Front Drive Shaft is Loose (1 Viewer)

[Herb]

I was under my truck taking apart my rear diff after the explosion and I noticed that my front drive shaft wiggles a bit where it comes out of the transfer case.

Is this a problem? If so, could it be fixable by tightenting something or is it something like a worn-out bearing. It is not leaking or making any noises when engaged.

 

[camcruiser13]

are the bolts loose?

 

[Herb]

Nope, the on the driveshaft are tight. The wiggle is were it enters the tcase....it doesn't wiggle where it enters the front diff.

 

[1phrogguy]

Sounds like the bearings are shot in the t/c, I am no expert by any means but IIRC, Poser posted up if you try to wiggle the driveshaft side to side and back and forth and there is any movement at the t/c output shaft the bearings are shot.

please correct me if I am wrong, I know you will.

 

[Isotel]

yep, id pull off the front nosecone and pull it apart, something is going on in there

you don't need to pull the whole case..

 

[John Smith]

Nope, the on the driveshaft are tight. The wiggle is were it enters the tcase....it doesn't wiggle where it enters the front diff.

You can't seem to catch a break lately. It is either the bearing or worse. Depending how long it has been going on it could have caused wear to elements other than the output bearing. If you don't know the last time the transfer case was gone through I would pull it as it is probably due for a rebuild. This is a great excuse to install an Orion... Honey I need a new transfer case...

 

[Herb]

Yep, the cruiser is beatin' me down...but life is good and the sun still shines.

I won't have time to rebuild my transfer case....or pull it for that matter. Looks like I'll be payin' somebody. How much would a pro charge to remove and rebuild a transfer case? I'll bet the tranny could use some help too. You know...its all three speed...maybe now is the time to go to 4speed.

 

[John Smith]

I have no idea what someone would charge but I would definitely ditch the 3 speed tranny unless you intend to keep it showroom stock. The only folks I know of locally who specialize in LCs are Ryan at www.belowdeckfab.com and Lance at www.ironpigoffroad.com

 

[Herb]

I'll just save up then and call Ryan when I get ready. I just will try to avoid unnecessary 4wd till then.

 

[PabloCruise]

Great chance to add a 4 spd - go H41 for lower 1rst.

Pull the whole t-case for a rebuild. Don't forget to replace the seal btwn the tranny and t-case.

I think a t-case rebuild runs ~$400...

 

[Poser]

You need one bearing, one gasket, or possibly two, one seal and a stake nut...

This bearing in the end of the nose cone is not that big of a deal to change out..


Read about it here, starting at post #30. <---- this is a link

 

[Pin_Head]

It depends on what you mean by wiggle:
Rotation is normal.
If the pinion flange slides in and out, just tighten the pinion nut and stake it.
If it has sideways slop (up down, left right) then the ball bearing is shot. Pull the nose cone and replace it. It is about a 1 hr job taking your time.

 

[Herb]

It is an up/down, left/right wiggle. So, it must be the bearing. I'll call CDan and get the parts. Thanks very much for the help.

If it were the pinion nut, what do you mean by "Stake it"? I guess if I knew what a stake nut was, that would answer my question.

 

[Poser]

Follow the link in post #11, and read away.

 

[Herb]

Thanks for the very detailed post Poser, I've been reading....ah...well, mostly looking at the pictures so far. I'll go read now.

 

[Herb]

Got it! I wonder if the lack of "staking the nut" led to the disintegration of my rear diff??

 

[Poser]

Got it! I wonder if the lack of "staking the nut" led to the disintegration of my rear diff??

Absolutely it is the reason.


If the nut is not tight, it will allow the pinion to move inward, hitting the carrier, and causing all sorts of drama in the rear axle housing.



I use red locktite on them, and stake the nut.

 

[scouthead]

My t.c. front output bearing has a little wiggle also. I decided to leave it be for a little while, but I'm watching it like a hawk...Mark from Mark's Offroad showed me a t.c. with a really bad front output bearing that wasted the mainshaft...
The front output uses a flat roller doesn't it? I would have thought a tapered bearing like on a diff pinion would have been better for something like that...oh well...

 

[Poser]

My t.c. front output bearing has a little wiggle also. I decided to leave it be for a little while, but I'm watching it like a hawk...Mark from Mark's Offroad showed me a t.c. with a really bad front output bearing that wasted the mainshaft...
The front output uses a flat roller doesn't it? I would have thought a tapered bearing like on a diff pinion would have been better for something like that...oh well...

It is just a round, radial roller bearing.

It only needs to support that shaft for a very short run…the other end of the shaft is into the main shaft needle bearing.


A taper bearing, like what it used on the main shaft of the transfer case, would need another taper bearing in order for it to work properly, and there is no need for it, or room for it.


The same design is used on the split case.

 

[Herb]

Front Output Bearing

I finally got around to pulling the front output cone.

The front driveshaft was wiggling up and down, so we all suspected a bearing. Well, it was a shredded needle bearing. See the pictures.

The front output bearing at the tip of the cone seems fine...it was only wiggling because the shaft did not have a solid connection to the TCase.

So, are these needle bearings readily available just like the other, bigger bearings?

Doug