Broken halfshaft? Or something else?

[Aeroplonk]

Hi, I'm new to the forum, please forgive me for barging straight in with a mechanical question.

This question is with regard to a '55 Minor saloon fitted with a 1275 A-series and ford type 9 'box and what I believe to be a "later type" rear axle.

Last night I was pulling away from a junction, there was a lurch and a bang and the car was left with no drive. I checked to see if the prop shaft was turning while in gear, and it was. This leads me to believe that the problem is in the rear axle. It seems most likely that it is a broken half shaft because of the way it suddenly lost drive and because it seems more common than anything else involving the rear axle.

So tonight I got the rear of the car up on axle stands and tried turning each of the rear wheels to confirm where the problem is. What I found was: Either wheel can be turned without the prop shaft turning. Likewise, the prop shaft can be turned and neither rear wheel will turn. Can anybody tell me what this means?

I was under the impression that if a half shaft was broken then one of the rear wheels (the one with the good half shaft) would turn with the prop shaft.

Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks,

Matt

[bmcecosse]

It IS a broken half shaft - pull the shafts to check which one. And then pull the final drive to remove all the shrapnel....

[Aeroplonk]

Thanks for the swift response. I'll get cracking on that tomorrow night then.

[Neil MG]

The reason that either wheel or propshaft can be turned without turning one (or both) of the other two is that the diff is turning the broken halfshaft side (side of least resistance) or you are turning just the broken half shaft.

You might want to consider a pair of competition half shafts (ESM at £329+vat -ouch!) or Bull Motif sell used standard ones individually at £27.50+ each.

[bmcecosse]

If using pre-used shafts - they MUST be used same side as previously. Norm ally there will be marks on the splines to indicate which way round they have been running.

[Declan_Burns]

Morris Minor Centre Birmingham do hardened halfshafts (to 83tons) at £38 each-part no DIF146A.
Might be the better way to go.
Regards
Declan

[bmcecosse]

At that price - are they just secondhand shafts that have been popped through an induction hardening process? Seems v cheap for them to be NEW shafts.........

[Declan_Burns]

No idea as nothing is mentioned on their website. I can't imagine them being new shafts either but if yes, they would be a screaming bargain.
Regards
Declan

[chrisryder]

they were normal ones re-hardened. but alas, the supply of second hand halfshafts has dwindled.

they were a screaming bargain!

[bmcecosse]

IF the 'hardening' process actually did any good...........

[Aeroplonk]

Thanks for all the advice so far.

I've only got round to actually doing anything with the car until this afternoon. So far I've managed to get both halfshafts out and also the dif, but not been able to get the broken bit of halfshaft out of the dif. It's only the very end of the halfshaft, so there isn't any sticking out of the dif, and it seems really well stuck. I've tried giving it a bash from the other side, but it's awkward and I can't seem to move it.

I'm sure people must have had this exact problem before, so is there a good way to make it possible?

Cheers,

Matt

[bmcecosse]

Hit it harder!

[David Sharp]

I have recently fitted a pair of EN24 H/shafts from Morris Minor Centre Birmingham and they are British made and priced at £216 per.pair +VAT. The only slight problem I found was that countersinking for the retaining screw was far too shallow so had to be machined.MMCB were informed of the problem back in February so this should have been corrected by now.

[Aeroplonk]

Thanks again for all the advice. I've managed to get the car back together this afternoon using a pair of toughened halfshafts from Charles Ware's. I took it out for a short drive to check that everything is ok, and it seems that it is So fingers crossed it stays that way and I won't have to bother this section of the forum again for a while.

[T100SS]

Why am I not surprised to see bmcosse answer this, albeit it that terse everyone knows as much as I do style:)

I lost drive with no fuss or noise, just going nowhere in pleasant rush hour traffic. There was no churlish honking as I sat on the phone, no impatient gesturing. Crikey, it's an old car with a not so young bloke and no hazard lights you jolly bumpkins (see affs). For all anyone knew or cared I could have been phoning for an ambulance.

Anyway, before the RAC got there, a mate with a taxi showed and towed me on about 2 feet of rope. Try that on Sheffield's hills without a servo.

Next morning with the handbrake on I started it up and put it in gear - then let the clutch out. No drive, so I got under for a neb. Shaft turning. On that premise I presumed differential probs. I found a complete axle in a scrapyard in Doncaster for £100. It came with free parts like the ends of the brake unions, drums, shoes and 3-way union. Nigh on fifty quids worth of bonus parts!!

I was about to change either the diff or the entire axle but the new one leaked from one end. I know leaks can be topped up but to the uninitiated this will put oil on the brake shoes (see bejaysus I can't stop). So I opted to try and get new seals (try cos it's ruddy stupid Easter Friday - I wouldn't mind if we at least celebrated the true meaning of Easter or Ishtar. But a mate in the pub said nay lad, check your half shafts first. Thankfully bmcosse notes they are sided. Thank you - I have Hopkirk, Haynes and BMC manuals n ubt can't recall seeing that written anywhere.

So I'm off outside for another slide on my back in the snow - don't you love English springtime?

[IslipMinor]

they are sided

They are not 'sided' when new, and can be fitted to either side, but after a while the stresses build up to create a clear pattern that is visible at the spline end, and if put in the wrong side the torque through them will try to reverse that, which makes the shaft more liable to fail.

[bmcecosse]

Hahahahahaha - you DO now know as much as me! But you will still need to pop the differential unit out - to clear out the shrapnel - and to punch the broken part out of the diff carrier.