Front Drive Shaft explodo

BigLouAamich

Well-known member
Mar 30, 2014
50
3
Burke Virginia
So I was meaning to rebuild the thing but forgot. It did the explode thing and swung around. Damaged the tranny pan and knocked a hole in the tranny. I took a look and the internals seem fine in the tranny. Went ahead and welded a piece of aluminum to patch it then pulled a driveshaft and tranny pan at the junkyard. I rebuilt the driveshaft and it is at a driveline shop being balanced. Put the pan in place and filled the tranny. Truck is running fine with the CDL engaged. No vibrations or funny stuff at any speed. Can anybody think of anything I need to check before I put the drive shaft back in place. Measure runout where the drive shaft mounts on the transfer case and differential, etc?
 

DiscoHasBeen

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2016
1,171
262
Indy
Drive shaft maintenance may be the #1 overlooked thing on most vehicles. You change the oil every x amount of miles. Same with air filter. But drive shaft, eh. But almost nothing will leave you stranded quicker, or cause more damage, than a ujoint that fails.
 
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p m

Administrator
Staff member
Apr 19, 2004
15,617
838
58
La Jolla, CA
www.3rj.org
Drive shaft maintenance may be the #1 overlooked thing on most vehicles. You change the oil every x amount of miles. Same with air filter. But drive shaft, eh. But almost nothing will leave you stranded quicker, or cause more damage, than a ujoint that fails.
Very true.
Probably, fewer than 1 person in 10 a thousand can remember when the driveshafts have been serviced.

On the same subject - out of my stable of Classics, one had driveline vibrations as long as I can remember (since about 2003). Recently, I got it back from my son, and started catching up on maintenance.
Tightening up a very loose rear diff yoke cured much, but not all, of it.
Last week, I noticed a very faint sound of impending U-joint failure, and parked the truck until I have a chance to work on it.
Last Saturday, I replaced the front driveshaft (that I have already replaced in the past) with one from my other Classic, known to be completely vibration-free.
Both driveshafts looked and felt okay, without any noticeable play (inspected OUTSIDE of the vehicle!). After the swap, the vibration was gone.
 

DiscoHasBeen

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2016
1,171
262
Indy
Very true.
Probably, fewer than 1 person in 10 a thousand can remember when the driveshafts have been serviced.

On the same subject - out of my stable of Classics, one had driveline vibrations as long as I can remember (since about 2003). Recently, I got it back from my son, and started catching up on maintenance.
Tightening up a very loose rear diff yoke cured much, but not all, of it.
Last week, I noticed a very faint sound of impending U-joint failure, and parked the truck until I have a chance to work on it.
Last Saturday, I replaced the front driveshaft (that I have already replaced in the past) with one from my other Classic, known to be completely vibration-free.
Both driveshafts looked and felt okay, without any noticeable play (inspected OUTSIDE of the vehicle!). After the swap, the vibration was gone.

Maybe one of the balancing weights fell off?
 

p m

Administrator
Staff member
Apr 19, 2004
15,617
838
58
La Jolla, CA
www.3rj.org
Maybe one of the balancing weights fell off?
Not sure. It isn't the first front driveshaft on this truck, the other one was also f'd up. The problem I had in the past with local driveline shops was the 45-degree misalignment. They'd take it in, and call me back later saying they didn't know how to balance it.