114
STAG OWNERS CLUB TECHNICAL REPRINTS
PROPELLER SHAFTS
Automatic gearbox: forward
sliding member provided with
internal spines, rear end of
shaft employs built-in rubber
coupling.
Manual gearbox: conventional
propeller shaft, sliding yoke
fitted to front
Manual gearbox and overdrive:
sliding yoke fitted to front,
built-in rubber coupling at rear.
perhaps take a look at the drive shafts where they are
reground and replated. This work cost £45.00 which
keyed onto the tapered shaft. I have seen the keys
I thought was quite reasonable for a one-off job.
where they have sheared and on initial take up a skid
I then took the refurbished front yoke, and the rest of
takes place internally followed by a noise not dis-
the prop shaft, to a company near London Airport
similar to that which you described, and although it
who specialise in prop shaft rebuilds: Prop shaft
may be hard to believe, in this condition you could
Services, Central Way, Feltham, Middlesex TW14
survive many miles unless you subjected your car to
0RD (Tel. 0181 844 2265/7 and Fax 0181 8909 1139).
very hard acceleration whereby total loss of drive
They put in new spiders and needle bearings and then
would occur and with respect at least you would have
balanced the complete shaft, plus a coat of paint, for
found the cause.
£50.00 plus VAT. To my surprise they showed me
Finally, it is also possible for the differential pinion nut
brand new front yokes they have in stock for the auto
to have loosened, causing movement fore and aft of
Stag prop shaft at £20.00. Next time I have a
the pinion shaft, and the only way to check this one
transmission problem I will go to them first.
is by testing the backlash on take up of the forward
The Stag auto prop shaft can produce a lot of vibration
housing which, if it exceeds roughly 10 degrees, it is
if it gets out of balance. It induces a vibration that is
worth checking the pinion nut for correct torque. To
very difficult to trace if you have never experienced it.
do this you will have to separate the differential from
There are three different types of prop shaft on the Stag
the carden shaft housing and be certain to change
(see illustration). The auto gearbox and overdrive
the oil seal before assembly.
gearbox shaft which have a built-in rubber coupling
Issue 101 (September 1988), page 13
inside the shaft tube and the manual gearbox shaft
which is solid tube and has a sliding joint on the front
yoke. All of these prop shafts must be balanced before
Differential Noise. A Technical Panel
fitting to the car.
member advised a member complaining of
The other good thing about the Prop shaft Services
a whining noise at around 50 mph to check
rebuild job is that they provide new spiders that are
the following:
fitted with a grease nipple.
1. Is the diff correctly supported, are all the rubber
Issue 183 (March 1996), pages 43,44
mounts in good condition and unworn, not allowing
metal-to-metal contact? Old and hardened rubbers do
Rear Axle Noise. Tony Bunton (2142)
transmit noise and all diffs do whine, Stag or
replied to a question about a chirping
otherwise, it's in their nature.
noise when letting in the clutch:
2. Is the diff cross-member loose at the diff nose
THERE ARE several things that come to mind not
mounting? This would cause the diff to nose down
excluding a dry universal joint but if you are really
and this creates noise.
certain that all six have been tested correctly then