S

steve c

New Member
My td5 appears to have snapped its second halfshaft....first one in normal driving conditions, high ratio , non diff lock, tho did have an oil leak around there for a while. Second one in extreme conditions, lots of snow/ice and lots of changing into low and using diff lock often. Did replace the original with cheapest alternative but just wondering how it is possible to actually break it?
any advice, comments appreciated
 
They have a working life once its up no more give it just breaks also new Halfshafts I.e britpart are terrible I had a pair not worth the postage IMO but they were £18 a pop new so what do you expect.
 
yes, im regretting buying britpart now...but is it caused by excessive windup? i thought I was using the landy correctly, is there an underlying problem with something or is it purely driver error? seems strange that first brake was on normal road in high ratio, with no diff lock
 
Have you checked the diff and wheel bearings? Do the wheels turn properly, do the props turn properly, any excessive play in the transfer/gear boxes, are the hubs and stub axles the correct ones and fitted correctly? So many potential issues.

"tho did have an oil leak around there for a while" says something else was amiss and any make of halfshaft might break .. a lack of maintenance or lubrication does that ... I'd consider myself lucky the halfshaft went and not a gearbox .. though I'd expect issues there too by now.

I wouldn't blame Britpart parts so quickly myself ..
 
thanks for the replies, ive narrowed it down to front axle, and the driver side wheel turns wehn the passenger wheel is on the ground, so presumably its the driver side shaft. Ive taken the surclip and the 5 bolts off, will I have to remove the hub bolt to extract the shaft? Ive read contradicting reports regarding what needs taking out to remove and replace the half shaft, is it necessary to remove calipers etc?
thanks again
 
thanks bustersbus, thats helpful, i presume thats a td5 aswell? if i just have to remove front right half shaft and not the cv joint, i guess i definately have to remove the 5 drive flange bolts, then the 52mm hub bolt, will half shaft come out then or do i have to remove all the other things ps i wish i was doing it in a nice garage like yours rather in a metre of snow!
 
steve c said:
yes, im regretting buying britpart now...but is it caused by excessive windup?
Click to expand...

Wind up CAN take the shaft beyond it's yield strength - that is the point it starts to deform.

Once the metal has gone beyond this point some of the deformation incurred during the over stressing will be non-reversible.

In basic terms it's been weakened - so in a word YES.

I was involved in a good thread last night on this forum about metal types and the given strength of these various metals, I know about metals, but not about which type land rover used in a half shaft, turns out it was EN19 - I reckon britpart use EN1A.

This shows a swivel change but the half shaft comes out and is replaced - EXCELLENT video I would say - if you cannot complete a hub/swivel/half shaft change after watching this - sell all your tools - it's that good - not some self professed ex-SPURT in a grotty garage bodgeing things - just good mechanics. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2id4_VcJ54
 
Last edited:
thanks chaps, took it all apart, found out it was the passenger side half shaft thats snapped inside the cv joint, i presume the cv joint is ok tho cant test as i have nothing to hold onto to wiggle around, just need to work out now how to remove the sheared half shaft section from the cv joint, all this isnt helped by having to do mechanics in 1 metre of snow with wet bum and wet feet
 
You can get heavy duty shafts, I have seen them advertised but I can't remember where?? might have been Ashcrofts, terrafirma or one of the other big names out there in google land.
 
steve c said:
thanks chaps, took it all apart, found out it was the passenger side half shaft thats snapped inside the cv joint, i presume the cv joint is ok tho cant test as i have nothing to hold onto to wiggle around, just need to work out now how to remove the sheared half shaft section from the cv joint, all this isnt helped by having to do mechanics in 1 metre of snow with wet bum and wet feet
Click to expand...

Not done it on a landy cv but on my vw you can push one side of the inner 'spider' (for want of the correct name) to rotate and extract the balls, once all balls are out the spider can be removed from the casing. Once out you should be able to push the broken shaft out. Just make sure you note (or mark with permanent pen) which way the spider fits in the casing to keep everything in the same place when you reassemble.
 
Unless you are using your motor for extreme off roading I'd be wary of fitting heavy duty half shafts because the next time something breaks it will be more expensive to fix. (diff, clutch, gear/transfer box, propshaft, etc.) The off roaders upgrade all items not just the weaker ones.

Buy OEM shafts and be gentle with the pedals. I tow max weight every weekend on standard half shafts both on and off road (and not just across a flat field) with no issues for many years. My last clutch had also done over 100k miles towing heavy loads with no issues. Its all about vehicle sympathy in my book.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

300bhp/ton
Driven: New Defender - On & Off Road. Is it a Pretender?
2
Replies
29
Views
4K
tottot
tottot
S
Having a nightmare-halfshaft problem?
Replies
3
Views
904
mikescuba
mikescuba
V
Hi found a possible fix for TD4 2000 rpm misfire and smoke issue
Replies
18
Views
9K
eightinavee
E
hd3
Why Injectors Fail and ..
Replies
5
Views
3K
hd3
hd3
C
BMW V8 M62TUB Coolant Temperature Reduction using a lower temp thermostat
2 3
Replies
44
Views
22K
holidaychicken
holidaychicken