Wire Wheel Splines Check

[AlanG]

Got a long standing clonk at the back. All U/J's are new. Diff mounts all good. Shocks all good and tight. Adaptors were replaced a couple of years ago. Serious tightening of the wheel nuts seems to have reduced the clonk a little so I'm suspecting the wheel hub splines maybe worn. What's the best way to check the splines for wear? Could the diff be clonking?

Alan.

[John Morrison]

I used a jewelers loop? a small magnifying glass.

When splines are worn they develop a sharp edge which experienced folk can feel.

 

I couldn't but it i s possible to see a difference between the 'Used' worn part and the part of the spline which never bears any wheel.

 

Changing the adapters and using worn wheels can be false economy, unless the wheels were very good or nearly new.

 

Are sure the narrow adapter retaining nuts are tight?

 

65lbs and loctited is what they need to be, and used a six sided socket, not a normal one or you will round the nut.

John.

[tim hunt]

John, it's loupe from the French for magnifying glass. Strangely 'loupe de noyer' is burr walnut although I can't see the

connection.

 

Tim

[ChrisR-4A]

Worth checking driveshaft splines as well they don't last forever and could be 40-50 years old.

Each little bit of play adds up and makes a small clonk sound like a big one. Like swinging a hammer through a greater arc before hitting something.

[RogerH]

Hi Alan,

if your front and rear wheels have not been swapped over for a very long time,

then you could ft the front wheels on the back and back wheels on the front - keep the adaptors with the wheels.

 

It is the rear wheels/adaptors that get most of the wear when taking up the drive.

 

The rear wheels on the front will not clonk as there is not power take-up.

 

Roger

[Lebro]

But, if you have to brake very hard, there is then lots of torque on the front wheels, & if the splines decide to slip ---------

 

Just a thought !

Bob.

[tim hunt]

My splined adapters are original, so nearly 50 years old. I never had a problem of play with the original wires nor have I since changing to a new set from MWS ten years ago. I always keep the splines lubed with MS3 and am careful correctly to tighten the spinners. If I jack any wheel clear of the ground and lock the brakes it I can detect no play at all between wheel and adapter if I try vigorously to rotate it to and fro. I don't have dedicated front and rear wheels as such since I rotate all five wheels including the spare every 5,000mls to even out wear.

 

Tim

[rcreweread]

Hi all

 

A couple of observations for what's it's worth.

 

A very well known and experienced TR specialist told me they had no end of peope complaining about clonks with wire wheels, and more often than not, they are simply not tight enough as owners are too frightened to hit them hard for fear of damaging the chromed "ears" - do them up really tight with a BIG copper mallet was his recommendation to me, and you won't have any problems.

 

Secondly, I was talking to a company who specialise in restoring wheels, particularly wire wheels and I queried how restorable used wire wheels were, given my thoughts that so often, or so it seems, the splines are likely to be worn - their response was that they have restored over a thousand wheels, and less than the fingers of one hand were the number of wheels they couldn't restore because of worn splines - they have a checker which can assess the wear in a matter of seconds.

 

Hope this helps, but the moral appears to be that wire wheels get blamed more than they should!

 

cheers

 

Rich