1996 Maxima - Driveshaft fell out of transmission?

[zcarman]

Guys,My girlfriend lives out of town, so I can't inspect for myself. Anyway, the car died yesterday. A supposedly reputable shop said that the driveshaft fell out. What?! This is a summary going through girlfriend's translation, but based on the answers she got and the shop saying the transmission needs to be pulled, it sounds like the output shaft assembly came out of transmission. The CV joints should have been ok, and there was no mention of the driveshaft going bad, falling apart, etc.So...has anyone ever heard of this sort of thing happening? How the hell COULD it happen? (driver side btw)Feedback appreciated.BoozeLouisville

[Darktide]

odd thing is.... driveshaft = cv joint. they are the same thing. So if the CV joint is ok the drive shaft has to be ok. Not to mention its seriously impossible for the shaft to fall out. Nor would that cause the car to die.... it would cause her to turn a sharp left (since only the passenger side was getting power). It sounds pretty screwed up to me. Good luck with it.

[NutriaforBreakfast]

Probably the drivers side-the little clip on the end ofthe shaft may have broken

[Sentientbydesign]

Driveshaft on a FWD car huh?

[dwilbank]

Did you find out what happened yet?

It is possible the CV joint seized and it snapped the axle, but it would have been giving her signs for a while before that happened.

If it is the CV axle, it's not a difficult repair. A shop shouldn't charge more than $50 for a replacement axle, and 2 hours labor max.

[Sentientbydesign]

The job can be done in 45 mins by yourself. http://www.motorvate.ca

I did it without instructions in 1.5 hours, but that was with a lot of breaks.

Plus don't let them charge you more than 100 for the part. I got mine for 55.

[Trav1s]

Driveshaft on a FWD car huh?

AKA: half-shafts

They have CV (Constant velocity) joints on each end which allow for compound motion (turning and up/down)

[Sentientbydesign]

AKA: half-shafts

They have CV (Constant velocity) joints on each end which allow for compound motion (turning and up/down)

Thanks Trav1s. I used to own one. I've just never heard of a CV axle referred to as a driveshaft. Makes me question the shop.

The whole description of the problem makes me think of two different cars.

[Trav1s]

Thanks Trav1s. I used to own one. I've just never heard of a CV axle referred to as a driveshaft. Makes me question the shop.

The whole description of the problem makes me think of two different cars.[/B}

I hear what you are saying! Not doubting your knowledge here but going for clarification since the original poster sounded confused.