Checking Reliant Axle

[paulywombats]

Hi Manksters, I would welcome your tips on checking a Reliant axle before purchase.

Cheers

Paulywombats

[minimutly]

From the outside, the obvious is the thing straight?, then how do the back plates look -rusty?
Turn the shafts if you can (impossible without wheels usually), check for equal backlash on both sides.
Check for backlash in the pinion -there should be a little.
Then you need to check the ratio, there may be a number stamped on the back of the casing which ties up with a sticky on this forum - have a good read.
If you can turn one of the wheels one turn while counting pinion rotations that will give you the ratio (you need to halve the counted number due to the multiplication factor of the differential, but hopefully someone else will confirm this).
If the thing looks good from the outside you have a fighting chance, if it looks like a rusty, we'll abused pile, it's probably worse on the inside....
Huw

[paulywombats]

Hi, Thanks for reply all good info and taken on board.