My son has just purchased a MK 7 fiesta where the clutch needed replacement. All good and the clutch and gearbox are back in. Drivers side drive shaft has gone in bur the nearside shaft is not playing ball and will not go in. We can get the splines in to the diff but not past the spring clip on the shaft. Have tried putting a mole wrench on the shaft and knocking it with a piece of wood but it refuses to go in. When we remove the clip from the shaft it slides in easily. The clip is slightly oval and replacement Ford ones look the same.

Any pointers? How hard does the shaft need to be hit to compress the clip? We don't want to damage anything at this point!

Regards, Jon

Usually a firm shove of the driveshaft using the freeplay in the inner joint as a slide hammer is enough to seat the driveshaft.

Is the clip loose fitting in the groove, or is it tight fitting on the inside of the groove? Sometimes a loose fitting clip will need orientating to hang in the correct location (commonly when the clip is fitted it stretches the clip enough to increase it's internal diameter), if misaligned can end up jamming up or not going in fully.

If it is tight fitting on the minor diameter, and not excessively protruding from the splines, compressing the inner joint (in as straight a line as poss) and giving the hub nut end a firm bump with a large soft faced mallet or block of wood and lump hammer should suffice to seat the clip.


Dave

[Edited on 7/2/26 by obfripper]

dunno about the Mk 7 but some fiesta boxes, if you pulled the drive shafts out, the diff was held together by said shafts so you had to shove a broom handle or similar to keep the planets in place, failure to do so would destroy the box when you tried to drive it.....ask me how i know

Thanks for the replies, I think it maybe the clip, when you remove the clip the shaft slides in fully, so not the planet gears and there is no mention of that in the manual or you tube videos. I will get a new clip and see how we get on.