half-shafts -- how much of a problem?

[robedney]

Having just recently gotten Mildred I'm wondering what I ought to have stashed away as emergency spares. I live in California, where it can take a week or two to get parts. Every now and then I read of someone breaking a half-shaft. Is this a relatively common problem? I've also heard of hardened shafts, and I'm curious as to whether they are really any better.

Thanks!

[bmcecosse]

Yes - stock up in everything! Half-shaft breaking is not common (but see another post today) if you are reasonable with the car - no racing starts/axle tramping/snatched gear changes. But if you try to replicate Steve McQueen down the hills of San Fran - well...... it is possible to break a half shaft!

[robedney]

Ah darn, and I was just thinking of heading over to the City and doing a nice fast downhill run. Even tossed some 90 weight into the dampeners so I wouldn't bottom out after flying. Oh well.

I just ordered some stuff from ESM to see how it goes. My last order from the local (local to California) folks never turned up, although they didn't bill me either. ESM's prices are competitive even with the shipping and they appear to have their act together. I'd appreciate you all doing what you can over there to improve the exchange rate for me

[chickenjohn]

If you need to change the rear axle hubs seals/ gaskets then that is the perfect time to pull out the half shaft and inspect the splines as this is where they break being the weak point.

But broken half shafts, although rare tend to be on cars that have been abused or thrashed. Drive sympathetically and all will be fine.

[rayofleamington]

If you service the car thoroughly and regularly and fix the things you find, then most of the time you can avoid surprises.

simple examples:
Fuel pump points - these can leave you off the road unexpectedly if you've not checked them to see the condition.
Wheel cylinders - these tend to weep for a while before failing.
Wheel bearings - usually you can hear/feel the graunching before they get sloppy.
Trunnions - tend not to fail if well maintained.
Brake pipes / flexi hoses - these tend to look bad before failing.

Unfortunate effect of regular servicing and good maintenance:
Many new parts are shoddy and fail quickly - so in many cases you would have got further without fitting new parts! (e.g. distributor points, condenser, coil, after-market fuel pump, etc..)

Things that can 'fail unexpectedly' are usually few and far between (clutch, half shafts, valves, gearbox, leaf spring, voltage regulator, wheel bearings, crank shaft pulley*). These things (and the other's I've missed) are all rare so it would be hard to cover ALL the bases.

*Crankshaft pulley failures are well known on cars with alternator conversion as you need more belt tension and this reduces the life of the pulley.

[bmcecosse]

* Double bonus then for fitting a crankshaft damper - it's much more robust , damps crank vibes and prolongs life of timing chain - and won't fail with increased belt tension!