CRAP! yesterday i was under my car snapping some pics and taking a look at the air ride suspension. I noticed that the end connecting to the differential looks like its craked toward the neck where the "Y" shaped piece is at. so my question is.... is this safe to drive? is my air ride suspension a culprit? can i replace this peice with a new one or can i even find one? Please help!!!
if mine was cracked, I'd take it to a good driveline shop and have them build a new one with new u-joints and have them balance it. On the East coast a quality one is $300-$400 in my experience. 15-20 years ago I'd have gone to the junkyard but today there are so few old cars in the yards and if I find one it's been picked about clean, rusted to pieces and trees are growing out of it.
Go to the junkyard with a tape measure, and sift through the pile of driveshafts until you find another. $30 bucks out the door probably, instead of $130+labor for a repair and re balance. Just my 2 cents.
Yes I have done that many times also. do not worry about the yoke either you can always install yours on the junk yard shaft. You have to stick to a GM shaft though...You will get to l=know them the more you look at all the shafts in the pile. I think an astro van couls be close to what you need. If you have a 400th you will definetely need to reuse your yoke for that. Your not going to find many 400 yoke driveshafts that are not trucks. They are usually too long for your application . Jim
An old drive shaft in a pile. Not much chance it would be balanced correctly. Probably dented as well. I would have a new one made.
where can i get a new one made...i dont mind spending to have a quality one built. im in san jose, ca
Are you sure its cracked? You might be looking at a casting seam. Look the whole yoke over good and compare both sides of it for the same type of marks. I can't imagine that's its cracked enough for you to see and its still held together to drive. If still in doubt, take in to a muffler shop, for a free exhaust insp, and then grab a gray-haired mech to look at it and give you his opinion.:3gears:
it very well may be a seam. If the "Y" is welded on the end of these things, then that could be the culprit. ill look this weekend. thanks.
Let's hope its not cracked. I understand that it all comes out as one piece with the bearing in the middle. You may have to take it to a shop that is used to working on commercial trucks if it needs repair. Many trucks still use that style. - Bill
so i wouldnt be able to replace the back half? it all has to be one piece from the tranny all the way to the differential?
I'm no expert, but I believe you can replace the back half after disassembly. I do not think it will just "slip out" like a one piece shaft. You have "constant velocity" joints so the front and rear shafts can move independently because the center bearing is bolted to the cross member and frame. You have to take the whole thing out. Take a look at your chassis service manual section 40 "propeller shaft" for a description. After removal, you take the whole thing to the shop. Look under the car and you will see the two shafts and the center bearing. Also, it needs to be balanced as an assembly. I am only trying to warn you that it is not as easy as a one piece. - Bill
cool thanks, that makes alot of sense. i took a closer look today and it seems as though it is the seam...the shadows must have been just right to make it look like a crack in the weld. it seems to be all in good order now.. thanks again to everyone who gave their time and input!!!
