What caused an accident. Broken half-shaft?

[thomp1983]

Probably is the driveshaft, the mk7 accord is known to snap driveshafts I've changed 2 or 3 in the past, normally you just lose drive to the one wheel, wouldn't be a great surprise if another Honda model suffered aswell.

 

[markH70]

I'm OK now but police took me to Derriford Hospital because I had chest pain. I think they thought I had had a heart attack but it was just the airbag impact in my chest. Had blood tests, ecg, and chest x-ray and all fine. Blood pressure was sky high but that was to be expected. In total spent 11 hours in A&E.

 

[HERTS P&D]

At least you were given an MOT, hope all is well.

Andy

 

[SFK]

there was a huge BANG, and the next instant I was on 2 wheels

Seen this twice where where the momentum of your car and your wheel climbing up other car causes car to almost roll. (Grand Prix also has some great examples of this).

First minute if this shows just how unexpected it can be (even when staged)

 

[ericmark]

Had half shaft fail with land rover series 11A and just lost drive, but prop shaft very different. What matters is what happens after it brakes, with land rover held in the back axle, so simply select 4 wheel drive and return to base, but when prop shaft broke it was like a pole vault off the road, lucky hit nothing, but was stuck in cab until rescued as prop shaft hand brake so had to sit there with foot on brake until some one chocked my wheels.

 

[Burnerman]

For sure, if the centre bearing goes on the prop shaft and the shaft drops, the results are dramatic.....I rescued a DAF rigid body truck once, and the groove in the road was seriously deep.
No damage to the truck though, and no need to remove a half shaft to rescue the thing.
John

 

[baldykev]

I seen a couple of drive shafts snap, when I worked for rover years ago ,both on the rover 216s which is the Honda engine and drive train.

 

[markH70]

I seem to remember there was a groove across the road after the accident. I'll have to get back and chesk it out.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

For sure, if the centre bearing goes on the prop shaft and the shaft drops, the results are dramatic.....I rescued a DAF rigid body truck once, and the groove in the road was seriously deep.
No damage to the truck though, and no need to remove a half shaft to rescue the thing.
John

Wouldn't the bearing make a helluva amount of noise before it failed and thus give the driver lots of warning before failure?

 

[markH70]

I don't think it was the propshaft. There was definately wheel to wheel impact (my NSF to the other OSR). The surprising part is that the corresponding wings were not damaged. I think something happened on my NSF suspension/drive which caused my wheel to move out away from the car. Can't really explain it as I'm not a mechanic. After the accident his wheel was sticking out possibly 6 inches from the arch, and I guess if it had already been like that my front wheel could have impacted causing the near flip. Having said that I had plenty of room to pass so I really don't see why I would have been that close. I think it more likely to be something mechanical on my car

 

[markH70]

There was no warning of any kind, no bearing or other noise. The accident was instant, I was driving completely normally, then an instant later one hell of a bang and I'm on 2 wheels.

 

[markH70]

This is my car

 

[markH70]

This is the parked vehicle

 

[Burnerman]

Wouldn't the bearing make a helluva amount of noise before it failed and thus give the driver lots of warning before failure?

It probably would.....when I had a look at the thing, the universal joint had lost three of it’s needle roller cups and the spider was well mashed.
I notice that many trucks have a catcher hoop below the propshaft.....this one didn’t!
John

 

[Burnerman]

Looking at the crazy angle of that strut I’d still think it was the bottom joint that gave way.....something let go at the bottom of the suspension wishbone.
John