Prop Bearings Question

Grayo said:

Thanks Hippo, I've been having a read of your sticky, very informative apart from the size of the socket you used LOL. Looking at the pictures does the bolt go through the hole with the tab washer in place.

Cheers

Grayo

Click to expand...

Yes. Bolt goes through the hole with the thin washer slid on the bolt first. U shape washer can slide in after bolt starts to turn to secure. Just make sure both washers fit as per the pic's. I've just looked at me pic's and I used a 30mm socket too. Will add that to the method.

Hippo said:

Yes. Bolt goes through the hole with the thin washer slid on the bolt first. U shape washer can slide in after bolt starts to turn to secure. Just make sure both washers fit as per the pic's. I've just looked at me pic's and I used a 30mm socket too. Will add that to the method.

Click to expand...

Brilliant, thanks Hippo, and everybody else involved in this thread.

Grayo

Just to confirm "Do not remove the bolt" slacken the bolt off just enough to take the "U" washer out, then place a cold chisel down behind the nut head give the chisel a tap with hammer and the joint will start to split. Slacken the bolt again and repeat the steps above until joint is split apart.

The bolt and tab washer will go right through the hole making re-assembly a lot easier.

Grayo

Grayo said:

Just to confirm "Do not remove the bolt" slacken the bolt off just enough to take the "U" washer out, then place a cold chisel down behind the nut head give the chisel a tap with hammer and the joint will start to split. Slacken the bolt again and repeat the steps above until joint is split apart.

The bolt and tab washer will go right through the hole making re-assembly a lot easier.

Grayo

Click to expand...

Much better method than that chap in the video.

I'm sorry but that is just painful to watch I can't work out why he unbolts the the IRD nut a couple of turns then hits the prop yoke along the spline before undoing the bolt some more. All that is needed is loosen the bolt enough to remove the U washer as the bolt head is smaller than the spline!!
Edit
It's been spotted already!
There is no need to paint anything ether.

Must say I found it a pretty easy job to do appart from one bolt head which holds the bearing in place rounded off from the previouse bearing change every thing went well. Once I'd got the rounded off bolt out I think about 20 mins and the bearings were changed as well.

One thing that worried me slightly was the actual shafts joints themselves. If you can imagine a clock face say, the front UV joint was at positions: 12 o,clock, quarter past, half past, and quarter to.

The rear shaft UV joint was at: ten to, five past, twenty past, and twenty five to.

So I don't know if the shafts were put back together wrong the last time or not.

I would have thought they should have been the same ??? can anybody confirm this please.


Cheers

Grayo

:behindsofa:

Removed my VCU/Propshaft assembly yesterday to replace the VCU on my 2002, TD4. the propshaft yoke ears were virtually in line where fitted to the VCU.
Looking at the state of things, I don't think the VCU had been changed previously, as the propshaft yokes were well rusted onto the VCU splines. I was fortunate enough to have a couple of engineering wedges-one of them very thin at the small end which allowed it to fit over both propshaft yoke ears. Took a fair bit of force to get it to move, but once it started it came off easily.
I have replaced all the propshaft U.J.'s as a matter of course and will be giving the VCU splines a dose of copper grease before reassembly.
As I am doing the job single handed, I intend cutting a couple of pieces of M8 allthread about 6" long,to act as guide bolts, and screwing these diagonally opposite into the bearing mounting holes in the chassis, This will support the VCU and allow me to lift it into position whilst I fit the bolts. Nuts and washers on the allthread will allow it to be raised at my leisure without struggling to hold the heavy lump in mid air whilst trying to fit a bolt with the other hand.

Going to remove the diff rear cover and drain/change the diff oil whilst I am down and dirty !!

Irishrover said:

:behindsofa:

Removed my VCU/Propshaft assembly yesterday to replace the VCU on my 2002, TD4. the propshaft yoke ears were virtually in line where fitted to the VCU.

As I am doing the job single handed, I intend cutting a couple of pieces of M8 allthread about 6" long,to act as guide bolts, and screwing these diagonally opposite into the bearing mounting holes in the chassis, This will support the VCU and allow me to lift it into position whilst I fit the bolts. Nuts and washers on the allthread will allow it to be raised at my leisure without struggling to hold the heavy lump in mid air whilst trying to fit a bolt with the other hand.

Going to remove the diff rear cover and drain/change the diff oil whilst I am down and dirty !!

Click to expand...

