rear axle N/S not rotating

[robandsophie]

Hi,

This is probably a silly question but here goes.....
I have jacked my morris minor up and I have noticed that when I twist the prop (in neutral) the O/S wheel spins freely. However the N/S does not turn. If I physically turn the N/S wheel this will turn the prop but seems a little slower than O/S.
Is this is normal?

[mike.perry]

Quite Normal.

[simmitc]

As qbove, quite normal. The differential is there to allow the two wheels to travel at different speeds when going round a corner (inside one travels less distance and so goes slower) but relies on load on both wheels. With both wheels off the ground one will have a lower resistance than the other (due the brake adjustment etc) and so will spin whilst the other one stays still. This can happen on mud and snow where one wheel spins due to low resistance and the other doesn't move. Competitioon cars might have a limited slip differential to prevent this. If oit ever happens to you then try using the handbrake liughtly applied to induce load on the spinning wheel thus allowing the other one to provide drive.

[robandsophie]

Thanks for the answers really helpful.