Yesterday I replaced my PAS pump. everything went fine, everything work. However I have a bad squeak. At first I thought it might be an idler or the pump just needed to have some fluid run through it. It's none of those things. It only happens when in gear and in motion. All of the drive line maintenance is current. Any ideas?

 

A very bad one - the front propshaft - if factory stock, it has sealed grease inside the double jointed end, and when that grease is cooked out by CATs or water contaminated, it can squeak. Just before it tears apart at speed, thrashing around, and poking a big $7000 hole in the transmission. No kidding.

Here's a pix of the end at issue. There is a rebuild write up in our tech area, under $100; and a lot of guys get a replacement shaft from any number of sources on here. Doing the U-joints yourself with good tools and equipment is OK, but a shop can balance it as well. If your tool set is the patio slab and two hammers, not so good.

Getting a shaft at a salvage yard is a possibility, but.... most yards move vehicles using a large forklift, and the shafts get bent slightly. ANY scratch on a junkyard shaft makes it suspect. A dismantler uses much more care in parting out their vehicles. Vibration symptoms include lights in your rear view mirror at night making ovals instead of pinpoints. No, that is not a built in Rover feature.

 

I have a Tom Woods front prop shaft that is about a year and a half old and it gets greased at every oil change. I suppose something could have happened between. Any way, the truck is sitting until I can find the noise. Thanks.

 

I would remove it, lock the cdl and drive it around to see if the noise goes away. Just to rule it out. Otherwise, it may be a wheel bearing.

 

Well, I was under the truck today. The u-joint on the diff end is fine and I pumped grease through it. On the T-case end the first U-joint is good and I pumped grease through it. The second u-joint is another story. It has no play in it, but I couldn't get any grease in it. It is the one nearest the cat converter and must have had the grease cooked. I'll have it up on a lift on Thursday. Incidentally, on the factory prop shaft that I had replaced, it was the same u-joint that was near failure although it never made a sound. I intended to rebuild the factory prop shaft with new Neapco serviceable u-joints and keep it in reserve in case I needed to swap it out. I guess I waited too long. I'll do it now.

 

Glad you dodged a bullet....

 

The factory u-joints are 1300 (Neapco part 1-0005) and the Tom Woods u-joints are 1310 (Neapco part 1-0154.) Fortunately the 1310 u-joints appear to be easier to get and are cheaper. The factory prop shaft had been rebuilt at some time before I acquired the truck with serviceable u-joints, but they were the ones with the grease zerk on the body rather than the end cap.

 

Don't forget to grease the double cardan joint centering ball as well. That's usually where the "chirping" noise originates in front driveshafts.