Most
Common Symptoms and Solutions
All
solutions assume that you have first checked wheels balancing and third
member.
A. Stock Vehicle
These are the more simple to find drive shaft
problems since there hasn’t been any changes to the frame or
suspension.
We make any stock drive shaft for any vehicle. Usually, these drive
shafts can be diagnosed by visual inspection and balancing. Many times, we
find that the end yokes bolted to the transmission and/or the end yoke
bolted to the differential are worn or loose and it is not the drive
shaft. Worn end yokes allow the u-joints to have lateral movement that
is not allowed in a good drive shaft. Rebuild the drive shaft and
balance it.
B.
After Lifting a Vehicle
Some
problems are induced into the performance of the vehicles due to the
lift, change of engines, transmission, and/or transfer cases,
differentials, etc . They are normally symptoms that our customers
communicate to us and we learn
the solutions by trial and error. Also, the theory of operation teaches
us what to expect.
Click on headings to unfold or collapse the
list
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SYMPTOM:
Vibrations at low speed or high speed. U-joint vibrations are felt
after 5 degrees and the higher the angle the more pronounce the
vibration. The most common symptom after
a suspension lift.
-
Solution(s):
a) drive shaft may now be too short. B) Due to the lift the
angles have increased causing vibrations. To Reduce the angles,
a double cardan CV is used. The CV divides the angles in half
and the angle at the rear u-joint must zero within three
degrees. So now the u-joints do not have a large angle to
traverse, vibrations are gone and as a bonus, the u-joint life
is extended.
Products: See the Wrangler
kits, Blazer drive shaft, Tahoe CV front, SYEs. Look at these
products and what they can do for you.
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SYMPTOM:
Drive shaft falls out when going over a hole where
the wheels flex downward.
-
SYMPTOM:
Drive shaft bolts up but the standard CV binds. A high angle CV
performs the CV function plus allows you to operate at high angles.
-
SYMPTOM:
You have created a monster and no drive shafts fits it due to the
high angles created by the lift. These are usually vehicles
suspension lifted from 8 to 30 inches. Most vehicle lifted 8 and
above inches usually required very custom drive shafts.
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SYMPTOM:
You hear a clicking noise coming from a from under the vehicle or
from the CV.
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SYMPTOM:
The output of the transfer case does not line up with the
differential pinion input.
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SYMPTOM:
The truck can’t keep a u-joint at the transfer case or at the
pinion.
-
Solution(s): 1.
You are probably using “u” bolts and are over tightening
them. 1310 15 ft-lbs, 1350 25 ft-lbs. maximum. Over tightening
u-bolts will crush pin needles in the bearing and the u-joints
burns up quickly. 2. the angles are too severe for proper
u-joint operation. Extreme torque is required to turn a u-joint
when a u-joint is lying down 15 degrees or so, as opposed to 5
degrees. You need a CV in this case.
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SYMPTOM:
I have adjusted the angle at the top u-joint and the bottom u-joint
to be within 2 degrees of each other and I still get vibrations.
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SYMPTOM:
drive shaft wobbles when it turns.
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Solution(s):
a) check u-joints for excessive movement, B) check all u-joint
clips that they are in their grooves, C) check for signs foreign
object that may have hit the drive shaft and look for dents, E)
have it straighten and balanced.
-
SYMPTOM:
the CV “H” yoke or the stud on the ball stud yoke has broken
more than once.
-
SYMPTOM:
The vehicle is used strictly for heavy duty rock crawling and I
break a lot of CVs and u-joints and bent tubes.
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Solution(s):
a CV is the weak link to a rock crawling drive shaft. Get rid of
the CVs; if you can’t get enough angle, use larger yokes and
u-joints at the transfer case that give you 35 degrees. We make
minimum breakage drive shafts with super tubes that won’t
bend. See our drive shafts and end yoke upgrade kits.
HyperlinK
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SYMPTOM:
I need long splines in the rear drive shaft and yet I need to travel
at high speeds on the freeway. The extreme travel long splines are
too loose of a fit for minimum vibrations at hi-way speeds.
-
SYMPTOM:
When I break at a light or stop sign, and when I let go of the
break, I hear a clunk. It’s like something stuck when breaking and
let’s go when I let the foot off the break.
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