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MG MG Y Type - Broken halfshaft, lucky or unlucky

I'm afraid I broke a halfshaft this morning. I lost drive but the gearbox is still crunching as normal and there is a noise from the backaxle as I rev the engine with 1st gear engaged. I guess you can call that unlucky, because we were going to a big Concours d'Elegance in Apeldoorn as spectators and weren't able to park at the free Classic Car parking.

But at the same time I think I'm lucky because it happened whilst making a slow but sharp turn very close to home.

I'm also lucky because it didn't happen some weeks ago whilst driving some of the steepest mountain passes I've ever seen, harrasing a TC owners that couldn't go faster in his (ailing?) car (probably the worst damage was caused then).

Now comes the tricky bit; am I also lucky to have just bought two used halfshafts on eBay from a Dutch seller for a very reasonable 12 pounds the pair? Or was that just tempting the Gods?

I'll pick up the parts tomorrow night and hope my diagnose was right and the repair will be simple; next weekend the Y has to attend yet again in a pre-55 MG rally; poor car.
Willem van der Veer

Not dissimilar to my experience Willem. I drive my YA hard and I enjoy it. Fortunately I have a stash of 6 spare half shafts!!

When you refit be sure to fit the approprate hand to the broken shaft. Look carefully at the splines and you will see that they have been stressed. Relate the stressing on the leading edge to determine which side the shaft would have been rotating in the forward motion when fitted to the car.

Paul
Paul Barrow

You don't have to be doing anything drastic to break one.
I did it three years ago on the way to the Ripon Old Cars Show. Stopped at a pedestrian crossing; let the clutch in gently in 1st and no drive. Nor any noise or drama. Not a sound from the rear axle, just no drive.
Mind you. mine beggared up the diff. as well but back in business in 3 days thanks to spares from Andrew Coulson who also organises the Y stand at the show.

I've got 2 spares now so I will never break another, will I?
Michael Nicholson

OK, my diagnose proved correct; the right halfshaft was broken. If it wasn't such a nuisance, the breaking pattern would be beautiful, I'll try to post some pictures tonight.

Apart from the fact that my workspace is to narrow to extract both driveshafts without moving the car, the repair was without fuss like removing the diff.

After removing both halfshafts, I managed to push out the broken piece from the differential with a length of bamboo, normally used by Liesbeth to support plants. Because of a ridge inside of the axletube, I wasn't able to push the stub out all the way. After some headscratching I devised a suitable "stub-retrieving-tool"; a 20 cm lenght of (pvc-electrical) tubing through which I fed a folded bicycle inner brakecable. The resulting loop at the far end was guided over the stub and when I pulled the cable the loop tightened over the stub sufficiently to pick the stub out of the axletube! I believe dog-/snakecatchers use a similar tool? Needless to say I was very pleased by my own "McGiverness".
Willem van der Veer

This thread was discussed between 31/08/2008 and 05/09/2008

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