• Hi Guest!
    You can help ensure that British Car Forum (BCF) continues to provide a great place to engage in the British car hobby! If you find BCF a beneficial community, please consider supporting our efforts with a subscription.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

Driveshaft/u-joint questions

Share this page

wkilleffer

wkilleffer

Jedi Knight
Country flag
Offline
Well, I'm finally getting around to changing the ujoints on my 74 MGB. The one by the rear axle failed this time last week while I was driving it.

It looks like the yoke one the prop shaft took a bit of a beating in all that, and may need to be replaced. It's possible that there might not be enough metal to hold the circlips in. Now, if that wasn't the case, would there be any other hazards to reusing the part? Would it throw the driveshaft off balance or anything like that?

Getting the parts and figuring this out has been a bit of a downer, and we're having to borrow a car. No hurry to return it yet, but I don't like having cars for long periods of time if they don't belong to me. Just one of the downsides to buying an MGB with sketchy maintenance history.

Thank you,
 
Just my personal opinion.
If any parts of the drive shaft, joints, yokes, look questionable, replace them now. The least that can happen is having to do it again. The worst is that the shaft can get loose, whip around, & do real damage to the car & it's occupants.
D
 
The only experience I have with a bad U-joint was with my Dad on the way to Alabama the beautiful from West by god Virginia.... He had replaced the engine in a late 70's Pinto Wagon. About halfway through the trip, around Kentucky and in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night, The rear UJ bearings let go on the interstate. Well, I stayed with dad, and my mom and sisters rode on ahead to find an open parts store. They showed back up about an hour or so later with new parts. I remember my dad under the car with nothing but a scissors jack holding it up... and scrambling from under it 2 or 3 dozen times when 18-wheelers would go by at 70 mph - rocking the car on it's jack.

Last thing I remember about that car was sitting for hours a couple months later prying the studs from the snow tires it had on it as Alabama laws don't allow studded tires.
 
William, The one thing you don't want, is to have any vibration in the drive shaft. If the yoke is questionable, replace it! Tony, ( theautoist.com ), probably has some. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif PJ
 
If the yoke is booger'd up, replace the shaft. The U-joints are a Spicer part, easily acquired thru NAPA, or any of the domestic parts houses.

Next time you should pay closer attention to yer butt... that thing shoulda been talkin' to your posterior for a WHILE before it let go to the point you describe! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
If the yoke is booger'd up, replace the shaft. The U-joints are a Spicer part, easily acquired thru NAPA, or any of the domestic parts houses.

Next time you should pay closer attention to yer butt... that thing shoulda been talkin' to your posterior for a WHILE before it let go to the point you describe! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, looking back on it, it was vibrating a bit. But I didn't have any idea that something like this was going to happen. Frankly, I would have thought the tranny was more likely to give out than a ujoint. I was almost hoping it was the gearbox so I'd have an excuse to get a 5-speed conversion from Chattanooga's own Rivergate 5-speed.
 
"Glutton fer Punishment" huh? Good choice of gearboxes, too /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

"May as well" do it all at once, and ya get yer wish!
 
[ QUOTE ]
"Glutton fer Punishment" huh? Good choice of gearboxes, too /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

"May as well" do it all at once, and ya get yer wish!

[/ QUOTE ]

Can't really afford it. It would have been something else to pay for. Maybe one day.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Well, I'm finally getting around to changing the ujoints on my 74 MGB. The one by the rear axle failed this time last week while I was driving it.

It looks like the yoke one the prop shaft took a bit of a beating in all that, and may need to be replaced. It's possible that there might not be enough metal to hold the circlips in. Now, if that wasn't the case, would there be any other hazards to reusing the part? Would it throw the driveshaft off balance or anything like that?
.

Thank you,

[/ QUOTE ]


Generally speaking when a :U: joint fails under load while driving the yokes get trashed and must be replaced.Prolly a good Idea to souce a complete useable drive shaft. If the yoke was not damaged it could be properly reused with the installation of new Crosses. The one you have should not be reused.--Fwiw---Keoke- /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/nonono.gif
 
Got lots of shafts/yokes...but I would replace the whole shaft, not just the yoke!
 
Yep Tony, that one is trashed , give him a good price on one---Keoke- /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
I tried and tried to replace a u-joint once... I learned I stank at it and always take them to a driveline shop. They are nearly always able to replace anything wonky, have the experience to tell if something can be reused and are able to balance the shaft for you!
 
FEDEX has his driveshaft!
 
William I agree with everyone else. When I first bought my 64 MGB it had aluminum bolts holding the drive shaft in place. Of course I didn't know it at the time. I was downtown (thank goodness not on the highway) when they snapped. No damage to the drive shaft but the rod under the car with the rubber boots that keep the fan from going into the radiator were also bad so I ended up with a chain reaction --- drive shaft breaks, MGB stops dead in the road, motor keeps moving and tears radiator up, radiator bends shroud, towing bill and lots of dollars in repair.
Make sure all is okay under there. Can you imagine what would have happened had I been on Interstate::(



Naomi (Owner of a 1964 MGB, a 1979 MGB, a 1980 MGB. Each repaired hundreds of times but still loved /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Aluminum bolts holding the drive shaft??? That's one for the books! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif PJ
 
[ QUOTE ]
FEDEX has his driveshaft!

[/ QUOTE ]

That's great news. Now, it needs to stop raining for a bit so I can actually to the work.
 
I bought a 76 Lincoln Continental for $35 once, because the lady lost the rear u-joint going up the hill in front of our shop.
I got some good money for that 460. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/devilgrin.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
I bought a 76 Lincoln Continental for $35 once, because the lady lost the rear u-joint going up the hill in front of our shop.
I got some good money for that 460. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/devilgrin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Don't loose a "U" joint in front of Banjo's shop!!---Keoke- /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/angel.gif
 
Back
Top