Thread: Maxidrive axle flange keeps on loosening

Drill holes across the heads of the bolts and run a ring of wire through them all.

Stronger grade of loctite? Did you clean the threads well with solvent before you loctited them?

IIRC, there was mention in a thread somewhere about the issue possibly being related to a bent housing.

In general terms (ie not half shaft specific), to check a shaft for straight you'd support it at (or near) each end with some parallel pieces, on a flat table.
Roll the shaft and measure the distance between the middle of the shaft and the table - if it changes the shaft is bent. Parallel shafts such as pushrods etc can just be rolled on the table and it will be obvious if they are bent, but things such as half shafts that have larger ends for splines etc need to be supported and measured.

Steve

Originally Posted by MR LR jnr.

Drill holes across the heads of the bolts and run a ring of wire through them all.

Why? if everything is ok he should not need to. Putting a bandaid on the sympton is not curing the problem

Originally Posted by GyroLandy

I have search the forum and havd read the various posts on why the Maxidrive flanges (especially the left rear) come loose but have a few questions. This is probably the fourth time the five flange bolts on the left rear have worked themselves loose and that after me using locktite and springwashers.

So it seems it could either be a bent shaft (although I understood the maxidrive shafts to be much stronger than the standard ones so would not think that is likely) or a worn wheel bearing. Both items look fine but can anyone tell me the best way to test both the straightness of the shaft as well as the wheel bearing.

Also, is there more that I can do other than locktite and springwashers?

If you have doubt in the bearings just buy new ones, they are not that expensive. But regardless, make sure everything is very clean when re assembling. Not just wire wheeling the threads on the bolts, but you have to clean the threads in the hubs. What is your proceedure for setting the wheel bearings up? What torque are you doing the drive flange bolts to? Are the bolts now stuffed?

Originally Posted by uninformed

Why? if everything is ok he should not need to. Putting a bandaid on the sympton is not curing the problem

I was just answering his question about keeping the bolts tight, I would fix the problem personally.

Hi. You've got me worried now... My Maxi Drive/HyTough Shaft ends are hidden by Alloys!! Will have to take a wheel off now! . In my opinion even if the shaft was bent it wouldn't cause the bolts to loosen, as that shaft is running with the hub, and the 'bend load' would be stain in the same place on the hub.. I fitted all mine with the gasket (some say don't bother with a gasket... I disagree), original bolts and spring washers and have had no problems. Had to use some new bolts tho as the previous heavy handed owner had managed to stretch some! If you have a decent bolt supplier, go in and ask for 20 M10 'Nord Lock' washers. He should give you 40 serrated disks. These things work! If it still loosens then you have issues! The other thing worth doing is pulling both rear shafts and looking thru the left side to the right... If you can see bend, there's your issue.. Good luck!

I always replace my bolts every second or third wheel bearing adjustment. They have a real bad habit of either snapping inside of the hub, or stripping the thread. Make sure you use a proper grade bolt as well - it is cheaper to go to a bolt place than bother with any Landrover supplier.

When I do reuse them, I run them over the wire wheel to clean them up properly first. I add loctite to the tip of the bolt, so when the bolt is done up the loctite will run up the thread of the bolt. If you add it to the top of the thread it won't run back down the thread.

The torque is a little on the light side, but this is because of the chance of stripping the thread. I've found after a good 4WDing session that I need to run the wrench back over them, and generally a few will be loose. Nothing to worry about IMHO, it's just a weak point so to speak.

Lastly if the thread inside the hub is suspect, then drill it out and helicoil it. Easy enough to do and saves you worrying about it in the first place.

At the end of the day all the torque goes through those 5 bolts. You generally won't have any issue on-road, it's more an off-road issue due to the lower gears/higher torque. Mechanical sympathy goes a long way here.

i just put loctite on the bolts and do then up till my elbow clicks, never had one come loose and i am real lazy with cleaning the threads. whatever doesnt come off when i run the pliers around the thread well it stays on. i also use a gasket with gasket gue