Maruti 800 DIY Drive Shaft Replacement

[Driveright]

Hello friends ,time for another DIY !
My M800 2005 model had started to make a repetitive high pitch sound on the left side when cornering initially and then sooner became constant indicative of a CV Joint issue.
The part as a whole had to be change which meant changing out the entire left side drive shaft.
METHOD :
1. When the car is on the ground use 30 mm hex socket to break lose the axle nut .Use a extension rod to make things easier as they are very tight.
2. Next loosen the wheel lug nuts, jack up the car and place it on jack stands.
3. Identify 2 transmission drain plugs on the bottom and undo them with the special tool
4. Drain the oil completely, clean the magnetic plugs of metal shavings if any and put them back into the respective drain holes.
5. Next remove the 14 mm pinch bolt holing the lower control arm ball joint and remove the lower ball joint.
6. Now the axle can be gently removed from the wheel hub.
7. Use a thick screwdriver /pry bar and slowly wedge between the clutch ends of shaft and clutch housing.
8. The shaft will pop out from the snap-ring which holds it in place
9. Clean the Mating surface with WD40 and wipe it dry.
10. Apply fresh transmission oil to male and female mating surfaces and gently seat the shaft into the position.
11. Insert the wheel side into the hub and gently insert the ball join in to its position on the knuckle.
12. Apply the pinch bolt and tighten it
13. Place the new axle bolt and tighten it .Torque it after lowering the car to the ground.
14. Now pour 2 liters of fresh transmission oil from the upper side using a funnel and thin hose through the fill plug.
15. Torque all bolts and drain plugs to specifications:
Drain plug: 21Nm
Pinch bolt: 55Nm
Axle nut: 175Nm
Wheel lug nuts: 55Nm
Take the car for a slow speed test drive .Check for abnormal sounds ;my car was silent as a whisper.
Come back home and again inspect for oil leakages from the bottom and check levels using dipstick in the fill hole .
FINISH!yet another DIY successfully.

 

[VR Shenoy]

Re: M800 DIY drive shaft replacement

Congratulations!!!!
Now I know why you were looking for special tools the other day in Bangalore.

Just a few questions to update my knowledge:
1) Is this the 1st Drive shaft you changed and at what odo reading? As I recall LS is bit longer than RS, right? MGP supplies Dephi Drive shaft, RIGHT ? Also heard that another company by name GKN supply DS. which one is better?

2) your old drive shaft looks clean and no break of any boot and grease leakage, then why DS failed? How long you heard the peculiar sound, before you decided to change the DS?

3) Is it recommended to replace both DS Simultaneously ? why I asked this question is when I was to replace one Rear shock Absorber, I decided to replace both together in the month of June 2017 after 10 years. Because the 1st stock Shocks( Gabriel) lasted for 7 years and I replaced both in 2010 at about 42000 kms ( Gabriel) where these 2 shocks are of MGP and replaced at around 54000 kms. Recently replaced both Rear Springs as precautions.

4) I read that if the sound comes from left side, it is the Right side DS failure and vice versa. In your case it is the sound from left side and replacement of left side DS, How come? Did you open the DS before to know whether it was left DS?

why I ask this question is I am getting a small ( very light) sound from left side while I take left turn and the Auto mechanic said that it may be Right DS in my case and there is no problem for many more months. Though there was no damage of any boots and grease leakage when the tasks were conducted last month while doing the O/H of Gear box, Steering etc and both the DS were taken out and they said they are fine and all the boots were fine. But I am confused and worried after reading your task, whether I have to head for replacement of my DS in coming months.

Regards

 

[Driveright]

Re: M800 DIY drive shaft replacement

Congratulations!!!!
Now I know why you were looking for special tools the other day in Bangalore.

Just a few questions to update my knowledge:
1) Is this the 1st Drive shaft you changed and at what odo reading? As I recall LS is bit longer than RS, right? MGP supplies Dephi Drive shaft, RIGHT ? Also heard that another company by name GKN supply DS. which one is better?

2) your old drive shaft looks clean and no break of any boot and grease leakage, then why DS failed? How long you heard the peculiar sound, before you decided to change the DS?

3) Is it recommended to replace both DS Simultaneously ? why I asked this question is when I was to replace one Rear shock Absorber, I decided to replace both together in the month of June 2017 after 10 years. Because the 1st stock Shocks( Gabriel) lasted for 7 years and I replaced both in 2010 at about 42000 kms ( Gabriel) where these 2 shocks are of MGP and replaced at around 54000 kms. Recently replaced both Rear Springs as precautions.

4) I read that if the sound comes from left side, it is the Right side DS failure and vice versa. In your case it is the sound from left side and replacement of left side DS, How come? Did you open the DS before to know whether it was left DS?

why I ask this question is I am getting a small ( very light) sound from left side while I take left turn and the Auto mechanic said that it may be Right DS in my case and there is no problem for many more months. Though there was no damage of any boots and grease leakage when the tasks were conducted last month while doing the O/H of Gear box, Steering etc and both the DS were taken out and they said they are fine and all the boots were fine. But I am confused and worried after reading your task, whether I have to head for replacement of my DS in coming months.

