Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi
Molly stopped with a loud crack, no drive, broken half shalf I thought. However one side out and is ok, the other will move 1/4 inch out and then it will turn propshaft, no amount of levering will move it any more. So push it all the way back in no drive to propshaft. When its a 1/4 inch out drive to propshaft feels free no grating, but all the way in with no drive there is a roughness. So I cant beleive the shaft has broke. Has it stripped the teeth on the half shaft? Does this happen if so how do I get it out, I guess differential stripdown as in the tech notes but before I strip down diff. someone may have a easy solution, he hopes.
Thanks
Colin

Sounds like half shaft may have twisted, or the diff has dropped a planet gear. Try to remove half shaft while someone rocks the prop shaft too and fro. Failing that a large pry bar and brute force.

It does sound unusual - but when my car broke a shaft I was actually able to drive it home - the broken end jammed the diff. Getting the diff out will be tricky (ie impossible) with the shaft still in place - as MT says - more enthusiastic levering required!
Since this may take time - and there could be some damage - may be a good idea to get hold of a complete spare axle assembly and simply swap over. That get's the car back on the road - and you can investigate the damaged axle at leisure.

the diff has dropped a planet gear

Sounds more feasable insomuch as I have heard two accounts of halfshaft failure that were silent not accompanied by a 'loud crack'.

When my half shaft snapped it was as smooth and silent as a knife through butter. The shafts normally snap close to the start of the splined section thus leaving the broken shaft itself free to be easily withdrawn. If the car is towed far with the broken shaft in situ then the
rough broken end can grind into the inner ring of the bearing doing considerable damage. Your problem is that you will not be able to removed the diff unit until you have withdrawn the half shafts so it means you have to get that broken one out using as much force as is necessary. The only TIGHT fit in the half shaft is into the planet wheel
the shaft is NOT a tight fit into the roller bearings in the diff unit so,unless
the broken end has been burredup enough to have enlarged its diameter
it should offer no resistance.

When my half shaft snapped it was as smooth and silent as a knife through butter

Make that three then

The shafts normally snap close to the start of the splined section thus leaving the broken shaft itself free to be easily withdrawn

Like this

Got the shaft out, knocked out the wheel studs and put 4 nuts and bolts in the holes, managed to then slowly force it out. It had snapped in the middle of the planetary gear, ie right on the edge of the planetary gear splines and was jamming in the smooth part of the planetary gear, at which point it would turn the prop shaft.

Well done, and thanks for the update. A little brute force is sometimes the only way.