Put on a 3 inch tf lift kit over the weekend. Now I have a clicking noise from the front end. At least I'm assuming it started after the lift, I don't drive it often. We've had this rig since about July. Hear the clicking during low speed acceleration, I can hear it in the cab but not with my head out the window.

I checked the usual like a dust guard hitting.

Put axles on jack stands and gear box out of gear. I can make the prop shaft move a bit. She has been off recently. The prop shaft bolts are the only ones not caked in mud.

I have 3 greaseable u joints. She's been upgraded. I don't have any loose or binding u joints but the center bearing has an audible click to it. Like a detent ball.

is the noise usual? Before attempting a rebuild or ordering a new shaft I wanted to ask.

 

Definitely not normal. Take it off and lock the CDL if you have it (don't need the lever as you can engage it on top of the t-case fairly easily from underneath with a 10mm wrench I believe) and see if the noise goes away.

 

It ls likely shot mine was fine until I added a 2 inch lift then it clicked, just age and more stress

 

Got it in the shop and on my bench. The center bearing, the only non serviceable one, was sticking. I removed it to find caked old grease.

The cats were deleted not long before I got ownership of it, so a leaky cat could gave killed it.

Wasn't easy to get apart. I have a woods shaft on order but I'll re assemble with a new 671 kit and take her rig to be aligned.

 

a little slice across the ball allows for easy removal. I don't own or feel like fighting with a slide hammer. I do have a die grinder that I'm good with. Maybe a 15 min removal once the u joint was pulled.

 

to handle the inner race my pneumatic dremel came to the rescue. This is hardened steel so that means it's brittle. You only need to make a slice 90% through. Once done a good wack with a punch will crack it then pull it on out. You don't want to grind into the housing.

My center bearing was missing the inner spring.

 

Since I had serviceable u joints and a brass drift to remove/reassembled I reused them. They didn't look old and i have a new Tom wood's drive shaft ordered from the terrific guys at lucky8. If I were doing this job for a customer or for a permanent repair all new moog or spicer u joints would would a must along with a trip to a drive shaft shop for a balance.

that being said I only removed 2 caps and the grease fittings on the inside u joint to repair my center bearing. I marked the shaft so it went back in the same direction.

Just to get a little warm fuzzy feeling i stepped over to the race shop next to my shop to have the owner check out the assembled product. When he said he was happy with the movement I was happy with it. No more clicking from the center bearing. I'm betting when the u joints were replaced the center bearing was not and whoever did the work didn't notice or care that the spring was missing. The reassembly with the spring was non eventful. I used plenty of grease to hold all the needles and spring in place. Same with the u joint caps, install with the grease fitting out and packed with grease to keep the needle bearings in place.

I'll now reinstall and run it until the woods shaft arrives. I'll keep the shaft as spare so I won't have have down time the next time i need to service the u joints. The closest balance shop is an hour away.

The new shaft was 418 shipped. That's only 4 boat dollars.

the center bearing is about 50 msrp and the u joints 30 each msrp.

If you are paying to have the work done plus the balance a new heavy duty shaft is a no brainer. I'd have saved nearly 200 if I didn't have the lift, so for stock height I'd not even give it a second thought to trash and buy new. Sell your old shaft for 10 bucks to a grease monkey who wants to play with it.


the shafts swap out in 20 minutes, 10 min if you have a lift. The bench rebuild took a good 2 hrs but I don't replace u joints often and I have never seen a center bearing before today. Would take much less time at a drive shadt shop most likely as they would hopefully have all the correct tools. I don't have a press or slide hammer at my shop.

 

Update: test ran great. Drove it to work so I could have it aligned and be sure I had no issues before returning the rig back to the little lady. No more popping or clicking noises which is good as I don't believe I'll have my woods drive shaft in until next week.