****LAYSHAFTS IMPORTANT INFO FOR YOU ALL****
Turbo Mini Forums

If the shaft isn't hardedned, then the hard bearings will 'roll' a nice groove into the shaft. Badly. Damaging the bearings and your laygear.
If you want to use the Minispares shaft for something, use it as a drift. Sounds to me like it'll make a pretty good one.

Better still, send it me so I can get it tested.........and then use it as a drift afterwards

do the file test wolfie, if it marks it let us see it ,but don't use it until.
hopefully matt got a bad one .


carl

WWW.FORCE-RACING.CO.UK PLEASE CLICK HERE

finnily enough Tom ,i was going to say if all alse fails they make good punches,lol.

carl

WWW.FORCE-RACING.CO.UK PLEASE CLICK HERE

Is the offending article the Minispares part no. DAM3187?

Just want to know which one to avoid.

Saul Bellow - "A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep."
Stephen Hawking - "The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge."

can they not be case hardened?

Hi,
I'm with Axel, what's the part number of the one made of cheese?
Cheers,
Gavin. :)

VEMs Authorised Installer / Re-seller. K head kits now available!

WB/EGT gauges. Click here for customers write-up

Visit www.doyouneedabrain.co.uk

My Mini build diary

i have found a hardened one in my box of spares anyone want pics?

Sod pictures, its old layshafts I want to hardness test.......

Does the shaft need to be hardened the whole length ? I think it is enough to have the beaaring races hardened, that´s where the hard surface is needed.

Anyway, the quality problems are so common nowadays, be it any place you buy from. Even the most expensive sources may not be that reliable.

I've talked to Rich at MSCN about this, and he'll give us a reply shortly!

i have some pics to add:
firstly i wanted to know what layshaft my car had in it, so i performed the file test on my shaft out of the gearbox, the new "genuine" minispares one, and one out of a 1989 140,00 mile mg metro

the one in my box and the new minispares one had the same level of damage, the austin rover one took no real damage, just some light scuffing

so here i have some pics to show you of the wear that can be compared between a minispares layshaft that has done around 2500miles, and a austin rover that has done 140,000


as you can see the pitting and wear on the minispares shaft is far greater than the real genuine one.

However, would you agree that at the desperate time we're in where nothing else is available they should be ok to use, and wont fail at the first launch??

From those pictures Nic, out of the three layshafts you have, I would use the 140k Leyland one.......

i agree with tom nic! im to in the middle of rebuilding me gear box iv e got a rebuild kit from minisport so might do the same test but it looks like ill prob end up using me original shaft if the minisport one is as poo as the ones shown.

no longer a series, but still 1.3 turbo.

Excellent pics nic, although its only seen the abuse an mg metro can put through it, im amazed at how good the 140,000 mile old "proper genuine" layshaft looks!!

-MINI CLUBMAN 1380 TURBO-

chin up 1071 - i could be the main shaft - now that would be a bitch to take back out!!!

Good pic there sir, That's what i meant about the different markings on the geuine one to the ms one, another note people haven't picked up on yet to, is that for some reason the Genuine rover shaft has bigger oil hole in them then others to!

MW

Edited by Miniwilliams on 13th Jan, 2006.

Best 1/4 mile 13.2 seconds @116 mph
First 5 port miniturbo to make over 200 bhp on a carb?
First 5 port miniturbo to make over 200 bhp on Injection?

http://www.mattwoodsphotography.com

I rebuilt my box a couple of years back now, on removing the layshaft i discovered it was totally knackered, with pitting on the surface where the bearings had run & the small end had been fretting in the gearbox and had also worn. Here's a crappy pic of what i mean -
I don't know where this shaft came from, as the box was a secondhand SC jobbie.
I got another casing to build up the box. When i tried a new Minispares shaft in the casing it didn't seem to fit snugly & even had a small amount of play when pulled about. I wasn't confident about fitting this, so i stripped an old Metro box, which as far as i can remember had done 80,000miles. The layshaft was in great condition with no marks visible where the bearings run. I tried this layshaft in the new casing and the fit was good, nice and snug with no play. So this is what i've been running for the last couple of years.
Maybe not totally relevant, but ...... lol

Phil.

WWW.TURBO-MINI.COM

Also look for wear to the casing bored hole that the layshaft sits in.

Ideally set a clock up, and check for any lift by levering on the shaft.

pretty much the same wih the minisport rebuild kit the shaft i got with it scratched badly the original one was much better hence to say im using my old shaft as its in perfect condiion and i know its only done 40k miles.

glad this post came about as id have just whacked the new shaft in thanks matt

no longer a series, but still 1.3 turbo.

indeed you saved me too, im going to raid a few metros next week hopefully

tom would you like these shafts for hardness tests?

Yes please, if I can get one of the Minispares shafts, and one of the gen Rover type we can see for definate the difference.........

theyre yours, shall ipost them up? or i can see if im local again in the next few weeks and bring them up

yet another quality product from minispares....

Up to you mate, no rush for them so see what your itinery is like?