Hi folks

 

Flushed with success at changing the head gasket over the weekend (the gasket being the easy bit - my tippex screw-up / losing crank-cam timing / having to work out how to get it back - being more challenging) I was peering under the bonnet and noticed the subject of this thread wiggling around all over, all on its own, on the o/s drive shaft, just due to tick-over vibes.

 

This is ironic - for a while I thought the vibration I could feel in the clutch pedal while waiting at lights was something to do with imminent bearing failure.  But no, the thing which has failed is...a vibration suppression device.

 

I could take it off, pack some sheet rubber inside it to make a tight-ish fit, and put it back on.  The torsional stiffness would be wrong, so the suppression of resonant torsional vibes in the driveshaft would not occur at the right frequency.

 

I've not yet found a supplier on the web - anyone know whether the dirveshaft is common to Fabia, or anything useful like that?

 

('Take it off - your car's a dog, and you were driving with a blown head gasket and one working glow plug for a year' is an acceptable response...)

 

cheers

Mark

 

 

 

hi Mark I packed mine and its been fine so far used some thin rubber strip I drive id every day inc motorways so far so good

Dog or not, I wouldn't recommend taking it off. You'd see why starting from around 60 mph...Mine was loose too so I used liquid gasket, cleaned it with petrol, dried it, applied the goo equally on both halves, let it cure overnight, tightened next day. No complaints.

...You'd see why starting from around 60 mph...

 

Ah - this may be key to my previous indifference to this object not doing what it should.  I am middle-aged, tight-fisted, and I tailgate artics at 57mph.  In a previous era I might have been attracted by driving gloves and a hat.  

 

Thanks for your suggestions, folks.  I'll take it off and see how much original rubber is left.  I imagine it locates somewhere near the ridges in the middle of the drive shaft which look like they might have once engaged with something rubbery.  

 

Thanks Ricardo - that's very useful to have a clear picture of one which isn't knackered!