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MG MGB Technical - rear end clunk

I changed the copper and fiber differential gear washers and the rear end clunk is greatly reduced. I don't think that the oil in the rear axle had ever been checked, much less changed. I got a small amount of muddy muck out and ended up replacing the wheel bearings and seals along with the washers.

There is still a clunk, albeit reduced, and I think it is coming from the rear wire wheel splines. The splines on the hubs looked heavily worked, if not worn. would replacing these at 140,000 miles normally be
required?
Glenn Mallory

Glen, I had a rear end 'clunk' on my 69 B and I thought it was the splines, it turned out to be the rear universal joint!
Regards, Don
Don Walker

A neighbour turned up with a "clunk" at the rear of his B, it turned out to be loose damper bolts.The rear universal is the one which fails first but the racket is always worse under acceleration. Excess backlash on the CW &P puts shocks through the chassis on over-run shunting. Loose U bolts and worn shackle bushes too.
Allan Reeling

The amount of wear would depend on the amount and 'strength' of acceleration and braking more than basic mileage. If the tips are sharp instead of flat, and especially if they have started leaning over as in the attached, then they should be replaced. The rears usually suffer most as they are subject to being hammered back and fore between acceleration and braking. Apart from after having braked in reverse the fronts are always pressed together so there is no hammering.

paulh4

Jack up vehicle put on e brake and see how much play in wire wheel hub. Just move it by hand by grabbing it at 9 and 3 oclock and turning you may find your clunk there. Wires wear out and hubs do too mine were shot on my 67 replaced and its great. I got no less than 20 wire wheels that the hubs are shot too. never buy old used wires you just get someones headache.
T. Murphy

You need to look at the axle shaft and hub while doing that, as the brakes could be shifting on the backplate. If the wheel moves when the hub stays still, then the wheel is moving on the hub.

But it always will to some extent, as there has to be free play between the two in order to get the wheel on and off without a press. It's that designed free play that allows movement back and fore to occur, which hammers the faces, which gradually increases the free play by thinning the splines until you get an audible click (in my experience). You will often hear the two wheels very slightly out of phase with each other i.e. a separate click from each side.
paulh4

This thread was discussed between 17/05/2016 and 19/05/2016

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