heatshield.... my 95 legacy its like that at least ( and ive had the driveshaft out WAYYYYY too many times now lol)

 

although you dont have enough jackstands you could alternatively jack up each side and place cinder blocks under the tires..... wouldnt recommend it BUT i would do it if i was in a pinch..... just make sure they are solid cinderblocks.... not the hollow ones

[edrach]

although you dont have enough jackstands you could alternatively jack up each side and place cinder blocks under the tires..... wouldnt recommend it BUT i would do it if i was in a pinch..... just make sure they are solid cinderblocks.... not the hollow ones

As for the cinderblocks.....make sure the holes are vertical; the weight of the car on the blocks with the opening horizontal will allow the blocks to fail. I learned the hard way that cinderblocks have no structural strength that way. Fortunately it was a lesson learned before someone got hurt.

[lmdew]

You front or rear U Joint?

 

Front Auto you most likely have damage to the shifter and maybe the tail shaft housing.

 

I got a 98 where just the shifter was bent.

 

I got a 96 where it tore out the complete tail shaft housing and dumped all the fluid.

 

First one got a shifter, trans mount and drive shaft.

 

Second one needs all of the above and a new trans.

 

Jack stands are pretty cheap, don't take the chance.

[gratefuldude]

I am a 5spd manual tranny.

 

 

I could do the cinder blocks thing.

 

 

no way to worm this thing out easy huh?

[uniberp]

I am a 5spd manual tranny.

 

 

I could do the cinder blocks thing.

 

 

no way to worm this thing out easy huh?

 

 

Yes, it's easy, you don't need to be under the car. 14mm socket. From passenger side remove heat shield bolts and drop that side. Remove center support bolts and rear flange bolts. Whole thing drops out easily. Should take ten minutes or less. Then you can tell what ELSE is broke.

[gratefuldude]

OK

 

I got the car on ramps(rear wheels)

 

Removed the center piece bolts, the shafts are now hanging in a V formation.

 

For the life of me I can not get the halves seperated.

 

Is there a trick to this?

[GeneralDisorder]

It comes out as a unit typically - you shouldn't have to remove them separately.

 

GD

[gratefuldude]

It comes out as a unit typically - you shouldn't have to remove them separately.

 

GD

 

ok.

So remove it from the rear differential is what you are saying?

[idosubaru]

ok.

So remove it from the rear differential is what you are saying?

right, should be 4 12mm bolts holding it to the rear diff. just remove those. (although you don't say what kind of vehicle you're working on)

[gratefuldude]

right, should be 4 12mm bolts holding it to the rear diff. just remove those. (although you don't say what kind of vehicle you're working on)

 

Thanks for replying dude

 

 

Anyways:

97 impreza outback, MT.

 

The problem I am encountering is: while removing the 4 12mm nuts/bolts, I am unable to twist the shaft around, to access two of said bolts.

 

It looks like i have to remove a steel plate being held in with 6 14mm bolts to be able to drop the shaft as well.

 

With this being on wheel ramps, it is looking like it is next to impossible to get these 4 12mm bolts all off.

[lmdew]

You said the rear tires are on ramps, with the wheels both in contact with the ground/ramps you can NOT sping the drive shaft. Have to get one wheel off the ground/ramp and make sure the E Brake is off.

 

Larry

[Fairtax4me]

Jack stands really are the best (safest) way to get the car off the ground for this but without them you can substitute large tree trunks, or wheels (layed flat) under the rocker pinch seams.

One jack stand is better than none. Block both front wheels so the car will not roll. Put the stand under one side so one rear wheel is off the ground. Be sure the stand is on a solid surface like concrete. If on dirt or gravel put a piece of plywood under the stand to spread the weight.

[torxxx]

Jackstand under the front passenger side of the car (use the "frame" they have thats a foot in from the pinch weld) I've seen too many pinchwelds pushed in, smashed in or with holes in it from people dropping the car on jackstands on the pinchweld.

 

I know it sounds weirds telling you to jack up the front. I never jack up the rear of the car onto jack stands when I do a driveline or a tranny. Just the front comes up, and then the rear tire just enough to spin the tire and set it back on the floor. You should have enough room with just the passenger front all the way up on the jackstand. I do it this way so the rear e-brake holds the rear wheels from moving, therefore no reason to block the front tires.

 

With the passenger front up, take your jack and jack up the rear diff. spin the tires til the 2 bolts you couldnt get to are pointing towards the floor. Drop the rear wheel back down to the floor, slide under and remove the other 2 bolts.

 

Honestly I highly recommend buying a pair of jackstands. You can get a cheap set of them at walmart for 30 or 40 bucks. If you own a subaru and intend on doing any work on it yourself, jackstands are a must

Edited September 5, 2012 by torxxx

[Fairtax4me]

I do it this way so the rear e-brake holds the rear wheels from moving, therefore no reason to block the front tires.

This defeats the purpose of ALLOWING the rear wheels to turn.

The rear diff has to turn so that all of the bolts on the pinion flange are accessible. You now have to disengage the e-brake in order to turn the wheel so the diff will turn. And then what? The car rolls off the jack stand...

 

The Ebrake might not always hold the car either. It' still a mechanical device. The cable could break, the ratchet mechanism could break. The side you have on the ground could be out of adjustment and will still allow the car to roll even with the brake engaged.