Thread: Do they normally break like this??

Not a very good idea Its ok wrapping the welding rod in hose but if the earth of the Welder was attached to the diff housing the earth would return via the bearings in the axle and considering they are not continously joined there would be some arcing across the faces ouch !! Cheers George

Originally Posted by porgey

Not a very good idea Its ok wrapping the welding rod in hose but if the earth of the Welder was attached to the diff housing the earth would return via the bearings in the axle and considering they are not continously joined there would be some arcing across the faces ouch !! Cheers George

I can see the problem there.

Maybe the idea was to use a couple of tubes to insulate both the rod and the earth so they could both be pushed in to make contact with the axle close to each other.

It's beginning to get a bit complicated isn't it.

It was a long time ago that I saw it, so I'm not sure I have the details exactly right.

Never seen one like that - Jimbo's are much more typical. I cannot see it being anything other than a manufacturing fault, probably an inclusion in the steel the axle was made from.

John

I removed a stump once by putting a tube in the broken side large enough to take the stub, then removed the other axle and using a rod small enough to go past one side of the little axle in the diff centre, tapped it with a hammer and the stub ended up in the tube which I then pulled out.

Fraser

Looks to me like it started from a surface defect. Torsion bars often twisted off in a spiral fracture from a rust pit or other mark.

Ive seen breaks like that. (but not on a rover half shaft they normally twist off at the drive flange or the side gear and occasionally spin the splines off.

that would be a radial stress failure originating from a defect. (nick, ding rust, or slag inclusion)

the welding trick works and works well providing your happy to rebuild the diff later. .

The proper tool is a piece of 1/2 inch steel bar with a pair of tangs on the end that slide over the spider gear shaft that you then use to hammer the last part out.

If your very lucky you can punch them out with a piece of 3/8th inch rod bent in a curve inserted through the drain or filler plug holes.

I am probably inventing this, however I seem to remember that in the days of the Series Land Rovers, "Dufor" used to make axle halfshafts that were termed laminated. It was something to do with the hardening process and was supposed to allow the axles to twist rather than break. I did hear of one of these "laminated" halfshafts breaking in a similar manner to your pics, but I never saw it IRL.

If those axles came out of your 1983, it may have been a Dufor laminated halfshaft.

Diana

i have seen that before....on a range rover........

it apparently snapped........on some soft sand......nothing too strenous......



we just put it down to faulty parts......it split very similar to the one in the pic........
it just looked as if it was always cracked from manufacture....and it just split when it was under load......

the most work this rangie did was to pull a boat up a ramp.........wasnt an off road vehicle.......

the owner of it made me go over to his place just to see the way it had broke.......
we both couldnt understand it.........