Rear driveshaft help.

[jngreen]

I found out one reason for a slight popping that I've had for awhile now when I come to a complete stop or sometimes when I accelerate from a stop. I also had/have a vibration. The slip joint in my rear driveshaft was binding and sticking. I had trouble even pulling it apart.

Now, the main problem is the blue coating that Ford put on the splines inside the joint had started to peel off of the splines and everything started to corrode and rust because there was no grease. I spent about 2 hours with a pocket knife, torch, wire brush, and some brake cleaner trying to peel and scrape that crap out of the splines. I finally got it clean and greased it all back up so that it will actually slide in and out when the rear axle moves forward or backward, which is quite frequent on truck with 5 inch blocks and no traction bars. The popping and binding has gone away, but I still feel a vibration while driving highway speed.

The slip joint feels like it has excessive slop in it now that the coating has been removed. I have been told that the coating is necessary and that you can't just grease the joint. Is this true. Do I really have to replace the driveshaft or at least the short section of the driveshaft and the slip joint to correctly fix the problem?

Why did they ever do away with slip joints that have a grease fitting? What is my best option here? I'm guessing the parts from Ford aren't cheap, on the other hand, I'm not sure I want a used one that could possibly do the same thing. Could I find a shaft from an earlier truck that has no coating, and uses a grease fitting instead?

Oh btw, my truck is a 2000 F350 ccsb 4x4.

 

[Tom S]

Was there some special grease you SD guys had to use for those joints?

 

[Big Bore]

U-joint? I had a vibration and turns out it was the rear U-joint. It didn't move when checking it by hand prying on it, but once I took it offf it was obviously toast.

 

[neverkickn]

When I had my driveshaft at the shop the tech that did the balance on it also took apart and greased the slip joint. He said that they do it on every one that they get in. I dont know about the coating but I didn't see anything wrong with mine after it was greased. He just used the same lube that they put in the u joints.

 

[Tom S]

Are you getting a bump or click when starting from a stop. I found thid on a site



Bump or Clunk when Starting from a Stop, 4X2 Vehicles:

This may be due the slip yoke on the driveshaft not slipping smoothly. Separate the slip yoke from the driveshaft (index for reassembly) and lube the splines with Motorcraft P/N XG-8 PTFE (Teflon) grease.



http://www.intellidog.com/dieselmann/bulletin1.htm

What I was thinking of

 

[jngreen]

I guess my joint is probably just wore out from the years of binding and sticking on that blue coating crap with no lubrication. I'm gonna price a new slip joint from Ford, and shop around for a good used one.

 

[Big Bore]

I guess my joint is probably just wore out from the years of binding and sticking on that blue coating crap with no lubrication. I'm gonna price a new slip joint from Ford, and shop around for a good used one.

Before you do that, have you checked the U-joints? The binding in the slip joint could certainly accelerate the wear on them, and in fact after reading this I'm planning to drop mine and take the slip apart and lube it then put it back in with new joints. U-joints are cheap, about $10 each.

 

[03-Blue-Powerstroke]

Before you do that, have you checked the U-joints? The binding in the slip joint could certainly accelerate the wear on them, and in fact after reading this I'm planning to drop mine and take the slip apart and lube it then put it back in with new joints. U-joints are cheap, about $10 each.

How hard is it to change the u-joints? I have never done it.

 

[jngreen]

Before you do that, have you checked the U-joints? The binding in the slip joint could certainly accelerate the wear on them, and in fact after reading this I'm planning to drop mine and take the slip apart and lube it then put it back in with new joints. U-joints are cheap, about $10 each.

I am fairly confident that its the joint that causes the vibration. I did pull the caps off of a couple of u-joints and they looked really good.


You know how a carrier bearing always has a small amount of play when you push up on it from underneath or pull down with your body weight? Well the slip joint has about twice as much play in it as the carrier bearing, and I think I could almost make it rattle if I shake it hard enough (the joint, not the carrier bearing).

 

[Big Bore]

How hard is it to change the u-joints? I have never done it.

You can use a press made for U-joints and ball joints, or you can do the socket and hammer method. I know mechanics that use the socket and hammer method because it's faster. I have a press and guess I have the need to justify the cost lol. Press is $50 or so at Harbor Freight last I checked.

