Front Drive Shaft Flutter

mapman97

mapman97

Well-known member
May 31, 2009
172
1
DFW, Texas
Happy Friday All,

Last week I started to here the fluttering sound from the front drive shaft. Sounds like a playing card in the spokes of a bicycle wheel back in the day. The fluttering slows down as I come to a stop, so I am 95% sure its the drive shaft. I plan to replace over the winter break. Will it last or should I stop driving the rig completely? Also, does anyone have comments about the British Parts of Utah front drive shaft for $380 or is the Atlantic British part for $520 better?

Great replies all. I ordered the front from AB, so I plan to swap next weekend during winter break. I plan to rebuild the rear because I can't find a good OE replacement anywhere. What are all the parts that will be needed for a rear drive shaft repair?

One more question. Any chance the fluttering sound is from a front CV joint?

Thanks,
 
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K-rover

K-rover

Well-known member
Jan 15, 2010
2,173
66
Raleigh, NC
Stop driving it asap. It will be costly when it goes out and takes out your transmission.
I have the front to shaft from BP Utah. It's a tatton shaft. It's ok, my only complaint is half of it is polished and quickly started to rust. So I pulled it and painted it.
 
squirt

squirt

Well-known member
Nov 13, 2008
824
13
Los Angeles
That doesn't sound like typical driveshaft failure, though the front DS is nothing to take chances with. If it were mine, I'd get a firm diagnosis. Could be as simple as something rubbing on the tire. Failing driveshafts usually produce squeaking sounds under accel or get loose and start vibrating..
 
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Tugela

Tugela

Well-known member
May 21, 2007
4,763
564
Seattle
K-rover said:
Or just rebuild your current one with greasable joints
Click to expand...

Which costs about $40-$50 in parts (for a D1, anyway) and takes about 1-1.5 hours with two sockets and a bench vise. I am about to do my second drive shaft rebuild. It's a pretty easy weekend project. The hardest part can be getting the damn thing off. Recommend an impact drill. Also, for bonus points, you can replace some of the hardware with Grade 8 bolts for some cheap peace of mind.

Regardless of whether the problem you describe is actually caused by the drive shaft, it's a good idea to rebuild your drive shaft anyway if it's the factory unit with original parts.
 
edthediscoman

edthediscoman

Well-known member
Nov 4, 2005
1,377
0
53
Rivertucky, Ca
Get under it asap. My fluttering was the driveshaft rubbing against the muffler and ended up with hole in cat. Turns out some spirited off roading had broken motor and trans mounts.
 
stu454

stu454

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2004
5,407
61
Atlanta, GA
p m said:
Even less in the high desert without a vise :)
How many poor Rovers are running around with dry-as-a-bone U-joints...
Click to expand...

Mine wasn't! When we did rebuilt my shafts on the D1, both of the old joints were still filled with grease. I was religious about hitting them with the grease gun every 3k miles.

And I can vouch for Peter's skill in swapping u-joints in a campsite.
 
Tugela

Tugela

Well-known member
May 21, 2007
4,763
564
Seattle
p m said:
Even less in the high desert without a vise :)
Click to expand...

You're forgetting to account for the Nick Repair Factor. My wife learned this long ago. Example:

Wife: what are your plans for tomorrow?
Me: I'm going to replace the ___part___ on the Disco.
Wife: How long is that going to take?
Me: About 2 hours.
Wife: So 5 hours?

When I replaced my head gaskets a few years back it took me over 32 hours of shop time actually working on the project. I was slow and ran into a couple unexpected challenges, but the end result was a repair that lasted the remaining 50K miles of my ownership of the truck and was still running strong when I got rid of it. So Peter is correct: many people will be able to complete the job in less time than I estimated.
 
ERover82

ERover82

Well-known member
Nov 26, 2011
3,918
458
Darien Gap
Wife: How long will you be?
Me: 15 minutes
...
Wife: What the fuck are you doing it's been 2 hours
Me: Making a wrench from scrap metal I thought I had, and trying to find 5/16 x 1-1/4 washers
Wife: So you haven't started yet?
Me: God damnit I'll be done in a minute..
 
stu454

stu454

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2004
5,407
61
Atlanta, GA
EricTyrrell said:
Wife: How long will you be?
Me: 15 minutes
...
Wife: What the fuck are you doing it's been 2 hours
Me: Making a wrench from scrap metal I thought I had, and trying to find 5/16 x 1-1/4 washers
Wife: So you haven't started yet?
Me: God damnit I'll be done in a minute..
Click to expand...

Ha! My wife doesn't even ask anymore. She just comes outside from time to time to make sure that I'm not dead.
 
KyleT

KyleT

Well-known member
Mar 28, 2007
6,059
8
39
Fort Worth, TEXAS
mapman97 said:
Happy Friday All,

Last week I started to here the fluttering sound from the front drive shaft. Sounds like a playing card in the spokes of a bicycle wheel back in the day. The fluttering slows down as I come to a stop, so I am 95% sure its the drive shaft. I plan to replace over the winter break. Will it last or should I stop driving the rig completely? Also, does anyone have comments about the British Parts of Utah front drive shaft for $380 or is the Atlantic British part for $520 better?

Thanks,
Click to expand...

Take it to Fort Worth gear and axle. I doubt it will be much more than buying the joints themselves and they use spicer.
 
mapman97

mapman97

Well-known member
May 31, 2009
172
1
DFW, Texas
The change was actually done within two weeks. The post update took six months. I have been a little busy.

But, I get your point and slight sarcasm. No worries.
 
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