Installing drive shaft and U-Joint centering

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my5thmopar

my5thmopar

Life Long MOPAR Owner
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72 Dart 318/904/7.25 I'm working on a vibration issue. How do you know which way the drive shaft connects to rear flange (yoke)? Is this based upon the drive shaft weights or what? Do I flip it over to see if any vibration? The drive shaft was removed several times. Pinion angle is on my list.

The rear flange on my car doesn't have any outside retainers or centering tabs on the flange edge. The FSM shows a retainer but, there aren't any grooves for the clips to fit into. I cant tell from the pictures if there is suppose to be a tab. (My Dakotas do). What seems to be wrong with my setup?

Thanks Craig
 
When you say rear flange, are you referring to the yoke at the end of the driveshaft where the U joint goes?
 
In theory it should not matter. If it does, it means either the yoke and driveshaft were both out of balance by the same amount, or out of true by the same amount, and flipping one to the other equalized things.

The same is true of the front of the shaft and the front yoke. In theory, should not matter.

Otherwise, they would have to be marked or keyed from the factory.

There's a procedure in the Chassis book? I believe for helping minor shaft out-of-balance. It involves using two or three radiator hose clamps around the shaft. You move the clamps, try it, move them. If you are interested, I can photo the relevant pages.
 
67Dart273 said:
In theory it should not matter. If it does, it means either the yoke and driveshaft were both out of balance by the same amount, or out of true by the same amount, and flipping one to the other equalized things.

The same is true of the front of the shaft and the front yoke. In theory, should not matter.

Otherwise, they would have to be marked or keyed from the factory.

There's a procedure in the Chassis book? I believe for helping minor shaft out-of-balance. It involves using two or three radiator hose clamps around the shaft. You move the clamps, try it, move them. If you are interested, I can photo the relevant pages.
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X2
I just had a driveshaft shortened and balanced. I had put the slip yoke and Ujoints on the shaft before I took it there. When I came back to get it the guy told me to be sure that whenever I had to install new joints to be sure and mark the shaft and put the yoke back in the same position. He said that the way I had it that when he went to balance it that it was vibrating badly and he had to reclock the yoke.
 
Yes interested in procedure since I don't see it in the Chassis Manual. Yes rear yoke. What about the u-joint question?
 
The clips that hold the u joint caps in the driveshaft are on the inside of the yoke. It is a C shaped clip.
 
my5thmopar said:
72 Dart 318/904/7.25 I'm working on a vibration issue. How do you know which way the drive shaft connects to rear flange (yoke)? Is this based upon the drive shaft weights or what? Do I flip it over to see if any vibration? The drive shaft was removed several times. Pinion angle is on my list.

The rear flange on my car doesn't have any outside retainers or centering tabs on the flange edge. The FSM shows a retainer but, there aren't any grooves for the clips to fit into. I cant tell from the pictures if there is suppose to be a tab. (My Dakotas do). What seems to be wrong with my setup?

Thanks Craig
Click to expand...

The end yoke is what holds the joint, you don't have a flange yoke or shouldn't unless you have a newer rear from another vehicle.

You have the wrong joint if there are no clips on the caps.

Your dakota does because it is no longer having its driveline done by detroit and it is using spicer


67Dart273 said:
In theory it should not matter. If it does, it means either the yoke and driveshaft were both out of balance by the same amount, or out of true by the same amount, and flipping one to the other equalized things.

The same is true of the front of the shaft and the front yoke. In theory, should not matter.

Otherwise, they would have to be marked or keyed from the factory.

There's a procedure in the Chassis book? I believe for helping minor shaft out-of-balance. It involves using two or three radiator hose clamps around the shaft. You move the clamps, try it, move them. If you are interested, I can photo the relevant pages.
Click to expand...


That is not true, EXACTLY how the shaft is installed in the car is exactly how it always needs to be re-assembled.
The slip yoke always needs to be on the same end and on the same plane.
Any part put on wrong and it WILL be out of balance.

.
 
