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Maintenance
Maintenance work on cardan
shafts used in vehicles and industrial equipment must be
done at regular intervals.
The scope and the intervals of maintenance work depend on
the individual operating conditions of the vehicle or the
equipment.
Maintenance
intervals for cardan shafts in commercial vehicles
Depending on the type of vehicle, the mileage or the
service life and the operating conditions two different
scopes and intervals of maintenance are required. These
are the "minor inspection" and
the "major inspection".
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Use of
vehicle
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Inspection
intervals
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Minor inspection
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Major inspection
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Commercial vehicles
in long-distance traffic or
similarly used vehicles |
Every 100.000 km
or
after 1 year max. |
Every 500.000 km
or
after 5 years max. |
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Commercial vehicles
used on road and off road
and in city traffic and similar |
Every 50.000 km
or
after 1 year max. |
Every 300.000 km
or
after 5 years max. |
|
Buses
in long-distance traffic |
Every 100.000 km
or
after 1 year max. |
Every 300.000 km
or
after 3 years max. |
|
Buses
in city traffic |
Every 50.000 km
or
after 6 months max. |
Every 200.000 km
or
after 2 years max. |
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Commercial
vehicles
used on sites, communal vehicles, construction
machines, cranes, vehicles used in agriculture
and forestry, tractors, military vehicles and
similar |
Every 25.000 km
or
after 6 months max. |
Every 100.000 km
or
after 2 years max. |
After a change of the vehicle owner or in case of an
accident we recommend a "major inspection"
of the cardan shaft.
Scope of
maintenance
Minor inspection
The "minor inspection" includes checking the
cardan shaft installed in a vehicle or in an industrial
plant.
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Check the bolts
of the flanges and of the centre bearing bracket
for tightness (e.g. undamaged paint coat). If
necessary, retighten the bolts with a suitable
torque wrench and the torques prescribed by the
manufacturer of the vehicle or equipment. |
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Check whether
there are snap rings on all bearing bushes. |
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Check whether
balance weights are loose or missing. |
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Check the bottoms
of the bearing bushes for change of colour or
form due to excessive heat. |
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Visual inspection
of the seals of bearing bushes and the length
compensation. Defective seals may result in
excessive grease loss and breakdown of the cardan
shaft. |
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Check whether
there are grease nipples on the journal crosses
and whether they are in good condition (exception:
maintenance-free joints). |
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Check whether the
rilsan coat on the sleeve is damaged or shows
abrasion. |
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Visual inspection
of the centre bearings of drive lines with regard
to:
- correct position of the rubber cushion in the
centre bearing bracket
- correct position of the flange shaft
If the distance between the rubber cushion and
the outer flinger is too large, the centre bolt
may work loose. In this case a check should be
made as a part of a major inspection. |
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Carry out a
visual inspection for possible damage, e.g.:
- damaged paint coat
- deformed tubes
- eccentricity of the length compensation cover
tube
- cracks on components and tube |
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Check the joints
and the length compensation for visible or
tangible backlash. |
If the inspection shows that the cardan shaft is
damaged, it must be removed at once and sent to a repair
shop that is authorized either by us or by the
manufacturer of the vehicle or the equipment.
Furthermore, the vehicle or the equipment must be
immediately taken out of operation in the case of any
extraordinary noise, vibration or otherwise abnormal
behaviour. Before recommissioning the cardan shaft it
must be checked within the scope of a "minor
inspection".
Major inspection
Each "major inspection" includes the scope of
checking prescribed for a minor inspection. In addition,
the cardan shaft must be removed from the vehicle or the
equipment for the "major inspection".
The following checking or work must be carried out on the
cardan shaft:
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Checking the
joint bearings
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Check the
two flange yokes for tangible backlash or
resistance (e.g. hooking) by deflecting
them by hand into vertical and horizontal
positions (swing them to and fro). |
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Grease
the cross assemblies through the grease
nipples and check whether the grease
escapes from the seals. If no grease
escapes from one or more bearing bushes
of a cross assembly or if grease escapes
together with water, rust or dirt, the
cardan shaft must be sent to an
authorized shop for repair. |
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If the joints are
in proper condition, regrease them through the
grease nipples until the grease escapes from the
seals. |
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Checking
the length compensation components
The involute spline is centred and guided on the
spline outer dia. This design allows a maximum
backlash of 0,2 mm. The radial backlash need not
be checked.
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Extend
the cardan shaft by approx. 45 mm and
place the lugs of the inner yokes at
points A and B on a solid support (see
illustration).
