Hiya,

replaced the knocking Dunlop air strut on the front right at the weekend - will do a seperate post on that later.

When I did it I managed to slip the driveshaft out of the diff and I am if I can get it back in again. Rave procedure is for full removal and refit i.e. remove hub/suspension etc.

Anyone had any experience of getting the inner end to engage without removing from hub?

Tried rotating and pushing but it stops about 1/2" proud......

Cheers,

Paul. 2011 TDV8 AB
2006 TD6 AB (Gone to Wales)

The way I did it was remove the gaiter from the diff end and using a length of 50x50 wood banged it back in with a lump hammer. then refit the gaiter with a large zip tie. 2011 4.4 tdv8 Kahn. 2007 supercharged with 2012 lights and overfinch body kit. P38 with a full J.E.Engineering conversion

When i did mine mate to get it back in i un did the bracket which the shaft slides through to give me more up and down movement it was still a ball ache though

Cheers guys, I guess I am surprised by how much effort it takes to get the driveshaft to seat in the diff.

Is this because the circlip is a spring clip or something? Normally I am used to driveshafts just sliding in once you have got the splines aligned?

Cheers,

Paul. 2011 TDV8 AB
2006 TD6 AB (Gone to Wales)

Yes mate its like you have to bounce them in if you will but like i said i removed the alloy bracket that bolts to the motor which the shaft sits through it have me fair be of up and down movement

Cool, I will get it up on the ramps then and give it a go with a bit better access!

Cheers,

Paul. 2011 TDV8 AB
2006 TD6 AB (Gone to Wales)

Did you get sorted with the driveshaft re fitting pal

No, job for this weekend if all goes according to plan  2011 TDV8 AB
2006 TD6 AB (Gone to Wales)

So got onto this yesterday, had to do it on axle stands in the end as it threw the Transfer box error/can't select neutral/no drive when I tried to move it onto the ramps

I decided to pull the whole drive shaft as I wanted to check the circlip on the inner end wasn't snapped/damaged. Wasn't too bad a job in the end - can't find any write ups on this anywhere on L322's so a few pics below.

1. Jacked the front end and supported on axle stands.
2. Removed tie rod ball joint, anti roll bar drop link, two bolts securing strut and loosened three bolts on top of shock tower. (this was easy to do as I had just replaced the shock so they were nice and free). Also disconnected the drop link on the other side.
3. With the removed I tapped the drive shaft back through the hub (towards engine) having removed the hub nut. You can use a proper hub removal tool which bolts onto the wheel studs and pushes the driveshaft out but i didn't have the correct adapter for the wheel studs.

I have a clonck / knock on the left front of mine i have done the ball joints drop links etc im woundering if mine has a knackerd strut instead as the knock still there

Nice write up. Did the front diff on my SC sometime ago and it was a rite pain getting the d/shafts back in the front hubs, no idea why they are so tight. Getting them in the diff wasn't a a big deal though. Good one for doing your own work and sharing it with us all  Range rover 4.2 SC 06MY.

getting stuck in replacing whole engine and want to remove driveshaft. (the donor engine arrived with front diff attached.
Do I have to start with the left (Near side) driveshaft? Mine is UK RHD car.

Got both driveshafts out.
now to pop them back in. So glad I read this again, using pry bar to engage the inner clip seems better than bashing. Thanks to @mm289

Hi All,

After searching the source of a few drops of oil under the car, I am came across a 2cm gap on the righthand side driveshaft, near the differential. The oil seems to come from there but are stuck with 2 questions. What could have caused it? and How to solve/still safe to drive?

Have not noticed it before and it looks shiny i.e. recent, nothing has been hit that I know of both wheels looks aligned and the same distance compared to the wheel arch. It drives fine and have not noticed anything, vibrations or anything out of the ordinary.

Would you think it is still safe to drive or could it pop out or ruin the differential?

For re-fitting the front off-side drive shaft, here is one tip that worked for me.
I was fitting a new shaft and engaged the splines, ensuring that they engaged smoothly ( I used new diff oil to lubricate the drive shaft end prior to inserting it into the diff) then could not get the damn thing to go in to the point where the circlip 'locked' in place.
I lined up the shaft and hung it up with zip ties and used a wood block and a rubber paving mallet to give the shaft a light tap via the wood, the shaft slid in with only a light tap and engaged the circlip smoothly. Saves messing about with a pry bar in confined spaces. Below shows how simple this is.