Front Drive Shaft Removal

[rondoggnuts]

This has probably been addressed, but I'm finding conflicting information and I'm a bit confused. So I'm looking for a direct and simple answer:

Can I remove the front drive shaft and lock the center diff. and drive with no problems for, say, 1000 miles??

I ask because I get the "thud" noise at low speeds and I suspect stiction or hydrolock in the front shaft. Both shafts are filled with grease, but upon inspection the front shaft has no grease seeping past the seal, while the rear does. I would like to remove the front drive shaft and clean it out and possibly replace the seals. But I'm pretty slow when it comes to certain things and want to know if I can still drive it without causing any damage or concern. Heck, I might even leave it in RWD for a while if there is no problem with doing so. I don't anticipate the need for 4wd in the near future. What do you guys think?

 

[Snook]

Yes you can for a while.

Like you said, you would remove the front axle and lock the center diff but also remove the spindle hubs.

Keep in mind that due to the missing spindle hubs, the CV boot spindle is exposed to the water and dirts.

I do have a spare spindle hubs that have the gears bored out (smooth surface inside) so it can be used in case of front axle failure.

Regards,

 

[Trunk Monkey]

I do have a spare spindle hubs that have the gears bored out (smooth surface inside) so it can be used in case of front axle failure.

Very clever. Are they the usual flange from like an 80 series or is the 100 one specific to it?

 

[rondoggnuts]

Hmmm... so there is more to it than I thought. And when you say "for a while," that makes me think that it's not the best idea to do for a long period of time. I'll just have to suck it up and hustle when I get it off. I guess I'll find a nice weekend when I don't plan to drive it and take care of the problem all at once. I appreciate the advice, thank you.

 

[Augie]

Snook is talking about CV shaft not front drive shaft.

Yes its fine and you do not need to do anything other than locking the center diff.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

Well, Snook is talking about what you do when your front diff grenades. You have to take the drive flanges off so the CV shafts don't rotate. So, actually you could just remove the front shaft and since the 100 doesn't have a viscous coupling to burn up by not having the center locked, would you need to lock the center?

 

[rondoggnuts]

That's great news, Augie. Thank you for stepping in to clear that up. I think I'll give it a try, after I put some match marks, of course.

 

[spressomon]

Well, Snook is talking about what you do when your front diff grenades. You have to take the drive flanges off so the CV shafts don't rotate. So, actually you could just remove the front shaft and since the 100 doesn't have a viscous coupling to burn up by not having the center locked, would you need to lock the center?


Yes.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

Duh. It's still a diff.

 

[rusty_tlc]

I'd be reluctant to drive further than I had to in your case.
In my case, front diff grenade, I knew exactly what the problem was and I didn't drive one mile further than I had to to get home.
With an unknown problem...... what further problems might you cause?

 

[rondoggnuts]

OK, so now I'm confused again. Someone says it's totally fine, then another says that it's not a good idea. But if we assume that everything is perfectly fine including the front diff., shouldn't running with no front drive shaft be OK?

 

[bluecruiser]

lock center diff...and drive if front diff okay...its fun. You can peel out and stuff....I liked my prerunner Landcruiser for awhile. (when front diff blew up)

 

[Dandon]

Hi,

I had a bad U joint in the rear shaft and drove for about 3000 km without the shaft. No problem at all, even on wet road. Just do what you say, lock the CD and don't be too hard on the gas pedal. With only front drive I had a great time at traffic lights...
No inner parts get exposed when you pull the shaft, so there's no risk of dirt entering. Remember to put paint marks on every part so that you can mount it again in the same position.

 

[rondoggnuts]

That's what I'M talkin about! Great advice, bluecruiser! And thanks for the tips, everyone!

 

[Trunk Monkey]

I don't see why you could drive that and further. I had the front DS out of my 80 for a few weeks getting new u-joints, no problems. Friend of mine removed his front DS (and installed hubs) on his 80 for a two way road trip from UT to CA for fuel economy purposes. With the drive flanges still on, your front diff and CV shafts will still be turning, but that shouldn't be an issue.

 

[VX-R]

Just a little note; I don’t think the front driveshaft hydrolock or subsequently make the clunking noise upon take off. Due to the IRS and fixed front diff it doesn’t change length.

br
Jesper

 

[rondoggnuts]

^^^ Actually, I don't get a "cluck" when taking off at all. I hear more of a "thud" at low speeds when going over very slight bumps -- bumps that you wouldn't expect to hear anything. So I concluded (erroneously?) that it must be the front shaft since the rear shows plenty of grease past the seal. And this problem seems to be the hydrolock problem that is described in some of the driveshaft threads. Am I mistaken? Thanks for bringing that up, by the way.

 

[VX-R]

The rear driveshaft logic does not apply to the front driveshaft. The previous threads about the “thud” and “hydrolocking” are related to the rear driveshaft. Hydrolocking occurs when the rear axle moves up, and compress the rear driveshaft. If over greased the rear drive shaft won’t compress sufficiently and you’ll get a thud. Upward axle movement happen during acceleration or hitting bumps. I guess an 80 Series could have a front driveshaft “thud” under braking or hitting bumps.

 

[Snook]

Excellent illustration!

Cheers,

 

[rondoggnuts]

Yes, that explains a lot, I appreciate that. So I guess I'll clean/re-lube the rear drive shaft and see if that fixes the thud I'm getting. I'm guessing that the grease I see is just *some* of what should be seeping past the seal? Now that I look at it again, it isn't a *lot* of grease, but it certainly appears to be compressing some (maybe 1/4").

Another thing - I'm guessing that lubing the front sleeve yoke isn't as important if it never compresses?? Hmm..