Removing rear axles - Q45 HELP!

[John Nordling]

I'm trying to remove the right rear axle shaft on a '90 Q with Hicas. I followed the directions on page RA-14 of the manual, but I need about another 4 inches + of room. Everythig is loose; there's just not room to remove it.

Anyone done this before? I just hope I don't have to remove all of the suspension links and pull off the axle flange to do this.

Experience welcome!

John in Seattle

[DAEDALUS]

You need another 4" where? The inboard end is hanging loose, and you're just tapping the outboard end through? Have you triend using a puller? The end of the shaft is dimpled for this.

[John Nordling]

Thanks for responding. I used a gear puller to loosen the wheel end of the shaft, but there just wasn't enough room to push it all of the way through. The differential end can only compress so much, and there isn't room around the rear suspension cage, linkages, and exhaust to pull that end out.

I guessed that I would have to disconnect the multiple links to pull the axel flange out far enough to free the axel shaft. I took off the front and rear upper links on the axel flange, the Hicas linkage, and the brakes (so I could get to the emergency brake cable which was limiting the travel of the flange), pried the flange down, and SUCCESS. The axel is out.

Guess what, the axel side has too much free play. Since they are over $800 new from Joe at Scottsdale, I'll check out used ones. Just my luck; only the inner side can be rebuilt! For a frame of reference, I pulled the other axel for comparision, and it seems alright at both ends.

Started it up, but the vibration is still there. I guess it must be the driveshaft, but I'm going to read the posts now to see what happens if the transmission tail shaft causes a vibration.

Hey, any idea what couses an intermittent speedometer reading? Sometimes it works, sometime it doesn't!

Thanks...............John in Seattle

[Q45tech]

If the steering gets harder when speedo stops or just common failure of speedometer module?

The transmission tailshaft speed sensor feeds an electronic module that converts rpm to 0> 5 volts [speedometer just a volt meter] this 0>5 volts gets fed [and isolated] to multiple circuits. Cruise, power steering computer, ecu, speedometer, back to TCU......etc.

Follow the volts.

[John Nordling]

Thanks for the advice. I can't remember whether the steering changes noticeably when the speedo quits, but I will check as soon as I get the rest of the drivetrain back together. It is an odd problem. Sometimes it works just fine, then quits as I am driving, then seem to try to work again on an intermittent basis. I sure hope the cure is simple!

John in Seattle