That is not true, EXACTLY how the shaft is installed in the car is exactly how it always needs to be re-assembled.
The slip yoke always needs to be on the same end and on the same plane.
Any part put on wrong and it WILL be out of balance.

.[/QUOTE]

The world must be wrong. You can pull a driveshaft and install it at any position on the transmission. The balance is on the driveshaft and not in the position of it's components. If what you said were true, any driveline component changed would cause a imbalance.
 
It does, you don't build shafts or then balance them prior to making changes to see that im right.
changing joints in almost EVERY case effects the balance, most times not enough for you to feel it.
Change the joints and index the slip or flange yoke (if it has a FY) wrong and IT IS out of balance.... and i'll bet and win every time...

.
 
A drive shaft must be in phase. Both u joints should be exactly the same on both ends. If you took it apart and pit it back in phase, the worse you could be is 180 degrees off. At that point try it both ways and the eliminates that problem
 
fklskv said:
A drive shaft must be in phase. Both u joints should be exactly the same on both ends. If you took it apart and pit it back in phase, the worse you could be is 180 degrees off. At that point try it both was and the eliminates that problem
Click to expand...

I think you may be referring to the splined slip type driveline, because most drivelines are built in phase and cannot be changed.
Where people screw up is not marking the yoke and driveline before they take it apart to change ujoints.

To the OP
I recently took my driveline out and spun the yoke 180 and put it back together because I had a pretty bad vibration.
It occured to me that whoever changed the ujoints last might not have known to put the yoke back the same way it was.
That did it for most of the vibration.

Awhile back I posted that about drivelines and yokes.
I also brought up the hose clamp balancing idea, but I thought I came up with that one, and didn't realize the manual says how to do it.

In a perfect world EVERYTHING would be balanced and changing the yoke around 180 degrees would make no difference at all,,,,but,,,

Change the yoke 180
It fixed mine, and the worst that can happen is it will be worse.:D

BTW the two little tabs that are down in the saddles of the yoke center the rear joint and hold the caps on.
If your does not have the tabs, or the clips something is not right.
You will jump on it some day and the driveline will fly out.
 
A very long time ago I asked a similar question about replacing U-joints. The mechanic I asked said, " That's one of those questions you just don't ask. Don't take anything for granted. Mark everything before you take it apart. I'll mark front drums or rotors before taking it to the brake lathe just to know the bearings outer race goes back with the same inner it belongs with. To pick up a crayon is much easier and less expensive than anything else you'll do in this business. My own little method is write on the right so I don't need to mark both."
I honestly believe I learned more while skipping school than I did in school.
 
RedFish said:
A very long time ago I asked a similar question about replacing U-joints. The mechanic I asked said, " That's one of those questions you just don't ask. Don't take anything for granted. Mark everything before you take it apart. I'll mark front drums or rotors before taking it to the brake lathe just to know the bearings outer race goes back with the same inner it belongs with. To pick up a crayon is much easier and less expensive than anything else you'll do in this business. My own little method is write on the right so I don't need to mark both."
I honestly believe I learned more while skipping school than I did in school.
Click to expand...

Exactly.
 
The original poster is talking about a one piece driveshaft and not a 2piece shaft. I will agree that 2piece shafts must be clocked correctly to each other. 1 piece shafts can be removed and re-installed in any position.
 
It sounds like you have the wrong u joint in the rear. The caps should be grooved with clips installed to center the u joint in the yoke.
 
The c clips were missing and I saw the groves in the caps after I took drive shaft out. I bought a new rear u-joint and got all the clips. BTW We have a independent parts store that still sells a lot of USA made parts. $14. Put new u-joint in and vibration gone. Thanks for all the help and discussion. Craig
 
toolmanmike said:
The original poster is talking about a one piece driveshaft and not a 2piece shaft. I will agree that 2piece shafts must be clocked correctly to each other. 1 piece shafts can be removed and re-installed in any position.
Click to expand...

Yep, I brain farted on the meaning of phased having to do with a one piece.
 
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