Double carden prop shaft question

[lifestyler]

Hi All,

I was wondering if someone can please help me out.

I have a Disco Series II (99) and I thought it had a sqeaky fan belt.

One person suggested it could be an idler bearing and another told me it could be the front prop shaft.

Today I looked at the front prop shaft and I don't think I'll be driving it again until it's fixed! It was bad enough flipping my last disco and the thought of an exploding prop shaft sends shivers down my spine.

The bearing caps (all four), that belong to the middle joint (the joint of the double carden joint that is closer to the diff - phew!) are about to self destruct - it sort of only "half" exists and it looks like the only thing holding the joint together is a bit of dirt.

Now here's the miff:

I've been told the whole front prop shaft has to be replaced because they aren't servicable, however when I look at the CV joint, I can clearly see four circlips and from this, I expect that it is a simpe case of dis-assembling then replacing the bearing caps/rollers/seals etc.

I would really like to just fix the specific CV joint rather than replace the whole damn shaft.

Any ideas or suggestions would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Erron

PS: My disco also seems to be an alcoholic that is addicted to petrol, so I'm also working on a "technology" to increase the economy. If this works I'll make sure I post the info here.

 

[antichrist]

The u-joints are Spicer 5-4x according to a local drive line shop that measured mine and looked them up. Not real easy to find (this shop specialized in heavy equipment), but a good shop that does automotive work should have them.

 

[jhmover]

Just take it to a reputable driveshaft shop. They can replace all the front u-joints with ones that have grease fittings and rebalance it. I had mine done. I did develop a squeak about 10 thousand miles later. It was the swivel ball in the double cardan squeaking because it had a crack in it. The driveshaft shop actually fixed it for free for me. I don't think it was their fault but they'll be getting my business from now on. Good customer service.

 

[lifestyler]

Thanks antichrist and jhmover.

I really don't want to drive it to the shop (just in case), so is it OK if I remove the front shaft before I drive it there?

Cheers

Erron

 

[antichrist]

Yeah, just engage your CDL.

 

[lifestyler]

Thanks Tom...I'll have to do it manually though

Also found the following link if a certain CV joint is needed:

http://www2.dana.com/expert/wc.dll?cvsp~Dedsec~

Cheers

Erron

 

[rovercanus]

I just rebuilt mine. Fisher Auto parts have the u-joints. Precision 344 is the number.
Double cardon is a bitch to rebuild. Getting the old joints out are a pain, getting the new ones in aren't so bad.

 

[madmole]

The Land Rover 100010 UJ from the front of the Prop shaft is also a perfect fit for the two rear ones in the double cardon and has the advantage that its regresable (but expensice) Pattern parts for it are dirt cheap though

Replaced all mine long ago with servicable ones and all is well despite a lot of Wading and mud

Yes, getting all the needle bearings to stay in the Cardon bit during reasembly is a pain but lots of grease is the way to go. There shoudlnt be any wear in that bit anyway as the joint does not rotate, just swivles a little

 

[antichrist]

snip
Yes, getting all the needle bearings to stay in the Cardon bit during reasembly is a pain but lots of grease is the way to go. There shoudlnt be any wear in that bit anyway as the joint does not rotate, just swivles a little

Actually they do wear, but most have servicable parts. When off the vehicle the DC end socket yoke should have a definate "snap" to it when it flexes. If not, it's worn and should be rebuilt.

On another note, DANA/Spicer reccomends driveshaft lubrication every 5,000 miles or 3 months, and every 3,000 miles or one month for a DC, so doing it at oil change time would be proper.

 

[Barry]

John,

Was that reputable driveshaft shop located in the East Bay? If so, would appreciate their contact info and an idea of what it will cost.

Thanks,

Barry

 

[lifestyler]

Hi all,

Got the double carden joint fixed by buying two universal joint kits - for a total of AU$62!

...and they wanted to charge me around $1k - ha!

Anyway, for those who live in Australia, the universal joint replacement details for a double carden in a Disco II (99) is:

Supplier: Hardy Spicer
Part # : K5L4R

Hope this helps someone not go through the process I had to.

Once again, thanks for the help.

Erron

 

[antichrist]

There's more to a DC than just replacing the u-joints, see my post above.

 

[lifestyler]

Tom:

Definitely more to a DC...the needles in the ball were a PITA...

Anyway, snaps beautifully and is back on the bus and working perfectly.

Cheers

Erron