I apologize for the late update - too many exciting things to do and not enough hours in a day.
Ok, I got 2 of the 12 bolts out by using my Dremel tool - none of the others were easy
- the shaft does not come out easily - it needs a big pry bar to come out the 2 receiving ends (both transmission and transfer case have "cups" to hold the shaft in place)
- first inspection: both boots have cracks (turned out later not to be a real problem as the boots do not contain any grease)
- I marked the position of the boots to the shaft and the clips to the boots (clips to boot location does not need to be marked as explained later)
- I carefully opened the clips as I wanted to reuse them
- once open I pushed the boots away from the CV joint - they contained no grease (and never contained any from the start)
- the end caps come off with a careful blow of a small hammer or similar tool (you don't want to deform the caps)
- inside I found hardened, crusty grease - it gave up its job some time ago (no wonder the shaft failed)
- cleaned out the mess at both ends and dried them
- close inspection showed that not only the joint s showed significant wear, but the balls were also pitted
- with the grease removed it was also apparent that both joint ends allow the shaft to move in and out about 10 mm each (keeps unwanted loads off the bearings of transmission and transfer case - and it allows some compression when the shaft is installed and removed)
- since I have no local source to balance any shafts, I decided to clean and regrease the existing shaft rather than installing new parts I had sourced from Euro-Truck
- I used the grease supplied by Sean though (that way the joints would get the right amount)
- worked the grease only into the CV joints - just as I had found it before (the supplied amount of grease is not enough to fill the boots)
- pressed the end caps back on
- slid the boots into the marked position (remember, I had marked the boot to shaft positions to maintain factory balance)
- I found that the old clamps leave a highly visible impression (and thus marking their location) on the rubber boots - I lined them up and tightened the clips with strong pliers
- putting the shaft back into place was harder than expected - even though the shaft allows for a good amount of movement when dry, with the grease in place and the joints almost air tight, the shaft does not want to compress easily
- if I had to do this again, I would compress (with a hydraulic press) the shaft before placing it into position (the bolts upon tightening would pull it apart again for a tight fit)
- inserted the bolts and tightened to specs (65 Nm)
- put the transfer case support bracket back into place (needed to be removed to allow access to the shaft)
the test drive was good and bad news at the same time:
the clicking sound is gone (no surprise)
the vibrations (around 20 mph and 40 mph) are without change - I was hoping for the remote chance that they would go away
reading up on worn CV joints confirmed that worn CV joints create vibrations at specific speeds (only speed related no connection to rpm of engine or transmission gear selected) even after packing them with new grease
So, the next report will be when I have access to someone who can balance my shaft with new parts installed
Pictures? - you have to look them up here (watch them in any size you like):
http://carlosnpainter.smugmug.com/galle ... 9379_LspJDTo avoid the expense of the parts ($600 for the repair kit - $1,100 for the complete shaft) you should put regreasing the CV joints of the center drive shaft on your service list. The grease is mainly affected by age - not so much by the miles driven. Like a good marriage, they are known to fail after about 7 years. So, lube 'em after about 5.