SLROC Forum

Hello,

  another question, then...

  I've just been under my Defender prior to MOT and have found various nastinesses that need fixing - one of them is the nearside swivel joint that's leaking grease quite badly.

  I can get a rebuild kit from Paddocks easily enough - is this going to do the job?  I see they also sell the swivel-joint housing and the ball itself...mine seems fine, but when the swivel-joint starts leaking, is that usually just a sign that a seal's failed or that the swivel-joint has packed it in?

  Any thoughts would be much appreciated,

Thanks

p.s. also found the forward UJ on my 12-month-old terrafirma rear prop-shaft has failed!  So much for buying "quality" kit over generic stuff!

I do enjoy asking the obvious question about propshaft failure
Was it greased regularly?
Mine used to eat them, but after I greased them more regularly they seem to last years
It's an observation...........

Check the ball itself, if it isn't pitted or corroded it should be ok

Thanks for that - the ball looks fine, so hopefully a rebuild kit will do the job.

I have to admit, I didn't grease the propshaft - it looked like it was already greased when I got it and I kept thinking "I must go under it and grease it again...at some point..."  Oh well, only myself to blame there, really 

...still bl**dy annoying, though 

Clutching at straws - what's the scope on rebuilding a UJ?  Is it any more cost effective than just buying a new prop shaft?

Thanks for your help

 Fitting a new U/J is a straight forward task if the prop. jaws are not damaged, it depends on how long it was run prior to you noticing it. First thing to check prior to re-build is that the sliding joint is free to slide, if it is not this maybe the reason for premature failure. Ensure that you note the relative position of the halves of the yoke are marked for position prior to separation, if they are re-assembled out of synch. then you will get serious vibrations from the shaft, when assembling the cups/rollers in the joint it is crucial not to allow any rollers to fall in to the cup & become trapped, if this happens you will not be able to fit the retaining circlip in the relevant groove. Just take your time & I am sure you will be fine.

Thanks for your advice - given that my propshaft is a terrafirma one, will I need to find a terrafirma UJ to fit it?

I have had no dealings with "Terra Firma" as such but suspect they will use a standard available joint which you should be able to identify by measurement @ your friendly Motor Factor. I think it unlikely that they manufacture a special joint for their own use. Perhaps there is someone else on this forum who has had previous experience of their product.

Thanks for your help - there are a few on ebay that look likely to fit, so I'll get my vernier gauge out and get measuring

Thanks!

is your terafirma prop a wide angle prop or just a standard replacement?  generally landrover only use a choice of two uj sizes

Ref the oil leak @ the swivel housing, if the ball etc is in good condition it is possible the leak is due to excess lift in the swivel allowing the seal to be mis-aligned. I suggest that you check the pre-load on the swivel as you may require to remove shims etc to set the pre-load, if the seal is leaking anyway it would pay to replace it.

Thanks for your advice - the prop-shaft is the wide-angle type - my defender is the heavy-duty special vehicle type with a slightly lifted rear-end, so I thought the wide-angle prop-shaft might have an easier time of it.

  I'm pretty sure I know why the swivel-housing has failed - the front near-side wheel is slightly buckled and is obviously vibrating rather more damagingly than I thought it was...I've been saving up for a new set of wheels..looks like I've left it too late

How do I check the pre-load at the swivel housing, though?  I've bought this kit from the internet.com - do I need to get shims as well?

Thanks

With a spring valence. Yes u will need shims, u may be lucky and those u have be the right amount