live axle: worn half-shafts?

[masha]

a) What is the consequence of this - is it true that the axle will start to knock side to side?

 

b)how many miles on average should a live axle cover before it needs an overhaul/replacement?

 

c)Does anyone have experience of recon. units and where should I turn to get one fitted with out too much cost/inconvenience?

[Casbar]

To find if the half shafts are worn, you should put the rear on axle stands, and then pull each wheel. If the shafts are duff, the wheel will have play in it.

 

If your just getting a knocking sound, from the rear, under power, its probably the A frame bushes that are duff.

 

Give James Whiting a ring, he'll have the answers. As to how quick they wear out, that depends on how many dohnuts and such antics your car has done. My half shafts have done 10,000 miles and are still going strong

 

Robert

[allen]

Comments apply to Ford Axle, but I expect Ital to be similar, though I believe it cannot handle quite as much abuse.

 

Half Shafts - the only wear you should get is to the splines that engage in the dif. (and wear in the dif where splines engage) This would show as rotational slack, taking a long time to develop.

 

The outer bearing may wear (should get picked up at MOT time)this would have to be pretty severe to show as side to side movement.

 

Clonk may well be A Frame bush, get it checked out.

 

If serviced regularly (i.e. oil kept topped up) and not subjected to very powerful engines, rear axles should be very hard wearing.

 

If engine is very powerful, right foot heavy and tyres sticky then half shafts can snap, difs can loose teeth, but they do ned to be abused a bit.

 

regards

 

allen

 

 

 

 

[CHRIS CLARK]

John Cordingley (ex area organiser or current one if they keep getting it wrong in LOW FLYING!!!!) had a 210BHP Cossie on a live axle, so they can't be too weak!

[hubcap]

I have just done a mod on my live axle car to stop the half shafts moving in the bearings. This may be the clonk you can hear when cornering. The bearing is retained in its housing, but there is nothing retaining the half shaft, the hub stops it moving in, but the only thing stopping it moving out on an Ital axle is a ridged area (26mm od) on the shaft which is approximately 15mm further inboard from where the bearing should be. Consequently the shaft, which is retained purely by the interference fit between itself anf the inner race of the bearing, can move by 15mm when under high cornering forces.

 

My mod was to machine collars which then press up behind the bearing, trapping it between the collar and hub. So far so good, trackday at Oulton tomorrow will tell. PS the new collars meant changing the seals to ones with a larger id - 30mm. Further info should appear in Low Flying.

 

Hubcap

[Nick Frost]

Ital half-shaft "clonk" has plagued 1995-2000 Academy cars for years. A car driven hard on track is likely to experience this problem in a lot less than 10,000 miles of hard use. And the "reconditioned" half-shafts can BREAK - which ain't funny since it leaves you with something resembling a Reliant Robin... First fix is to buy new "up-rated" half-shafts - standard from Caterham stores, I believe. Or try Caterham Midland. Futher fix is to fix the bearing onto the shaft - to DIY, very high strength, high temp loctite can do it. But preferred alternatives are welding and/or a steel collar to fill the space.