uh oh where should i start?

Droobie

Droobie

Senior Member
Got home from work yesterday and started piddling around with the A. Got her fired up and let her warm up for about 5 mins and my neighbor asked if i had driven it yet... No i havent since the motor was gone through:):)..... So I pushed the clutch in, put it in reverse and eased the clutch out............... nothing!:confused: clutch in and first gear........ nothing:confused::mad:. I had tried all 3 forward gears with no movement:mad::mad:. The speedo caught my eye though and it moves through the gears. 1st gear was about 7 MPH 2nd was about 13MPH and 3rd was about 25MPH. I am stumped and a little aggrivated. Im not quite sure where to even start. Any insight would be very nerve calming. or nerve racking.. Thanks in advance!

Drew
 
My first guess would be Sheared Key in the end of the axle at the drum, Or broken axle:(. More common for a key to shear.
 
I have a newb question/thought. If one axle breaks doesn't the other one take over? In that case is it possible that the pinion sheared? Now for my info question: how does a key shear? I thought they were locked in pretty tight.

Mike
 
Yeah. If your speedo is working, the drive shaft in the torque tube is spinning, so you either have no axle keys, your pinion in the rear has come off the drive shaft, or your axles are snapped.
 
Jason in TX said:
Yeah. If your speedo is working, the drive shaft in the torque tube is spinning, so you either have no axle keys, your pinion in the rear has come off the drive shaft, or your axles are snapped.
Click to expand...


1 broken key or 1 broken axle will do it. Doesn't need to be both in either case.
 
The Model A does not have a locking or limited slip differential so if one key or axle breaks, the other axle will not turn so you will not go anywhere.

The easiest thing to do is put the rear axle up on jack stands. Take off the rear wheels and set the parking brake very tight. Get in, start it up, put in to gear and SLOWLY let out the clutch. With the engine running and the clutch out while it is in gear, if you see one axle nut turn and not the drum, you have sheared that key. If neither nut turns, you have broken an axle or the end of the drive shaft or something in the differential. At this point, things have to come apart.

Let us know what you find.

Chris
 
Droobie said:
Got home from work yesterday and started piddling around with the A. Got her fired up and let her warm up for about 5 mins and my neighbor asked if i had driven it yet... No i havent since the motor was gone through:):)..... So I pushed the clutch in, put it in reverse and eased the clutch out............... nothing!:confused: clutch in and first gear........ nothing:confused::mad:. I had tried all 3 forward gears with no movement:mad::mad:. The speedo caught my eye though and it moves through the gears. 1st gear was about 7 MPH 2nd was about 13MPH and 3rd was about 25MPH. I am stumped and a little aggrivated. Im not quite sure where to even start. Any insight would be very nerve calming. or nerve racking.. Thanks in advance!

Drew
Click to expand...
Droob, everyone here is right. Lock the parking brake and watch the axle nuts while it is in gear and the clutch is out. The bad side will spin while the good side is stopped. If you have hub caps you need to remove the wheels.
 
1930artdeco said:
I have a newb question/thought. If one axle breaks doesn't the other one take over? In that case is it possible that the pinion sheared? Now for my info question: how does a key shear? I thought they were locked in pretty tight.

Mike
Click to expand...

Mike, The other "good" axle will not take over because of the differential action created by the four spider gears, two in the carrier and one on each axle end.

The single key way in the model A axle is one of the design weak spots, and they shear with alarming frequency, especially if you are in the habit of popping the clutch abruptly, or the taper fit is not perfect and highly torqued. The keyways shear in half lengthwise, like a piece of steel plate in a large punch press.
 
10-4 good fellas. I will put her on jackstands tomarrow night and figure this deal out. Thank yall so much for your replies! FB is the best mechanics book and restoration guide ever made. I will update hopefully saturday!! Also James thanks for a good deal on that head. It worked out great!

Drew
 
Doug in NJ said:
Wouldn't a sheared axle key make a hideous noise or vibration as the axle and the hub duked it out?

Doug
Click to expand...

Not necessarily,

Especially if the axle nut was not very tight in the first place. There is grease in this area and I have seen them where everything seems fine but the axle turns and not the hub.

The keys usually will not fail if the taper on the axle and in the hub are in good shape and the nut is TIGHT.

When I first install rear hubs, I will tighten the axle nuts and drive the car some and then re-torque the nuts. Then I install the cotter keys. After a thousand miles or so, I will re-torque the nuts. After that, if the tapers were good, the rear hubs should be fine for many years. :)

One thing I also do when I am repairing a rear end assembly and I am using used axles, I will always have them magnifluxed. It is too much work to go thru a rear end only to have an old axle that had a crack in it fail. :(

That is what I do,

Chris
 
Is this car new to you? Was it running fine before the engine work? The above things don't brake from just sitting there.
Droobie said:
10-4 good fellas. I will put her on jackstands tomarrow night and figure this deal out. Thank yall so much for your replies! FB is the best mechanics book and restoration guide ever made. I will update hopefully saturday!! Also James thanks for a good deal on that head. It worked out great!

Drew
Click to expand...
 
I sheared several axle keys when I was young and foolish--and ignorant. Like others have said, you really need to keep that hub tight, especially if you're using a shim.

Although I guess I can understand it being not too noisy after the break, the moment of shearing was like a gun going off. You never heard a bang?
The sound traveled and seemed to come from the transmission. I've knocked teeth off the big rear-end gear too, and that was a noisy process too.

Steve
 
I had an axle break once that made no noise or gave no warning it had or ever would break. I made a right turn at a light and when I downshifted and let the clutch out it acted like it was in neutral but the speedo worked. When I jacked the car up the rear wheel just fell off. I don't know how it stayed on from the light to the alley 1/2 block down.
 
Roadster62, This car has been in my family since the day it was purchased so it isnt new to me but the past two years I have been piddling around with it. I started it and backed it into the drive way about two years ago and started working on it. I havent made it to the brakes and suspension yet. I have had the wheels off for powdercoat and that is all. I never experianced a bang or pop or any wired noise for that fact. It is storming pretty good here so no work on it today but i hope to fill yall in this weekend..
 
I finally got her up on jackstands and removed the wheels and drums to find that The sheparss key was sheared in two.... I actually had one in a " bucket of parts" my grandfather gave me with the car. I installed it and started her up and reverse worked great!!!! I ran in and got the wife and we went for our first Model A ride together!!! It was very exciting. She has never rode in one before so she didnt understand why we were going so slow. LOL Anyways Thanks again for all yalls help. I have had a blast putting this thing together the past two years and I could not have done without yall. Thanks again!!
 
Sounds Good;

Luckly, you had the problem that is easiest to fix. Just a suggestion, after you have driven it a bit, re-torque the axle nut to be sure everything is good and tight.

Drive and enjoy your Model A. They are intended to be used and not just sitting in the garage.

It is great you have a car with family history. These are special.

Good Job!

Chris
 
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