Hammer and socket is used to force the joint out of one side of the yoke so you can remove a cap and then slide it back out sideways. Use a socket slightly larger than the cap as a support on one side and use a hammer and punch to drive it out from the opposite side. This requires removal from vehicle, even for one joint, the press allows you to do the job and leave driveline connected on the opposite end if you are only doing one joint.

 

[neverkickn]

I am fairly confident that its the joint that causes the vibration. I did pull the caps off of a couple of u-joints and they looked really good.


You know how a carrier bearing always has a small amount of play when you push up on it from underneath or pull down with your body weight? Well the slip joint has about twice as much play in it as the carrier bearing, and I think I could almost make it rattle if I shake it hard enough (the joint, not the carrier bearing).

Dang. My slip joint doesn't have any up down/left right play. It's hard to believe that removing the coating is what is causing all that slop.

 

[Big Bore]

You know how a carrier bearing always has a small amount of play when you push up on it from underneath or pull down with your body weight? Well the slip joint has about twice as much play in it as the carrier bearing, and I think I could almost make it rattle if I shake it hard enough (the joint, not the carrier bearing).

Yikes

 

[jngreen]

Dang. My slip joint doesn't have any up down/left right play. It's hard to believe that removing the coating is what is causing all that slop.

Well, I have been told before that since the joint was designed to have the coating there, it will not fit properly without it there. My best guess is that this is a true statement, or that my joint is wore the F out from the years of popping and binding on a not lubricated balled up mess of trash inside of the joint. This is actually the second time I have worked on this part of the driveshaft. The first time this happened, it took a come-along hooked to a truck's hitch, parked directly behind my truck, to pull the damn thing apart. This time I took it apart, it only took a 3 lb sledge to get it out.

Yikes

Yep, it sucks.


I just realized I started a thread about my vibration problems back when I was still a little newbish.

http://www.powerstroke.org/forum/99-03-7-3-drivetrain-problems/17765-carrier-bearing-shims.html


Notice the dates, I didn't realize I have been putting up with this crap for this long. But, the truck only has 78,000 miles on it. It had 63,000 when I bought it back in 06'.

 

[Tom S]

What might be the most reasonable solution would be to just bring the shaft to a drivshaft shop and have them put in a new slip yoke.

 

[jngreen]

What might be the most reasonable solution would be to just bring the shaft to a drivshaft shop and have them put in a new slip yoke.

I will look into finding a driveshaft shop locally, but typically anything related to the word "yoke" is expensive in my experience.


There is a guy on the nation that will sell me a complete driveshaft out of a rolled ccsb 4x4 with an auto (same as my truck) for a 100 bucks. Problem with that is I'm not sure what I'm getting before I drive 4 hrs to go pick it up.



Tom, read that old thread I posted. I think you might get a kick out of it.

 

[Tom S]

Where was the thread? I got lucky and scored a brand new complete Ford/Spicer CV front driveshaft for my Dana 60 swap for only $118 shipped online. Place called USA Super Sale.

 

[jngreen]

up above in a post I edited.


But, here it is again.


http://www.powerstroke.org/forum/99-03-7-3-drivetrain-problems/17765-carrier-bearing-shims.html

 

[Dmstrucks02]

I'm wondering about the blue coating too, mine is cracking but I didn't want to scrape it all off yet. I put the ford PTFE lube on the splines but it didn't last as long as regular grease before the clunck came back. I need to figure something out, I'm tired of greasing the dang thing

 

[jngreen]

I'm wondering about the blue coating too, mine is cracking but I didn't want to scrape it all off yet. I put the ford PTFE lube on the splines but it didn't last as long as regular grease before the clunck came back. I need to figure something out, I'm tired of greasing the dang thing

I think I am going to try to find a local driveline shop, and price them putting on a real slip yoke with grease fittings. It sucks that you have to pull it completely apart to smear some grease on it.

 

[Dmstrucks02]

I've seen some write ups on guys drill and tapping the yoke and putting in a grease fitting, maybe cheaper to have the shop do that for you, rather than build a new slip yoke