Propshaft overhaul

Busy overhauling propshafts and UJ, when finally got the 2 pieces of propshaft apart there is a plastic lining between the male and female splines of propshaft, and makes it an extremely tight fit as well as stopping grease getting between the metal faces. Really what I would like to know is why is that there, when there is a grease nipple as well and how do I grease it properly when fitted as plastic covers internal grease passage. Also dont see any referance to it in the manual. any info would b a big help

lew

it doesnt stop grease coming through,it provides hard wearing surface,metal to metal splines would wear more over time making prop slide loose .the only downside is that they they do become tighter over time till eventually slide seizes,you did ensure you put splines back in correct alignment with yokes on either end in same plane ,with front 1 to 2 splines out,anything else and it will vibrate and shorteh prop life

Ive had mine apart a few time sand the plastic coating has been fine, but as James said yokes must be inline.


Lynall

Thanks for Info, Lynall, James

Still in pieces, I marked it all up before splitting so should get it back as it was, there seems to have been a bit of corrosion on the female side and the plastic lining is looking a bit worn. Do I need to replace it?

Still trying to free up the bearing caps on the UJ's been soaking all night to free them up so I can get them out. New UJ's dont have grease nipples is that standard now and the blue grease that is in there lasts for component life?

lew

that is what happens to make them stiffen only remedy is new prop when it gets too bad

Done UJ's, considerably easier assembling the new ones, will hang on doing the rear one until definatly needed, as no serious wear evident. Will assemble and put back tomorrow afternoon, but will try assemble with whats left of plastic sheath but think that I will end up leaving it off, there is hardly any play between the splines so I dont think that the backlash will be an issue. Just got to get it immaculatly clean first.

As James says if the plastic has come off[it should befixed to the splines] then the props had it.corrosion is taking up the play and without the plastic your prop will soon be wobbling all over the place.Unless tight and in need of sanding do not separate prop halves.

Was very tight with plastic sleeve, when did get it apart the sleeve remained in the female end with just a few bits stuck on the end of the male end. Will put it back with what left of sleeve.hopefully once all the old dry grease has been cleaned off it will assemble easier than getting apart.
THanks fot the help

Had similar problem doing emergency swap out with banjoed UJ on spline shaft. Although regularly greased, I still had to batter utter buggery out of the old one with Landy tool #1 - just to get it out. I had to do the same to the donor shaft.
Not great considering I was hammering next to the needle rollers for the UJ. :mil90:

Cleaned and better cleaned them, But neither the original or the donor would slide back in without melting wi the big hammer. Even trying different spline offerings.

At 9pm I took my biggest wire cup brush & a blowtorch to the bugger and removed the plastic coating - result ! finished at 10pm, drove to work next day smooth as silk. Really noticeable. Lots of reduced vibes/throbs/clunks. Mind you, it did now have a good UJ !

But, the question always was : "did I do a bad thing?" The way i look at it, I need the shaft n splines to move freely, including maintenance routines, more often than I'm bothered about accelerated wear! I reckon in the short term there is less strain on the UJ's and whole drive train, if the shaft moves freely. Maybe I will have a problem. If so another donor shaft is easy to source and lesson learned.

Now can somebody design a shaft, so I can actually get the fekn nuts off more than a 8th turn at a time ! Like gettin a socket on it or the head of a ring spanner. even better a ratchet spanner... grrrrrrr.

You can get a proper socket for the prop nuts look on e bay not cheap though, what i do is crack them using a 9/16 spanner then use a deep 3/8 drive 15mm socket to wind them off.


Lynall

i use thin walled 3/8, 9/16 uj socket and battery gun doesnt take long,well worth getting socket even if you use ratchette

Well to be honest i use a battery gun as well after cracking them off as said, but think i will get a 9/16 wobble socket.


Lynall

jamesmartin said:

i use thin walled 3/8, 9/16 uj socket and battery gun doesnt take long,well worth getting socket even if you use ratchette

Click to expand...

James
Is that a 6 or 12 point socket?
I normally allergic to all 12 points as i think they are weak but not sure if a 6 will fit?

Ta
Lynall

i only use hex socket unless bihex bolt,mine is snapon quite thin walled like there standard chromed 3/8 sockets even so they usually last me a year or two and they get alot of use even often use 1/2 inch gun if particulary tight ,it helps to have 30mm extension just to keep gun of yoke

Brilliant thanks for that will ring snappy monday


Lynall

Ta for that Lynall! That's the very tool! Of all the imperial and metric kicking around my toolbag - 9/16 wasn't there (every other bloody size) will be purchasing the propshaft tool and replacing nuts. (and throwing some more sockets n spanners in my bag!)

As for the question about which way round the bolts should be.... hmmm. OK captive both ends - then you won't lose them and your shaft if/when the nuts fall off is the idea there probably....
But I think you willl discover problems well before you lose all your nuts!

I just want easy on, easy off, easy access, easy maintenance. (checking em is getting added as a regular maintenance routine especially if heavy offroading been done)

Or put another way "Which way round do you want them, in a bog, in the ****ing rain?
Thanks again

Well, an update on removing the plastic coating on the splines. As a short term fix it's great. But that's the shaft banjoed now. So I got a good few months out of it. Then it deteriorated rapidly .
Got to strip out immediately, it's gambling too much on transferring vibration to either end and doing some real 5 spanner rating damage!
So there you go. An interesting experiment.
If the shaft won't slide, you will eventually need a new/donor shaft. Until then you can take a wire twist knot grinder brush to it and get by for a few months.
Being aware that deterioration and play will occur and you should check and grease regularly until you get enough readies together for a replacement.
Getting slicker at stripping shafts out now