Installing e30 halfshafts

[graphikg]

I am restoring the rear end on my e30 and I cannot seem to get the halfshaft splines into the splines of the bearing in the T-arms. I tried heating them up, putting ice around the shaft splines, lubricating them with grease, cleaning them up, trying to bang them in, etc. nothing works!!! Is there a tip or some method I do not know about? I am almost to the point of dropping them off to a shop so they can attach them to the arms. Help Please! I need this car done ASAP.

[AndrewBird]

They should just slip in, but can be stubborn. Be sure there isn't a bur on the axle somewhere binding things up. Lightly filing the shaft will remove any high spots. A little grease never hurts either.

[frankie591]

They are not an interference fit, so no heat or cold should be needed. Check the splines on the shaft and trailing arm for debris or burrs and get rid of them.

[drumad]

I had a fun time doing this job as well. Check the roots of the splines at the end of the axles and make sure they are 100% clean and not deformed in anyway.

Sames goes for the inner hub.

[long tall eta]

my car has 320,000 on the clock i did mine with no problems. the old one center punched right out and the new one tapped right in. i did put a little anti sieze on the splines.

[Adrian_Visser]

My car is rusty as fuck on the under body I had to beat mine out and back in. Honestly I am surprised my left half-shaft is still alive it spit a lot of grease afterwards.

[samiam3356]

Are the new arms from Autozone or something? The Carleone (sp) ones have known issues with the splines being not straight and needing filing

[graphikg]

No. Oem. What type of file would be the best to buy?

[Eddie Haskell]

Look at the Splines and motor down to Harbor Freight. Get a long one so you can message the female hub side also. Triangular works for me. You can use a little valve grinding paste to smooth very well if you have the parts mating but still sticking. Clean the paste out, smear a little antiseize. Slide the shaft in and when you have some threads to work with thread the nut on and tighten to spec.

[peytonracer4]

i made the mistake of putting grease on mine. they got stuck in the hub. the fit is so tight that even grease will be too much.
get ALL the grease off. it took me like 10 min per side to make sure they were 100% clean. spray some wd40 or liquid lube onto it and the hub. nothing thick at all. you want a very thin lube.
i had someone with a pry bar pressing against the diff and half shaft pushing it in. then i had to hit the hub with an ax.
no i'm not kidding. i had to literally hit the hub with the blunt side of an ax to shock it in. that's the ONLY thing that worked for me. i spent hours trying other things including rubber mallets hitting it.
be careful not to bend the hub lip if you try this method.

[peytonracer4]

here's a diagram of exactly what i did. hopefully it helps.

[E30Gus]

^ LOL I vote best diagram on R3v so far!

[b*saint]

What a ridiculous diagram LOL.

[dothadance]

hahaha diagram is so awesome!

[peytonracer4]

What a ridiculous diagram LOL.

Lol no love? It was a ten second photoshop drawing. You understand the basics though. And if you'll notice... The colors are very accurate.