Vibration and occasional squeak: U joints??

[DWB]

With about 88k miles I?ve developed a mild vibration between 30 and 40 mph. It?s worse under hard acceleration and going up hill, and stops completely if you let off the gas. Just today I started to hear what I can best describe as a scraping sound or a squeak when taking off from a standing stop. It seems to coincide with the vibration, which is now worse. After a few mile drive around town the noise is gone and the vibration is back to where it was before.

Does this sound like U-joints? Seems the noise was coming from the front. Can you visually or hand check to see of the U-joints are loose? I know this is not a difficult repair and am sure I could do it myself.

Other ideas or things to check?

 

[roverMc]

Kinda sounds like it, have you looked at them?

 

[no694terry]

If the trucks in park with pressure on them they will feel solid. Block tires on level ground, in nuetral it will have more play to feel if its worn.

 

[91 PBP 5079]

Sounds like you are about to have the front driveshaft come apart and knock a hole in the side of the transmission.

I didn't stay in a Holiday Inn last night I just read diso web every day!

 

[no694terry]

a double cardone u-joint is one disco issue i'm glad i won't have to have

 

[DWB]

I put the truck up on ramps and inspected the u joints up close with transmission in park and in neutral, brake on and then off. I thought I might have felt the slightest amount of play in the front joint on the front shaft. Everything else felt very solid. I couldn?t see any signs of rust around the u joints either. I?m wondering if the proper way to inspect them is to remove the shafts so you make manipulate the joints back and forth to see if they are smooth or have any play?

Any other comments based upon the symptoms in my original post would be helpful too. (went for another drive- same noise on acceleration from stop and clear vibration thats stops above 55mph)

Many thanks!!

 

[mud ruts]

Get the shaft rebuilt anyway, dry u-joints are tight at first then loose and boom. Don't drive it again until you change the shaft out. You only have a few days left if it's the driveshaft.
Good luck

 

[ptschram]

Stop now before you hurt yourself. The carnage that happens when the driveshaft lets go is not pretty.

I have an '01 with only 62K miles that is being junked due to the owner not being able to pay to have the trans replaced.

Simple maintenance would have saved this individual's truck from the crusher.

 

[mud ruts]

Stop now before you hurt yourself. The carnage that happens when the driveshaft lets go is not pretty.

I have an '01 with only 62K miles that is being junked due to the owner not being able to pay to have the trans replaced.

Simple maintenance would have saved this individual's truck from the crusher.

Listen to PT.

Pt how much for the 01 Disco?

 

[91 PBP 5079]

Sounds like you are about to have the front driveshaft come apart and knock a hole in the side of the transmission.

I didn't stay in a Holiday Inn last night I just read diso web every day!

I wasn't joking

If you have a disco you should hang out here often. It could save your truck!
Your lucky that it hasn't already come apart.

 

[ptschram]

Listen to PT.

Pt how much for the 01 Disco?

The engine's already been sold, I'm not sure how much will be left when I'm done. I've also sold the door cards and some other interior parts. I really don't want to be competing with Will,Paul, and Marty, but SWMBO says I can't fix it and drive it until it sells and I have two trucks here needing engines NOW!

I've got a bunch in it as it sat here for almost a year accruing storage. Just getting a title for it cost me a couple hundred and a nasty threatening phone call from an attorney who's gonna be surprised when the disciplinary commission contacts him to ask why he threatened me when he was supposed to be negotiating...

 

[mud ruts]

Well, I'm looking for D2's that need engines and or trans. Shoot me some prices if you have any to let go.

Chris

 

[p m]

I?m wondering if the proper way to inspect them is to remove the shafts so you make manipulate the joints back and forth to see if they are smooth or have any play?

I thought I knew how to check the driveshafts - and yet it spanked me good recently.
I had very strong vibration at 30mph, clearly load-dependent, and not engine speed-dependent -> clear indication of a driveline issue.
My front driveshaft did not have any play in it, whichever way it was checked - yet one of the U-joints had one bearing that was seizing in one particular position. When I was checking it with wheels off the ground and t-case in Neutral, it seemed to rotate in a pretty smooth motion.
I've only discovered it when I took the shaft off.

 

[ptschram]

I thought I knew how to check the driveshafts - and yet it spanked me good recently.

I've been doin' this stuff for 40 years. I still see things I've never seen before, or better yet, learn a better way to do something I've been doing since I got my first motorized vehicle.

Driveshafts kick my ass unless I remove them and can run them through their complete range of motion.

 

[no694terry]

remove it, check it and since it's off replace it. you will sooner or later.

 

[Reddisco1]

remove it, check it and since it's off replace it. you will sooner or later.

X2 on the remove and check. My rear shaft appeared to be fine when I checked it while it was on the truck. I removed it from the truck and noticed a bind, took it apart and one ujoints was dry and rusty.

Good luck!
C

 

[pschuler]

I broke a driveshaft at 70mph last year, had just checked it a few weeks before. I don't think I heard or felt a vibration because the swampers are so loud.

I got 120k out of the stock one, 40-50k out of the second stock one, and I'm at about 10-15k on the TW. Check often! When you bust your transmission open it looks like your truck is bleeding to death.

 

[finsreef]

My front is going out for the 3rd time. Does anyone rebuild them themselves? If not what brand is best to purchase? Has anyone used Tom Woods Driveshafts for replacement?

 

[TT Disco]

Get the shaft rebuilt anyway, dry u-joints are tight at first then loose and boom. Don't drive it again until you change the shaft out. You only have a few days left if it's the driveshaft.
Good luck

I dont mean to hyjack this thread, but I think that I have diagnosed a failing u-joints on the front drive shaft. I have not done any work on these before so I want to clarify a couple of points in this thread

1) If I lock the DCL and drop the DS, should I be marking its position and if so where and how?

2) The term "rebuild" comes up all over. I assume this is the process of putting new u joints in the DS. Mud Ruts suggests getting the shaft rebuilt. It looked pretty easy to put in u joints yourself, even with limited expereince. What advantages are there to dropping the DS and taking it to get it rebuilt?

3) The u joint discussion talks about greasable u joints and that it what I am going to install. It looks like NAPA has the proper joints that I will need. I am assuming I should purchase the joints and if I go to get it rebuilt, I should take the assembly to a transmission shop vs. a mechanic that I have had work on the car?

 

[robertf]

the term "rebuild" when describing driveshafts is a Discoweb exclusive. Everyone else in the world just calls it replacing u-joints. There is a centering ball in there that can be a pain in the butt. The u-joints themselves are really common Spicer 1300 , but you can't look up u-joints with those part numbers anymore.

I can't tell you about transmission shop vs mechanic. Half the mechanics out there would probably resend it out to a driveline shop. The benefit of a real driveline shop is they can check the balance and usually spray paint it for you.