Regards

1]this is the first drive shaft i have replaced during the history of the vehicle .The odo in now close to 49k. I am not sure about the length of the DS of the left and right sides .The shaft i have purchased at MGP stores is supplied by GKN
2]there is a history of the boot breakage at the wheel side about 6 months ago and the entire cavity was filled with lots of sand and mud with the grease completely empty.I had replaced the boot with fresh grease and thorough cleaning but i was prepared to replace axle sooner or later. The sound started since around 2 months and got more and more irritating with time as it was constant .
3]probable changing both together is a good thought when the failure is due to wear and tear in the joint itself .Mine was a case of the boot damage leading to part failure prematurely.Also it can save labour fees when done in a shop.I dont mind doing as labour is free for me .
4]when the steering turns right the sound comes from the left joint is what i understood from the research on internet. Also saw few youtube videos where the sound was recorded and was very much like what i had been experiencing in my car.
Also the sound got more exaggerated when i turned right or took u -turns where the outer tire has more stress.
Please next time when the car is jacked up try to move the wheel holding at 3 -9 o clock position and 6-12 o clock position .Even damaged bearings can give such sounds with movement of the wheels.

 

[mayankdixit]

Re: M800 DIY drive shaft replacement

Congrats!!That's a neat DIY. It looks easy but it's not. I know it .You have given a very neat presentation too.Kudos for your effort.
Waiting for more from you.

 

[Driveright]

Re: M800 DIY drive shaft replacement

Congrats!!That's a neat DIY. It looks easy but it's not. I know it .You have given a very neat presentation too.Kudos for your effort.
Waiting for more from you.

Thanks for your encouraging words sure more work is in the pipeline and I shall update as and when I complete them.

 

[VR Shenoy]

Re: M800 DIY drive shaft replacement

1]this is the first drive shaft i have replaced during the history of the vehicle .The odo in now close to 49k. I am not sure about the length of the DS of the left and right sides .The shaft i have purchased at MGP stores is supplied by GKN
2]there is a history of the boot breakage at the wheel side about 6 months ago and the entire cavity was filled with lots of sand and mud with the grease completely empty.I had replaced the boot with fresh grease and thorough cleaning but i was prepared to replace axle sooner or later. The sound started since around 2 months and got more and more irritating with time as it was constant .
3]probable changing both together is a good thought when the failure is due to wear and tear in the joint itself .Mine was a case of the boot damage leading to part failure prematurely.Also it can save labour fees when done in a shop.I dont mind doing as labour is free for me .
4]when the steering turns right the sound comes from the left joint is what i understood from the research on internet. Also saw few youtube videos where the sound was recorded and was very much like what i had been experiencing in my car.
Also the sound got more exaggerated when i turned right or took u -turns where the outer tire has more stress.
Please next time when the car is jacked up try to move the wheel holding at 3 -9 o clock position and 6-12 o clock position .Even damaged bearings can give such sounds with movement of the wheels.

Well, the sound I hear is not that irritating, just very light. When I take a sharp left turn, the light sound comes from right side.

As you know last month while doing all the tasks like Petrol tank cleaning, gear box o/h, steering o/h, changing clutch cable , replacing that culprit wheel and gear in the gear box that connects the speedometer, etc, they removed both drive shafts and there was no damage to the boots or any grease leakage and mechanics said both DS are good.

If it is bearing wear n tear, the sound is that of screeching and not a light sound. Any way I will check the bearings next time when I have to do any brake o/h. As per Mr Bhat, most of the bearings in 20 yrs old cars were made in Japan, just like the bearing in my Alternator ( Dynamo) , all the Bearings in the Gear Box and at the wheels too. But one never know which part fail and when.

 

[mandar7477]

drivelight,
just read your diy . nice work.
some questions i wnat to ask
1. do you need to remove the transmission oil? after seeing the pics i think there is an oil seal and the output shaft coming out of the housing. so is draining required.

2. are all the shafts of maruti 800 same for type I and type II. I cont want to go for MGP.
3. if i dont go for MGP what other brand is good for the drive shafts. my regular shopkeeper has told me that SPICER brand is also good and so is DELPHI. what do you suggest.
4. Do the drive shafts come pre-greased? How do I know?
5. I too am going to do the DIY.

regards

mandar

 

[Driveright]

Hi mandar thanks for your appreciation.I have mentioned from start to finish the procedure and the replacement parts .Please read through the same.Also Iv mentioned torque specs for each bolt.The pictures and words tell the whole story

Go for MGP parts as they are also inexpensive .Don't short change on critical parts as this can lead to premature or catastrophic failures .
Yes the drive shafts come fully loaded with grease on inner and outer sides .

I am not sure about type 1 and type 2 compatibility.My usual method is to remove the part and take it along to compare with new part so that issues don't arise .