Best and easiest way to drop a drive shaft/torque tube

[Dane Brown]

Hey guys i have a 1986 944 N/A that has no motor in it. I have to pull the drive shaft/torque tube out and i was wondering what the best way to do this is?

Thanks-Dane

[flash968]

ugh - "take it to a shop" would be my first suggestion. what a pain in the butt job that is. probably not what you wanted to hear though.

[mhariush]

I dropped it by unbolting the crossbars/braces that hold it in place. I think there's two or maybe three. If you also drop the transmission it's easy. I did it when I was parting out a car. It was much easier than I thought. I used a transmission jack to hold it in place when I undid the braces and then just lowered it. It's heavier on on end. I'd put something soft, like cardboard at each end in case it drops to one side quickly. Can't remember which end was heavier. Using a jack on one in addition also works.

[9FF]

I dropped it by unbolting the crossbars/braces that hold it in place. I think there's two or maybe three....

Cross braces? Was that on a drop top? I don't have any cross braces holding the TT on any of mine. Am I missing something?

With the engine already out easiest way is to drop the rear suspension (6 bolts) and disconnect the gear shift, trans & trans coupler. Use two jack stands on the TT at either end until you have it loose and can maneuver it out.

[v2rocket_aka944]

with the motor out its easier, but still not fun.
drop the rear suspension from the car, or beat the hell out of the spare tire carrier to make it come out.

or if you just need to get it OUT...apply torch.

[mhariush]

maybe cross brace wasn't the right word, but there are a couple of things, let's call them "bridges" that prevent the torque tube from just falling down. Also makes it hard to turn the torque tube as it keeps hitting them. If you undo those and there's no engine and you drop the transmission it's very easy to get it out. Mine was an S coupe...

If you remove those "bridges" you don't have to pull it out from the back, it just drops right down.

[Gawernator]

Lol - plasma cutter

[speedysprocket]

The cross braces are the least of your worries... Rear suspension assembly must come out. Don't know how anyone could do it otherwise without plasma cutting the rear bell housing flange off the torque tube or the suspension cross tube in half. Dropping rear suspension actually isn't as bad as I thought it might be though; parking brake cable was probably the most annoying and frustrating part...

[mhariush]

true, I forgot I had probably dropped the rear suspension already...

[arominus]

You'll need to drop the suspension a little bit (but not completely out) and drop the transaxle then it comes out pretty easy after you pull the aluminum bridges. Make sure you pull the shifter rod out before you drop it.

[Dane Brown]

Hey guys thank you for all the good info. I have the transaxle down and the suspension completely unbolted but for some reason i cant get the big aluminum crossbar to drop down for the life of me. I woukd take the plasma cutter to it lol but that doesn't help me for knowing how to drop the one in my car that the one im dropping now is going into.

[nynor]

why would you need to drop the rear suspension bits to pull the torque tube? i must be missing something, but it seems that i suspended the axles with bungee cords, removed the bolts holding the axles to the transaxle, removed the key bolt holding the driveshaft to the transaxle, removed the bolts holding the torque tube to the transaxle, removed the bolts holding the transaxle mounts, and dropped the transaxle. getting the torque tube out, after that, was pretty straight forward.

