Do You Really Need Driveshafts In The Hubs?

[davemar 16]

I'm likely to be whipping off my gearbox in the next few days, so the driveshafts will be coming out. It is possible that I'll have to move the car when I doing it, so would like to put the wheels back on. According to Haynes you shouldn't put the car down without the driveshafts attached otherwise it will damage the wheel bearings. Is this true? Would fitting some ends off some knackered driveshafts into the hubs sort this problem out, so the car can be rolled along? Not that I've got any knackered 1.9 driveshafts knocking around.

[M@tt 77]

yes you really do need some driveshafts in otherwise they do pull apart, i speak from first hand experience with my CTI which i only moved around the carpark at the flats i used to live at and on and off a trailer.

 

If you can get some old ends then they will be fine to use, but you do need something through them and tightened up fairly tight

 

Matt

[welshpug 1,626]

yes you do need something to keep the bearings from coming apart, as you say some CV's off old shafts will do the trick.

 

if you don't have any spare and you only need to push the car about you can tie up some driveshafts.

[Goliath 94]

I have towed a car 50 odd miles without shafts in and it was fine, however one of my other 205's had the shafts removed and the wheel bearings fell apart after pushing it a few inches forward. I would definately say you need shafts in the end to hold them together.

[davemar 16]

Seeing as 1.9 GTis are effectively extinct in scrappies now, is there a driveshaft from another car that has the same girth of shaft (oo-errr!) as the length doesn't really matter if I'm just using the end bit (trying to avoid more obvious innuendos there)?

[Ryan 99]

309 GTIs (not that there's many of them in scrappies either), any 1.8/2.0 or diesel 306, and possibly some other 306s too.

Edited April 28, 2009 by Ryan

[Ant 2]

I would...

 

I towed my CTi about 4 times without shafts... Various trips to the spray shop, then to my mates garage.. Over 50 miles in all - no issues.... until one day i was towing the car ( mate in the CTi ) and i noticed the wheel was sticking way out at an angle as it went round - oops

 

Just needed a new hub, but i wouldnt risk it again

[Baz 421]

They're ok in general if the hubs/bearings are in good condition, i've always rolled them around without shafts in, just not far and try to avoid full lock or any sudden movements! Only ever had one fall apart when loading onto the back of a low-loader.

[pip470 61]

I say definatly not. I am talking from experiance. If your wheels never left the car with the hubs still attached to the back of the wheels, you were extremely lucky. Its not just a case of knackering the bearings, its that nothing is essentially holding the wheel on other than friction.

 

To top it off when both wheels left my car at the same time on the approach to a roundabout it was raining and to fix on the side of the road with two collapsed bearings was not fun.

[Baz 421]

i'd never tow it without them no! But as i say, to roll around for manoeuvre-ability it's fine as long as you're not too aggressive.

[large 33]

Just drop the car down on a bread crate trolley if you just want to be able to move it about.

[Rom 0]

Ive had mine without shafts for months, getting pushed around the bodyshop, then in and out of my work every day, until the engine etc was back in.

 

While they havent fallen apart, the circlip has started to dig into the bearing face. Its all back together now, no play, or roughness, but im anal and will change them anyway. For me, it was easier, faster, and just as cheap now doubt to just bite the bullet and have no shafts.

 

A guy at work rolled his in and out maybe 3 times, and knackered both front bearings on his golf though !