Removal and installation the rear propeller shaft (Opel Frontera A)

Solid cardan shaft

Removal of the solid propeller shaft is carried out in the same way as removal of the front propeller shaft, described in the section Replacing the axle shaft bearing. The difference is that in this case, on one side, the shaft is removed from the splined connection of the driven shaft of the gearbox. The oil that leaks out must be collected properly using a container.

Composite cardan shaft and intermediate support

Here, as on a solid shaft, the mounting bolts are self-locking and are not installed a second time.



1. Mark with paint the relative positions of the flanges of the propeller shaft and the drive pinion of the final drive on the rear axle.

2. Unscrew and knock out the bolts.

3. Unscrew the bolts securing the intermediate support from the chassis crossmember.

4. Remove the support.

5. Remove the propeller shaft from the splined connection of the gearbox driven shaft.

6. Place a container underneath to collect any leaking oil.

7. When installing the propeller shaft, screw it with new bolts to the flange of the main gear drive pinion without tightening the bolts.



8. To avoid incorrect assembly, tighten the intermediate support mounting bolts with the vehicle lowered to the ground.



9. Tighten the bolts to a torque of 33 Nm.

10. Now tighten the flange connection mounting bolts evenly around the circumference to a torque of 75 Nm.

11. Finally, check the gearbox oil level as described in the relevant section.

Replacing the intermediate support

1. Loosen the bolt and remove the rear fork from the front propeller shaft.

2. Remove the fork from the splined shaft connection



3. Press the intermediate support. The location of the intermediate support is shown in the illustration.

4. When installing, press the intermediate support (2) onto the shaft (1).

5. Place the rear fork (3) on the shaft. It should be noted that the shaft has a splined connection, which allows the parts to be combined only in one position.



6. Now the driveshaft can be installed on the vehicle.



The location of the contact patch in the engagement of the main transmission gears (the left column is the forward side, the right column is the reverse side):

• a and b - incorrect contact, it is necessary to move the drive gear away from the driven gear by reducing the thickness of the adjusting washer,
• c and d - incorrect contact, it is necessary to move the driving gear towards the driven one, increasing the thickness of the adjusting washer,
• e - correct location of the contact patch.