Advice needed - drive shaft and ABS rings

[paddy74]

I need to change both of my front ABS rings for MOT (that was due in July ). So far so good. I watched Simons video for this like a hundred times, thought it would be not an easy, but doable job.

At first I had to grind down all the screws at the shocks, as they didn't want to move at all. Did that, but next, the drive shafts. They are stuck. So I ordered a 10t press to push them out (a set like this one). I heated it up, I "froze" it, I pushed, I pulled - nothing. It doesn't move even a tini tiny bit.

With my last try, I accidentally ruined the first two rounds of the inside thread in the drive shaft, so I'm more than stuck right now.

As far as I can see, I now have three ways left:

• put it back together without one drive shaft bolt and drive it to my Indie. Should work, that damn thing is stucked anyway...
• order a new wheel bearing and the outer part of the drive shaft. Try to split the drive shaft while still installed and pull out the bearing and the outer part of the drive shaft with luck and force. But that would be around 300.-€ just for the parts, and both bearings look and sound ok, as well as the drive shafts (besides the stuck part).
• light it up and depend on Uber for the rest of my time (not an option )

I'd appreciate any advice, even the silliest sounding ideas, anything. I'm stuck at home, and I'm disappointed that I seem to have overestimated my skills or my tools (or both).

So please, any advice is very much appreciated!

Thanks!

[Harley Dave]

My money is on taking it to the local indie - which I'd have done first time around.

Not saying you should have done that, but it's what I would have done (unless I had another vehicle at my disposal and could afford to have the Volvo off the road while I tried to DIY)

Option B is just getting you more committed to a course of action which has already proven beyond your facilities/equipment/ability.

Good Luck in any case

Cheers

Dave

[paddy74]

Thanks for your answer Dave!

I can very much see your point, I would have taken it to my Indie in the first place, but I thought it would be a job fitting my skills. I have done such repairs on my own a few times, but they went smoothly, will say, the parts could be moved and weren't stuck.

With "stuck at home" I meant, I can't use my usual course of action. Normally I'd use a "Hobbywerkstatt" (sorry, no idea how that is called in english - you can rent one space in a car workshop by the hour), as all the tools one needs are there (eg. a 28t press). But both near to me are closed due to covid restrictions and it can't be said, when they are allowed to reopen... Fortunately I do have a car at hand to drive, at least till the end of the year, but it is not mine and I don't like to rely on other peoples cars. Especially since it is a car from a friend, and he refuses to take anything in return.

But yes, I can see why you would suggest to not throw more good money out of the window, when it already seems to be clear that it will end up at my Indie.

So to sum it up, we have one vote for "stop trying, let someone with more skills do it".

More votes, suggestions and/or advices are very welcome!

[BustersDad]

I had this issue, I watched all the YouTube videos, and yes, it did look easy, on my first attempt on the o/s,I managed to undue both bolts on the suspension leg, I removed the top one, left the bottom loose but in situ, and swung the hub down, the bolt holding the driveshaft in place came out, but the driveshaft was stuck solid, I had already removed this driveshaft previously when I replaced the bearing hub a year or two back. It started raining, that was my excuse to gave up, put it all back together again. Second attempt, much the same, even my trusty lump hammer didn’t touch it. On the third attempt, I went to the near side hub, did everything the same, tapping the driveshaft bolt a few times on removal, out it came, ABS ring changed, I knew then I was doing it right. Back to the o/s, bolts undone, top one removed, I used half a can of WD40 on the driveshaft stuck in the hub, I measured the gap to the outside edge, and with a drift (old socket that just fit) and my trusty lump hammer, it still didn’t move after about 10-15 strikes, I measured again, lo and behold it had moved about 2mm, not easy to see, eventually it will give, and it did, moral of the story, lots of WD and perseverance.

[S60D5-185]

This is how bad it can get.

+ YouTube Video

[Harley Dave]

Paddy - thanks for taking that the right way!!

I lived in Germany for a while back in the day when I was a squaddie.

I was in Osnabrück, Mönchengladbach and Berlin but of course we had access to our local REME workshops for private car jobs...

The idea of the Hobbywerkstatt is a great one - presumably there will be other guys there who can assist/advise too. Just a shame they are closed at the moment.

