I recently had to replace the paper seal on one half shaft (and new brake linings) due to oil contamination from the diff.

My question is whether this axle has holes to relieve the pressure caused by the diff and half shaft movement. If so, where ?

Thanks

Db

I think there is a breather on the Diff - Looked like it when I changed the oil on mine.

If the SS (assuming SS stands for Special Sports) rear axle is identical to the saloon axle (apart from the diff ratio) then there shouldn’t be a paper gasket, sealing being provided for by a face to face joint, unless I’m completely misunderstanding this post. If I’m not this should help; it’s fitted to the offside of the diff housing at the top.I should add that the only seal in this area is a lip seal pressed into the hub, so if the linings are contaminated with oil or grease it needs replacing.
Steve

There is definitely a breather on the diff casing, i think at the top of the housing, I'll need to climb into the boot and remove the boot hatch to photograph it.
Peter G

Thanks for the replies.

Steve, the special sports axel is completely different to the cb18 saloon. (The Ss is a composite of main case, with bolt on arms to carry the shafts.

There is a paper deal between the hub end of the shaft and the hub.

I will check for the breather on the diff case.

For some reason I thought there were breather holes on the arms near the springs, but maybe I am mistaken ?

Well, I dunno...according to the SS parts catalogue the rear axle is identical to the DB18 saloon (n.b. not the Consort) except for the differential ratio, but clearly I’m missing something here. The list number of the Special Sports rear axle should be 30198, a built up affair of 2 separate axle tubes fastened to the worm and wheel type differential housing.
Steve

Hi David,
I didn't find any breathers on the axle tubes when I dismantled my SS rear axle assembly, I also didn't find any signs of gaskets at either end of the axle tubes, so I didn't use any when the axle was rebuilt . I may have been naive, but my assumption was that there was a seal in the differential that kept oil out of the inner end of the tube and the hub seal kept grease out at the outer end, so the half shaft runs dry within the axle tube. That said , I did find one half shaft coated in dried grease, presumably due to a failed hub seal .
Chris

Db n j wrote: ↑Mon Aug 12, 2019 7:12 am
The Ss is a composite of main case, with bolt on arms to carry the shafts.

I’m just breaking a DB18/2 saloon so it’s easy to see as the body is off and that’s exactly how the rear axle is made up - central diff casing and two bolt on arms.

Thanks guys.

Sorry for my ignorance, I knew the Consort was different to the ss, and assumed Consirt followed db18 saloon.

Chris, thanks for assurance about the holes, I can't think why I thought there were breathers.

About the paper gasket, I got mine originally from the dec, but this time made my own. I suppose you could do without, but the risk is that damage or slight distortion over the years causes leaks.

The only seal in this area is the lip type pressed into the hub, so the hub must be removed to replace it. If the oil/grease contamination is on the passenger side bear in mind the hub’s retaining nut is a left hand thread.