2006 AWD Bevel Gear

[jpursell]

Well, after reading lots of threads on this and other forums, I'm deciding to replace the Bevel Gear Assy in my '06 myself. Both the dealer and an indy shop say that they won't know if just the coupling has failed until they tear it apart, which is 4 hrs labor whether it's just the coupling (which indy shop would replace if that's all that's bad), or the bevel gear assy input shaft. Car has 75380 on it.

The dealer won't give any warranty if they just replace the coupling, I don't know why - sounds shady to me.

I am curious as to what I need to buy to do this job, I have the following:
36000340 Angle gear
31256008 Collar
Any seals needed?

What is included in the 31256246 service kit - or is that not for Automatic Transmissions?

How many hours would I be looking at to do myself? Anything else I should be concerned with? Other seals? Any fluids?

Thanks!

[jpursell]

How do I remove the driveshaft from the bevel gear after the 6 bolts are removed? Doesn't want to budge...

[dpaton]

I don't know if you can just remove the front without the back bolts and shaft removed to get the prop shaft away from the angle gear.

Mark the position of shaft vs mounting position with something (punch, marker).
If you can loosen the centre member support enough then do it to give yourself some wiggle-room to disengage the front.
If you don't have enough room then mark the rear position too and drop the rear exhaust hangers and support the back end to take tension off the manifold.
Remove centre hanger and when you remove the rear bolts the shaft comes down and out to the back or you can just lay it on the exhaust (with support!) and carry on.

[jpursell]

I've loosened the 2 bolts holding the center support, seems like I have a lot of play fore/aft but not moving. I'll try removing the rear, and the rear exhaust hangers - resting the exhaust on a jackstand.

I assume that marking the relative positions of both the shaft and mating part ensures correct balance when installing?

Thanks.

[dpaton]

I assume that marking the relative positions of both the shaft and mating part ensures correct balance when installing?


Exactly - shouldn't matter much but they recommend it.

Dann

[jpursell]

Dropped exhaust from rear, prying down on u-joint at center of shaft, but still not breaking loose from front or rear.....

Any ideas?

http://volvoxc70jp2010.shutterfly.com/pictures#n_5

Also got these instructions:
Remove the screws from the propeller shaft center bearing.
Slacken off the screws in the support for the center bearing on the right-hand side a few turns. Fully remove the screws on the left-hand side
Let the center support hang down so that the propeller shaft can be angled.
Remove the screw from the joint.
Press the shaft joints together, detach it from the flange.
Remove the shaft

Easy..right? I have removed the exhaust hangers, removed all screws, flanges, etc, it still seems like the splines on then ends are siezed in the couplings.

[dpaton]

It doesn't look too rusty but get some rust busting kind of lube in there and try to get some movement. Don't bang the shaft too hard and dent it.

Heat always works but there are seals and the body in close proximity and usually you heat the outer but just the shaft end (inside the collar) may get the result you expect. Make a small heat shield out of some flexible metal sheet to protect the car undercoating. Don't worry, the rust busting stuff usually doesn't flame very much.

[jpursell]

Success....take one of the bolts and insert from the front of the mating coupling (in one of the through holes which doesn't line up with threaded holes in driveshaft), then pry against the bolt head and the casing on the bevel gear and shazaam.

I'll try to post some pics when I get a chance.

[jpursell]

Finally, 4 days and 4 trips to the dealer, the parts store, and Home Depot, I'm just about done. I sheared the Axle retaining bolt on install, and took 1.5 hours to back the broken shaft out. Buying a new one after work today, and should only take about 10 min to finish - except for the dead battery which was caused by leaving the ignition on pos I overnight ;)

My Recap:


Probably don't need to remove any exhaust for this procedure, I won't next time.
Remove RF axle completely to remove Bevel Gear Assy. The shaft through the b/g into the trans is very long.
Remove the ABS sensor from the hub assy to avoid putting any stress on it.
Buy a 6mm hex allen wrench with a ball end to remove front driveshaft bolts.
If the driveshaft does not slip out of the collar on the bevel gear, use one of the 6 bolts to remove it by pushing in from the "front" of the collar in one of the non-threaded, clearance holes - mine had 2 of them IIRC.
There are 5 bolts holding the bevel gear to the transmission, you can reach over the top of the bevel gear to get to the upper most one.
To remove the collar from the Transmission output shaft - I used 2 large vise grips oriented about 160 degrees apart to pry against with 2 long pry bars. I found that 2 people prying at the same time caused the collar to come off almost effortlessly - think removing collar with even force around it's circumference. This avoided any grinding or drilling into the collar - big time save.
Change the bevel gear fluid while you have it out to remove any debris. Took about .7 L to fill it.
Replace the transmission output seal, and the 2 axles seals on the bevel gear (1 at the input, and 1 inside the collar).
Top off the transmission with about 1qt of Trans Fluid (Mobil JWS3309/Volvo/or Toyota T-IV)
Buy a new axle bolt, and only torque to the 38ft-lbs + 60 degrees (verify spec).
If you are re-using the driveshaft bolts, be sure to use Blue Locktite on them.
Celebrate your saving ~$400 in labor.

[jpursell]

So, I finally received a call from Volvo North America Customer Care today (I wrote a very compelling email last month to them), and they have extended the courtsey of paying for a New Bevel Gear Assembly at my local dealer. I am still on the hook for labor, but wow, my brand loyalty has finally been restored.

[RockitShip]

Good job! How much did the parts cost (roughly)?

[jpursell]

Parts were about $100 for the collar, $45 for 3 seals, $32 for Bevel Gear Fluid, $5 for Transmission Fluid, and the Dealer will be paying for the $1850 (List Price) Bevel Gear Assembly. I additionally purchased another pair of ViseGrips, a ball-end, 6mm allen key, as well as a 6mm allen socket to use on a 3/8" drive ratchet.