Morris Minor Owners Club

Now I'm really confused

"A single clonk then no drive" is what my wife said.
Now the propshaft turns, the wheels don't and there is a faint rumbling noise.
Does that sound like halfshaft or diff failure?

Halfshaft failure is a lot more common than a diff failure.

and that sounds like halfshaft failure.

When my half shaft went it was just a simple clonk and that
was it. Try jacking both rear wheels off the ground and run
it in gear(chock the front wheels securely) if the diff is still
ok then one of the wheels will revolve. It doesn't
really matter though because you will have to remove the
half shafts anyway before you can remove the diff unit
and you will soon see if one is broken.

The passenger side half shaft has failed about 2/3 up the splies. Now I can't get that bit out and I will have to remove the diff.
Why the hell did they decide to use a 1/4 Witworth bolt for the propshaft????
It's a bit bigger than a 1/2" and a bit smaller than a 9/16".
And to make matters worse it doen't even match a metric spanner

A 13mm is quite close, especially a worn one!! best to get some whitworth spanners and sockets if you can. If you are going to be working on British classics for some time then it's worth the investment.

1/2" is the smallest, then 13mm, then 1/4" Whitworth (if memory serves).

You should visit a boot fair,they have loads of old size
spanners usually. Don't forget to buy a new diff unit to
axle gasket,sods law says it will tear if you don't(and
new half shaft gaskets while you are at it).

I see it accepted 'sods law', though it might say 'I wear
silk stockings 'or something!

You are saying you do what, Willie?

'I wear
silk stockings 'or something!

A standard moggie heater not good enough for you then - yer pansy?

Every thing is out now and although the halfshaft is well and truly B####ed the diff has survived. Now I'm just waiting for some new gaskets and a pair of toughened halfshafts.
"Nothing can stop me now...Nothing!"

BTW. I'm not suprised these half shafts fail. The splines appear to be rough cut. There are no radii to the spline edges and the failure has happened at a classic stress raiser - at the angle formed by the flat spline bottom and the 'ramp' of the spline taper

It's a very common area of weakness on the Minor, along with the trunnions... A fair few people remember the adage that if a Minor is parked by the roadside with a wheel askew, the trunnions have failed. If the wheel's are all fine, then the halfshaft must've gone!

Come on, the minimum age of the half shafts is thirty odd
years,and lord knows what mileage they have done. things
do wear out,even on a Minor!!

I see where you are coming from but my halfshaft wasn't worn, it failed. If you leave sharp angles on cast metal you run the risk of failure. Steel is flexible and, putting it simply, this flexibility is proportional to its guage. if there is an abrupt change in the guage then the metal flexes differently either side of that change and it runs the risk of failing.
I had a lightweight bike frame that did this. Even though the tube was well up to it's job it had a square gear boss brazed to it that created such a huge difference in the thickness of the tube at that point that it failed, creating a crack running away from the corner of the boss.

running away from the the boss

We all do that sometimes Pete

That would be a seriously bad idea - I'm married to her

And you call ME a pansy!!

Marriage is a MAN'S world.

Pete did the broken bit come out easily or was it twisted and jammed in place as I have heard of it being a right so and so to remove at times.
And SORRY to disagree but my wife (she who must be obeyed) says that marriage is where men do as they are told at all times without exception, at least I dont have to call her the BOSS.

The bit did come out easily thank goodness. I removed the diff and tapped it out from the centre using a whopping big screwdriver.