Rebuilt my driveshaft then...

[redlinewins]

I rebuilt my driveshaft using Neapco parts and following the advice on this forum. I didn't have time to get the driveshaft balanced so I installed it on my 03 D2 unbalanced. I figured it would be okay to drive it for a couple days until I could get the time. As expected, there was a slight vibration right around 25mph that would go away at 30 to 35mph. About a week later, I was finally able to get the driveshaft to a shop to get it balanced.

Couple days later they tell me that they could not balance the driveshaft. They said it was the centering ball and that it was not servicable. I told them they where wrong and mentioned that I had rebuilt the driveshaft with new Neapco u-joints and centering ball. They said there was nothing they could do and that I should purchase a new driveshaft for around $450. They would not give me a reason why. I bascially said I could get a Tom Woods for cheaper and that would be the route for me.

I decided to install my "old" driveshaft for now until I can get the TW driveshaft. After installing the driveshaft and going for a drive....I was shocked that there is NO vibration at all! In fact, it has never been smoother! The shop claimed that they did nothing but try to balance it.

Any thoughts...

 

[stocksuspension]

It's a shady industry

 

[fishEH]

Sounds like you should find a better shop.

 

[JohnB]

It's a shady industry

x2

I never had mine balanced and its smooth as butter. Have about 70K on it since the rebuild.

 

[rover4x4]

I fought driveling issues for most of a year, a new used 90$ driveshaft made my truck drive like new

 

[antichrist]

Unless your propshaft was damaged in some way the shop was feeding you a line. Whether or not the center head is serviceable (meaning that it has a zerk fitting) is completely irrelevant to whether or not the shaft can be balanced.

x2 on finding a new shop.

 

[msggunny]

Any thoughts...

Yea, the shop thought you were a sucker.

Go somewhere else, maybe call/email one of the drive line guru's here. Maybe you can send it off.

 

[rovercanus]

It won't need to be balanced just because you changed u-joints. As long as you did everything right and greased it properly you should be fine.
Did you strike each yoke with hammer after it was all together? You need to hit each side sharply where the cap sits in the yoke. This is one of the most important things you should do to seat the caps.

 

[adriatic04]

just make sure you keep it greased and youll be fine. Ive been 10-15k on mine since I rebuilt, never had it rebalanced. I use green grease on mine, sticky stuff but it seems to hold up without being flung around.

 

[pdxrovermech]

my driveline shop cant (or wont) service the cv either. i dont see how he was trying to screw you since he didnt take any of your money. some shops just might not be able to find the part or may not be comfortable with attempting to repair it. New D2 drivelines are out there for around $250 now.

 

[Jake1996D1]

X2 on making sure caps are seated and all the circlips completely seated. The shaft shouldn't need balanced unless you lost a weight...

 

[antichrist]

my driveline shop cant (or wont) service the cv either. i dont see how he was trying to screw you since he didnt take any of your money. some shops just might not be able to find the part or may not be comfortable with attempting to repair it. New D2 drivelines are out there for around $250 now.

Any driveline shop that can't (or won't) service a DC shaft, or can't find the center kit (it's not an obscure part) isn't worth the title of "driveline shop".

X2 on making sure caps are seated and all the circlips completely seated. The shaft shouldn't need balanced unless you lost a weight...

If it wasn't marked and reassembled in the same orientation it could very well need to be balanced.

 

[rover4x4]

The place I took my shafts to get balanced rebuild DII shafts daily

 

[Jake1996D1]

If it wasn't marked and reassembled in the same orientation it could very well need to be balanced.

Yea well.... I guess I shouldnt assume

 

[Roverfire]

When you pulled it out did you mark it so you would know how it went back in? If you didn't maybe when you installed it you had it rotated by 90 or 180 degrees and that was causing the vibration. When you re-installed it maybe it was back to its original configuration and the vibration went away.

 

[redlinewins]

Yes I did mark the driveshaft before removal and maked the driveshaft itself before rebuilding it.

After talking to the shop, they told me that couple of the caps where not fully seated. They went ahead and pressed all the caps to make sure everything was good. I believe this is why there was a vibration after I rebuilt the driveshaft, the caps where simply not seated properly. Now there is no longer a vibration, in fact...it's never been smoother. Which doesn't make sense why they would claim that they couldn't balance the driveshaft. Also, they told me that the centering ball wasn't servicable and was surprised that I gave them a replacement part number. It just seems like they wanted to sell me a new driveshaft.

The shop was reccomended by a repected local Land Rover shop called Rover Tech.