MG MGB and MGB GT Tech Talk
There has been much discussion on the MGB U joints. John Twist can do a replacement in 5 minutes. (I am not in a hurry)
But for a real world application, are there any surprises when removing the drive shaft for U joint replacement? I see four bolts on each end. Is removal and replacement as simple as that or do surprises lurk in the details?
Thanks to those who have performed this task and will share their experience.
Removing the driveshaft is very straightforward...one thing I guess is it depends on how clean your car is underneath.
you will find that the bolts on the tranny end are captive, sort of. so its just nuts there.
The rear is a two spanner job, thats about it.
Just be sure that you maintain the orientation of all the parts at all times. ALL THE PARTS. Even after dismantling.
Sorry to lecture :)
Landon
surprises lurk in the details
i did not drop the shaft only replaced the locker nuts on the forward join [ drive to tran output] my wrenches barely fit in , my sockets mostly would not fit on , the amount of *turn* i got from each wrench placement seemed to be about 3 degrees , flip the wrench so it would fit , 3 degrees , flip the wrench ..
i would have new lock nuts and lock washers to applyi f i were you ,there are those of us around who have sustained the chagrin of those fittings backing off and going loose on the road,, makes for a vibration ,,,,
use your little file to scribe some marks on the fittings so it goes back together like it came apart.. a balancing act ...
choose u-joints with zerks..
i never done it , so what do i know ..
mrb
I just did my Wed night, took about 1 1/2 hours, pretty straight forward, depends on how easy things come out. I had problems with the spring clips breaking, and really had to beat out the old u-joints. More sweat then high tech!
Larry
If you separate the 2 splined halves of the driveshaft, make sure they go back together in the same orientation. Don't expect it to be something you can tackle as fast as JT. The first one may take over an hour.
When installing the new U-joints, carefully take the caps off and fill them with grease to hold the needle bearings in place. Otherwise one tap will scatter them across the floor! The excess grease will ooze out as you assemble it. Also, before you try to install the new U-joints, make sure the inside of the yokes are SPOTLESS. No rust, no burrs, including the groove that the C-clip sits in. I use a die grinder with a scotchbrite buff on it, but a regular scotchbrite pad and some elbow grease will do the same thing.