Local LR dealer & indy mechanic say I need front driveshaft replaced. Chirpping sound from underneath vehicle. Front wheels vibrate, steering whl shakes @ low speeds and rattling metal also heard. Dealer quote $900+. Indy mech $500+. Is this a job I could do myself. I have knowledge of tools & have done minor work myself. I seen new & used parts on ebay @ significant savings. What parts are needed? Thanks.

 

Whoa!!! Don't do either of those. Look for a driveline shop and tell them you want serviceable zerks for all four u-joints and a new center ball kit. It should only cost you between $200-$300 to have it rebuilt.

 

Cool.Thanks a bunch$.

 

wish i knew that 14 months ago. we had our independant shop replace our front drive shaft that they bought at the dealer and charged us $700. that part was under warranty for 12 months. guess what? it dried up and failed at 13 months!! thankfully we went and had it rebuilt the right way and can lube it at service intervals. but, the second time around it was $400. live and learn i guess.

 

Just be sure to lube the d/s when you change your oil and you should be fine.

 

Applejack: I read all of the positive posts about having a drive shaft rebuilt and had it done by a local shop myself.The guy there was supposed to be "Yoda"when it came to drive shafts. Mine was worse when I got it back than when it went to them. I would suggest skipping the rebuild and just order one from Tom Woods custom drive shafts 877-497-4238. I had mine in 4 days. I ordered their "standard" one and it ran me $365.00 delivered to my door. Everything has grease fittings and it is twice as beefy as factory. Bolted it in and all of my problems went away.

 

I agree with Remac. I had mine rebuilt twice and both times they lasted less than 1-1.5k miles. Tom Wood's is the way to go!
JF

 

I ordered new u-joints and a center ball kit, should be in today. I will be replacing these this weekend. All parts were under $100. Downloaded a pdf on "how to" replace everything (with illustrations!) and hope to get this done this weekend.

Hopefully all will go well with my DIY driftshaft project!

 

Rebuilt mine just like AnnelieseMae. Ordered the parts and rebuilt it myself. If I need to do it again, Tom Woods is the way I would go.

Just do it soon! Usually there is no warning before the joints break and the shaft beats a hole in the transmission. Your driveshaft issue will turn into a $6-7000 job instantly.

Note to AnnelieseMae: the centering ball was a screaming match between me and thecentering joint! GOOD LUCK! Some of them come apart easily, mine was horrifying. Used the slidehammer and the ball came out of the race. Machine shop had to soak it in solvent and apply heat and still had a heck of a time getting it out! My suggestion: spray/soak the centering joint when you get it open and let it sit for a while before trying to remove it.

Hope this helps,
David

 

Thanks for the heads up...hopefully if I scream louder, I'll win )

So I should soak it in solvent? Is there a particular kind? How long do you recommend?

Good grief I hope this goes well...maybe not the best "first time" project for me...but this is the first thing that needs to be done. I am starting to have dreams of my driveshaft exploding and taking out everything under my car, including the wheels...bad bad dreams...[sm=boohoo.gif]