MrArachnid

So I hope someone has run into this issue and has some insight. I have a 2001 SR5 V6 4Runner 4x2. I had a small vibration that just happened to coincide with a tire swap. I had two used temporary tires put on the rear while I saved the money for all four to be changed. When the vibration started I thought it was related to the tires put on the rear and I had noticed one of the balancing weights had come off the front wheel..so I chalked the vibration up to out of balance. A couple months go by and I get all the tires changed and the vibration still exists. In a week it was incredibly worse and my wife had a huge issue on her way home from work. I climbed under and noticed the rear U joint had come apart and the yoke had slammed together...now its parked.

A month goes by and I finally have the money to buy a drive shaft...not easy to come by from the boneyard. So I remove the shaft from the slip flange and try to remove the slip yoke...which from what I know should just slide out....negative...no sliding out. I try to use a 2000# ratchet strap to pull the slip off the output shaft and nothing...won't budge. So I am down to this scenario:

I can leave the original slip yoke in place and I have already cut the old Drive Shaft off the front U joint yoke. I plan to press the new shaft onto the old slip and reattaching the flange....done. What I would like to know...has anyone encountered a slip yoke not dislodging from the output shaft? Bear in mind, the old slip still has play from the spline to the stop and I would think that if the splines were bound, fused, or welded from the vibration that I would not have had the play to remove the drive shaft from the flange.

Any thoughts?

j2the-e

Never seen or heard of such a thing. Your theory may or may not work. Driveshafts are balanced as a unit. By using 2 shafts pieced together, you may end up with vibration issues

MrArachnid

No one I have talked to, including a mechanic of 30 years, have ever seen this happen. The slip yoke is not bent or otherwise damaged (that I can see) so by removing the U Joint in place and pressing the new U joint already attached to the new drive shaft into the old slip, I hope that I will make her drivable again today. I understand the balance issue but at this point I don't have a choice....short of replacing the entire transmission which may be something that I will have to do if the vibration continues.

MrArachnid

This is one of the best vehicles I have owned and I hate to see her suffer.

TheDurk

What happens if you really slap grease into it? Does it shoot out, or can you maybe build hydraulic pressure against whatever is holding it?

ksti

Just a thought, if this repair doesn't work (and I hope it does fix it)
before you think about replacing transmission, check to see if your flex plate is cracked as that could possibly be the problem.

MrArachnid

Did not see a zerk fitting to apply any grease or other wise. I did originally think that it was hydro-locked.

MrArachnid

Flex Plate? I will look into that as well. My fix did the trick. I had to use a 4.5" grinder with a cut off wheel to remove the old front Ujoint. Tapping the new one in was easy-breezy after that. No vibration, No noise just smooth sailing.

I will def look into that flex plate because it concerned me that the slip did not give. I was hoping that the vibration did not cause heating of the spline at the stop and make it expand a little.

ksti

Sounds like your good to go, glad it worked out for you.

Kiroshu

Strange things in the Auto Repair world.