46RH Slip Yoke Trouble

-

mopowers

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2006
Messages
8,546
Reaction score
4,751
Location
West Sacramento, CA
I picked up a slip yoke for my 46RH today at a local auto wrecker. It came from a '95 Ram 1500 (2WD 5.9) w/ what looked like a 46RH/RE. It had a 2-piece drive shaft for what it's worth. I figured that slip yoke would work on my non-lockup 46RH, but it doesn't quite want to slide on. It'll start and go on about 3/8" before it locks up. Why isn't this thing sliding on? Is this a 727 slip yoke???

I did notice the yoke has 7290 joints. What's going on there?? Did 46RH/RE's ever come with 7290 joints?

Here's a photo of the output shaft on my 46RH. I sprayed it with black paint to see where the clearance issue is (see witness marks).

1705276071654.png


Here's the inside of the slip yoke:

1705276219380.png
 
I was looking at your photos and too small to count the splines but the yoke has a double spline missing. Does the trans output have a positive that yoke lines up with? If “no” if it is correct then it should slide right on. 3/8” in is the beginning of the tail shaft bushing.
 
Only time I've seen a slip yoke that is keyed/ master spline is when it must be clocked, IE a slip yoke on a shaft

1350%20Slip%20Yoke.jpg
 
I was looking at your photos and too small to count the splines but the yoke has a double spline missing. Does the trans output have a positive that yoke lines up with? If “no” if it is correct then it should slide right on. 3/8” in is the beginning of the tail shaft bushing.
The output shaft does not have a double spline.

The yoke doesn't quite make it to the bushing before it stops. It's definitely stopping on the splines.

I'm at a loss here. I looked at a bunch of photos of 727 yokes and I'm convinced this isn't a 727 yoke. The 727 splines are much pointier.
 
Last edited:
If you need a 727 yoke, I have a few.....available at a reasonable price.

01 funny 9.png
 
There was a change in the spline angle, but I'm not sure exactly when. That's why a yoke for/from an overdrive normally won't fit a 727. I had an early 518 with the same issue you're having, ended up using a 727 yoke. Makes me think they did the change sometime in the early 90s?
 
If you need a 727 yoke, I have a few.....available at a reasonable price.

View attachment 1716192373
Thanks Greg. If this OD transmission I've got uses a 727 yoke, that would be ideal. Then all I'd have to do is have my current driveshaft shortened since it's already got a 727. I appreciate the offer though! I was under the impression that the OD transmission required a different yoke based on everything I've read on this site. Plus, I though all 46RH/RE's got the 1330 joints. I guess not though.

There was a change in the spline angle, but I'm not sure exactly when. That's why a yoke for/from an overdrive normally won't fit a 727. I had an early 518 with the same issue you're having, ended up using a 727 yoke. Makes me think they did the change sometime in the early 90s?
Interesting! Thanks for the information. The 518 I've got is a '91, so super early. I'll have to try one of my driveshafts tomorrow and see if the 727 yoke fits. I'm going to laugh if it does. It makes sense though based on the witness marks. Seems like a steeper pitch (727 yoke) may be the ticket. Can't wait to give it a shot.
 
So this all got me thinking. I just checked the 3 '92 518s I've got out in the shop with a '98 46RE yoke, no go. Won't fit my '65 727 either (but we knew that). A '92 yoke fits fine, and the 727 as well. Same story for a couple 727 yokes when I tried them. I didn't check fit with the 727 style yoke on a 46re (didn't want to dig it out), but that's kind of irrelevant to this conversation anyway
 
Thanks Greg. If this OD transmission I've got uses a 727 yoke, that would be ideal. Then all I'd have to do is have my current driveshaft shortened since it's already got a 727. I appreciate the offer though! I was under the impression that the OD transmission required a different yoke based on everything I've read on this site. Plus, I though all 46RH/RE's got the 1330 joints. I guess not though.


Interesting! Thanks for the information. The 518 I've got is a '91, so super early. I'll have to try one of my driveshafts tomorrow and see if the 727 yoke fits. I'm going to laugh if it does. It makes sense though based on the witness marks. Seems like a steeper pitch (727 yoke) may be the ticket. Can't wait to give it a shot.

727 yoke and 7290 joint if I remember correctly.
 
So this all got me thinking. I just checked the 3 '92 518s I've got out in the shop with a '98 46RE yoke, no go. Won't fit my '65 727 either (but we knew that). A '92 yoke fits fine, and the 727 as well. Same story for a couple 727 yokes when I tried them. I didn't check fit with the 727 style yoke on a 46re (didn't want to dig it out), but that's kind of irrelevant to this conversation anyway
Thank you. I appreciate it! I think I'm still going to pull my driveshaft and give it a shot just to double check. It's weird that in all my reading, I've never come across this. I wonder if all 46rh/518's use the 727 splines and the switch happened with the 46RE.
 
Well, I can put this one to bed. My '91 518/46RH has an output shaft that match the splines on a 727. Just took out my 727 driveshaft and sure as ****, it slid right into the 518. Thanks @fshd4it ! I appreciate the input. There's no telling how long I would've stared at this thing until I thought to try a 727 yoke. haha!

For future reference, 46RE slip yokes will not fit early 46rh/518s.
 
Last edited:
Good deal mopowers, you're welcome. I saw a thread years back about a fellow in Scandinavia who ordered a yoke from Denny's Driveshaft, he had the same trouble you did. They sold him a later O/D style. I guess it stuck with me, which isn't very common lately...
 
U don't know a 7260 from a 7290 from a 1350 u joint but back in the day they always asked me if I had the "big"or "small" u joint with the rest of the year/make/model being the same. If you go to the driveshaft shop they can get different yokes for different spline/u joint combos.
 
U don't know a 7260 from a 7290 from a 1350 u joint but back in the day they always asked me if I had the "big"or "small" u joint with the rest of the year/make/model being the same. If you go to the driveshaft shop they can get different yokes for different spline/u joint combos.
There are also various "conversion joints" which amount to one size on two journals, and another size on the other two.
 
-
Back
Top