Man what a week. This Rover is getting the best of me.

I am trying to do the front propshaft rebuild. I get it off, marked it and got all the u-joints out. But this centering ball is killing me. I tried everything I have read here and other places. Nothing worked. Pounded the heck out of it. Nothing.

Finally I broke out the grinder and removed the ball part (without damaging the coupling to much) so only the cup part is left in the coupling. I am trying to chisel it out but only the very top lip is coming free. The whole rest of the cup is totally stuck in the coupling. I have given up for the night.

Why won't this thing come out? Slide hammer and more and it just won't come out. The vice I put it in with a steel rod jammed through the ball broke as I pounded on it. The vice broke before the centering ball would come out? Now my Rover is sitting in my friends driveway till....maybe forever. I am so spent on what should be rather easy fixes. Does anybody have any advice. I don't even think I can get a dremmel in there to do more grinding.

 

Sometimes it is best to let a professional take over if you get too stuck (before you do some permanent damage). Happened to me last week I replaced my front cover gasket, crankshaft seal, oil pan seal and oil pan gasket. I got down to screwing in the last oil cooler line and it was clear I had screwed up the threads. I had the truck towed (free AAA) to a trusted shop and he fixed it for $40.

Or buy a tom woods.

 

I used the slide hammer with success, but I read up on it first and someone said to use a chisel at the edge of the race to crack it in a couple of places. It should just fall out. Be careful not to mark the well that the race slides into.

 

I agree on giving up. Go French on it and let those who know what they are doing take over. A drive-line shop can do that in no time at all. It will cost you hardly anything and you can rest assured it was done right. (They can balance your prop shaft when they are done too). There is nothing wrong with admitting that you have reached the end of your skill set.

 

I agree as well. I did this job last year, and even though I was able to get the center ball out(broke my slide hammer while doing it), putting the new one in and assembling the double cardon was much more difficult. took me HOURS! You might as well have someone else relieve you of the headache. it shouldn't cost much since it's already out of the truck

 

Thanks you guys. I shouldn't have posted last night. I was tired, hungry and extremely frustrated....and I'm not used to being such a loser when it comes to repairs. I'm going to try one more thing this morning with fresh eyes and, if I fail, it's off to the shop come Monday morning with my white flag in one hand and the propshaft in the other.

One question. How hard is it to lock the CDL? I will only need to drive it a few miles to get it home. Can a half-rate dude like me get it locked and safely home?

2001 Disco II. 102K. All of Mike's 60K maintanience completed....except the front propshaft of course. Gerrrrr.

 

If your 2001 has a lockable center diff then it is just a matter of putting a wrench on the CDL nipple on top of the center diff and turning the bolt. Your truck needs to be in neutral I believe.

 

The center joint started to get the best of me as well, but I did it. I broke my slide hammer, then I went and rented a GIGANTIC slide hammer from the auto part store. After heating the outside with a torch I was able to get that guy out after about 3 hits with the slide. Putting it back in took seconds, which was just insulting at that point.

 

I have my old driveshaft sitting around waiting to be rebuilt so looks like I have something to look forward to.

 

Hey, hey, hey.....what the heck is that suppose to mean ??? Je ne comprend pas !?!

On the subject at hand, I had mine rebuilt by a specialized shop. Guess that the thoughts and repercussions of a wrongly re-built one that fails, had me go that way.