SYE install help

I'm borrowing a friends garage today and trying to install my PORC SYE. This thread will probably get a lot of use, but for now I just need to know, do I have to take off the front driveshaft?

The instructions say to, but they also call for the case being out of the vehicle... Problem is that I started trying to take off the shaft and one of the bolts started rounding off.

Well, I ended up getting 3 of the 4 off with no probs, it's just that one that started to round that I can't get. I've tried an 8mm and a 5/16ths and they seem to fit about the same.

Oh yeah, NP231, AW4, 4.0, 27 spline 8.25 rear, D30 front.

I've been trying to do the AA SYE install (damn rain won't stop). My 8mm wrench started to round the bolts. I switched to a 5/16" 6 sided wrench and that got them all out. If they're totally rounded, maybe those bolt-out things will work.

Can you get a hack saw on the bolt? If you can, cut across the head of the bolt making it a screw. Use a slotted screwdriver to remove the bolt.

Shot in the dark, but hey....It could work.

You're going to have to pull the front shaft anyway. At some stage you're going to break the case open and pull the mainshaft out, but it comes out with the chain and the front output connected. You can't pull the front output if there's a yoke on the outside...

Put the other three bolts back in and get some of the tension off the one you're having problems with.

I got everything off exept for the rear case half, then took a break for a while and got some food. So now I'm ready to get back at it.

Getting the tension off the bolt is a good idea, I'm going to try to get it out before I fully open the case. Thanks for the idea!

Got my PORC done a few weeks ago but farted around finishing up the bellhousing swap - just drove it for the first time tonight and WOW...no vibes. It felt like a totally new vehicle! F the RE driveshaft...I run two fronts now!

Oh yeah - let me know if you have any other questions on the PORC; I'll finish up my writeup in the next couple days.

I ended up calling it a night when my only ride home was leaving at 10, so I didn't get much more done. I've got the rear half separated now, but I left it hanging from 2 bolts to drain overnight. Luckily, I did have a 12 point 10mm socket on hand, since I did have the bolt on the top of the case that requires it. And I did end up finding out that I had a nut holding a little mount on the back side of it. Once the nut was off taking all bolts out to separate the halves was easy.

On the yoke, I tried putting 2 of the other bolts back on and I tapped on the stuck one a few good times, but no luck. I hit it with a few good coats of PB so it can soak overnight and I'm going to look through the tools I have around my house to see if I've got any 6 point wrenches instead of the 12's I've been trying to use.

I'm now wondering about the yoke removal, though. Is the yoke nut the same size as the one that comes with the PORC kit (28mm is what I picked up for that, tightest fit out of the 1/2 drive sockets I was looking at). I've also got a 1-3/16ths I picked up for the drain and filler bolts. Is the front yoke going to take a different size? It looks to me like I'll also need an extension so I can have the breaker bar on the front side of the crossmember, in which case I'll have to pick one up.

When I get around to putting in the drive shafts (hopefully tomorrow after the case is all set...) is it ok to reuse the bolts that hold the rear ujoint straps? I've got new straps which I hope will fit, but the bolts that came with them are much larger than the old ones. I think I actually might be able to use the new ones to bolt up the flange end of the dshaft (They look to be the same size as the ones for the flange of the stock front dshaft. I haven't tried threading them in yet. They have a larger head, though, so I'll also have to check if I'll have clearance in the new output yoke.) Now that I think about it, my front shaft has bolts that go through the output yolk and thread into part of the shaft, clamping on the ujoint. I don't remember there being a flange on the new front shaft I had new yolks put in to use as my rear shaft. I'll have to double check that in the morning.

Oh snap. Thanks for mentioning that nut on the odd bolt up there. I forgot to re-clip my wiring harness to it after assembly.

The front yoke on mine was a 1 1/8" I believe. I'm pretty sure it was actually, as I grabbed that and the 1 3/16" t-case drain socket the other day when I did both. I did the rear output on the bench and don't recall the size on that. I do know that a Hi-Lift handle sleeved over a 17mm wrench to get leverage holding the yoke in place will snap the crap outta the wrench...

Take the old bolt to the hardware store once you get them out and get eight new hex-head bolts that will fit the double-cardan. I wish I wrote the thread down on those though. I need to get four more myself for the front shaft.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: PB Blaster is GREAT!! I put some on last night a few times and then again this morning, tapped it a few more good times and finally I got the last bolt out of the front shaft assembly. I spent this morning searching for grade 8 bolts and managed to find some to replace all the bolts holding the new rear shaft. For future reference, don't even bother with Home Depot, NO HELP WHATSOEVER! And once I found where it should have been, there's a sign saying "special order items, get them fast! shipped in 2-3 days...) I'll stick to the local guys I know any day! Real service is better than "cheap" prices any day...

Now it's on to the yoke nut... I've got an 18 inch 1/2 drive breaker bar on there and I'm starting to think it's going to take more. I'm hoping to get it without needing the HiLift handle, cause I'd have to actually lift the vehicle to fit it under there. So far I've been doing all the work with it sitting at normal ride height.

i got mine off with an 18" breaker bar,,,only you pretty much hafta use your foot and hold onto something for leverage. remember,,use a big torque wrench when putting this all back in,,150 ft lbs isn't exactly easy to get to lying down

and don't all those snap ring's just SUCK !

I've been taking my time doing this (and I keep having to leave or getting interupted by people who want to know what I'm doing...) but I'm making progress! I think I now have everything that has to get disassembled apart. I just finished getting the snap ring off the main shaft...that is a major PITA without a good set of snap ring pliers. I tried searching around town, but all I could find was the cheap ones, so I'm making do.

And the yoke nut...yeah, I used my foot. I PB'd it first, then I put my foot on the bar and pulled off of the opposite frame rail and LCA. One good swing of my body weight managed to pop it loose.

Now it's just reassembling the thing... :laugh3:

So now I'm trying to get the large snap ring onto the new shaft. Any hints, tips, or suggestions on how? I've got it down to the groove in the splines that's about 3/16ths from the one it's supposed to be in, but the splines get larger there and I can't get it started over the little section of larger splines.

i tried to call ya, but my cell is F'ed up.

I heard it ring once...I thought it was cuase I had bad signal under the XJ...

I'm still trying to get this #@$! snap ring back on. I can get one end of it started, but when I try to get more on it pops back into the first groove.

i have a kickass set of snapring pliers if ya want to drive down and get'em...:laugh3:

It would probably be faster at this point... :laugh3: You up for a drive to scenic NH? lol

without a good set, you will fight with it awhile.

I'm going on 1-1/2 hours. If I had a good set I'd probably be done by now! :gag:

I've got a relative of a friend searching the old tools he's got to see if he has a better pair, but it's not looking to hopefull...

Has anyone out there done this with a set of cheap pliers? If so, HOW?

I found a different style of cheap ones that opened much farther and allowed me to somewhat easily open the ring. Now I find out that it's thicker than the groove it's supposed to go in... Is it safe for me to file it down a little bit to allow it to fit in the groove?