I was traveling at about 75 on the interstate and crossed a "transition strip" between new and old pavement in a construction area. It was a decent jolt but not enough to pinch the sidewalls or anything but the drivers side drive shaft popped out of the transmission and of course I stopped on the side of the interstate. I was towed to the house, put in an older drive shaft and put 300 + miles on it that day. The next day I pulled the old axle and installed a new Volvo axle. When inspecting the "female splined receiver" for the drive shaft in the end of the transmission output gear I discovered a "C" shaped fracture in the receiver that extended about 3/4" into the "receiver tube" but did not go into the splined area. The fractured piece is still firmly attached to the receiver tube. I was able to put a fine pick into the crack and was able to see a distortion in the roundness of the tube, probably 1/32". The seal is intack but leaking a small amount of fluid, I saw a few drops on the transmission case and a wet spot at the bottom edge of the seal.

My questions are as follows:
1. Why the #%^@$ would the drive shaft pop out? I am 40 and have never even heard of that happening before.
2. Does the transmission have to be torn down to replace the output receiver/gear?
3. If the fractured/deformed receiver has not torn up the seal in 300+ miles will it likely last indefinatly and thus there would be no need to take action other than watch the fluid?
4. If the seal fails completely will it dump the entire volume of fluid and thus burn up the transmission if I am on the highway? I routinely drive it 900 miles round trip.

Any help would be great. I just replaced the valve body on the trasmission and have the vehicle shifting perfectly. There is no way I am going to pump 2K into rebuilding a transmission that does not really need rebuilding.

Thanks,

 

I don't see where your age has anything to do with your car problems.
Even if the crack doesn't extend into the splined area, it may still be subjected to forces of the shaft (support of the weight and all that). Normally, replacement of the differential is required. If you wish, you may try using a speedi-sleeve on the output.
The speedi-sleeve (a CR product) is for renewing seal surfaces on otherwise usable shafts and is not meant to be a structural repair, but they are cheap compared to the parts and labor you're looking at now. $35 and all you have to know is the shaft O.D. and can be had at most (real) auto parts stores. You may as well replace the seal also if you go this route.
YMMV
Ed

 

Thanks for the sleeve tip that might work. The fractured part is not structural, it holds the o ring to seal the weather and grime out of the splines. The bearing is inboard of the fracture.

As for my age and it's relation to the issue, let me explain it like this: My age, of course, has nothing to do with my car problem, that is BEYOND obvious. What I can say is that while I am not a professional mechanic I have been driving and fixing vehicles, good and bad, for more than a few years and have never once even heard about a drive shaft poping out of a transmission, maybe I am naive. You can't get them out or put them in without seperating the ball joint/control arm or hub/strut yet this one just comes on out. I have put in quite a few so you don't have to question my mechanical competence to snap the axle in place. This is the type of engineering failure you expect from a poorly executed Eastern European vehicle (please, no offense is intended to those that hold those dear). This is just one of the many Volvo V70 failures I have encountered over the past 4 years of ownership. I maintain it by the book and hunt for failures and issues on a regular basis. I keep it clean so that I can find leaks before they get out of hand. If it breaks or looks as if it might break I fix it. I do all the work myself so that I know it gets done right. I installed a remanufactured valve body recently, I think I get it. TLC TLC TLC yet it has been towed off the interstate more times than all my other vehicles combined.

 

This is not something you put your hands on every time the oil is changed and you wouldn't expect this to happen at all.
My guess is that the circlip lost tension or wasn't there and allowed the shaft to slide out. When you hit that hard gap, the shaft slipped out the rest of the way and cracked the output with the unsupported mass.
I couldn't pass up the poke at you about the age thing.
Ed

 

I no longer own a Volvo.....bought a Toyota. While the Volvo was being towed for the third time I asked Sonny which car he towed the least. He replied "Toyota, (spit out the window and pause) almost never tow a Toyota (another pause and spit) and sometimes a Honda".

Side note: When checking the front end on the Toyota low and behold ITS DRIVE SHAFT IS BOLTED TO THE TRANSMISSION!

Have a blast with those V70's and Sonny!