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+--- Thread: Prop shaft noise (/showthread.php?tid=6410)
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Prop shaft noise - Captain Mike - 23-07-2021
Hi There
I am getting my Ruby ready for the road and some touring hopefully in the coming weeks, after dealing with a blown head gasket I drove the car for a short run and found there is a load knocking when setting off and changing gears, I raised the inspection hatch between the seats and found that the prop shaft (Torque tube ?) has play in the joint, seems there is some sort of ball or bearing in there with some sort of locking nut around it, I an see the joint moving between these two components as I let the clutch out, and I can also move it by hand
My question is how is this all set up, can the play be taken up, and has anybody got any experience of the same problem and how did they cure it
Any information will be gratefully received and appreciated as I am learning about the A7's and haven't come across this type of arrangement before
Thanks
Mike
RE: Prop shaft noise - Howard Wright - 23-07-2021
Hi Mike
In an ideal world the big castellated nut can be tightened to take up the slack. There are two locking bolts stopping the nut from moving and have to be removed first.
Unfortunately the ball end of the torque tube is often worn and the torque tube bracket and castellated nut are a very poor fit. The torque tube bracket can be removed from the car but you may need to remove the pinion flange first (and the nut at the base of the bracket). The face of the bracket can be turned down to allow the castellated nut to progress further on the thread.
I’ve done this on both my current cars. I set up the torque tube bracket in the lathe and skimmed about 1/16” off the face. Even so getting the bracket to move smoothly on the ball is not always possible and some compromise is needed.
Hope this helps
Good luck
Howard
RE: Prop shaft noise - Bob Culver - 23-07-2021
A Seven feature. Metal to metal. Movement can occur in the small ball joint below and/or in the large sphere captured by the adjustable serrated ring. Often the ring is at the end of thread so no adjustmnet remaining. Yours may have a little left. (By dismantling, the face of the main containing body can be turned/filed back to give more adjustment. A dirty job, mostly from under, and the prop flange has to be removed, not always simple).Wear is uneven and care is necessary that with the two lock bolts tight, can move through full rear spring range including rebound without binding, with associated risk of fractures. Heavy grease helps. Most live with some degree of knock, more or less unavoidable when worn. Frequently settle out of square as yours and adj may worsen but no matter. I have seen springs fitted to pursuade square. When binding cannot easily rotate slightly .
Are there any simple remedies? can nylon or somesuch be trapped somehow? (Took about 20 mins to complete!)
RE: Prop shaft noise - Terry McGrath - 23-07-2021
My bodge was to trap a piece of thin copper shim in there. Nylon is probably better.
RE: Prop shaft noise - Reckless Rat - 23-07-2021
Mike, try adjusting the smaller ball joint underneath first. You can put a washer in as a shim to take up any slack. It should be tight but not too tight. Remedial work to the large spherical joint is not an easy fix. You could try removing the locking bolts and tapping the castellated nut clockwise to tighten it, but as already stated there may be no more adjustment left. Attending to the chassis crossmember mounting first may well solve or reduce your cloning to an acceptable level. Good luck.
RE: Prop shaft noise - Captain Mike - 23-07-2021
Hi Thanks for the info and suggestions, I will be attacking it next week, and will post back how I have got on, is there a schematic of the components somewhere ? ?
RE: Prop shaft noise - Reckless Rat - 23-07-2021
http://www.austin7.org/Austin%20Seven%20Journal/Torque%20Tube%20and%20Back%20Axle/
RE: Prop shaft noise - Bob Culver - 24-07-2021
The parts illustration is for an early model and differs in details. Complete removal is a bit of a saga; mention if contemplating. There may be scope for trapping leather, plastic, nylon strip or string as in a tap or water punp gland but risk of blocking the grease/oil hole top and bottom, although once greased the lower ball probably OK
Incidentally, though it appears in many publications, the rear hub section is worth downloading. Very many questions on here can be largely answered by close scrutiny.
RE: Prop shaft noise - Ivor Hawkins - 24-07-2021
Mike, have you treated yourself to a copy of the Woodrow manual? After 50 years of Austin S3ven ownership, I still find it useful to remind me of all the things I’ve forgotten!
RE: Prop shaft noise - Tony Press - 24-07-2021
Maybe put on a new grease nipple and give it a few good pumps of Mobilrease XHP 222, Shell Gadus S2 V100 2 or equivalent NLGI 2 multi purpose Lithium grease. This should quieten it