Thread: Front axle End Float

Here is a pic of the CV end of my front inner shafts. The bronze bush runs against the machined inside face of the swivel ball. The shiny bush around the spline end comes up against the face of the CV star.

The cv needs to be located so that the centre of rotation of the star inside the bell (as the wheel turns from lock to lock) is on the pivot axis through the swivel bearings.

If not you will get binding of either the cv, or steering, or both (similar to what can happen when a cv fails).

The c-clip and adjustment of end float on the stub shaft ensures the above mentioned location.

Thanks John,

But it begs another question. Since the range of tolerance is only 0.17mm, I wonder if LR can get all the parts in the chain (and there are a few in my mind) manufactured to close enough tolerences to have the end float as per spec and end up with the result you described above.

What question?

I don't think you would ask, if you had much experience with functional dimensions and cumulative tolerances. They are important concepts for parts assembly.

Some dimensions are more important than others. Making tolerances tighter than necessary will usually increase manufacturing cost for no practical benefit.

I'm not talking about water and dust leaks in Defenders, just speaking about general engineering.

The question I was asking was, with such a small tollerence (0.17mm over all) how accurate are their reproductions of the cvs, swivel balls, swivel housings, stub axles, hubs, drive flanges. Each part would have a +/- within itself I would imagine, but add a little error to all those parts and I was thinking there a chance that even with the end float set at the correct spec, the cv centre of rotation may not be in that swivel pivot axis.

Originally Posted by uninformed

The question I was asking was, with such a small tollerence (0.17mm over all) how accurate are their reproductions of the cvs, swivel balls, swivel housings, stub axles, hubs, drive flanges. Each part would have a +/- within itself I would imagine, but add a little error to all those parts and I was thinking there a chance that even with the end float set at the correct spec, the cv centre of rotation may not be in that swivel pivot axis.

dont worry too much, within a fairly large margin the CV's will self center in the housing. (the end float spec is to make sure they start out in about the right spot.

thread revive....

I have just put new WB's on the DS of my D1.
I have reassembled and find that I now have less half shaft end float and my half shaft shims wont fit back in.
There were 2 shims in it. I can just fit the larger one in but leaves no end float.
I can put the thin one in but it leave about 1mm of end float which is perhaps 0.75mm too much.

So:

Why has it changed? My guess is that the half shaft is slightly marked/lined from the neglected, water contaminated bearing that I removed and that the new bearing(s) have very slightly not gone in as far because of this.
I did emery it to smooth the worst of it but it is not perfect.

Is the solution to get more shims so that I can set the specified end float?

And another question: No matter how tight I make the WB nut, I cannot remove all WB play. It is 'Just' ok but I would like less play. Maybe this is also half shaft irregularity?

Any advice welcome.

I can imagine two reasons for the smaller end float distances.
first would be that maybe you hadn't driven the bearing races to seat fully? I assume you have. could have been a bit of debris .. etc.

Of it were all perfectly clean, and seated fully, then it could be a case that the new bearings 'thickness' is a thou or two more than the old bearings.
If both bearing total thickness were a thou or two more than the previous bearing it all adds up.

Do you know the brand of the old bearings? Are they the same as the new ones.
if the old ones were cheapos, pretty much 100% guaranteed that they will have been made cheaper(for example less material) ... or something.