93 escort drive shaft installation issue - Ford Forums - Mustang Forum, Ford Trucks, Ford Focus and Ford Cars

airhead159 · 02-06-2012, 20:58

hi im having issues re installing the drive shafts on my 93 escort 5speed i can get them in most of the way but it feels like theres something keeping them from fully going in
heres some pictures hopefully they help
drivers side

passengers side

drivers side without the driveshaft in

**Bert** · 02-06-2012, 21:12

Have you compared the new shaft with the old one?

**jwko** · 02-06-2012, 21:21

Probably the snap ring hitting. Might try greasing the outer edge of the snap ring and force it a little. Had that same issue on a 01 Taurus and it was a PITA to get it in. I finally kept wiggling it while tapping the yoke lightly with a hammer and it finally went.

airhead159 · 02-06-2012, 23:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwko

Probably the snap ring hitting. Might try greasing the outer edge of the snap ring and force it a little. Had that same issue on a 01 Taurus and it was a PITA to get it in. I finally kept wiggling it while tapping the yoke lightly with a hammer and it finally went.

thanks for the suggestion ill give it a try and post the results and the drive shafts are the same ones that were on the car before im just finishing up a clutch change i forgot to mention that in the first post

**R.S.LOGAN** · 02-07-2012, 11:03

Could be wrong , but looks as if diff has moved / dropped and that is the planetary gear blocking the shaft from going in .

Sterling_Six · 02-09-2012, 06:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by R.S.LOGAN

Could be wrong , but looks as if diff has moved / dropped and that is the planetary gear blocking the shaft from going in .

FordMan59 · 02-10-2012, 14:13

You're never supposed to remove both axles at the same time without using a dowel to hold the gears in place.

airhead159 · 02-15-2012, 15:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by R.S.LOGAN

Could be wrong , but looks as if diff has moved / dropped and that is the planetary gear blocking the shaft from going in .

If the gear has moved out of place how would I get it back in place. This is my first time removing and reinstalling a fwd transmission so as much help I can get is apreciated

**Bert** · 02-15-2012, 16:22

According to the Ford manual. The differential will have to be removed from the transaxle.
From the Ford manual:
CAUTION:
When both the LH and RH halfshafts are removed, appropriate differential plugs must be inserted to prevent the differential side gears from becoming mispositioned. If the gears become misaligned, the differential will have to be removed from the transaxle to align the gears.

airhead159 · 02-15-2012, 19:22

Thanks for the info Bert... I just got back inside from working on the car and I got the drive shafts in I use a block of wood and a hammer and gave them a light hit on the yoke and they went right in I guess they just need a little convincing. Thanks jwko for the sugestion