-----Original Message-----
From: On Behalf Of DAKSY
Sent: Saturday, July 05, 2003 6:41 PM
To: dakota-truck@dakota-truck.net
Subject: DML: U-Joints
Yesterday, in North Adams, Mass, with Susan, I hadda accelerate up
a REALLY steep hill & it sounded like the bottom of the DAK was being hit
with a hammer. I've had U-joints go bad in MoPars before, (68 Cuda), but the
sound was more of a thump than a clank
Bob, Does the frequency of the "thump" change with speed? You don't mention
vibration. I can't imagine U-joints worn so badly that they thump and
produce no vibration. I have witnessed the destruction of a transfer case
from vibration of the front CV joint. As the joint wears, the centering ball
loses its grease and gets rusty. This prevents the joint from staying
centered and allows runout.
The best way to check the rear shaft is lift the rear of the truck, after
taking all of the precautions to keep the truck from moving. With the
transmission in neutral, rotate the drive shaft, look for any play in the
cup/trunnion area. Once the needle bearings start to go, the cross yoke will
be able to shift slightly side-to-side, dramatically increasing the rate of
wear.
The thumping you describe sounds very much like the front CV joint. Lift the
front, rotate the shaft. You may have to drop the transfer case skid plate
to really see what's happening. A worn joint will feel notchy as it rotates.
If it's rusty enough, you will see that it doesn't stay centered when it
rotates. This is where the thumping can occur.
Check this archive entry from last fall:
http://archives.dakota-truck.net/0211/1990.html
I had Spicers installed last November. They should be available with or
without grease fittings. A good drive shaft shop is your best bet for having
the joints replaced. Removing and replacing the shafts is reasonably
straightforward.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Feb 06 2004 - 11:46:35 EST