Let us know how you get on anyway

Cheers

Dave

[Dancake]

Not the prettiest way of doing it, but there should be enough room to slide a long impact socket into the centre of the wheel bearing so that it rests on the face of where the driveshaft bolt screws into. The socket should protrude far enough out of the wheel so that you can hit it with a sledge hammer. Done a couple this way and it does work. The sudden impact works better than the gradual pressure of a press. Just don't miss.

[Crash Bang]

In the circumstances Paddy, I am with the Indie route on this one.

Try and get a fixed price off em! I doubt they will give it but try anyway.

[paddy74]

Originally Posted by Harley Dave

Paddy - thanks for taking that the right way!!

I lived in Germany for a while back in the day when I was a squaddie.

I was in Osnabrück, Mönchengladbach and Berlin but of course we had access to our local REME workshops for private car jobs...

The idea of the Hobbywerkstatt is a great one - presumably there will be other guys there who can assist/advise too. Just a shame they are closed at the moment.

Let us know how you get on anyway

Cheers

Dave

Thanks for your answer Dave! How could I take that the wrong way? I'm interested in honest opinions (and if I'm an idiot, than tell me, otherwise I won't learn/change! ). If I had wanted brown-nose-speech, I would have made american president.

Sounds like you were here as a soldier. I hope, you have been treated well here in Germany and had a great time, thank you for your service! But you should have been with the AmericanForces, than you would have been in the better part of Germany - Bavaria

The "Hobbywerkstatt" is a great idea, as you don't have to buy a lot of tools, and as you said, there are always other people around, who can help or at least give a suggestion how to ruin, ehm I mean repair your car. And it saves a lot of money: one hour including the hydraulic lift is 15.-€, a tools flatrate for another 7.50€/hour and you can borrow anything you need. I'm surprised you don't have that, maybe a new business idea?

Originally Posted by Dancake

Not the prettiest way of doing it, but there should be enough room to slide a long impact socket into the centre of the wheel bearing so that it rests on the face of where the driveshaft bolt screws into. The socket should protrude far enough out of the wheel so that you can hit it with a sledge hammer. Done a couple this way and it does work. The sudden impact works better than the gradual pressure of a press. Just don't miss.

Taking the answers from here, and what I found on other sites, I made an appointment for next week with my Indie (it seems, car repair isn't really harmed with Covid, it was the last appointment he could give me for the next four weeks... ). We'll see, how that goes.

In the meantime I have another few days, were I can try to get it loose (thanks @Dancake) with force. I can't see, where I could do more harm than good right now, so I'll try. I can always cancel the appointment.

Thanks a lot guys, I had a little hope, someone would turn up and tell me, do this, while you jump on one feet and it will get loose, but that seemed far fetched from the beginning.

So, Indie it is, I will let you know, how much it cost. I got a quote for "at max. 350.-€ incl", so I go with that. Seems fair to me.

Thanks for your time!

[paddy74]

A few weeks later, I have to report how this worked out.

First off, my indie is such a great guy, if you ever are in the south of Munich and in need of a really good and nice Volvo guy, I'd be happy to give you his number!

My indie came by a few days after my post, as his horses are in a stable nearby (good to know ) and he thought, he'd take a look at my car.

He decided, there wouldn't be a real chance in getting out the stuck, outer CV joint without damaging the wheel bearing and the outer joint. So new parts were the way to go. He offered me to try to get the parts apart in his shop, so I could use the steering knuckle again, as it is around 400.-€ to buy new.

I wasn't sure if I could do the right drive shaft, so he offered to come back a few days later with his tool truck, and tore it apart for me in my drive way. Took him around 25 minutes, and off he was. He later called and sent me two eb** links for two used steering knuckles to buy. He suggested to get some used ones, as it would take some time to get the old ones ready, and the sooner he would do that job, the more expensive it would be. The ones on eb** were together for 120.-€, so I took them and left the others with him. I can always sell them later or we just throw them away, we'll see.

So I ordered the following items:

• two new front wheel bearings (SKN)
• two new outer cv joints (SKN)
• two used steering knuckles (eb**)
• two new ball joints (Heydt)
• one new abs sensor for the left side

I put back all the received parts on my own, it was a doable job for me (with some phone advice).
So the car is back on the road, unfortunately it was a lot more money than expected (450.-€ all together). Remember, the starting point was to change the abs rings (2x 4,85€). But on the other hand, I now have my mind at ease, this part of the car shouldn't need repairs for the next few years. And it was a learning experience on its own. I ruined one of the hose clamps for the new cv joint, so cable tie it is (has to be) for a few days...