Fix the dial gauge holder at point C next
to the weld on the tube and place the
dial gauge directly next to the weld of
the protective sleeve (cover tube). Lift
the cardan shaft at its center of gravity
so that the supports at points A and B
become free.
Read axial backlash on the dial gauge.
The max. permissible value is 0,17 mm. |
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Visual
checking of the parts:
Extend the cardan shaft completely and
check the length compensation for damage
to the inside and outside areas of the
spline muff and the teeth of the yoke
shaft. |
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Check the
seal of the cover tube for damage. |
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If the length compensation is undamaged: |
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regrease
the parts of the length compensation in
the sealing area (for grease see
Lubrication) and
bring the length compensation together to
its original length. |
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Attention:
Make sure that the marking arrows are
opposite one another! |
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Check the
centre bearing of drive lines with regard to:
- damage to the rubber cushion
- firm seat of the ball bearing in the rubber cushion
Retighten the central bolt with a torque of 350 Nm.
Attention:
Centre bearings of older designs with a central nut or
holding plate and two bolts (not shown) must not be
retightened because the bonding may become damaged and
the securing function of the bolting is no longer
guaranted. After checking (by retightening) or loosening
the bolting a completely new bonding is required.
If a major or minor inspection reveals any
damage to the shaft, It must be sent to a repair shop
that is authorized by either DANA or the manufacturer of
the vehicle or equipment.
Attention:
After each repair the cardan shaft must be rebalanced
dynamically.
When reinstalling the cardan shaft, please observe the
relevant installation instructions (see
Installation/disassembly).
If the cardan shaft is obviously twisted due to over-loading
(plastic deformation), it can no longer be used or
repaired.
Lubrication
Cardan shafts of the series COMPACT 2000 are lubricated ready for
operation.
The length compensation of the Standard designs is maintenance-free.
This does not apply to special designs with an extra large length
compensation and a large deflection angle (e.g. cardan shafts
between tandem axles). Such a length compensation requires
regreasing through a grease nipple in the sealing sleeve of the
spline protection until the grease escapes at the scraper seal of
the sealing sleeve.
The centre bearing is protected by a cover and, filled with
grease, is service-free.
Cross assemblies must be regreased.
The grease reservoir in the cross assemblies can be replenished
through a grease nipple. Regreasing must be carried out until the
grease escapes out from the seals of the bearings.
If it is not possible to grease all four bearings of a cross
assembly (i.e. no grease escapes out from the seals), the
bearings must be assumed to be damaged.
In this case the cardan shaft must be removed and the cross
assembly must be replaced in an authorized repair shop. We
recommend replacing the other cross assemblies at the same time.
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For the
lubrication of cardan shafts only that grease may be
used, which is defined in our standards 4006-005
corresponding to the different application temperatures.
Do not use lubricants with MoS2 additives. |
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Clean grease nipples
before lubricating. |
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Do not lubricate at high
pressure or with pressure surges. |
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Cardan shafts that have
been stored for more than 6 months must be regreased
before use. |
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The cardan shaft must not
be cleaned with pressurized water or a steam jet. In case
of doubt the shaft must be regreased until the grease
escapes from the seals of the bearings. |
Recommended regreasing
intervals for cardan shafts in commercial vehicles
Unless otherwise prescribed by the manufacturer of the vehicle,
we recommend the following regreasing intervals. The data in the
table refer to European and similar conditions. Operating
conditions other than those shown here may require shorter
regreasing intervals.
- Regreasing intervals for joints
(applicable only in conjunction with approved greases)
Use of vehicle
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Regreasing
intervals
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Commercial
vehicles
in long-distance traffic
or similarly used vehicles |
Every
or
after |
50.000 km
1 year max.
|
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Commercial
vehicles
used on road and off road
and in city traffic and similar |
Every
or
after |
25.000 km
1/2 year max.
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Buses
in long-distance traffic |
Every
or
after |
50.000 km
1/2 year max.
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Buses
in city traffic |
Every
or
after |
25.000 km
1/4 year max.
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Commercial vehicles
used on sites,
communal vehicles,
construction machines,
cranes, vehicles used in
agriculture and forestry,
military vehicles*
and similar |
Every
or
after |
12.500 km
1/4 year max.
(250 h)
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* if driven through water
**shorter greasing intervals
**are recommended |
- Greasing intervals for length compensation and centre
bearing
As standard the length compensation and the centre bearing are
service-free. The lubricating intervals for types designed for
periodic relubrication are the same as for joints.
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DANA
Commercial Drive Shafts Catalogue