Hi everyone.
This is about my skoda fabia estate.After a few seconds delay of putting the car in gear it didnt move then made a clunk noise before moving off.Changed gear fine and came to a junction.Put it in 1st clunk..pulled away and then nothing.Rolled it back home.I thought at first it wasn't selecting a gear or was a gear issue or was a clutch problem.

Put it in gear and slowly brought it up to the biting putting made a small amount of noise but the car wouldn't move..but i did notice the mph gauge increasing as i acclerated.

Got my lovely wife to sit in the car and bringing it up to the biting point again and the drive shaft is going round so it must be selecting gear and therefore not be a gear or clutch problem(bearing in mind my knowledge of cars is limited).

 

I jacked the car up and moved the passenger wheel round by hand and the driveshaft on that side wouldn't turn every time if at all.

So...could it be a wheel bearing issue or a driveshaft problem,any help would be great.

 

Kind regards, Jason.

Sorry also...what size is the hub nut for the skoda fabia.I read it was 35mm,where would be the best place to buy this please?

 

Thanks again in advance of any help.

Sounds like the driveshaft or the hub has stripped the splines, you can buy that socket at halfords, it's in the special tools section, or you can buy a 3/4" drive socket set which will have one in it.

The hub nut is a 36mm bi-hex

sounds like the splines on the drive shaft have worn thro' (is the hub nut tight?)    not seen one since a '64 Morris 1100   but I don't get out much    think it's a 36mm 12 point   and a very long breaker bar    keep us posted cheers :beer:   P.S.  best to borrow one but "UK" is a largish place

Cheers,need to get that nut off and investigate more..thanks.

The hub nut i have wont take a socket as far as i can see,it needs something to go inside it,has 6 sides.

The hub nut i have wont take a socket as far as i can see,it needs something to go inside it,has 6 sides.

 

Does it look like this (Part number 6E0407395A)?

 

Thats the little bugger,your a star.Was wondering if i was the only one that had them..hehe.

 

Do you know what i would need to remove this please.

Thats the little bugger,your a star.Was wondering if i was the only one that had them..hehe.

 

Do you know what i would need to remove this please.

 

You need a 19mm hex bit to remove it

 

They changed the hub nut on later cars to a 36mm 12-sided nut.

Thats great thanks for your help.Off to the shops tomorrow it is.

Thats great thanks for your help.Off to the shops tomorrow it is.

 

No probs.

 

This is the kind of thing you need, although I hope you can find a cheaper one...

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/330928159851?limghlpsr=true&hlpv=2&ops=true&viphx=1&hlpht=true&lpid=108&device=c&adtype=pla&crdt=0&ff3=1&ff11=ICEP3.0.0&ff12=67&ff13=80&ff14=108&ff19=0

Hello again...just an update and request for more help please...

 

So..got the hub nut off remarkably easy with the right 19mm bit and large pry bar.

Got the bolts off from the other end of the driveshaft and have supported the driveshaft up,but how easy is it to get the driveshaft out.Should it pull out or does it need a knock because it doesn't seem to move,do i need to just give it abit more wellie when i smack it.

 

Cheers Jason.

Hey Jason,

 

Separating the shaft from the hub on these cars can be very difficult as the splines tend to become seized in the hub flange. Some people have had to take the complete hub/shaft to a garage with a press to have the shaft pressed out. You could try a puller or hitting it with a big hammer but it still might not come out. Might be easier in your case just to buy a complete used hub/shaft assembly as it sounds like the splines are knackered on the shaft and hub, although I have to say that in the many years I've been fixing cars, I've never seen stripped hub/driveshaft splines.

 

When you got your wife to bring it up to the biting point was the whole shaft and CV joint turning together inside the hub (indicating stripped splines)?

I'm starting to suspect this may be a gearbox failure rather than the driveshafts/hubs, can you jack the front of the car up so both front wheels are off the ground, then get your wife to spin the drivers side wheel by hand while you watch the output flange on the passenger side, it should rotate in the opposite direction, do this in neutral and in gear and report back please.

Edited 11 September, 201411 yr by sepulchrave

Hi Lee,

When the driveshaft turned on the passenger side it turned every time under acceleration,but made a noise at the wheel end and after that the wheel wouldn't move.The same would happen if I turned the wheel manually..the wheel would turn but as soon as the noise happened the driveshaft stopped turning.

Had to go with taking the hub carrier off with the driveshaft still attached..what a learning curve.(couldn't find in the Haynes manual how the ABS speed sensor comes off,the Internet saved me on that one).

Will replace the parts and see from there.

Thanks again.

I'm starting to suspect this may be a gearbox failure rather than the driveshafts/hubs, can you jack the front of the car up so both front wheels are off the ground, then get your wife to spin the drivers side wheel by hand while you watch the output flange on the passenger side, it should rotate in the opposite direction, do this in neutral and in gear and report back please.

When I try it in gear should it still rotate opposite then as well?

Sounds like a collapsed wheel bearing to me given the symptoms.

Does the whole driveshaft assembly stop turning with the clunk? If so then the bearings are the more likely culprit than the splines.

Yeah the whole driveshaft stops moving with the clunk.

Sounds like a collapsed wheel bearing to me given the symptoms.

Does the whole driveshaft assembly stop turning with the clunk? If so then the bearings are the more likely culprit than the splines.

 

How does a collapsed wheel bearing make the car lose all drive please? I suspect the diff pinion since the speedo climbs but the car doesn't move.

How does a collapsed wheel bearing make the car lose all drive please? I suspect the diff pinion since the speedo climbs but the car doesn't move.

Oh..ok.I was wondering if a faulty driveshaft or bearing on one side would be enough to stop the vehicle moving altogether.

Is it best to refit new parts(bearing and driveshaft) to the car test it and then go with the diff pinion idea or can I test that bit 1st.

Since you have the driveshaft and hub assembly completely off the car, does it it rotate freely? If yes, then unbolt the other driveshaft from the gearbox, hook it out of the way and start the engine and select a gear and see if it still makes funny noises, if so then it's the gearbox which is at fault.

Edited 12 September, 201411 yr by sepulchrave

How does a collapsed wheel bearing make the car lose all drive please? I suspect the diff pinion since the speedo climbs but the car doesn't move.

 

Wouldn't the effectively disconnected driveshaft just spin, as if the wheel was off the ground and so no drive to the other side because of the action of the diff.  Even with EDL (pretend diff lock) it would help as the wheel doesn't move.

 

What happens if you run it with both front wheels off the ground?

 

Alternatively with both front wheels off the ground what happens if you rotate the OK wheel?

Wouldn't the effectively disconnected driveshaft just spin, as if the wheel was off the ground and so no drive to the other side because of the action of the diff.  Even with EDL (pretend diff lock) it would help as the wheel doesn't move.

 

What happens if you run it with both front wheels off the ground?

 

Alternatively with both front wheels off the ground what happens if you rotate the OK wheel?

 

A driveshaft fitted to a hub with a collapsed bearing is not effectively disconnected, the engine will still try and turn the wheels, remember if you stop one wheel turning the other will spin harder unless you have an LSD.

A driveshaft fitted to a hub with a collapsed bearing is not effectively disconnected, the engine will still try and turn the wheels, remember if you stop one wheel turning the other will spin harder unless you have an LSD.

I thought the op said the drive shaft was turning but wheel was not?

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