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Section : Rear Axle
Rear axle, brakes, wheels and tyres.
Posted By : Charlotte Tupman, 25-Feb-2007,
12:56pm
This is, I know, one of those unquantifiable things, but I'd appreciate any thoughts...
A fellow TSSC member and I fitted a replacement half-shaft to my Spitfire yesterday, as I'd had a wheel bearing problem and wanted the opportunity to look
at it and get it sorted out at my leisure whilst still being able to drive the car. The replacement half-shaft, which I bought with its hub assembly, UJ
and so on, seems fine apart from a not-yet-very-serious-sounding knock from the UJ when braking.
I've replaced UJs before, so I know what a long-winded job it can be, and realistically I'm not going to get a chance to do it in the next couple of weeks.
Normally this wouldn't be a problem, as I don't drive the Spitfire that far on a weekly basis, BUT I shall have to make a 550-mile round trip very shortly,
and was wondering whether the general consensus on not-very-loudly-knocking UJs was that they will last a good few hundred miles, or whether I would be
daft to even think of doing that many miles before changing it.
Charlotte
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Posted By : Chris Taylor, 25-Feb-2007,
04:48pm
If you drive relatively gently, you will probably get away with it, particularly if you are lucky and the u/j has a hole for a grease nipple so you can
inject some new grease before setting off. However it is fair to say that in the ideal world, you should get a u/j replaced at the earliest
opportunity. They only get worse, and while I would not say it's dangerous as they let you know in no uncertain terms that they are breaking up before
they actually do, if one is allowed to knock for too long they can damage the yolks. If you are lucky, it will be the flange ones, if unlucky, the ones
in the driveshaft, rendering the shaft scrap. Since you have an old shaft ready for reconditioning, that might influence your decision. Whether or not
you have a roadside recovery cover might also influence your decision!!
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Posted By : Don Cook, 25-Feb-2007,
11:38pm
My UJs started clicking on the way to 2004 Le Mans, came back to UK via the Alps. When I changed them a few months after that I nearly s**t myself
because they were nearly worn through, how they didn't collapse is beyond me.
If you can change them then do it!
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Posted By : Andy Todd,
26-Feb-2007, 10:03am
If the UJ is new it is possible that one of the bearing cups is slightly loose in the yoke. This is cured by fitting an oversized circlip, I
know these are available from Canley Classics. I have had similar symptoms on my GT6 and oversized circlips have sorted the problem. Circlips
can be changed from underneath the car. In my experience the loose circlip can usually be located by rotating them in their groove using a
screwdriver blade.
Andy Todd
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Posted By : Charlotte Tupman,
26-Feb-2007, 09:33pm
Many thanks for your comments. I'm ordered the oversized circlips just in case, and will be carrying a spare UJ and circlip pliers with me
- there's a bench and a vice ready and waiting halfway through my trip if I need to switch the UJ at that point. I think I'll take the
journey slowly and carefully and keep an ear out. I'm annoyed that I can't do the job beforehand, but that's how it goes sometimes... work
gets in the way of repairing our cars!
Charlotte