Wow! $1300? Should be $200-300 tops... maybe $350 in NYC metro area if you don't shop around. $1300 is highway robbery!

I got a quote for $300 in Jersey. With the time and cost of parts, next time I'll pay the shop and bring them the parts.

Like Tom said, check your driveshaft for grease nipples because if you went to the dealer, you'll be in the same boat again eventually.

-Anthony

 

Bad news. From the side I could see when I parked the truck, everything looked pretty straightforward. After I pulled the driveshaft though, I turned it over to real the inconvenient truth:



Looks like being a non-serviceable driveshaft, I'm replacing the whole thing. When the stealership near my house quoted me $850 and change for the driveshaft alone, I hung up laughing. Anyone know anything about "Cardone" rebuilt parts? I found one online shipped for $370.

 

Cheaper to do it this way; order parts from here: http://www.rockauto.com/

You will need 3 Precision part #344 for u-joints and 1 Precision part #617 for the center ball kit (their are other options as far as these particular brands). You can then re-build your self following the instructions in the beginning of this thread or take it to a drive line shop and have them re-build it for $100 tops using the parts listed above. You should save $100-150 compared to your $370 quote. Take the money you save and take your wife out for a nice steak dinner once it is done.

 

I think the problem he has is that now the cardan assembly bracket is broken/chipped as well (according to that picture,) so in addition to replacing the u-joints and centering ball kit, he'll need that bracket as well.

I'd say try to find a junked DII or one that is being parted out and get yourself that bracket or the entire shaft. Then rebuild.

Ouch. Very lucky that thing didn't pop out!

-Anthony

 

Good call Antmen...my bad...but you are right, I would find a junked DII...I doubt for $370 you get grease-able u-joints...but I could be wrong.

 

Exactly. Putting a u-joint back in the bracket would be a bad move. I've called around to the local junkyards I have near me and haven't come up with a wrecked DII at all. I'm seriously thinking I might just replace the whole thing.

I think the reason LR went to a non-greasable u-joint is the same reason pretty much everyone else has as well: they tend to be stronger. As long as the seals are good and you keep them oiled, there's no reason a well-made, non-greasable u-joint can't last the life of the vehicle. I think the problem is in the phrases "the seal is good" and "well-made" when we're talking about the originals.

 

You can't "oil" a non-serviceable joint because there's no way to get the grease into the caps/needle bearings without disassembling it. Which means, if you're going to drop the shaft, then remove the circlips, then use a press to remove the caps, and then finally have to remount it, you might as well change the u-joints to serviceable ones so all you need going forward is a grease gun.

The reality is that a non-serviceable u-joint will *not* last the life of the vehicle and will inevitably fail. It's well documented.

Planned obsolescence is alive and well in auto manufacturing. As is cost-cutting to increase profits and cater to shareholders. Those are the only two reasons I can think of for LR to have made that joint like that - not because it's stronger.

Keep us posted.

-Anthony

 

I said "oil" not "grease." Of course you can't grease a non-greasable u-joint. You can, however, apply "oil" to the exposed rubber to help keep it from drying out, cracking, and eventually failing. It won't last forever, and I'm not here to say it will, but then neither will greasable u-joints.

I don't believe the reason manufacturers have gone to non-greasable joints is a measure of cost cutting, personally. It could be a benefit, sure, but it's a benefit that also comes with increased strength, and less lifetime maintenance. On vehicles that don't weigh 11 million pounds and will never see anything but pavement, non-greasable u-joints will very likely outlive the vehicle.

 

At this point you're best off getting a TW or GBR propshaft that uses 1310 series u-joints.

A "lifetime" u-joint will not last in the DII DC, they are too close to the cats and the heat cooks the grease. I talked to a u-joint engineer at Neapco and described the use/location and he agreed you're better off with a u-joint you can lube.
As for increased strength in the typical land rover application, it doesn't matter. 99.9% of Land Rovers won't ever exceed the limits of a greaseable u-joint.

 

Bingo