IRD question

Ive had the propshaft taken off i was advised to check the IRD for any play,there is about a millimetre of play is this acceptable or not.This is from trying to turn it.

Trying to turn which part? The propshaft output to the rear?

Nodge68 said:

Trying to turn which part? The propshaft output to the rear?

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No the front.

No the front

The bearing supporting drivers side driveshaft to the front wheel can wear, which will eventually cause catastrophic failure. Is the 1mm movement rotational or side to side? I may be corrected, but I don't think 1mm rotational free play is anything to be worried about.

However, that wear is probably caused by failing CV joint on the drive shaft - and not the reason prop shafts are removed.

If the prop has been removed to stop (further) damage to the IRD - it is usually the rear pinion that the prop connects to (as Nodge says) that will have worn. You need to be testing the flange that the prop connects to. It should not have lateral (side to side) movement and can have a surprising amount or rotational play - not sure someone else can maybe advise, but I'd have thought 3mm (maybe even 5mm) would not be alarming as there are a lot of gears in the IRD.

You're best way of checking the IRD though is to change the oil in it. Crack the fill plug first (as its made of cheese and you might not be able to open it to refill), then drain the oil. There is always some swarf stuck to the magnetised drain plug - but the oil should come out without a metalicy sheen to it and grey oil is a sign of a very badly worn IRD.

The movement is rotational, no side to side found.

Wilkie01207 said:

The movement is rotational, no side to side found.

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1mm rotational free play is acceptable. When worn there would be lots more than that.

Drain the oil (make sure the filler plug is removed first), and see what colour the oil comes out.