help output shaft play
Turbo Mini Forums

Hey guys i'm changing the gaskets on the output shafts (sorry not sure of the proper name, but basically ive removed the drive shaft, removed the pot joint (i think) removed the cover plate and now i left with a shaft that comes out of the diff (hardy spicer??) basically the left has about 2mm of play side to side and the right about 4-5mm basically it doesnt seem right to me i presumed they would be solid as in no movement side to side is this something to be worried about ??

Depends as the diff will feel different side to side and the output shafts are supported by bushes in the diff covers that you have removed

On 5th Sep, 2011 Vegard said:
I stand corrected. You should know

Yes, define play a little better, is it up/down or in/out (left/right).

the up/down is controlled by the bushes in the covers you've removed as Scruffy says.

Any in/out may be more serious depending on which type of output you have (old cross couplings, hardy spicer or the more common "pot" joints)

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

hey thats cool the play is left to right, in and out is solid. i removed some pot joints i think these where on the outside of the gearbox like a cup which the cv sat in after i removed the gator on the cv the bearings where exposed also is that enough info to identify my outputs and thanks for the replys

Right, if the thing you removed from the outside of the gearbox is big, round and has six slot inside it - where the CV type balls go - then it is a pot joint.

Look at it closely and you'll see it has a shiny sleeve where it goes (went) in the gearbox. The output shaft clips into this sleeve so all the radial movement (ie, up/down, left/right as you look from outside) is stopped by the sleeve which runs in a bronze bush inside the cover plate.

So, without the pot joint in its place, the splined shaft can wobble about quite a bit, but should not move in and out.

How much it wobbles about is debatable - there are two other smaller bronze bushes inside the diff/crownwheel assembly but 2-3mm on the exposed shaft (with the pot joint out) is quite "normal" although it ideally should be less.

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

Excellent description there kid! Mine have always had a little play in them and never caused any bother.

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Mine is quite bad on one side , leading to an oil leak as the oil seal can't cope with the movement of the pot joint. The fibre washer that goes on the output shaft disintergrated on mine and then the bush in the crownwheel and also the plate have worn a bit.

cheers thanks for the replys