Broke down, trans won't engage any gear....Help!

[daveymc29]

I have broken one axle, 35 Ford popped the clutch and pow, right at the beginning of the tapper. 20 years old. Now at 81 I broke a key in the axle, shear pin. Just went around a corner and gently began to accelerate, rolled to a stop. Pushed it home and took off the hub. pin fell out in two neat pieces, little or no new damage to an old obviously used axle and hub. Recently replaced the entire differential and may build the old one with good axles and a 4:11 rear as I now have a 33% O/D that works and 600 X 16 tires on the ground. Maybe just stick with what's in it, 3:78 I'm guessing and it purrs in O/D at 55 to 60. Best A motor I've ever had. No history on it unfortunately. Sure wish my $6K engine in my roadster was half as good. Oh well, enjoy what is working.

[john charlton]

My bet is the drive shaft has sheared off at the input end just below the bearing. In some cases the torque tube neck end seal cuts a groove in the drive shaft just below where the roller bearing runs . Sometimes the groove is sharp sided and an ideal place for a fatigue fracture to develope . If it was an axle shaft the wheel would have become displaced outwards as nothing would be holding it in place . If it were only a key failure there would have been clonks and bonks in the transmission long before failure .

John in lovely sunny autumn day Suffolk County England .

[CountrySquire55]

Same thing happened to me two weeks ago. Left axle shaft broke about two inches beyond the axle key, just under the bearing. With the help of several friends from my Model A club, and a rear spring spreader, we had the axle shaft replaced in a couple of hours.

[larrys40]

Originally Posted by CountrySquire55

Same thing happened to me two weeks ago. Left axle shaft broke about two inches beyond the axle key, just under the bearing. With the help of several friends from my Model A club, and a rear spring spreader, we had the axle shaft replaced in a couple of hours.

I have had this happen on my own '30 Tudor. The night before it happened I was traveling to the Smokey Mountain Model A meet from St. Louis to Pidgeon Forge Tn on terrible potholed rodes with loads of trucks. I am a fanatic about rear hub tightness threads and proper rear axle setup. I have rebuilt more than 150 A & V8 rear axles. Mine broke in the housing area, unfortunately not able to have been seen from the outside. I believe this was just "metal fatigue" from years of use and stress. Who knows.........

It may be what has happened and is easy enough to determine once he has the car up on all fours and is checking things out. I do think while rebuilding rear axles that very close inspection and crack detection is very important.

If mine would have happened a day sooner my daughter and I may not be here today. The important part is that it happened and everyone is safe. It can be figured out and rectified.

Larry Shepard

[bettlesr]

Here's what my driveshaft looked like when mine stopped:

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

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POPPED a key, only had a 15" Crescent, took out the bits, stuck drum on, lined up keyways, searched the roadside, found a BIG rusty NAIL, drove it in, bent it back & forth to break it OFF, put on the nut & GENTLY drove 12 Miles home.
TIP# 127, IF you ever need WIRE, you can almost always find it by the ROADSIDE! I've even found TOOLS, while searching! A Friend walks 1/2 Mile to the store everyday, you should see the TOOLS he's collected!
Bill Chieftaughtmethat

[30RoadTom]

I jacked up and supported the rear end. Wheels turn independently of each other. Passenger side is solid. Drivers side moved when I pulled on it. I just pulled it out about an inch, then pushed it back in. Didn't bother to try it with the engine running.

[Fullraceflathead]

An inch? That side is Broken or that side inside the carrier is broken.

[30RoadTom]

It will come out farther, just didn't know if I should at this point. Pulled it oit out 3 or 4 inches this time. I really don't know my way around the drivetrain. Already had the floor out and trans cover off hoping it was something in the shifter. From what I hear, sounds like that axle broke.

[30RoadTom]

Thanks for your input. Can I get a decent spring spreader at Mac's or Snyder's?

[Jacksonlll]

Borrow one. Ask a local club member if there is a club near you.

[700rpm]

Thanks for the update. Keep us posted on your progress, and ask questions as the need arises.

[heneste]

You may be lucky and just have to rebuild the drivers side of the rear end. Hope the fix goes smoothly.

[john charlton]

The fact you can pull the wheel out and in means that my sheared drive shaft theory was not correct . In your post you said you were towed home so I assumed both rear wheels were still connected to the axle . You were very lucky that the wheel did not come off when you were towed ,this can wreck the rear fender as the wheel exits and also puts a flat on the bottom of the backplate . Please keep us informed there will be someone on the Barn nearer to you for practical advice . I am a bit too far away !!! As long as the car is safely on jackstands you can pull the wheel plus drum clear out if the axle has sheared you will do no more harm . I cant see what would hang up and prevent you pulling the whole caboodle out and you will then see where the fracture occured . The rear spring is a dangerous animal so you do need someone with you who is well versed in the spring spreading proceedure .

John in mild autumnal weather Suffolk County England .

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

THINK about Toms' axle, the next time you're TEMPTED to lay a "little" SCRATCH---NLOL
Spent all my life fixin' broken cars, BUT still HATE to do a rear end! I also HATE to fold clothes or empty the dishwasher or make the bed!
Tom, look at the break for a DARK area, "maybe" it had a pre-existing crack???
Bill Homealone

[Tom Endy]

Indications are you have a broken rear axle shaft. The attached article will offer a short cut to replacing it. You do not have to pull the complete rear end out of the car unless you want to overhaul it.

Tom Endy

[Bill G]

You might be lucky the wheels didn't fall off, so to speak. I went to do a brake job on mine and the driver's side rear backing plate had a big section of it ground off flat as if it skidded on the pavement at one time. I asked someone about that who told me that was not uncommon and was the result of some previous owner having had a broken axle and the wheel did literally come off. Yikes.

To Tom Endy:

I have really found your articles especially helpful and I have read everyone of them on the Santa Anita web site. Even though I am not currently suffering from this particular ailment, thank you for providing all those articles!

[30RoadTom]

Thanks to everyone for their support so far. As you can see from the photo, I do have a broken axle. And thank you Tom for the shortcut article. I usually don't have large blocks of time to work on it so this will probably take a while. Any questions I have or progress reports will take a while. I see that I'm very lucky the wheel didn't come off, I even pushed it 20 feet to get it out of an intersection. Could even have come off going on or off the flatbed.

[Big hammer]

You should play a lottery:-)

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

OLD CHEVYS were notorious for breaking axles, usually, when backing up. Some carried spares, as they were EASY to change.
As a Friend was making a TIGHT "U" turn in his '29 Chev, his SECTOR shaft BROKE!!! (WHOOPIE!)
Bill W.