Hey RJ just wanted to say thanks for the 411 on that site! I looked around and yea, those things are hella expensive, cant beat the prices on that site, and glad to know your experience was good. Ordered mine yesterday hopefully its next saturday's project. Thanks alot man!

 

Good deal man. Mine is still working so no complaints there!!!

Mark the gears. And U joints. Dont forget!!!

RJ

 

Just ordered mine Monday...should be here today. $39 plus shipping. I've been driving with about 1" of slop in my current carrier (original w/250k miles) for quite some time now but I figure it's better to replace it now than to throw the drive line.

 

New bearing:


Old bearing:


Rear shaft dropped...I would never work under my truck without jack stands if the wheels weren't still attached.


Old bearing removed:


New bearing installed:


So far so good...and it was surprisingly easy to do. I had a spacer on the old bearing to reduce the angle between the front and rear shafts but removed it when I installed the new one. With the spacer installed it put too much vertical force on the transmission and would cause it (A340H) to kick into neutral if I hit the gas too hard. With the new bearing installed and the spacer removed that problem has been resolved. I'll report back in a few thousand miles.

 

Update - the rubber surround on the new unit seems to be much softer and it would allow the drive line to push up far enough on acceleration for the flange bolts to hit the upper shroud, making an AWFUL grinding noise. The truck is lifted 5" so I used to run a 1.25" spacer to drop the center support and reduce the drive line angle but it would cause the trans to kick into neutral on hard acceleration. I removed this when I put the new center support bearing in so this time I installed a 1/2" spacer. Now I can power brake it (automatic FTW!) without the flange bolts hitting and the trans won't kick into neutral unless I hit a pretty good bump under hard acceleration. That probably has more to do with the old/worn trans mount though.

 

I also have a vibration in my truck and I suspect the driveshaft center support is toast. I have known about this for a while, but was assuming that the driveshaft center support would need pressed on so I never got around to doing it. Apparently, it doesn't need pressed onto the driveshaft then? Also, make sure the flange (that bolts the front shaft section to the rear shaft section) is marked so it goes back on the same splines as it came off? Also, re-install the yoke to to the rear end in the same position it came off along with the front of the shaft (to trans) to prevent vibrations? Does the entire drafshaft assembly need to come out, or can it stay attached to trans and just split the rear section off/replace center support?
Sorry for all the questions, it is going to dump snow here overnight and I will be working in the driveway. Just want to be clear on what I may be getting into and I've never had to remove a 2pc shaft before.
Thanks for any tips.

BTW, I have a 95 ext cab 4x4 with 5sp manual trans/3.0 engine.
Also, I noticed the link in the first post doesn't work anymore. Is there still a cheaper place to purchase these than the local parts place(which doesn't even have one in stock near me).

 

If you have a carrier bearing, its kind of a 2 part drive shaft. Its been a while so let me think...

The shaft is (should be) balanced, so make sure you mark the U joints with a scrape (see regular screwdriver) and also the plate in the middle so it all goes together as it came out. (U's and the plate in the middle all match up in the same place/configuration as they were in origionally)

I did not have to press mine, (1986 custom cab) Held on with a regular nut, need long socket to remove. It was only about a 40 min or 50 min job, however my cent sup bearing was super toast and I just pulled the rubber apart with my hands. Unsure of a more recent model needing pressed or not, call a local trans shop or bearing shop or gear shop and ask if it needs pressed on your rig, they might tell u.

I'd pull it all out or I doubt you'll be able to get the new carrier to seat properly under the rig, it will be a PITA to try to get it apart, let alone back together under the rig. It is a Long Unwieldly thing.

Probably not much help, but best I can manage at work. Gotta run. Thanks. RJ

 

It can be removed/reinstalled by hand. This applies to all pickups/4runners with a center support bearing.

 

Ok, thanks. Since it's winter here and I do all my work in my driveway, I just like to have a game plan ahead of time.
Thanks again for the replies...

 

Thanks for this thread. I am experiencing vibration in my driveshaft and could only find up and down play around the center support bearing area. It appears they still have it for $39 dollars: http://www.driveshaftparts.com/cente.../prod_494.html

 

$300 at the NAPA dealer here, what a joke.

 

Ya, the good ones aren't cheap. The 'driveshaftparts' ones are good for $40, but if your driveline angle is much higher than stock (due to lift), expect the rubber to flex more and possibly push the middle flange up into the collar. I put a spacer on mine to lower the center support, giving it more room to flex, and ran it that way for a while without issue. When I did my transmission swap, the 'new' driveline had a good OEM unit and it's definitely better quality. I was able to remove the spacer too.

You could probably find a good OEM unit from a junkyard for $40 or less, but if you go with the cheap one, just be prepared to deal with the added movement I mentioned. Probably won't have any issues if your truck is at stock height.

 

I just picked up a Custom Cab last week. It desperately needs a carrier bearing replaced as the rubber mount is completely gone. Does anyone have a pic of their carrier bearing on the Custom Cab model? What part # did you use? The original part # at the top of page 1 doesn't have a working link any longer.

 

Here is a pic of my truck and a pic of the bearing. The bearing mount is flat, where on the Xtra cabs, the mount is rounded. What have others done to attach the bearing to the flat mount?

 

Here is what I ended up using in the Custom Cab:
http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/web...RPUCVSAMS_____

It was 20% off for the holiday week. You have to cut off the little metal hooks and bend the tabs down so they are flat. Easy mods to make and it bolts right in. The last one was well used so this should last quite a while.


I also pulled the drive flange off the rear of the t-case. The nut was finger tight and it had been spewing oil. This is the 26 spline for the turbo model so it has a different seal than most. Put in a new seal:
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/par...er=136728_0_0_

And I also am changing the t-case oil to a synthetic blend. All should be good to go for a while.

 

Has anyone had issues with the center bearings having a short life? Mine seem to least a year before the rubber is completely wasted. The bearing itself still works fine, but it flops around like a fish.

 

I wonder if the pinion angle is wrong, a result of the frame modifications.
I replaced my carrier bearing last fall, one thing I almost missed was a spacer that was still attached to old bearing. I found it after the installation so installed it immediately.

 

stock or lifted?