N/S Driveshaft Damper - removal ?

[oldcodger]

Hi,

Noticed a lot of rust just under the outer edge of the N/S drive shaft damper.

Did not want it to continue rusting through /weakening  the driveshaft, but after removing the single clamp, it refuses to move.

Should they move once that clamp is released ?

Looks like there  is some metal part embedded into the rubber damper ( by design), wonder if it has any gripping effect ?

[oldcodger]

Well seems its just a tight push fit after the clamp is removed, but due to all the rust it needed a good hammering on the metal bits to get it moving.

The whole length of the driveshaft that the damper (80mm) covered  was heavily rusted,  after it was power wire brushed off you can see the diameters reduced by 2-3 mm, probably why the driveshaft can break, partic on higher powered models.

Given the shaft a good clean and coating of Hammerite, hopefully that will arrest things ;  certainly worth checking next time you are checking the brakes etc .

 

[roks]

Hi OC,

Did you remove it altogether or replaced the rubber damper after treating with Hammerite?

Noticed one of mine has heavy rust, (leftside) cleaned it and with wd40 and slid the rubber back in position.

Regards

[oldcodger]

Hi,

No, just slid it up the shaft which allowed the rust to be cleaned off and treated, then slid it back and sealed it in position with silicone plus it helps stop any water getting under again.

[DeTomato]

Do you think a rubber damper can come out with an unbalanced drive shaft?

[oldcodger]

Hi,

Do you mean,   " can the rubber damper move and unbalanced the drive shaft " ...  ?

Seems there are some metal fitting moulded  into the ends of the rubber which hold it securely,  I had to tap it with a hammer and drift to move it from its original location to get at the rusted area.

If it did move doubt it would unbalance the driveshaft in that sense, its function is more like this rather than a balancing weight on a wheel  -

A dynamic damper for a drive shaft may include a mass part fixed to the drive shaft, and a clamping band fixing the mass part to the drive shaft, to attenuate vibration and noise of the drive shaft,

[carlios]

Hi,  Just to say you are lucky that you spotted this in time. Had misfortune to snap a driveshaft on Saturday just pulling on to a roundabout after a stop.

[oldcodger]

Ouch , Bad luck ! 

Think the real trouble is the price of the new driveshaft from Mr T,  expensive but don't know exactly how much ?

Seems they are a very scarce part from the scrappers as well.

[roks]

I remember they quoted me approximately £600+ per side when my cv joint needed replacing.....I attacked it with an angle grinder when heard that as the cv joints are not replaceable.