Snapped driveshaft

[Calza]

I'm struggling to explain this one..



A friend was pulling off his drive, heard a noise. Then the clutch would no longer engage any gears. That picture is the result.

It hasn't been hit, there was no obstructions on his drive and the wheel moves freely (nothing else is damaged).

How on earth?

Edited by Calza on Monday 16th January 19:34

[shake n bake]

How old? What is it? Is it modified? Has he owned it long?

[curlie467]

It can happen. Simple as that really.

[Calza]

shake n bake said:

How old? What is it? Is it modified? Has he owned it long?

It's a 2004 1.6 Civic, totally standard with around 100k.

curlie467 said:

It can happen. Simple as that really.

I really didn't think they snapped like that! Fair enough.

[daemon]

curlie467 said:

It can happen. Simple as that really.

+1

I'd one snap some years ago. Was even weirder than that as it was a clean vertical break.

Can happen

Actually - i've had it happen twice - a Signum 3.0CDTI and a Rover 216GTI.

Edited by daemon on Monday 16th January 19:41

[Mound Dawg]

It all looks very rusty...

[DKS]

I've heard of a 1.6 Civic doing exactly the same thing!
Looks very rusty for a 12 year old car.

[Flooble]

Could someone who knows explain to a non-engineer how the driveshaft snapping stops the gears engaging? I'm genuinely intrigued, I figure there is still a bit of driveshaft sticking into the gearbox and with the wheels not rotating I wonder how that is different to normal?

[rallycross]

Flooble said:

Could someone who knows explain to a non-engineer how the driveshaft snapping stops the gears engaging? I'm genuinely intrigued, I figure there is still a bit of driveshaft sticking into the gearbox and with the wheels not rotating I wonder how that is different to normal?

The gear will still engage but the diff is open so it sends the power to the wheel with the least resistance - hence not moving

[Jonesy23]

The big pile of rust that fell out and the way it snapped suggests it corroded to death from the inside and eventually gave up.

[marmitemania]

My mums Rover 400 snapped its driveshaft, if you look closely the break is right where the rubber harmonic damper is, water sits between the rubber and the driveshaft and rots it, contrary to popular belief about Rovers in all the years she had it this was the only rusty bit on it and the only major thing to go wrong with it also. They are cheap enough and very easy to replace.

[aka_kerrly]

DKS said:

I've heard of a 1.6 Civic doing exactly the same thing!
Looks very rusty for a 12 year old car.

The lower arm does look rather crusty.
A mate's Civic type R snapped a driveshaft to, when reversing out of the garage at walking pace...ooo the massive torque @1500rpm;)

[Spangles]

I've had to fix the same :-

https://www.facebook.com/MobileAutoSolutions/posts...

[Flooble]

What sort of warning would you get of one of these failing?

[Freds]

I imagine the car has spent a good part of it's life near the coast ?, it looks to have seen plenty of salt .

[C12HLL]

I will take a guess at a civic sport? The shafts snapping on these is very common. You should be able to get a replacement from Euro or a local motor factor ok.

No real rhyme nor reason but working in a factors these have started snapping with worrying regularity.

[paintman]

Flooble said:

What sort of warning would you get of one of these failing?

None. Excessive corrosion with deep pitting might be a warning that replacement would be a good idea.
Some years ago a friend & I were overtaken by a wheel. Followed almost immediately by a brand new Ford Capri on 3 wheels.
Shaft had snapped & the hub etc were still attached to the wheel.

Looking at the pics I would expect fitting a replacement drive shaft would resume normal service.

[Flooble]

paintman said:

None. Excessive corrosion with deep pitting might be a warning that replacement would be a good idea.
Some years ago a friend & I were overtaken by a wheel. Followed almost immediately by a brand new Ford Capri on 3 wheels.
Shaft had snapped & the hub etc were still attached to the wheel.

Oh dear, that's not great but funny story!

[marmitemania]

Flooble said:

paintman said:

None. Excessive corrosion with deep pitting might be a warning that replacement would be a good idea.
Some years ago a friend & I were overtaken by a wheel. Followed almost immediately by a brand new Ford Capri on 3 wheels.
Shaft had snapped & the hub etc were still attached to the wheel.

Oh dear, that's not great but funny story!

A driveshaft snapping on a modern front wheel drive car is not dangerous, you just lose drive the reason the wheel came off the Capri is because the Half shaft which had snapped had the wheel hub attached to it, although the bearings that hold it into the hub must have been shot also. I explained in my post above I have seen this on cars before and its where the rubber harmonic damper traps water and detritus between it and the shaft and rots it out, they always break in the same place.

[*Al*]

That looks totally rusted, I'm not surprised at all.