Hello all... I was invited by Tyler to come hang out here. He said there was a great bunch of people here. Is this true??? ;-)

Anyway.. Being such a newbie.. I'm not sure if I'm being paranoid. Hopefully I can explain this correctly. When I bought the truck about 6 weeks I could feel a little vibration in the steering wheel and both pedals. I attributed it to the motor and figured it was normal being a diesel. Well.. recently it seems to me to be a little more pronounced where it seems to be resonating thoughout the cab.. It happens at idle and driving any speed. It's a very fast vibration and it kind of gives a tingly feeling to my hands and foot. Does anyone know what I'm talking about? Thanks!

Edited November 13, 20159 yr by dodgedieselnewbie

Downpipe hitting the tranny?   

 

I know mine used to vibrate against the tranny bellhousing....... until it wore right through.  

THANKS for the replies!!! I had 2 mechanic friends look at it and found nothing obvious. Both said it's not hateful lol. But.. I know it's there ;-) 

 

I just went out and looked around some more around the tranny, drive shaft and transfer case. I was maneuvering around by grabbing onto the front drive shaft and it moved a little. I grabbed a hold and shook it. It rattles pretty good with I'd say close to 1/8" of movement in the u-joints at the transfer case. Something tells me this should not be... ? Is this my vibration?

May or may not be, but the U joint itself should not have any differential movement.

7 minutes ago, TFaoro said:

May or may not be, but the U joint itself should not have any differential movement.

Well.. I sure hope so.. as it's buggin the heck outa me!

Thinking about it more I highly doubt it. In order for you to feel it from the driveshaft you'd have to have some speed. It would also increase and decrease at certain speeds as the shaft experiences different frequencies.

Well.. I'm pretty sure it's it. With it running.. I got under there and when I hold it to where I think it's centered.. very minor vibration. When I let rest loosely it vibrates like crazy.

So.. question.. How hateful is it to pull it, replace u-joints and put back in? I know I need to keep everything lined up for balance but I heard that the back side with 2 u-joints may have something between them that makes it difficult?

Thanks!!!!

And.. I'm pretty sure I want grease-able but which brand do you recommend? 

Edited November 13, 20159 yr by dodgedieselnewbie

haha u joints can be easier or a PITA,  

 

2 of the 3 I did when I did my trans were cake, one required some heat and a VERY large hammer.  

42 minutes ago, Me78569 said:

haha u joints can be easier or a PITA,  

 

2 of the 3 I did when I did my trans were cake, one required some heat and a VERY large hammer.  

I've bent rusted yokes before...  I am probably going to get this tool eventually... Made in Canada.  http://www.amazon.com/Tiger-Tool-10105-Automotive-Universal/dp/B000FN4NV4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1447462250&sr=8-1&keywords=tiger+tool+10105

Although those one piece driveshafts look nice!

I never look at a dirtymax chebby, because I don't want the owner to notice that I am jealous of his Shaft...............:shifty:

Cardian Joint shouldn't move either.

There is a bushing in the tail shaft of the transfer case.  This is pretty important, and is often overlooked.  It allows the yoke to "rattle" (for lack of a better term) on the output shaft.  I have recently replaced it on my truck and one of the suburbasauruses.  

Good luck!

Hag

9 hours ago, Haggar said:

There is a bushing in the tail shaft of the transfer case.  This is pretty important, and is often overlooked.  It allows the yoke to "rattle" (for lack of a better term) on the output shaft.  I have recently replaced it on my truck and one of the suburbasauruses.  

Good luck!

Hag

Thanks for the info!

I'm going to attempt to get the driveshaft out tomorrow and see how far I get with removing the u-joints. Any advice or tips? If I get stuck.. I can bring it to a friend of mine. It's my understanding.. if I need to.. I can drive the truck with out the front driveshaft.. correct? 

Don't be concerned about driving without the front shaft in, won't cause damage. 

There are lots of different techniques for replacing U joints. I support  the yoke in a vice and smack the yoke until the caps come out. Be careful where your swinging because it's easy to damage the "ears". A little heat helps if they're really stuck. 

I typically use the same vice to install the joints. Carefully line up the caps and press them in. If the caps feel like they're binding tap on the vice a few times with a hammer, the vibrations will help them slide right in. 

Make sure there are no burs anywhere when assembling back, a small nick in ear would push on u-joint cap and make it hard to move, and will wear out prematurely. 

Cool on the driving part. I think I've seen just about every technique on youtube. I think I'll try the vise and sockets routine.

