A Transmission related poser for you.....

[liammonty]

Crazy - it just breaks at the other end instead! Unfortunately, bad design and poor quality is all too common in the modern parts. However, it's not as though the updated shafts are cheap!

What's my prize then - a pair of second-hand updated half-shafts?!

[chickenjohn]

Yes Bmc you are correct, the wheel bearing must be full of swarf as it feels a bit rough and is grinding away slightly. In the weeks leading up to the breakdown there was an intermittent odd creak/ groan from the rear end on moving away. The suppliers to their credit have also send replacement hub nuts, bearing and seals- gaskets etc.

Liam, your prize is the one we all gain from being members of this forum and that is the sharing of knowledge for mutual benefit!

[liammonty]

That sounds preferable to the halfshafts!

[bmcecosse]

[philthehill]

I was not aware that there should be a weld on the inside of the hub flange. They are usually a shrink fit onto the half-shaft taper with a safety nut on the wheel end of the shaft. See: http://www.petermayengineering.co.uk/sp ... oducts.htm Item No: 5.32 & 5.33.
Had this particular half-shaft failed or been manufactured to sub standard before this incident and the weld was a way of overcoming the problem?
For the best two piece half-shafts see: http://www.mgparts.co.nz/advice/technic ... ear-axles/

[Suzukimorris]

Ghosts.

[chickenjohn]

I was not aware that there should be a weld on the inside of the hub flange. They are usually a shrink fit onto the half-shaft taper with a safety nut on the wheel end of the shaft. See: http://www.petermayengineering.co.uk/sp ... oducts.htm Item No: 5.32 & 5.33.
Had this particular half-shaft failed or been manufactured to sub standard before this incident and the weld was a way of overcoming the problem?
For the best two piece half-shafts see: http://www.mgparts.co.nz/advice/technic ... ear-axles/

Watch the video, the half shaft in question is of the bolt on variety and with a bead of weld on the inside. It looks most like item 5.33 but I can't be sure it is the same one.

[philthehill]

Chickenjohn.
Yes I did watch the video before posting my comment above and noted the bead of weld.
I have spoken with Peter May Racing this morning and their uprated competition half-shafts for steel (non wire) wheels do not have a weld between the flange and the half-shaft. They are just shrunk onto the half-shaft as per the advert.
As an aside I would consider that welding the flange to the half-shaft would do the metallurgy of the half-shaft no good at all and would introduce a weakness into the shaft !!
What I cannot understand is that if there was fouling between the half-shaft and the hub assembly why was that not picked up when the half shafts were originally fitted? To have the wearing away of the weld to the point that it failed as it did there must have been substantial interference between the two parts. All modified (especially )and new parts being fitted must be checked for clearance before final assembly. I can assure you that the clearances would have been checked if the fitting had been done on my watch and parts rejected if necessary!!! It must never be assumed that new parts and especially modified ones are correctly sized.

[chickenjohn]

Absolutely agree Phill, the car would not have gone out with fouling parts "on my watch" either. The customer fitted the half shafts himself, my job was to diagnose the problem as to why the car wasn't working after it had arrived on a tow truck.

And yes they were indeed welded as per the design on the inside or there is nothing to stop the shaft from turning against the hub plate on this particular design. A poor quality product certainly.....

As the engine only has 60BHP if it was my car I would have kept the original spec parts.

I have seen this again and again, modified cars do throw up these odd problems. My choice for a reliable Minor is to keep it as close as possible to standard spec. Yes you can have a reliable modified car but you do need to be prepared to re engineer and develop these parts.

[minor65]

Couldn't agree more !!