Drive Flange Housing, Removing and Installing

Assembly overview
1- Bolt
- 40 Nm (30 ft lb)
2- Front crossmember
3- Bolt
- 40 Nm (30 ft lb)
4 Transmission support
5- Drive flange housing
6- Final drive housing
7- O-ring
8- Bolt
- 35 Nm (26 ft lb)
9 - Bolt
- 23 Nm (17 ft lb)
11- Mounting bracket
- For exhaust system

Removing
- Rear differential installed

Special tools and equipment
- VW771 with 771/15 multi-purpose tool
- VAG 1306 drip tray
- VAG1359/2 universal mounting
- VAG1383A engine-/transmission hoist

- Place VAG1306 drip tray underneath transmission and drain fluid.
- Remove rear section of exhaust system located rearward of exhaust pipe clamp(s).
- Remove heat shield above driveshaft.
- Remove heat shield next to rear differential.





- Check for factory color marking on driveshaft. If not, mark position of driveshaft flange -A- to drive flange in rear differential -B- with color marking.
- Remove mounting bolts from driveshaft flange.





- Tie driveshaft to mount for parking brake cable using wire.

Note:
If driveshaft cannot be pushed upward past flange, tie up driveshaft after lowering the differential. When lowering driveshaft, protect it from dropping and note the permissible bend angle of driveshaft.

- Support final drive using VAG1383A.





- Remove bolts (arrows) from front crossmember for final drive.
- Remove crossmember front.
- Lower final drive approx. 10 cm (4 inch).





- Remove 4 bolts for drive flange housing -1-, -2- and -3-.

Note:
The 4th bolt is not visible in the illustration.





- Pull off drive flange together with housing.

Installing
Installation is the reverse of removal, note the following:

Notes:
- The threaded bores in the drive flanges of the transmission and the final drive should be cleaned of all locking compound residue after driveshaft has been removed. Otherwise there is a risk of seizing the bolt when tightening and break off at next disassembly.
- Clean by using a thread tap.
- Replace seals between driveshaft and drive flange (Remove protective film and bond seal to drive flange. Adhesive bond surface must be free of grease.
- Always replace self-locking driveshaft bolts.

- If driveshaft has factory color marking, determine radial deviation on flange/driveshaft and align color marking on driveshaft to new color marking on drive flange.
- Align exhaust system free of stress.
- Top off transmission oil for final drive and check oil level.





Tightening torques