Destroyed pot joint.... I'm absolutely stumped!
Turbo Mini Forums

Elo

Got a really weird problem. I've just refit my engine... Id covered 1500miles as a turbo with 160lbs previously before having it out.

Now the engine went back together with new driveshaft gaitors the only thing being changed is I mixed up the balls for the point joints.

Less than 1miledown the road and there's a god awful noise/vibration. Turns out the offside drive shaft had been forced out the pot joint just enough for the balls to spin at the end of the pot thus mangling the balls and cage.

Now my car is low and the front has standard suspension.

I fit a new pot joint and off I go for test drive two.... Same thing only this time it's the near side pot that's done it.

I've had the engine out and checked the diff and there's nothing wrong there.

I'm totally stumped.

The old pot joint outers are fairly worn with the ridges/ grooves not as sharp as a new one

Edited by Custard on 29th Mar, 2015.

Dave the Cake

Can this be due to different lengths of the driveshafts; switching sides/mix with other set?
Ie short drive shaft on wrong side..

Dazed and Confused....

I didn't think it was possible to get the drive shafts round the wrong way? They are the same as have been on the car for at least the 9 years I've owned it.

I'll fit another new pot joint but I'm worried there's another problem but I just can't think what it could be

Dave the Cake

You probably have the cage in backwards. Ive done it myself. It will drive until you get to a bump then the balls pop out. Turn the cage around and all is fixed.

What slater says, when my aseries turbo was going to the track for the first time i blew both pot joints pulling up the ramp to the trailer i had previously driven it about but under no great load

Yes i moved to the darkside

Instagram @jdm_brett

As above except I think it's the inner bit of the joint, not the cage. The inner bit can be accidentally reversed and move the balls outwards.
If you look at it closely it's not symettric, the inner bit where tha shaft goes is offset relative to where the balls go.

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

I'm sure the inner race in on the right way round (mainly because I didn't take that part off) and because of the groove the gaitor sits on.

I see what you mean about the cage... Can the cage be taken on and off with the outer cv attached? As it can only go one way. Unless you have to put the outer cage on before the race...

Dave the Cake

That cage looks the wrong way to me

I think the cage can come off if you take the boot off and slide it down the shaft.

Its definitely the wrong way round.

The cage is deffo on the wrong way, and I'm sure of you just rotate the cage a little it should just roll off

Maybe I should stop playing with cars....fml

Thanks for the help chaps

Edited by Custard on 31st Mar, 2015.

Dave the Cake

yep, the centre cant go the wrong way around iirc
once the balls are out the cage should wriggle off , and is 200% the wrong way

Yes i moved to the darkside

Instagram @jdm_brett

My bad, it's the cage wrong, not the inner part like I thought....

My only excuse is it's been two years since I tried to put one together wrong...

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

Also, remember that there are two sizes of Pots.

I remember this very issue when i couldn't get the drive shafts to mate up with the pots on a replacement engine. I think in this case, the pots are the same as previous so should be no issue?

This is one if my mini related bug bears, on other joints on other cars you wouldn't dream of randomly mixing and matching inners outers cages etc, yet for most it's standard practise!
What you can do to keep the joints in one piece is knock the pot joint inner spider off the driveshaft. It is on a spline and internal o clip. That way you don't have to disturb the gaiter and get shitty grease everywhere, and can leave the entire joint in the diff.