Helpful tip to prevent front driveshaft failure!
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Three Wheeling
Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 76
Likes: 6
Helpful tip to prevent front driveshaft failure!
Hey all, this is a warning to all D2 owners out there who still have operating A/C.
Not so recently, when rebuilding my front driveshaft, i set out to locate a route cause, and by chance stumbled upon what i believe to be an active contributor. The A/C drain tube drips directly onto the front driveshaft U-joint. The constant moisture coupled with intense heat from the catalytic converter is most definitely why this problem is so common. The fix was to shove an undersized hose up through the condenser drain. I then zip tied it so it drains away from the shaft. About a 5 min job. It may be possible that not all years were the same (mine's a '99) but in my opinion its worth taking a gander under your truck. You'll see the black drain grommet staring at you.
I'm now counting on my new driveshaft to last quite some time
Not so recently, when rebuilding my front driveshaft, i set out to locate a route cause, and by chance stumbled upon what i believe to be an active contributor. The A/C drain tube drips directly onto the front driveshaft U-joint. The constant moisture coupled with intense heat from the catalytic converter is most definitely why this problem is so common. The fix was to shove an undersized hose up through the condenser drain. I then zip tied it so it drains away from the shaft. About a 5 min job. It may be possible that not all years were the same (mine's a '99) but in my opinion its worth taking a gander under your truck. You'll see the black drain grommet staring at you.
I'm now counting on my new driveshaft to last quite some time
Last edited by Dsport; Feb 19, 2019 at 01:58 AM.
Mudding
Joined: Nov 2018
Posts: 179
Likes: 22
From: Hickory Flat , Ga
Grease the joints at every oil change and dont worry about the drain on that side. Also make sure to upgrade the spider joints to greasable on the other end...thats the one that fails most of the time . FYI... The other ac drain drip right on the xyz switch which is more concerning to me for these older trucks.
Thread Starter
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Three Wheeling
Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 76
Likes: 6
Protecting the driveshaft from catalytic converter heat can be done a variety of ways. I opted not to add any heat protection. Although I’m sure a piece of aluminum with some hose clamps would be sufficient. Also the cat can be heatwraped. I may revisit this, however I’m pretty sure my head gaskets are going to blow before my driveshaft does again.
Pro Wrench
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 1,709
Likes: 137
From: NE PA
The driveshaft usually fails in the rear. I had two shafts fail. I caught both. Both were the rear u joint. The first was the original at 170,000 I think. The other only lasted 2 months and was an Ebay purchase. I replaced the joints in the original shaft with trw joints that have grease fittings and have been fine since.
I check it once a month.
I check it once a month.
Camel Trophy
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 3,884
Likes: 951
From: Charlotte
Do you mean the rear shaft, or the rear of the front shaft with the double-cardan joint? I've always understood that rear shaft failures are uncommon and it's the front shaft that most often lets go.
Thread Starter
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Three Wheeling
Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 76
Likes: 6
The driveshaft usually fails in the rear. I had two shafts fail. I caught both. Both were the rear u joint. The first was the original at 170,000 I think. The other only lasted 2 months and was an Ebay purchase. I replaced the joints in the original shaft with trw joints that have grease fittings and have been fine since.
I check it once a month.
I check it once a month.
Last edited by Dsport; Feb 20, 2019 at 01:51 PM.
