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Sun Apr 28, 2019 4:42 pm

this might be useful to some... needed to fix the splines on a Polaris Ranger driveshaft that had stripped out completely due to rust, you could turn the driveshaft without resistance when it was mated to the output shaft of the differential. so really stripped.

the driveshaft and differential shaft were both spendy and difficult to locate so i tried a no-cost fix that is no harm done if it doesn't last, if the fix strips out again, i'll pull it apart and replace both the output shaft and driveshaft.

onto the fix... i wanted to create interference between what little was left of the splines on each part to 'lock up' the two. carborundum is 9 hardness on the MOHS scale, diamond being 10 so i thought that would make a good filler. mixed up enough carborundum i had on hand with JB Weld to make a slurry that resembled concrete. wetted both output shaft and driveshaft and then mated them together. the grit filled the stripped splines enough to lock the shaft and the JB Weld might hold it all in place for a while. it should be noted that these splines are for a NON sliding solid axle driveshaft.

after curing, took it for a test drive and it is holding so far. next time, i'd use 3M DP-460 epoxy and carborundum as it is about 4x stronger than JB Weld but i didn't want to wait for a delivery of it. also, Loctite 660 is getting very good reviews for spline repair
https://www.henkel-adhesives.com/us/en/product/retaining-compounds/loctite_660.html

Sun Apr 28, 2019 6:28 pm

Brilliant! Do you think this will fix a worn rear drive spline on an ‘77 R100? :D :D :D

Sun Apr 28, 2019 6:50 pm

Interesting fix but I doubt it will deliver long term service.

There is simply too much torque on a drive shaft for a glue product to last very long.

It is fascinating what people have lying around, a jar of sandpaper 80 grit?!?

Dave

Sun Apr 28, 2019 7:22 pm

Sounds like a little hometown history to me: https://www.lcnewschronicle.com/lifestyle/2682923-flashback-friday-3m-birthplace-th-recorded-plaque

(FYI: Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing, a small startup now doing business as "3M")...

:shock: :wink:

- Dave

Sun Apr 28, 2019 8:00 pm

jimf909 wrote: Brilliant! Do you think this will fix a worn rear drive spline on an ‘77 R100? :D :D :D

since you need to be able to get the rear tire off the drive splines, i'd try it with the 3M DP460 but use Saran Wrap or aluminum foil on one side so it doesn't bond the wheel to the hub. but having the hub rebuilt is way better!

Sun Apr 28, 2019 8:12 pm

djkeev wrote: Interesting fix but I doubt it will deliver long term service.

There is simply too much torque on a drive shaft for a glue product to last very long.

It is fascinating what people have lying around, a jar of sandpaper 80 grit?!?

Dave

this is a total experiment. i'm going to start looking for deals on the replacement parts while the clock ticks. but with the grit in there, even WHEN the JB Weld cracks, it still contributes to the interference fit. had a long argument with a friend over beers about doing this... he wanted me to try it as all that would be lost was time and a porketta we cooked in the garage, i wanted to spend the $400 for parts and fix it for good. the beer won. he promised he'd come back to help put the right parts in provided there was more beer and porketta.

yeah, that jar of carborundum looks like it is from the 1950s. could never throw it out.

Mon Apr 29, 2019 7:38 am

I like it!

So many people will tell you that it will not work, but will not try. I look forward for the results of this butchery. Is there a pool on how long it will last?

Mon Apr 29, 2019 1:21 pm

DanHoug wrote: this is a total experiment. had a long argument with a friend over beers about doing this... he wanted me to try it as all that would be lost was time and a porketta we cooked in the garage ...
We shall never know how many great historical discoveries of science and technology were born thusly ...

Sat Aug 10, 2019 5:05 am

well... splines are still holding! the experiment continues. We now return you to your regular programming.

Sat Aug 10, 2019 8:39 am

Hey, that's a great experiment. I've done a few less outlandish things with JB Weld and it's kinda fun to play with modern epoxies and physics to see what's possible. I carry it on remote trips and would not hesitate to use it in a component failure to get home, etc.

Well done. Once you have the new part(s), you should subject it to normal operating torque and see what it takes to fail it, providing you don't put other components at risk. Bravo!

Fri Aug 30, 2019 12:25 pm

well, the experiment is over! axle splines finally spun out as i was bringing a load of campfire wood up some steep steps with the Ranger. yes, it goes up steps just fine and yes, it is a good torque load on all parts as the tire climbs the vertical face of the step.

so. i'd say the JB Weld plus carborundum is a good temporary repair but for the long haul, you need new steel. onward!

Fri Aug 30, 2019 6:05 pm

April to August isn’t a temporary repair , you just need more JB weld.

Fri Aug 30, 2019 6:47 pm

I know, I was the skeptic.

I thought it wouldn't hold and it turns out I was right..... admittedly it lasted far longer than I thought it would.

I dislike glue, adhesives, epoxies........ why?
My Grandfather.

He was born in the 1800's and watched technology explode and blossom as a young man.
He drove an electric car in 1919, worked for Thomas Edison who sent him to England to introduce the talking movie to the King, wired the Holland Tunnel in NYC, etc

In the 1950's and 60's he was enamoured with plastic ........ and glue.
He had the glue pot with the brush, he purchased any new tube of magic goo that hit the market and he glued EVERYTHING!!!!

Most of it failed if it ever held at all. Brown gobs oozing out of "repaired" products.
I determined as a child that I absolutely hated glue.
And I still do today. Most of it fails to work or fails to bond shortly after application, nothing has changed.

Any chemical goo just doesn't excite me. Yes, I have a drawer full of various goos, I try them and am almost always disappointed. (Except for wood glues)

Any concoction will fail, it's been proven to me.

Anyway....
Great experiment you did but sadly with the expected results!

Dave

Fri Aug 30, 2019 6:54 pm

Next time we hit the woods We can glue together, too.

Fri Aug 30, 2019 6:59 pm

Don't forget leather. You can bond that stuff so well it'll never come apart. Good porosity on both materials.

Fri Aug 30, 2019 11:17 pm

It sounds a good bush repair.

Fri Aug 30, 2019 11:20 pm

Abscate wrote: April to August isn’t a temporary repair , you just need more JB weld.

Hell, April to August is longer that an EMPI axle assembly will last.

Sat Aug 31, 2019 12:18 am

ledogboy wrote: Abscate wrote: April to August isn’t a temporary repair , you just need more JB weld.

Hell, April to August is longer that an EMPI axle assembly will last.

Twice as long as any URO rubber part that’s sees oil

Sun Sep 01, 2019 6:27 pm

new steel ordered for $412. differential output shaft and a drive shaft. labor cost is beer + porketta for the garage oven.

Mon Sep 02, 2019 1:23 am

This time drill and tap for a grease fitting...no more rust 😏