Unusual failure

Unusual failure

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Cooperman

Original Poster:

4,428 posts

256 months

Monday 7th April 2008
quotequote all
On a rally the weekend before last I had a most unusual failure. The spilt pin holding the hub nut failed on the left hand side. The remains of the split pin could still be seen in the drive shaft, so there was definately one fitted. After failing to fit a pin many years ago, I'm extra particular about this, as one may imagine. This led to very spongy brakes on one test followed by fracture of the brake disc radially around the disc root where it meets the horizontal portion. As I was not carrying a spere disc assembly, we had to retire.
Now, has anyone else ever had a split pin failure at this location? I've certainly never heard of one there in 45+ years of 'Mini-ing'.

fastcarl

254 posts

226 months

Monday 7th April 2008
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ive no personally had what your just suffered, but what you are describing is called epicycloidal progression[i think thats how its pronounced]the action of the drive flange trying to move it under acceleration and braking., basically your nut has managed to work lose[ by not being tightend to the critical torque] only by fractions of a degs at first, then it gathers momentom, too- ing and fro- ing intill it chavels its way through the split pin, basically nothing will stop the nut eventually champing through even a termpered pin if left long enough.

i have had a nut come loose with no pin fitted but never toughed it for about three years m then at a track day near side came loose causing same damage as yours.

Edited by fastcarl on Monday 7th April 21:54

Skyedriver

18,581 posts

288 months

Monday 7th April 2008
quotequote all
fastcarl said:
ive no personally had what your just suffered, but what you are describing is called epicycloidal progression[i think thats how its pronounced]the action of the drive flange trying to move it under acceleration and braking., basically your nut has managed to work lose[ by not being tightend to the critical torque] only by fractions of a degs at first, then it gathers momentom, too- ing and fro- ing intill it chavels its way through the split pin, basically nothing will stop the nut eventually champing through even a termpered pin if left long enough.

i have had a nut come loose with no pin fitted but never toughed it for about three years m then at a track day near side came loose causing same damage as yours.

Edited by fastcarl on Monday 7th April 21:54
Was on a bus for the first time in years a couple of weeks ago and 5 mile up the road the rear wheel came off! Similar to this epicycloidal progression, the nuts musn't hae been tightened and we were left with a wheel stuck up in the arch and a collection of nuts with the severed remains of studs stuck in them.

Did have a wheel come off a trailer many many years ago when the hub nut came adrift, never did discover why

guru_1071

2,768 posts

240 months

Tuesday 8th April 2008
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pete

this is a common problem with the mighty minis.

they also suffer with the cv thread snapping behind the nut, though this is probably due to nipping the nut up repeatedly when the nut starts comming loose.

its nearly always the passenger side one that does this as of course the nut is trying to undo all the time.

i think that this is a problem that starts with a worn hub or a drive flange with a chewed up rear face, this wear gives the bearing room to shuffle about, which makes the problem worse. once the nut snaps the pin all that holds the wheel on is the disc in the caliper, so the brakes come and go as the pads are forced back into the caliper, then (as you nearly found) the disc cracks and the wheel, flange and centre of the disc escapes.

if i where you i would replace the hub, bearing and flange. this was the only wway we found to cure it.

that and drill the c.vs for fatter pins and 'wiggle check' the pin before every event!

timelord

318 posts

289 months

Tuesday 8th April 2008
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eek Had it happen to me a while back,lost both the nut and taper washer off the hub,only the caliper holding the hub and wheel on! This was on my daily user,only a standard-ish MG Metro unit, on 7.5 S discs. Scary! Geoff

woooorrb!

73 posts

218 months

Wednesday 9th April 2008
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Sounds like a huge bodge but I had the same problem and fitted new bearings and had new drive flanges anyway. I was aware that there was NO PLAY in the system and still it sheared pins. So, drilling the hole out a bit larger and using a piece of iron dowel, I put it in properly. You might also find that the nut is starting to wear. Take it off and have a look at it. Is it wearing from being jiggled around.

Funnily enough, I was only talking about this yesterday.

Cooperman

Original Poster:

4,428 posts

256 months

Friday 11th April 2008
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Picked up a pair of new discs from Potters Bart and will strip it down tomorrow. I'm glad in a way that I'm not alone with this and I'll now check everything before re-asembly. Yes, it was the LH side and the remains of the pin can still be seen.
Thanks folks.

Peter

Cooperman

Original Poster:

4,428 posts

256 months

Saturday 12th April 2008
quotequote all
Job done! Fitted a new hub, new wheel bearings, new disc. Drive flange was fine. Threads on end of drive shaft were damaged, so fitted a new CV joint as well and a new nut linished to line up at 150 lb.ft. torque. Changed disc on the other side as well just for luck.
Jobsagoodun.