It seems to me that if you re-seat the the driveshaft with the FDU loosened
in it's mounts then drive the van a bit the system will stabilize in an
optimum configuration.  If it has been done that way once, then of course
the system tolerances are minimized (no gaps) and most of the stress is
taken off the Hardy Disk (that rubber thingy) so it is not stretched.  Now
when loosened again it is not easy to just remove, you have to add in the
gaps to free the flanges, by loosening the FDU. If you tighten the FDU bolts
at that time then the gaps are in the system and removal and refitting is
easier but the system is under static tension.  I've personally done this
but not measured the critical distances.  Worked every time, might not work
next time.

Pensionerd.

On 10/30/09, Bruce Todd <beeceetee@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Well - that wasn't the case for me.  I could hang off my driveshaft with
> all
> the bolts undone and hammering didn't seem like a good way to go as getting
> it back in place would take time to line up the drive shaft holes...anyway
> point being you may or may not need to undo more that the bolts for the
> drive shaft.
>
> Interesting how there seems to be a discrepancy.  Do you think that the
> drive shafts that readily drop out once the bolts are removed had already
> been removed at some point in their history and that the mounting brackets
> and mounting bolts never were retightened?  And why does the Bently suggest
> removal of the driveshaft in this manner?
>
> I don't think mine had ever been removed.
>
> BT
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