Replacing diff inter shat bearings/seals

[bobk]

Hi. I'm new to the Beta Spider, so need advice on curing the oil leak around the intermediate shaft.
How do I remove the shaft and bearings/seals with engine and transmission in situ. Do I have to remove the drive shafts. Can this be done by just undoing a suspension joint, rather than pulling the hubs (a nightmare I believe). Can somebody give me a step by step process.

[Nigel]

Hi Bob and welcome!

Assuming your leak is at the diff end of the intermediate shaft.....

Slacken first the hub nut on the ground, it's tight.
Then remove the 2 bolts connecting the hub to the shock. undo the 6 drive shaft bolts,
the drive shaft will then come out.
Then you can remove the intermediate shaft carrier bolts from the engine block, (jack up the engine slightly for this) and the
6 bolts from the diff flange. Then you'll need a castle nut socket ( I made my own tool for this) to remove the inner nut, the
flange then pulls out of the diff. An impact wrench is very handy here.
You can then remove the 4 bolted diff flange to give access to the seal. Be aware there may be
shims inside that need to go back in to preserve the diff pre-loading.

Hope this helps. Others may well offer more and better advice.
Nigel

[SanRemo78]

I think you may be able to do it without removing the driveshafts from the hubs.

If you put the car on axle stands and remove the front wheels you can get at the inner CV Joints to remove the 6 bolts each side. The driveshafts can then be covered with a bag to reduce the chance of dirt getting in and laid to one side. The intermediate shaft needs to be released from the engine mount (2 nuts/bolts) and the block (one nut) and then levered off a locating pin before it can be withdrawn. It may bring a mating collar with it from the diff end. Obviously you need to support the engine so this can come off, I'd recommend a bar across the engine bay with a chain lift as you'll probably need all the space underneath the car you can get. But blocks underneath the sump would work too. The left side of the diff has a flange drive that will need to be pulled out. (I can't recall if it's held in place with a nut or a circlip though!). There are four bolts on each flange that need to be undone to remove the flanges that hold the seals. As Nigel said, don't lose the preload shims or mix them up. One side at a time. Reassembly is the reverse procedure. You'll need a bowl to catch the oil that will drain out, don't forget to refill once you're done.

Whilst you're doing this job have a look at the condition of the driveshaft boots and replace them if necessary. The inner CV Joint is held in place with a circlip, remove this and the joint will slide off. The outer CV joint boot can then be slid down the shaft and a new one installed. It's a job best done on the bench but can be done in situ if you keep everything clean.

Guy

[bobk]

Thanks guys - very helpful

[bobk]

Having a bit of trouble with this. Compared with your description (one top bolt and two bolts/nuts to engine mount), the intermediate shaft carrier is held to the block by an extra two studs/nuts at the bottom, which are too long to allow the carrier to be pulled away. I have removed the engine mount to get extra clearance, but I'm wary about levering the carrier too far and too hard, for fear of ruining the bearings. Any ideas? I think removing the studs will not be easy given the cramped space. Pic attached.
If I can get the carrier loose, does the shaft pull easily out of the diff, or does it need some persuasion?

[HFStuart]

The bearing is not an especially tight fit in the housing. Remove the clamp plate bolts and the whole driveshaft will tap out.

[WestonE]

What Stuart Said!

[bobk]

Excellent - I'll give it a try tomorrow
Thanks

[bobk]

Success - the inter shaft moved out easily once the three-bolt flange was undone, so the RH diff seal could be replaced. I didn't need to touch the carrier after all.
Thanks for your help