Basic question. Is there any trick to installing a driveshaft? I’m trying to put the spline into the transmission (C4). It goes in about 3" then bottoms out hard. I thought it might be against the spline teeth, but when I turn the driveshaft, it doesn’t feel like it’s up against those teeth. I played around with it for about an hour. I don’t see anyplace where it’s keyed. And, I don’t think getting the hammer out is the right thing to do. Seems to me that thing should just slide right in there.
It should just slide in. Perhaps you can give us a little more background on why the driveshaft was out. Is it the original transmission (sorry Bob, I’m not going to use that other word)? Is it the original driveshaft?
The transmission is original, the driveshaft is original. I took it out to drop the transmission and clean it up, as well as the tunnel. It’s part of an engine bay restoration. I’m 100% certain it’s the right drive shaft. I guess I just don’t have it lined up right. The car has been in a garage, sitting on it’s wheels all the time I’ve been messing with the engine and engine bay.
Greg, was the car driven jacked up with shackles or air shocks? This can cause a wear pattern on the inside of the drive shaft and on the output shaft that can make it difficult to get the two to mate back up.
No shackles or air shocks and it’s never been jacked up. All stock suspension. Always has been. I hadn’t thought about wear, but the car only has 53k miles on it.
Put transmission in park, slide yoke on splines while gently twisting the driveshaft and the splines should mate, keep the driveshaft on the same plane as trans.