Anyone had any experience with a failing bearing on the drive shaft of an English Axle?

What are the symptons.

Currently loosing diff oil at the end of the axle.

Pat...

They don't have seals as such.

It's just a metal cased bearing pressed into the axle.

Pat...

oooh, how can that be? so what is stopping oil from coming out, oh hang on , nothing by the sound of it.

the bearing that are pressed onto the 0.5 shafts have seal. you may find, like I did , there is a bit of oil seeping out but I solved this by smearing the red gasket stuff over the breaing body and axle recess and it cured it - obviously if the selas are gone, this "fix" won;t fix it.

I am talking english axle btw.

Breather blocked just a thought

You need the bearing replacing, we have just done ours, using a home made press.

I'm sure Unclefista will be along with more details

"Currently loosing diff oil at the end of the axle."

Sounds about right, that was the only symtom until I had the shaft out and span the bearing by hand, it was a bit "rumbly".

If you need to change the bearing, we have a slide hammer (well, bits of steel welded together) for the driveshaft and a press (well, bits of steel welded together and a bottle jack) for the bearing you're welcome to borrow matey



[Edited on 14/11/07 by UncleFista]

Could a knackered bearing cause the wheel to wobble???

Unclefiesta - I have two spare drive shafts with bearings fitted, but could do with borrowing your slide hammer thing to get mine out.

Pat...

Pat,

If you have spare drive shafts, make sure you put them in the same side they came out of.

These things are getting old now, and changing the torque so they're being stressed in the reverse direction may raise problems.

Stephen

The driveshafts might be an absolute booger to get out. Slide hammer wouldn't shift mine. Neither would pushing it out with screws in the backing plate or heating with blowlamp. Ended up just using bigger and bigger hammers.
Good luck.

Hi if the oil is coming out then it's one of two things . Knackerd bearing or a poorly fitted disc brake conversion.

Bearing will possibly show no sines of a problem untill examined when you have removed it.

I think some one else above said that. UncleFista. Sorry i should have read first.

Cheers Matt

quote:

---

Originally posted by procomp
Hi if the oil is coming out then it's one of two things . Knackerd bearing or a poorly fitted disc brake conversion.

---

It's not just the leaking fluid that's the problem.

At two track days, this tyre on this side has hit the top front trailing arm bolt and shredded itself.

Also, the car was fine both morningsm, but in the afternoon, developed a vibration shudder and of acceleration.

Hence the question about would a wheel bearing cause the wheel to wobble slightly when it got warm?

It's fine on the roads.

Pat...

quote:

---

Originally posted by skodaman
The driveshafts might be an absolute booger to get out. Slide hammer wouldn't shift mine. Neither would pushing it out with screws in the backing plate or heating with blowlamp. Ended up just using bigger and bigger hammers.
Good luck.

---

Hi Pat

Half shafts obviously also locate in the diff itself meaning its effectively a long arm located in two points quite a distance apart, so Id be very suprised if a failing bearing gave enough movement to generate any significant toe in/out movement of the wheel.

As discussed previously, Ive had the same issue with my bolts chafing the tyre in the past and the only thing that cured it was small wheel spacers and wider rims to hold the tyre better and pull the tread section of the tyre outboard slightly.

Chris

Hi Chris,

Yep - I added 10mm spacers and still the passenger side tyre ground it's self on the top bolt.

There must be about 15mm clearance between the tyre and nut face.

Can it really move that much?

Seems only to happen on clockwise circuits as well - never happened at Rockingham.

Bigger spacers required?

Pat...

Is the clearance the same on both sides, i.e. is axle centralised in chassis correctly?

Why the debate ; if the seal is knackered the seal-bearing has to be changed.

Easy job even without a slide hammer or press.

Main special tools required are an old steel wheel (with inflated tyre) and a length of scaffolding tube.

I have covered the technique many times

Thanks all.

Sorry, I may have confused issues with two on going debates - one about changind the bearing - which will be done and one about the same wheel catching.

Pat...

tyre pulls over a lot, as well as the axle moving, thats whats making it hit the bolt