will a prop universal joint come apart without its circlips

Post by **ssnjimb** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 8:47 am

Hi

Will a universal joint on a propshaft come apart without two of its four circlips installed.

James

Post by **alzax3** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 8:51 am

Quite possibly and it wouldn't give you much warning when it worked loose, I wouldn't run without them fitted!

Post by **ssnjimb** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 8:53 am

i could not find my vice when installing a new u j.

James

Post by **d_harris** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 9:33 am

I really wouldn't risk it.

If the propshaft worked loose think how much damage it could do! Essentially, a steel bar with a jagged end spinning at thousands of RPM and banging about all over the place.

Dont think that if this did happen the steel floor of the car would protect you, oh no. Thats the kind of risk that could end lives if things dont work out

Post by **Phil-tq** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 10:29 am

Just to give you some idea of what could happen, a friend of mine had a flatbed Bedford that could carry one car on the back. He had had vibration problems at certain speeds and decided to renew the prop shaft.

Because the truck chassis had been lengthened slightly in the past, he had to have a longer shaft professionally shortened and balanced.

Unfortunately there was confusion over the measurements he gave the company and it arrived slightly shorter than it should have been.

He fitted it anyway and took it along a a dual carriageway late at night to test it out.

At about 50 mph there was a bang. The flailing shaft hit the floor of the truck and smashed the back of the gearbox to pieces. It then dug into the road and lifted the back of the truck off its wheels as the body pole-vaulted over it. My friend thought the truck was going to somersault.

He got away with it and it was lucky there was nobody else around. He was very shaken!

Post by **nigelr2000** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 2:00 pm

DO NOT DRIVE IT IS A DEATHTRAP WAITING TO SNARE YOU, A friend of mine from school was killed by a failing propshaft on an old van, it was well noisy previous to the failure but he still drove it and when going at speed it failed somersaulting the car into a field then a river killing them both outright.

Post by **ssnjimb** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 10:19 pm

Hi

I will defo not drive the car until i replace the propshaft.

James

Post by **bmcecosse** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 10:47 pm

Or just find the vice! How can you lose a vice ??
Scary story there 'nigelr' - not sure I want to drive my Trav ever again !

Post by **rayofleamington** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 11:02 pm

If the propshaft worked loose think how much damage it could do!

I've had it happen at 60mph on a 3ltr Merc (flexi joint). It was scary and noisy but what kept us alive was they had built in a 'catcher' to keep the prop off the tarmac and us on the road.
It chewed off the end of the gearbox - including bending the 6mm thick steel box section mountings completely out of shape.

The circlips keep the UJ assembled... enough said!