driveshaft re-installation

[Rock3tman]

Help, I'm trying to re-install drive shafts after servicing CV joints and they don't want to go back in, using Bentley procedure.    On the driver side, the inner splined end interferes with the stub by about 1/8" and the passenger side interferes with the control arm no matter which way I turn the steering wheel...the car is up on jack stands and the front wheels are dangling down on the springs/struts.    

Any tricks to this?    Car is a 1983 Jetta 1.6TD

[damac]

Not clear on whats going on.  Are you talking about putting the exact same parts back on, or did you change the splined end that goes into the hub? 

The last 2 times I got axles for my mk1 from the local kragen, they would lock up solid with nut pressure in the hub.  I had to take a grinder and clearance my old hubs on a couple of the mating surfaces.

If you are talking about just wiggling them into place, not getting how there would be a problem if you pulled them out?

[Rock3tman]

I'm putting the same parts back on after cleaning/re-greasing the CV joints.   Previously, I've rebuilt the engine and had the "FN-code" transmision rebuilt with a peloquin LSD and a NOS 3.67 R+P to replace the stock 3.89 unit.    The engine and trans are installed with only the pass. side and driver side motor mounts torqued up; the front and transmission mounts are loose.

I'm really confused by the passenger side; I can't seem to be able to slip the driveshaft between the oil pan and the body (..and around the front of the control arm) with the splined section installed in the hub and nut tightened.

[CrazyAndy]

If you put the same main CV parts back on as you took off (The joint and axle itself), maybe you have a bad wheel bearing(s); it's the only part that would have shifted, as the CV joint and wheel hub are just two big pieces of metal.  This especially could have happened if you rolled the vehicle around with no axles when you had the drivetrain out, because the bearings need side loading from the axles to remain tight.  This also might be the reason why the passenger axle interferes with the control arm, as the wheel bearing might be 'sagging'.  Also, since you don't have the front or rear mounts torqued, the drivetrain is going to tilt back due to it's weight, causing the rear diff flanges to be lower to the ground and, by extension, the control arms.  Is the car on jack stands?

Also to damac:  The reason the axles locked up is probably because the rebuilders that 'made' those axles put on some post-1986 outer CV joints, which have a shallower taper on their outer joint housings which cause them to hang up on pre-85 cars.  Nowadays rebuilders just slap together whatever fits and get their money; the price you pay for overseas labor.  I

[Rock3tman]

I'm assuming that the snap ring is still locating the wheel bearing in the correct spot, as I didn't change anything there or on the control arms.   I haven't rolled the car around; it's been on the jackstands for three years.  I'll try tightening the rear mount to see if that lifts the transmission enough to get the end of the driveshaft over the stub axle. 

Would it work to unfasten the ball joint from the the control arm, pivot the hub outward, install the driveshaft(s) and then bolt the ball joint back on?   Everything looks to be right, except I can't seem to get the driver side inner joint (actually the splined shaft with snap ring) to clear the edge of the stub axle where the inner CV joint seats and is bolted with the 12pt triple square bolts.

frustrating...

[Dakotakid]

Unhooking ball joint allows the swing you need.
Be careful not to cut the rubber on your ball joint by slicing it with the control arm edge.

[bajacalal]

The trick to doing this is to carefully push the engine/transmission assembly up about 1/2 inch using a floor jack and a piece of wood as a support, which should give you just enough clearance to wrestle the axle into position with the wheel at full lock to one side or the other. If you can't make that work you will have to unbolt the control arm at the ball joint so you can push the control arm down and out to the way and the spindle assembly away from the axle shaft.