rear propshaft bolts

[disco-dad]

hi everyone,i have a problem with one of the propshaft bolts where it bolts to the handbrake drum.one of the bolts has been changed for a rather less robust one by the previous owner.what is involved in swapping it for a stronger original one.any help apreciated

[mickeyw]

Stand car on level ground & chock the wheels, if you are on axle stands then make sure they are substantial enough and securely positioned.

Remove propshaft, 8 nuts to undo.

Remove handbrake drum,once the prop is off there may be 2 countersunk screws holding the drum on. If at first it doesn't want come off you may need to loosen the adjuster that can be found on the back plate. A gentle tap with a mallet or a bit of levering with a screwdriver should help it along.

Then, with car in low range, 1st gear, undo the big nut in the centre of the output flange. It will be pretty tight, so a long bar may be needed. The output flange should then slide off the end of the shaft. Be prepared to catch some oil as you remove the flange.

Now you can see the bolts are held in place by a large circlip, remove this and you can replace the dodgy bolt.

Reassembly is as Haynes like to say, the reverse of what you have just done. I can't remember the torque setting for the big nut but I normally work on the FT principle.

Don't forget to readjust the handbrake after reassembly, and top up the oil levels.

Hope this helps.

[disco-dad]

cheers for that,sounds fairly straightforward.will have a look at the weekend.i've already got the prop and the drum off