out of town - devoloped drivetrain noise!?! (1 Viewer)

[cool breeze]

I finished installing J's with spacers about a month or so ago and this week installed slee's caster plates. Drove around town for a couple of days and noticed a little more front ds grr but nothing big.

Arrive to now; me and my wife came to austin and nearing the end of the trip heard the new noise...big time. It sounds like a rattle can with a slightly deeper tone. Happens on throttle tip in and let off and is speed intensified, starts about 40 and gets spine tingling at 60mph.

Now im pretty sure its the DS and time to go to a DC but im i going to damage anything else by driving it as is? Please set my mind right guys

 

[Koffer]

If your worried about it you can always pull the front DS and lock the center diff lock to get home .
Im sure the vibes arent doing any good for the transfer or the front R&P but I coulnt tell you how much though

 

[KliersLC]

If your worried about it you can always pull the front DS and lock the center diff lock to get home .
Im sure the vibes arent doing any good for the transfer or the front R&P but I coulnt tell you how much though

X2,

Crawl under there and make sure things are tight at the very least. Driveshafts kill cruisers(and people) when they let go at speed.

 

[fishwater]

i've had that same sound before. in my case it was my driveshaft (one of the ujoints going bad). Either way, for sure get under there and make sure knuckle studs are tight and your driveshaft (s). i would start by pulling the front and locking the center diff and see if the noise/vibe goes away. in my case, i had a bolt that was a little loose when i went under to pull the shaft but i'm not sure if it caused the joint to go bad, or the result of it.

 

[cool breeze]

Okay, sounds like what I was thinking and Ill be pulling the DS tomorrow. What about having a lunchbox locker in the rear, will driving on the pavement with the cdl locked allow it to unlock for turning?

 

[KliersLC]

No problems there. It will drive just like a normal RWD rig with a locker.

 

[scottm]

Your mention of the rear locker make me want to clarify, just in case. When you remove your front driveshaft, you'll need to lock your center differential, so you can drive without damage. That is done with a center diff lock (CDL) button if you have one. If you don't have a CDL button, you can lock the CDL by putting the transfer case in low, pulling the diff fuse, and putting the transfer case back in high. None of this involves the rotary diff switch for the front and rear diffs. I drove my '97 for months like that, no problem.

I *think* you need a 14mm box-end wrench to get at the bolts on the driveshaft flanges. And a hammer to swing the wrench.

 

[cool breeze]

I've seen this temp fix used by members here frequently but wanted to clarify with having the aussie in the rear. Maybe i should open a psychic hotline soon because for some reason i brought all my tools...so without having the fsm to help me whats the procedure for ds removal? Just the 4 flange bolts per side?

 

[cool breeze]

Nevermind, found a good removal thread:
https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/191424-front-driveshaft-removal-instr-please.html

 

[cool breeze]

Okay fast forward to now. DS is off and seems fine but i dont know how to properly diagnose a Ds except that the u's move, its straight and no metal pieces. Now no rattle noise anymore! Problem solved!

But on another note is that the truck is noticably more easy to drive. The driveline slop is gone, which with a locker and no VC(pretty sure I have no VC in the TC) it is very smoother on the road. I could easily get used to this! So now im thinking of a part time kit from slee. If the front DS was on would it still have the smooth driving as i do right now with a PT?