Parts Wanted: 280z Stub Axle and Companion Flange

[Zed Head]

Probably easier to tell if the axle and flange are off the car.

I did a quick Google and these popped up.  You can see that the guy is sliding the flange on and off the axle by hand.  Has to be for the pictures.

Type "Datsun 280z 27 Spline Stub Axles W/Companion Flange " in to eBay and they should pop up.  $350 for the set.  (eBay tags so much stuff on to their web page links that I'm afraid to share the link.  Who knows what all of that extra stuff means).

Edited September 8, 2022 by Zed Head
-y

[Zed Head]

p.s. ritrebor is the seller.  He's a member here.  @ritrebor

[ckurtz2]

10 minutes ago, Zed Head said:

p.s. ritrebor is the seller.  He's a member here.  @ritrebor

Thank you, I’ll reach out if I end up wanting them. The price is a little steep for me and I only need one side.

[Zed Head]

@Terrapin Z The turtle man has a lot of stuff.  Worth an ask.

[ckurtz2]

I'll definetly shoot a PM his way.

Ok so, I finally got a buddy in the passenger seat with a speedometer app on his phone (mine no work haha). Anyways the official symptoms are. The shaking is super bad at around 45-65mph. At the lower end at around the 40-45 the steering wheel noticeably shakes, and then that fades away at about 65mph. However at 65 the entire car is shaking really bad, but the duration of the vibrations is much faster instead of thump thump thump. The car is pretty much smoothed out entirely at around 79-81mph and it feels much closer to normal, however its slightly still there. It then gets worse as I go faster to about 100. To sketchy for me to try further, and found no reason to.  Now for the fun part, I had an extra set of hands so I had him feel around the car where the vibration was the worst without telling him which side had the boofed stub axle. Well he identified the strut tower at the passenger rear as the worst, which essentially confirms that my vibration's epicenter is from the wheel well where the bad axle is. So I think I am going to skip pulling the driveshaft and focus on this as the priority.

[Terrapin Z]

9 hours ago, Zed Head said:

@Terrapin Z The turtle man has a lot of stuff.  Worth an ask.

Hey @Zed Head just cause my car is green and slow, doesn't mean I am a turtle too. 😂

@ckurtz2 I answered your PM. I should be able to help you out. 

 

[Racer X]

From your description it is confusing about what is ‘bent’. Is this something you see? Can you post a picture of it?

When not assembled, off the car, slide the companion flange  onto the shaft. It should slide on all the way without resistance.

The parts that fit inside the bearings is where there is an interference fit. 

Using anti seize on the splined portion is a good idea on assembly. It will aid disassembly later on.

 

 

Finding a vibration can be difficult. As Mark mentioned, different parts of the drivetrain rotate at different speeds, and understanding this can help locate the source of the vibrations.

You mentioned vibrations in the steering wheel. That suggests the vibrations are coming from the front of the car, not the rear.

If you feel the vibrations in the seat, that suggests the vibrations are coming from the rear of the car.

If you suspect the companion flange is bent, use a dial indicator and check for runout. It is an easy check, and the FSM should have a spec for it.

Also check the runout on your wheels, halfshafts, driveshaft, differential pinion and output flanges.

Be sure to closely examine the tires too, looking for damage, shifted belts or unusual bumps in the tread. 
 

Be sure the tires are properly inflated.

 

 

 

 

 

[ckurtz2]

I'll get a video to you guys when I get it on stands in a few days. You'll see what I mean by the bent companion flange due to me not being able to get it over the splines.

[Zed Head]

Your description sounds more like the bearing is not seating properly in the strut casting.  The bearing is cokced.  Or the "distance piece" is distorted which also would cause a cokced bearing.  There are several surfaces you can examine and measure to find out what's not right.  You'll have to take it apart though.

When those 5 parts clamp together they basically form a solid tube though the hub.  The two inner bearing races and the distance piece are the tube, and the flanges are the clamping surfaces.  The outer races get pulled along by the balls and inner race.

 

Edited September 8, 2022 by Zed Head

[ckurtz2]

@Racer X I think the vibrations are so bad that it is affecting the front wheels, but I don't think it is truly stemming from the front. Anyways while its on stands for peace of mind I am going to retorque the front axles and make sure it isn't too loose or too tight. Quick and easy thing to do. How exactly do I check runout with the dial indicator, and where do I get one? 

     @Zed Head If the stub axle had properly seated bearings, and it fit into the strut casing fine, how would it not be seating? I never really felt much resistance until I tried to seat the companion flange. Anyways when I get the companion flange off is there a way to check for this? If I am going to do this (I really really really hated touching the stub axles the first time) I want to know exactly what I need to check for. If there is anyway I just have to adjust some stuff and replace the companion flange I'd be so happy to save some $. Is there anyway I can just leave the grease in the hub instead of having to remove it?

[Zed Head]

By your description you think that one of the flanges has excessive runout.  You said that you think something bent when installing new bearings.  The only force that could put a side load on the shaft or the flanges is the nut and washer pressing on the inner flange, pulling the parts together.  The only thing resisting the force is the bearing.  If you put the nut on when the parts are out of the casting it should spin right on.

I'm just proposing ideas about what would cause a bend of any of those parts.

Here's other thoughts though - the half-shaft is not properly seated on the centering ring.  Or the half-shaft itself is bent or binding.  Or the differential is damaged.  There are a lot of moving parts back there.

Can't really tell because all you have are impressions from driving.  Sometimes it helps to just lift the car, throw a cushion under it, crawl under there, and take a good look at things as you spin them.  Grab things and shake them, see if anything is loose.

 

[ckurtz2]

14 minutes ago, Zed Head said:

 Sometimes it helps to just lift the car, throw a cushion under it, crawl under there, and take a good look at things as you spin them.  Grab things and shake them, see if anything is loose.

 

Yup:) Going to attack it on Sunday. As you know I just got the car rolling after two years of absolute peril, so putting it back on stands for what will likely be an extended period of time hurts the soul.