Fixing one problem, revealed/caused another one
 

I was changing the ball joint on my driver side, my propeller shaft cam out of the differential. i have some mechanical aptitude and would love to get more. obviously i can't just stick it back in. would someone be willing to help me out of what i will be doing to get the problem fixed. i am also planning to change the front u joint on the drive shaft. Thanks for being an awesome community.

Roman

Re: Fixing one problem, revealed/caused another one
 

<<I was changing the ball joint on my driver side, my propeller shaft cam out of the differential.>>

you mean your axel came out of the trans. the propeller shaft (which i have never heard of on a subaru) is what some people call a driveshaft.

if its really your axel that came out, push it back in making sure you line up the hole in the axle and the stubby hub that comes out of the trans. then you need to put in a roll pin of the correct size to complete the assembly.

Re: Fixing one problem, revealed/caused another one
 

Sounds kind of like the pin that hold the shaft in the diff/trans either fell out or was missing so when you removed everything for the ball joint maintenance you gave it room enough to fall out. Check subaruparts.com for the parts you may need. As for universal joint replacement I am pretty sure they are CV joints and that is a whole different animal most people just get a refurbished or new shaft.

Re: Fixing one problem, revealed/caused another one
 

The spring pin must have fallen out at some point, or was never put back in there..... thats what keeps the CV axle attached to the diff.

Just slide it back into place while aligning the little holes in which the spring pin resides.... if they dont line up perfectly along the rotational axis, remove and reinstall after turning 180'..... but you HAVE to get a new spring pin to secure it in place. You can use the female side of a long ratchet extension to get it started, that way you can avoid having to hammer next to the exhaust, O2's, speed sensor etc.

Re: Fixing one problem, revealed/caused another one
 

The pin spring is still in the drive axle. the part that came out is the shaft-axle drive part # 38415AA070. it would have been a lot better if it was only the drive axle. here is a picture of it as well. you can see the spring still inside and the huge gap from the differential.
Attachment 13994

Roman

Re: Fixing one problem, revealed/caused another one
 

Yeah, that stub will pull out of the diff. You can just pop it back in. If you want to pull the stub out of the axle first and use a mallet to knock it back in you can.