24 minutes ago, Dieselfuture said:

Make sure there are no burs anywhere when assembling back, a small nick in ear would push on u-joint cap and make it hard to move, and will wear out prematurely. 

Got it.. showed sanding them in the videos to remove burrs. thanks

Okay.. This looks like I have to remove cross member to get the bolts out of the rear of the driveshaft :-( which means I need to support the tranny.. Right?) 

Which means I cannot drive the truck if i get in a bind.. Unless I put the cross member back in :-( 

The only thing that might save me is a ratcheting wrench with a pivoting head???

 

Edited November 19, 20159 yr by dodgedieselnewbie

Tom,

In my truck, all you have to do to get the drive shaft out is:

1) remove rear ears (yoke bolts?) at rear differential.  Pry shaft a bit toward front of truck to get it out of the yoke on rear end. (can be stuck sometimes from rust).  Put electrical tape around universal cups to keep them from going somewhere.

2) hang drive shaft with some bungies to bottom of truck.  (I support the rear near differential. and near carrier bearing, but towards rear of truck.)

3) MARK LOCATION OF CARRIER BEARING MOUNT WITH PAINT MARKER!!!   remove 2 bolts from carrier bearing mounting bracket.  (yes they are hard to get to, but not impossible)  (you want to put the carrier bearing back in as close to the same place as it came out, unless its location is part of the vibration.... which does happen...)

4)  Be ready for fluid to come out of tail shaft.

5)  Pull driveshaft from rear of TC.   Protect TC end of driveshaft with rag or bag.  you don't  want dirt in there or scratches.

6)  If you need to drive the truck, you need to cover the hole at rear of TC.  I was able to find a cap from a liquid detergent bottle that slipped right into the seal, but didn't touch the output shaft.  Duct taped it in place and drove for days like that.   I can't remember if our TC have a pump, but the GM's do, so if you try to drive it without covering it, you won't loose just splash, but pump it right out in no time.

I hope that helps and I didn't miss anything. 

Hag

I appreciate the info but how did you get to the bolts on the rear of the shaft out? My cross member is in the way. What did you use? A socket won't fit and a wrench is too big. The only thing I thought of (mentioned above) is pivoting head ratchet wrench. Even with that I would need to rotate the driveshaft to one location for each bolt that has any room to move a wrench. Or maybe a really short 5/8 wrench

Okay.. Found a shorty 5/8 wrench I forgot I had! A little success.. Cracked one bolt loose! A pain in the *** to come out from under truck disengage 4wd .. climb back under rotate shaft.. engage 4wd again.. etc etc etc :-)

Play by play.. Lol. 3 bolts cracked.. One more.. Whew. I learned I can disengage 4wd from underneath. Re-engaging won't happen for me under there. This ain't easy for an old guy with back issue! Okay.. Back under.. 

Okay.. carrier bearing? Is there one on a front driveshaft?

I guess I saved the best for last.. the 4th bolt came loose easily. 

Before I proceed.. want to make sure....

I have two bolts loosely holding back in place still. Can I remove the front bolts or I need to brake the rear loose first?

Do I need bungie cords? Can the back of the shaft rest on the cross member?

I marked the front and back with paint.. 

Why do the front u-joint not have retaining clip?

My shorty wrench did the trick.. it was not easy to get leverage on it and quickly learned I needed a rag to pad my hand. ;-)

I think I noticed one of the clips not seated properly on rear joint.. there was no separation between the two ends.. probably the problem.

 

 

Edited November 19, 20159 yr by dodgedieselnewbie

Tom,

Sorry, I gave you the rear shaft removal procedure.  alas you are working on the front....(sorry) 

The bungies are for the long rear.  The front you won't need them.

Get all the bolts loose then, the mating flange can be separated, and the bolts removed successfully.  (the bolt with the most room is the one you can't feel very well.  the one closest to the floor board and closest to the TC.)

Your mating flanges will be rusted and harder to remove.  You "can" try to drive a wedge between, but you will need to file off any damage you do to the flanges.  (there is a pilot on one flange so you cannot "slide" them to the side etc, it has to come straight forward.

The front, remove the two straps (4 nuts)  take the straps out.

compress the front drive shaft. (push it toward the TC)  There are splines in the middle (supposedly under a rubber boot).  It could be very tight (there is usually a grease nipple to lubricate those splines, but no one ever does...) It should compress and get short enough to come out of the front yoke, and then you can pull the whole assembly out.

 

GL  HTH
 

Hag