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MG MGB Technical - REAR AXLE SEAL - NUT

Ahh!! Spring is starting to rear it's fair weather temps. So, it is time to venture out to the garage, pull back the MGB car cover and tackle the left rear axle seal leak.

Looking at page 144 in my Haynes MGB Repair Manual, I need to replace item 43, axle seal. So the car is jacked up, the wheel removed, the brake drum removed, and I do notice the inner fender well coated in diff oil as well as the brake shoe backing plate. Now it is time to remove the castle nut from the protuding axle shaft. One small detail. This nut ain't movin'
So far, I have soaked it with Brake-Kleen to cut any grit and grime. I have gone as far as standing on a plumber's pipe wrench to get this thing to move, but no dice. Yes, I did remove (item 51) the cotter pin.

Short of putting a torch to the nut and axle, does anyone have any ideas how to make this nut unthread. The threads appear to be clockwise tight and counter-clockwise loosen. I do NOT have access to pneumatic impact wrenches and the like.

Thanx in advance

cheers

Gary :>{D
79 MGB
gnhansen

Gary
Assuming you have the correct socket, I used a breaker bar with a bit of pipe over it to give me enough leverage, mine was V tight as well.
You could try tightening it a bit, then undoing it, sometimes works on very tight rusty nuts!
Jason
Jay Smith

Gary,
I had the same problem.
First I was also thinking on heating but I ditn't dare
in order to avoid the slightest deformation of the pignon axle.
Finally I bored in a line the nut several times with a 1 mm dril parallel to the pignion axle and cut the line with a mini grinder disc (dremel). Avoid hitting
because this might damage the bearing.
Pierre
P.Y.A. De Rouck

Drill a hole thru the wall of the nut parallel to the axle. Use a drill slightly smaller in dia then the wall of the nut so as not to damage the axle threads. The drive a tappered drift pin into the hole to split the nut.
John H

Thanx all. I gather if a larger lever action does not free this item, sacrifice the nut to remove it and then relace with a new nut. OK

Jay Smith, where in Bucks are you??

cheers

Gary :>{D
79 MGB
ghansen

Gary - Have you tried turning the nut in the other direction? I believe that they are "handed" for which side they are on. Even if they aren't, often turning the nut in the direction to tighten it will get things moving. The other thing, loose the pipe wrench. Besides chewing up the nut, a pipe wrench, by design has springy-ness which defeats the best efforts to break the nut loose. As suggest, get the proper socket and the longest breaker bar you can find (I once borrowed a 3 foot breaker bar and tried to loosen an axle nut by pulling up - the nut didn't come loose, but I lifted the back corner of the car off the ground. The gentleman I borrowed the breaker bar from suggested applying all the force I could on the breaker bar and have someone else really smack the end of the bar, where the socket was attached, with a sledge hammer - it worked, the nut came loose. If you can find a 'slugging wrench' to fit the nut, you can pound on the end of it with a 4 pound hammer and break the nut loose. Finally, if all else fails and the car is drivable, take it to a break shop and have the loosen the nut with an impact wrench, then snug it up and go back home with it. Cheers - Dave
David DuBois

The half-shaft nuts on the later Salisbury/tube type axle are NOT handed. It is the earlier banjo axle that is handed. The Salisbury nut is 1 5/16", same as for the crank pulley. It is tightened to 150ft lb and tightened further to the next split-pin hole, so will need more than that to undo. My roadster needed a 5 ft breaker bar before it shifted. To get more leverage without turning the wheels if you have Rostyles remove the centre cap, refit the wheel and jack down, if you have wires jack down without the spinner fitted.
Paul Hunt 2

Gary,

Isn't the is the excuse you have been looking for to buy an impact gun?

Charley
C R Huff

Gary
Near High Wycombe.
Jason
Jay Smith

Jason: we have a residence in a village next to Olney

Is that anywhere near you??

cheers

Gary :>{D
gnhansen

Gary
Olney is between Milton Keynes and Bedford isn't it ?
High Wycombe is South Bucks, near Beaconsfield and Penn!

Jason
Jay Smith

Gary,

Paul is correct on the massive torque required on the half shaft nuts. On my TD, the right side nut would have had to been turned quite a bit further than 150 ft-lb required to get the cotter installed in the nut, so I took the spacer down a few thousands by running it in a circular motion on some emery paper on a flat surface. The nut could be shaved a bit instead. Then I was able to fit the cotter with the correct torque without adding in more massive torque to line the nut with the hole in the half shaft.

wamrly,
dave
Dave Braun

This thread was discussed between 07/04/2008 and 13/04/2008

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