Our 03 Disco has 58,000 miles now & seems to be solid but I have decided I need to be proactive & do something with the Front non grease-able shaft.

I thought it would be a simple decision but after lots of reading I am more confused than I when I started reading.

Some seam to like rebuilding which I have never done before so this is a little intimidating although doable. After reading I am most concerned about the centering kit removal & install.

Now I thought about just buying the TWs shaft which seemed fastest & simplest but some seem to have vibration issues after installing the TWs which concerns me since it is allot of $$$$s to spend & have issues with.

1. So can some of you give me an idea if the TWs is a good choice & if the vibration issues are really a problem?

2. Also TWs seems to use grease-able center also which doesn't seem to be available on a rebuild. Is this really a worthwhile advantage?

3. Besides cost what are the advantages & disadvantages DIY rebuilding existing shaft?

4. Is there really a good chance I will still need to buy a new shaft with a rebuild on my existing one?

I appreciate any help anyone can provide & if my questions seem like they have already been answered I apologize in advance I am asking for clarification. I usually don't post much because I research past post first.

 

I have a friend that owns an off-road shop in Phoenix that uses nothing but TW's shafts and he loves them. I'm not sure about the vibration issue you are talking about. On my DI i used Great Basin Rovers front and rear shafts, no complaints.

 

The Tom Woods drive shaft is heavier so yes, you will get a vibration at high speed, usually above 75.
In order to properly grease the centering ball on the TW you need to use a special tool on your grease gun, it is a needle that goes into the flush grease fitting.
You can also get that if you have yours rebuilt.
You can have a shop rebuild yours for pretty cheap, parts and labor are less than a TW as long as you take it off the truck yourself.
As long as yours is rebuilt correctly and you grease it correctly and at every oil change you will not need a new driveshaft.

 

Thanks for the reply:

On the center ball is it really an advantage having it grease-able? I have read all the info I could & the parts recommended never have a Grease-able center just the u-joints.

I actually have a friend that is a mechanic & may be able to help me out if he can get the time but I had almost decided to just replace with TWs until I researched finding some talking about the vibration issues.

 

Rebuilding a drive shaft is pretty simple if you have the right tools. An arbor press would come in handy, but the job can just as easily be accomplished with a vise or tool rented from autozone.

I would recommend a rebuild over the TW for several reasons -- most notable being the added weight and expense. Unless you are a heavy off-roader, the TW is overkill.

 

The whole reason the driveshaft fails in the first place is because it is non greasable.
So if you cannot grease your centering ball it will fail and you will either be rebuilding the driveshaft again or take out your transmission when it fails.
If you really wanted you could rebuild your driveshaft with non greasable parts and then just plan on doing that every 50,000 miles or so.
If you use a greasable centering ball and do not grease it it will fail in 10,000 miles or so.

So now the question you need to ask yourself is do you want to grease the u-joints and centering ball every oil change or do you just want to rebuild your driveshaft every 50k? (approx. every 5 yrs depending on how much you drive)

As a side note and a thought, I have often wondered if a guy could build a deflector plate and mount it to the transmission to prevent the driveshaft from punching a hole in the side of the trans if the double cardon failed.

 

Spike,

I have thought about that too. I'll find, and post, a link later but why couldn't a driveshaft ring be installed on our trucks? Race cars use them for the very same purpose. I would think a ring would be better than deflector plate because you could keep the shaft confined and have more control.

 

Where do you get a grease-able Cent or is the 617 actually grease-able?

I don't mind maintenance just want to do the best route so maybe I don't have to deal with a major issue. My companies truck has a PTO with around 6 zerks that need grease regularly I just have reminders setup in my IPhone Automobile App.


Again Thanks for the help I am now thinking maybe Rebuild. Im not rich by no means but cost of new shaft isn't a major problem really. I just have to justify it in my head.

I am also planning mostly just for better ride & weight handling a OME 2" HD Spring upgrade soon so would this make any difference in rebuilding or TWs?

 

Big trucks have them too, but could a guy make it strong enough?
And the double cardon is really close to the trans so when it deflected would it still hit even if the shaft (hehe)was in place?

 

The TW's will make no difference with a lift.

You grease u-joints at every oil change so no reminder is needed, change the oil and grease as the oil drains, pretty simple.
As far as I know the parts listed on the forum are all greasable.