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Pre-Competition Drivetrain Teardown

Where
CWRU Motorsports (Baja SAE), SR26
When
2026 season
Type
Inspection

What

Before SR26 left for competition, I tore down the on-car 4WD assembly and the front transfer case, and helped inspect every part for cracks and deformation. A drivetrain part that fails on course ends the run, and usually the event.

How

I pulled each assembly off the car and laid the parts out in the order they came apart, so nothing went back in the wrong place. Then I cleaned each part and went over it for cracks, wear and anything bent.

The torque limiter assembly, laid out after teardown.
The torque limiter assembly, laid out after teardown.
The halfshaft at the rear inboard assembly.
The halfshaft at the rear inboard assembly.

The inspection found cracks in the torque limiter hubs. On the hub below, one crack runs across the face beside the bore, and a second runs from the bore into the cross hole in the boss. These hubs carry drivetrain torque, so they were not going back in.

The cracked torque limiter hub, with one crack beside the bore and one running into the cross hole.
The cracked torque limiter hub, with one crack beside the bore and one running into the cross hole.
A new hub, machined on our CNC.
A new hub, machined on our CNC.

We worked out the design changes needed to fix the problem, and I helped machine the replacement hubs. Then I rebuilt both assemblies and torqued every fastener to spec. As part of the testing prechecks I also set the front steering toe.

Outcome

Everything was back on the car before the event, and the cracked hub never saw the course.

Next project

Wheel Force Transducer Testing →