Pot Joints

[MiniDave]

I'm working on the '73 and one of the issues it has is that the left side pot joint works it's way out as you drive. I've popped it back in twice and it seems to want to work back out again. So today I went ahead and pulled the axle so I could see if the clip was still there - which it was. Next I put the pot joint shell back in by itself and gave it a good pop with a dead blow hammer.....then I took a screwdriver to try and push it back out again and it took very little effort to simply slide it out again. I talked to Jack at 7 Ent and he thinks it could be just the clip has lost it's spring tension, so I ordered a new one from him while I had him on the phone.

Just doesn't seem right to me tho......

Anyone else have a pot joint that wouldn't stay in even tho it had the clip in place? Did a new clip fix it?

[Willie_B]

I had the reverse. Put new clips on when changing the pot joints. When the engine/trans was rebuilt he had to use a multi ton press to get the pot joint off the output shaft.

[John Gervais]

I'm glad to hear that you're now addressing this.  After a brief jaunt in the mini today, I shined a flashlight behind the engine to check for (additional) oil leaks.  It's getting really cold outside, and without my winter grill-blocker, the engine struggled to get up to temp and the oil pressure read 40psi at idle - even after a 20 minute drive.  Once moving along, it went up to 65psi, so I suspect that it's too cold.

Anyways, upon shining the flashlight down between the exhaust manifold and block, I noticed a glint of shiny metal - my RH pot joint is currently sitting about 1/4" beyond the side cover.  This is the side that I had replaced the oil seal at my friend's garage (before it burned down).  Not pointing fingers, as I should have checked it, but I was the guy holding the brake disk while he swapped the seal and guided the pot joint into place. 

I hope nothing is damaged and that I can simply wedge the upper suspension arm, disconnect the lower ball joint and give the assembled drive shaft a whack with a plastic dead-blow hammer to pop it back into place; my lower back is killing me - it does this time to time.

[MPlayle]

I have not had one walk itself out like that before, but have had several that were easy to pry off using a large "pickle-fork" tool - no hammer required, no press tool required.  I have also had very little trouble popping new ones in place.

[John Gervais]

From Dave's first photo, it looks like the circlip is stretched out and won't sit in the groove when the joint is slid into position.  If the clip stretches backwards upon assembly, maybe it's still got enough memory to mimic a usable clip.

[MiniDave]

I talked to Jack at 7 Enterprises and he said he thought it was the clip too.....so I ordered a few. They'll be here Friday so I won't be able to finish it till then. I need to get this car done and gone, I need my lift back! $6 each, for a simple circlip!

WillieB, it sounds like your circlip came out of the groove and got wedged in the splines as the joint was pushed in, musta taken a pretty good wallop to get it all the way in if that was the case......

John, I wouldn't take it all apart, just use a piece of wood and a dead blow hammer and pop it back into place, you won't damage the boot.

Thanks for the replies, all.

[John Gervais]

Thanks Dave, I'll give it a try. 

[94touring]

I just had to order a new gap ring seal for a turbo I'm rebuilding.  It became spread apart like your first photo and just wouldn't work right.  11 bucks for a new one and it's maybe the size of a wedding ring.

[tmsmini]

A year or two ago there was a bad batch of pot joints that was missing a chamfer or something. I had to have two pressed off.