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Baleno Sedan:

Some noise under the hood when taking left turns. It sounds like a metal plate being rubbed on the road. Happens only during left turns. The mechanic told it is the drive shaft gone wrong but there is no visible damage seen on the drive shaft like torn boots etc. Also there is no noise when we tested when the car is lifted up on the jack. The noise comes only when driven on the road (I mean with a load) looks like. What could be it?

SGP does not makes/supply drive shaft anymore. But other after market ones are available. Are they good enough? No other choice though if I have to replace. Car is at 1.6L kms on ODO. And is it okay to replace only the left one?

My reply in no particular order. I wish to convey all these things so kindly pardon if it becomes a longish post. :)

1. Driveshafts aren't available in MGP/SGP. But you can look for them(specially the MGP ones in live stock) and procure.

2. Somewhat good news is that the CV joints are still in supply(albeit expensive at around 9k per side, SGP), so you have the option of overhauling the current ones to as good as new.

3. Many aftermarket shops refurbish and rebuild them. However I'm strictly not a fan of this option, as it never lasts. I have never got it done, never needed to(touchwood), but have seen friends wasting money on this option.

4. Try to source GKN/Delphi branded shafts. As per records, the shafts were localised in MGP so one of these two brands would have supplied it. Which other brands are available?

5. The common symptom of axle gone bad is: If you turn your car to left and KAT KAT KAT sound comes then your RH axle is gone bad and vice versa.

6. Also if your car has never seen a torn axle boot and if you have never been a bad boy in terms of maintenance/vehicle use then the axle shouldn't go bad this early. So also take advice from few other independent mechanics.

7. Replacing only one axle is fine.

Regards,
Shashi

Oh, I did not know this logic, that if the sound is when turning left, then it is the right shaft that is to be suspected.

The other makes that I found are "Track" and "GSP" and the latter is more expensive.

I am planning to have the mechanic remove both left and right and the intermediate shaft and inspect. After that will decide on what to replace.

2008 i10 auto. 47k kms.

Got lower control arms and stabilizer end links replaced at FNG.
After this repair, car starts vibrating after crossing 50-60 kmph. Got Alignment done, alignment guy says the left drive shaft is out of balance and is confident about it.

How could this get damaged/out of balance after replacement of suspension parts?
FNG refuses to take responsibility of this.

Why was the lower arm replaced in first place. Replacing at 47K is not very common unless it has been abused.

Is it vibrating even after the alignment and balancing done? Unlikely a shaft issue. Probably the FNG didn't do a good job with putting the lower arm and other things. Re-check with the same FNG.

The ball joint boots had torn away causing suspension noise. So replaced them.

Yes, it was vibrating even after alignment.

Anyway, the FNG opened up the left half shaft and found it to be slightly damaged. (The inner bearings i think).
1500 rs and 45 mins later i got the half shaft "refurbished". (I think what he did was replace the bearings and grease.)

FNG refit everything back together for no charge.
No more vibrations now thankfully!

I do have a doubt, the mechanic used cable ties to seal the shaft rubber boot which has grease inside. Is that okay? Hope its a lasting repair.

Where in Bangalore can I find a Garage/Mechanic who is proficient in measuring Ring & Pinion backlash and adjusting it if it deviates from the prescribed range? Basically a garage that does Axle work routinely but with an engineering approach - not just change parts, shut the diff case and fill oil...?

Thanks

I suggest you talk to Mr. Venugopal (works manager) of Surakshaa Bommanahalli. He was talking about a workshop in Adugodi that did driveshaft repairs exclusively - I did not pursue this because by the time he fished out the name and contact details of the workshop, I had decided to go with a replacement from Maruti.

Thanks for this detailed post. While waiting at the service center, I read your post and decided to go with a replacement shaft for my Astar RH driveshaft instead of a repair.
In spite of being aware and prepared with a replacement CV boot for a minor leak on the drive end boot well in advance of any damage to the shaft bearings, I will have to spend Rs. 5500 instead of a cheaper boot replacement! :Frustrati

Why? If it's only boot which has cracked/leaked then you can safely replace only the boot(unless your CV joints are bad)

Thanks for quick response!

Hmm... That's what I thought! The workshop mechanics seemed very hesitant to open up the boots and replace them! They were not confident about doing the job. The works manager said they had not done it in years - standard procedure was replacement. He said the clips required special tools (and he didn't have them). Should I try a different MASS?

Definitely. If you have the boot then no need to deal with them. Even FNG/road side mechanic can change the boot.

Secondly you don't need any specialized tools for the same. A pair of needle nose plier is all you need and I don't believe a MASS won't have it. Boot replacement is a messy, time consuming and not so paying job, so your MASS isn't interested. Driveshaft replacement is less messy, quick and quite rewarding too, so they are preferring that.

Regards,
Shashi

Oh dear. I replaced the boots of my Fiesta driveshaft at home after mechanic took out the shaft and gave to me. I did not want them to waste time doing it. Worst case if the ring breaks and you are unable to procure a new ring, get a good quality zip tie. rl:rl:

Absolute thugs. Of course you should try a different MASS. These guys are insulting your intelligence.

Whenever I park my MPFI 800 after using it, a few drops of oil leak from the engine side boot of the left drive shaft. When I mentioned this to my FNG guy, he mentioned that the drive shaft needs to be changed. rl:

I told him clearly that it's just the oil leak that needs to be addressed as there is no sound from the driveshaft. As mentioned by Shashi, mechanics seem to be less interested in replacing just the boot.

Upon casually enquiring in a couple of shops, they mentioned that they don't recollect the last time they sold driveshafts plus they don't have new boots as well. Will enquire few more shops for the boots and get them replaced from another FNG. Being rubber parts that harden over a period of time, is it worth stocking them by applying talcum powder?

Got the boot replacement done (only drive side, because they said the wheel side was hard rubber compared to the other side and recommended some 3rd party boot which I didn't want, in any case the wheel side boot was perfectly fine). These guys are specialists in drive shaft repairs (see pics). The mechanic expertly removed the shaft from the car with basic tools, fitted the boot in minutes and everything was done within an hour. Labor charges 300.
(I provided the spares and grease). Hope this lasts.

For anyone who wants to use their services :
Phogat Axle Engineering, Adugodi, Hosur Road, Bangalore
Mobile - 9886268572
Near Bosch, going north you will see Supreme Motors, further up you will see a tiny shop that does this repair.