Prop shaft balancing services-79 116

[sudsy]

Whilst I'm logged in here!!

Decided its time to finally get my prop-shaft properly balanced.
I may have one option here in the ACT, however I am assuming that I'll need to send it interstate to get the job done.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a suitable workshop for the job, either VIC or NSW, maybe QLD if endorsements are glowing enough!!

Spoken with "Propeller shaft Services " in Condell park....
Said they had 2 suitable jigs for the Alfetta but couldn't confirm until they saw the unit. Saying, that the two jigs were for the most common application, seems hopeful for me.

However I just thought I'd try and get some more info from here before proceeding.

Happy weekend all.

[MD]

Sudsy,

In my opinion, there is no a worse job on an Alfetta than to remove and re-install the prop shaft. All the more painful when your freshly balanced shaft now vibrates more than before,( after somebody has balanced it). I can see a lot heads nodding in agreement as they read these words...I have had my share and in the end, THE ONLY people that eventually balanced my prop shaft were Beninca Motors, in Surrey Hills Victoria.

info@beninca.com.au

I give this recommendation without fee or reward other than an appreciation of having had a professional service from them.

Remember that many things including the condition of parts can influence the vibration of your prop shaft so be sure that you do some homework on all the elements before the re-install.

[sudsy]

Sudsy,

In my opinion, there is no a worse job on an Alfetta than to remove and re-install the prop shaft. All the more painful when your freshly balanced shaft now vibrates more than before,( after somebody has balanced it). I can see a lot heads nodding in agreement as they read these words...I have had my share and in the end, THE ONLY people that eventually balanced my prop shaft were Beninca Motors, in Surrey Hills Victoria.

info@beninca.com.au

I give this recommendation without fee or reward other than an appreciation of having had a professional service from them.

Remember that many things including the condition of parts can influence the vibration of your prop shaft so be sure that you do some homework on all the elements before the re-install.

Thank you. I really appreciate your recommendation and wisdom.
It's nice to know that there is someone actually capable of the job.
I'll give Beninca a call..

I am treating this job with some trepidation and respect, and may well first attend to the car's other driveability/refinement issues, that may make it easier to live with the prop shaft vibration in isolation. 

[Colin Edwards]

+1 for Benincas

[sudsy]

Hello sudsy
What is the history of the driveshaft you want to send off to be balanced.

*Vibration evident since pre purchase "test drive". Noticeable but not bad.

* Car's Documents reveal that doughnuts/guibos replaced "reasonably recently"  (kms and age)

*Local Alfa guy confirmed all the rubber is still good.
He mentioned that the olives joint may be the problem, or simply that the installer of the doughnuts may not have marked things before disassembly etc etc.

*Vibration is not consistent, can be worse on some days, better on others.
More noticeable at lower revs..

My intermediate idea is to attach a hose clamp onto the shaft, at different "clock points", and by trial and error, see how the vibration worsens/lessens or vanishes.

[sudsy]

Another thing to try is at the rear do-nut and clutch yoke there are three possible positions where it is now and one on either side. I had success with an alfa 75 by simply moving the rear donut one spot on the clutch yoke. Also check the clutch yoke is not loose (not unusual). It might be worth checking the spigot bearings on the front and middle donuts and the phasing or orientation of the the two drive sections at the centre bearing before sending it for balancing if that is what you decide to do.

Thanks for the tips.
She's meant to be going up on a mates hoist today so I'll do those checks and adjustments..

[sudsy]

For no other reason than adding to the knowledge/experience base herein..My findings today..

So up on the hoist to flush and bleed the very poorly brakes, gave me an opportunity to have a good look underside.

My friend, whose hoist it was, was not keen at any time to have the car running whilst in the air. His tools, his choice, so I respect that.
That said, I didn't get a chance see the propshaft in motion. 

In between the brake work, I examined the propshaft and quickly discovered that the centre support mount had, what I considered to be a lot of play and movement, and it also looked to be sitting/sagging vertically non centre.

So I tentatively believe this may be the source of my vibration.

Also front and rear doughnuts ARE in great shape, but the centre one looked like it may have had a slight crack. However, it was hard to tell if it was a crack or a moulding line. I'll check the service records again to see if there's any mention of the centre doughnut having been done "recently"

So this is potentially good news, even if it's still a pig of a job.

In other findings see my new thread...

[Beatle]

To help with balancing, take a look at this video showing a 'cup-of-water' technique I thought was rather ingenious. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuPSGJZpL3k  It's a bit tedious but worth watching fully for some of the tips and tricks.

Not sure how it would work at higher rotational speeds of an Alfetta driveshaft though.  On the upside, you won't need it in gear, so you can remove the wheels to give you a bit more room if you do it at home on jack stands.  This also takes anything downstream of the gearbox out of the vibe equation. 

It's also a good idea to place some thin rubber between the de-dion/jack points and the axle stand to reduce the risk of the car 'walking' on the stands from vibes with the engine running. 

I believe there are also vibration analysis apps you can get for your phone, though likely expensive.

[sudsy]

Job done!!

So having had the prop-shaft centre support and bearing replaced, the vibration was SIGNIFICANTLY better, as driveability was vastly improved.
It would have to had made some difference as the old support was totally cactus.

However, there was still a lesser but still noticeable higher "frequency" vibration at 1500-2000.

Burst of enthusiasm today, had me under the car attempting the hose clamp (worm drive) balance hack.

AND THE TECHNIQUE WORKED PERFECTLY.

By simply mounting a quality hose clamp onto the propshaft, and testing (better/worse?), Reposition 180 degrees.. testing, reposition 90 degrees..testing.... and on that third try it was, dare I say it, perfect.

My additional advice to the technique is :
Clamp size: 65-89 (Marine Grade)
When first installing, I removed it and trimmed the excess clamp track, and I do recommend using a high quality clamp as its nice to be able to  tighten it up quite firmly.
I may have got lucky by trying the front section of the shaft first, and I positioned the clamp forward of the gear shift linkage where the transmission tunnel gets slightly wider.
That said, if technique didn't work on the front section, I was prepared to retry the experiment on the rear section.

Thanks to those who suggested the clamp technique.

[Alfapride]

Great news! Where did you get the clamp from? Might try this myself on my gtv