Series 3 Getting the broken shaft out

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85Santana3

85Santana3

Active Member
Posts
284
Location
Canada
Hello everybody
1. I have managed to break the rear axle shaft again (#8). I took the bigger part out but the end is in. Any idea as how to get the blasted thing out?
2. To get back I had to lock the hub releases in front and engage 4x4 . The light 4x4 (red stick pushed front) doesn't work but when red stick is back thre truck moves very s;lowly. What could cause this?
tx 1000000 in advance
 
Well this wont help at all, but what I have read of before is people running a grinder around the shaft making a groove at the wheel end so mkaing it the weak spot, that way when it fails it is a few minutes work to change over.
I have only broken one shaft and that was because I was being a heavy handed oaf off road, that is with a tdi fitted as well, it was totally my fault to much power and the wheel bounced in a pot hole which then spun up snapping the shaft as the wheel made contact with the floor again.
 
lynall said:
Well this wont help at all, but what I have read of before is people running a grinder around the shaft making a groove at the wheel end so mkaing it the weak spot, that way when it fails it is a few minutes work to change over.
I have only broken one shaft and that was because I was being a heavy handed oaf off road, that is with a tdi fitted as well, it was totally my fault to much power and the wheel bounced in a pot hole which then spun up snapping the shaft as the wheel made contact with the floor again.
Click to expand...

He lives in Canada I think, they make big rocks there I'm told ....
 
85Santana3 said:
Hello everybody
1. I have managed to break the rear axle shaft again (#8). I took the bigger part out but the end is in. Any idea as how to get the blasted thing out?
2. To get back I had to lock the hub releases in front and engage 4x4 . The light 4x4 (red stick pushed front) doesn't work but when red stick is back thre truck moves very s;lowly. What could cause this?
tx 1000000 in advance
Click to expand...
Pulling the red knob back puts it in low ratio, that's why it was slow.

Col
 
nickjaxe said:
How have you broken 2? are you working it very hard???
Click to expand...
I have broken 7 if not 8! Also you are giving me more credit than I desere, I can't take out diff by myself.
lynall said:
Well this wont help at all, but what I have read of before is people running a grinder around the shaft making a groove at the wheel end so mkaing it the weak spot, that way when it fails it is a few minutes work to change over.
Click to expand...
They break often enough without my help. I hate to encourage them.

Colthebrummie said:
Pulling the red knob back puts it in low ratio, that's why it was slow.
Click to expand...
I know that Col, but why front doesn't work?

Questions remain, how should I get the tip out?
 
Had you pushed yellow knob down to engage 4wd high ratio?
If so the selector shafts in transfer case may be seized which would explain why you are snapping halfshafts if your off roading with 2 wd.
I made a bracket to attach to trolley jack to allow me to remove diff on my own from underneath with axle on stands.
Was a flat plate which bolted to the holes on underside of diff and also bolted to my trolley jack.
 
Freewheeling hubs fitted?

All diffs are the same, its not so much the weight but their weirdly balanced shape.
 
If you can't push it from the other side after taking the good half shaft out, it's a case of dropping the diff. It sounds like the bit that's left in isn't interfering with the diff cogs so at least that's good news. Another plan might be to fit a powerful niobium magnet to the broken shaft, stick it back in and with rear end raised get a helper to jiggle the opposite wheel and see if the magnet will grab the broken bit and pull it out. Some of these rare earth magnets are super strong, not cheap though. I've seen a similar procedure used to good effect to remove a broken part from the innards of a big CNC machine, the alternative was a big stripdown of the machine.

Col
 
How is a broom shank supposed to pass the sun gear shaft in centre of diff ?
See attached pic with a halfshaft in place.
 

Attachments

  • diff centre showing half shaft.JPG
    diff centre showing half shaft.JPG
    49.6 KB · Views: 148
I ran series Land Rovers for many years and only had one rear half shaft break. The replacement I put in the lathe and undercut the shaft at the wheel end to make replacement easier when another broke. Never had another fail, but then I drive like a Granny with lots of mechanical sympathy. When I was younger I could manhandle a diff. but not now.
 
Just to make things clear as to how to operate the drive system of a series.
Red lever forward and yellow in up position is rear wheel drive for road work or just flat dry ground.
Red lever back puts the box into low gears for off road and if Free wheel hubs are fitted they must be engaged for the front wheels to drive. Driving in low box with out engaging free wheel hubs should not be done as it is easy to overload the rear shafts.
The yellow knob when pushed down and then stays down puts it into four wheel drive in high gear [ provided free wheel hubs engaged] this you would use on snowy/ice roads or wet grass . Pulling the red lever back and then pushing it forward again will put it back into two wheel drive when the yellow knob pops up.

As Blackburn says, it is not possible to push the stub out with a broom handle, now if lucky a strong magnet on a stick may work but often as the shaft shears it twists a bit in the splines of the diff gear and can require a clout to get it free so Diff out it is. Nothing difficult in doing this other than the weight as mentioned above.
 
Problem continues. Now the 4x4 jumps out when engaged and can't move at all. then the belt came out and got shredded in the fan! I think universe is telling me something.
 
Check the selector shafts at front of transfer case they corrode and need cleaning / releasing.
See attached info.
 

Attachments

  • selector shafts 4wd.pdf
    239.6 KB · Views: 190
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