premature donut failure

[Tom Sahines <tsahines@domain.elided>]

When replacing the donut one should carefully inspect all of the motor
mounts and the tranny mount. The transmission mount should be inspected for
any damage caused by hitting speed bumps or other obstacles. Incorrect
alignment of the drive components is the primary cause of donut failure.
The most overlooked component is the bushing in the end of the drive shaft
that mates with the transmission output shaft. This bushing centers the
drive shaft to the transmission output shaft and if either the bushing or
the shaft are worn there will be unnecessary stress on the donut causing it
to fail.

The bushing is available from Alfa for about $30 it is a PITA to change as
Alfa did not provide an easy way to remove it. I grind a slot in the
bushing flange so that I can grab it with a bearing clam shell clamp and
then pull it out with a slide hammer. If the output shaft of the
transmission is worn the entire tranny must be removed and torn down to
replace the main shaft. Obtain a used one from APE or send me your old one
to be rebuilt. This of course is a major $ fix and often only the bushing
is replaced in the hope that it will solve the problem.

When reassembling the system it is important to grease the end of the
transmission output shaft and the bushing in the drive shaft. I use
waterproof wheel bearing grease (the blue stuff). Also most important is
the rubber tube that goes over the transmission output shaft. This tube is
what keeps the grease in the bushing. If it is gone then the grease will
dry out quickly and the bushing will wear out rapidly.
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