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Broke my driveshaft today, what to do...

A

atfrith

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Colorado
I just went 4wheeling on saturday and im pretty sure i musta weakend the u-joints or something because i was driving today and was coasting to a stop, put it in reverse and when i hit the gas i heard a snap and got out and looked and the driveshaft was hanging there. Here are some pics i took. From what i can see the driveshaft itself looks alright, but i think the u-joints if thats what they are caled at the rear end is the part that needs replacing. I have heard of people breaking them on trails before so i did what ive heard to do, pulled it outta the slip yoke and put it in 4hi so i can drive in front wheel drive. I also covered the end of the transfercase with a zip lock bag and rubber banded it incase any fluid came out. Now i havn't driven it yet, but i really need to as its my daily driver, so how long is it safe to drive like that? I would rather not have to take it to a mechanic, so if you guys could tell me what needs to be replaced and maybe direct me to a write up on how to do it taht would be great. heres the pics:
IMG_0635.jpg

IMG_0637.jpg

found these on the ground:
IMG_0640.jpg

IMG_0642.jpg

IMG_0644.jpg
 
You need a new joint in the driveshaft and a new pinion yoke. That broken ear is not repairable. Replacing the yoke is pretty straight forward. But it does involve the crush sleeve on the pinion. If you get it too tight or not enough, you will be tearing the whole rr. end apart to replace pinion brgs.
 
You are going to need a new pinion yoke. I would also get the u-bolt upgrade while you are at it. Your local 4 wheel shop should be able to set you up. Hope this helps. BTW, I would not drive long like that.
 
thanks a lot, keep em coming guys. Anybody in colorado willing to help a guy out? haha, i really dont' wanna screw this up. And also, how long can i drive like this in front wheel drive?
 
explorer said:
You need a new joint in the driveshaft and a new pinion yoke. That broken ear is not repairable. Replacing the yoke is pretty straight forward. But it does involve the crush sleeve on the pinion. If you get it too tight or not enough, you will be tearing the whole rr. end apart to replace pinion brgs.
Click to expand...


Beat me to it.
 
I would not drive like that for very long. You don't want to risk damage to the front or tranfer case because of only being in front wheel drive. The repair is easy as already stated. Just have to get new yoke and new u-joints.

Kim.
 
i wouldnt' really wory about driving on just the front axle just rember that it was not designed as the main drive axle and should be treated that way don't hammer it and just make sure your not loosing much fluid out of the x-fer case. i drove mine around in front wheel drive for 2-3 weeks with a locker in the front (that was fun) with no ill effects. search on here for pic's and write ups on how to change a u-joint that is simple. the pinion yoke on the other hand takes a weee bit of skill but nothing special if you have never done it befor i would recomend getting an inch pound torque wrench because you need to set the load on the pinion bearing.other than that it is a bolt on affair.
 
As stated befor you will need a new yoke and u joint. I would highly recommend not buy a stock replacement yoke with those shatty straps that hold the u joint end caps on. I have been through 3 of them and even drilled them out to use ubolts instead of the straps to hold the caps on. I have heard there are some better ones out there now. Does anyone know where he / I could find a better yoke that you have experenice with and know holds up well.
 
you don't have to replace the crush sleeve on your rig but..... take note on how many threads are showing on the pinion (that thing with the big nut on it) also you may want to take an awl or something sharp and put a scratch on there so you can line them back up exactly as they came apart. good luck chief.
 
I'm actually way up in westminster. Thanks a lot for the help guys and the offers, ijust might have to take you up on that fatwreck as you aren't too far from me. I skipped the rest of my classes today and went to Rocky Mountain Driveline, that guy rocked, didn't catch his name though. The total ended up being 65 bucks even, which included a new pinion yoke and a ujoint for the back of the driveshaft which he installed on my driveshaft free of charge. So right now i have everything i need i just need to figure out how to replace the yoke, i've tried breaking loose that one huge bolt in the middle of the yoke and it is hard as hell to break loose, i can't do it, and when i try, it just tries to spin the gears and the tires, even after trying to block them. I'll send you and emaail fatwreck and see if we might be abble to work something out. thanks again guys.
 
235ft/lbs if I remember correctly...almost impossible to do on the ground w/o an impact gun....
 
Fatwreck is going to help me out tomorrow. He said he'd bring his impact wrench, so no worries there. Also, am i going to need a new seal or something for the yoke? i heard somewhere that you might need to replace a seal if you remove it
 
bj-666 said:
i would recomend getting an inch pound torque wrench because you need to set the load on the pinion bearing.other than that it is a bolt on affair.
Click to expand...

That wont do any good,you cant set the pre-load with the carrier installed!
 
RCP Phx said:
That wont do any good,you cant set the pre-load with the carrier installed!
Click to expand...

not to set up the preload, but to check it before and make sure it is the same after...

you'll need:
Inch pound torque wrench (non click style)
Big Beefy Torque wrench to get it to the minimum 160 foot/lbs


the seal is a good idea to change while you are in there, an easy part to swap and might as well...

just changed the seal on the ford 9" and the process is the same - if you have any questions, let me know (PM)

Brian? Fatwreck is a good guy - glad he is helping you out.
 
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