Re: My Yokes

So your saying the yoke ears were virtually in line with each other. This makes me think mine were fitted back together wrong the last time the bearings were changed.

Re: Fitting

What I did with mine was to place the VCU on an axle stand, the bearings turned just enough to get one bolt in each side then offer the other side up and put the other bolt in. Found this to be easy.

Re: Diff oil.

I used a 500mm syringe purchased off ebay and sucked the old oil out then used it to pump the new oil back in. When you get under the car and look, there are some awkward bolts to get at then you have got to re-seal the plate. If the joint is not leaking I would leave it in place and suck it out.

All the best

Grayo

Grayo said:

Re: My Yokes

So your saying the yoke ears were virtually in line with each other. This makes me think mine were fitted back together wrong the last time the bearings were changed.

Re: Fitting

What I did with mine was to place the VCU on an axle stand, the bearings turned just enough to get one bolt in each side then offer the other side up and put the other bolt in. Found this to be easy.

Re: Diff oil.

I used a 500mm syringe purchased off ebay and sucked the old oil out then used it to pump the new oil back in. When you get under the car and look, there are some awkward bolts to get at then you have got to re-seal the plate. If the joint is not leaking I would leave it in place and suck it out.

All the best

Grayo

Click to expand...

:behindsofa:

Thanks for the info.
I have the car raised farly high and the axle stands wont reach, height wise, but I will give it a go.
The bolt with the rounded off head is M8 X approx. 50mm long.

I note what you say about removing the oil with a syringe but I want to make sure that the diff casing is clean as I can get it. I have some RTV sealant and will apply that as there does not appear to be a gasket shown.
Looking at the diff casing, the casting looks very thick at the bottom-plenty thick enough for a drain plug hole to be drilled and tapped. For the life of me I can't see why they didn't fit one at build...penny pinchin bastids

Irishrover said:

:behindsofa:

Thanks for the info.
I have the car raised farly high and the axle stands wont reach, height wise, but I will give it a go.
The bolt with the rounded off head is M8 X approx. 50mm long.

I note what you say about removing the oil with a syringe but I want to make sure that the diff casing is clean as I can get it. I have some RTV sealant and will apply that as there does not appear to be a gasket shown.
Looking at the diff casing, the casting looks very thick at the bottom-plenty thick enough for a drain plug hole to be drilled and tapped. For the life of me I can't see why they didn't fit one at build...penny pinchin bastids

Click to expand...

I got a new bolt last night. A lad I know works in LR spares department at main LR dealer, so phoned him on his mobile and he brought one home with him from work.

I agree what you say about the drain plug, it would make life a lot easier had they fitted one. Looking at the botton of the diff it looks like there is a place with the option to fit one had they wanted to.

Anyway good luck with your plans hope all goes well.

Grayo

I fitted a drain plug on my old 1.8. There is a low area already cast into the bottom to fit it!!

Nodge68 said:

I fitted a drain plug on my old 1.8. There is a low area already cast into the bottom to fit it!!

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:behindsofa:

As per my previous post, I removed the rear diff cover today to drain & check the oil condition. No real problems apart from two awkward bolts which lie close to the diff side mounts and breaking the sealant on the cover.
The oil wasn't too bad but I think the level was a bit on the low side. No metal bits on the magnetic filler plug or lying in the bottom of the casing. Also gave me a chance to look at the state of the Crownwheel and the witness marks on the teeth...all looks good.
Cleaned the bottom of the casing out and applied RTV to the cover mating face. Filled with fresh oil-job done.
When the oil is due for a change again....if I still have the car ! I will remove the cover and drill & tap a M12 hole in the bottom and fit a drain plug-didn't have time today.

Well done, good job done. :beer2:Time for a well earned pint now lol.

Grayo said:

Well done, good job done. :beer2:Time for a well earned pint now lol.

Click to expand...

:behindsofa:


Thanks for that.

Hope your VCU bearings are sorted and yours is back together, or well on it's way.
Must say that the VCU from Bell Eng. is the dogs bollix...what a difference !!

:tea:

Irishrover said:

:behindsofa:


Thanks for that.

Hope your VCU bearings are sorted and yours is back together, or well on it's way.
Must say that the VCU from Bell Eng. is the dogs bollix...what a difference !!

:tea:

Click to expand...

Yep mines all sorted. After I painted the fuel tank cradle while it was over the pit, I took it out for a test run. No more noise and no vibration, got up to 80 mph and all was fine. Yeh!!