Hi,

After three years on the road I have just realised that my drive shafts are fitted the wrong way round, the trouble is, I can not swap them as the diff is offset and the shafts are different legnths.

These are Sierra drive shafts which were chopped down by Fury Sportscars and should be handed left and right as they have left and right hand threads. So at the moment I have a left hand thread on the right hand(Offside) and right hand thread on the left hand side (nearside). This means they could become undone and I'm luck it hasn't happened before.

I think the Left side one must have come undone slightly as I think the wheel bearing has become loose on this side and I am getting slight play on the wheel but these bearings have only done 4500 miles. This leads me to believe the nut must have become slightly loose leading to premature wear.

I have been looking at option to get around the problem but seem to be getting knowwhere fast and could do with some help or suggestions to my thoughts.

Option 1. should be to send the driveshafts back to Fury and have them handed correctly but I'm not sure how easy this would be after so many years.

Option 2. I was looking at drilling the shaft and fitting a castellated nut and split pin, but the drive shafts are M22 fine thread and I can't find any M22 fine Left hand nuts.

Option 3. I looked at half lock nuts but there is only about three threads protruding so not really sufficient to provide a good lock.

Option 4. Wire lock somehow but not sure where I can lock it to except one of the wheel nuts which isn't ideal.

Does anyone else have an idea of how to get around this?


Description


Description

[Edited on 28/6/20 by tims31]

I take it its push in drive shafts and not lobro?

I think you can buy new cv joint covers, if so take the cv off the driveshafts and swap them over...

Ah, I hadn't thought of that. That would be the best solution and ensure they are the correct way round.

Yes sorry, push in shafts.

Guess I will have to search for the covers and see if they are still available.

Thanks

[Edited on 28/6/20 by tims31]

J&r driveshafts in Birmingham do replacement shafts for the sierra that are a pain. The cans are slightly bigger than Sierra at the diff end and can't pull through the wheel end. I'm saying this as despite ford not doing them anymore, another vehicle is a close fit and you could with hunting find something. I'd love to know the answer myself so please let me know what your find. I think I remember that they are vw related.

Very careful removal of the can makes it possible to reuse it after changing the C.V joint, not ideal but they seem to be obsolete

quote:

---

Originally posted by MikeR
J&r driveshafts in Birmingham do replacement shafts for the sierra that are a pain. The cans are slightly bigger than Sierra at the diff end and can't pull through the wheel end. I'm saying this as despite ford not doing them anymore, another vehicle is a close fit and you could with hunting find something. I'd love to know the answer myself so please let me know what your find. I think I remember that they are vw related.

---

Swapping the joints is one option. As said you can open the swagging on the can and get them off. Not easy to get off or back but patience and perseverance helps. I've got the ford part number for the CV cans. Ill look it up for you on Monday. They aren't listed in Fords system anymore but are available if you know the number (or they were 3 years ago).

The other option is do nothing? Almost every other hub nut is r/h threaded on both sides and man have and they don't fall off even though many only have a nylock like the Sierra as secondary locking. I've got 2 r/h joints on my Fury as my left one became worn and at short notice before a trip I only had that to replace it. Lock nut has loc-tite on it and I've marked them (so I can see if they moved). One did come loose after a rebuild but I think that was a failure on my part. Ive done a lot of miles since.

Thanks Adi, the number would be appreciated if you can get it. I would prefer to have them in the correct side so it doesn't raise questions at MOT time.
Hoping that the bearing replacement will eliminate the loose wheel.

Hadn't thought of looking up the part number. I should have some of the official ford parts in a box in the garage. Hopefully had the number on it.

Looking on the Super7thheaven website, it has the microfiche with the items and part numbers which is hopefully still valid.

I think the part we need is item 7 Type A and mine is pre 91.

www.super7thheaven.co.uk/components/sierra_rear_drive_shafts/


Description


Description

Ford Finis No 1058427

It'd be a very keen tester who checked thread direction on hub nuts... If it's even covered.

quote:

---

Originally posted by adithorp
Ford Finis No 1058427

It'd be a very keen tester who checked thread direction on hub nuts... If it's even covered.

---

weld the nut on,

I'm not sure which size that is. Think it's the larger one as the smaller was 1.3 Sierra from memory and they were pretty rare.

MOT tester won't be looking at tread direction. They'll only check for secondary locking (where it's visable) which is the nylock.

Well I've spoken to STeve at Fury and he can't get hold of the cans anymore either but he wasn't too worried about the wrong handing of the drive shafts either. I think my plan now is to drill the shaft end and nut and wirelock the nuts and then no worries about the nut undoing.

Just need to try and drill the end of the shaft now, cobalt drill 1.5mm...how many do you think I'll go through

For some reason I appear to have 2 right handed thread shafts on my car. I haven't had any issues with them at all in the last 10 years and god knows how many track days - the nuts are done up to some utterly daft figure (250ftlbs?) and are nyloked as well, so there is very very little chance that anything would come undone.

I periodically check torque settings as part of pre-track preparation, neither side has ever slackened at all. If i were you, I'd torque them up to spec and don't worry.

quote:

---

Originally posted by djtom utterly daft figure (250ftlbs?)

---

Isnt there an argument thats this is to counter precession? Im sure its been discussed before that there are arguments for and against.

The Haynes manual states 185-214LBS/FT.

The reasoning I was doing this was it was commented upon by my MOT tester and just thought wirelocking would be the best and easiest method to kill the suggestion that it may come undone as effectively the nuts undo in the direction of rotation.

Overtightening can cause issues when the bearings warm up if too tight and potentially fail early

[Edited on 3/7/20 by tims31]

WHile replacing the wheel bearing I removed the drive shaft and drilled the end of the shaft so I could wirelock the nut. All sorted now and the easiest solution to ensure the nut will not come undone.



Description


Description

[Edited on 5/7/20 by tims31]

I remember the trouble I had getting mine off.

Went to friendly local garage they had a windy gun that would do 500ft/lb and that wouldn't shift it. Eventually they called around and found a tractor place that could do 750ft/lb. I bought the 42?mm impact socket with me and they were going at it a good long time before the nut let go! lol

Oh those fun times of early in the car build!!!