Rear driveshaft overhaul.

[jockney49]

Hi all. Overhauling a rear d/shaft on a mk 4 spit. There is play in shaft which appears to be the needle bearing end so assuming either worn shaft bearing. When I slip on the new needle bearing there is still some play. The shaft dia  (25.4mm) matches on the needle bearing portion and an unused part of the shaft. Has anyone who's done this before found the same thing ? I did think maybe when the bearing is pressed into the hub it may close up a bit but probably unlikely.

Any ideas greatly appreciated.

James.

[RobPearce]

To be honest, every time I've ever had play in that needle roller I've found the shaft to be shot.

[glang]

I always thought the ball race is the main load bearer and the needle just a steady so if the shaft surface is good you're onto a winner...

[Velocita Rosso]

Quoted from jockney49-

Hi all. Overhauling a rear d/shaft on a mk 4 spit. There is play in shaft which appears to be the needle bearing end so assuming either worn shaft bearing. When I slip on the new needle bearing there is still some play. The shaft dia  (25.4mm) matches on the needle bearing portion and an unused part of the shaft. Has anyone who's done this before found the same thing ? I did think maybe when the bearing is pressed into the hub it may close up a bit but probably unlikely.

Any ideas greatly appreciated.

James.

Sure there is no `step` wear on the shaft where the needle roller runs? If you can feel a finger nail test `step` then throw the shaft away. I`ve had two shafts snap on me and both snapped inside the bearing housing , the last time was in Austria where we had to abandon the Spitfire on the 10 CR. Some people say they have metal sprayed the worn area , but then on cylindrical grinding ,the heat generated would cause a metal fatigue  

[sparky_spit]

If it were me I'd replace the whole halfshaft rather than worry about whether the bearings and shaft surface are okay or not, in such a safety critical item. Having a failure here, especially at speed, is not something you want to risk in my opinion. When a failure occurs it almost always happens where the shaft sits inside the hub close to the flange; the wheel comes off and either flies off or jams up inside the wheel arch. You also lose your brakes as the flexihose gets ripped out. Not good for the heart rate.

For about £75 you can get new/remanufactured ones from the likes of Canley Classics, and other suppliers.