Driveshaft removal...

[Jerry]

Any hints / tricks on removing the rear driveshaft, and still keep the car driveable?

Why? According to the smog test shop that I took it to today, the car is stuck in 4wd. Therefore, it can't be tested at this point - not good for me.

Alternate question - any quick way (and cleaner) way to make sure the car's in 2wd? I know this sounds stupid; I just could use the help / advice to expedite things, as things are crazy here at my work.

Thank you for your help,

Jerry

[tercel4wdrules]

Why? According to the smog test shop that I took it to today, the car is stuck in 4wd. Therefore, it can't be tested at this point - not good for me.

A few years ago when we took the '83 to be smogged, the technician did not put it on the dyno and just ran the car at idle and at 3k rpm. He didn't put it on the dyno because he said he used this procedure with 4WD vehicles. BTW, the car failed miserably because it was smoking like crazy.

Maybe if you take it to another smog station and explain the situation they might just do the same procedure.

Hope this helps.

[Jerry]

That was actually (sort of) the tech's initial solution - call the smog referee for our area to see what options I have to have the car tested.

As you may recall from a previous thread, I want it to fail the test so I can sell it back to the state, which will partially reimburse me for the money I'ev had to put into it to make it drivable for the past (almost) two years. I think I would have a better chance of failing a dynometer test than the "old-school" idle / rpm test...

[keith]

If you have been driving around on hard pavement in 4WD, you would have broken something by now. As for removing the driveshaft, just unbolt the nuts on the straps at the rear u-joint and pull it out of the transmission.

[tercel4wdrules]

That is true. There's a higher chance of it failing on the dyno than the rpm test; I believe that was its purpose.

I guess you'd have to get it on the dyno... perhaps it would help if you take it to the smog station when the engine has not fully warmed up, when the carb is running rich. The bad part is the technician might notice, and let it run until normal operating temperature.

[Jerry]

Keith, that's kind of what I would think as well. I think that my gearbox just kind of "jammed" (as it has been doing) when the tech tried to get it going on the dyno... Sounds pretty straight forward - thanks for your input.

Tercel4wdRules: You're exactly right; it's harder to pass a dyno test, which is why they're running them in the smoggier areas of CA (including dirty air capital #1, Kern County).

[keith]

Yeah, there are 5 shift forks in that little transmission, I guess they would be prone to jamming. They break easy enough. Because 5th gear is an external gear, its prone to coming off. The 4wd selector shouldn't jam though.

[Mickey_D]

Sounds like the numpty tester immediately thought, "Hrm, 4WD. Must mean the rear tires spin in 2WD. But the fronts are spinning. Nope, stuck in 4WD. Failed."

At least that's what I'm thinking. Because as Keith said, if you've been driving around on dry pavement in 4WD, you're not in 4WD anymore as something will have snapped (hard core snapped) within the first 5 miles.

[ARCHINSTL]

Something similar happened to me the first time I submitted the '86 for the emissions test here in STL last year.
The "tech" insisted I take the car through the AWD lane (which had a much longer queue - must have been "SUV Day"). Even though I pointed out the 4WD lever and explained the mechanism to him, I finally had to request the "manager" and explain it to him, and he then had to "look it up on the computer" before I was allowed to proceed in the "normal" 2WD lane.
Of course, the "tech" was younger than the car and the "manager" was maybe 4 or 5 when it was built.
Sheesh...
Tom M.

[Jerry]

Thanks again to everyone for their input. It was a relatively simple procedure to get the rear end up on ramps, crawl underneath, and unbolt the rear driveshaft. Not much too it at all.

Mickey_D & ARCHINSTL - that could have been the case, but supposedly the story was the car was put on the dyno and the back end secured, and it still wanted to move forward. Whatever the case, the problem is now resolved (and my car is about 10 pounds lighter).

Anybody out there need a driveshaft? Mine seems like it's in decent shape - I didn't see any dents, and being a California car it's pretty rust free... PM me if you're interested.

[Jerry]

I know this is OT, but for those that are interested here are my smog check results:

(1984 Tercel, 251,800+ miles)

15mph
RPM-1882
CO2% - 13.90
02% - .04

HC (ppm)
Average: 41
Max: 162
Measured: 270

CO%
Ave: 0.13
Max: 0.96
Measured: 1.70

NO (PPM)
Ave: 399
Max: 1248
Measured: 228



25 mph
RPM-2063
CO2% - 13.94
02% - .09

HC (ppm)
Average: 29
Max: 137
Measured: 261

CO%
Ave: 0.11
Max: 0.76
Measured: 1.59

NO (PPM)
Ave: 332
Max: 1078
Measured: 132

Needless to say, I Failed

Link to CA's repair assistance / vehicle retirement program:
http://tinyurl.com/hwczc

[Typrus]

Stuck in 4wd? Was it hard to take corners? They probably meant they secured the butt over the roller and the front on the ground. They tried to do that to me and I had to go in there, try and tell them how it was supposed to go, and then get yelled at for a few minutes that I was not the technician and I didn't know how 4wd worked. In a fit of anger I got my keys back, threw the e-brake on, and did about 30 seconds of shredding right in front of their tech bays, the whole time shouting something to the extent of "Oh gee, look! The @#%$ing FRONT wheels are spinning you moronic, disrespectful people!" Needless to say, they went out of business... Yes, I overreacted, but I DO NOT appreciate A) People who I am paying telling me I'm an idiot B) People acting like I don't understand my own car and C) Actually being yelled at by a supposed business owner.
I went a mile down the road and passed fine.

[Jerry]

I knew I had something to add to my previous post...

Due to bent shift forks, etc. the car will sometimes get shifted into two gears at once and not want to roll forward.

That was what happened when the tech put it on the dyno yesterday - he did it again today, but I stuck around during the smog test and rocked the car backwards a bit in reverse, then back into 1st to "free" things up.

I think I can summarize Typrus' comments in one simple statement - you really don't have to be mechanically inclined to work at a smog place...