The output flange on my AW71L transmission (1994 940NA wagon, 275K miles) has noticeable radial play. I think the tailshaft roller bearing may be failing. Does anyone know if the bearing can be replaced without removing the transmission from car ?

Thanks,

Mike

1994 940 NA
Two 1998 V70s

During our 740 days, we had to replace two tail shaft bearings - as I remember, the job was not a typical costly Volvo job - check with your dealer, It may not one worth your time and effort.

As you may already know there are two versions of output shaft - some have brass bushings / some have bearings. You don't need to remove the transmission but you do need to support the trans in a way that you can undo the rear mount. The 700/900 FAQ discusses the subject in depth:

https://www.brickboard.com/FAQ/700-900/TransmissionAuto.htm#Trans_Output_Shaft_Bushing

Before you remove the driveshaft be sure to mark both the fwd shaft and aft shaft in a way that you can put it all back together with the shafts in the same relationship to each other - often referred to as proper "phasing". I had a 1990 740 in which the splines between the fwd and aft shafts were keyed in a way that you COULDN'T put it back together wrong. But there's no guarantee your's is that way.

Hi Chris,

I was trying to find out if the bearing version of tailshaft housing on 1993-1995 cars can be easily removed. From the 1993+ parts diagram it looks like the tailshaft housing must be removed to replace the bearing.

The FAQ mostly discusses AW70/71 versions with a tailshaft bushing. I think the bearing version rarely fails but at 275K there is noticeable play in the output shaft on my transmission.

Thanks,

Mike

I know the FAQ mainly addresses the bushing version. It's only my "assumption" that there isn't much mention of the bearing version for one of two reasons. 1. They may be more durable so not too many people replaced it and wrote about it later. or 2. The procedure is so nearly identical to the bushing version (minus cutting the bushing) that it wasn't necessary to discuss it. My one and only experience was replacing the bushing.

As I recall, the toughest part of the job was scraping the old gasket off of the back side of the trans.