I have a sneaky feeling mine need to be changed! How many hours should it take for someone with experience to change them on a C5 with an A4?

 

I can't help with an exact time but you'll be removing the trans/diff/torque tube together. So if you want to do a clutch or any trans work, now would be the time to plan for that also. I'd guess it will be about $500 in labor to r/r those together plus the labor and parts for the torque tube tear down.

 

If your guy is good at this I need him to do some work for me..

 

yeah i got quoted $450 to do a clutch and hydraulics if i brought him the parts but he couldn't touch it until may. I elected to do it myself, including doing the bushings. If you have headers it's harder than a stock system. If not you just put the front wheels on ramps, put jackstands on the rear. Crawl under the car and unbolt the exhaust in the front rear and middle hangers. Disconnect the FOUR o2's and drop that out of the way. Then it's remove the 38-8mm bolts holding the tunnel plate up. Get that out of the way then work on the rear suspension. Pull the wheels, calipers, 2-18mm bolts holding each upper A arm and 2-13mm bolts holding in the shocks. Disconnect the ABS sensor plugs and ebrake cable. Remove all snap clips holding the brake lines to the rear subframe. Go inside the car, remove center console and remove the shifter.

Then it's back outside and pop the Axles out of the rear diff. Disconnect ALL of the electrical plugs goind to the trans and rear diff. Use a 1/2 ratchet and a 21mm deep well socket on a 1 foot extension and take out the 4 nuts holding the subframe. Make sure you put a jack under the frame with a 2x12 on the subframe to balance it out bettter.Then slowly lower it. Go back up front and take out the 5-13mm bolts holding the torque tube to the bellhousing. Once the rear is lowered enough(watch out for guiding the brake lines around the rear diff when you lower it) to clear the lower rear tub just start pulling back a little bit. This is where a friend is helpful. Have one under the car to hold the tube or put another jack under it. Roll it out and it will come out as an assembly. This is all i can think of when i did my clutch and couplers on my M6 car. Here's a writeup i did for my local forum that gives you a good idea of what's involved. If yours is newer it will not have the bolts holding the torque tube shafts into the housing. It will have snap rings, mine had bolts ~Cole~

*** Please don't think i'm spamming for my local site i'm just helping a brother out here***

http://mngmp.org/forums/showthread.php?t=7360

 

Good write up ColeTrain! Thanks!

 

Yep no problem

 

It's quite the job, since your whole drive train from the bell housing back has to come out.

There's a huge snap ring on the back of the TT holding in the shaft that has to be removed and then the whole assembly slides out.

You'll need to heat up the bolts and use a T55 to remove the (6) bolts on each side.

Hope you have an air gun.

 

yep, got all the air tools, compressor, jack stands, ramps, etc etc, wondering if I'll do it myself or get it done, trying to decide as well whether to go rubber, aluminum, or 1 of each - I hear the aluminum units last froever, but someone said they feel harsh....

 

I would go with the new RPM Poly units as they are the best compromise for a street driven vehicle.

The aluminum ones are not as harsh in an automatic as they are in a manual transmission car. You get a little more NVH, mostly noise, because there is no rubber to quiet the noise of the shaft spinning. The shaft is always spinning on an automatic, vs the manual when the clutch is depressed.

 

i went with brand new rubber ones. I've got no driveline vibration or noise.

Interesting side note though. i Sent back some couplers from Corvette Central after reading they are much softer than the stock couplers. Well after sending them away i guess Corvette Central bought a new GM coupler and had theirs tested against a GM one and this is the response i got from them in an Email

"According to my product department we did buy a GM coupler and sent it along with our part to be tested, and the results came back that they are both the same Durometer (hardness) of the rubber."

 

I've got a set of the RPM Poly bushings going in right now.