Thank you for the advice. Yes, I did grease the splines and also both bushings at the end of the drive shaft. I did have the transmission supported by a floor jack and a block of wood when I removed the transmission bracket.

I'm thinking maybe connecting the two driveshaft halves with the 46MM adjusting nut might shorten it a bit to get it to fit. Or jacking up the transmission with the floor jack may do it. Otherwise I am left with prying the hell out of it with a flat bar (which I really do not want to do)

Glenn

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2012 Mercedes ML350 Bluetec 102K (hers)
2005 Corvette 55K (fun car)
2002 VW Jetta TDI 238K (mine)
1998 Volvo S70 T5 Turbo 211K (kids)
1994 Ford F150 4WD 246K (firewood hauler)
1983 Mercedes 300D 384K (diesel commuter)