Stubborn Pot Joint Removal
Turbo Mini Forums

I am in need of some TM wizardry.

I have been rebuilding a gearbox for a fellow Manchester Minis Club member and when I tried to remove the pot joints when I stripped the box, I couldn't get them off, so I whipped out the whole diff, along with the side covers.

I have bought the proprietary tool to remove the pot jonts with the aid of a smack from a hammer. So I re assembled the diff onto the gearbox and tried again. Well, I have just bent fook out of the proprietary tool

So thinking I have been doing something wrong, I thought I would try the proprietary tool on another gearbox. Smack, first hit and the poit joint popped off. Tried another, then another, then another, all split first smack. Not me or the tool then

I have tried heating the joint, then using the tool, still the same. Short of getting the gas axe or grinder on it, i cannot see a way of splitting these joints without having to replace loads of bits.

If it weren't for the fact that its a cross pin diff I would have binned it. It deffo needs to come appart now.

Any ideas?

bigger hammer???

I had one where the spring clip had broke jamming the joint in. I ended up using a long tyre lever either side and some good old brute force and ignorance! If in doubt give it a clout :)

These pot joints weren't bought recently from one of the big mini parts supplyers by any chance, I have just cut one off with this exact problem

try a 5lb lump hammer or numatic drill

I find occasionally that the circlip gets distorted when fitting the pot which makes it impossible to get them off in tact

I seriously doubt it!

It seems to me that whoever fitted the pot joints all those years ago didn't apply any grease to the splines etc so I expect they have corroded onto the shafts quite solidly, or the pot joint splines were a very tight fit so the pot joints were hammered into place during installation.

Try using a bearing seperator together with a couple nice lever bars or wedges.

Clamp the bearing seperator onto the pot joint, then use the levers/wedges, hammer etc to drive the pot joint off the shaft.

Machine Mart sell various bearing seperators in different sizes & in different kits.
www.machinemart.co.uk to find your nearest depot, then have a look to see which bearing seperator will fit the job.

I'd say its probably the clip damaged as Paul says, how about trying to drill out the centre of the inside of the joint, so that you could then use a leg puller with the legs on the outside of the pot, and the puller pushing through your drilled hole, onto the end of the diff output shaft.

I doubt its rust the joints are not that old and gearbox cant be more the 18months since it was originaly built. It could well be that these are 'dodgey' joints.

There is no point trying any sort of lever since the propper tool and a large swing from a 2lb hammer is not even touching it and a bigger hammer will only damage things more than what has already been done. So It looks like I will be doing something similar to what Tom suggested.

Im going to split the crown wheel off the cage, thus have two parts. I'll take them to my machine shop and ask their opinion, but I see three options. Cut the output shaft between the pot joint and the diff bearings, Or, mill off the gear end of the output shaft, Or, drill through the center of the pot joint, exposing the end of the shaft, then use the hydraulic press to seperate the joint off the shaft.

I'll let you know how I get on.

If it were not for the fact that the seals are suspect, the diff side covers need cleaning up and the diff re shimming, I would have just put it straight back on. Everything was new 18 months or so ago!!!

Good luck Sprocket. I know how it feels to be on a bit of a back footer. Had nothing but trouble getting my most recent engine back in one piece.

If something is worth doing, it's worth doing half of.

Colin I would Supect that your problem is as I said the set I had where no more that 18 months old ether, I ended up having the cut the pot joint off where the surface the seal run on meets the large outer diameter of the pot joint, I tried drilling the center out of the joint but it was futile and recked 3 carbide cutters,

when you cut trough the joint at the point I said it will expose the clip which you can then remove and every thing will slide apart with any bit of look,
regards,
Paul.

Yes, I was going to say that the pot joint outer cups are harder than glass so you won't be able to drill through, you'll have to use a disc-cutter (plasma) & cut away as much of the pot as you can then maybe cut along the the remaining outer shaft & split it off the splined shaft.
(machine mart sells plasma cutting discs)

What is the proper tool?

AlexF

I seriously doubt it!

I use this....
http://tinyurl.com/yckh4wn (wouldn't let me post full url so had to use tinyurl instead)

Just watch yer fingers.....

"se ne estas rompita, ne ripar ĝi - supercharge ĝi."

The centre of the joint shouldn't be hard to drill - there is a simple pressed steel cap there that acts as a bit of a bearing surface for the other half of the joint. I have had these caps come adrift in use before now and fill the joint with oil!

I would pry the 'centre cap' out and try a three legged puller as Tom suggested.

Nope only some of the joints have a cap in the centre if it's a replacment joint it will most likely have a solid centre

So, who might the supplier of aformentioned difficult joints?

I too would like to know.

I managed to get a set of NOS Hardy Spicer branded pots of ebay a while ago for myself. hopefully these will be ok.

If something is worth doing, it's worth doing half of.

Hi,
When I fit the CV joints (either onto the driveshaft or onto the diff output shafts) I apply some CV grease to the clip, then try to centralise the clip in the groove around the shaft so it's more or less concentric with the shaft. The grease will then (hopefully) hold it in that position until I gently fit the CV joint over the shaft & pop it on.

Obviously you can feel if the clip hasn't entered the joint properly when resistance is noticed, but it seems whoever fitted the CV joint noticed the resistance but made sure the CV joint went on regardless.

Nope again its nothing to do with the person fitting the Joints,

The problem with these joints is the way the grove in the inside of the joint is cut.....

the grove is cut to deep and no lead is put on it, so the joint slides on as normal but wont come back off as there is no lead to compress the spring clip.