Help with stuck driveshaft - Corsa D F13 transaxle

[MilkyRaisin]

Hi,

I've been trying to remove my driveshaft (near side) from my differential, to replace a leaking seal, but have been unable to pull or lever the driveshaft out when its free at the wheel end.

I'm at the point where I'm rounding off the edges of the the driveshaft lever line (I'm not sure what this is actually called but is a 5mm wide line cut out of the shaft around the circumference) with my prybar so something must be wrong. Everything I've read and watched makes this job look easy, the driveshaft just pulls out of the diff.

I suspect that the circlip which retains the driveshaft in the diff has deformed and is getting caught on something. Does anyone know how easy/possible it is to remove this circlip by removing the diff cover and going in this way?

If anyone has alternative suggestions, that would be good too!

[CoolHands]

Can you get on with heavy chisel to whack it in the direction to remove it? You can take the cv joint apart to remove shaft and leave stub in diff but if that is the seal you want to change then no use. I don’t think taking the backplate off is any use.

[MilkyRaisin]

Unfortunately there is no room for a chisel, the diff housing is in the way.
The seal I need to change is the one fitted in the diff, so the whole shaft has to come out.

Thanks for your suggestions though

[CoolHands]

Front wheel drive or rear?

If front, it may be possible to undo the lower arm etc so you can ‘swing’ the front wheel with driveshaft etc still attached away from the diff. Ie the wheel & hub etc are hanging from the top turret. You can use the weight of the wheel and the momentum you generate to pull the driveshaft out of the gearbox. Bit hard to explain. Used to that on Ford fiestas and escorts and other FWD models. So never used a crowbar at all.

[E-bmw]

CoolHands said:

Front wheel drive or rear?

Don't know of any RWD Corsas.

Having said that, the technique you say is worth a try.

That or something similar.

You just need to shock it out rather than level it out.

Perhaps a G-clamp or similar on the shaft and a whack with a hammer could work.

[MilkyRaisin]

Ooh, I like the idea of butting a G clamp on, I'll try that.
I'm new to car repairs but aren't the CV joints a bit delicate to be applying those sorts of forces through them? The haynes manual says to not lever against the CV boot.

[E-bmw]

You aren't putting stress through the outer CV & that is the more fragile one, and you would be nowhere near the cv boot anyway.

Likelihood is it won't take much of a knock to get it out, just work up to it until it pops out.