7 replies to this topic

[Knuckles]

Hello all

My drive shaft seals have been leaking for a while on my spi 94 cooper. I've had a go on the floor trying to remove them with various lever bars and even bought the special tool from mini spares to aid removing them. Had no luck so put the car into a garage and even the mechanic can't get them out on a ramp with a long bar and trying various drifts on the joints.
The car has done 105k miles. Is this a common issue ? I've been told I risk breaking the gearbox outer casing if he Continued to try to remove the joints with such force
Any help will be much apeciated
Regards
Clark

[tiger99]

If you use the proper tool you must do two things, firstly ensure that it is seated against the head of the bottom bolt of the diff side cover, which is the official strong point, and secondly hit it a really hard smack with a heavy hammer. It really needs one massive blow to disengage the locking clip. Multiple lesser blows are of no use whatsoever as the clip simply renegades after each blow.

If all else fails, you need to at least save the main casing even if some of the diff internals are destroyed in the process. The side covers are replaceable, but the main diff casing is machined as one with the gearbox. I am thinking that a very hard drill down the centre of one pot joint will allow a substantial drift to be inserted to force out the other one. But the pot joints are very hard indeed.

But first undo the diff side covers and the main casing bolts and get the diff assembly out on the bench.

[GraemeC]

I would suspect the pots are rusted onto the output shafts. Difficult to split in situ.
On the bench you can remove the blanking cap from inside the pot joint and then pour in a decent penetrating fluid to break the rusty bond.

[Spider]

I don't like the proper tool at all. It's ~OK~ if the Pots come off as they should, but I've found probably 1 in 5 needs a harder hit than I'm willing to put in to a gearbox in the way that one works.

 

I've had quite a few where the C Clip on the shaft has been replaced and in doing so, over expanded, or the clip has simply broken. Then when you go to remove the joint, it doesn't retract as it should, but lays across the two parts. There's nothing I've thought of other than to bang away (not with the factory tool!) until the Clip sheers.

 

To get the Inboard CVs off, most of the time these days, I do them from above. I have a bar, about 5/8" or 3/4" mm in dia and about 4' long. I can get that down the back of the engine and on to the back corner of the CV, then (if need be) lay in to it with a lump hammer.

 

There was one I had to do on the engine stand, I used a gear puller on that one, down through the centre of the CV. There's a plug in there, similar to a freeze plug, I just pressed on that, of course it did distort and wreak the plug, but I got the Joint off OK, then replaced the plug.

 

Many years ago, when I had nothing else, I did use a fork type ball joint splitter between the Joint and the Diff Side Cover. I knew it would damage the cover, but it did get the joint off. I replaced the cover on assembly, but this is a long way from my first choice.

Edited by Moke Spider, 26 October 2016 - 01:25 AM.

[Knuckles]

Thanks for the replies.
Ok so after reading them I'm looking at either drilling into a cv joint or removing the gearbox entirely to get them out ?

Seems a extreme measure to replace a couple of seals. May as well just keep topping up the engine oil on odd occasion vs the cost of getting them out & replacing them if they need destroying to remove.
I've had trouble removing cv joints from gearboxes before on my ford but this seems a very common issue on minis 😐

[Alpenflitzer]

Get rid of the blanking plug an spray rust penetrating fluid an let it work before you start another try. I put in Liqui Moly LM47 after rust penetrating fluid and hop the CV came out.

[GraemeC]

I'll be honest - I can't see what tiger99's drilling suggestion is going to achieve?

 

You might be able to get a three legged puller in there in situ - never tried it.

[tiger99]

You don't need to remove the gearbox. I never suggested that. The diff can be removed in situ. There is just sufficient room to get it out, by undoing the mounts and jacking the engine slightly. If the diff casing has studs you will need to use the double nut technique to get them out, if bolts it is a doddle if you have good access underneath. In the early days, rally teams had to do that by the roadside quite frequently. With a bit more work you can even change final drive ratios without lifting the engine, if you are desperate.

 

The diff casing will come off and leave you with the innards, two loose but trapped side covers, and two stuck pot joints.