so what did i break?

[SalemRover]

Well you are going to have to pull the halfshafts to get the diff out. So I'd start there.

-Jason

[O'Brien]

so i'm guessing that the following link is a pretty handy guide to what i am probably facing right? seems like this is what i need to do

http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=10703

maybe i'll follow this, shoot my own pics, and post something similar here (crediting the original link, of course) so that other visually oriented learners like me can benefit in the future.

[O'Brien]

also, thought you folks might find this to be a great tool, that is you you don't have it already!

http://www.x-eng.co.uk/X-Shaft.asp?MID=33

[O'Brien]

well it was the longer half shaft that broke. did everything by myself yesterday in the rain. i'll post some pictures up if anyone is interested. probably old hat for quite a few of you, but it was the first time i've ever REALY worked on a car myself. what a way to start i guess, and man, was that rear diff heavy when you're laying on the ground!

i do have a pretty serious question though.

seem that the previous owner at some point replaced a couple of the drive flange bolts with shorter and a little bit bigger diameter bolts. after replacing the felt seals and everything, i can't get the non-correct bolts to thread in. They are actually pretty lose, but i haven't noticed any leaking since i finished it last night.

my question is: can i find replacement bolts that will be the same as the correct bolts at my local hardware store? if so, thread type and length is something i hope you all could tell me.

if not, do i need to order the correct drive flange bolts from our hosts or somewhere similar? I don't want to f-up to the threads inside the rear hubs anymore than they have been. thankfully the bolts that have been switched are short enough that the threads aren't that ruined. also, can i drive this thing with one or two bolts missing to get to the store? thanks for your help friends!

[friar mike]

Last one I did had Whitworth threaded bolts you won't be running down to the home depot for those. Whitworth thread is 55 degrees pitch US is 60 same old 1/2 -9/16-5/8 size and so on but will not interchange. Whitworth is corse thread and BS is fine thread.

[Jeff Aronson]

Remove the halfshafts from the wheel side. Just unbolt the flange, remove the cotter pin and felt washer, and pull out the shaft. You should have splines on both ends; if not, then one is broken

If you're lucky, it broke on the wheel end and it will be a simple replacement. Order the shaft [they're sided r and l] and replace the other one, too. They tend to go at the same time. If you're not lucky, the shaft broke at the diff end. That can be a bear to get out. Sometimes you need to open up the diff housing, remove the heavy differential, and knock out the remaining stub with a broomstick or long steel bar. If you've driven it very far with the piece broken in the diff, you'll want to remove it and clean out the diff for any metal shavings or pieces.

I've had mine break with a great bang and with a whimper, so noise is not the real determination.

When you take out the halfshafts, you should have some gear oil run out. If you don't then check the diff case. Remove the fill plug and see if you have gear oil in it. If not, you may have cooked the diff. That would cause binding and eventual breakage of metal pieces. But, as others have noted, you should have heard some real noise back there.

Good luck,

Jeff

[O'Brien]

dang jeff, you're knocking them out of the park, one thread after the other today!

I already completed the service on my axle shafts. the longer of the two shafts broke, and it wasn't at the wheel end. I replaced both shafts, and also pulled the rear dif. luckily enough, the broken piece fell right out once i drained and pulled the dif. put everything back together, and she's rolling along again like a charm. the inside of my rear dif looked brand new too, which is always nice to see, considering on the outside it looked like, well, the underside of a 42 year old land rover haha!