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Hi everyone , the other day when i got home and turned off the engine everything seemed fine apart from the usual steering problem im having, anyway the next day when i went to drive it , it wouldnt move the driveshaft had some how came out , on the drivers side, it has now been put back in , but im unsure if it will come out again, im experiencing under steer and over steer and the car will pull to one side and sometimes to the opposite side any ideas what could be the cause of this and the fact that the driveshaft came out thanks..its an escort 1.8 td 1998 hatch
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I'd be very worried. For the drive shaft to come out, then the front suspension strut must be moving way out of alignment which indicates something is seriously wrong. No surprise the car is handling badly. Last time I saw this was on a FIAT where the chassis front leg had rotted. Don't drive it till it's fixed - it's dangerous!
JS
Edited by John S on 22/12/2008 at 19:42
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The other thing you'll have to do it top the gearbox oil back up when you've finished.
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Normally, to get the DS out, you have to undo the suspension at bottom, and swing out, often takes many hammer blows too, as well as taking steering ball joint off.
I am amazed that you drive it , frankly. I am afraid if you cause death through an accident in that condition you will be jailed, no doubt nowadays, good thing too.
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ok ive just come back from the petrol station and when i reversed i held my hand on the gearstick and when i put it in reverse the gearstick moved slightly up , when the wishbone balljoint was undone to get the driveshaft back in , it went into the slot really easy does the mean its at fault? also i will be checking the top shock bolts later to see if they are loose ? everything else seems tight , so im wondering what could it be?
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On many cars the r/h driveshaft has a centre bearing, if yours has and its collapsed, that will allow the shaft to slide out.
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The driveshaft should have a snap ring on the gearbox end to retain it in the gearbox-this is why it can sometimes be hard to remove the shaft from the gearbox.
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This is a serious problem.
It is dangerous ! DO NOT DRIVE CAR until diagnosed/fixed by competent person (does not have to be garage).
It may however just be the cv joint has collapsed and needs changing. But if it has been put back together once there is no reason why it wont happen again!
If you are not sure of the cause then you need to have it inspected before it is moved. Any mobile mechanic or breakdown service should be able to oblige for cost of a call out (free if you have a homestart recovery service).
Please understand the seriousness of this condition. It is potentially life threatening to you or others if driven in this condition.
Edited by yorkiebar on 23/12/2008 at 11:44
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Yorkie bar is quite correct as its possible it may pop out when trying to corner & may prevent you from doing so!
Is the shaft coming out of the inner pot joint? or the shaft coming out the gearbox? or the shaft coming out the outer CV joint?
There should be snap rings for two has one failed or missing? & has a gearbox mount collasped causing the gearbox to ride high when you reverse allowing the shaft to pop out? I would seriously get it check in case the suspension is allowing the shaft to pop out?
I doc
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ok the driveshaft came out from the gearbox end , but did not completely come out , it came out enough tho to cause like a grinding noise when it was in gear and the clutch was not engaged, the retaining clip ring is still on the end of the shaft and appears to be fine , the problems seem to be with the drivers side , when i turn left or right i can feel the steering wheel kind of like moving a bit left then right or right then left dpending on which way its turning , as ive said before when the conditions are wet i getting huge under steer and over steer , very concerning . thanks for all your time
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Could be someone's tried to fit a Fiesta driveshaft in an Escort???
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