clarks garage is your friend: Clark's Garage Home Page

Removal

Disconnect the battery negative lead
Place the vehicle on jack stands.
At the transaxle, push back the rubber boot on the shift linkage. Cut the lock wire on the retaining bolt. Remove the bolt and disconnect the shift linkage from the transaxle.
On early vehicles with carpet on the console underneath the shift lever perform the following:
Inside the vehicle, pull up on the bottom of the leather shift lever boot to separate it from the rubber inner boot.
Pull up the carpet around the rubber boot.
Slide a small flat tip screwdriver under the edge of the trim piece at the base of the rubber boot. Push on the clips with the screwdriver to remove the trim piece.
Pull up on the rubber shift boot to separate it from the shifter opening.
Using a probe or small flat tip screwdriver, remove the clip which holds the shift knob to the shifter.
Using a probe or small flat tip screwdriver, remove the clip which holds the shift linkage to the shifter.
On later vehicles with plastic trim around the shifter boot perform the following:
Using a flat tip screwdriver gently pry around the base of the shifter boot next to the console. Be careful not to damage the boot. This will separate the boot and inner trim ring from the console.
Pull up on the rubber inner boot to separate it from the shifter opening.
Using a probe or small flat tip screwdriver, remove the clip which holds the shift knob to the shifter.
Using a probe or small flat tip screwdriver, remove the clip which holds the shift linkage rod to the shift lever.
Once the shift linkage rod is disconnected from the shift lever, turn the shift rod down and push toward the front of the vehicle. This will disengage the shift linkage rod from the transaxle.
Remove the covers on the bottom of the transaxle bellhousing.
Roll the rear wheels until the drive shaft retaining bolts (2) are accessible through the opening in the bottom of the transaxle bellhousing. You'll have to engage the clutch pedal to roll the wheels.
Mark the position of the clamping sleeve on the drive shaft so that they may be reassembled in the same orientation.
Using an 8 mm Allen head socket remove the clamping sleeve bolts.
Slide the clamping sleeve off the drive shaft splines toward the transaxle.
Set the parking brake to keep the wheels from moving. Disconnect the CV joints (8 mm cheesehead tool) at the transaxle and hang out of the way with shock cords or bailing wire.
Disconnect the backup light wires near the top of the transaxle.
On vehicles with electronic speedometers, disconnect the cable for the speedometer sensor on the transaxle.
Remove the nuts and bolts (4) that attach the torque tube bellhousing to the transaxle.
Support the transaxle with a floor jack.
Disconnect the fuel filter from the transaxle support cross-member and remove the two bolts (M10) that attach the transaxle cross-member to the chassis.
Move the transaxle toward the rear of the car enough to slide the shift linkage tube out of the way and disconnect the drive shaft clamping sleeve.
Lower the transaxle as you move it rearward to clear the spare tire well.
Once the shift linkage tube is removed and the drive shaft is clear of the transaxle, lower the transaxle from the car.

[9FF]

Originally Posted by nynor

why would you need to drop the rear suspension bits to pull the torque tube?....

Probably because if the engine is already out it's easier than doing all that ^^^^. Six bolts hold the rear suspension, two hold the trans, job done....

[nynor]

huh... why did we take the transaxle out when we did the clutch? that looks a heck of a lot simpler. then, if boots or what not need replacing, its all right there. when/if the clutch goes on the 951, that is how i am doing.

or is there a reason it can't be done that way with engine still in the car?

thanks!

[9FF]

huh... why did we take the transaxle out when we did the clutch? that looks a heck of a lot simpler. then, if boots or what not need replacing, its all right there. when/if the clutch goes on the 951, that is how i am doing.



or is there a reason it can't be done that way with engine still in the car?



thanks!

With the engine in you couldn't lift the whole assembly in place as you have to insert the TT into the clutch housing (little wiggle room and I would think impossible to do as a whole assembled structure). You would have to dismantle and put them back piece by piece, TT, trans, suspension.

With the engine out its a breeze, just lift the whole thing assembled back into place.

[nynor]

right. so, could you pull it all, minus the torque tube, with engine in place?

[9FF]

Originally Posted by nynor

right. so, could you pull it all, minus the torque tube, with engine in place?

The op already had the engine out and wanted to remove the tt so dropping everything behind the engine IMO is the easiest way. With the engine in place you cannot drop everything like that, you need room to slide the tt back to disengage it from the engine/clutch. You have to drop the trans to slide it back but you don't need to remove the rear suspension assembly. So it's easier to do it the traditional way as per Clark's.

[nynor]

thanks.

[Gawernator]

It seems so simple when looking at 9FF's picture... so deceptive xD

[9FF]

Originally Posted by Gawernator

It seems so simple when looking at 9FF's picture... so deceptive xD

Hear you, probably shouldn't have used the term "it's a breeze", dropping the TT is a BIG JOB whichever way you do it, not for the faint hearted. Also that's not my picture but it's confirmation by someone else of how I did it, suppose I'm not the only one stupid enough to do it that way